Does a single-gang double timer switch exist?

If you are looking for a schedule timer; not a countdown timer, it's not likely you'll find it with a separate switch on the same yoke.  Even though electronics continue to get smaller and smaller, I don't think you'll find a combination 24 hour timer... Yet. It may be better to simply expand the single gang outlet into a double gang outlet.

If there is enough space on the wall for a double gang outlet, the biggest problem you'll likely face is removing the old box.  If the switches were installed when the house was being built, it's very likely the junction box is nailed/screwed to a stud.  In this case, you'll probably be looking at some drywall patching. I've found that it's often easier to make a bigger hole than you need, since you'll probably be taping and mudding either way. Drywall is cheap.

Once you've removed the old box, you can either use a traditional box that attaches to a stud (new work), or an "old work" box that anchors to the drywall by way of a couple extendable tabs.

With more space available, you can control the inside light with a standard snap switch, and the outside light with a 24 hour LCD programmable switch. The only problem you might run into using a switch like this, is that the switch will likely require a grounded (neutral) conductor. Which may, or may not be present in the box.

NOTE 1: 24 hour timer switches are available from many manufacturers, the aforementioned product is for example purposes only. I in no way endorse or recommend this or any other product mentioned.
NOTE 2: If you intend to control an inductive load, make sure the switch you choose is rated for such loads.*


Can I place cement board over existing drywall in preparation for a natural stone?

Given that this if for inside application the first thing I would state is to follow the manufacture's instructions.  Depending on the stone weight you will have different install methods.

However... given no info from manufacturer:

I would not cement board over drywall.  You would have to use longer screw of course but the fact that the screw isn't binding for the first half inch will put some serious strain on this connection.  If you are dead set on doing it, glue it then screw it.
I would have have personally installed on drywall in dry areas.  As long as this isn't a shower I don't see a performance difference between the drywall or concrete board unless the stone was extremely heavy
To prep for drywall install I would double up on the drywall screws, install wire mesh over the area, and then give it a small scratch coat over the mesh.

If you can give me specs on the stone I can get more specific or change my answer but nothing wrong with drywall as long as the area isn't wet (and given it isn't on a fireplace but then you shouldn't have drywall there already.)

The math:

Sheet of drywall is 48x96" or 4608 sq/in.  The stones are each 108 sq/in.  Meaning you will need 43 stones per sheet.  The OP says the stones are 6.25 pounds, meaning the wall would be supporting about 260 lbs/sheet.

Each drywall screw can hold about 90 lbs of shear force without tearing drywall.  An average sheet of drywall has 30-40 screws.  Let's say 30 to give minimalist numbers.  That means your sheet of drywall can probably hold 2700 lbs which is 10 times your stone weight.

My focus would be on reinforcing drywall and providing a good substrate - wire mesh.  Adding concrete board to me only weakens the connection to the framing - basically you are saying that drywall can't handle the stone but it can handle the backerboard and stone.   If you want concrete board then it should be on the wall - I would not use plywood as it does not bond to thinset as good as drywall or backer.

From a practical point of view... I have installed stone more than a few times on drywall.  Your worries about the wall falling over are ludicrous.  The weight isn't being pulled out.  The weight is going straight down.  90% of the installation issues will be with the thinset and its bond.  You are focusing on something that has little bearing on your finished product.


Use of 20 Amp Breaker and 12/2 Cable for Circuit Containing 15 Amp Duplex Receptacles

The 20 amp circuit breaker with 12/2 cable and 15 amp duplex receptacles allows for a total sustainable power consumption of 1,920 watts (20 amp x 80% x 120 volts) as opposed to 1,440 watts (15 amp x 80% x 120 volts). Thus, the 20 amp circuit breaker allows me to run a 1,500 watt spacer heater, a 170 watt laptop power adapter, and 2 external monitors all on the same circuit, which would NOT be sustainable with a 15 amp circuit breaker under the 80% load rule.


Is there a window or portable AC system I can use with an awning window?

Window unit air conditioners rely less on the ledge and more on the window itself to keep from falling.  The unit is surrounded by a frame.  You carefully set the unit in the window with the frame tilted forward some towards you.  You then lower the window until the A/C frame can rest on the frame of the window itself.

Portable air conditioners usually (as I understand it) have an exhaust hose that you use to vent the hot air outside.   You could put this hose out the window - but you'll want to make sure the rest of the opening is blocked off so as to not allow outside air back in while you're pumping out the hot air.


Electrical wiring to indoor light switch -- two black hot wires or one line/load wire?

Switches have 2 "sides": Supply (always-hot) and switched-hot onward to the light.

The "same wire" wire notably stops here and goes to another switch. Only always-hot/supply will do that.  So we just ticked that box; we now know what it is.

The other two wires on your old switch must therefore both be switched-hot. That's unusual but not impossible.  Noting that you have 3 lights and 5 lights acting somewhat independently, my guess is that one of those wires feeds the 3 lights, and the other one feeds the 5 lights.

Anyway, those wires were together before.  Note they were both touching the same metal plate before, thus connected before.   You decided to separate them, I'm not sure of your reason and maybe you aren't either.  But if you want it to work like it did before, don't separate them :)


Static electricity from all of my devices

What's happening is you are being bit by mains electricity.  And this has happened (so far!!!!) under conditions where mains was not able to flow enough current to murder you.

Those conditions are subtle and quick to change.  If there were higher humidity, if a neighbor turned on their dryer, any number of other things... that same shock could be fatal or maiming.

So I would stop pulling the dragon's tail if I were you!

Put it this way.  "I need to use my PC, though" is less than "I need to not live in a wheelchair for the rest of my life".  continuing using this as-is, is simply not an option.

There are two areas this can occur in.  First, that power service may have a problem.  That's easy to suspect in the old Eastern Bloc particularly, but it's not necessarily true.   Contact your landlord and have him have it checked out.

Second, it can be your own equipment, especially if the equipment requires a ground connection and the socket is not grounded.  Grounding is a safety shield, which is designed to catch wayward current.  The problem is when equipment ground is not connected back to a competent ground back at the service panel and its equipotential bonding, it simply electrifies the grounded chassis of the equipment.

Worse, if several pieces of equipment are all plugged into a grounded power strip, and that isn't grounded to building, then you have what I call an "island of grounds" - so a ground fault on one piece of equipment will share the ground fault with all devices, electrifying all their chassis.

The usual culprit in PC equipment is cheap junk bought mail order, or smuggled in and sold at cheapie shops or flea markets ... in those cases, you're the importer - guess who is responsible for the item complying with CE safety standards! (the importer).

The first workaround is get a plug-in RCD. This will detect fault currents sufficient to kill you (like the one you've been feeling) and trip the power to your equipment to prevent that from happening.  Consider this mandatory to even continue using the equipment.  This will be a good time to not play your hardcore Diablo character :)

I would love to give you a diagnostic tree for chasing down this problem, however it's absolutely unacceptable to be touching the equipment to feel for a shock as a diagnostic method.  Change conditions slightly and it becomes lethal - and the whole point of troubleshooting is to change conditions!

Try getting a €5 "non-contact voltage tester" and see if that will detect on the places you had been getting zapped.

Even so, be cautious of 2 pieces of equipment, one with a ground fault to neutral, the other with a ground fault to hot. Touching both at once can kill you, and the RCD wouldn't detect that.  If you have reversible plugs, that situation could develop simply during unplugging and replugging things. The non-contact voltage tester will only detect ground faults to hot, so you might try flipping it and checking again.

If you have equipment with ground faults, get it fixed.  If it's a PC, only the power supply needs to be replaced.


How do I provide proper fire protection in this situation?

You should simply cover it with fire-taped drywall. That would make me feel better than the other alternatives. It's really as cheap and easy as anything and will do the job without question.


Yes. Given your service and power demands, the fact you are tripping your main breaker meaning it's doing it's job properly, and your high power bills, so YES, you are overloading your service/system.   I presume your furnace is electric resistance  as well as your clothes dryer.  If so, and you want to stay "all electric" you are going to have to upgrade your main panel to 200 amps. If you have gas available, changing to a gas furnace and/or clothes dryer could possibly avoid the necessity of replacing the main panel.   Its rare for a main breaker to trip, so again, YES you're drawing too much power.  If you don't upgrade, the only thing you can do is time your energy consumption, like turning off the furnace when running the dryer. If you have an electric water heater, you might have to turn it off at times as well.
EDIT:  If you have natural gas available, it's almost always a LOT less expensive than all electric.   If not, propane is another option, but, depending upon where you are and current prices vs. electric, may not save a lot of money on ongoing utility costs.
Checking on your amount of insulation, air leaks and if possible upgrading the insulation and sealing air leaks could minimize your power usage.  But for what you've got going on now, Yeah, you are overloading your service.


Can p-trap be installed higher than drain entry?

As long as the p-trap is lower than the drainage from the basin then you can install it. It can also be lower than your exit pipe you need to drain into
You attach the p-trap directly to the drainage and manuever the p-traps exits into you existing drain.
It is not ideal to have the p-trap below the the exit drain because water gravity has to force the water out instead of it flowing downwards naturally. They both work and have seen it many times. But essentially anything below already creates its own p-trap- so using another is redundant.
If the p-trap is to tricky just create your own loop from pvc
For ease of manageability you can use a flexible waste connector pipe from the p-trap to your drain pipe.

Some twisted to fit p-trap

Small pcv p-trap

A sideways p-trap is useless, you might as well connect it straight line.

