How to remove old plastic pool deck sleeves

Select (or go buy) a cheap chisel - you don't want to do this with a nice one.

Wear safety glasses, the plastic is probably brittle with age and sun exposure.

You might want ot experiment with pouring boiling water into the hole first, to see if it makes this process easier - depending on plastic type, it may.

Set the chisel on the plastic, next to the concrete, and hammer it. Repeat as needed until the plastic sleeve is reduced to either plastic slices/shards you can remove, or possibly you may be able to remove the whole thing once you get one cut through it and can lever one of the sides inward from the hole in the concrete.


Are toilets supposed to be caulked to the floor?

This is a very controversial topic. Some plumbers swear that you must seal the toilet to the floor, while others swear that you should not seal the toilet to the floor.  Some guys never do it, some guys always do it, and some guys only do it depending on the flooring used. It also appears that some toilet manufacturers mention it in the installation instructions, and some do not.

I've heard it mentioned that "it's code" to seal the toilet to the floor, but I've never heard anybody cite the actual code that says it. I'm not well versed in plumbing code, but a quick look didn't reveal any obvious code sections. Though plumbing code (and most other codes), does require you to follow the manufacturer's installation instructions. So if the installation instructions say to do it, then you should do it (if you want a code compliant install).

In my opinion, it's a double edged sword. On the one hand, sealing the toilet can keep water and grime from going under the toilet. At the same time, it also keeps water from coming out from under the toilet.  If you develop a leak, the water will be trapped under the toilet. This could allow the leak to do much more damage, before you notice you have a leak.

If you flush the toilet and get wet feet, you're going to call a plumber to check the toilet. If after years of flushing the toilet you notice a strange smell, and maybe a water stain on a ceiling somewhere. You're going to start ripping things apart searching for the source of the leak.

To try and alleviate this negative side effect, some plumbers leave a gap in the caulk near the back of the toilet.  While this may let water from a leak out, it also allows water in. Which defeats the purpose of sealing the toilet to the floor in the first place.

If you're installing a toilet in a bathroom where kids are going to be bathing (splashing), it might be worth it to seal the toilet. If you're installing a toilet in a water closet, where there's not likely to be water near the base of the toilet, then maybe it's not worth it. Follow the manufacturer's installation instructions, and use your own judgment.

After doing a bit more research, it does appear that codes require the toilet to be sealed.

  International Plumbing Code 2012

  Chapter 4 Fixtures, Faucets and Fixture Fittings

  Section 405 Installation of Fixtures

  405.5 Water-tight joints. Joints formed where fixtures come in contact with walls or floors shall be sealed.

  Uniform Plumbing Code 2009

  Chapter 4 Plumbing Fixtures and Fixture Fittings

  Section 407 Installation

  407.2 Joints. Where a fixture comes in contact with the wall or floor, the joint between the fixture and the wall or floor shall be made water-tight.

NOTE: This section may have been moved to 402.2 in 2012 UPC. I did not have access to a copy of the 2012 version to verify.


Stain never "dries" the way a lacquer or poly finish does.  It will cease to be "wet" after awhile, but it will still just come off on your hands and clothing etc.  Not a good idea to just leave it on there.

Ultimately it is only darker if more of it soaks in.  Reapplication after wiping will darken it only slightly, as most of the wood pores are already saturated.

The darkness achieved by staining wood is effected somewhat by how much you use, but more by the color of the stain and the absorption qualities of a particular wood.

If you want your project darker, I suggest you sand it down (to get fresh wood that can absorb new stain) and apply a darker stain.


Oven/Stove or Wiring causing breaker to trip

If turning on the oven/stove breaker immediately causes the main breaker to trip (without even turning on the oven/stove) something is blatantly miswired.
What or where is impossible to determine without more detail that you are unable to provide at present.


LED light flickering in one socket but not others, and any other bulb works fine with the socket

Notice that the base of an LED bulb (the part above the socket) is wider than the base of an incandescent.  Often, something about the fixture is making contact with the wider LED bulb, so that it binds up and prevents it from screwing into the socket all the way.  It feels like it's screwed in all the way, but it's not.

If you look at the nub on the bottom of bulb or socket, you may see arcing marks.


Yes, this can be remedied by using a "goof plate" pictured below.  If the outer diameter of the lockset is 2" or larger this plate will work.  I do believe they make smaller ones if the lockset is smaller.  The UPC for this product is 049793095244- Model # U-9524.  Package includes 2 pieces-One for each side.


How to make sure wooden bar is stable enough to mount hammock chair?

The horizontal board (rafter tie) and roof boards (rafters) are sized large enough for your purpose. The connection between the two is also adequate.

I don't think it necessary but if you were to want to increase the strength then I would start by adding (2) #8 x 3" screws to the connection from the rafter tie to the roof rafter. For more, I would suggest sharing the load with more rafter ties by placing a 2x4 or 4x4 over the top of (2) rafter ties (if you want to hang the chair between rafter ties) or over (3) rafter ties (to hang directly from a rafter tie as you plan). This can be attached with #8 screws (they are not structural, they just keep the board from moving)


Best way to vent gas from gas lines in preparation for opening gas line

Do not use pipe dope.  The secret to making gas tight fittings is to screw in each connection until only one or two threads are showing.  Yellow Teflon tape makes this easier, but it is not a requirement.  It can take up to 24 hours for the steel pipe to seal up, so do not expect it to immediately be gas tight.  A 16 inch (or longer) pipe wrench also makes this easy, but it is still quite a workout.
Yes, there will be natural gas in the line.  It should be at a pressure of about seven inches of water column (equivalent to 1/50 atmosphere, 0.02 bar, and 0.25 psi).  If there is a really long and fat pressurized pipe (50+ feet of 3/4 inch) in the system, opening could release a few cubic inches of gas.  But it is going to rapidly dissipate and float away.  Natural gas is buoyant; propane sinks and accumulates in low places.   Personally, I wouldn't worry about gas in the line.  Just opening a nearby window is more than enough.  (Of course, I don't smoke either.)

There is no reason for a plumber to lay pipe.  This is something anyone can do.  Homeowners are, in my experience, more likely to do a better job because the professionals don't have to live with the installation.

As long as you do a good pressure test, you can assure yourself and your loved ones that it was done well.


Can I repaint and seal a window sill that has fungus growing out of it?

