Replacing 240V outlet with 120V I just moved into a new home, and we have an outlet in the bathroom that was set up for a washer/dryer in case we wanted to go that route. The outlet is a NEMA 10-30R. We are happy with the dryer being downstairs, and my fiance wanted to put a towel warmer on that wall instead. However, I can't seem to find one that is 240V/60Hz, and within my price range. I was thinking the easier route would be to replace the outlet with a standard (US) 120V outlet. Is this possible?

I have replaced a few outlets already and installed a few light fixtures and a range hood, so I am familiar with electrical work, but something like this seems more dangerous to me.

It can be done, but you'll have to swap out the breaker.
A "standard" US receptacle is rated for 125 volts, and 15 or 20 amperes. So you'll be going from a 30 ampere double pole breaker, to a 15 or 20 ampere single pole breaker.  You could install a 15 or 20 ampere double pole breaker, but since you're not using the second line there's no point.
In the panel
Install the single pole breaker, and connect one of the ungrounded (hot) conductors to it. Cap off the other ungrounded (hot) conductor, using a twist-on wire connector or other approved means. The grounded (neutral) and grounding conductors should already be terminated properly, so you shouldn't have to do anything with them.
Since you've gone from a double pole breaker to a single pole, there's going to be a gaping hole in the panel cover. You'll have to cover it using a listed and labeled breaker filler plate.
In the bathroom
If You're installing a 15 ampere circuit, you'll have to use a short bit of 14 or 12 AWG wire to connect the branch circuit conductor to the receptacle. Cut a piece of 14 or 12 AWG wire about 6" long, and strip both ends. Connect one end to the 10 AWG conductor coming into the box, using a twist-on wire connector of appropriate size (or other approved means). Connect the other end to the screw terminal of the receptacle.  Repeat the same process for the grounded (neutral) conductor, and grounding conductor.
If you're installing a 20 ampere circuit, a 20 ampere receptacle may accept 10 AWG wire. Check the manufacturer's documentation to determine what size conductors can be connected to the device. If it does accept 10 AWG, simply connect the conductors to the screw terminals on the receptacle. If not, you'll have to follow the procedure from above, using only 12 AWG conductors.
Once the receptacle is wired up, you can cap off the unused wire using a twist-on wire connector (or other approved means).
GFCI Protection
Since receptacle is going to be in a bathroom, you'll have to provide GFCI protection. This can be done via a GFCI breaker, or a GFCI receptacle.
Notes:
If you don't feel comfortable working in the panel, don't hesitate to contact a local licensed Electrician.
Before beginning this project, make sure you know which towel bar you'll be installing. Read and understand all the documentation that comes with it, and determine what size circuit you'll need to supply it.


I broke the knockouts on the blue receptacle boxes while doing electrical rough in. Now what? I haven't been inspected yet but most my rough in work is done.  The problem is that I didn't realize until now that I wasn't supposed to remove or fully knockout the trap doors on the nonmetallic recaptacle boxes.  Can I fill in the hole with a fire retardant foam or other product and call it good, or do I have to completely remove all my boxes and reinstall new ones?  If there is a product that can fix my goof, do you have any recommendations?  Thanks.

The trap doors serve a few purposes in plastic boxes:

They keep stuff in. Sparks, flames, and other rogue electrical gremlins.
They keep stuff out. Fingers, pets, or anything else capable of getting electrocuted or causing a short.
They act as the cable clamps for non-metallic cables entering the electrical box.

Fire proof foam or caulk would likely satisfy (1) and (2).

The plastic box conundrum.

On the cheaper plastic boxes (you know, those really flimsy ones), even if you don't try to break off the trap doors, they will, out of spite, break off on their own. Even if they don't break off, they typically end up so loose that there is no way they are an effective cable clamping mechanism.

This begs the question: if these boxes are manufactured this way, then shouldn't this be acceptable?

For certain single gang boxes where the cable is secured within 8 inches of the box, this is acceptable; otherwise, it is not acceptable.

  2014 NEC

  314.17 Conductors Entering Boxes, Conduit Bodies, or Fittings. Conductors entering boxes, conduit bodies, or fittings shall be
  protected from abrasion and shall comply with 314.17(A) through (D).

  (C) Nonmetallic Boxes and Conduit Bodies. [...] Where nonmetallic-sheathed cable or multiconductor Type UF cable
  is used, the sheath shall extend not less than 6 mm (1/4 in.) inside the
  box and beyond any cable clamp. In all instances, all permitted wiring
  methods shall be secured to the boxes.

  Exception: Where nonmetallic-sheathed cable or multiconductor Type UF cable is used with single gang boxes not larger than a nominal
  size 57 mm x 100 mm (2-1/4 in. x 4 in.) mounted in walls or ceilings,
  and where the cable is fastened within 200 mm (8 in.) of the box
  measured along the sheath and where the sheath extends through a
  cable knockout not less than 6 mm (1/4 in.), securing the cable to the box
  shall not be required. Multiple cable entries shall he permitted in a
  single cable knockout opening.

Solutions?

If you do not want to reinstall new boxes, you need to plug any holes that are not occupied by electrical cables. Then, be sure you have secured your cables to the stud or some other suitable surface within 8 inches of the box. Please note this exception does not extend to anything larger than a 1-gang box, so if you do have larger boxes you will need to make a judgement call.

If you do want to reinstall, I recommend using the heavier duty plastic boxes or metal boxes. From experience, the thicker blue boxes made by Carlon* are less susceptible to trap door failure.

*Other manufactures might make this style box as well, but Carlon is the only one I've seen in my area. This is not a Carlon endorsement.


Using scaffolding boards (new or used) for flooring or counter tops I've got access to cheap scaffolding boards. Using those and a planer/thicknesser, are there any downsides to trying to use them in flooring or biscuit-jointed as worktops? I've installed normal flooring before (both engineered and tongue-and-groove), and this looks like it'll be simpler if the boards are straightened and squared.

I wouldn't recommend using scaffolding boards as a worktop in a kitchen. Most scaffolding boards in the UK at least are made of Tanalised (pressure treated) timber. Tanalith E 8000 is the trade name of the preservative used and it is not recommended for use where there is direct contact between food/water and the treated timber since it is water soluble.
Furthermore many scaffolding boards will be covered in concrete and mortar from their use which might have effected the longevity of the timber (wood doesn't like the highly alkaline and moist environment before the concrete/mortar cures). Any residual concrete/mortar will shed your planer knives so be careful. This is in addition to any nails or screw present.
Finally most scaffolding is flat sawn and may contain the heart of the tree. Since most boards are quite wide and long they may be unstable and warp especially if they have got soaked throughout their life by being sat out in rain. Video showing different types of cut/grain orientation
As in many things there is probably no one size fits all approach. The timber doesn't know what it was used for in it's past life nor it's future life. If the scaffolding boards are in mint condition, untreated and stable they should work quite well as a worktop. If they were sat out in the rain for the last 5 years and used by bricklayers 6 days a week then they probably won't be much good for flooring or a worktop.


Why does my shower run out of hot water quickly? My shower runs out of hot water quickly. Initially the water is perfectly hot, then it starts cooling after a minute or so and we need to adjust the lever to maintain the temperature. Somewhere around 10mins (give or take) you're pretty much out of hot water.
I've tested this in our other shower as well, same issue.

To troubleshoot, we bought a new Rheem 50 Gal Gas WH as the previous was 12yrs old. Its only my wife and I in the house and we never shower at the same time in different showers.

There is no mixing valve in my setup as far as I can see, I've traced the hot water pipe from the WH to where it exits the basement.

To troubleshoot, I've been in the shower, waited for the water to start cooling, then ran downstairs to run the kitchen sink hot water and the water was noticeably cooler as well, similar to what I was getting in the shower.

Any ideas? New WH(same issue present w/ old WH), no mixing valve, water heater is set to a notch (or 2) above the default setting.

I have an HVAC friend as well as an HVAC uncle whos been in business for a while and he doesnt have a definitive answer either.

The basement is heated, so its usually about 68F-70F.

Replacing the tank eliminates the most common suspects, although it is conceivably possible that you've just had terrible luck and there's a similar issue with the new tank as well. You can test the capacity of your water heater using this procedure, filling buckets with hot water and measuring the temperature to see how much you can draw down before it gets cold.

Assuming the tank capacity is fine, then the remaining possibilities are that the hot water can't get to you (which seems quite unlikely when there's no tempering valve), or that you are simply using it all up. If your shower heads have really high flow rates (like >5GPM), it is possible you could actually be using up all of your hot water in just 10 minutes. You can measure the flow rate of your shower head by using the bucket from the capacity test and timing how long it takes to fill it.


What should I use to repair plaster in a bathroom? Our house was built in 1941, so all original walls are plaster (I'm assuming lath and plaster?). This is true for the bathroom in question. The walls in this bathroom are plaster, and are painted with latex paint. Where the shower curtain rod is in contact with the wall, the plaster has begun to break away, most likely due to continued exposure to moisture. I noticed this when I went to swap out the rod for a new one, and began to peel some of the bubbling paint away. See the picture for detailed shots.

My question is what I should use to repair this damage. I've read that normal spackling can be used to repair minor plaster damage, but is that best to use in a moist bathroom setting? Or do I need to go the route of dry mix plaster that I smooth over?

And as a side question, if there are any suggestions for what I could do to not have the shower rod in direct contact with the wall, that would also be appreciated. Thanks.

There are a few options that can be used to repair this damage. You can use standard joint compound (non-lightweight), and apply it in thin coats to avoid cracking due to shrinking, joint compound mixed with plaster, or professional grade oil based drywall spackle.

The first step would be to dry the wall and inspect it for mold. If there is any surface mold present, you can kill it with a bathroom cleaner that has bleach in it. After the surface has been cleaned and dried out thoroughly, you would want to apply a stain blocking primer like Kilz. This will give you a good surface to bond the repair to. You can then apply the drywall filler of your choosing. You may need to apply it in several layers to get a good result.

