How to determine if a ceiling fan has a DC motor? This question asks how to find ceiling fans that don't audibly hum:

Do any ultra quiet ceiling fans that have no motor hum exist?

It is something that annoys me too. I can't stand the hum a lot of ceiling fan motors make. Our current house has many Hampton Bay fans that hum like crazy.

Over time I want to upgrade these and the answers to the above mentioned question point out that a big part of the hum is due to how AC motors work and that finding fans with DC motors would be a good thing.

How does one do that? Are there particular brands that use DC motors? Or do you just have to look at the box and hope it's in the spec's some where? Is it safe to say that, in general, DC fans would hum a lot less than AC fans? Do more expensive fans tend to use DC motors or is cost not really an indication?

Fans from big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe's tend to be cheaper because they are made from lower quality materials.  Using DC motors in ceiling fans is still relatively new and most of the major fan manufacturers only have a few models that are equipped with DC motors.  The major benefit of using a DC motor in a ceiling fan is lower energy consumption, NOT reduced noise level.

You can expect to pay at least $450 for a ceiling fan with a DC motor.

I suspect 1 of 3 reasons for your humming Hampton Bay ceiling fans:

Are you using a switch on the wall to adjust the speed of your ceiling fan?  If you are using a light dimmer (or any control that is infinitely variable), your fan will often make a humming noise.  You need to use a "stepped" speed control, something that clicks in 3-4 specific speeds.
The fans you own are cheap.  Visit a ceiling fan specialty store and purchase a better fan.  You'll pay more, but you will get a higher quality fan that runs quieter.
Very rare, but the architecture of your house can amplify the noise of a ceiling fan.  If your fan is mounted on a wooden beam, fans with strong motors sometimes generate a humming noise.  Possible solutions: purchase a cheaper, weaker fan OR purchase a more expensive fan, preferably and Emerson fan with a K55 motor and a flywheel or a Casablanca fan with an XLP motor and flywheel.


Lowering a room...digging into foundation? My husband and I recently purchased a home in Orange County, CA (note: earthquakes). The home was built in 1981, and is two "levels" if you will. The entry way, living room, all bedrooms, and a couple bathrooms are one level. The lower level is about 16 inches lower... from the entry way you can step down into a walkway, family room, and then beyond is the kitchen etc.

The living room and family room are right next to each other, with a two way fireplace in the middle, high ceilings (vaulted, but about 18 feet at their highest. There is no wall between (with the exception of the fireplace).

My husband and I would like to combine the living room and family room into one large great room if possible. But there is the 16ish inch-thick concrete foundation that is higher (I'm not sure if I'm making sense, so Im' trying to be descriptive as possible...I'll get a photo). If we were to break into this concrete would we be breaking the foundation? And if we DID break the foundation, could we fix it, or would we compromise the structure of our home?

Due to the roofline, raising the foundation in the lower room is not an option.

The nature of what you are proposing here is really beyond what you can get proper response to from a group of folks on the internet. You really need to subscribe the services of a structural engineer in your area before you "break into" anything. They will be way more experienced to evaluate things like:

Existing foundation structure
Building construction technique
Building regulations and codes in your local
Whether the existing structure has on grade concrete floors or above grade wood floors.
Access to public building permit records for your abode
Comprehend the ground type on your lot relative to local conditions
Familiar with climate zone and how that applies to your existing house.


Do my washing machine and dryer need to be close to the water heater? I just purchased a house and near the kitchen it has a location for the washing machine and dryer. The water heater is near by in a separate cabinet. I would like to move the washer and dryer into the garage to have more room in the house. As I was shopping for a house I noticed that many washers and dryers were near the water heater. Is their a problem with moving the washer and dryer away from the water heater?

There's no problem moving the washer and dryer in respect to your question. The column of cold in the line would be well cleared for just about any reasonable distance by the time the load is ready to wash. But it is a concern if the run is very long. For the most part you don't need hot water anyway, unless you wear a lot of whites or work as a mechanic or get greasy clothes some other way. The bigger issue is the plumbing drains. Supplying hot and cold is probably easyish. If a suitable drain and vent are not available then you have a problem.


How to fix a racked/sagging exterior wood entry door? My old 3-unit condo has a nice old wooden entry door, with 3 horizontal rails and 2 vertical stiles, with a single large pane of beveled glass as the top panel. The door is very similar to the one shown below.

Over time, this door has become racked, i.e. not square; the latch side is sagging below the hinge side. At one point, it appears that someone shortened the door, attached a triangular filler strip at the top and re-hung the door to get it to fit in the still-square doorframe.

It appears the sagging has not stopped, as the bottom of the door is beginning to scrape the threshold, and I've snugged all the hinges. The stiles and rails seem to have a little play in their joints, i'm pretty sure this is where the sagging is coming from.

How can I re-square this door, or at least stop the racking from getting any worse?

I don't want to mount a big ugly turnbuckle on the door--the reason for keeping the old door is primarily aesthetic, rather than cost-related.

The quick fix is to install a diagonal cable/turnbuckle assembly from the swinging lower corner (where the vertical lock stile meets the lower cross-rail) up to the opposite corner (where the hinge stile meets the top cross-rail) and tighten the turnbuckle until the door is more square.

The other fix it to rebuild the door and tighten, glue up and clamp all of the stile to rail joints.


How can I remove scratches in polyurethane? My husband and I have been building a farm table and we are oh-so-close to being done, but we are having issues in the final coats of polyurethane on the top. Here's a rundown:

We stained the wood with gel stain and put three coats of Minwax polyurethane on top. I used steel wool between coats and it looked pretty good, except we noticed brush marks in about three different spots. I think the brush didn't have a wet tip and the poly dragged or something... the rest of it looked great.

We used steel wool again and did another coat of poly, this time with a sponge. When it dried it left these weird spots, so we put on another coat with a sponge... even more weird spots. (they almost looked like water marks?)

This time we took 220 grit sandpaper and sanded the entire top of the table (with our hands... we didn't do enough research to learn that we should have used a sanding block... we're total newbies!) and put on a coat with the brush again. The coat itself looks great! But we can see scratches from the sandpaper under the poly :(

I've seen mixed advice online about how we should proceed.... do we need to sand down to get rid of the scratches (and probably sand out all of the stain and start over), or will using steel wool again and applying more coats of poly get rid of the scratches? I so do not want to sand down completely and start over, especially when we are this close to being done. But I also want our table to have a beautiful finish. Please help!

The best answer I can give you without seeing the piece is to slowly start sanding away the finish over the scratch marks until they fade away. Visible scratches are always much deeper than you want them to be, so they're probably going to require removing some material. I'd recommend the sanding block so you remove it in a uniform manner. You don't want it looking like there is a dip in your table.

If you do need to re-apply the stain, it's going to be very difficult to match the color. Put on as little as possible and wipe it into the wood with a paper towel, removing the excess. Let it dry, the first time it should be lighter than what you have. You can slowly shade it darker and darker till it matches again.

Then reapply the poly.

Sorry, probably not the answer you wanted to hear with the table being so close to looking done. But if you want the piece to be beautiful for a lifetime, it's worth taking the extra week now to finish it out nicely.


Connect C wire for nest thermostat on a zoned HVAC system I got a nest thermostat which requires to get a C wire. My old thermostat does not have c-wire connected, but there are four unconnected wires as shown in the picture.

Then I came to my furnace and found there are two unused wires (orange and blue) near the control board as shown in this picture. The multimeter measures 26 volt between R and Com. First I put the blue wire under Com and measured only 15 volt at the thermostat side between Rc and the blue wire. Then I disconnected the blue wire from the comm terminal and put the orange wire on. I measured 25 volt at the thermostat side between Rc and the orange wire. Why do the two wires give different readings?

Then I realized my HVAC is a zoned system. It has a zone panel. This is the zoning panel diagram.

I also found unconnected orange and blue wires in the zone panel. Using my multimeter, I found the blue/orange wire in the zone panel is connected with blue wire/orange in the HVAC control board. At the bottom of the picture, you can see the wires connected to the thermostat based on my understanding. I don't see any orange/blue wires there.

So I got totally confused.

where is the blue/orange wires behind my thermostat connected to in the HVAC/zone pannel?
If I want to have a c-wire, what should I do? Should I connect a wire to the HVAC control board Comm terminal or somewhere on the zone panel board?

Thanks for your suggestion.

Connect a spare wire from the thermostat to the M1 terminal for that thermostat's zone
The wiring diagram posted for your zone board specifies that thermostat C wires should be connected to the M1 wires for their corresponding zones, along with the return from the zone damper motor.  So, I'd take a spare wire (black maybe? or purple/blue) from the cable from the thermostat and connect it to the corresponding M1 terminal (far right terminal in the zone block) on your zone board, then hook up your Nest, turn everything back on, and enjoy!


Electrical outlet is reading “correct wiring” but doesn’t work Last night I noticed the fridge in my garage was no longer working. I unplugged the fridge and plugged a cell phone charger into the same outlet and it didn’t work either, I checked the circuit breaker and nothing was tripped and I tested and reset the GFCI outlets. I used a voltage detector pen and it indicated the outlet had power. I then used a receptacle tester and it indicated hot/ground reversed. So I checked all the outlets in the string leading to the main breaker and couldn’t find any with the hot and neutral reversed.  I installed a couple new outlets anyway and disconnected and then reconnected the neutral wires. Now the receptacle tester says correct wiring but the outlets still do not work. Help?

Ah, the "magic 8-ball" testers.

The legends are useless.  Hot ground reverse suggests it is seeing power between hot and neutral, and neutral and ground.  Nothing says the voltage is 120V. For lack of a neutral, HN and NG lamps were in series seeing 60V each. This was a lost neutral. Hot and neutral were never reversed. I hope you did not reverse them in an effort to clear this message!