Theory of a p-trap

You might want to look into s-traps also


Why Do 240V Circuits Not Require Neutral?

In a 120/240V single split phase system, the two ungrounded (hot) legs are actually connected to the secondary winding of the distribution transformer. The transformer actually steps down the voltage to 240 volts, so the two legs are a complete 240 volt circuit.

The grounded (neutral) conductor is connected to the center of the coil (center tap), which is why it provides half the voltage.

Therefore, if a device requires only 240V, only two ungrounded (hot) conductors are required to supply the device.  If a device runs on 120V, one ungrounded (hot) conductor and one grounded (neutral) conductor are needed. If a device needs both 120V and 240V, then two ungrounded (hot) conductors and one grounded (neutral) conductor must be used.

If you connect a load between the two ungrounded legs of the circuit, you can see how you have a complete circuit through the coil.

If you connect a load between one of the ungrounded conductors, and the grounded (neutral) conductor. You can also get a complete circuit, though it's only through half of the coil.

Since these circuits only include half the coil, the voltage is also half (Es = EpNs/Np).


Can I replace an improperly supported tub easily?

The tub should be supported underneath where it sits on the subfloor, not just at the lip. Usually the manufacturer specifies that the tub be set into a bed of thinset mortar to make sure it's well supported across the entire bottom surface.  We have a tub that's doing the same thing.

The easy fix is to remove all the caulk around the edges, then fill the tub with water before recaulking, only draining the tub after the caulk has had time to dry fully.  This ensures that the caulk seam stays mostly in compression even when the tub is full of water and people, reducing the chance that it will get pulled apart.  I've done this to ours and it's lasted well so far (granted, it's only been a few months now -- we just moved here in April).

What I'd eventually like to do, as our fiberglass tub still creaks when you walk in it, is to open up the adjacent wall and try to get thinset mortar underneath the tub.  My plan is to gently pry the base of the tub upward with shims, then slather mortar underneath as much as possible, and then remove the shims so that the tub settles into the mortar.  This might be an option for you, but it might involve some tile work depending on where you can get access to the subfloor under the tub.

I know this doesn't do much to answer your specific question about the feasibility of removing and replacing your tub.  That's difficult to answer without knowing exactly how your tub is installed.  I have to think that's going to be a big job though, no matter how it's installed.


What's the proper way to add spacers between deck beam and joists

What I ended up doing is getting a 12 ton hydrolic jack from Lowe's for $50. Stacked a bunch of lumber up to the beam, put the jack on the lumber, carefully jacked up the beam up off the post until the level sitting on my deck went true. It was raised exactly 1 1/2 inches. So I took a spare, pressure treated 2x4 and put it between the post and the beam.  Then I lower the jack, check for level and secured the spacer with hurricane brackets. After I got the good jack, the whole thing took about 1.5 hours.


How can I extend a deck post on an existing deck?

They make a metal brack to span the old 2X4 and you most likely can get it to work for the new roof.  If not I can most likely get some made at work.  You do have some good bracing and support on the one footing you have pictured here and if the other one is the same way it would be just as strong.

I would just pull out the old footings and replace them with the new style footing and be done with it.

Reasons:
1) you would always have questions as to how strong the modified brackets (ie the roof/posts are) and
2) By replaceing the old footing /posts you now have done the job and will pass and inspector.


Why wouldn't other receptacles work after I changed a receptacle?

Most likely the outlet was part of a chain of outlets - so there would be at least 2 cables of 3 wires each (hot, neutral and ground).

All of the hots need to be connected together and to the outlet.  Same for the neutral and ground. Often this is done by using the screws on the outlet itself - connecting BOTH hot wires to the two screws for hot.  Only connect one wire per screw.

If you connected it exactly the same way as it was before it should work.  Did you break off the little tabs between the sets of screws?  Were they broken off on the old one?  Make sure they are the same.


Go for the easiest option.  It isn't worth trying to maximize material usage or trying to get a few less seams.

Even 1/2" drywall sheets are heavy.  I'd opt for 4x8 especially if you aren't renting a drywall lift.  Even if you are using a lift you still have to move the sheets around.  A couple more tape seems just isn't a big deal.


Quick repair for cracked wallpapered ceiling

Ok so in the end I cut away a small section of paper where the crack was to 'level' out the surface. I then just filled in the gap using polyfilla, sanded and painted - yes it doesn't look very good but it's a massive improvement on what was there.

I think the correct fix would be to cut away a larger section, use special tape to repair the crack and then paste new paper over the area - using a non uniform cut (zigzag/rough). At least that's what my old man told me!

Ultimately the best thing to do is replaster it.


How can you cheaply add an overflow line to protect against blockage in a main line?

Mechanical

For a purely mechanical solution, you may be able to use a pressure relief valve, though this requires the pressure be high enough to trigger it.

These are fairly common parts, and a variation called a temperature and pressure (T&P) relief vale is installed on hot water tanks. You can get valves with varying pressure ratings/ranges.

I believe when operating near their set point, they do allow some amount of water through (eg, it is not a binary on/off) so you'd have to consider if this is acceptable for your use case (eg, if the pressure drops enough during normal usage that it doesn't normally let water by and if it's acceptable that some does go by).

I think this would really only work properly if your output flow is either zero (so pressure is equal to incoming) or full open (so pressure is minimal).

Electrical

A bit more complex but perhaps more flexible way to do this would be to use a pressure switch on the output side:

This would come on when the pressure is low (you can dial these down to ~20psi or so), so if your output pressure gets too low normally, it would inadvertently trigger this.

You'd wire this to a solenoid on the bypass line.


This is an onward feed to some other stuff somewhere else in the house

While in the US, bathroom receptacles need to be on a dedicated bathroom receptacle circuit (that can feed any number of bathrooms), with the exception that you can feed both receptacles and lights for a bathroom off a circuit that services only that bathroom, there is no such requirement generally for bathroom lighting.  In other words, once the dedicated bathroom receptacle circuit is provided, the bathroom lights can be on a general lighting branch circuit. So, you'll want to put that "mystery" wire back with the incoming always-hot feed, lest you wind up inadvertently disabling some lights or outlets somewhere else in the house.


Replacing existing ceiling fan, with on/off switch only to wall mount control of light/fan

To just answer your question, you need to attach your switch white wire to the bundle of white wire. You never, never want to separate the white bundled neutral wires and then energize the circuit unless you really know what you're doing... like as a professional.

Be sure to turn off your breaker before doing any of this wiring.

If you include pictures of the box and switches, we can help you further.


Leakage in my pipes, how to densify/seal?

You should be using fittings that are applicable to the application, and should not be mixing and matching thread types. If you need to go from a fitting with tapered threads, to a fitting with straight threads. Then you should use an appropriate adapter.

I'm not sure why you're anti-PTFE tape. It's cheap, easy to use, and works well. PTFE tape is not specifically designed to seal threads, even though that's how it's commonly thought of.  In fact, PTFE tape reduces the friction in the threaded joint. This allows you to get the joint tighter, which lets the fittings seat together properly. This is especially effective with tapered threads, though can also help seat straight thread fittings as long as it's not over applied.   When working with straight threads, you'll find that paste dopes work better than tape dopes.

If you're looking to design a system that can be disassembled, and reassembled  often. Then you're going to want to use fittings that don't rely on the threads to make the seal. The fittings may be held in place by threads, but the seal itself should be independent of the threads. If the seal is dependent on washers and/or O-rings, you'll want to be careful ow much you tighten it down.  Crushing and/or deforming the washer/O-ring, can actually cause leaks.


Round or half-round files sold by radius?

Files are not a precision tool, so they come in a big variation of sizes. If you want a specific size, there are numbered drill bits , letter drill bits and fractional drill bits. Each drill bit above has a ream to make it exact size.


How to extract and then add new refrigerant oil to a home hvac system after existing oil was contaminated with humidity?

First you will need a new filter dryer. With the copper repaired Pull a high vacuum  below 500um on the system for 24 hours or longer this will remove the moisture. At first you may not be able to get below ~3000um because of the moisture outgassing increases the pressure. Once a good base is achieved keep it there for 24 hours and the moisture will be gone you will also want to do an acid test, if positive you will need to flush the system, I like Qwikshot acid flush. I would probably upgrade to a newer refrigerant that might not cost much more than a recharge since R22 can run 100$ per pound a 5 ton unit the Freon alone could cost you over 1k and you still have an old system.


You used the wrong clamp, so the grounding path is broken

The particular occupancy sensor you are using uses the rather ugly kludge of sending its operating current back "home" via the equipment ground, rather than the neutral.  This worked in the old setup because you were using a proper multi-barrel connector to bring the type AC cables into the box, which provided a grounding path back to the panel.

When you put the new box on, though, instead of reusing the old multi-barrel connector, you misused a NM-type clamp to clamp all the wires in.  As a result of this, the armor on the AC cables did not extend into the clamp, leaving the grounding path to this box broken, which is a serious safety issue atop the fact it broke your occupancy sensor.

What I would do is put a duplex (two barrel) AC/MC connector in the existing top center knockout and use it for the type AC cables, then move the NM clamp to the top right knockout in the box and run the NM in that way instead of trying and failing to cram all three cables into the same clamp.  It would also be a good idea, since you have neutral at the box, to use a sensor that can use it instead of relying on a hack: Lutron's MS-OPS6M2N-DV will do the trick here instead of the MS-OPS2 you are using right now.


Yes, you can do exactly what you propose.  Just make sure the box you use is large enough for the splices.