Once you are satisfied with the repair, then you can begin to prepare the wall for paint. I suggest priming the wall with an interior/exterior grade primer that will be able to stand up to the moisture. 2 - 3 coats should be enough for good coverage. I also recommend that you extend the primer past the damaged area to ensure that the same problem won't reoccur. If you can, prime the whole area around the shower. After it has been primed, then you can apply the top coat. A good idea would be to repaint the entire bathroom with paint that is made for kitchen and bathrooms. This kind of paint will resist water, and can easily be cleaned. Many brands are also resistant to mold.


Is there a easy way to procure muriatic acid to "faux antique" a mirror? I've read that the best way to "antique" a mirror is to use hydrochloric/muriatic acid to burn away some of the metallic backing. According to different sources it can be found easily at hardware stores, but I've had no luck near me and employees look at me like I'm crazy. What products use this strong an acid? I tried CLR, but it wasn't really strong enough. Any ideas?

You need to find a better hardware store. FWIW, you can order it online:

http://www.amazon.com/s?field-keywords=muratic%20acid


Humidistat Fans - Are they useful at all? I have a humidistat which is basically connected to a blower and intake vents in each of my 3 restrooms and 1 in the kitchen.
In each restroom, there's additionally a switch to turn on the central blower.
The humidistat is in a hallway, by the thermostat.
What exactly is the utility of this?
I don't see how this could possibly remove humidity from the house at large.
In fact, if I set it to 55%, it'll never turn on, if I set it to 50%, it'll never turn off.
When I got the house the previous owner said it was to keep the humidity down for the wood floors, but I'm wondering if any people with experience can confirm my suspicion that it's largely a useless feature.
It could be venting air from elsewhere as well, but it appears to just be venting the restrooms and kitchen. Am I correct that a humidistat in a hallway is useless, and that turning on what's effectively a bathroom fan does absolutely nothing to my houses humidity level (outside of getting rid of water vapor from the shower)?

I would agree that a humidistat is only needed in bathrooms and possibly kitchens.
Some might say this is opinion but my moms 2 bathrooms did not have fans, after taking a shower the large picture window in the living room would fog up with condensation during the winter especially. I added exhaust fans and vented both bathrooms and the condensation on the picture window was eliminated.
If there were a problem with the flooring the humidistat would be helpful.
As far as if needed in other parts of the home I don’t think the hallway will be doing much good (it’s not a space we hang out in). If there were another area that might benefit from an exhaust it would be the bedrooms.
We exhale moist air and although not at the level of a bathroom I do know some folks that have dehumidifiers in there bedrooms to reduce moisture and mold growth issues (oregon= rain, mold, slugs) but I haven’t seen flooring issues and many old homes have T&G flooring but are leaky compared to modern homes so there may be an issue but I haven’t seen it.
So I would agree that a stay in the hallway is a waste.


Can I control a 20 amp outlet with a motion sensor? I have a bathroom in my shop building that I use infrequently.  I do not want to maintain hot water 24/7 there. I want to use a Bosch 2.5 gallon instant hot water device connected to a cold water line. I would like the outlet to become activated when it detects motion in the bathroom and stay on for 5 minutes or so, or until there is no motion after that time.

The main reason I want to do this is that if I have a switch or plug-in/unplug the heater when needed that I will forget to turn it off or unplug it when I am through.

I see most motion detectors can only control low amperage devices.  This water heater is 1,400 watts. Is there such a thing as a motion-controlled outlet that can handle this load?

If not, I suppose I could rig a relay to be activated by the motion sensor to energize the outlet, but I would like to make it more simple.

Another option would be to use a rotary timer like on a hot tub. Are those direct connect to an outlet or do they need a relay involved?

This is the heater I am looking at:
https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-Tronic-2-5-Gallon-Electric-Mini-Tank/dp/B0148O658Y/ref=pd_ybh_a_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SPZ8JFCMYAS3QM1A36WB

It is 110v and has an adjustable thermostat.

You misunderstand these products. Yes, "tankless heaters" are quite popular. And this isn't one.

Tanked water heaters have a reservoir (tank).  The tank takes 10-30 minutes to heat up. Once you use the tankful, you are out of hot water for awhile.
Tankless water heaters have no tank, water streams through them and they flash heat it.  Water is endless.  But this takes a LOT of electricity (in the moment) and so you need fat, dedicated wires to the heater.

The tankless is a net win, because though it surges huge current during instants of hot-water use, the rest of the time it uses none at all, and that is a net win since it never heats water no-one is using.

You are talking about shutting off the heater when you're not using it to save energy, and only turning it on when you need it.  Let's think about that.

Tanked water heaters use energy all the time.  Once they initially heat the water, it cools (slowly due to the insulation) but nonetheless the heater must re-fire periodically 24x7 while on standby.  This is a fair amount of "vampire power".
Tankless water heaters don't heat water when not being used, so they don't use any appreciable amount of energy when on standby.

So you see, the very idea of putting one on a motion sensor is pointless.

For a tanked water heater, it won't even start to warm up by the time the user wants to use the hot water.   The user will need to do jumping jacks in front of the motion sensor for 10-20 minutes to get hot water.
For a tankless water heater, it will make no difference whatsoever, because the tankless isn't using energy while in standby.  It's a waste of a perfectly good motion sensor.

A fair solution is to fit a 1500-1800 watt tankless in that location, with a valve to limit flow so you get respectable heat.  But it won't be much flow.

An excellent solution is to run a new #12 or #10 homerun and install a 4000-6000W tankless.


What could be done to clean black staining from red brickwork? I have recently purchased an old house (built in approximately 1900) in the United Kingdom as a renovation project.
The brickwork under the porch has been fairly well protected over the years and is still very clean. However, the brickwork above the porch and around the rest of the house has developed a black staining:

Would I be correct to assume that this staining is simply from rain?
In the coming weeks the house will have a scaffolding for other works and so I was hoping also to deal with this staining at this time.
Do you think it would be possible to restore the house brickwork to the original colour (as seen below the porch) and if so, what method(s) would be suitable to obtain this?
Thanks in advance

Bleach works well . I dilute it 50 to 65 % and spray on red brick and concrete drive way. In my warm humid climate ,the brick gets green algae and some dark mold every year ( I usually need to spray only about 5% of the brick). The driveway gets dark ,apparent mold , and needs 100 % coverage. I use a 3 gallon hand pump garden sprayer. It will reach up about 20 ft.


Is it legal in a multi-unit building to draw air for ventilation from the attic? I live (own) in a condo and the tenants above me are smokers and their cigarette smoke is encroaching in my living space. I contacted the landlord and HOA numerous times and nothing has been done to date.  A friend of mine suggested installing an air booster to bring fresh air in.  There are two pipes going up my ceiling in my utility room and we tested both pipes and came to the conclusion that the air is being pulled from the attic.  The air was not cold even though the outside temperature was very cold.  The room smelled like stale cigarette and fabric softener with the fan on whereas the odor was faint or not not when fan was not running.  The question is, is this built in accordance with Denver Building Codes??

These sound like combustion air ducts for a gas heating appliance. Combustion air from an attic is completely in compliance with any US code in the last several decades. It is dangerous to obstruct these ducts in any manner. Doing so can severely compromise the proper combustion and venting of heating appliances, possibly leading to carbon monoxide (a colorless, odorless, tasteless, toxic gas) entering into your dwelling.


New pre hung interior door is 28" and the old area was 29 11/26 is this too big of an area to use this door? My old door was 29. 11/16" and the new pre hung interior door is 28". Is this gap too big if an area to use this door. The other threads all have smaller gaps. Also should I butt up to one side or split on each side?  The trim is 2. 1/2" so the gap can be hidden.
Thanks.

Is this a split jamb door with the casing already attached?  If so, then if the casing hides the gap with room left on the outer edge of the casing to fasten, the door will work fine for the rough opening.  The most important part of the installation (other than plumb & level) is that you cut or otherwise use snug-fitting shims frequently -at least, one shim behind every hinge, one shim near the door strike with one or two more above and below the door strike.  You can't overdo it, good shimming is what keeps the door in place through the years.  Important: make sure to put a nail, or better yet a trim screw, through the jamb, through the shim, and solidly into the framing.  After that, nail the casing, fill, caulk and paint, and you're all set.


kitchen sink blocked deep inside pipe I'm having trouble unclogging a kitchen sink pipe. I've taken apart everything outside the wall and cleaned it, but inspection showed that despite a bit of dirt, none of those parts are blocked. I have also snaked the pipe going into the wall and found no blockage. So whatever blocks it must be deep in the pipe, but I'm reasonably sure it is in that pipe because other sinks and the toilet on the same floor have no issues.

And yet, water goes out at a speed you barely notice when watching. Basically, drips. A half-filled sink drains in maybe half an hour, maybe even more. Sometimes it stops completely.

I've also used chemicals to no effect.

Then I've used the plunger, quite extensively. After working for quite a while, a white powdery substance started to come out of the pipe, with a consistency like flour or dough. Mostly very fine, but also some bigger parts (up to 1cm across) which was just the stuff clung together. It clings to everything and washes very badly from hands, etc. maybe some oil got mixed in.

Despite throwing out maybe a large cup full of it, the blockage remains. Continuing to use the plunger, the stuff keeps coming, but at low quantity. I believe this might be the blockage, but I have no idea how much remains and stopped after applying the plunger for maybe an hour.

I should mention that the dishwasher also empties into this pipe (it is connected just below the sink).

Is there anything else I can do or I am missing? Keeping on with the plunger might work, but who knows how many hours are needed. My current plan is to call a plumber and request they come with whatever special equipment they have. But maybe I'm just missing something else I didn't try yet?

additional information:

This is a detached house in Europe, with basement. So no crawlspace under the floor etc.

Snaking should be the answer, but if all else fails then you may want to try one of these fun gadgets:

I have used this successfully on my main drain. The trick is you want to block as many alternate places for the air to go as you can so that the pressure goes down the drain rather than out to other fixtures.


Well Plumbing question I want to run a line from well to house at approx 150'   Can I run a 1 1/2" pipe within a 4" conduit or  4" pipe as a safety measure for future in case I need to run a new pipe or when the original fails.