The wood may give the impression of feeling firm but could very well be beyond recovery. You should try probing the wood with a narrow pointed tool such a flat blade screwdriver. If you can push the tool into the wood any amount then it is a pretty good indication that this needs replacement.

Replacement of the outside window trim can involve a lot of issues depending upon the type of siding and whether the siding goes under the trim or butts up to the trim. A few more pictures showing the trim installation would help for giving further advice.

Another thing that will need looking into is to see of the compromised wood extends beyond just the trim. Is the sill and/or frame of the window also starting to go bad? If so this could be an indication for replacement of the whole window.


As long as you have a sound base, packed crushed gravel and then sand, you could lay them either way. The process will be similar to laying flagstone/patio bricks. Be sure to stagger them so they can lock each other in place. Do a quick search on either. The base is key to a successful and long lasting patio in areas where freezing is common. 3-4 in of packed crushed gravel and a inch of sand would probably be fine. Also, you will want some kind of edging to keep the brick from moving. If you want to fill the holes you can do the sand but you'll get weeds coming up from them. If you want grass instead you could get grass plugs and stuff the holes with them. If you don't want anything growing in them either polymer sand or concrete will work fine. Concrete being the more economical choice. The way you described for the concrete is fine for the holes. For between the bricks polymer sand would be ideal choice. First do the concrete and then wait a few days for the sand. Be sure to read the instructions on polymer sand first. Stuff is a pain if it rains on you in the middle of the project so pick a day that is clear.


Couple of ways

1. Get the right product

I gather you are looking at this one. That's the wrong one, you want this other one, called the "Ring Spotlight Cam Mount".   Black and white wires go to supply hot and neutral, then the red wire goes onward to your external lights.  just as this FAQ explains.

That one appears to have onboard lights as well (just not googly-eye ones), but I bet you can disable them in software.

2.  It's a smart, networked product: Use it.

You have a smart-home hub that the camera talks to.  When the camera says "hey, I saw something and turned on", add scripting to that event that turns on the additional lights.

3. Brute-force it

Presumably, this gadget draws more power when the lights are on.  Inside the box where you are hooking to its #18 wire, insert some of your own #18.  In which the "hot" makes about 30 turns around a magnetic reed switch, and the neutral does the same in the opposite direction.  There'll be some design considerations in sizing this thing, based on how much current it pulls, the ampere-turn rating of the reed switch, and the efficacy of your electromagnet building skills.   Get it right, and when the gadget pulls the higher amperage to light the light, that closes the reed switch, which operates the relay.  You can take it from there.


Removing basketball hoop from asphalt driveway

The way I found to lower an embedded pipe below grade is to first cut the pipe as low as possible. This involves 2 cuts, the first is to remove enough so that when the second cut is made the remaining section can be handled safely. Use a reciprocating saw with a long enough metal cutting blade.   After the second cut the pipe should be 3/4-1 inch protruding from the ground. Next make 2 cuts so that the pipe is cut in quarters. With a cold chisel and short handled sledge pound each of the 4 quartered pipe sections inwards to the pipe.   Hammer each section at a time until they touch the inside of the pipe. When done the pipe will be below ground level and ready to be filled with asphalt.   Alternately, once the pipe has been cut so that it is close to the ground cut the inside wall with a new saw-zall metal blade and again at 30 degrees from the first. You may not cut all the way through, but the resulting 2 slices will be enough to snap the pipe with pliers. It can then be twisted and rolled from the ground.


Help me remove kitchen sink cabinet plumbing

You don't mention what type of floor you're demoing, but if you don't care about the cabinet and don't mind wrecking it, why not just take a Sawzall or a jig saw and cut the whole bottom out? Of course, you'll still need to deal with the plumbing eventually when you're ready to remove it permanently. But this way you get access to the flooring now, and when you're ready to replace the cabinet you don't need to worry about trying to keep the whole setup working. Then it's just a matter of turning off the water, cutting what ever is in the way, pulling the old one, installing the new, and reconnecting the plumbing.


Extend power from outdoor frontyard lamp with a modified smart outdoor plug?

It would be a code violation to use a cord for permanent wiring according to the NEC.
It is not UL listed so it is not made for use in the US. Many devices found online have not passed safety evaluation.


Does siphoning through a garden hose to a basement make sense?

It may not seem intuitive to do this, but not to would be irrational. Temporally secure the hose to something so that it can't fall out of the sink, and go to lunch. Sticking it as far as it will go into a (known working) floor drain would be even better.

I've been doing some work in my basement lately. Step one of every morning, is hosing off the 100 years of brick dust so I can tuck point it. "A little water never hurt anything."


Mounting pull up bar on cinder block wall

The problem can be divided into 3 parts:

A) Determine the static pull-out force.

B) Determine the dynamic to static force ratio. My gut feel is 2X to 3X, but I have nothing to back it up.

C) Determine the appropriate fasteners and/or additional interface.

This is only an answer to part A.

The problem is much easier to solve if a few simplifications are made. I have re-positioned the diagonal, this is OK because we don't care about the compression force in the diagonal member. Each member can now be considered to be a strut of a simple truss (tension or compression only, no torque).

The geometry determines the forces. The static pull-out force at the top is the weight of the person multiplied by the ratio of the dimensions (projection/vertical).

250 lbs * 30"/24" = 312 lbs


Convert this can to a "standard" light socket?

Clipped to the roof of the cans are standard bulb sockets, which would normally have been installed in your choice of trim ring. Because those LED rings don't use standard bulb bases, an adapter is screwed into the bulb sockets. You'd just unclip those and snap them into your new trim rings, like shown here:

Unscrew and discard the adapter plug that's threaded into them.


How should I protect wooden trim that abuts a brick chimney from further water damage?

Well, I'll answer my own question. So I scrapped all the loose paint away, and used 4 inch deck screws (barely counter-sinked) to more firmly attach the crown-molding back to the house. I filled in over the deck screws with wood filler to hide them. I caulked the gap underneath the molding. I picked out all of the rotten wood at the end of the fascia board, where it abuts the chimney. I applied Minwax Wood Hardener to the end of the fascia board. I then carefully folded up a section of zinc-coated steel plumbers strap (AKA "hanger bar") about four times to match the shape of the missing wood [it looked like a reversed "C"]. Folding the strap multiple times insured that the gap, between the sections of strap, was small. I pushed the tape in so that it was just below flush with the fascia board. Then I used Minwax Wood filler and applied 4 coats (eventually) to fill in the end of the fascia board, using the plumbers strap as a substrate for holding the wood filler. Then I primed and painted.