You'll need at least a 4x4x1-1/2" box, which would be literally at full capacity. A 4x4x2-1/8" box would be a much better choice.

No, you do not need any GFI devices downstream of the first one, provided you wire the line in to the LINE terminals, and the line out to the other receptacles to the LOAD terminals.


is it safe to run a 300 watt 220v motor (european) on a 20 amp breaker (american)?

The 20 A breaker is the maximum the circuit can provide. Your motor is rated 300 W so it should use less than 2A and be fine. The concerns are frequency - 50 vs. 60 hz can affect the speed, and by extension safety and efficiency, of the motor, depending on design. In addition any used or "unknown" device, particularly if not rated /tested by a reputable source, might turn out to be a safety hazard even under normal use due to issues with insulation, grounding, or other problems.


Is it possible to seal an interior barn door to provide an acceptable level of insulation between a conditioned and an unconditioned space?

I'm sure it's possible but it sounds like a real mission. sliding doors tend to seal much worse than swing doors but if you're prepared to make a heroic effort and embrace tighter tolerances instead of looser something could probably be done.

For a swing door, 20" is a standard door width but you'd need to cut the height down and repair the cut end, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSLiWCgCATE

I clamp a straight-edge to the door because I'm not very good at cutting straight lines.


Are there any downsides to an Economy7 meter?

In the process of comparing utility companies, I've stumbled across evidence that:
A) there's a national database of "what kind of meter is installed at each address".
B) Some Utility companies will only offer you a matching rate (Bulb, by default won't match you up with the wrong rate)
I'll be contact Bulb support to see whether that's something they can override in their backend.
But it's certainly possible that having an Eco7 meter will not always be compatible with having a Standard rate tariff, dependant on Utility company.


What type of switch do I need to plug into a gosund outlet to open and close a garage door?

The garage door needs safety switches, as well as a reversing switch, a switch to detect end of travel (limit switch) and a switch to detect that correct force has  been applied to keep the door closed. Simply turning the power to the whole door-opener on and off does nothing.

If you want to use the Gosund outlet to bypass the remote control terminals, you'd need to rewire the inside of the Gosund switch, or use an external 120 VAC relay to provide only momentary switched contacts without 120 VAC applied across them. From your question, this appears to beyond your current capabilities, and could lead to shocking results.


Is my outside sewer cleanout a straight line from my basement drain?

98% of the time the answer is no.  It is a straight line from the bottom of your main stack.  The drain hole is a branch off your main stack.   This can vary though but this is the norm in the US.


When the S-pipe is firmly threaded into place such that it will not leak then it should be able to hold up the shower head. If the shower head is not staying up in position then you do not have the S-pipe threaded in firmly enough.

I installed one of these shower S-pipes in my shower in order for an accommodate an large "rain shower" type head. I removed the original small angle pipe and then inspected how the shower head plumbing was attached up in the wall behind the drywall. This needs to be FIRMLY fastened to the studs in the wall or to a cross member that bridges between two studs. To get a idea of what the shower head plumbing pipe fixture looks here is a picture of a typical installation:

If the shower head plumbing is not securely fastened then steps need to be taken the strengthen the mounting including the possibility of adding a proper cross member between the studs. The reason for this is that hanging a heavy shower head up on a tall S-pipe will transfer a lot of torque into the plumbing line and if not properly mounted could lead to future plumbing failure and leaks.

For installing the S-pipe first make sure that the mating pipe threads in the plumbing are clean and free of any debris. Then you put Teflon plumbers tape onto the end of the S-pipe. Do not put on an excess of the taping. Finally the S-pipe can be threaded loosely into the plumbing pipe. When tightening the S-pipe no wrench is really needed for the S-pipe itself because its length makes it easy to turn it into place. An the ideal situation, if you have access to the shower head plumbing, is to use a plumbing wrench to counteract the thread-in force of the S-pipe so that the rotational torque does not get transferred into the plumbing. If this is not possible then you have to depend on the quality of the plumbing attachment to the studs or cross member in order to hold the plumbing in position during installation.

When you get the S-pipe rotated into position stop turning when it thread joint is tight. If the joint gets tight before the pipe is in the correct position then you may need to torque it into final position if the amount of turning is less than about a quarter of a turn. If more than the quarter turn it may be necessary to remove the S-pipe, re-clean the threads on both the S-pipe pipe and the plumbing pipes and start afresh with just a little more of the Teflon tape on the end of the S-pipe.


Natural Gas Fireplace rust starting at flue inside house, should i be worried ? What can i do to fix?

When using any gas appliance water is a byproduct of the combustion process. Under normal conditions, this is expelled through the vent into the atmosphere and does not cause any
harm. In cold weather however, the vapors may condense on any exposed surface it comes into contact with.

I think your flue is colder than the fire place and condensation is occurring when the hot wet air contacts the cold flue surface. It's happening everywhere on the flue but it's only an issue where rust can also occur. The rust is occurring around the connection between the pipe and firebox evidenced by the rust near the top of the pipe that would not occur if water was draining down the inside of the pipe. Also the inside of the pipe is clean. The edge of the opening in the firebox for the pipe may have had its protective coat of paint damaged during the instillation, or wasn't applied very thick during manufacture.

It's an issue because it doesn't look nice and eventually it will rust through. To prevent future rusting you can paint the affected area with paint, sanding first off any rust or rust stains. You just need to do the area around the pipe. You need paint that is heat resistant. It will say so on the container.


Most likely, the neutral wire connection failed because the wire was not properly torqued down.  Even experienced electricians cannot set a torque any more reliably then their spouses - that's been tested.  It's why Code now requires use of torque screwdrivers.
The connection got hot, passing heat down the circuit neutral (copper is a very good thermal conductor), enough to cause thermal damage to adjacent wires.  Note the damage to the neutral pigtail.
So, this failure does not condemn the GFCI breaker.  It certainly does not disparage the other GFCI breakers.
Switching breakers will fix it, because you'll be unscrewing and re-screwing the screws, changing the torque setting. You'll probably be luckier this time.
Unfortunately the breaker that had the burnt-up wire is toast.  The heat was at the wire-breaker contact point, and if it was hot enough for heat to walk down the copper wire and burn other wires, it was also hot enough to ruin the breaker plastics, gut the GFCI electronics, or throw the thermal bi-metal strip out of calibration.  Into the trash it goes.


Can I re-shape a heating coil that has been stretched out of shape?

The wire is nichrome. If it has not been heated, or kinked when stretched it can be reformed and attached to the high-temp insulators (hopefully the insulators did not get broken). Keep the coil spacing and space from the case so one area does not get two hot or short out.

I have made heaters for industrial equipment with new wire, but once heated the coils get brittle and they tend to break much more easily. With a new unit and carefully repairing the coils you should be ok.


Can I frame a new window without adding jack studs?

Yes, but you'd need to repurpose existing common studs as jack studs. This may mean using a wider (longer) header than would ordinarily be needed. Obviously this means opening up the wall more than you'd maybe like, but it's all kept up above the tub where it's more easily repairable.

_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________  <-- double plate
_________________________________________________  <-- top plate

                   header

________________________________________________
| |    | | |                        | | |    | |
| |    | | |                        | | |    | |
| |    | | |                        | | |    | |
| |    | | |                        | | |    | | <-- existing common
| |    | | |        rough           | | |    | |     stud, cut to
| |    | | |       opening          | | |    | |     header height
| |    | | |                        | | |    | |
| |    | | |                        | | |    | |
| |    | | |                        | | |    | |
| |    | | |                        | | |    | |
| |____|_|_|________________________|_|_|____| |
| |__________________________________________| |
| |             | |            | |           | |
| |             | |            | | <-------- | | --- existing common studs
| |             | |            | |           | |     cut off at sill height

If this is a load-bearing wall, you probably want to install a temporary wall just inside the tub to support the joists. Chances are the wall as a system will carry the weight, but you want to prevent drywall cracks, etc.

Pre-cut a few studs to the ceiling height minus 3", and cut two plates suitable for the space.
Pad a 2x4 plate with a blanket or other padding to protect your ceiling. Have an assistant hold the plate against the ceiling, perpendicular to the joists.
Set a plate on the floor below it.
Tip your pre-cut studs in place, setting one end and driving the other with a hammer until plumb (or snug, whichever comes first). Spare your ceiling and drive the bottom end where possible.
Try to position one stud roughly under each joist.
Friction will more or less hold everything in place, but run some 3" gold screws in on a toenail angle to be sure.

Keep an eye on things as you start to work on the window opening. Watch upper floors for movement at doorways, etc. There shouldn't be any.


Leave the wire in place and Mark it for future use. The wire nuts are ok but I usually tape them on as a single wire can sometimes fall off.


Why don't my fluorescent lights work after a nearby lightning strike?

They all went out at once? It may be a loss of power to the lighting circuit, or it may be a power surge taking out all the fixtures. If the power to the fluorescents is good, then it's one of two things:

the fluorescent tubes ($2-5)
the ballasts ($15-25) -- a ballast is an electrical module inside the fluorescent fixture which controls the power for the tubes.  Fluorescent tubes take specially regulated power, not common mains power.

It's more likely the ballasts than the tubes, but the tubes are easier to swap.  There are Q&A on here which discuss at length identifying and changing ballasts.

Fluorescent tubes are now very good, and no longer give the green flickery sickly looking light they once did.   If it is the ballast, however, you may want to price out switching to LED replacement fluorescent "tubes".  Make sure to get direct-wire types, not the kind dependent on ballasts.