I don't believe there are many regulations about buried water pipe. Best practice in most areas is at least 18" from the top of the pipe, to the top of the ditch.   You  are definitely future proofing your install, but getting a second pipe of same size will be a very snug fit and probably logistically challenging. It's also very unlikely for a pipe to "fail" unless mechanically damaged.  Once in a while a coupling will fail and start leaking if it wasn't glued up well.   But those can be found (think wet spots!), dug up and repaired. Same with mechanical damage.  Surely protecting the 1.5" pipe inside a 4" would vastly minimize the chances of  mechanical damage.   But if you are so concerned about it, why not just run 2 1.5" pipes now? 4" pipe would be quite expensive and hard to install the 2nd line at a later date.   BTW, what type of pipe? PVC? Poly?   One more thing: If PVC, you could run schedule 80, which is pretty tough stuff.


Clogged bathroom sink My sink connects with my 5 inch cast iron toilet drain in the basement.  Figured the clog was either in the P trap or somewhere before the piping reaches the toilet drain.  Snaked it a couple times and is still clogged.  I'm pretty sure the snake made it to the 5 inch piping....some sludge on it.  Just don't get why water is not draining at all

I have had great results with my high quality drum auger, as opposed to some of the inferior models available at big-box stores. The design of the tip helps the cable to move downward and so helps prevent inadvertent travel up a vent line. I have had the same unit for 16 years and cleared hundreds of clogs. Not a recommendation for a particular brand, but good quality tools work better.


trying to identify these bracket for removal for single post, kitchen faucet I'm trying to remove a kitchen faucet, and I can't figure out how to remove the faucet with these weird 'elephant ear' brackets. Can anyone identify them or provide a suggestion on how to remove? Thank you!

https://imgur.com/gallery/lg2Yhkq

Looks like it was a Costco faucet, and once I realized that the hex screw was covered up by mineral deposits, I cleaned it off and I was able to use the link below to get it off easily.

Both images from TerryLove.com


How can I fix a leaky tap (exterior of the house) that I can't turn off the water source? I have a leaky tap that's dripping water. I saw many videos teaching people how to fix it. However, the first step always involves turning off the water source from the inside.

I have two water valves on the opposite side from the exterior leaky tap. I turned them all the way to the end clock-wise, but the water from the leaky tap still goes strong.

Any idea how to approach this?

Turn off your house main, while fixing this.  It would behoove you to plan this when no other household members need water. And prepare to do it quickly.

I recently had a similar problem, but my house shutoffs didn't work either.
I had to call a plumber, who called the town, and shut off the water to my house at the street, while the plumber replaced both main shutoffs (either side of the meter) and replaced the leaky exterior faucet shutoff as well.  Best practices these days for shutoff valves are "ball valves" as they are less likely to fail than the traditional rubber washers on seats.


What height should bathroom receptacle be off the ground? I am doing the rough-in electrical in my bathroom gut.  I want to put a few receptacles (outlets) above the vanity.  Is there a standard height I should be installing the receptacle?  I don't have a floor or a vanity yet so I can't just measure from the counter top.

There are no set rules for the height of receptacles on walls or over counters, even in a bathroom. Good practice is to keep them at least 4 inches above a counter top or backsplash and not directly over a sink or under a window. You can install them where ever they look good to you, but try to keep them as far left or right of the faucet as practicable.  Of course, all bathroom outlets must be GFCI protected.


How much material would it take to cement a 1 mile driveway How much material would it take to cement a 1 mile driveway

I would like to know, in pounds, how much material it would take to cement a driveway, exactly 1 mile in length, how many pounds of sand, cement mixture and finally gravel//brick

I think it is 2 parts sand, to 1 part cement mix to 4 parts gravel, so 2 pounds of sand 1 pound of cement and four pounds of gravel, but I also do not know how much area that would cover, the road I'm also unsure how thick it should be, some people do 2 inches the real roads I think are poured 8-12 inches

Its about 10-12 foot in width, not many sharp turns, 2 which is the same turn actually.
Two steep hills, one hill about a fifth of a mile couldn't tell on the angle.

An answer below has given me pretty much what I needed. The other thing, was that I read concrete mix could be halfed out for half its part in volcanic ash to make a mix that would last two to three times as long. I'm sorry it has taken me all day to come back and update this comment.

Wow, this is complicated. Good road design requires a good base and any turns require an added width due to a turning vehicle. (The added width at turns depends on the size of any anticipated vehicles.)

Let’s start with the basics. Let’s say it’s straight and it’s 10’ wide. Depending on soils conditions, I’d use a minimum of 6” gravel base. I like 3” minus crushed rock. So, for the base: 5,280 ft x 10’ wide x .5’ deep = 26,400 cu. ft. OR 26,400 cu. ft. / 27 = 978 cu. yards. You want it in lbs., so gravel can weigh about 2,800 lbs. per cubic yard...so 2800 x 978 = 2.7 mil. Lbs.

Now the concrete. I’d recommend a 4” minimum slab of 3,000 psi concrete. So, 5,280 x 10’ x .33 = 17,424 cu. ft. OR, 17,424 / 27 = 645 cu. yards.

There are lots of mix designs for 3,000 psi concrete. You should order it from the local concrete company because you’ll want air entrainment too.

Big job....next: Determine how many corners and if you’ll be driving over your base before you pour, because some of the will be pushed into the ground and you’ll need to “re-level” before you pour.


Should I turn off my electric water heater when the water is off? Our municipality turned off our water today and I was curious if I should turn off my water heater.
A similar question was asked (Should a gas water heater be shut down if the water main has to be turned off?) but since it's specific to gas water heaters I didn't know if it would be applicable. Thanks!

Yes, you should turn off power to the water heater, and make sure that all air is out of it before turning it back on.
Depending on its location in your house relative to various outlets, air getting into the tank may be unlikely, or very likely. But if sufficient air gets in the tank (typically from opening faucets to get a little bit of water that will dribble out, or because you forget the water is off and turn the faucet on) then the elements will burn out rather quickly from operating in air, rather than as designed in water.
Likewise, depending how long your water is off for, you may find use for the 30-50 gallons stored in a typical water heater, but in that case you surely need to make sure that air is well vented before turning it back on. That's basically opening hot taps and waiting until you get a solid stream of water, not bubbles or air, once the water supply is turned back on.


Unfinished basement electrical re-wiring, protecting cables on cinderblock, also corrosion concerns My basement has old electrical wiring, looks like it was a replacement for some even older knob and tube (which they largely left in place of course). While they did wire up lighting somewhat, though far from optimal, they did nearly no outlets. They also did no proper light switching, so it's a sea of pull chain lamp holders, excluding a couple thoughtlessly placed light switches that control just one lamp holder.  There is one duplex receptacle and a dryer receptacle, that is it.

The basement walls are a mix of faced and unfaced concrete (possibly some cinder) blocks. They added a crawlspace, which was thankfully enclosed. The basement is not dry as it should be, so it has a running dehumidifier, and looks like a prior owner extended the house envelope into the basement. Like most everything done, that also was shoddy DIY.

I want to correct the entire basement electrical, get proper outlets for usage, the basement has a second room which I've been using for a workshop. As of now I'm only able to use my portable tools though, since only near the dryer is there that one badly overloaded duplex receptacle. There is also the main electrical panel, with a second small load center next to it, on the same wall as the clothes washer and dryer. The two panels, and the receptacles, are mounted on plywood. I'm assuming the plywood is just screwed directly to the wall.

I believe the DIY house envelope extension, and the dehumidifier, were attempts to control the moisture/corrosion problem in the basement. I do plan on doing that properly, sealing crawl space vents, replacing any badly corroded galvanized ductwork. My ceiling is just exposed joists (on 16), and at least they didn't break codes on stapling Romex.

What is the best practice way to run electrical lines from the exposed joist ceiling to place electrical receptacles and proper light switches on block walls? Always on plywood first?  Anything under the plywood to deal with potential wood rot? How should the wall lines be protected? I'm having the whole thing re-wired, so what is the proper way to do it?  Romex in something like a conduit? How would that be attached to the block wall?

Having lived in Dayton in the 80’s and having a basement, I had a similar experience 1 switch for a light over the washer dryer and 1 120v duplex and a single 240v for the dryer. I used Romex for the wiring with EMT down the walls to the boxes that were anchored to the walls with a strap  close to the top and box. since I had the receptacles at 4’ this met code. I used tapcons or that type of concrete screw for the straps and boxes.  I pulled the main panel loose from the masonry wall and anchored a 3/4” plywood behind the panel with screws holding panel to the plywood.  I had planed to finish the basement so I had receptacles placed on the walls (at 6’ intervals not 12 as code allows) today unfinished basements require GFCI with the 2017 code  (I haven’t checked the 2020 code) but Ohio has had a similar adoption of the code to my current state so the 17 code will probably be enforce until May and 2020 code enforcement in November.
As far as wet damp location, other than bathrooms I have never been questioned using Romex inside a building envelope or in the living spaces. You can check with your local inspectors, I had no problems back when I rewired my entire cape cod as it was wired with white as the hot! Yikes !  And finished the basement. The inspector liked the panel mounted on the plywood and verified that I did not use wood plugs. Other than that I really don’t remember him checking anything other than polarity and ground. I did create 4 lighting zones , my man cave & bar area, the washer& furnace, the bathroom area and the stairway lights that also lit the area to the panel no more pull strings. When I added the internal walls I tapped the receptacle circuits for the new walls and added 3way switches at the entry to the 3 areas that were originally a single switch at the bottom of the stairs the stairwell was always 3 way I added the lights to the panel to that circuit.
This is what I did back then GFCI was not required but today since it will be unfinished you will need GFCI protection by an outlet or breaker for the receptacles, I don’t know if Ohio has an exemption for dedicated washing machines like Oregon has but knowing how often GFCI protection fails on motor loads if you have the option to have a dedicated non GFCI I would recommend it.


What adhesive or glue should I use to attach velcro to PVC pipe? I have some vertical standing pvc pipes that I want to attach velcro to.  I wish to hang some fabric from the velcro, and thus there will be some forces pulling the velcro from the pvc.  I've already tried using 3M Rubber & Vinyl Spray Adhesive, and it worked for a while, but has since fallen off.