From the ground it looks good--you'd have to really stare at it to know that something was repaired there. I left a little gap between the end of the fascia board (now consisting entirely of wood filler and plumbers strap) for water to drain down. I didn't do any caulking of the siding. I also extended and angled the shiny metal flashing (visible in the photo) so that water could not easily flow/drip behind the molding. And in case your wondering, yes, that chimney needs to be repointed. Add it to the list...


What's the minimum amount of electricity used by an appliance?

To test, plug a non-electronic lamp in, and turn the lamp off.  Your P3 should show zero watts, or it is clearly defective.

Many electronic devices have "parasitic" or "phantom" or "vampire" power usage: I have a toothbrush charger that shows about four watts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  There's a radio that when off shows about ten watts.  And several Apple chargers that show a big zero when charging is done, due to better technology.

Note with the P3 you'll have to measure over a period of a few days, to accurately measure devices that draw less than one watt.

Here's an example study on the topic:
http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=eesp
See also:
How do you determine how much electricity is used by a device?


How do I clean this grey stain from my bathtub?

When I moved into my apartment last year it was disgusting the tub was worse than your pic. I sprayed with clorox and used comet and after a few time of cleaning it looked beautiful...just a bit of elbow grease!  good luck


Just like you remove tough wallpaper really.

Get a spray bottle full of very very hot water/vinegar - I use a 1:1 ratio.   The heat and the vinegar will help break down glue.

Start at the top of the backsplash.   You say there is no room to spray the solution - I understand.   If there is zero chance of the solution penetrating skip this step for the top.

Get out most powerful hair dryer you have and heat up the tiles.   Do the very top in small sections, pull slowly from corners as you try to keep heat on it.

If you get a little bit of the top done, spray in vinegar solution very heavily so it runs down the wall behind the tiles leftover underneath.   Spray a lot and spray over and over.   If you think the spray is penetrating you can stop the hair dryer, and spray the vinegar and hot water every 5-10 mins drenching tile area.   I find that going three times through - after about 20 mins - the glue gets super weak and the tiles start peeling off rather easy.

Use hair dryer to help if they don't.

Note:  The other option is just to rip them down. Skim coat of drywall mud which takes almost no time and then mortar plus tile for new tile.   This is if you are retiling the same area.  I don't see the need for being cautious or keeping the drywall in perfect shape if you are redoing it.   If you aren't follow the above advice.


What is this old 1/16" thick floor-covering, and how do I remove it?

Unless you have your heart set on using the wood floor under the old sheet goods I would cover it. As you suggest it may contain asbestos. I would use floor leveling compound, available at home centers to fill in the low spots where the old surface was removed. Then you can cover the entire floor with what ever material is suitable underlayment for your woodfloor be it floating,prefinished or solid wood.


Since it's going to be your own shower and there are a few things bugging you about it I think it's worth the 50 bucks to do it over and fix the things you are concerned with. If you don't, and you're anything like me, it will be nagging you forever that you didn't fix it. Enjoy your new shower either way.


Light fixture on new condo wiring question

We ended up hiring an electrician. For the Foyer he ran a new switch wire and setup the wall outlets that were controlled by that switch to remain always live. So now that switch only controls that light.
For the fan since we didn't have a fan supporting box installed it needed to be reinforced with tapping screws then assembled to the wire I indicated.
The switch that does nothing still does nothing we left that as is.


Missing front of cabinet drawer, need to sell my house

The major home centers, Lowes, Home Depot, etc can typically order items such as this custom made. If the cabinet was originally a "stock" size cabinet from such a place, it should be easy to get a replacement. You may or may not be able to find a match to the finish, though. I would hesitate to spend a lot on a really good replacement as a merely adequate replacement would probably fill your need and not be an issue for the next owner. Bring the existing drawer in, and possibly one of the others, as a sample. If two drawers are the same, bring the completed one with you and ask for a copy of that. Be sure to measure the width, depth, and height where the drawer will go.

Alternatively, you could look locally in the yellow pages or google maps for custom cabinet shops. Some of the smaller ones may pick up any work they can get and would most likely be able to stain match what you have already. You'll pay more though, shop time in a good cabinet shop can be $60 to $100 or more, and for a drawer like that, they might charge you for several hours of work including the staining/finishing.


How can I clean oil stains from vitreous floor tiles?

It sounds like you have unsealed or unglazed tile. Although this is not a bad thing, they do tend to stain easily and will absorb water temporarily, change color then return to original color when dry.

I don't know what you have already tried to remove the oil stains. Once oil stains sink into unsealed tile, they can be very difficult to remove.  Test a small area in an inconspicuous   area with some TSP, bleach and water mixture. You may also try some grout cleaner from the building supply store. If the stains are not deep, maybe some Dawn detergent may be enough.

The longer term solution to your problem is to seal the tile. There are several products at the flooring department of building supply stores. These products are similar to grout sealers but better adapted to whole floor sealing. Expect to pay $50 to $75 to seal the average 12X12 foot floor. Follow the directions carefully and use two coats if recommended by the manufacturer. After sealing, ongoing floor cleaning instructions are included on the bottle of sealer. Avoid harsh or abrasive cleaners, often just plain water will do a good job on a sealed tile floor. Depending on the amount of traffic, you may have to reseal every year or two.


Where do I unscrew the aerator from my faucet riser pipe?

I would think that the aerator assembly comes off at the lower split that you marked as #1. However with that said it might make sense to try to find a manufacturers diagram / parts list for this particular faucet. Often such document will contain an exploded parts diagram for the complete faucet so you can easily tell what parts attach to others.

It is not clear just what the black covered part of the faucet spout is all about. Is that meant to be a hand hold to be able to swing the faucet spout from side to side? Is it meant to insulate your hand from hot metal parts if you are running full hot water through the faucet.

The "indentation" at point #2 may not actually be a separable joint at all - particularly if the black part of the pipe covering slides onto the pipe from the end once the joint at #1 is separated.


Chimney crown repair - cover holes in bricks?

Those holes should be filled with at least with masonry cement. You can get it at the big box stores, it is sold in 60lb bags for a few bucks. It does not matter whether it is fast set, type S, it just needs to be masonry cement. No need to mix the whole bag. A 5 gal bucket to mix it in and a Tupperware(r) container or large coffee can will hold about what you need. Get a margin trowel, also at the same store you get the cement. Mix it to a peanut butter consistency and carefully place it around the edge of holes. With a little coaxing it should go in.
DO PROTECT the roof, it will stain it, or keep a garden hose on the roof with you. You will need something to keep the roof clean from the chimney crown material.