A hot-neutral reversed combined with a lost neutral would also read "correct" and yet not work.


How do I repair my Crawlspace Door? I have a crawl-space door that is starting to look rather beat-up.  I would rather repair the door rather then replace it as it has thick foam insulation on the other side.

What can I do to fix the bottom, and restore integrity.

Hard to tell... Is that bare wood at the bottom of the door part of the door or part of the door frame?

It looks like part of the door. Either way it's rotted or at the very least just swollen up from moisture. You need to replace the whole door. It's not worth the trouble to try and repair just the section for such a small inexpensive door. You can get sheets of foam to cut to size and glue on the back. You may even be able to peel the old foam off the back?

The frame doesn't look to be in great shape either. Might just need to be repainted or some of it may need to be replaced with new pressure treated lumber.

Since everything is so low to the ground you need to keep it maintained so water doesn't deteriorate it. May also want to consider revising the frame a little to keep the door a bit higher off the ground while you're at it. Provided you have a big enough opening.


Will these blinking LED lights cause a house fire? I recently replaced the some floodlamps with LED lights.  The problem is some of the LEDs are blinking or flashing even though the switch is off.   Some do not blink at all. It happens all the time. Is it harmful or can it cause a house fire?

It appears to be a bad/weak/intermittent switch.
I highly advise you to replace it!

SDsolar commented:In the comments to the answer is a link to a similar article where it is said that the ground wire was not at the same potential as the neutral, and that ungrounding it solved their problem. Not that it would seem an ideal solution, of course. And you might be right about an intermittent switch. But I'd suggest you flesh out your answer with examples to support your answer. – SDsolar yesterday

When you have a different potential between the neutral and load and ground and load, it would mean a measurable voltage between ground and neutral. That would mean that the potential in the neutral is being "bled off", resulting in a lower voltage being applied to the load.This will cause "non dimmable" LED lights to flash

It would seem in the above case, that "un-grounding stopped the voltage on the neutral line to stop being "bled off", leaving a greater potential (voltage) between the neutral and load...enough to stop the flashing.
I would be curious where they measured the potential difference. If the switch were still attached, and they measured at the screw terminals, I would suspect the switch is at fault.
I hope I am more clear now, SDsolar.


What primer should I use to paint over nicotine stained walls? What primer should be used before painting over nicotine stained walls?

I would just use a good stain covering primer like Kilz.  I have used both KILZ 2® Latex Primer and KILZ® Premium Primer, the Premium version is noticeable better than the Kilz 2.

But it looks like they have an even better version called KILZ MAX™ Primer. I have never used this one but it does mention covering nicotine:

  KILZ MAX™ is a water-based primer, sealer and stainblocker developed
  with new technology that’s formulated to perform like an oil-based
  product. It tackles tough stains including medium to heavy water
  damage, rust, smoke, nicotine, grease, tannin, ink, pencil, felt
  marker, pet stains and more. KILZ MAX also seals pet and smoke odors.
  Topcoat with latex or oil-based paint.

Kilz does recommend cleaning the surface; see the "Surface Preparation" section for all of their recommendations.  The most relevant section is this:

  The surface must be clean, free of dust, grease, wax, peeling paint,
  mold, mildew and wallpaper paste. If washing is necessary, use a
  non-soapy detergent or a TSP substitute. Rinse well and allow to dry.


What’s this diagonal metal strapping between my studs? So I’m trying to install a pet door and came across this between my studs. This is the second pet door I install and have never seen this. I’m in the dinning room and the wall is obviously an outside wall. Can I just snip it off? Or should I relocate?

In my opinion, that should not be cut. It appears to be a structural part of the house. There will be others like that in the wall, at least 1 more, and if the wall is over 20' it will most likely have an extra one, 3 total. That was code minimum back in the day, and probably still is.

There is a chance that nothing would ever happen bad if it was cut, but that chance, I cannot recommend removing it. Code guidelines are the minimum, never advisable to do something that reduces the effectiveness of a building component that is structural in nature.


How can I determine why my GE water dispenser is very slow? I have started realizing the water flow is slow from the dispenser. I changed the filter a few times, and It is still slow. Yesterday, I checked the water connection and here is what I found:

The water that goes to the fridge has a lot of pressure.
The water that is coming from the water valve (image below) underneath the fridge has a low pressure. (This valve is visible when I took off the door panel)

How do I know if it is the solenoid or Water Valve?

Model (GSH25JSXLSS)


how to vent kitchen sink I have a single hole sink with the dishwasher drain going into the disposal

The wall plumbing has the P trap coming from the disposal into the wall drain. There is an air vent with a P trap entering the wall drain directly BELOW the disposal p trap in the wall drain.

I'm constantly getting back flow from the lower vent trap. Originally there was a double sink and the dishwasher  drain hooked into this vent trap. I'm wondering if this vent trap shouldn't be above the disposal trap since I now only have a single sink and there isn't a vent above the disposal trap. It seems it would have gotten air from the second sink before and now there is no air above.
Does this sound logical?

When I get back flow it's when I run the disposal and there is some water running.

My question would be how do you keep water in the trap for the vent? , I would add an air admittance valve then you won’t have to worry about water in the trap and won’t get back flow through the vent. The air admittance valve on the open end of the pipe.


How do I fix air leak in windows? Our windows in the back of our house receive a lot of wind.  When it's windy or very cold, the air is coming in through various crevices: window track and space between window.  The windows are about 7 years old and the fuzzy insulation looks okay.  I've tried to install insulation, but it didn't seem to resolve it.

Do I need to put caulk on the outside?
Do I just replace the back windows with higher quality windows?

Looking at your pic and arrows, it looks like the bottom sash does not fit well. If all the factory weather seals are in place, not damaged or worn, I think they may be poor quality.  That is rare since most windows in the last 10 years or so are normally fairly tight. The area that really concerns me are the sides where you show the arrow. This area usually depends on a snug mechanical fit, not weather stripping to seal the unit. Does this lower unit seem loose? Leaking at the joint of the two sashes is common and can be fixed with new seals most of the time, but the sides do not.  Also, some windows need to be locked for the sash to sash seal to fully engage.

Caulking is not a good way to seal these kind of leaks if you ever want to open them again!

Maybe you can more fully describe the areas in question and the fit of the windows.


Converting Quad breaker to common trip I installed a Siemens QT (2) two pole quadbreaker into my panel board. All 4 circuits go to the same location.  The inner two breakers and outer two breakers are common trip.  However due to my setup I would like all 4 breakers to trip if any single circuit breaks.  I know they have tie down bars but cannot find one for a quadbreaker.  Not to mention I will have to cut the existing common trip bars off.  Is this safe and is there a correct way to do this.  People on reddit told me to use a nail stuck through them all.  However I don't think nails are UL listed ;)  Below is an image of the exact breaker I used.  Any input?

Don't improvise.

A breaker is a combination of an overcurrent detector and a switch, with a motor mechanism which causes one to throw the other.  The motor mechanism is passive; it is a spring.

Each single breaker has enough motive power to throw its own switch, and also its partner switch.

It does not necessarily have enough motive power to throw four.  You could have a horrible situation where none of the breakers trip because the other 3 are preventing the first's mechanism from operating.

You should not improvise such a thing.  Contact the manufacturer for advice.

Can you live with three?

They may make 3-phase breakers for your style of panel.  Obviously they are designed for phase A-B-C, but they will work fine with phase A-B-A which is what would happen if you put that breaker in a 120/240 split phase panel.  Don't share the neutral!

They will not be duplex/double-stuff breakers, however.

Or use shunt trip breakers with a SCADA system

It's a "cost is no object" option, but it'll work.  Most makers produce a "shunt trip" breaker - which gives you a 24-volt pigtail. Applying 24 volts causes the breaker to trip.  Square D HOMeline probably doesn't offer one, but Eaton CL is UL-classified for that panel.

So now you have a supervisory device that works one of two ways:  Either it listens for a breaker tripping (hot goes away) and shunt-trips the other 3 breakers.  Or, it monitors the underlying conditions you are concerned about and trips all 4 breakers if programmed conditions are met.  This is easy peasy with a simple Arduino or any other hobbyist-tier process control system. Rather than have the Arduino throw the 24V, you have it throw a 5V relay which throws the 24V.  24V can be sourced from a $15 thermostat transformer located in a panel knockout.


How can I tell if the bladder in my water tank is damaged? I have a "Signature 2000 SR35-10S-01" water tank. Trying to determine if my pump is cycling too fast and if my tank my be to blame. The pump switch is set for a 40/60 pressure range. With a kitchen tap running at full, the pump goes on when the water pressure drops to 40 and it takes 20 secs to reach 60, and then pump stops. Then it takes about 1min/10 secs for the pressure to drop to 40 at which point the pump kicks back on. This of course repeats while the tap is open.

So pump on for 20 secs, pump off for 1 min/10 secs with a kitchen tap running. Is that considered too fast? What should be happening here if there's not a problem.

I checked the pressure of the "air cell" with a tire gauge at the schrader valve at the top of the tank (under the cover). After emptying the tank totally I get no pressure reading. If I turn the pump on and let the tank fill I get a pressure reading that matches the current water pressure (40-60).

One thing that makes me think the the "bladder" or "air cell" (they're the same thing right?) is damaged is that if I want to drain the tank of water completely it takes quit a bit of time to do so after the cutoff of 40psi is reached.

So what I think is happening is that I'm filling the whole tank up with water instead of filling it against an inflated bladder/air cell.

Any help/opinions on this greatly appreciated!

If you measure 0 psi when the tank is empty, it means the tank is not charged. Try adding air through the Schrader valve. If you can't get the pressure to increase and hold, the bladder is bad.