Can you suggest a better way to attach the Velcro and PVC?

I don't have an adhesive suggestion for you, but you could use hose clamps. Put one on the top and one on the bottom of a rectangular section of velcro and clamp it onto the pipe. (Make sure to not over-tighten it.)

Actually, if you could work up a way to attach the fabric to the hose clamps and skip the velcro altogether, that would cut your hose clamp needs by half. They'd be around a buck at the hardware store.


Two power sources in a single gang switch box I'm in the process of upgrading a bunch of switches in my house to TP Link Kasa smart switches. I just opened a switch box and I don't understand the wire configuration in it, and was hoping to get some explanation about what's going on.

Here's what I see:

When I turned off the breaker switch that I thought was controlling the power to this switch, the switch did stop working as expected. But when I tested the terminals on my switch with a multimeter on AC voltage setting, I was surprised to see that the display showed me ~120V. I turned off the breaker switch for the adjacent room and redid the test, and this time the display showed me ~0V.

To test this further, I separated the three black cables to test them individually, and the results are as follows:

Black 1: 0.025V
Black 2: 1.608V
Black 3: 118.2V

Another interesting observation, after separating the black cables, the light switch in the adjacent room stopped working.

Any explanation about what's going on here would be much appreciated!

Just looking at the connections in the switch box and the voltage readings on the separated wires, it appears that cable 3 (lower right) recieves power from the service panel, cable 2 (lower left) supplies power to adjacent rooms, and cable 1 (upper left) runs to the light fixture. - What is completely surprising is the actions of the two circuit breakers.

Perhaps you should begin by reconnecting everything. Then, switch off the circuit breakers individually and in combination, and note which switches and lights stop working in each case. If you find anything that goes dark when either breaker is off, or anything that goes dark only when both breakers are off, then your house is dangerously miswired and you need to fix it before installing anything new.


Install a 4x4 between two walls to hang heavy bag I want to install a 100 lbs heavy bag in my finished garage. I don't want to cut into my ceiling and also my daughter's room is directly above the garage so I'd rather not disturb her.
I was wondering if I could put a 4x4 between the two walls (which are just over 10 feet apart), supported on each side by 2x4s screwed into two studs. Then I could hang the bag from this 4x4 with an eye bolt.
Is this workable??

100 lbs. jostling about creates quite a bit of force. I'd consider a 4x4 adequate up to about 8 feet of span. After that it's going to quickly become a rubber bad. Or worse, it could fracture and come down (hard).
For spans of 8-12 feet, I'd put a 2x10 oriented vertically in a pair of joist hangers, and I'd put another flat on top of it, screwed every foot or so. This creates a rigid T configuration that should be stiff enough. On the wall, span a section of 2x10 across several studs to create a robust surface on which to mount each joist hanger.
For spans longer than that you'd need something even heavier, such as four 2x10s in a double I beam configuration ( like II, which would maybe be good up to 16 feet). Instead, consider spanning a shorter distance between two adjacent walls using 45 degree joist hangers.


Missing chunk of the side of a laminate countertop I just bought a piece of property that included a 49 yo trailer.  Am trying to fix up as best I can.  There is a big chunk missing from the countertop.  I really don't want to replace the countertop and am hoping there is something I can do to patch up the countertop and then I can paint the entire thing.  Anybody know how I can fix??

Given that you want to paint it, autobody filler (Bondo® or similar) or wood putty.
Not a particularly nice fix, but good enough for paint, given that a nice fix is exactly what you don't want to do (replace it, it's 49 years old and broken.)


Brand new Grout repair dried darker than existing brand new grout I have a tile floor that was installed 2 weeks ago. There are a few spots that we needed to repair the grout. I scraped out the grout About 1/2 way down or more and replaced it with the same exact brand and color and it has dried darker in color. Dark enough that it still looks wet. This is the 3rd time I have tried this and still the same result. Can anyone tell me why it is doing this? Thanks

Few things are perfect in this world, and that includes grout. Some variables:

Dye lot: Factory mixes can vary by batch due to variations in color compounds
Water content: A substantial difference is the water quantity between the original grout and yours could affect color
Water contamination: Do you have iron or other minerals in your water? Was the bucket clean?
Age: It's possible that a longer cure time will result in a lighter color


How thick should my concrete walls be? I've been drafting a house for a couple years now and through many iterations I discovered one of the biggest flaws in how I was drafting was in not knowing what I would be building the house out of.

After looking up the differences between Concrete and Lumber construction I settled on the idea of drafting a concrete house. I found some nice ICF designs and have since been designing the house with ICFs in mind. However, recently I've been doubting the information I've been given. See I keep getting conflicting information on how thick ICFs should be.

How thick should an ICF Exterior and Interior Wall be in my drafting document?

Bonus: What parts take up what amount of space? How thick is the Core Concrete, insulation, etc.? And what tolerances should I have for drywall to go over the walls?

ICF block comes in core sizes of 4, 6 and 8 inches, and the insulation is 2.5 inches per side. Most of the ICF houses I've worked on were exterior and load bearing only. In Ontario, other jurisdictions may be different; any time you're dealing with load bearing walls you need to have an engineer certify it and submit it to your local building authority. I've never heard of any engineer putting their stamp on someone else's drawing (I'm sure it does occasionally happen) because they are absorbing the liability for someone else's work.

From my experience, foundation walls are always 8" + 5" for the insulation and I've seen 6" on upper levels. The 4" blocks, I would imagine, are for partition walls. They are very comfortable houses to live in. The rated insulation is pretty much what you get, as opposed to a wooden structure. With lots of extra framing and pack points, along with poor insulators and difficult spots to insulate, the actual R-value of your typical wooden structure is far less than the R-value listed on the bags of insulation or what the spray foam guy is telling you. Wood is a poor insulator.

ICF is also very tight so a HRV or ERV in a warmer climate is a necessity. Also, consider concrete floors over corrugated metal with radiant floor heating, if you are in the north. The drywall can go on a stud wall directly on the face of the block. Most seem to use steel studs. Hope this answers at least some of your questions.


Cinder block or concrete for shed basement? My town only allows 10x12 sheds so I planning to build a basement for it to increase storage. There seem to be two options: pour a slab then build cinder block walls on the slab, or build forms and pour the entire basement out of concrete.

Is there a reason for preferring one method to the other?

The concrete would have thinner walls obviously.

Which method would be less work?

You do have a 3rd option, ICF forms or blocks. These are assembled like children's building blocks. Rebar can be set in the horizontal braces then filled with concrete. One advantage is they insulate the wall (I think it is close to R50). The last below grade shop I built was 11' with these and no forms to strip. The walls never leaked like block walls do so that was another big plus in my book.


Is it worth "piling in more insulation"? In one area the laughable insulation in my attic looks like this:

purely as a stopgap measure: is it worth simply ...

get the keys to my kid's minivan and drive to Lowe's on the corner and get a sack or two of loose insulation
cut the sack open and pile more loose insulation on top of the photographed area

Is it even worth the ten minutes / ten bucks to do this?

Would it perhaps slightly cool the room underneath the problem area??

Or is it really pointless on such a poorly insulated setup?

As noted in the comments, it's a good idea to have more insulation. Our contractor recently performed some remodeling and suggested to re-insulate our entire house while insulating the remodeled section. The existing insulation had been trampled, pushed and bunched up all over the place. The new, blown in stuff must be eight to ten inches deep over all the old stuff.

If nothing else, the house is more uniform in temperature, but that might have also been the result of opening up the new room to normal air movement.

You can use an IR thermometer on the old insulation area and take a reading when the A/C is running, to have an idea how much cold is seeping upward. Alternatively, read the ceiling temperature under the sparse locations, then compare those same readings after you apply your insulation.

I have a cheap HF IR thermometer. It matters not how accurate it is, as you're looking for differential readings. It's also fun to do this sort of test with an IR camera on an iPhone or similar.


Will my breaker accept #10 wire even though the chart lists #14? I am hooking up a disconnect for heating air unit. The instructions state use a 25 amp 2 pole breaker with 10-2 wire. The breaker says wire size 14-2. It is an Eaton BR225 beaker. Will it work with 10-2?

The Eaton catalog clearly says that the breaker can accept anything between and including #14 - #4 AWG.

You should follow the instructions that tell you to use #10, as it will fit the breaker, and will be appropriate for the amps you are running.


Can I do anything with this gas fireplace? No gas service When I bought my house (it was bank owned and empty for 2 years), the home inspector said that we had a gas fireplace insert, and not a "real" wood burning fireplace. We do not have gas service in this neighborhood, nor could we get it if we wanted it, so there is no pilot and no gas line to worry about.

My question is, is it ok to burn wood in this fireplace? There is a flue that goes up through the second floor and out the roof.

There is a small amount of creosote buildup, so I can tell it's been used before but either was installed shortly before the house was siezed by the bank or was not used extensively, however the home inspector told us that we should keep fires "small" since it "probably" couldn't handle the temperatures of burning wood.

We have yet to build a fire in it because the home inspector sounded rather unsure, and we don't know if he was just covering his butt from liability, or if it would actually be dangerous to light a fire. We also have no idea what it means to keep a fire "small" in a fireplace.

I'd really appreciate some guidance on this, I'd like to enjoy my fireplace if it's at all possible! Hopefully without the cost and hassle of installing a tank outside.

The advice your home inspector gave you is ridiculous and he should have his license revoked. Either a flue is safe to use with wood, or it is not. Get a good chimney cleaning company that also inspects flues to clean it well first and run a camera down the length looking for any problems that might need attention and assure you it is safe for a wood fire.  Don't guess at this or just try a "small" fire before getting a real inspection.  Better safe than sorry.


How do I deal with a wasp nest? I recently discovered a fairly large (a few hundred wasps, from the look of it) wasp-nest under the eaves on the side of my house.

Anyways, I called a exterminator (Terminix, actually), and they tried to push a year-long maintenance contract on me, and claimed that wasps leave pheremones, and if you don't continually kill them off, they will keep coming back.