Do not let the material you use to protect the roof be the same material that throws you off the roof. Stepping on a loose tarp will do it fast. Plywood acts like a skateboard. Be careful!

The way the chimney crown material works, you may only need it to get hard overnight before you apply the chimney crown material


Switching just the 2 apartment's breakers off was a good try, but now you need to switch other breakers until the current is gone. Then, leave that circuit off even if someone needs to run an extension cord or 2 until the repair is completed.

Once it's gone, then nails can be extracted & reinserted until the offender is found in the ceiling & walls, the token (hopefully) long nail or screw would be the likely culprit. If the Landlord doesn't act immediately & filing a complaint with Local Officials has an estimate of weeks, months, a year or never.

Then, you can still protect yourselves by insulating the drop's grid, perimeter rail ends & bottoms & the hanging wires. Rails with, bicycle inner tube chunks, plastic L's like the clear clips that come with mini-blinds to secure the blind's bottom (stores sell them in bulk packs), or anything similar in shape & material. Hanging wires can be removed & wrapped with electrical tape & reinstalled or at the ceiling you may be able to slip on small rubber tubes.


Can I use a variable AC transformer to adjust the output of a radiant heater?

I wouldn't mess with stuff like you are proposing. Electrical resistance heating always requires a lot of power. There's too much junk out there to be sure it's safe to use with a constant load like an electric heater. Like Harp has "harped on" (pun intended) often is stuff sold on Amazon often doesn't meet UL listing and other USA safety testing. There are a number of good alternatives to the setup you are proposing, like under desk warming panels that are safe.   Do some research, but don't try to power down a heater like you asked, it's asking for trouble and potential fire.


Can I use a socket conversion unit to split a washing machine socket in order to add a dishwasher?

The answer to that question in Electrical standards is NO!

The problem is that both these machines use heating elements that can cause surge power to heat water. Now if you use(not you but anybody unknowingly) use them at the same time it could cause an overload. Fine- you are protected by 1-The wall plug, 2-The DB Breaker.

Causing such an overload during peak operation of machines can cause unwanted deterioration of equipment and unnecessary load on electrical wires.

There do exist double isolators(the one on the wall with the red switch/light/fuse)(but they are rare) that can be rated separately by Amperage and should not exceed the amperage of A) The circuit breaker in the DB (taking into account that the proper mm2 wire is used) B) The wattage rating of the actual device

I am completely talking theory here based on what I think it should be(but does not mean that is your case)It could be likely that using the single isolator you could use two sockets-but they have to be certified in order to count towards a propel installed wiring system- and only a certified electrician(qualified does not mean certified) can help you out.

BUT

So the forumula is simple Ohm's Law

Washing machine = 1000Watt
How much is a 1000watts? 1000(Watt) / 240(Volt) = 4.2AMP MAX

If I were a gambling man i would bet a 100 bucks your wall isolator is up to 15AMP and your DB breaker is 5AMP using a 1.5mm2 cable. So how could you possibly accommodate another device of a similar wattage.

Another way.
How much is 5AMPs? = 5(Amps) * 240(Volt) = 1200Watt

When we used to install electric water boilers we were required to use 5mm2 solid copper (3500Watt) and 15AMP Breakers and nothing else is allowed to leach of that circuit.The Units had dedicated isolators in the loft near the unit and internal safety breakers.

To elaborate on your question and demonstrate the difference.

What you are replacing is a switch system that "Isolates" electricity in the event of electricity leakage or short circuit. Isolates means it creates a gap in the Neutral and Live at the same time Isolating the device from all electrical currents(Earth should also be isolated but that is another story-and usually is not)

What you want to install is a normal switch.When you turn it on-it turns on weather there is a short or leakage and will not turn off in the case of fault- causes backwards stress to the DB to trip the circuit. This does not Isolate the circuit. It just cuts out the Live, meaning that if for some unknown reason there was electricity pumping back into the neutral.. it could cause a fire or other damage.

The AMP rating is just what it could handle at MAX peak current.

SO..

The simple answers by many would be- Yea use a splitter- it will be OK (and most likely if you call Dave your neighbourhood white man van- he will install for you for a few bob and nothing will ever happen.. but if he guarantees it he is lying.. so don't be fooled.)

But a professional answer will be NO- It wont be OK- especially if your home insurance finds out after it ....

It may sound stupid, and could  cost a bit- but be safe- Rent a certified electrician and demand a certificate of testing once complete and Tell your insurance.

There can be no maybes in human life - these things cannot be taken lightly- You feeling lucky? Go play euro millions.


which layer of rigid foam should i caulk when insulating rim joist?

I would caulk on both of them. The purpose of the caulk it to prevent air leaks and convection, and not sealing both will reduce the effectiveness of the insulation a bit.


Personally I would just fill the holes with dirt, why does it need to be more complicated than that? Concrete isn't going to stop them any more than dirt, since presumably the yard is mostly dirt anyway.


What is the cause of a shower diverter valve becoming stuck?

I got it replaced with a new one and it works perfectly. Even after detaching it, the diverter didn't move.


Electronic air cleaner vs pleated filters

You will still want a particulate filter at the intake, I was taught to put particulate filters at each inlet position this helps keep the ductwork clean and prevent build up in the heat exchanger.
Electronic filters are the next best thing in my opinion but just like a 4” MERV 8 they need to be replaced regularly, the electronic take a few minutes to clean. The mesh grid helps with the particulate matter much like the dust filters at the intake but the air flowing through the mesh takes the air to a discharged level, now the air passes over the high voltage grid and the Remaining dust - pollen , mold spores and even smoke particles are trapped in the static grid.
There is very little resistance to air flow and these are effective at cleaning the air as long as they are regularly cleaned.
My last home I installed this system because of a granddaughter that had severe asthma, this system kept the air in the house clean and inside she never had attacks, I pulled the mesh and grid panels once a month and rinsed them in a shower, it is amazing how much dirt was on them every month. I replaced the 3 pre filters (cheap fiberglass Every 3 months) If I had not seen seen the amount of dirt coming off the electronic grid I would not have beloved how well that system worked, we really noticed when the valley was filled with smoke and my granddaughter was fine inside the house I noticed the system starting buzzing only 2 weeks after cleaning I pulled them and cleaned again they were pulling all the smoke from the fires out of the air I was impressed with how much the system removed from the air, I did run the air handler 24/7 when our granddaughter was with us and she had less need for a nebulizer and fewer trips to the ER so I recommend them for that reason but yes they have less resistance than a high MERV filter.