How do you paint touch-up spots on drywall?

A couple of things could cause this:

the original surface was primed, and you didn't use any primer on the patches.  Primer seals the surface, so changes how the surface absorbs paint.
the original surface was rolled, and you used a paintbrush.  Rollers leave a slight orange-peel texture, whereas a paintbrush -- even the brush you used -- will leave a flat to slightly rippled texture.

More coats of paint will help too, but prime it first.


Can a 240V light fixture be used in the US with a 120V light bulb?

Hard to say without details. If it is an incandescent lamp with a replaceable screw-in bulb, and the socket fits a bulb made for here and 120V, then yes, it shouldn't matter.
But again, the devil is in the details. If we are discussing screw-in base bulbs, Europeans mainly use E14 and E27 bases. E14 is equivalent to what we in North America call a "medium" base, which is not very common (specialty lamps like aquarium bulbs). We use "candelabra" bases for small bulbs, which is equivalent to an E11, but that is uncommon in Europe. Larger bulbs in Europe are E27 bases. The E number has to do with the width of the base; E27 is 27mm wide. Here in NA we use what's called an "Edison base" and it is 26mm wide, what the EU would call an E26. So it's possible, because of tolerances, for an E27 bulb to screw into an Edison (E26) socket, meaning you can use an EU light bulb in NA fixtures (however the voltage is usually wrong). But going the other way; an Edison (E26) bulb screwed into an EU E27 socket, results in the bulb being loose in the threads and possibly getting jammed, then difficult to remove.
If the lamp has a CFL or LED, then it would depend on whether the "ballast" for the CFL or the "driver" for the LED is able to accept the different voltage. A whole different kettle of fish.


How can I effectively use Google Sketchup to render walls, doors, and windows?

You need to learn to use Components in SketchUp; they do exactly what you want. They do not "stick" to other parts of your model and won't affect other lines/etc but you can still snap to them when drawing.

Also, you can go into a component and edit it, and the changes will be reflected in all the copies you have made of that component (or, you can break a single component free and edit only that one).

Additionally, the paid version lets you create Dynamic Components; e.g., a cabinet where you can alter the reveal around the door just by entering a number, or a stair where you can set the run, rise, and number of treads without drawing anything new.

Components will do it for you!


That means you either have a clog farther down the line than an 8' snake can reach, or you have a blocked vent. You can try snaking your vent. You can also try running a garden hose down the vent, but you run the risk of overflowing the drains in your house so be careful. Otherwise, you'll need to rent a longer snake or pay a plumber to come out and fix it for you.


Different joist spacing of extended deck

As requested, composite really needs the tighter spacing. It will sag and feel really spongy at 24".


How can I make a new basement window fit the opening?

If the window is flange mounted you have to be careful how much you trim. You need enough flange to secure the window. Most vinyl windows I have installed have a "C" shaped profile on the outside edges. If the window is secured by screws through the sides of the frame you can trim the edges. Depending on the amount to be trimmed I have used a utility knife or even a belt sander. The sander has to be used at slow speed to keep the vinyl from melting and clogging the paper. In another case I helped someone who ordered windows to large for the openings by running one edge thru my tablesaw to remove a blade width of "extra material".


AFCI/GFCI breaker trips immediately with "extra" ground

The existing wiring is wrong

Obviously someone added the last/top switch and lamp to the end of the 3-way.  It was just a switch loop.  So rather than run proper cable, they misused ground as neutral, to free up a wire for always-hot.  Your last switch circuit grabs onto the bootleg neutral and always-hot.

This wiring is illegal and wrong, and is inherently incompatible with GFCI.

The choke point is the /3 (4-wire) cable between the two 3-ways.   You really need:

always-hot
messenger
messenger
neutral
ground

Unfortunately you are considering this wiring "normal" on the logic that "it works", and figuring there is nothing wrong with it, so it ought to work with GFCI.  And expending a lot of brain power trying to figure why it isn't.   This has also poisoned your mind from having good discipline about separating neutral and ground.  They should never be connected (except at exactly one place.)

No brain power needed; there's a neutral-ground fault at the first (right, upstream) 3-way.  That's because neutral and ground are wire-nutted together.

How to make this fiasco work

Run additional cable.  Between the 3-ways replace the 12/3 with 12/4, allowing hot, neutral, 2 messengers and ground.  Or install a parallal 12/2 to provide hot neutral and ground to the non-3way switch.

How to make this fiasco work without running additional cable

Smart switches. You need a multi-way smart switch.  Whichever light is controlled by the 3-ways, its wires come into one of the 3-way locations.  That is where you put the "master" smart switch.  The "remote" goes in the other 3-way location.  The "choke-point" of /3 cable becomes:

Always-hot
Neutral
Smart switch control/communication
Ground

This is a relatively easy solution for a smart switch. We aren't a shop-for-me site but the right switches should be readily available.


How can I set up a removable stair railing?

After consultation with my master-carpenter-looking-over-my-shoulder, Dan, the following solution was arrived at:

1.The newel post - built up from 1x3 clear oak boards glued together. Two are full length, one is beveled (before gluing) to sit on top of angled knee wall. Attached by two lag bolts at base and one lag bolt into handrail.

2.Base - shoerail molding (with trough cut out to hold balusters)

runs up the angled knee wall. The shoerail is cut into two sections directly below the spot where the handrail meets the ceiling. This will allow the railing to be separated into an upper section, bounded by the base and top rail, and a lower section, bounded by the base and handrail. It is attached with 1 screw in the middle of the upper section between two balusters. The lower section is attached with two screws, also inserted between balusters.

3.Top - shoerail is also used at the top in the same manner as the base. Two screws hold the top shoerail to the ceiling (screwed directly into studs at the ceiling/stairwell edge).

4.Handrail - Standard handrail (with trough) held in place at newel by one lag bolt and at ceiling by one long screw upward into stud.

5.Balusters - These are toenailed into base shoerail and top shoerail. For extra strength, blausters are glued before nailing (Nailholes will be covered by fillet pieces).

6.Fillets - these are the filler strips put into the shoerail moldings top and bottom to lock in the balusters. They are nailed into place after the balusters are inserted in the shoerial. The fillet peices that sit over the attachment screws, top and bottom, are not nailed in, but held by small recessed screws so that the can be taken out.

All nailing was done with an 18 gauge nailgun.

Removal involves

a) unbolting the newel post,

b) removing the newel post,

c)removing the fillet pieces covering the screw holes in the base and top shoerails,

d) removing the two screws holding the lower shoerail base in place,

e) removing the upper handrail screw at the ceiling,

f) removing the lower handrail/base/baluster assembly,

g) removing the two screws holding the top rail,

h) removing the screw holding the upper section of the base rail,

i) removing the upper top/base/bauster assembly.


Your A/C system, your zone controller, and/or your thermostat could have a time delay to prevent the system from turning on and off too often.  Short cycling the compressor can be bad for it, so the controllers typically enforce some kind of delay.

The actual delay will vary depending on the controller, so you'd have to get model numbers, etc, and research which device has which delay to figure out exactly what's causing it in your system.  There can also be a delay built in before switching from cooling to heating, but that's not what you're running into here.


Are BTU's only calculated using square feet?

If you are not scared of math...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


When the building was built code was probably 3 wire ( this was the standard for decades). What you have was quite common until the1999 NEC code change.
A 200 amp feed would normally be in conduit and if metallic that could be used to meet today’s code.
If it is a direct buried feeder and you feel the need to update it a separate ground wire is now allowed, in most cases a panel that was 3 wires will have the neutrals and grounds connected or even on the same buss this will need to be changed to isolate the neutral from ground.
Also every receptacle will require GFCI protection to bring it up to current code but this is not required as your existing configuration is grandfathered.
If you really think it is unsafe add the GFCI protection.


Simpson A-35 (framing angle) suitable for this application?

Yes, a framing angle such as an A35 is required to transfer the horizontal roof load to the wall and to resist uplift from wind hitting the overhang. (I don’t think an A35n is strong enough.)

I prefer the H1, but one A35 is acceptable. (Two A35 is not required.) Make sure you Install the A35 correctly by bending the tab so the tab can be nailed down into the top plate and sideways into the top plate.

Btw, the top plate on a masonry wall requires a 3” square washer and I’ve never seen then smaller than 5/8” x 10” long spaced a max of 32” oc in your location.


I googled "3 plank bench" and came up with some images of the same style you have pictured


It would appear that in Indonesia, most of your electrical systems are based on European standards, and both NYY and NYM refer to German VDE cable types.

You are correct that plain PVC insulation is usually inappropriate for prolonged UV exposure.
Both NYY and NYM cable variants are suitable for direct burial in the ground or in concrete (with the exception of shaken, vibrated or compressed concrete -
source).
NYY is available with a UV-stabilised black PVC outer jacket, making it suitable for direct exposure to sunlight. Check with your supplier.

Considerations for the use of ducting or armoured cable relate only to protection from mechanical stress, impact or interference that could pose a risk of electric shock and/or damage to the circuit.

According to FSC Global:

  NYY cables are an economical solution to power and control wiring where mechanical protection is not required. Used both indoor and outdoor these cables are suitable for direct burial or through ducts, local regulations permitting.

If P = V x I then 3,100W at 220V requires a little over 14A.

I have the UK's BS7671:2008+A1 (2011; 17th Edition IET Wiring Regulations) with current-carrying capacity tables to offer some insight into cable sizing. Ambient outdoor temperatures in Indonesia average 28°C so the tables' assumption of a 30° ambient can be accepted.