If you measure the pressure at the Schrader valve when the tank is connected to the plumbing, you'll always measure the water pressure in the plumbing. The tank must be isolated from the plumbing, to measure the air charge pressure.


How do I build a sound dampening box for a pool filter? I have a pool filter next to my house in the 1.5m between my house and the boundary. I'd like to build a box around it to dampen the sound a bit. I will still need periodic access to the filter for maintenance. The filter is out of sight, so there is no need for it to be pretty. What is the best way of doing this?

I think the point to the question was to build a soundproof box more than buy a new motor, although good suggestions for power and such.

From some research on similar topic and some personal experience I have discovered that looking at the mounting of your motors is very important. Sometimes placing a rubber or similar vibration absorbent material between the motor and whatever it is standing on reduces referred vibration and low level tones that are almost impossible to sound proof. Spend time getting the low level vibrational sounds sorted out.

As for a housing, for me their was already a small brick wall around the pumps. I used ply board against many recommendations to build a housing then lined the inner area with heat resistant foam and a lightweight insulation material called "think pink" (in South Africa).

The padding is lightweight enough for me to lift the cover off to get to the pumps and the gap and ambient temperature around the pumps when sealed is cool enough for the motors. Obviously not in direct sunlight helps.

Ventilation is always an issue as direct air exposure permits sound waves to "escape" thus one must use a bit of common sense to allow more ventilation if the pump house needs it to keep the motor cool.

I would not say the rig is 100% sound proof... Yet... Our bedroom is literally right next to the motor and you can definitely hear when the motor runs. So a lot better than it was. Can't hear the motor from any other room in the house.


Milwaukee fuel M18 CCS55 battery saw I recently got a Milwaukee M18 fuel battery saw. It worked  for a few cuts but now when I depress the trigger on the saw, it clicks and does not turn. It has a safety switch incorporated and when you press that the built in light illuminates but the saw does not spin. Can I fix it myself?

Chances are you have a bad switch so the question is how good are you at taking things apart and then putting them back together?

My first step would be to check out the warranty from the manufacturer and from the store where you purchased it. They usually have very good customer service where tools are concerned but if you try to fix it first, you'll void any warranties.


What skills and tools do I need to install a whole-home humidifier? I'm looking to install a whole-home humidifier and am wondering what tools and skills are needed for the job. I'm specifically concerned about a non-standard installation or if something goes wrong / is not as expected - what are the common problems encountered?
For specifics, I'm looking at an Aprilaire 700 unit, and have what looks to be a Ruud model RGPE-07EBRQR (Rheem?) furnace / air handler. I have an Ecobee3 smart thermostat installed with 2 or 3 spare conductors in the cable. My main water supply and water heater are in the same closet as the HVAC equipment.
Edited to add pictures. An HVAC technician suggested we would need to install the humidifier on the upper part of the duct, where it is vertical, but that it should be doable.

Plan the job
It looks like your best installation location is the duct work directly above the furnace. The lower section looks like it's sloped a bit, so that isn't a good place to mount. You'll have to use the upper section or cut into the A/C evaporator box. The upper section is probably the better place.
Cut the hole
Once you have a solid plan it's a fairly simple install job. You'll need tools to cut a big rectangular hole. A set of tin snips* will do. You can make a starting hole with a drill, or as I saw an HVAC installer recently do, hold a large flat-blade screwdriver at an angle to the duct and hammer the shaft of the screwdriver until it slices into the metal. This is much faster than drilling and makes a nice big gash where it's easy to get the snips started. It also neatly avoids the problem of chips of metal falling down into the evaporator, heat exchanger, and blower.
Install
Just follow the instructions with the product. Apart from the contortions to get your arms and body into position it should be pretty easy.
Controls
The Ecobee 3 can control the humidifier. If you choose to go that route then the control included with the humidifier will go in the "left over parts" bin. You also have to figure out how to wire it on your own; the diagram in the Aprilaire installation doesn't address this situation. I have an Ecobee 3 and an Aprilaire 600. I installed mine so that the humidifier water valve is powered by the 24V transformer in the furnace, ie I did not use the 24V transformer included with the humidifier.
To the best of my recollection I have wires connected to the AUX1 and AUX2 terminals of the Ecobee. The wiring for the humidifier is a series circuit: from furnace R terminal to an Ecobee AUX terminal, from the other AUX terminal to one wire of the humidifier water valve, from the other wire of the water valve to the furnace C terminal. The wiring would be similar if using the Aprilaire 24V transformer -- instead of connecting to furnace R and C, connect to the 24V wires of that transformer.
Actually... as it turns out, I had a new furnace installed a couple weeks ago. I haven't re-installed my humidifier yet but it's on the to-do list. Maybe I'll get it done this week and make an update with respect to the wiring details.
A note about tin snips
In the US, at least, there's a convention of coloring tin snips handles red, green, and yellow. Red will cut straight or curves to the left, yellow cuts straight, and green cuts straight or curves to the right. For years I was a penny-pinching miser and forced myself to use only yellow snips rather than lay out the cash to buy all three. Finally I did, though -- and sheet metal work became SO much easier. They're worth it.


What type of tape do I use on a dryer vent? I need to install a dryer periscope vent in my new dryer unit, However, it needs to be sealed for leaks. What type of tape should be used to tape a periscope dryer vent?

First, what you do not want to use is duct tape, the adhesive fails under the extreme temperatures.

For dryer vents and HVAC ducts, you should seal seams with a foil backed tape. This is designed to be airtight and handle the temperature swings that would cause other types of tape to fail.

Note: sample product image, no affiliation or recommendation for this specific brand.


Should Honeywell W8150A1001 switch be set to “On” or “Override”? I live in metropolitan Houston, Texas (note: high humidity), and this concerns a home I recently purchased. I have a heater (furnace) and blower unit installed in the attic, which is typical for many homes in Texas.

When I bought the home, I noticed the blower in the attic would always run even if I set the thermostat to off on the wall. I assumed there was something wrong with the compressor or thermostat, but something told me to look in the attic, and then I found this on top of the furnace/blower (I guess it is a combo unit).

Here is a close-up:

The Honeywell switch (I believe it is part of this system, and model number W8150A1001) was previously set to “On,” but then I set to “Override,” and I assume this enabled the wall-mounted thermostat to override that switch, because now the blower will not run if I set the wall-mounted thermostat to “Off.” Problem solved, or so I thought. While I am savings bundles on my electric bill, I am wondering if there was indeed a reason the previous owner had it set to “On” so that it ran all the time. After all, the switch says “On” offers “Optimized Ventilation.” As the switch is currently set to “Override,” do you think this might enable mold growth due to inadequate (i.e., not optimized) ventilation? Should I switch it back to “On”?

Below is the text from the user manual. Hope it is helpful. I have the same unit in Florida, also high humidity.

On (optimal ventilation) – W8150 ventilates, based on control settings.
Override – W8150 runs ventilation continuously.
Off (Remote Only) – W8150 supplies ventilation only when there is aremote call.

If the ON position is causing the blower to run continuously (mine does not), then recommend to set your unit to OFF, unless you always want fresh and humid air which is what OVERRIDE is giving you.


Dealing with a toilet that doesn't have an air vent We have a powder room on the main floor with a toilet that has a sluggish flush. It's not clogged. While investigating the issue I discovered that neither the toilet nor sink in the powder room is vented (the full bathroom on the second floor is vented).

When I remove the powder room's sink from its waste pipe, and attempt to use that as an air vent for the toilet, the toilet flushes perfectly.

What are some permanent fixes to this problem?

A one way AAV (air admittance valve) can be installed in a vertical position above the sink to solve your problem, however, a minimum of one vent must be open to the atmosphere (outside the dwelling) to allow the release of pressure in the drainage system which may lead to sewer gases released into the home if not present.


What is the difference between R20 and PAR20 lightbulbs? Are they compatible? What do R and PAR prefixes represent in general?

Important decision, need to buy several replacement lightbulbs!

According to this site:

  R20 bulbs have reflectors that direct light forward and produce more narrow soft-edged beam that is less precise than PAR20 bulbs. R20 bulbs also produce less shadow than PAR20 bulbs. PAR20 bulbs control light more precisely and produce more concentrated light than R20.

Source: http://www.agreensupply.com/difference-between-par20-and-r20-led-light-bulbs/


Junction box with screws 2 3/4" apart, but fixture needs 3 1/2" I recently bought a new fixture for my back patio light.  (Just replacing an old halogen motion-detector light with a new LED motion-detector light.)

Unfortunately, the mounting bracket for the new light has screw holes which are 3 1/2" apart, while the existing junction box has screw holes which are 2 3/4" apart.  (And I can't use the old mounting bracket with the new light, because the way it attaches to the light is completely different.)

First off, is it the new light which is unusual for expecting 3 1/2", or is it the house that's unusual for having 2 3/4" holes?

How does one normally solve this problem?

Is it possible to buy a light fixture that works with 2 3/4" mounting holes?  Unfortunately, none of the fixtures I can find online or in the store say what distance of mounting holes they expect... it isn't until you open the box that it says what it's expecting.

Update: In the end, I didn't have enough confidence to DIY this, so I called an electrician.  I'm not sure how he solved the problem, but he solved it.

Normally, we just take a drill and make a hole in the strap that lines up with the other hole.

2 3/4" would be an old, obsolete size so if your house uses these you may have this problem again.

Good luck!