In my own research, there is no note of this particular wasp behaviour on wikipedia, and I have actually found a lot of insect-control websites that specifically say wasps don't nest in the same place every year. This makes me think that Terminix may be stringing me along a bit.

Has anyone heard this claim "they will return unless you kill them off repeatedly" statement before, or is it likely that I can deal with it myself with a can of wasp-killer spray?

A $3 can of wasp spray will do the trick. Hit them at dusk, soak down the nest. The nest will be empty come morning. Some sprays say on the label that they will repel wasps for a couple of months.  I always carry several cans of spray in my truck as I run into them constantly when working on houses. Go get um !!!!


Should drop ear elbows be used with CPVC supply lines? When running CPVC supply lines for a sink, how should they be anchored before popping out of the drywall?  I know with copper you can use drop ear elbows which are mounted to a backer

But with CPVC supposedly "CPVC expands and contracts more than copper tubing, especially in the hot water line. A 10-ft. piece of tubing can grow in length by as much as 1/2 in. Never butt the tubing against a framing member. Leave a gap, as shown in Photo 8, especially in a long run. Runs longer than 30 ft. require a U-shaped detour about 1 ft. on a side somewhere in the length to allow for expansion and contraction.

When drilling holes through framing members, you'll also need to give the piping some space (Photo 9) to allow the longer horizontal and vertical tubing to move."

That would seem to imply that you'd not want to have the elbow anchored to a piece of wood, yet in the picture on the page, it seems like this is exactly what they do.

What's the proper way to terminate the CPVC supply lines?

If its a short length of pipe and it's got a little wiggle room it shouldn't be an issue if you solidly mount them, but everything already mentioned (30' length of pipe needs expansion loops, over sized holes are good, allowing for some play/movement of the pipe is recommended) is good advice.

And you don't want the pipe flopping around inside the wall. It will make attaching the angle stops and supply lines for the faucet a PITA later if they move around too much.


control multiple lighting contactors from multiple sources without turning everything on I have a situation that I have never run into: the customer is asking for multiple ways to control the lights in a large complex. This is what they want.

first the simple part: 1 photocell that will turn on all the contactors at one time.
second: be able to turn on any one contactor without turning on the others (this is for maintenance of individual areas during the day). I figured simple enough, use a 3-way or 3-position switch on all the contactors so I can have them all on photocell and can switch to manual control with any switch to the contactor of choice.
now they want the big part: also be able to turn on any individual contactor with a remote computer or phone. They have the relays to do it.

But the question is how to keep them all separate. If I tie the relay to the photocell side, then they all will come on. If I tie to the manual side then they would need to flip the switch to manual, meaning the remote from the phone would be useless.

Your third point binds you to one solution

Because they want phone or internet control of this system (and that is a reasonable request these days), you are absolutely married to a home-automation scheme like Wemo or HomeKit.

That means you have two choices: you can build the other controls so they are locked in mortal combat with the automation... Or you can integrate the other controls into the automation using recommended methods.  Given that it's for a customer, you're pretty much forced into the second choice. If you are not willing to "skill up" in this area, get a subcontractor.


Using a 4 wire 240v 30A circuit to power a 2 wire 240v device I have a 240v 30a circuit with a 4 prong 14-30 receptacle installed in my garage.  I'd like to connect a 240v baseboard heater that requires L1 (hot) and a neutral and a ground.  Since the circuit consists of 2 120v leads (red and black) is there a way to safely connect both to the single lead on the baseboard heater?

NEMA 14 is the universal donor

Your NEMA 14-30 connector is the type you want.  It has

neutral (white or gray, 120V to L1 or L2),
Safety Ground (green, green/ehite or bare, near 0V to neutral, near 120V to a hot)
both hots (any color yet unnamed, same color ok, black and red commonly, L1 and L2, 240V across them)

What voltage is this thing?

You need to look at the machine's nameplate and see what it actually is. What's more, get the manufacturer's instructions for the unit and see what it says.  It is illegal to connect it contrary to the manufacturer instructions, and that makes it illegal to fail to read them.

US-market large heaters (2000W and up) are made for 240 volts, needing to connect to L1 and L2.  They do not use neutral.   Many smaller heaters made for permanent installation are also 240V.

US-market small heaters are often 120V.  If they are 120V, they have a hot (either L1 or L2, never both) and neutral.

European and rest-of-world heaters are all 230/240V, because everything there is 230/240V.  Most will tolerate 240V because they're built to be compatible with the UK and some Asian nations which are 240V rather than 230V. Unlike us, they have 240V between hot and neutral.  They use brown for hot, and blue for neutral.  First, you must check the instructions or with the manufacturer as to whether they allow North American style hot-hot connections. If they do, connect brown to L1 and blue to L2, or vice versa.

You also connect a ground wire, always.  Doing it bare 2-wire is not allowed, unless the heater is listed as double-insulated, which it will say rather directly if it does, because they had to pay a lot of money to have it certified as such.  Don't assume this.

Cord-and-plug connected, or hard-wired

You can only go cord-and-plug if it makes sense for the thing to be portable. But then, you can fab it yourself.  You need to visit a real electrical supply house and obtain proper cordage, which is special electrical cable made to be a cord. The size of the required wire depends on the rating of the heater.  Then you need proper strain relief on the appliance end, and a good fitting plug on the wall end.  Getting right stuff that matches is the reason to go to a proper electrical supply; they can do it; big-box can't.

If it's hard-wired, you will need to go to your town and pull a permit, then have it inspected when you're done.  If you're not super good at this (and you aren't yet), the second one may be the way to go, because a set of smart eyes will look it over for you.  On the other hand, if you're doing something you should not, he can shut the whole thing down.  Also in most jurisdictions you must hire an electrician for units you are renting out, or if you have been banned for being really bad at it.

If you hardwire it, you need to run 10 AWG wire, since your circuit breaker is 30A.


painting fence during exceptionally rainy summer I have powerwashed and scraped wooden fence on both sides.  It is pretty bare.  We have not had 3 days without rain since I did this.  How dry does the fence have to be before I prime and paint it.  Should I paint only one side or will dampness from the other side cause the paint to fail?

A better approach would be to set up some sort of cover, (if feasible size wise). Make sure there is air flow, i.e. don't just drape a tarp or polythene over the fence. I've got loads of quick release clamps and often use them on top of things to create a wider support for a tarp to hang clear of the surface.

It may take a week or two for the fence to dry out if it's soaked through.

Otherwise I agree with Chris, it needs to be dry. Sure, a water based preservative might tolerate more moisture in the wood than say an oil based one but still, dry is best. If you have access to a moisture meter, give it a try. Between 10% and 15% is ideal (assuming normal weather/humidity), and never paint anything over around 20%.


what causes a ceiling fan light to blink I dropped a new romex line down through the wall to provide power to a flat panel tv mounted on the wall.  The wall has K&T wiring in it. Everything seemed fine, until I noticed that the lights in a bedroom ceiling fan now blink.  The fan is on the same K&T circuit as two wall sconces in the wall where I dropped the Romex cable.  Did I damage the K&T wiring or is there some kind of current leakage or something else going on?  How can I trouble shoot the situation?

It sounds like the K&T wiring definitely got compromised. A blinking light almost assuredly means that an intermittent connection or intermittent short has occurred. This could have been caused by some pressure or pulling exerted on the K&T wiring. It could also be due to some poor connections at or in a nearby electrical box getting jostled around.

In any case intermittent connections are something you do not want to have happening. The connecting and disconnecting of live circuits can lead to sparking which can cause a fire. An intermittent connection can also be a high resistance point in the circuit and cause the conductors to heat up and also lead to a fire.

Your immediately action should be to cut off any fuses or circuit breakers to the disturbed circuits. In my estimation your next course of action should be to fully replace the K&T wiring in at least the affected circuit area.

If your installation has the following types of things going on you should be greatly concerned.

Frayed Insulation

Non-Boxed Junctions

Dust and Insulation Covered Wires

Free Range Romex Connections

If your decision is to not heed the replacement advice above then your trouble shooting can start with opening all the electrical boxes on the affected circuit and check that all connections are good. Once that is achieved then you have no choice but to start opening up walls to trace the K&T wiring and look for where something has gone wrong. Pray tell that you do not find some in wall splice of the wiring that was done outside an electrical box that has now become a poor connection. Note that if you have progressed this far it is probably a wise choice to reconsider the replacement suggestion.


Why won't my gas dryer stay lit? My Amana gas clothes dryer is not heating properly. The gas ignites when the dryer is first started, but after the gas turns off the igniter glows and then turns off, without relighting the gas.

Many websites I found said that this was typically due to bad coils. I removed the coils and tested the resistance across the terminals. The resistances match example values I found.

Could the coils still be defective, or is it more likely that the gas valve is bad?

This could be an issue with the thermocouple. A thermocouple is used to sense whether the gas was ignited by the glow coil and is burning. If it isn't burning, and the thremocouple isn't heated up by the flame, the gas valve is shut off to prevent excess gas buildup.

Although this might not be the exact problem, it might lead you down the right path to find it.


How can I run electricity to a shed from an outlet on the external wall of the house? I have a shed that I am using as an office. Since everything that I will need to power (lights, computer, space heater) are already being powered by an extension cord to an outdoor outlet on the house, I won't need a subpanel, and I would like to simply extend the power from an existing 15 amp circuit running along the exterior wall of the house (either from the indoor circuit or outdoor outlet). What do I need to do in order to wire this up to code? I can't run a dedicated circuit because I don't have room in my old service panel in my house.
Update:
The distance from house to shed is about 30 feet or less. The extension cord that I'm using is probably only 16 gauge. The space heater that I have been using is a small 500W. But I recently started using an additional 1500W (two heaters, 2000W combined). I assumed that if it was drawing too much power it would have tripped the circuit breaker, but it hasn't. I don't want to install a subpanel or mess with the main service panel due to the difficulty of running a new circuit from the outside of the house to the inside service panel. I don't mind using a larger conduit to make it easier to run new cables in the future if necessary. The main goal right now is to extend an existing circuit as easily as possible while remaining code compliant so that I can get the inspection done, add insulation and cover up the walls.
Here are some photos of my current service panel:

If you want to tap that circuit, get a box extension that has 1/2” conduit entrance. Most locations will require a “bell box” extension something like a 5400-0 . This brings the existing box out so you can connect conduit to the box and bury it and come up in the office.
You will need the conduit from the box down the wall into the ground to burial depth. Depending on the distance and work to bury rigid conduit may be best, only need to bury 6”, if you use pvc 18”, or go with underground feeder / direct burial. If using conduit you will need a thhn/thwn wire type almost all thwn wire is dual rated thwn.  With a 15 amp circuit 14 awg wire is needed.
There are other ways to tap into circuits but a box extension at an existing location is the easiest. If this is the circuit you are using now you know it will hold for the loads because you are using it now. You will need GFCI protection on the receptacles.