The tables are not directly applicable to your situation but for armoured cable rated to 70°C as is NYY, Table 4D4A gives a capacity of 29A for two-core 2.5mm buried direct in the ground or in ducting as 29A. Even allowing for various factors such as higher ground temperature, thermal insulation by the concrete, and volt drop over 50m, you're more than exceeding 14A. A 16A or even 20A circuit breaker at the beginning of the run would ensure you're not exceeding the cable's capacity to the outbuildings.

Since the cable you specify is two-core I'll assume it's NYY-O and thus has no protective earthing (grounding) conductor. For safety, you may want to run three-core NYY-J, one core of which is for earthing. At a minimum, I would expect this cable run to be protected by a Residual Current Device (RCD; also known as a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter or GFCI). This could be combined with the overcurrent protection offered by a fuse or circuit breaker in an RCBO, but it depends what is available from your local supplier.


How do I change these MR16 light fittings to GU10? (pics included)

In general, MR16 bulbs use 12 volts, which is the reason for the transformer (white box). GU10 bulbs, on the other hand, generally run directly on mains voltage (120 or 240 volts). So you are feeding 12 volts into a 120 or 240 volt bulb and it is barely light, maybe not visibly.

You need to look at the markings on the bulb and verify its voltage. If it is mains voltage, you need to remove the transformer and splice directly into the wires from the ceiling.


Toilet leaking out of handle hole; pump spits water out of top

The seal at the top of the valve has failed. Normally a small portion of the incoming water should go through that small tube off the side, while the rest of it should come out the bottom of the valve. None of it should be sprayed about like that.

If it were my toilet I'd see if I could take that top off and try to fix the seal, but I wouldn't try very hard, because it looks like a cheesy valve, and new ones are around $10-$15. If it were my landlord's toilet I'd tell the landlord about it. A good way to prompt some action would be to note that the toilet is leaking and probably causing damage to the floor.


Insert the nose of a tube of 100% silicone calk and pump it full.  They don't like it.


Soundproofing a Door with a Shower Pump Behind It

I wouldn't completely rule out sounds getting through the floor, and the walls via the air.

But the door is certainly significant,and you're in the right track with sealing it. Is it solid wood or hollow? If the latter, filling it with foam filler might help, though the cardboard honeycomb in such doors may make it difficult or impossible.

There are self adhesive heavy foam sheets for reducing noise in vehicles. They aren't pretty but on the inside of an airing cupboard door that shouldn't matter. Some of the stuff sold in big sheets is lighter and less effective so be careful.

An acoustic hood would be a good idea. It would have to have some ventilation, and should be made of thick plywood or MDF lined with noise absorbing material. Normal foam would help but only a bit.


What's the best way to lay out sheathing around a doorway?

Option 1 is probably the best and 3 is the worst. Similar to drywall, you don't want a seam at the corner. This is where the load causes the most stress and therefore cracking.

For windows, it's the same. You install a full vertical piece as if the window isn't there, and make sure the seam isn't in the corner. Use a chalk line to mark the edges of the window frame, and then you cutout the window with a circular saw.

Note that if you install your sheathing before raising the wall, be sure each corner has the sheathing extend out to overlap appropriately. I like to stagger the joints so there isn't a direct path in the corner. Installing the sheathing before raising the wall makes it heavier, but allows you to completely square the wall first, and it's much easier to nail.


How to put telephone plate back to the wall

I would just drill two holes into the tile and use plastic anchors to face mount it to the tiles.  Raise it  up slightly so the wires are in the recessed portion.

I wouldn't think super glue would work well here. Silicone may work but may end up looking messy.


Why is my fridge not getting cold and is it fixable?

New consumer-grade refrigerators do seem to be built with the "dispose culture" mindset as it applies to cheap components. I have had electronic failures, compressor failures, and refrigerant leaks.
Whatever your problem is, it is almost always "fixable"; the dilemma you will likely have is that the repair will amount to a significant percentage of the cost of a new unit (oddly, the repair cost always seems to be right in the range of 1/2 the cost of a new fridge...) so you end up doing a "good money after bad" analysis.
I had one with the same symptoms as yours and it was a minor coolant leak. The technician soldered the tube leak, installed a charging point (which the fridge did not have stock) and recharged the freon for $225 U.S.


Go to supplyhouse.com, they can help. Click HVAC, motors, then Century. Go down the page to the motor with the SKU DL1036. It is the same size as yours, the same RPM, voltage,and HP (1/3), and is reversible. You can also ask them for advice. Sometimes, removing the old motor from the shaft is a lot harder that it looks. If you are not sure what you are doing or do not have the expertise to do the job call in a professional for help. And, while you are replacing that motor, clean the vanes on that "squirrel cage" fan blade. Take it out of the housing, clean the vanes and pressure wash the vanes also for a complete job.


What could be causing my garbage disposal to be so noisy after unjamming it?

There is likely a small bit of hard debris jammed between the rotating shredder plate and the wall of the disposer. By design this is the area where food particles get ground up. By your description it sounds as though a hard bit (bone, metal, etc.) initially jammed the disposer shredder plate. You have now managed to free it up but a small piece is still stuck in there. I would continue to use it as normal and chances are the debris will eventually get worn down and get dislodged.

Modern disposers are generally not economically user-serviceable, but you could take it apart if you feel ambitious. Alternatively you could replace the disposer, but you might as well wait till it dies.


Creating a concrete mix with smooth texture

Isherwood's statement is correct in that basement floors are smooth but the surface is made smooth using a power trowel. A power trowel would be much too large to use for your application.

I suggest using an aggregate free Portland cement and sand (or silica powder if its available). The ratio is typically 1 part cement to 3 parts sand and water of course. The trick to getting a smooth final surface starts after its poured and before it sets. You will need to create or purchase a float that will be used to produce the smooth finish. After you've poured your mix into the mold, level it out and make sure no air pockets are below the surface.

Within a few minutes the setting process begins. This is when you will see a layer of water develop on the surface. Using your float, skim the surface in one direction until the desired smoothness is achieved. It's that simple!

Also, I suggest reinforcing your tabletop with steel. Chicken wire (as it's called around here) should work well or some other mesh type steel. Good luck and post some photos of your final creation!


Low ceiling clearance non load-bearing door opening question

This is perfectly fine. There is in fact a whole building science based protocol for not using double top plates or double studs even on structural walls. If the name comes back to me I'll provide a link to it.

Advanced Framing. Developed 40+ years ago and still not accepted by half the carpenters who learned from daddy who learned from daddy who...learned from the guy who's daddy thought he was nuts to move out of a perfectly nice cave.

The only possible benefit of a double stud in this application would be if you wanted to use 3-1/2" hinge screws. Sections of 2x4 scrap scabbed onto the stud in the right places would to that just as well.


How do I get even temperatures in my two-story house?

If you have forced air, running just the blower fan to recirculate the air may help. Most thermostats have a way to manually set the fan to "auto" or "on", and you can also get thermostats where you can program the fan to come on at regular intervals.

Beyond that, there are changes you can make with varying levels of difficulty and cost:

Plant trees or install blinds to shade windows where sun is coming in and heating the room more than the rest of the house
Check for poor insulation around the house (this can be done with an IR sensor or camera).
Check for and fix drafts and air leakage
Install a multi-zone heating system. This requires some potentially major work to the house -- varying from installing dampers and separate controls to installing a second HVAC system -- but it would give you complete control over heating/cooling in two (or more) areas of the house.


These are al 12v lights, and 12v is pretty safe to work with.  There should be nothing wrong with splicing all the positive wires and negative wires to one cable that then hooks up to the battery.

Because they are LED lights running on DC current, polarity matters, and it might not be obvious on the wires which is positive and which is negative so pay attention to that.


How to fix deadbolt lever that doesn't lock or unlock the deadbolt

There's a rod (usually flat steel) that connects the throw lever to the bolt. It's probably broken. (Or maybe, less likely, the connection between the lever and the rod has stripped.)
So, yes, you can take the lock apart and see. You can probably reassemble the lock (and lock your door) without the rod while you take the part to a lock specialist.


Trying to not use wood in basement walls

There is no reason wood shouldn't suffice. That is the way most basements are built, mold would only be an issue if the is bad drainage and water buildup. But even without that you might just use a dehumidifier to reduce dampness in the basement.


Access Panel to gas stove shutoff valve on other side of wall in laundry room to code?

Yes, putting the gas service shut-off in the laundry room would be fine (though they are typically found behind the appliance).  Remember, this is a service disconnect valve (for maintenance or replacement of the appliance) not an emergency disconnect valve (in the event of a gas leak).  The "emergency disconnect valve"  is at the meter since the first rule for gas leak safety is to exit the building.


Divide and conquer

First, tie all the grounds together with an additional 6" pigtail of ground (your next lamp will use this) and push all that into the back of the box.

Next, stick a wire-nut cap, and tape, each of the wires.  You will need at least black and possibly red electrical tape.

You will also need a non-contact voltage tester, unless you want to get fancy with splicing wires to a lamp socket one at a time.

Hunt for the supply cable

Turn on the switch which controls this light.   Now use the non-contact tester to sense for voltage on each of the wires.  You should find it on one black wire.   If two black wires are energized, or a white wire, that is trouble.

Now turn off the switch for this light.  Does the power go away? We need to know that.

Now turn the switch back on.  Has anything else in the house lost power?

Also is there another lamp meant to be switched by this same switch?