5A Round Pin Socket Wiring and Fusing I am looking to install 4 5A round pin sockets on the lighting ring, so we can switch on lamps around the room using a switch by the door. I have 2 questions; Wiring and Fusing.
Part 1 - Wiring
How should I run the wires to each of the sockets?
Option A. Seperate wires to each (My prefered option for ease)

Option B. Wires between each socket

Part 2 - Fuses
Do I need to add fuses to any of the sockets or plugs?
The reason I ask this is Screwfix has the plugs and sockets, but they do not have fuses is either sockets or plugs. (But are still listed as 5A)

There's no such thing as a lighting ring in UK domestic wiring. Lighting circuits are radial. (They run out from the fuse box but don't return to it.) If you are taking power from one of these you don't need additional fuses - the fusebox already provides the needed protection (5 A fuse, 6 A MCB). If you are taking the supply from a 30/32 A ring circuit you'll need a fused spur unit fitted with a 5 A fuse. (You are likely to need to buy this with a 13 A fuse and replace it.)
You can use either option to wire the sockets. Note with option 1 you'll need to use a sufficiently large ceiling rose cover to accommodate all the connections (or run them from the switch on a suitably deep backbox). Wago connectors can be useful for hooking everything up. Apparently 2 A plug/sockets are OK to use on a lighting circuit but the larger 5 A ones are easier to wire up.


Joist re-enforcement instead of sister So I've got a scenario where I'd like to re-enforce my joists, and I don't currently have the ability or time to sister the entire length of the 12' joists. Now I could remove blocking, insulation, and pipes and sister about 6' of them on the sill side, but that got me thinking:

Would adding "sisters" between the existing blocking actually work well? To me it seems like the small "sister" board would carry any bending/shear forces of the original beam in that area to the blocking. This would then result in either compression forces on the blocking, or rotational forces, both of which seem much more tolerable. It would also result in sharing the load between the joists. Obviously the sister will be glued, clamped, and nailed to the existing joist.

I'm trying to determine the pros/cons of each approach:

A) Sister between blocking, and block the "center" of the sister

B) Sister between blocking, and block the ends of the sister

C) Sister between blocking, and double up the existing blocking

(Blue = existing joists/blocking/sill)
(Red = new "sister" boards)
(Orange = potential new blocking)
(Joist are 16" OC with blocking ~4ft staggered)

[Edit]
Although some comments/answers have been provided I think it would be best to provide some supporting information as to why one way or another might be best.

[Edit 2]
I think people are missing the actual question. I do know that the more of a joist you can sister, the better in most situations. I understand that to do this blocking would need to be removed. I also understand people want to suggest things targeted towards a specific problem/solution.

The question however: why the suggested re-enforcement methods will or will not provide any increase in structural integrity. Logic dictates that it will indeed increase the load sharing capabilities from one joist to another and outward to the foundation, and although not quite as strong as an actual continuous sister, it should mimic one as there are no gaps to allow the smaller "sisters" to move in any way. They would simply transfer the forces to the blocking, and then onto the next smaller "sister" on the other side of the blocking.

None of the three options you've shown are likely to add substantial strength or stiffness to your floor. To add either, you'll need a single, continuous additional member to span the majority of the joist length.

The blocking is probably not critical, especially if you're doubling the joists for most of their length. It's typically installed to prevent deflection, and that's not a significant concern where you have doubled joists.

My suggestion would be to remove blocking from every second joist space and double for 80% of the joist's length in those spaces. The remaining blocking will serve to stabilize all joists.

If the original joists are sound (not showing rot), compression is probably not a concern. Even a tub of water doesn't add up to enough weight to compress healthy lumber.

Regarding your comments on the original ideas, you will see some gains if 1) you fit your additional blocking extremely well, and 2) you fasten it all together with screws and construction adhesive. The result will essentially be a load-bridging honeycomb that will improve rigidity and strength. However, the flooring already provides substantial load-sharing, so gains will be minimal.

The primary reason that it's not widely hailed is that it's a very putzy, time-intensive plan that's ultimately inferior to a proper joist sistering. You'll spend more time cutting and fitting all those blocks than you would tearing out half the blocking and slapping new lumber alongside the joists.


How to handle painting with movement of cabinet door panel movement? I am building new kitchen cabinet boxes with face frames.  It is a no-brainer to pay for shaker style doors to be built and shipped to me, but I have some questions about how the paint will behave:

With the expansion and contraction of the floating panels, won't the unfinished panel inside the rails show unless they are primed/painted before assembly and shipping?
Would a clear coat make the paint more durable or is this more a function of the primer/paint combination?

Ultimately durability is largely impacted by level of prep and primer. This is for one main reason.. adhesion.
A great top coat is nothing without a good key on the surface and also good primer.
All that said, paints vary on how they handle movement. In a coloured top coat, a high acryllic content paint will help with movement.
Another option is a polyurethane varnish ontop. The stuff is super durable.


I want to run 75C wire. Can I overcome 60C receptacle ratings with a pigtail? Hypothetical.  I am hooking up a range/oven that requires 50A.  Its terminations are rated 60C, and there's no way around it.

The 100' wiring run is all in EMT conduit and I am running THHN wires, so I am entitled to use the 75C column.  #8 copper wire is allowed 50A@75C.

My circuit breaker has 75C terminations.

I have these lovely MAC Block splice connectors, rated to 90C.  They take #8 and #6 wire just fine.

So I get the idea to take the #8 wire to the Mac Block splices (90C), splice to a short #6 copper pigtail, and take  the #6 to the range terminations.

Have I successfully dodged the 60C rule, or is my plan thwarted for some reason?

If you use a j box with terminals rated at 75 you can use the higher 75deg table or even 90 for the main run then the last few feet with the larger wire at the 60 deg table we do this using the 90 deg table running large +500mcm for hundreds of feet then the 75 degree temp for the last 10 feet or so at both ends same thing works for 60 degree table.


Can you touch up epoxy garage floor paint? Not my garage, asking for a relative. Garage was previously painted with a 2 part epoxy floor paint. Shortly after painting something spilled and pooled around the tires and ate away the paint. Plus there are a couple other slight imperfections like peeling paint.

What would you do in this situation? Can you use the same type of 2 part epoxy paint over the existing paint?

Would you repaint the whole floor or do you think the colors will still match?

Do you know if they make repair kits?

I called up Rustoleum to ask about their EpoxyShield product since that's what was used previously.

They informed me that the epoxy coating needs to be reapplied every 3-5 years (which is about how old the current coating is.)

Recommendation was to scuff sand existing epoxy coating with 60 grit sand paper over the entire surface to aid with adhesion, clean, allow to dry and recoat.

Basically, just treat it like painting over any other type of glossy paint.


Unclog grout PVC pipe Grout was poured down shower drain. Screw to drain cover broken off. PVC shower pipes. Looks like grout is up to about 2.5 in from drain cover. How can I got about trying to fix this

Assuming this happened five minutes ago: Fish out anything you can as soon as possible. Use an old coat hanger, your fingers, whatever you have to hand that's long enough. Flush the rest with loads of water as soon as possible. As long as you can get it to move along the pipe to the drainage stack, it should be flushed out and not block anything.

If it's already cured, you can either try and break it with something or replace the pipe. Anything you can get in there to break up the grout risks damaging the pipe, so you'd need to be careful. And without seeing photos or knowing what tools you have available, it's very hard to give any further advice on breaking it up.


How to examine if there is termite damage in a ceiling or floor using a boroscope Just treated for termites as they were coming up through the floorboards by the back door, and I wanted to check the existing wood since I've noticed some sagging floorboards.
I can cut into the drywall ceilings or I can use a boroscope.  When using the boroscope, what should I be looking for in terms of damage, since I wouldn't be able to prod the beams or wood with a stick or awl.

A horoscope will do you no good here but a borescope may, or may not depending on the severity of the damage.
Generally the best you can see with a borescope is EVIDENCE.  Wood debris in the area below the infestation, mud tubes between the ground and the wood, possibly some areas in wood where chunks have fallen off.  But seeing direct termite damage is iffy.
The problem is that they enter through very small holes, which may not be in a visible area and eat away from the inside.  They generally don't penetrate to the outside to protect themselves and so the wood piece can look perfectly fine from the outside and be riddled with damage on the inside.
Usually you use a "poking" tool to check for such damage although cutting will expose the damage as well.


What is this bit for with a hole in the end? [pic] I just came across this bit in my toolbox, which I'm fairly sure came with an installers drill bit (54" long flexible bit, with a hole in the end for pulling wires back through).

It's a standard screw driver bit, tapered at the end (though not enough to actually be a flathead bit) and a hole through it. Any ideas what this is for?

I think it would be used for pulling or twisting something.  For example, you would attach a wire to it, then engage the drill or manually rotate, thus twisting or rotating the wire.  It would also be used for fishing the wire thought a wall.  The rotation would allow it to more easily pass.


Maximum light fixture wattage question I'm trying to switch the incandescent light bulbs in my living room to LED ones. I've noticed that originally all the light bulbs were 65W 620 lumen. I've bought four LED light bulbs (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UKE5YAW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00) that are 100W equivalent. After I install all of them they won't light up so I'm guessing whether I've exceeded the maximum watts.

I've unscrewed the light switch panel and it reads something like "600W max, 500W with one side removed, 400W with two sides removed" so I guess it should be able to fit 400W light bulbs.

So what went wrong here?

Are these on a dimmer, perhaps? Dimmable LEDs need an LED-rated dimmer to be happy, generally. If the dimmer is old that usually means replacing it.

You have not increased the wattage. The Wattage is 15W per bulb - the "equivalent wattage" is marketing organic fertilizer meant to convey the lumen output relative to an incandescent bulb. It has nothing to do with actual wattage.

You may have an issue where the base of the bulb is too fat, too soon for the fixture socket, so that no contact is being made to the center contact. Depending on how extreme this is it can sometimes be helped (circuit breaker for the circuit OFF, please) by gently, slightly, bending the center contact in the socket up just a bit - but if you overdo it you can snap the contact off, so don't overdo it.