30amp RV electric Help! I have a 30 amp RV. I had a new breaker put in my breaker box cause it only had one 15amp breaker installed when I got it. I had three room plugs ran in my camper to the other breaker can I put 20 amp breakers in instead? And what amp plug do I need to run both breakers the other breaker was for fridge and ac and water heater everything else is on the other breaker

Do not replace a 15A breaker with a 20A breaker. Breakers are sized to protect the weakest part of the system and if that is the wiring then using a larger breaker creates a fire risk.

If the original design was planned that none of the loads would be in use at the same time ( a poor plan imho) then a 15A breaker may have been (incorrectly) deemed sufficient.

If you want to split off the circuits then add 15A breakers but check the supply side wiring to make sure that it is sufficiently sized to handle multiple loads.


How can I prevent a screw from slipping on a slippery veneer surface when I try to screw it in? When using a screwdriver this can be difficult as the screw tends to slip.
Once the screw passes the veneer it is easy to finish screwing in...
I'm looking for an easy way to get the screw past the veneer surface.

Is there a tool for this? (Say, a screwdriver with its tip shaped like a screw?

You're looking for a bradawl:

Its business end is like a straight slot screwdriver, only typically smaller and sharper.  You push it into the wood where you want the screw to go, then twist to open a small hole.  The screw tip will then fit into the hole without slipping.  Be careful not to let the tip  of the awl slip as you're pushing it into the surface, especially as you said it's slippery.

You might also get away with using a scratch awl, which has a pointed end instead, so it will make a smaller hole.  If the hole is too small, you still risk having the screw slip out of it.


Can I grind a shallow channel in my basement concrete to correct the height of a shower drain pipe? Long story short - the people who finished the basement bathroom did so without a permit, and they made full use of the fact that their work wasn't about to be inspected or subject to building codes. I started this project as painting the walls, and since then I've learned that this room needs a lot more attention. The shower tiles are attached to drywall and the faucet was sealed with some putty smeared only on the top. The floor is raised 12" off the concrete, just to allow pipes to run above the concrete. This puts the ceiling of the shower about 3 inches over my head, and that ceiling is made out of drywall also. Additionally, there is no vent, so from the moisture - it's cracking.

The rest of the finished basement is only raised 5 inches, the bathroom is raised 12. I want to bring the bathroom to level with the rest of the basement. I cut away the hallway wall so I could see what I was working with: (Click for full size)

I figure that means I'll need to lower that main pipe you see running through both pictures. I can probably just grind a 1-2" deep channel in the cement, grind down some extra for the shower p-trap, and then built the floor around the pipe. Is that fine to do? Are there other things I need to consider? This is where it all connects to the main sewer line, which is under the concrete:

If you're going to tear it all out, you might as well do it right and just cut a hole in the concrete floor while you're at it. Then you can lay in the plumbing properly.


Should there be waterproofing between the rim joist and ledger on new construction? My new house is being built with a deck and I noticed that the framer has fastened the ledger directly to the rim joist without any sort of waterproofing between.   The sheathing which is Zip system doesn't cover the rim joist either, so it's truly ledger on joist.

When I asked him he said that because the deck will be waterproof (it's over the entry and is pitched and will be roofed before sleepers and decking) it will be flashed along with the remainder of the waterproofing and water will never get in.  I would still have liked to see some flashing between the boards, but will it be watertight?   I can't find any code that requires that he does it the way I would thing it should be done which is flashed behind and above the ledger.

You do not need water proofing in between the ledger and the rim joist, but the joint needs protected some how.  Flashing, roofing membrane, etc.  And what ever it is needs to go under the siding and over the ledger in a continuous fashion with no seams at the ledger.  Tar paper is not enough.  Metal, EPDM, etc is what is needed.


How to do a 45 degree corner on a privacy fence? I'm building a privacy fence. How would a professional handle a 135 degree corner?
The complication I think I'll have is attaching the stringers to the front facing side of the posts. On one side the stringers will be flat against the post and on the other side there'll be a 45 degree gap. How do professionals handle this?

A solution I saw somewhere was to use two posts for the corner but I'm not sure if thats the best solution.

Heres a sketch of what I'm looking at:

I don't see any need for a second post. Here's how I would do it. Incidentally, buy some 3" deck screws for this if you don't have any. You will WANT to use screws here, even if you've been nailing

Set the post square with the bottom part of the fence in your diagram, but extend the 2x4s all the way across to the edge of the 4x4
Take a miter saw and set it at 45 degrees. Cut one end of your next boards vertically so that the saw goes through the corner of the board (right hand cut with the board standing up)
Dig the hole for the next post (along the angle). Put the 4x4 in but do NOT set concrete yet. This hole may be slightly further apart than the previous ones, so take that into account. You might want to dry fit the 2x4s first just to make sure (re-digging holes is a pain)
Have someone hold the 2x4 you just cut on the end by the 4x4 you just added. Screw the beveled end into the 2x4 you ran across the previous 4x4. Be careful not to get too close to the edge of the beveled board or it may split.
With your compatriot still holding the 2x4, get the 4x4 level and then attach the 2x4 to the 4x4 (leaving room for the next set of boards). Repeat for however many stringers you're running
Pour concrete for the new 4x4 (your stringers will hold it in place) and now you're ready to run your 45 degree side from there.

Congratulations! You've just made a 135 degree turn

Now, if you're scared about the 2x4 splitting (or you got the screw too close to the edge), what you can do is take a spare piece of 2x4, cut some pieces (same number as stringers) the same size as the 4x4 (about 3.5") and bevel it 45 degrees the other way (left hand cut) before you start step #4. Screw these onto the 4x4 and then you can sink 2 additional screws perpendicular to the board you're placing, though these additional pieces and into the 4x4 itself. This will guarantee you a strong corner, but it can be overkill. I'll leave it to you if you want to do this extra step.


Ideas to finish the edge of my wall with decorative stone I have installed decorative stone in some of my walls, I really like how the look like, though the pictures don't make justice, but I'm not really happy with the edges since I don't have a wall that covers the sides. The sides look like the stones have just been cut or put in there like a 3D wallpaper.

One of the walls, the most noticeable that is on the entrance of the condo has just a closet on the side, picture attached for more context.

I'd install some wooden trim / decorative moulding and paint it to match nearby woodwork.

Make the left vertical edge of the decorative-stone even by cutting where needed (e.g. middle row of upper photo).
tack/glue appropriate sized stripwood behind front edge of moulding as shim.
Attach the shimmed moulding using adhesive (as presumably used for the decorative-stone)
Paint

(I'd also grout all those stepped joints)

Another option is to continue the decorative-stone a short way around the corner - some manufacturers of these types of panels allow for this. (random example)


How to get rid of CO₂ in a house with A/C in hot summer? Recently, I've been measuring the CO₂ concentration during multiple nights and the levels in the bedroom where I sleep are very high and unhealthy (over 1600 ppm).

I use an AirVisual monitor, which is high precision and catches the trends. I opened the window last night, and that's why the CO₂ is lower. But on all the other days, it's over 1400-1600 ppm.

I get a high concentration only when I'm sleeping, so I assume that the CO₂ comes from me. Since the windows are shut and the door closed, the CO₂ gets trapped.

The problem is that during the summer, the temperatures outdoor are over 95 F (35 C) with high humidity, and I have the airconditioning running inside. If I open the window, the heat comes in very fast and then the AC has to do extra work, which means waste of money and resources. And it's the same situation during the night.

How do I get rid of CO₂ inside the house without opening the windows when the weather is hot?

EDIT: After reading all the great suggestions, I have tried a new measurement with the device far away from my bed, so it will not be affected by my breath. I also checked for timers and couldn't find any. Last night I closed the window and the door at around 11 PM and the concentration started to slowly increase. During the night, the CO2 levels increased significantly (see graph below). In the morning, I opened the window and it slowly started decreasing. I have no doubt that there is a lot of CO2 in the room. So my question stands. How to get rid of CO2 or any other gases/vapors for that matter, in a hot, humid climate. Is HRV the only solution?

You want an high-efficiency heat exchanger.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_recovery_ventilation

Basically, you pipe in fresh air, but have it cooled before, while you heat out the air that is going out. It's typically installed on central hvac systems.

It needs maintenance to be efficient and it is quite often overlooked by contractors as it's hard to notice when it's not working.


Stackable washer/dryer covering crawlspace access point Background

1940s home has a stackable washer/dryer combo unit installed over the crawl space access door. I want to replace the unit with a new combo such that:

The crawl space door is readily accessible.
The washer can be rolled out of the closet.
The hardwood floors won't be damaged, dented, or dinged.
The washer can be locked in place.
When on, neither the washer nor dryer will walk or make additional vibrations.

Problem

The clearance is small, with two shut-off valves limiting the amount of working space. (The valves can be replaced with smaller ones, saving an inch or two of space.) Here's the current setup:

The new washer and dryer will fit, snugly.

Here's the proposed setup, where the circles to the left of the dryer represent the shut-off valves:

The washer would sit on a dolly with rubber casters sufficiently strong to support the load.

Questions

I am wondering:

Would this setup work to meet the stated goals, if not how can it be revised to do so?
How would you lock the washer unit in place so that it doesn't walk or vibrate when on?

I'm assuming that the platform can be securely bolted to multiple studs in the closet at multiple points on the two available walls. (Adding a metal shelf on the left-hand wall that extend to the platform to provide additional steadiness is possible, too.)