Black wire switches on/off with the switch

This one is easy.  The black is a switched-hot.  Mark it with 3-4 wraps of red tape.  Since there's no other source of power, all the other blacks must also be switched-hots. Mark them with red tape also.

On your new lamp, mark the black (or brown) wire with red tape.  If the lamp has a light blue wire, mark that white (in your mind if you don't have any white tape).

Nut all the white wires together.   Nut all the red wires together.   DONE!

Black wire is hot regardless of switch position

First, wrap black tape around the pair of wires as far back as you can, this is to mark them as the always-hot supply cable.

This will need a little more detective work.  One of the two remaining pairs is actually a switch loop.  The two wires are shorted out when the switch is on.  It would have been neat if the last guy had marked it with tape, like he's supposed to, so look for that.    Or if you have an ohmmeter, you can switch the power off, then test which white/black pair has infinity ohms with the switch off, and near zero ohms with the switch on.

If you have the new lamp, you can first tape its black (or brown) wire red, then attach the lamp's white to the supply's white (these are neutral), then pick a cable and connect its black to supply black and its white to lamp red, making a triangle of wires (with one set still dangling). Re-energize.

If working the switch causes this lamp to switch from off to full power, you have found your switch loop.  De-energize and  unhook it.  Mark the switch loop's black wire with red tape (switched hot), and its white wire with black tape (always-hot).  Pull the switch and mark the wires on that end the same way.

If it doesn't work, try the other cable.  If neither one works, I am stumped, it's electrician time.

Now the question of the third cable

If it goes to  another lamp that is meant to be switched with this one, then mark its black wire with red tape.

If it goes to supply continuous power to something else that is now dead, then leave the black wire black (or tape it black to reflect that you have identified it).

It has to be one of these two things.

Finally...

Get some wire nuts and nut all the white wires together.  Nut all the black wires together.  Nut all the red wires together.  DONE!


How would I size a heating system that would only be used to warm the floors?

Your goals are somewhat at odds.  Even where radiant floor heating is used as the only source of heat, the floor typically does not get anywhere near "toasty."  The floor temp is typically only 5 to 10 degrees above ambient (75 to 80 F), and the vast size of the radiator (i.e. the entire floor) provides enough energy to heat the entire space with such a small differential.  So, the floor will feel better than an unheated floor, but since it is still colder than your body temp, it won't feel "toasty" by any means.  So, if you piped enough energy into your floors to make them feel warm under foot, you'd likely overheat the house!

The only "toasty" floors I've experienced is a heated bathroom floor.  In that case, there was electric coils under the tile (several hundred watts worth for a large bathroom), and indeed, the floor felt warm underfoot.


Is gasoline usable after being stored in a Rubbermaid trash can?

Here is what I know from reading and a real life experiment.  LOTS Of sites (google HDPE and Gasoline) say that it can be used for storage, but I saw none that looked very authoritative so I will not quote them. Some few similarly say no. Wikipedia comments that over time they may become saturated as gasoline permeates the material, but later goes on to mention their use in autos, so pick your answer.

I needed to use it for a short term (about 4 days). It worked fine.  The resulting gas did not appear affected (no cloudiness, and it ran fine afterwards), and the can did not appear significantly affected (not soft or distortions on the surface where it was). The can stinks strongly of gasoline despite repeating washing so it may be a permanent odor effect. My guess is even a few weeks would be fine.

Note my can had been used previously for producing RO water for an aquarium so I knew it was very clean; contamination is clearly a risk. And it won't be used for RO water now, obviously.

My conclusion is that in a pinch this works great, but I think I would be reluctant to trust it for longer periods.  Since the top is hardly a solid seal, I think trusting it for long term would be wrong for all sorts of other reasons also.


Sand is a material that is easily moved to get each stone at the proper level to the adjacent surfaces or stones. To set them directly on the gravel, would be difficult at best. When setting the stones on sand the stone is tapped in with a rubber mallet to essentially compact the sand. But am really getting the cart before the horse.

Starting with the gravel, with things needing to be done as quickly as possible to follow the old adage "time is money", if you are a builder/contractor, machinery is brought in to cut the sub grade low enough to accept the gravel base. A lot of time is not needed for this since the gravel will help flatten out high and low places to get it within a reasonable working plane. A big advantage of the gravel is good drainage, and in colder climates some protection against the forces of freeze-thaw, worth doing it on those merits alone.

With the gravel in place, graded pretty flat and compacted, one thing needs to be added that was not mentioned in your post, a layer of filter cloth. This separates the sand from the gravel, other wise it will settle between the gravel and more or less become of no value to the support of the stones since water from rain, melting snow, cleaning will eventually wash the sand down through the gravel.

Next the sand, this material is fine enough to move around with your hands, or trowels to "fine tune" the level of the stones. An inch is good to work in. I have set stones directly on the dirt before, and to have sand would have made the work much easier and faster, but for me sand costs. Working directly in dirt to get a good set, takes lots of time.

Depending on how tight you set the stones depends on what you can put between them, if they are set tight, you can do nothing or add sand between them. If they are set a few inches apart, you could use a small pea gravel to fill the gaps, a border would be good here to contain the easily moved pea gravel. You might could use grass in larger gaps, but the fast drainage under the stones would make it difficult to keep the grass watered well enough.


How should stair treads and risers be assembled?

The answers of the tread then riser SEEM to make sense, but consider this: A properly installed tread will not come off before the lip breaks off. Using just regular Elmer's wood glue, I used to make treads by gluing the edges of 2 2x6 planks together and then planing and cutting them down (after being clamped for 24 hrs). After that, if I took a sledge to it the plank would never break at the glue joint, but somewhere else along the natural grain. So the stair tread flipping off is highly unlikely. What IS likely is that the overhang could be chipped or damaged and the tread may need to be replaced. If you go riser over tread then you will essentially lock the stairs together to where you cannot remove a single tread in the middle somewhere without tearing up a lot of the assembled stairs. Additionally, locking any wood assembly together completely isn't always good for expansion and contraction caused by potential seasonal humidity change. This isn't always a factor in certain natural climates and/or exceptionally well controlled climates, but if it can be, it should be considered.


GFCI trips when flipping light switch in another room

The old receptacle had more than 2 wires on it.  You presumed two of them were LINE, and got that part right.  However, if you look closer at the old receptacle, you can see that the two screws on the same side are connected by metal.  They are all LINE.

You placed one or more of them on LOAD.  Move it back to LINE.  Most GFCIs have a feature that allows 2 wires to attach to one screw.

As you know, the entire point of buying a GFCI is that it places the sockets in a "GFCI protected zone" where it will catch current leakage.  That side is called the LOAD side.   You can put other things there, but you must do that correctly and intending to do that.. The LOAD terminals are not extras.


Does the amount of light Blackout Curtains allow in reflect on its heat reflecting capabilities?

Dark curtains will reflect far less heat back to the outside, and thus heat up in the sun and radiate that heat into the house.
So it's not just infra-red light (a.k.a. heat light) and visible light passing through the curtain that heats the room, it's also how much infra-red light is absorbed that matters, as it raises the temperature of the material.
Unless the curtain is made of a darkening AND heat reflective material (e.g. thick curtain, facing white towards the outside), it's going to be a lot hotter inside.


How to support a heavy wooden lid in a copper sink

I would create some hooks out of straps of metal to hold the lid in place.  If you made these out of copper, they would match the sink.  You could probably make them out of plumbing pipe, which you sand, hammer flat, and lacquer.  Alternatively, stainless steel to contrast with the sink.

You'll need to think about a handle so that you can get the lid in and out.

Section view:

 ----+              +----
\\\##|\\\\\\\\\\\\\\|##\\\
   ##+---         --+##
   ##                ##
   ####################

# - Copper sink
\ - Wooden worktop and lid
- - Metal hooks

Plan view

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
\\\\\\\##############\\\\\
\\\\\\\#\\\\\\\\\\\\#\\\\\
\\\\----+\\\\\\\\\\+----\\
\\\\\\\#\\\\\\\\\\\\#\\\\\
\\\\\\\#\\\\\\\\\\\\#\\\\\
\\\\----+\\\\\\\\\\+----\\
\\\\\\\#\\\\\\\\\\\\#\\\\\
\\\\\\\##############\\\\\


How to wire ground when the sub-panel is Plug-On Neutral

Install a ground lug in the panel, something like this one, or use a kit like this one. Just remember, like you said, that the neutral bar has to be isolated from the panel. It'll be on plastic/insulating stand-offs.


Let's consider Joe. Joe is living on a boat, using a diesel fired heater and using the engine to keep the batteries charged. Someone suggests fitting a carbon monoxide detector.  Joe fits one in the galley, and the detector goes off. So Joe moves it to the bedroom, still goes off. Back to the store it goes, the replacement also goes off. Back it goes, Joe gets a more expensive one.  It also goes off.  Joe is going crazy - can't anyone make a reliable detector???
Laugh if you will, but this is how most people react to GFCI trips.
The evidence is leading you to a conclusion, so let's try it on for size: "attaching the ground wire makes the circuit less safe".  Does that make any sense?  Of course not. The ground should always be connected, always.
What's happening is there's a second problem - which was always there all along.  And hooking up the ground wire improved the GFCI's ability to detect it.
Power is supposed to flow out the hot wire, through the appliance and back the neutral.  Any current moving on a third path is a ground fault.   The reason we started installing safety grounds in the 60s was to provide a reliable third path, instead of allowing Fate to choose its own, typically through a dying human.  So it makes perfect sense that installing/repairing a ground wire would increase a GFCI's sensitivity to ground faults.
Disconnecting the ground, thus, became a "red herring".  It showed correlation, but not causality.
Now, you need to admit that you probably have a ground fault, and then just work standard failure-tree analysis until you find it. As far as the grounds, there might be diagnostic value in temporarily unhooking one, but don't see it as a path to a solution. You must finish with all grounds connected.
ThreePhaseEel was quizzing you about cable type because the usual reason for a ground fault on an outdoor run is use of NM-B cable, which is not rated for outdoor/wet usage, and the insulation will fail when wet.