Low water level in the bowl of the toilet after flushing

If you have a plugged sewer vent or a plug in a line to the vent, then water can get sucked out of the trap in the toilet. I believe that this is the reason low water in the bowl occasionally occurs in plumbing that has no permanent fault.

I just poured a bucket of water into a properly operating toilet and the water drains down to a very low level in the toilet. So this is normal. The water supply system in the tank is supposed to continue a gentle flow into the bowl after the flush is finished to raise the level in the bowl to the height that the design of the toilet trap allows. In your malfunctioning toilet the water supply may not be directing the flow through the small flexible hose into the overflow tube. With the tank lid off compare a flush in the basement toilet to a flush in one of the properly operating toilets.


Can you screw roof metal directly to OSB between rafters?

No, you do not need to screw into solid lumber (joists, stripping,etc.).

You’ll want to follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions, but here is a major metal roofing manufacturer’ installation chart for screws into plywood, OSB board, and 2 x lumber for wind uplift, which is on page 14:

http://pdf.lowes.com/installationguides/716702706866_install.pdf

As you can see, the thinnest material they recommend is 1/2” (7/16”) OSB board at 9” on center up to 24” on center.

Be sure to follow their instructions in order to obtain the warranty.


I just finished our garage this past summer and here are a few things I did.

I insulated the garage door by cutting pieces of rigid insulation foam to fit into each piece of the garage door.  You can glue them on and then seal the edges with expanding foam or caulk.

On the side of garage door I installed weather strips and also on the top/bottom of the door so that it is sealed when the door closes.

If you have any windows I would make sure to seal them (I boxed mine in with wood and then caulked).  Also depending how you finished the bottom of the garage walls, I would seal the bottom (my drywall buts up right to the cement floor, so I sealed the space with expanding foam and cut the excess away).


Plumber unable to replace Moen shower cartridge

Maybe it's me but I would try to pull it myself. Sometimes they're difficult due to corrosion and scale buildup.
Once you have the cartridge puller and with the water supply turned off spray some Limeaway or other decalcifier on the cartridge. Let it sit for a bit then give it a shot. I haven't had to use a Moen puller but I doubt that if used according to instructions it could hurt the valve.


It sounds like what you want is a set of heat loss calculations. These are the calculations a heating contractor would do in order to determine how much power (BTU output) a furnace/boiler would need in order to keep your house warm. A heating system is then sized such that it can overcome the heat loss your home would experience on the coldest day of the year.

These calculations are based on the area of each room, exterior walls, number of windows and doors, type of insulation, etc. I saw an episode of Ask This Old House that included a heat-loss analysis using software that calculated this using a house model / floor plan entered by the contractor. According to this show page (http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/ask-toh/products-and-services/episode/0,,20321333_20311273,00.html), that software was made by WrightSoft.

Unfortunately, this software seems to be aimed at contractors rather than homeowners, and has a price tag of $200-$500. It is also probably rather technical. There are some other options, including some free online heat loss calculators. But why bother, when you can probably have a heating or insulation contractor come to your house and do these calculations for you?

In Massachusetts, where I live, the utility companies offer an energy audit service where, among other things, they inspect and measure your house and offer you various options for adding insulation. For each option, e.g. blowing cellulose insulation into the exterior walls, they also list the estimated savings per year, based on local energy prices. Using that, you can calculate how many years it'll be before the insulation work pays for itself. In my case, about $2000 of insulation work would pay off in between 2 and 3 years.

If utility companies in your state don't offer this service, you may still be able to find an insulation contractor who can. And for figuring out which doors to close to reduce heat to unused rooms, why not do some experiments? You can buy a thermometer with multiple remote sensors, and watch how the temperature fluctuates in your unused rooms.


Filling or grinding the shower valve risks creating a leak and causing much more work to repair it. Just turn up the temperature on your water heater instead.


One of your service lines might be low.

Do your incoming lines have correct power (be careful with an open panel)?

Your incoming service line consists of 3 wires - 120V, Neutral, and 120V - you might have 120V on one of those incoming lines and 100V on the other.

Verify this information and if it is low on the incoming line - contact your power company and let them know the line voltage for that line is LOW. As the Hurricane has been there -  there could be several reasons for this - one of which is your transformer - but more likely they have to restore proper power to your power pole/transformer.

EDIT 9-16-2017

Adding info here instead of in comments.

If incoming power is good. Your wiring to the socket could be loose or the socket can be bad. In either case I would replace the socket as loose wires became loose for a reason.

Cut off the main power coming in and replace the socket. The price of a fuse 'socket' is cheap insurance against any potential issues including electrical fire.


Should I prime just repaired areas or the entire ceiling before painting?

This is mostly a matter of opinion. You'll usually get a better (more uniform) result if you do things edge-to-edge or corner-to-corner, including primer. The undercoat can have a significant effect on the sheen (and sometimes the color) of the topcoat.

Another consideration is lighting. If the room has few windows and low lighting, the ceiling finish will be obscure. If you have bright natural light or up-directed lighting it'll be in the spotlight, so to speak, and any variations in finish will be much more apparent.

Since you're completely repainting, and assuming the sheen and color of the primer are similar to the topcoat, you can probably get away with just priming the repairs. Again, it's up to you as to what level of finish quality you need.


Best tool for cutting a 2" horizonal sloped canal cut through a 11' plaster/lath internal wall

If you use a circular saw a straight pair of lines can be cut. Then a simple wood chisel with a sharp whack will remove the block to make your channel. Steel nail plates used for electrical will protect where the lines are trapped by the studs. In between the studs push the line set back an inch so distance will be protecting it if you run the line set with the drain.

I would suggest your control wire for the wire beside unit be run in the channel with the drain. This way the line can be identified later with a stud finder with voltage alert. I agree with gravity drains as I have seen many pumps fail.


How to glue wood to smooth exterior concrete?

I would always aim to "Float" the sleepers on top of the concrete floor.  since concrete is always porous and will retain water (ok, your floor sounds screeded) but even still.. it will have water.
So to Float the sleepers. When you fix them to the surface. use some washers to raise the sleepers -- (if you wanted, you could get some strong rubber and make rubber washers -- however, depending on the mass of the beams, i would say you would have more sound deadening effect by adding some good quality silicon / sikaflex rubber between the sleepers and the deck boards.