Why not put the entire unit on 300lb casters with locks? You could also use a chain locking system, like an earthquake strap. Long enough hoses and ducting, or easy to detach hoses and ducting, and you can roll it right out of the way.


How can I safely replace a light fixture above a stairwell? In my 1911 home, there is a stairwell that has a 180 degree turn with a landing, and there is a light fixture directly overhead (centered over the railing) that I would like to replace with a pendant light. When I'm standing directly below it (halfway up the second flight of steps) the ceiling is about 3 feet out of my reach. I imagine there is some standard approach to doing this type of work (someone installed that light in the 1950's).

How can I get a stable ladder or platform in place to safely work on that fixture?

The second story ceiling is 8 feet 6 inches above the floor, as shown in this photo:

On the other side of the railing, the distance from the fixture to the closest step on the first flight is about 15 feet:

This is what I intend to replace the fixture with:

You can try this type of ladder. It allows for a configuration like this on a staircase:

Here is another option that might work as well.


Are discount furnaces safe to use? More newbie questions ;-)

The house we're looking to buy has an older furnace that "may be manufactured by the Permier/Consolidated furnace company" according to general inspections.  We're in the process of getting it inspected by a heating professional.

If we need to get the furnace replaced, I'm wondering what kind of costs would be involved...

Cost Helper mentioned that the costs of a new furnace could be anywhere from $7500+.  Yet I also found some at Alpine Home Air for $550+.  That's a substantial difference in cost. What's the difference here? Are there safety concerns that more expensive models don't have?

There should be zero difference in the safety between the least and most expensive furnace.  The major differences will feature related.  Any modern furnace purchased in the US meets the appropriate ASTM, NFPA, et al, specifications.

More expensive furnaces will features like:

Humidifers, multi zone heating ability, economizer, multiple heat exchangers for additional burner efficiency, VFDs to vary the blower fan speed, more advanced burner ignition systems, improved filtration and some even come with electrostatic precipitators built in to help improve your IAQ (indoor air quality).

However, you will not get a "safer" furnace by purchasing a more expensive one.  I guess there is one caveat - eliminating a pilot light ignition is safer as you don't have to worry about the light blowing out and having that gas leaking, but I don't think anyone is building pilot light furnaces anymore (don't quote me on that).  So if there's any recommendation I can make - buy one sans pilot light.

And just like any other consumer product - a lot of times you will pay a big premium to purchase products from a marketing company which has an HVAC division... (if you catch my drift)

Make sure to get at least 3 estimates to replace that furnace from reputable mechanical contractors (not big box store resellers who just farm out work to a mechanical contractor).


Inground trashcan hinge I am trying to search for the in ground trashcan hinge. I've tried searching online for the part but don't know the correct name of it. Very hard to come by locally. The lid where it attached is about 4 inches wide. It has a spring so it doesn't remain open. I may have to engineer one myself since I don't have the cement ring shown in the following picture, but not sure what parts to get.

Is that strap or hinge aluminum? , it may be easier to purchase a piece of bar stock of similar material and size then form it to match the good one. I have made brackets using the following technique. A hammer vice and screw, bolt or something the approximate size to roll the end, start by clamping the bar stock in the vice fold over this gives a L shape make sure the L will be long enough to make the loop. keep working the fold over by putting just bar stock in the vice and rest the folded piece on the bolt now pound down on the L folded piece down and you have a u shape. Put the U in the vice with the bolt above the jaws and close this makes the loop for the hinge rod. Now shape to match the original. Drill holes as needed to mount.
I have tried starting at the end and trying to clamp the rod and bar together and rolling , readjusting, rolling but on thicker stock have found making the L and working from there was easier. Most big box stores have bar stock that can be used for this repair and even a lighter weight steel strap could be used if this is aluminum.


4 ton air handler with 3.5 ton air conditioner What effect will having a 3.5 ton air conditioner used with a 4 ton air handler have on the energy efficiency of the hvac system?

Right now we seem to be using a lot of energy per month. The question is it coming from the above mis match if it is, to how much magnitude?

The 4 ton rating is a nominal rating indicating that it is designed to be used on an A/C systems up to 4 tons. It has nothing to do with what you are assuming  is excessive electrical consumption.


Can I use 14 AWG pigtails on a 20 amp 12 AWG circuit with 15 amp receptacles? It seems like this would be OK for the ground pigtail, and probably OK for the hot and neutral too since the receptacle is ony 15 amp capacity. But I wonder if there are safety issues I'm not considering and what the electrical code has to say about it.

You must use a 12 gauge pigtail here

A 14 gauge pigtail on a 20A circuit is a (very short) tap conductor:

  Tap Conductors. As used in this article, a tap conductor is
  defined as a conductor, other than a service conductor, that
  has overcurrent protection ahead of its point of supply that
  exceeds the value permitted for similar conductors that are
  protected as described elsewhere in 240.4.

As a result, that 14AWG pigtail violates NEC 210.19(A)(4) Exception 1, which prohibits the use of tap conductors to feed receptacles:

  (4) Other Loads. Branch-circuit conductors that supply
  loads other than those specified in 210.2 and other than
  cooking appliances as covered in 210.19(A)(3) shall have
  an ampacity sufficient for the loads served and shall not be
  smaller than 14 AWG.

  Exception No.1: Tap conductors shall have an ampacity sufficient for
  the load served. In addition, they shall have
  an ampacity of not less than 15 for circuits rated less
  than 40 amperes and not less than 20 for circuits rated
  at 40 or 50 amperes and only where these tap conductors
  supply any of the following loads:

  (a) lndividual lampholders or luminaires with taps extending not longer than 450 mm (18 in.) beyond any portion of the lampholder or luminaire.

  (b) A luminaire having tap conductors as provided in
  410.117.

  (c) Individual outlets, other than receptacle outlets,
  with taps not over 450 mm (18 in.) long.

  (d) Infrared lamp industrial heating appliances.

  (e) Nonheating leads of deicing and snow-melting
  cables and mats.


Old wall - need help I have this old wall - over 200 years old. I began to remove old paint. There were about 4 to 5 layers of paint there. The problem is, I can't get the last layer of. It seems to be oil based and the wall surface is rough. This means - sanding wont help, simply scraping doesn't cut it and using a heatgun has almost no effect at all. Here's a picture of the wall.

This green bit is what I'm talking about. My question is - can I simply replaster it. Will it stay solid? Since the surface is rough, it should stick...right?

Yes you can. First make sure you have a rough surface. Then apply several coats of stain killer. Make sure it's alcohol base. This means it has shellac in it which is an excellent sealer. I prefer zinzer it's not as sloppy as kilz. Then get some easysand drywall patch, mix it up and apply with wide knife. This is one way. I'm sure you will hear more.


TV antenna far from box - how to ground? Following under the eaves of the house it is about 70 feet to the box. This seems a long way for a good ground connection. A shortcut through the attic is possible but the room closest to the box has a vaulted ceiling with no attic above it.
There is a much closer location that was where the house's original box was. Any likelihood that the defunct box (now full of  nest of wires) has a proper connection to ground?
Another option might be a cold water spigot that is quite close to the antenna.
EDIT
I can change to location of the antenna to the analogous spot on the opposite side of the house. It will be a 40 ft straight shot to the spot (below) where the cable box ground is.
Adding two pic of connections to water pipe.
Primary connection

nearby second connection of gnd for cable box

What is in the spot of the original box

The new box environment

I would mount the antenna on the same side of the house as the current box, and run straight-shot to the cold water bond point
Given that you can't rely on the integrity of metal plumbing to bond things together, your best bet is to place the antenna so that you can run the antenna ground wire as a straight shot to the existing water pipe bond point. This will give you a decent place to tie into the grounding electrode system at, provided you clean up the paint and such so that a good connection can be made with a split-bolt or other listed connector; with a bit of work, you could even retrofit an Intersystem Bonding Termination device there.


How can I get rid of gnarly roots in an outdoor French drain without hiring/renting a roto rooter I have a natural spring on my property. Without proper drainage, my backyard quickly turns into a mud pit.

The pipes we put in filled within two years as you can see from the photo below. I have since learned how to correctly put in a French drain (so no need to inform me of that) and have replaced the bottom hundred feet of pipe.

But the first 25 feet or so of the drain is under about 3 feet of dirt and I do not want to dig it up, at least until summer comes and things dry up. So for the time being I was wondering what the cheapest, easiest, best solution is to removed roots from the pipe.

If I shove my arm up the pipe and spread my fingers out and grab around the entire ball of roots, it is fairly easy to pull them out. But if I just grab from the center (if that makes sense) the roots will just break and come out in small chunks.

I was thinking of maybe making a homemade roto rooter, but had no idea of where to start... It would also work a lot better if my homemade device could grab the entire diameter of the pipe and pull the roots out that way.

Thank you for your ideas and comments :)

Is the pipe completely clogged (water doesn't flow)? If so, I would attempt to find a solution quick, especially if the temperatures where you are at are below freezing. Standing water would not be your friend in the near future, and you may end up having to replacing some drainage pipe.

I am going to have to agree with Carl Witthoft on this one. I'm not sure a home-made solution would be of best practice here unless you have a manufacturing shop and an engineering degree. I would suggest renting a drain auger from a home improvement store, or local rental supply company, and feed that down the pipe. That thing will make quick work of any loose roots and get water flowing.

In the warmer months, I would look at root killer. There are some that you can poor down the drain and it will coat the pipe in a film that will prevent some of the nasty roots growing in the pipe.


Steel stair stringer size trying to design a straight stair run using steel tubes as stringers.
total run = 10'-0". total rise is 8'-8", width 3'-0".
Support is only at each end.
yes these are steeper than normal, and do not access a living space.
would two steel tube 5"x2" x 1/4" thick be stiff enough?
if not what size rectangular tube would be required?