Is glue needed to hang a cabinet with a french cleat?

No glue needed. the angle of the cleat and gravity does to trick. It will not need it but you can run a screw into the framing to solve any issue you may have.


How should I blend floor stain applied to different areas at different times?

I've had pretty good luck feathering in paint, but stain is hard to do. I've never had a perfect job. I've only done homemade furniture and often choose the rustic look so it's not critical to get it perfect. If the seam is at the threshold (hopefully it is) you can stain the rest of the floor as usual getting full coverage without overlapping as most stains will darken when restained. At the seam, stain over an overlapping swath with a heavily diluted solution.

Test First
If possible use a scrap of the wood to test the procedure. If you don't have a scrap of wood buy some of the same wood if you can.

Apply the stain to the scrap let dry. And then try your method. Do multiple tests. And check it in various lighting and angles.

This countertop was blended in. It's hard to see from the image but it is noticeable

It's a pine counter top I made from stuff lying around.


Electrical advice concerning a 220v dryer outlet and circuit

You have more problems than just connecting up a dryer. Buy the way in answer to your question. NO you can't tap a range feeder and supply a dryer with it.

First you say your range feeder is protected by cartridge fuses. That would mean that you have and old Edison Base Fuse Panel or worse. In this state the AHJ recommend that when we as electrical contractors go into a dwelling it is our job to recommend the owner replace them.

Second NEC Article 220.55 requires a separate circuit for household ranges. The size is determined by the nameplate rating of the range. Since we don't know what size range the homeowner is going to install, we usually run a 50A circuit which covers all ranges up to 12KW. The minimum circuit it requires is a #8 wire and an over current protection of 40A. So you need to replace the 30A circuit you currently have.

Third NEC Article 220.54 requires a separate circuit to be run for the dryer. and It needs to be able to handle 5KW or the nameplate rating whichever is larger. So a minimum circuit would be a 30A circuit.

So if you have the capability in you panel to install a 50A circuit for your range. I suppose you could run a new range circuit and use the old range circuit for the dryer and relabel your panel to reflect the change.

Hope this helps and good luck.


Will fasteners straighten a pressure treated bottom plate?

Sometimes you can get away with this. However depending on how bad the lumber has warped, sometimes you can't.  You will know when you can't when in the process the lumber splits and breaks.  Also you will incur additional labor and hardware costs.  The overall quality of the job can be affected by sub-standard lumber.
Note to self: Always when purchasing new lumber, lay flat and stack to avoid warping.  If you know it will be awhile before you can get to it, you can weight your stacks. Additionally, try to keep the lumber from drying out before it is framed into place.


Void Under Stamped Concrete Patio Allowing Voles in to House

Yes concrete will work just fine.  First I would try to determine exactly how the voles entered your basement so I could repair and block it off before I filled in the space.  I would also make sure that filling in the space with concrete is not going to prevent water drainage.  It might be a good idea to install some sort of drainage pipe.


Terrible flushing - Duravit Starck 2 Happy D

I do not know anything about your toilet, but I have 2 types in my house. I have 2 Kohler Cimarron 2 model K4421 which are great and a new American Standard  Champion 4 max just recently installed. The American Standard is supposed to be able to flush a bucket of golf balls. Don't tell my p..p that. It doesn't always go down completely. I would choose the Kohler. Also we use " never scrub " cartridges to help keep the bowl clean.


open light socket on string lights safe to use?

By string lights are you refering to something like a string of christmas lights. If this is what you mean then remove the buld and replace it. If you don't have a replacement bulb, cover the opening with tape just so nobody sticks their finger in the opening and you're good to go. Plug it in and let there be light.


How to Connect to Ground Wire Passing Through Electrical Box

It looks like that electrical box has a mud ring installed on it. The box itself is clearly of a molded type construction such as a phenolic or bakelite or plastic material. If the mud ring is made of metal it is possible that the original installer wrapped that ground wire around the mud plate mounting screw in order to ground the ring. This could be the reason that you cannot pull the end of the wire free.
It is unlikely that the ground wire exits the box completely and travels off to some other destination. If that is the case you may be able to reach inside the box and cut the wire in a manner to maximize its length and then simply attach the light fixture ground to the end of that wire.
An alternative, while not optimum would be to bend the ground wire back on itself so that it comes to a double width point. Then use a green wire nut to attach a bare solid copper wire pigtail. Then the pigtail becomes available for connecting to the light fixture ground.


How can I remove scratches in polyurethane?

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.


How can I prevent water trail stains on bathroom drywall?

As Kris said in a comment, the solution is to not let that much moisture accumulate. Run a well-performing bath fan every time you use the shower, even in the dead of winter. Vary run duration accordingly. In my part of the world this means 2-4 hours in summer and at least a quarter of an hour (after the shower ends) in winter.

As I often say, your bathroom isn't a bathtub. It shouldn't be expected to hold water, whether on the floor or the walls.


What to do after wood paneling is removed?

Covering the old wall with paneling was a quick and easy way to hide the old wall. I would pull the old windows add some 2x4' in the space so you could attach your sheetrock. Demo of the windows is not that hard if you have a Sawsall then toe nail for the same spacing as the rest of the wall 16 or 24 inch on center.


Can a lower cabinet be used over a floor vent?

Yes, it can be done.

Relocating the vent, however, is a better general solution because:

The HVAC system can operate closer to its design. Reduced size registers and additional bends change the back-pressure and can readily throw the system out of balance.
Specialized registers and other parts are not required.
The less common installation is more prone to errors than typical industry practices.

None of which is to say that this is or is not the right solution for any particular installation, but rather than it is really only the preferred solution for a set of edge cases.


To answer your main question, having the wiring cross is not in itself a problem.  However it sounds like you may just have romex / NM strapped to the underside of the ceiling, that isn't likely up to code.  In a workshop, I might err towards caution and pipe it all up.  This is not as much trouble or expense as you might think in a single open room.  In a workshop I can picture a long piece of material getting away from you and hitting the ceiling, much better to have the wiring protected if that happens.


Why does humidity change suddenly when my fridge's compressor turns on/off?

The frost free feature of the fridge requires the cooling coils to defrost, while the moisture on the coils is changing from solid ice to water and draining into a tray under the compartment the humidity increases, there are several methods employed to do this but that is the reason for the high humidity. The water usually drains into a pan that sits on top of the compressor, the compressor is quite warm when running and the moisture from inside the fridge is evaporated and the next time you open the door the humid air enters and the cycle starts over. I hope this helps on the why but that's what is going on.


Why does water heater closet door jump open?

With a gas water heater there could be whoosh of air pressure change just as the heater comes on to heat the water. That could in turn create a suction and then a release as the air pressure re-equalizes that makes the door come open.

Mitigation of the problem may be as simple as putting a catch on the door that has a stronger detent. Or if possible install a conventional door knob and latch . . . although that will be harder if the door is only thin 3/4" or 7/8" door.

Another possibility is that the exhaust vent for the heater is not shrouded correctly above your roof line and is allowing a down draft into the closet that pushes the door open.


On topic or no - rebuilding a hand blender like that is generally an exercise in futility.

Based on my experience trying to fix small items like that - replacement parts for small appliances like that are non-existent.


What type of connector is this, and how do I remove it?

That right there is a crimp connector.  Few ways to remove one, mostly you want to avoid damaging wire and losing length.  It's a compressed ring.
First thing I'd try is side cutters.  Cut between the wires and once one side of the ring is removed you should be able to bend it out of the way.  That one looks particularly easy to cut this way.
If side cutters don't work, I'd evaluate whether I can afford to lose wire length.  If it's not an issue, cut the wires where they enter the crimp.  If it is an issue, I'd use a rotary tool with a thin disc to make the necessary cuts with minimal risk.  If you put any significant gouge in the copper, it should be cut back to the gouge so you're only using good wire.


From your comments, I see you want to store a bike.  You also do not want to build/install anything too complicated.

Rather then trying to raise/lower the box, I would recommmend just buying a Bike Lift:

Bike Lift http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/4b/4bcad37a-7e8d-45df-b54e-5cf992a65ecb_300.jpg

This particular one is $25USD at Home Depot.  I doubt you could build something yourself much cheaper.  This one is rated for 50lbs so you don't have to worry about it crashing down on your cars.


If you were not making dust to breathe from the space behind the wall, approximately zero asbestos exposure, if there's even any there to begin with. 1980 is a bit late for most new installations.
Mold from having wet walls festering might be more of an actual concern, but if it's asbestos you're fixated on, little cause for concern.


Is this asbestos? (Insulation, transit pipe, wall board)

As a general rule, it's virtually impossible to tell from photographs if something does or does not contain asbestos, the only way to tell for sure is to take small samples of it and sent it to a lab to be tested. Anything else is not worth the paper is is (not) written on...


How much gravel to remove to plant grass?