Where do I buy a weather proof combination padlock?

I've had a cheap MasterLock for over a decade on my shed and it's not showing any signs of wear. Only downside is that they've been known to have a security flaw (a little internet searching will describe how to determine the combination with only a little trial and error). After a storm, I turn it sideways and the water just pours out, so it's definitely exposed to the elements.

For harsh elements, you may also want to look at an outdoors or boating store. Their locks are usually designed to resist salt water exposure:


Which terminal should I connect it to for a "C" wire when none are labeled "C"?

If you follow the schematic, you'll see that two wires come off the secondary of the transformer; Black/RD and Black/BL.  Black/RD goes to CH-4 (fuse), and comes out at CH-5 as Red, then eventually terminates at R. Black/BL goes to splice CH-2, an splits to multiple BL wires.  One of these terminates at CH-7, and says to see note 3. Since I can't see note 3, I'm assuming note 3 says something about this wire being used as an auxiliary C.


How can I safely replace a light fixture above a stairwell?

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

Here is another option that might work as well.


Should I add landscape rock before or after installing a fence around a dog pen?

I think it would be easier to put the rock down afterwards (or at least after setting the posts but before adding the fencing) as you won't have to deal with the rock being present while you are trying to dig holes for the posts.


What type of valve optimizes water pressure in new low-flow showerheads?

Even a "standard" showerhead outputs only 2.5gpm at household water pressure.  Hence, given their specifications, neither of the valves you list are going to be a bottleneck in the waterflow to even two standard showerheads simultaneously.

Water volume and pressure drop through your existing pipes depend on a number of factors that can tricky to calculate, but unless you're willing to replumb back to larger-diameter pipes then those questions are irrelevant: 1/2" pipe is unlikely to be a bottleneck, but you can't be sure without pressure-testing a mix across the final temperatures you want to supply.


Should I bend my roof edge away from the fascia to prevent water wicking?

No. Opening up the joint creates increased opportunity for bulk water entering the wall system driven by rain. Capillary action is a less likely source of bulk water penetration. The joint widens behind the metal, the wood’s rough surface lowers surface tension, and the depth of overlap gives gravity a lot to work with.

While a properly formed positive drip edge formed from a wider piece of metal would have been better, the improvement would be mostly the wider material. Wider flashings simply provide more protection. One reason drips are associated with wider flashings is complex profiles add stiffness. The stiffness reduces oil canning of broader sheet metal surfaces.

The construction looks pretty typical for a reasonable residential roofing job and the roofer’s experience with local conditions and intact reputation count a lot more than lay roofing theories. A good rule of thumb is don’t add holes to working roof systems (or enlarge existing holes).

If a large volume of water is coming over the edge of the roof, gutters and downspouts might be warranted.


Best tool to cut out back of kitchen sink cabinet?

Oscillating Saw or also called multitool is the best for tight places where you really want to control the action. There are many brands out there. The inventer was Fein tools. They are a cool tool for many other purposes.Good luck


Second-story floor leveling question for new home

You need to get professionals to do this, imho, as the structure will need supporting while the floor-base is sorted out.

That structure has significant weight and supporting it while providing sufficient access to the bits that need repairs / replacement is not a simple task.


Do small, modern LED lightbulbs require external heatsinks?

Edit: Now you've posted more pictures, I see what you're doing.   Let's take a look at your presumptions here:

Anything that makes light must surely have a "bulb" of some kind.
The bulb is fragile by nature, and it will inevitably burn out.
When a lamp fails, it's almost always the bulb burning out.
Scrapping a fixture when a bulb burns out is insane; it must be replaceable somehow.
If a manufacturer says it's not replaceable, that can't possibly be true.

All those presumptions are dead wrong with LEDs.

That is a packaged consumer product with a permanently mounted LED in it.  It contains several components, including packaging, a power supply which converts AC into the constant-current the LEDs need, a beefy heat sink, the LED emitters proper, and lensing to direct the light.

Yes, you need heatsinks

LED emitters used for illumination make a lot of heat.  Some is from the LED itself, and that is decided by how hard the LED is driven.  Some is from the inherently inefficient phosphors which change blue light into spectral light.

LEDs are much more efficient than the old incandescents, but even so, almost all the watts of energy put into an LED emitter turns into heat, not light.  That means the heat sink must be rated for the wattage of the LED.  The LED wants to be kept as cool as possible, and the cooler it is kept, the better it will run.  But you're still going to have a lot of heat.

There is basically no way an LED of any brightness is going to function for long without a heat sink.

So why do they fail?

Properly cooled, an LED emtter is likely to outlive all of us.  If there's anywhere cheap builders will cut costs, it'll be in the power supply.  This is the part which inputs 120/230V mains voltage and outputs a constant-current DC for the LED emitters proper.  Capacitors are the most sensitive component - they ordinarily have a finite service life, and you have to go out of your way to spec the really good ones or spend a bit more on a capacitorless design.  The top failure points are:

Power supply (particularly capacitors)
Lamp wiring
Environment damage
LED coming unglued from the heat sink, causing overheat
Blockage of airflow to the heat sink
Lead-free RoHS solder crystallizing over years - reflow the solder or use lead solder
Lenses fogging up or discoloring
Cheaper LED emitters getting dim as they age

The LED emitter is rather unlikely to fail.  What does this mean for fixture manufacturers?  It means making LEDs removable is a waste of time and actually makes the product less reliable, because a socket problem is more likely than an LED emitter problem.

With the very concept of a "bulb" gone, it gives the manufacturer freedom to design fixtures as they please.

This means you were barking up the wrong tree when you took it apart trying to find the mystery replaceable bulb.  There was probably nothing wrong with the emitters proper, unless they came unglued from the heat sink.  Given the age, most likely it was a power supply problem.  You could have tested for this with a voltmeter.

More about overdriving LEDs

LED emitters (the chip inside the "bulb" product) are expensive, a common cost-cutting approach is to overdrive LEDs.  The manufacturers fully expect this and spec the LEDs for this.  For instance this Cree XP-G2 is rated at 1500ma but is specced at 350ma.  Notice most of the charts assume 350ma, or assume 85C.