What went wrong with this wall, and how do we fix it? My friend's condo was built in 1960 and renovated before she bought it, in 2010 or so. Not long after she moved in, a chunk of plaster on the kitchen ceiling fell off, then a little later the same thing happened to a bit of wall. In both cases, the amount of material that fell off was only ~1-2 mm thick. But it was a fairly large area -- a couple of square feet in both cases.

Here is the bit of ceiling:

And here is the damaged wall:

Other interesting factoid: the damaged wall is about 2" thick: it is not a conventional drywall-on-studs construction. Feels and sounds like concrete, but it's not cinder blocks since it's only 2" thick. The ceiling also looks and feels like concrete, but I'm not positive.

Oh, here's a detail of the wall where I think we need to chip away more plaster before doing repairs:

Any idea what went wrong here? And, more importantly, how do we fix it?

It looks like the skim coat released , this can happen for many reasons the most common is getting wet. On the ceiling it may have been caused from poor prep work when the remodel was done. I don't see evediance in that 1 section that the new coating stuck to the base surface at all. So making sure the surface is clean will be important, I used to always wash walls in kitchens with TSP, trisodiumphosphate, I think a safer type is available than what I used to use but it is a very strong cleaner that removes grease and other surface contamination prior to resurfacing or painting. I think this is what wrong but it could also be from being wet, or if the skim coat was two dry when applied. In any case remove any loose areas clean then recoat if moisture is not found, if moisture is found the leak needs to be fixed first.


New flooring in kitchen We are replacing the flooring on the first floor and my question is in the kitchen.  Is there a way to do this without removing the cabinets on the lower level?  Or is it best practice to pull them out, lay the new floor down, then put the cabinets back on top of the new floor.  I have been looking and don't see many options to butt the new floor up to the base of the cabinet.

Here is my take on this.  If your cabinets are a standard size and they aren't on legs there is no reason you should remove them for a flooring upgrade.  Even if the cabinets were replaced they should be able to adjust the toe-kick to where it currently is to overlap the new floor.

Notes:

It is a MUST to move cabinets if they are on legs.  You cannot have a seam of old flooring visible.
You need to get the new flooring under the fridge.  It is too heavy and if you leave old flooring under it and need to move it the lip will probably damage new floor.
I would suggest putting it under stove for same reason.  Unless your stove has a completely flat top - most don't and have ridges, the addition 3/8" will probably be completely unnoticable as the heights already didn't align.  I personally like my stove slightly higher so things I am doing on counter don't just slide onto (hot) stove.  From a technical standpoint you can install flooring until legs of stove but like fridge you may have issues with the lip if stove needs to be moved.
There is no reason to have flooring under dishwasher.  They are light and have adjustable legs.  You really want your dishwasher sitting as high of the floor as possible too.  The dishwasher is only removed for major repair and extra height just makes that harder (or it could possibly prevent it from fitting to counter).
If an island is permanent we never floor under it (as we would just damage flooring securing island) if it is floating, we floor it.

For the most part I wouldn't even think of removing cabinets.  I like doing things in a long-term way and people can make a point that flooring should be continuous but after demoing and remodeling 20-30 kitchens I have basically put in new cabinets and never once had to worry about flooring unless I was removing a peninsula or something like that.  It is just not worth the money, the effort, and the potential damage to the cabinets.  Now if you are trying to get new lowers, now is the time.


how to remove shower tap I have some shower taps and shower head I am trying to remove so I can replace the back splash wall, how do you remove this sort of tap and head? I tried just turning it, but had no luck , not wanting to damage things, so thought I should ask before preceding

Normally turning the pipe anti clockwise will unscrew the pipe from the threaded elbow in the wall. Looking at your top photo I would bet that is the correct advice but the 2nd photo looks like the valve, you will need to remove the cover it may be held in place with a set screw or grub screw if it doesn’t unscrew. then you should be able to remove the surround or back splash I would make that corner is sealed with your new work as that is a place where a lot of water can enter the wall and cause rot.


Why does my kitchen faucet have 3 pipes? My kitchen sink has a peculiar setup I haven't seem before. The faucet has 3 pipes and there is an electric water heater under the sink. The first pipe brings cold water into the faucet. The second pipe bring cold water from the faucet into the water heater. The third pipe brings warm water from the heater back to the faucet. Why can't the cold water be supplied directly to the water heater without the initial trip to the faucet?

Because these local water heaters are often open systems, i.e. the increased pressure from heated water must not damage the installation. The pressure of the water net is only up to the faucet valve. After that valve it is in contact with the normal air (pressure) and flows to the heater, back to the faucet valve where it can be mixed with the cold water. Many countries have rules that heated water must not flow back to the cold water net, a backflow preventer is in the incoming line of the heater. That is why the pressure can not be decreased upstream, only downstream. It is dangerous to use a normal faucet with those heaters, since the hot water tank could burst spreading hot water into the room.


How can I hang a shelf off of existing screws in brick wall? Recently moved into an apartment, and setting it up.
I need to hang a projector and a video game console off of a brick wall in the home.

Ideally, because it's an apartment, I don't alter the wall.

There are 2 existing screws coming out of the brick - screwed into the brick itself. There seems to be some plastic anchor supporting them. The screws are 5ft (1.5m) apart, come out about half an inch, and the "shelf" needs to come out about 12-18in (30-45cm) and support ~15lbs (~7kg) of weight at most.

Is this possible? If so, how? I have woodworking tools and patience, but not much know-how. My intention here is to make a make-shift shelf cutting up wood and hanging it however I can. Alternatively, happy to buy something if I can find shelving with mounts exactly 5ft apart.

If not, what's another no- or low-damage way of hanging such a shelf (minimum 12in depth, 3ft wide)?

I wouldn't use those screws since you have no way of knowing how they were installed.  However, I would suggest you look into brick hanging clips (use Google to find them). These are made of metal and are designed to grip the bricks. No holes are required. You made need a number of them depending on the weight of your stuff. I have used them to hang pictures on brick walls.


Garbage disposal trips breaker when it is switched off Our garbage disposal trips its breaker when the unit is turned off. Flip the breaker and the unit runs, turn the unit off and the breaker trips. I have replied the switch. Wiring of the switch, double checked, is correct. Black wires connected to switch. White wires to other connector and white wires to the green screw on the switch. Any ideas on what may be wrong?
Thanks!

Are you in the USA?  The green screw should be Ground (green or bare wire), not Neutral (white).

Generally:

Line is "hot", with the active AC voltage present.
Neutral is the return path for the current.  All current should travel from Line, through the load, and then back through Neutral.
Ground is there for safety only. It should only carry current in the case of a fault.

In a standard circuit there is no indication that current is flowing through ground, as long as it's not enough to trip a breaker.  However, your garbage disposal unit is connected to a GFCI breaker.  This kind of breaker is specifically designed to open up when there is ground current.

It sounds like your circuit's Neutral is tied to the junction box.  The junction box is also likely grounded.  This ground connection is generally made by a bare copper wire attached to the back of the junction box.

At the same time, your disposal has a big motor in it.  When you turn off a motor it creates its own current for a small amount of time as it spins down.  Since this current can't return through the switch , it returns through ground.  This trips your GFCI.

First, verify the wiring connections. It is possible that the ground was wired correctly, but that someone did it with white wire (instead of green or bare wire) just to confuse everybody.  Ideally, there should be one connection from the green screw to the junction box, and a totally separate connection between the white wire from the breaker box and the white wire to the disposal unit.
If, in fact, all the white wires are tied together then you should disconnect your white wire from the green screw.  Then run a wire from this screw to the grounded junction box.


ON Electrical Code: 240V line from panel to exterior (fused / nonfused subpanel) for AC I'm a complete newbie to this so I have a few questions...

1) Gauge of wire from panel to exterior subpanel?  I know it's two live from a 220V breaker and neutral, also do I need GFCI, or a standard breaker is fine, 30amps good?

2) Conduit, hard or flex, and composition of conduit?  I would prefer hard, also any restrictions on height when running on exterior of house, obstacles of windows & Main line in the way, how to avoid?  Can I push away from the wall with a treated two by four or do I have to route away?

3) Do I need a subpanel outside?  Does it need to be fused?  Any distance / placement requirements to ground level, windows, ac condenser unit, ac pressured lines?

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions.

Update:

https://senville.com/18000-btu-dual-zone-mini-split-air-conditioner-sena-18hf-d/ this is the unit I was looking at installing, looks to be 18A with Max Fuse at 25A.

Yes, the exterior subpanel is on the same physical building on a different side of the house feeding from behind the house.

I'm located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

12 gauge wire is sufficient up to 20 amps.
240v (except for stove and dryer) needs 2 conductors and a ground (no neutral), so 12/2 should do it. The black and white will be the two legs, then the ground.
You must have a disconnect at the unit. Run your line from the breaker box to the disconnect. If the line is inside an attic or wall or under the house it is considered “protected”. I ran mine under the house,stapled to the underside of the floor joists. At the disconnectI drilled a hole through the outer floor joists the outside. I drilled the hole large enough to accommodate 1/ inch rigid conduit through the hole to the outside, and rigid conduit up to the disconnect. I haven’t gotten past this point, but some sort of whip will run from the disconnect to the unit.


Insulate pipes in closet The previous homeowners ran the plumbing for the upstairs bathroom through one of the downstair bedroom closest.  They actually built wire shelving around them.  Obviously, when using the bathroom upstairs, the noise is very loud in the downstairs bedroom.

What would be the best way for me to box the pipes in and insulate them from making noise?  I'd love to board them up and build built in shelving out of wood. We live in the south, so freezing isn't really an issue.  I plan on disconnecting the outlet.

Thanks!

If you simply boxed around it with 2x4s, insulated with fiberglass bat insulation, and covered with a double layer of drywall, it would give you quite a reduction in noise.  You will need to blank off that receptacle and leave an access panel in the front so the box is accessible.