If you're collecting the gravel to reuse, get as much as practical.  If not, just leave it in place.  6" of topsoil should be more than enough for grass to establish itself, and the gravel won't hurt anything.  Soil will eventually fill in the gaps.

You could speed the process by putting down a thin layer of cheap dirt or sand, and watering it to wash it into the stone, then put down the topsoil.  Or, you could mix the gravel into the topsoil when you put it down.

Until the stone is filled in and it becomes compacted, you will get more drainage than top soil over clay or compacted dirt, so water a little more often for the first season.


How can I run electricity to a shed from an outlet on the external wall of the house?

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


Using wood glue instead of fasteners for raised bed garden

You're not building a deep space probe where you need to optimize everything as much as possible.
Screws and nails are plenty suited to the job. We've been building buildings with screws and nails for thousand of years.
If the wood is rotting, solve that problem. It won't matter what means of joining you use when everything is rotting anyway. Use good pressure treated lumber and good screws and your garden bed will hold up fine.
Titebond 3 or epoxy will work, but it will take much longer for no advantage whatsoever.


Can you install a steel beam in timber posts?

You have several issues to consider: 1) span of steel beam vrs. wood beam, 2) weight of steel beam vrs. wood beam, 3) connectors, 4) ease of connecting joists to wood beam vrs. steel beam, 5) ease of installing wood post vrs. steel post, 6) size of footing under posts.

1) Yes, steel beams can be smaller than wood beams when carrying the same load and spanning the same distance. However, if there is a headroom problem, you can move the beam up and have the joists frame into the side of the beam or reduce the span of the wood.

2) Physically moving the beam into place is going to be difficult. A steel beam may weigh less, but with a wood beam you can nail supports to the side of it to keep it level, aligned, stable, etc. Also, if the beam needs to be cut to fit, wood is easier.

3) Connectors from a steel beam to a wood post will need to be custom and probably designed by a structural engineer. However, a connector from a wood beam to a wood (or steel) post is readily available and standard through Simpson Strong Tie. (See Simpson LCC or CCOS connectors for wood to steel posts.) See here: https://www.fastenersplus.com/shop-by-product/simpson-connectors/post-bases-post-caps/lccccos-lally-column-caps

4) Connections from wood joists to steel beam is not standard and you’ll need a structural engineer to determine ledger size and bolting, plate size and bolting, etc. Whereas wood to wood Connection is standard.

5) When wood posts are cut to fit, they must be the perfect length. Fitting a wood post with a connector on it is very difficult to “pound” into place and fit tight. However, using a “Lally Column” allows adjusting in place.

6) If you are trying to span an extra long distance by using a steel beam, your footing will need to be extra large too. Make sure it’s sized properly.

Summary:
Generally for ease of construction, the beam and posts are reversed: wood beam and steel posts.


Can turning up the temperature of a water heater damage it?

The usual remarks about the safety of scalding water anywhere in your system go here.

Physics says the life of your tank will decrease, but not enough for you to notice.

Everything else being equal, hot water has a slightly higher pressure, but expansion tanks are there to deal with that very problem.

The one place you might notice a difference is in energy use. Water in the heater will cool faster when it is hotter. But as worst the difference will be a few dollars a month.

If you are going to pay someone to put in the tempering valve, then it is likely worth changing the tank at the same time.
A bigger tank is the right answer in the long run. The efficiency of the new tank will be higher. The water will last even longer with a bigger heater and tempering valve. I guess it depends on how long you think your current heater will last.

If you sweat your own pipes, I would say stay with your current heater until it is old enough to replace.


i can't tighten the hinge screws on my aluminum swinging screen door, the screws just spin without tightening. how can this be remedied?

It depends on the frame.

If the frame is metal

remove screws one by one
take some bare copper wires and insert them into the hole
put the screw in the middle of the hole with the copper wires on the outside
screw down until just about flush then cut the excess length from wires before finishing.

The screw should jamb the copper wires into the metal hole and allow the screw to grab.

If the frame is wood you can use wood pieces to do a similar thing.  Golf tees, wood match sticks, small pieces split from shims will all work.


Re-do paint over plaster in bathroom: How to feather/match?

Here's how you get paint to stick to things.

Scuff-sand.

Paint cannot bond to a shiny surface; don't take my word on it, try to paint a mirror and see what happens.

Paint wants to see a surface that looks like Swiss Alps on a microscopic level - lots of jaggies and crevasses for paint to flow into and bond in shear.  To human eyes, that doesn't look like anything more than a loss of gloss.

But this requires a "scuff-sand"; my favorite tool for that is a green Scotch-Brite pad.  If you've ever gone to town with that on pots and pans, you know you can easily lift the shine off the pot.

So we're not trying to sand to level a surface; just to give it a microscopic roughness. Try around edges not to "blow through" an existing coating layer; that's not the goal.

Without the scuff-sand, you are painting a mirror, and the new coat will bond poorly. *This is particularly a problem where gloss paint is used, e.g. bathrooms.  Satin/flat paint typically forms a roughened surface (to achieve the satin look) and that it easier to bond to (but I'd still scuff-sand it).

Everyone is looking for "scuff sand in a can".  I am aware of many products which make that claim, but none I believe.  We certainly don't want any residue that could become the second threat:

Remove contaminants.

That requires a washdown; typically with whatever removes contaminants, e.g. soap and water.  I also like to do one last 2-cloth wipedown with the actual solvent of the paint (e.g. water for latex), the 2-cloth makes sure you are lifting the contaminants away, not just smearing it around.

Contaminants prevent the paint from bonding by sitting as a film between old and new paint.  Adding a layer that has no bonding strength to either the old substrate or the new paint.  So it's gotta be gone.

Sometimes the substrate is a contaminant, like trying to paint a 2-part LPU over, well, almost anything :)  In that case you need to use an appropriate primer as a barrier coat; the primer has different chemistry and is able to bond to both the substrate and the topcoat.  There are many other reasons to use primer, but that is one of them.

Anyway, your predecessor did none of the above.  Typical.

Any 2 layers that aren't bonding well will fail your entire paint job.

I have a machine where the original primer is separating from the substrate (because it was primed over mill scale).  Separately, the original topcoat is separating from the second painting's primer (poor prep in an oily shop).  Of course, it's not failing all at the same time, but in blotches.  There is simply no saving this.  No paint job can expect to perform well on top of a substrate that is failing.

Again, everyone is looking for a product in a can that will magically fix this, and they're not looking for paint stripper :)  Unfortunately that's the only one.

The answer for good long-term performance is "it's all gotta go".  This is the problem with letting monkeys paint your house, or applying products of poor provenance. You pay dearly for the mistake.

Fortunately, latex paints are easily removed with comparatively mild paint strippers, so you're not having to go crazy with Aircraft Remover as you must with alkyds or LPUs.


How to see if a coax cable is able to receive Internet?

Simply call your cable provider to come hook you up to internet. If need be, they will replace the cable, otherwise they will simply terminate it.

Your "companioned electrician" is misinformed, as are you. You don't need triax or biax for getting internet from the cable TV folks, even though there are other systems which use such cables, mostly hoary antiquities at this point in time. A coaxial cable has two conductors - they are, not surprisingly, coaxial - a center conductor, and a shield, which is also a conductor. Which makes two conductors, not one.

Regardless, just call your cable internet, TV, etc. provider and ask them to hook you up. The vast majority of CableTV internet comes in on exactly the same cable as the TV does, though if the cable is in poor condition due to age or abuse they may choose to replace it anyway. They have specialized test devices the installer will use to check the signal levels at the cable and determine if it will work. Since those are specific to the cable system and typically have a pricetag near that of a car, it's not a DIY project, it's a part of their service provision.


Difference between 36 and 42db of noise isolation?

Every 3db is double the power of the signal (amplitude), however this is also the point at which most humans report hearing a noticeable difference.  Most humans will perceive the volume to double around 9-10dB.

So if you found one door that offered 30dB of noise isolation, and another that offered 40dB, you would say that the 40dB is "twice as quiet as the 30dB", approximately.

In reality, your sensitivity to sound is not linear so it really depends on the frequency of the noise.  You are less sensitive at the high/low extremes and most sensitive in the center of the range.  Likewise, as you get older, you tend to lose sensitivity to the extreme frequencies first.


Why do I have to start my furnace manually every morning?

Something similar happened to my gas boiler. It was a problem with the ignition electronics. Every night, when the thermostat was lowered, the circuit board would cool down and a solder connection would come loose. Sometimes the board could be wiggled to make the connection again. Eventually I opened it up and identified and fixed the loose solder connection.

The ignitor box looked something like this:


Why does my kitchen faucet have 3 pipes?

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.


Securing NM wiring on the electrical panel back board - Multi-cable staple

Those multi cable clamps are listed so they can be used I have used the 2 slot 4 cable a few times without issues from inspectors, the only issue with more than 4 they may call it bundling but the listing info shows 8 so it should be ok.
You will need a clamp entering / leaving the service panel some are listed for 2 cables I don’t know of any listed for more than 2, I love the plastic “insider” brand clamps they snap in pull the cable in and are done no screws or locknuts to mess with.
If you are talking about exposed romex we usually put a nipple in to protect the cables to a height of 8’ coming out of a nipple you do need to clamp or staple the cable as it comes out not inside.  I think that hit your questions.


What could cause a condensing units fan to stop working?

The problem was because the RPM of the new motor was different. So it burned out quickly. Make sure to use the same RPM motor apart from the HP and Amp of the motor. It really makes the difference.
the AC guy now installed the same RPM motor and it works great.