This unit (in R4 code, nominal 130lm) produces at 85C (and you can follow along on page 11, electrical characteristics and relative flux vs. current charts):

At 350ma, voltage is 2.8, watts are 0.98, lumens are 100% or 130, lm/w is 133.
At 750ma, voltage is 2.93, watts are 2.20, lumens are 195% or 253.5, lm/w is 115.
At 1125ma, voltage is 3.05, watts are 3.43, lumens are 270% or 351, lm/w is 102.
At 1500ma, voltage is 3.14, watts are 4.71, lumens are 340% or 442, lm/w is 94.

This assumes 85C.  Go to page 10 and you can see exactly how cooler temperatures result in more light; 10% more at 25C, and 10% less at 125C.  Now look at thermal design on page 13 and you'll see where the device requires a derate for high currents at high temperatures.

Lamp manufacturers balance the cost of more emitters (to run more efficiently) versus bigger heatsinks on fewer emitters.  Generally they need a heatsink regardless, so making a somewhat bigger heat sink is the cheapest option.


Removable wall panels as alternative to drywall

Since this is a utility area and, presumably, it doesn't have to look all that pretty, you could screw up plywood or OSB as a wall covering to protect the wiring and insulation. Paint it white or "builder's beige" to make it look a bit nicer, then, when you need to make changes, you can easily unscrew it. After the work's complete, put it right back up using the same screws and screw holes. They make screws in white, tan, green, etc. so you can get screws to match the wall color, so you probably won't even need to repaint to hide the screws!

I have to wonder, though, how often you're planning on "changing" wiring "and stuff" that you're worried about this. If you have some specific future expansion in mind, but aren't ready (financially or otherwise) to do it now, install conduit leading from where the wire "inlet" is (is there a breaker box here?) to where the power will be needed (or as far as you can) now, then cover with drywall.

When you're ready to take on this specific future work, it's easy to pull a string through the conduit (or run a fish through it, or install the string now while everything's open) and pull all your wiring through the conduit. You have the added expense of installing conduit, but that's going to be significantly less than the cost of drywall repair and repainting later.

If you go the "empty conduit" route, make sure you put in the maximum size conduit you can run through your stud cavities, and make sure you've got enough for any expansion work you can think of. Then double your capacity. Seriously, if you're planning this far ahead and are that concerned about future drywall work, additional conduit in the wall is cheap insurance. Much cheaper and less frustrating than being just short of enough conduit space and having to tear up the drywall anyway. Can you imagine getting all but that last cable into the conduit and having to tear everything up for One. More. Cable.


Can furring strips be installed diretly to a cinderblock wall not in a basement?

This is related to your question, but something I felt like commenting on: since your CMU exterior walls are covered up with vinyl siding, you have a perfect opportunity to insulate your house, which should give you quite a lot of bang for buck given that it currently has none. Remove the vinyl siding (carefully), cover the CMUs with 3+ inches of rigid foam or mineral wool boards, and then re-install the siding right over that. The difference in comfort and utility bills should be dramatic.


How can I determine the start up amps on a 3 phase 5 ton A/C unit?

For a hermetic compressor (what you most likely have in a unit of that size and vintage) -- the answer you seek is right on the compressor's nameplate, marked as "LRA", "Locked-Rotor Amps", under a "Locked Rotor" field, or in a similar fashion, as per NEC 440.4(A):

  The locked-rotor current of each single-phase motor-compressor having a
  rated-load current of more than 9 amperes at 115 volts, or more than 4.5
  amperes at 230 volts, and each polyphase motor-compressor shall be marked
  on the motor-compressor nameplate.

If you, somehow, have a compressor that uses an external motor drive, check the motor nameplate for the information from 430.7(B) point 8:

  (8) Code letter or locked-rotor amperes if an alternating-current motor
  rated 1/2 hp or more. On polyphase wound-rotor motors, the code letter
  shall be omitted.

(You'll also need Table 430.7(B) to interpret the code letters if your motor is marked that way.)


How to hang a frame with a sawtooth hanger from a wall?

A nail with small or no head - like a finish nail - would have to be at a 45-degree angle in order to hold the picture without it sliding right off.
A nail with a relatively large head - like a common nail - can be hammered straight in.
Screws can also work well, and let you easily adjust as needed. Wood screws are technically "best" for this, but a drywall screw will work just fine in most cases.
Note that a small nail or a picture hook is designed to go just into the drywall and hold a few pounds. If you are hanging something heavy (e.g., a big mirror), then you should find the studs and use a longer nail or a screw through the drywall and into the studs so that the stud is supporting the item, not the drywall.


Changing a pendant light to an LED pendant ligh

The 2 silver wires are connected to the black wire, the two silver wires w/ a white strip are connected to the white wire, all of the bare wires are connected to your bare wire in the box.


In what order should I install roofing, gutters, and attic insulation?

You want to do the roof before the gutters. Gutters attach to the roof decking and/or the fascia so if you did them first, they'd have to be removed. If the additional venting you mentioned is going to be installed on the roof, turbines, etc., they go in afterwards or possibly along with the new roof. If the venting will be installed in the eave with soffits, that can be done afterwards. Last but not least, the insulation goes in after everything else is complete


What kind of glass should I use for insulating a garage door window?

That would be double pane or triple pane, gas filled windows, but you would likely have to have them custom made.


Gaskets for tap/faucet for drinking water

This puzzled me. After some looking, I think this is referring to the NSF 61 standards, or a similar European/German standard. If that's the case, the phrase "for household, but not for drinking water" would mean that the product has not been approved for use in an industrial system that processes drinking water, but should be acceptable for household use.

In that case, I'd recommend just looking up the possible materials, and buying a gasket that uses a material you like the look of.


What's causing the sewer to back into the tub?

It turns out that there was a partial blockage in our drain between the DWV and the main sewer line.

Because it was a partial blockage, some water could drain, but when there was a lot of water, and especially solids going down the drain, the line got blocked, and plunging opened a smaller hole in the blockage.

We called our water department and they brought out an inspection camera and shoved it down the drain. We couldn't tell what the blockage was, but it was right at the end of the line. They stuck this bladder thing on the end of a hose and fed it down the line, hooked the other end up to our faucet, and turned the water on. It produced a bunch of pressure and forced the block out through the main sewer line. No clue what the block actually was.


The most likely failure point here is the GFCI's.  #2 is the switch.  Then the wire-nuts.  Lastly, the wire.