If you frame around it with metal studs, and use homasote rather than drywall, you will achieve even greater sound insulation.


Can I use my old shower pan instead of a mortar base layer? I am replacing my old leaking mortar shower pan. This article tells me i need to have a mortar base layer.  Can I skip demolition and laying down the base layer (the old shower pan will be treated as a base layer), and just start with the shower liner and the mortar top layer?

The existing drain assembly terminates at the height of the current shower pan.  Your proposal would require a drain extension to the new, higher shower pan.  This would require a smaller diameter fitting, inside the old drain, in order to extend the height of the new drain.  This would be practically difficult, if at all possible, because of the short lengths of pipe involved unless you're creating a "step-up" shower.  By the way, such a fitting violates code by reducing the diameter of the waste pipe (even though just at the shower pan).

To avoid the above, the old shower pan would have to be excavated, at the drain, to allow the old drain assembly to be removed and a larger fitting attached; into which the new drain would be fitted.

Note: raising the height of the shower pan will result in faucet handles and shower heads being lower than they are now.


Will my wooden bridge withstand the weight of my small truck? I am building a bridge across a small stream. I have 3 hemlock planks that are 24 feet long, and are 6 inches by 4 inches in dimension. The hemlock planks are positioned so that the 6 inch sides are vertical, and the 4 inch sides are horizontal.
The 3 hemlock beams are resting on the sides of the river bank. There are no supports in the middle for the planks. The beams overlap the banks of the stream by about 4 feet on either side, so there is 16 feet of unsupported beam crossing the stream.
I am putting 2x6 planking on top of the hemlock beams to complete the top-side of the bridge.
I want to calculate if I can drive my 1.5 ton ATV across the bridge. Will the hemlock beams support its weight, or will they crack when my ATV gets into the middle of the bridge?

From conventional Hemlock Span tables it seems your 4x6s are only good for about 10' span at 40LBS live load.  Your load is much higher when the trucks out in the middle of the bridge.

I think this is what you've got:

Can you get 2x12s? or better, get an engineer to run the numbers.  You will need to calculate the actual load and deflection and not just rely on flooring span tables since your load is very specific and not distributed over the entire span.


How to uncap dishwasher water lines? I moved into a mobile home that has the spaces and water lines for a dishwasher but the landlord says I would have to have a plumber uncap the lines... can’t really afford the plumber. Can I do this myself?

You could potentially use push to connect fittings like sharkbite fittings. Some tools will still be required. If copper pipe is present then you need a copper cutter like the Ridged 118, if it's pex you need a PEX cutter. You can pick up all these tools at Home Depot and the like. You'll probably want to get a pair of Channellock pliers or splurge and get the Knipex Cobra pliers. You'll possibly need some electrical tools and need to do some drain work.
Make sure to turn the power off and the water. If you don't already own some of these basic tools it may be more expensive to buy them than to call a plumber, unless you can borrow some.
Push conections work on both copper and PEX and you may find a push to connect adapter with the dishwasher end ready to go. I do believe they sell a dishwasher kit that has much of the required material.


Stud finding for window curtains -- what does it mean that the whole side of the window frame is magnetic? I had originally hung up window curtains by putting plastic anchors into the plaster and screwing into those.  After a year, that fell out.

Searching online, it seems if I find the studs / wood framing and screw into that, it should be more secure.  I used a magnet I had to try to locate the studs; the magnet sticks to the wall anywhere within about an inch of the window frame.  I thought the screws in the wood were only supposed to be spaced apart 8" vertically so I would only expect the magnet to stick every 8", or am I misinterpreting that?

And as a renter can I screw into the wood?  If not, I guess I need a toggle of some sort?

There's metal corner bead under the finished surface. It will be more difficult to screw into than drywall alone. Put the screw more than an inch away from the corner and you should be fine. As a renter, just make sure you remove the curtain and patch and paint the holes you made when you need to leave.


GFI outlets tripped after power outage I live in a rural area that has frequent power outages (Several per month.  Less than a minute in duration).   When the power is restored, several GFI outlets always trip.    I am trying to track down the cause of these trips, as one of the outlets powers a livestock water heater (Which needs to stay powered during freezing months) for the safety of the animals.

The GFI outlets that trip are connected to a sub panel that is fed from the main panel.   Turning the breaker that feeds the sub panel off and on also reliably trips the GFI outlets in question.  I have reproduced this with nothing plugged into the outlets (And load side of GFI disconnected).

This problem has occurred ever since the GFI outlets were installed (Several years ago).

I am looking for the next troubleshooting steps to solve this issue.

Some brands of GFCI’s trip on power loss. I first found this when putting them in on a bathroom sink outlet that was switched. Every time the light switch was turned off the GFCI tripped when the switch was turned back on. I switched brands and the problem went away. I think this was an early safety that today some new GFCI’s make you press test then reset to energize the GFCI for the first time so I would change brands with one and verify the tripping is no longer happening before replacing them all.


Looking for an alternative lightswitch, push button maybe? I am going to mount a slate chalkboard on this rail. The slate is 60" which is the length of the rail as you see it.

As I get closer to the actual installation I am questioning my choice of dealing with the light switch. I was planning on cutting the slate to accommodate the toggle switch - cutting big enough holes that I could put the switch body on the front of the slate, with the plate over the top of it. The thing that is getting me nervous is that this requires removing a lot of material and I am concerned that this corner is going to break off when I drop the board into the rail.

The slate is estimated to weigh 65 lbs and dropping it into the slot is already going to be an adventure, I prefer to not have to worry about breaking this corner.

In terms of the holes I need to make, I am not concerned about precision. I will be able to make a perfect paper template to locate my holes exactly where I need them. For tools I have a set of diamond hole bits and I can handle an angle grinder.

The easiest thing that comes to my mind is drilling a little hole in the slate right where the switch pokes through (or two holes; to make one elongated hole) and use a toggle switch but that is going to look a bit strange because the switch won't stick out far enough to look normal.

Then I thought about those push-button dimmer switches - the ones that click for on/off and rotate for dim/bright. That one could be good because I can literally use whatever I want as the button.

I also thought about the old-school push-button because our house was built in like 1900-something and has a few of these these switches.

I am considering pulling the switch and covering the box; just using the pull cord on the ceiling fan. This is the way the house was wired when we got it. (Which is why you see the word BULB written on the wall - why do electricians think that's ok?)

But I thought I would ask you all if you have ideas.

"I am concerned that this corner is going to break off when I drop the
  board into the rail"

first drop in the slate and then after the slate is already installed in the wall cut it


How to cover up wall after removing a row of tiles to fit exhaust vent I recently installed a new exhaust hood in my kitchen. As the new one is slightly larger than the old one, it was necessary for me to remove a row of tiles and mortar below for it to properly fit. Here is a picture of the exhaust vent from below, showing where the tiles are removed:

I'm looking for a way to cover this up in a cosmestically nice way that doesn't necessarily have to include tiles. I have the following ideas in mind

Removing the remaining mortar and make a new layer such that it is smooth or
Removing the remaining mortar and use an acrylic plate to cover it up

Do you have any other suggestions that could look nice?

Another way that could work well would be to remove the old tile setting cement and and grout left over by adjacent tile. Then source new tile that are cut to fit and install a row along that are set into new setting cement. Afterwards it could look almost perfect.

You would want to look at the tiles that you removed. Some of them may still be re-usable if they did not get all busted up when removed.


Replacing a 1963 GE 125 Amp, 240V service panel In a recent question I asked about finding parts for my old 1960s electrical panel. I've given up on finding parts, and this new question is about replacing it with a new, modern panel:

One of the lugs burned up in my house's service panel. It was installed when the house was built in 1963. The lug is integral to the panel, and the panel is no longer available. I've looked for used panels of that model -- a GE TRX2012F -- but did not find any. So I'm told I need a new service panel.

I want to do the replacement myself. I've done minor DYI electrical work but nothing this involved. I'm reading and watching what I can find on replacing electrical panels. Can anyone offer answers to any of my questions below?

1) First, any suggestions on what panel to choose? The current one is installed flush in an unfinished stud wall. But surface-mount on top of the studs sounds fine to me too. There is about 14.5" between the studs, and they are about 3.5" deep. There is no real limit on height except that some bolts for the meter pipe extend into the wall about 6 - 7 inches above where the feeder wires come out of the wall from the meter.

2) Next, should I expect to reuse the breakers, or do I need new ones? If new ones, can you suggest what I need?

3) Regarding the fat black wires running from the breaker at the upper left down to between breakers below -- would I be duplicating that, or is that done differently in today's panels?

4) I'll need to know how to shut off the power to the panel box. If I understand correctly that would be done at the meter. And since the meter is locked by the power company, I believe that would mean calling them and asking them to turn it off, then asking them to come out and turn it back on when I'm done. Is that correct?

5) Are there any other components, or any special tools, I'll need?

Thanks! Pictures below:

More pictures:
https://imgur.com/6nSQQBu
https://imgur.com/zgjKBqA
https://imgur.com/Bpi4sRE
https://imgur.com/8vhZfW9
https://imgur.com/AZeDAKM

Find a GE distributor in your area and have them order you a new INTERIOR for whatever their current product line is that matches your needs. The box dimensions haven't changed enough in 40 years to be a problem, a new interior (and cover) should drop right in.

You also have what's called a "split bus" installed there; the lower section of the panel is protected by a breaker in the upper section. There are two main reasons for this, one of which is not in play here, the other of which is something you need to determine if it applies.