Yes, two 5” x 2” x 1/4” steel tube stringers  (with A36 steel) spanning 10’ will adequately support your stairway.
Code requires a Live Load of between 40 lbs. per square foot (psf) and 100 psf depending where it’s located. Assuming it’s 100psf x 3’ wide x 10 long = 3,000 lbs. plus a Dead Load of 15 psf x 3’ x 10’ = 450 lbs. for a Total load of 3,450 lbs.
Your tubes will support about 8,000 lbs. each, depending on connections, etc.
If you don’t have the tubes already, you may want to consider a 5” x 1 3/4” channel which will support 5,100 lbs. each.


External Double Pole Thermostat to 7500 Watt Forced Air Heater I'm working on adding a 7500W electric heater to my garage, and am wondering how to hook up an external double pole thermostat.
What is giving me some concern is that on the double pole thermostats I see they have an amp rating which is below the amp of my electric heater at 220V.
So my guess is that the double pole amp rating is for users who have in-line / series connected power to their electrical heating devices, but still want a graphical display?
I bought the Dyna Glow 7500W heater link
Here is the wiring diagram:

Because the thermostat is double pole, do I not need to worry about the current running to the thermostat?
My interpretation of the wire diagram and system intent, is that my external 220V double pole thermostat is going to be powered from L1 & L2 at 220V with 100mA or whatever low power (ie. the powered front end with the display with buttons) and then I hook up the "load" from the thermostat to 1 & 2 which then switches on the heater thermostat and the turn dial is set to max temp on the unit?
My thought is that the 1 & 2 line would be like 14 awg, and just carries some small current to the switch to activate the furnace thermostat to turn on?
Am I wrong?  Will the ~31.5A be running through my double pole thermostat in someway and I need to find a heavier duty thermostat?  (I understand if you have simple baseboard heater and you put a thermostat in series you have the current running through your thermostat).
I actually expected to see four wires on the external thermostat section with L1, L2, 1, and 2. When I pop open the furnance backplate will I find four wires or will I need to splice in 14 awg to L1 & L2 somehow too?
Am I totally off here?  (Yep, I'd love to convert the 220V to 24V DC too and add the third Nest thermostat to the house, but first I want to make sure I understand the original intent of the wiring here!).
UPDATE:  Here are the terminations and the thermostat.

On the wiring diagram the large and small boxes marked KM are parts of a relay that carry the full current for the coils, any line voltage thermostat will be able to carry the current from the control circuit.
The thermostat can be wired with #14 because the instructionss that are part of the UL listing allow it. I'm guessing there is some internal fuse/fuselink not shown on the diagram.
I am not familiar with full Nest product line, you would need a model with separate control voltage or you would need to build one.


How to do corners of shed siding using fence pickets I am planning to use existing fence pickets to build a shed and use them for siding. But I can't figure out (or come to conclusion) on how to deal with the 4 corners. I highlighted red in below

That one looks like it's just a 2x4. So how can the fence pickets not end up to be ON TOP / OUTSIDE of the 2x4 framing?

I looked at this video online and they installed a corner board: https://youtu.be/Z00berTW5hc?t=43m8s

So I assume it's something like this "Outside Corner Moulding", right?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Royal-Mouldings-6577-11-16-in-x-11-16in-x-8-ft-PVC-Composite-White-Outside-Corner-Moulding-0657708011/100074043

I am trying to save money and not buy additional corner board if possible. So how do I do this with existing 2x4 framing or fence pickets? That'd be great.

The corner is made out of two corner boards. They overlap like this looking down from the top:

Depending upon how you want the corner to actually look the corner boards may be made from planed cedar boards instead of fence pickets which are typically rough with a sawn surface.


Forced air system blowing cold air through bedroom vents, hot through the rest I'm in a rental house for the next few months which hasn't been particularly well maintained. It does have a newish looking Goodman gas furnace, yet the gas bills seem outrageous to me ($250 per month when I'm used to $60 in my own house). It's an old house, so that could be chalked up to lack of insulation.

However, the ducts in the bedrooms actively blow only cold air (somewhat below room temperature). The duct in the bathroom on the same level of the house (there are only three rooms up there) blows extremely warm air, as one would expect.

I went down to the basement and checked, and the two ducts labeled "bedroom" are definitely warm — as they should be. So whatever is happening is happening somewhere between the basement and the second floor (first floor, perhaps?).

It snowed quite a bit this last week, and one thing we noticed is that one side of the house has extremely large icicles forming — larger than any other house in the neighborhood. This suggests to me that we are heating the outside of the house instead of the inside.

The only thing I can think of is that the ducting is totally disconnected inside the wall or between the first level ceiling and second level floor. But I can't see how it would both (1) pressurize that area enough to blow cold air and simultaneously (2) never heat it up enough to blow hot air.

To be totally clear, this is not a cold draft from the vent I'm talking about. We do get that as well, when the heater is turned off. But when the furnace is on, the thing actively blows cold air through the bedroom registers.

Anyone see this before? Any thoughts? If not, can we together concoct some risk threatening enough that my landlord would actually hire a contractor to fix this? He doesn't seem like the eager-to-fix-things type, nor is he the type to let me do it myself — but if he won't, I damn well will.

Update: The previous occupant informs me that the vents blowing cold air are the returns. I can't imagine why they'd be blowing instead of pulling, though.

It definitely sounds like that section of duct has a leak or travels through an un-insulated part of the structure. Sometimes the cavities between walls or under floor joists are used as duct or returns and they are not enclosed. Leaks in the building envelope, especially with such cold weather, could keep that area cold all the time and any warm air blowing through it will get cooled down right away.

If you are feeling a draft out of that vent when the heat is not blowing, that is concerning and may indicate a large air leak. There are a variety of methods for testing for duct leaks. One common method is by using a blower door on an external door to get a baseline leakage number for the home. Then, all of the vents are covered and another leakage number is obtained. The difference indicates the leakage of just the duct system. A service that does this is usually inexpensive (under $100) and can tell you just how much air the ducts are leaking in additional to helping you find other sources of cold air leaks into your home.

If the landlord isn't willing to pay for investigating it, you may want to pay for it yourself since you could then bring him/her hard numbers and ultimately save on your heating bill once repairs are made. If the landlord still will not budge, I'd make the claim that warm building air mixing with cold duct or external air could cause mold growth and make you sick.


Why does my kitchen faucet cut out intermittently? Sometimes when I'm running water from my kitchen faucet, it will cut out for no apparent reason.  It doesn't seem to matter if I'm running hot or cold water (or a mixture), but does seem to happen more often if I'm running the faucet fully open.

I can usually fix it by closing and opening the faucet a couple of times.  If that doesn't work, pulling the trigger on the -- separate -- pull-out spray nozzle often does it, and if that doesn't work, just turning it off and leaving it for a while will do it.

What is causing this behavior and what can I do to prevent it from occurring in the future?

I may be way off base here but have you tried removing the aerator on the faucet and letting it run on both hot and cold fully open (separately)? It's possible that the aerator could be clogging up and causing pressure buildup.

If you do not have copper pipes then it's possible that the buildup would be caused by rusting or oxidization in the pipes. Full pressure should knock it loose I think.


Can I change which switch controls which light? Why are light switches so often wired in the wrong order. For example, on a single board, the switch closest to the hallway is for the lounge while the switch closest to the lounge turns on the hallway light. Is this less likely to happen in luxury homes? Can I fix this easily myself?

Why are light switches so often wired in the wrong order. For example,
  on a single board, the switch closest to the hallway is for the lounge
  while the switch closest to the lounge turns on the hallway light.

Because money. Paying someone else less money to do a set amount of work is a way to increase profits. The electricians for tract (non custom) homes need to do the set amount of work in the least amount of time to increase or even have a profit. There is no motivation for them to care about the switch order and a motivation to not care as doing so would take time.

  Is this less likely to happen in luxury homes?

If the luxury home is a tract home, then probably not. If a custom home, then absolutely! I would even say that it does not happen in high end homes as the home owner is very involved and the electricians are used to working with such clients, everyone knows that the details are important

  Can I fix this easily myself?

Yes, if the wire tails are long enough. It can be as easy as pulling off the cover, pulling the mount screws and moving the switches (no rewiring). Turn off the power at the panel first of course


Cutting pipe with machine I am planning a project to remove a water heater. Following good advice on this website, I learned that it’s not a good idea to simply cap off the pipe. I should instead cut the pipe low on the ground, to avoid dead-end pipes.
Note that the pipe is thick plastic, not metal.
So the follow-up question for me is : how can I do this? I’ve been told I need a special machine to close the pipe. Any pointer on what this machine is, and how easy it is for a beginner to use it?

I'm not sure what kind of machine you're thinking of, but I usually cut metal pipe with a pipe cutter like this:
Images courtesy of Lowes.com. No endorsement intended or implied.
In your case, the pipe cutter will be difficult because you need clearance all the way around the pipe, and it appears that your wall is concrete and/or brick and it would be a lot of work to make clearance to swing the pipe cutter all the way around the pipe.
In your situation, I'd suggest using a simple hacksaw where the blade extends beyond the frame, something like this:

It will take a while, but you'll get there in the end.
If you're looking for a power tool way to do it, you could use an oscillating cutoff tool or an angle grinder with a cutting disk. These are both going to get through the pipe much more quickly than you will by hand, but you may not be up for buying a (potentially) expensive power tool right now. Here in the States, you can buy cheap ones pretty inexpensively, use it for your intended purpose and be excited if it lasts for the next job, or you can buy a more expensive one that'll last most of a lifetime. They're often available for rent at tool rental stores.
For cutting plastic pipe it depends on the type of pipe. For hard/rigid PVC/CPVC/ABS type pipe, you use one of the above cutters†. For soft/flexible PEX type pipe, there are simple "scissors" style cutters, and fancier ratcheting style cutters (that simply increase the force with less hand effort) similar to this:

For capping plastic pipe, it again depends on the type of plastic pipe you're using, but your local hardware store (or their website) will have a variety of plugs you can choose from. Pick up one in the appropriate size along with the proper method of attaching it (glue, crimps, etc.)

† Yes, I'm aware that smaller diameters of CPVC piping is flexible, but it's not as flexible as PEX. It can probably be cut with the ratcheting scissor style cutters, but I've not tried it, so I can't recommend it.