The main reason for a "split bus" panel is to take advantage of what's called the "6 hand rule" meaning that if a firefighter needs to kill all power in your building, they only have to move their hand 6 times. So when a panel doesn't have a "Main Breaker" (as yours doesn't), then the top 6 spaces are all supposed to be 2 pole breakers, and one of those 2 pole breakers then feeds the bottom section where all the single pole breakers are. Your setup already violates that, you have 10 handles up top. Maybe that's because it has been changed by someone who didn't understand, who knows but that is already a violation if that was the original reason.

The other reason for doing a split bus is if you have a backup generator (or now a Solar Power system) in which you only want to power SOME of the loads when under the backup source. That too does not appear to be the case here because that typically needs to have some sort of interlocking system to isolate the unwanted parts of the system when connecting that backup source, and I don't see anything like that. But only you can tell for sure.

So in all likelihood you can get a more standard GE panel interior with enough spaces (20) and that will fit in that box. If it were me, I would get one with a Main Breaker now rather than rely on that 6 hand rule issue and trying to rearrange all of the circuits so that there are only 6 breakers on the upper half, but you may not have enough physical space in the box for that. If that's the case, you may just need to change out to a new box too. But GE has not changed the breakers themselves, so by sticking with GE you can re-use those and save yourself some money.


Lath and Plaster Framing: a Floating 2x4? I'm putting a bathroom in upstairs. I sistered the joists (red arrows), but there is a 2x4 (blue arrow) laying flat directly above a wall that is between the downstairs office and the dinning room. It's not laying on lath though. It's up ~1/4" because these pieces (blue arrows) are holding it up 1/4".

What is this 2x4 for that is seemingly hovering over the top of the downstairs wall, and can I cut out 12" to run a drain past it?

If there is a wall directly below it is most likely the "top plate" that the walls studs are nailed to. If there are no studs attached it then is most likely a "stiffener" for the wood lath underneath it. In this case it would be keeping the lath strips in-line and level in order to prevent bouncing or flex. It has been installed there with a purpose unless you can install a substitute piece to replace the board leave it until you verify what purpose it serves.


Should I use spray foam to insulate a basement? Home in CT cape w/ uninsulated basement. Its a cold, not drafty house, with new Marvin integrity windows. The basement is very cold, and it seems like the cold basement is making the rest of the house difficult to heat( forced air). So I'm considering insulating the basement walls which are cinder block.

I saw one plan with foam sprayed directly onto the block, then there were  1 1/2" metal studs installed on top of the insulation, and then sheetrocked w/ 1/2". Has anyone seen this done? It doesn't explain how to install the metal studs. Would it help even if I didn't insulate the below grade walls?

That's the expensive way to do it. The cheaper and just-as-effective method is to put rigid foam boards (EPS or XPS foam) up against the walls, and seal their edges with little bits of spray foam, caulk, and tape (as appropriate). Seal them to the floor too. You can use the same method to insulate the rim joists. Just make sure everything's sealed up tight so no inside air can reach the walls and rim joists. This is much cheaper and more DIY-friendly, and the results are just as good. These foam boards are easier to finish too since they're flat and straight, so you can lay drywall right over them, fastened to the block walls underneath with Tapcon screws. Or you can build a stud wall and drywall over that.

For bonus points, use cementboard instead of drywall for the first two feet off the ground for flood safety. Drywall will dissolve and grow mold when soaked; cementboard will just happily sit there. If you build a stud wall, use pressure-treated lumber for the same reason.

If you choose to finish the basement, use the same approach and avoid moisture-sensitive materials in the bottom few feet just in case the basement floods. This means tile or plastic baseboards, trim, and flooring. No carpet, no hardwood, no MDF, no paper, gypsum, or wood products in general.


WiFi extender/repeaters? I cannot seem to locate a wifi extender that will be connected to the router/modem via Ethernet cable?

My situation: I am moving into a 2-floor condo. ISP is coming to install the modem in the office on the first floor. I know the wifi coverage to the above floor is going to be total crap. I want to run ethernet up from the office to the second floor (exact location tbd) to connect to an extender/repeater. I don't want a high gain extender trying to pick up a weak wifi signal and then using a 2nd band to to transmit data over.

But I cannot seem to find a product that does what I want. I do find extenders that have ethernet ports, but that is not how it connects to the router/modem, rather its another option for devices to connect to that endpoint which would then be transmitted over wifi (ugh).

Anyone have any experience with this?

I've had good results with a HomePlug wireless extender - specifically, NetGear's "PowerLINE WiFi PLW-1010 Essentials Edition".  One end - a HomePlug AV2 network adapter - connects to the existing access point via an Ethernet cable and plugs into the house's power, making other adapters on the same[1] household power system appear to Ethernet attached to the access point.  The other end - a HomePlug AV2 wireless adapter - plugs into a power outlet elsewhere in the house and runs as a WiFi access point.  In the specific case of the PLW-1010, both adapters are part of the same package, and the WiFi adapter can auto-configure itself to clone the existing WiFi name (SSID) and password.  Thus you can walk from room to room and bounce between access points seamlessly.

[1] "Same" can get pretty technical, and have lots to do with where electrical transformers are in the grid.  All HomePlug data on the electrical side is encrypted, and any HomePlug device will let you choose a non-default encryption key, for cases where "same" accidentally includes your neighbor's house too.


How do I fill a gap between wall tile and acrylic shower base The bottom row of a newly installed tile wall has a gap with the shower base that is about 1/2 inch wide, too wide to caulk.  How can this be filled in a way that will not crack, will make a water tight seal between the shower base and wall and can be kept clean.  I am afraid I would damage or ruin the whole tile wall if I tried to remove the bottom row of subway tiles so I could replace them with custom cut tiles that would fit without a gap

If you have access to the same tiles that you used, you could cut them to size (you may want to consider using a good cutter or wet saw). That way you can caulk the space in between the tile and the acrylic shower base. If you don't have any extra tiles or can't find any more of the same type, you could find a nice complementary looking small tile and install that instead.


How do I install an exterior soffit vent? How is this old vent in picture "A" attached?  I will have to punch that out with a hammer.

How will I attached the new vent if the flange is laying up and inside?

Can I attach the new soffit vent like shown in picture "B"?

It's just friction-fit, probably, if there are no fasteners present. The metal just presses outward with a little spring tension. You'd lift the new on up into the soffit cavity through the gap, then gently pull it down into position, maybe using a short wire hook.

I suppose you could install it upside-down on the surface, but you'd have to use some small screws. They'd need to be pre-drilled to avoid blowing out the edge of the gap. Won't look as nice, either.


Truss roof......why so many braces? Truss roof....timber frame house. The attic space has braces all over the place on the webbing. Are these from the construction of the roof? And are they necessary? Can a small section be cut and re-braced above to make access to the other side of the roof?
https://youtu.be/EuxiOBlvoMU
![enter image description here]

They certainly look like "wind braces" which keep your truss from folding flat like dominoes when pushed.
Without seeing the erection drawings for your roof, I can say that for my truss roof there were both longitudinal and diagonal braces specified as part of the erection drawing for the trusses. Trusses have a lot of stability in the direction of the truss, and none (of themselves) across the trusses. That has to be built in.


What foam is best for sealing radiator pipes in floor to prevent mice from getting in? Is there a specific foam recommended for radiator pipes coming up through the floor?

No foam product will stop them, they will just chew through it. Some of them will eventually kill the mouse, but there's always another one, and another one, and another one to pick up the task and eventually finish it.

Aluminum or steel flashing is the only tried and true method. I've tried steel wool, it didn't stop them. They didn't chew THROUGH it, but they grabbed onto it and pulled it out.


Questions about shower wall tile install I'm getting ready to install 12x12 ceramic tile on our tub walls. What type of thinset should I use?

Ancillary to that is the type of grout to use? Sanded or unsanded?

While researching the background for this question a bit, I learned that the 12x12 tiles we're considering are Semi-vitreous, and aren't recommended for wet areas like showers. If I thoroughly water proof the Durarock wall (using RedGard as recommended here), can I use those tiles? If so, what grout?

I'm interested in using these tiles specifically to cut material costs. This was an unexpected repair, not a remodel, so our budget isn't the greatest. We have approximately 56 sq feet to tile, plus materials and needed tools.

Edit: If I went with this tile, what thinset and grout would I need? This is not a good choice, as it's not impervious. It's not even semi-vitreous.

Edit: OK, I think I'm figuring out the choices. Home Depot has a 12x12 porcelain tile that's rated impervious. It's also $0.99/sq. But, with porcelain, do I use a sanded or non-sanded grout to avoid scratching the surface?

The bottom line is that I'm going with a porcelain tile that's rated impervious with less than 0.5% absorption. I'm prepping the walls by covering the seams with a kerdi band, then painting the wall with Redgard waterproofing. I'm using a fortified white thinset and then finishing with a sanded grout, the only determining factor there is the color. Thanks everyone for the answers, and I hope future readers find this helpful.

Thanks for the feedback and help. I did this job over the weekend (what I thought would take a few hours turned into two days -- mostly due to prep and cutting the tiles), and I'll be doing grout sometime today. I'll post the final picture once I get the grout in and the tiles cleaned.

Here is a post I found on JLC's website.

Re: Vitreous or Semi-Vitrious tile in shower?

The absorption problem is behind the tile - not on the surface, so sealing the face of the finished job will not prevent moisture from penetrating the tile body (via moisture seeping in through grout joints.
 Unless the shower will be used so much there is not enough time for the installation to COMPLETELY dry out in between uses, semi-vitreous tiles are a poor choice. Whether or not this (degree of use) is the case, the density of the tile grout, and the adhesive contact are critical: grout mixed, applied, packed, and cleaned properly with an absolute minimum of cleaning water; 95% minimum adhesive contact between backs of tiles and setting bed. If you remove a tile and can see ANY trowel marks - there is not enough adhesive contact: voids in the adhesive layer will collect moisture and guide it into the tile body. When both are saturated, mold will grow: once established, you cannot kill it.

Make sure that the customer knows that impervious tiles are the best choice in wet areas. Semi-vitreous tiles are not the worst choice, but I would not recommend them. A disclaimer in your contract will help once discoloration or mold appear.

End of post

It sounds like a really bad idea....


I am removing a switch from a gang box. What is the appropriate way to cap the circuit? In my new house I have a couple rooms where the wall switch controls the outlets. I would like to remove the switch and cap the wires and then install a blank wall plate. What is the proper way to cap the wires? I have not opened the box yet but I would gather that the switch has two blacks and a ground.

If the switches are basic (not 3-way and not having some special feature needing a neutral), you are correct.

The simplest way to remove the switch and leave the outlets always live is to twist the two wires (other than the bare or green ground wire) from the switch together and cover with a wire nut. These will most likely be both black, black and red, or black and white (but the white will be hot, and if code was followed, marked with black tape, paint or marker).

The ground wire can simply be removed and pushed to the back of the box, but to avoid the risk of a bare wire touching a live wore or terminal, you may want to add a wire nut to the end of the ground as well.

You can then put a blank cover plate over the switch box.


What is the name of this Allen-head furniture fastener? I have a couple of boards that are parts of a table I am assembling, and I wish to know the name of the metal piece of hardware circled in red, below.  I would have thought it was called a bolt, but I cannot find anything like it under the name "bolts" at home depot.

EDIT:

Upon closer inspection, the hardware appears to be threaded inside for accepting a machine screw.  This may help with identification, and I believe that one or two of the answers below may be already correct.  I am reluctant to remove it from the hole because I do not want to risk stripping the wood in the hole.

While difficult to tell for sure I think it is an E-Z Lok threaded insert. It consists of a course threaded screw that is inserted into the wood. A pilot hole is drilled and the insert is screwed in with a Allen wrench until it is flush. The center of the insert is tapped for a machine screw. The advantage of this fastener is it can be disassembled numerous times with out stripping the wood.


Is it a good idea to have an Infrared scan and/or air quality test done during a home inspection? I'm looking to purchase a home that is only 10 years old, but has a finished basement. There's various home inspection "packages" that are offered with the companies I've looked into. The mid-line features an "Infra-red scan" that can theoretically detect potential water problems behind the basement walls (this is about $200 extra), as well as an "air quality" test where they identify allergens in the home (which is, like, $400 extra).

Are either of these tests worth it, or, rather, are they actually able to find anything important? Would the infra-red scan really be able to find water behind finished basement walls? Would the allergen test be able to discover hidden mold or anything like that?

My family is moderately allergic to dust, and has some mild mold allergies... On a 10 year old home is there are real danger of having abnormal levels of mold/dust that would be found with the whole home air quality test?

I am a certified home inspector, so I am a little reluctant to answer this question. I will, however spill a few thoughts. In recent years, the tests you refer to have become fairly popular, but normally in houses that show some signs of water or mold. I personally would only recommend an infrared scan if there was suspicious water spots or paint peeling on walls or ceilings where pipes would be located. The other reason for an infrared scan would be for an energy audit. Every house is going to show some areas where there is some excessive heat loss, but that is the norm, not the exception. nothing to get alarmed about. Since infrared looks at temperature differences, only active leaks or saturated insulation will show up in a scan.  If there is no evidence of a leak, I normally would not recommend one.

Air tests that look for allergens are actually looking for airborne mold spores. Every test I have done returns with some degree of mold spores. Most are naturally occuring outdoors rather than in the house itself. Most are classified as slight or moderate irritants to people who are sensitive to them. Again, unless I see actual signs of mold on walls, in the bathroom or in the attic, I don't recommend an air test. I do however recommend a "tape" test on actual mold samples. If the results come back as a bad type of mold, then I will encourage an air test and possible remediation.

I am always a buyer's advocate and tend to ere on the side of caution. Any house, regardless of age can have problems created from a leak or poor construction standards. In the huge majority of homes, this type of test is a feel good thing, rather than a necessity. A good inspector will see the signs. If they push the tests without cause, then they are padding the bill.  Just my humble opinion.  Good luck...


Which Component Is Broken in the Refrigerator My freezer and refrigerator are too warm and I want to know why so I can fix it or at least not be swindled by a repairman. The fans work. The evaporator obviously does make the air colder given the ice shown in the picture. I melted the ice with water now the ice is returning. There is a strange smell faintly like burnt rubber in the freezer. Manually activating the defrost timer turns off the fans. If there is any other necessary diagnostic information necessary please let me know. Which component is broken in my refrigeration unit?

The easy thing to try replacing is the thermistor, they are cheap and you just cut the old one out and then crimp a new one on the wires. Biggest challenge is usually finding where they are hidden in your fridge (you'll often have 3, maybe more, and any of them can be bad), but it looks like you've opened things up enough to see them. Look for any small piece of plastic on the end of two wires, I've seen them 1" long by 1/4" in diameter. They'll be clipped on to the defrost piping, and probably somewhere else high, possibly behind the track that the shelves hang on, or near a vent.

I'd also check all the gaskets on the door to make sure you're getting a tight seal. If these first two checks come up empty, then I'd personally throw in the towel and buy something new assuming the fridge is older than 8 or so years.

If it's an old fridge, then you may be looking at low refrigerant and that isn't typically fixable in a refrigerator. The ice is an indication to me that this could be your issue, and if so, I'd find out if there's any way to recharge the refrigerant on your unit and that the repair man can do this before making a service call. Otherwise, that's just throwing away money.

One last possibility is a bad control board. They can be swapped out, but aren't cheap compared to the price of a new fridge, and I think the odds that this is your issue are relatively small. If you attempt to replace this, consider buying one from somewhere that lets you return it for a refund.


Is there a term for this carriage door stay? My 1929 garage has several side-hung carriage doors that are held open by a neat stay system where a metal bar slides through a bracket and then a notch in the bar rests on the bracket. Pulling the chain lifts the bar slightly to release the notch and allow the door to close. This hardware is great for holding the doors open at 90° even if the wind is blowing hard and they are easy to operate.

My shed also has a big heavy door and I'd like to add similar hardware to it, but much searching hasn't turned up a source for this type of hardware in the USA.

I was able to find a similar piece of hardware (operated by a cord and toggle instead of a chain) in the UK, but international shipping is crazy expensive.

Is there an American term for this type of hardware that might turn up more results? Or are these even available anywhere in the US?

If you can't find a pre-made set, I'd imagine you could build one.

Use a heavy duty wheel mount (i.e. get rid of the wheel) for the portion on the door.

Find a piece of "C" channel for the piece on the door header. Cut a slot in it with a grinding wheel.

Pick another, smaller piece of "C" channel for the slider between them. Cut a notch for the catch.

Attach a piece of chain.


Plastic electrical cut-in boxes with 3/8s tabs Most plastic home improvement store electrical, single gang cut-in boxes seem to have little plastic tabs / bumps which if used, will set the box 3/8s inch off the studs. We are doing 1/2" drywall on the walls for sure (except on firewall of course). Most of the boxes are already nailed to the walls at the 3/8s" mark.
Our electrician is doing all the work on this house, minus placing the boxes. Is it considered rather shady / done wrong, if I'm 1/8" short of the drywall vs. level with it? In the past, i've done mostly remodel work and I don't generally move boxes. But, when I do, I've tried to get it close. To be honest, on a remodel I pay less attention to how perfect it is. This is my first 100% new construction and I find myself caring more. Is it a big deal or am I stressing about nothing?
I understand that adjusting the receptacle out is no big deal so long as the drywall is cut close to the box. The receptacle tabs should be firm on the drywall and everything should be tight. If this was a professional job, would they care and make someone re-mount these boxes? Or is this typical?

It is certainly acceptable for the boxes to sit back a little;  NEC 314.20 allows a flush mount box to be up to 1/4" back in a non-combustible material like drywall.  (See below.)  But without a doubt it makes installing the devices (switches and receptacles) more of a pain.
There are plastic boxes that work fine with 5/8" drywall.  You can nail on a nail-on box where ever you want.  There are nail-on boxes that have alignment tabs for 1/2" and 5/8" drywall.  There are also adjustable depth plastic boxes such as the Carlon Adjust-A-Box.  These have a screw adjustment to get the box exactly where you want it.
With metal boxes, you mount the box flush with the face of the stud, and buy mud rings to match the depth of the finish.  There are 5/8" mud rings for 5/8" drywall, readily available any electrical supply.  This makes installing the drywall easier too.

314.20 In Wall or Ceiling. In walls or ceilings with a surface of concrete, tile, gypsum, plaster, or other noncombustible material, boxes employing a flush-type cover or faceplate shall be installed so that the front edge of the box, plaster ring, extension ring, or listed extender will not be set back of the finished surface more than 6 mm (1⁄4 in.).

In walls and ceilings constructed of wood or other combustible surface material, boxes, plaster rings, extension rings, or listed extenders shall be flush with the finished surface or project therefrom.


Merging water softener drain line to water heater relief valve drain line I'm wanting to install a water softener. Can I merge the drain pipe from the softener with the line coming from the relief valve on the top of the water heater? I'm concerned about the elevation of where I would need to merge the pipe, in respect to the exit port on the softener.

The down pipe from your water heater relief valve should not be plumbed into a drain.  the output end may be hovering over a floor drain but not hard plumbed to drain lines.  If the relief blows off due to high pressure (possibly steam) it could rupture a hard plumbed drain line.

There are two drain lines from a water softener; one over-flo from the brine tank and one off the control valve.  The over-flo line could go to the same place as the heater relief output.  The line from the control valve will have a significant pressure while the softener is in recharge or backwash modes and should be hard plumbed through a check valve to your drain piping to sewer or septic.