Since the switch is not involved, I'd try temporarily replacing the GFCI outlet with a quality plain outlet.  Buy quality, preferably one which uses the screws to clamp down on the wire, similar to the way it appears your GFCI grabs the wires.   Avoid plain backstabs: they don't use the screw and are cheap and should not be used twice even if you wrestle the wire out of them.

Obviously if changing the outlet fixes it, it's the GFCI.   I wonder why (or if) you have two GFCI outlets daisy chained with the LOAD of one connected to the LINE of the next.  It won't hurt them, it's just redundant, and so, a waste of money.  It can also create confusion: if the outlet goes out and you go to the GFCI and it's not tripped, you'll go nuts trying to figure that out... until you discover the other GFCI that has tripped.

I would also get some wire nuts, they have improved much mechanically in recent years, they are also color coded.  Use red ones to join 4 wires of that size.


By code the sheath of the romex should be 1/4" inside the box. The open junction behind the new box or the original box what looks to be just conductors running to the new box would also be a code violation. To bring this up to code A cover plate with holes and clamps wounded be needed on the old box then short pieces of romex with the sheaths entering the boxes 1/4" would meet code requirements. If there is not enough room for all the splices a box extension on the old box could be used some box extensions have knockouts on the side this would be easier to wire and clamp than clamps on the cover if the space in the old box is tight.


Supply Elbow doesn't tighten against wall

Replacing the current pipe nipple with one that is slightly shorter is the best way to go here. The thing to do is to simply cut off the length of the current nipple by the requisite amount and then get that end threaded slightly more. The re-threading step is necessary because the pipe nipple threads are a tapered thread.

If you do not have the tools to re-thread the pipe yourself it is a service often offered by the bigger old school type hardware stores. A machine shop or plumbing shop are places where you could likely also get this service.

Edit:

It occurs to me that if you have only 9/16" of the pipe nipple projecting from the wall that it may be somewhat difficult for you to remove the thing using conventional plumbing tools. A typical pipe wrench would gnash the threads as you tried to remove the nipple.

There is a special tool just for this purpose called an internal pipe wrench that can be used from inside the nipple to remove the long one and re-install the shortened one. These are available from most tool suppliers including via Amazon.


Why is water heater making the water smell like sulfur?

A sulfur smell is usually a sign of sediment in the tank. This is common if the tank is left on during long absences or low volume use. A spent anode can contribute to this smell, since other parts will start to corrode once the sacrificial anode is spent.

You should purge the tank by draining it from the bottom valve with the water supply and power turned off. You may be shocked by the gunk that may come out. Once the tank is empty, turn on the water (no power) and partially fill the tank allowing it to continuously drain. Repeat this flushing until the waste water is clean and fresh smelling again. the anode is often inserted in the top of the tank and can be removed with a wrench. A new one can be inserted, seal with some plumbers putty or teflon tape.  Once you are satisfied you have purged and flushed the tank, turn on the water, fill the tank and run the hot water faucets to clear any remaining bad water out of the feed pipes.  After all this is said and done, turn the power back on and heat the water.


Why is there moisture under some new wall plates in the basement?

Pressure-treated lumber is as juicy as a ripe peach. On many occasions I've been splattered in the face while cutting and nailing boards fresh out of a strapped unit. It weights as much as three times a dry board. I'd guess that the concrete is drawing the moisture out of the wood. It's not coming through the nail holes.
Run a fan to circulate things for a few days, and run a dehumidifier if necessary. See what's what then.


Why do some oil heaters ("red diesel") use also electricity and some not?

The Webasto-type heater uses a high-pressure electric pump to atomize the fuel, and an electrically-powered glow-spark plug to preheat it.

The burner your link points to is a gravity-fed burner (i.e. there is no electric pump). It exists in two variants:

1- yellow-flame type = a less efficient, but less complicated system.

2- blue-flame type = a more efficient, but more complex system. The blue-flame system works like the multifuel expedition stove: after a period of preheating, the pipe bringing the fuel to the fuel jet becomes very hot, so the fuel it is transporting vaporizes; the pressure of the gasified fuel rises, and the resulting high-pressure gas exits the burner jet and combusts with an efficient blue flame.

The latter system thus requires no electricity, but needs a brief preheat period to begin working. During this time the flame is yellow, and may produce some smoke.


It's the terminal between R and W

See the white wire coming from the cable to the A/C compressor? Since the red wire in that cable goes to the Y terminal, the white wire in that cable has only one place it can go for the A/C to work, and that is the C terminal on the control board or its equivalent transformer terminal.

P.S. as to how you have the thermostat hooked up? It's spot on.


Why do they use a different tap for filtered water instead of the regular tap?

The kitchen sink is used for various other purposes than getting a glass of water to drink. So you don't want to be wasting the filter when doing your dishes.


Why would a CFL bulb dim by itself after 60 seconds?

The Feb. 2012 issue of Consumer Reports had a sidebar about new hybrid halogen/CFL light bulbs as part of a review of light bulbs.  The sidebar includes a picture of a two-pack of GE Energy Smart 75W equivalent bulbs.

These bulbs have a halogen bulb inside the CFL swirl.  The theory is that the halogen is used when the light is first turned on, providing instant light.  The waste heat from the halogen bulb helps to warm the CFL, allowing it to reach full brightness quicker.  The halogen is turned off after the CFL has warmed up, so you're getting the energy savings from the CFL from that point on.  The drop in brightness you're seeing is when the halogen turns off.

The CR review said that these bulbs didn't last well in a 2 minute on / 2 minute off rapid cycle test, but were otherwise very good to excellent.  It also pointed out that once the CFL fails, you'll have a bulb that lights for a minute, then turns out on its own.


How to prevent the washing machine outlet from backflowing to other devices

If these appliances are supposed to drain into a standpipe, then they need to be connected in a way that allows them to drain in open air.

Get a double wye, of the appropriate size to fit on the standpipe.  Then put one drain into the left wye, the other into the right wye, and leave the center wye open.

If the standpipe opening is large enough to accommodate both drain lines, and still have open space to "breath".  Then you should just be able to put both drains into the standpipe, without adding any other fittings.


Why is it OK to use a 50 A receptacle on a 40 A circuit?

Table 210.24 is a summary of branch circuit requirements. If we look at 210.24, we'll see which sections this table summarizes.

National Electrical Code 2008
ARTICLE 210 Branch Circuits
210.24 Branch-Circuit Requirements — Summary. The requirements for circuits that have two or more outlets or receptacles, other than the
receptacle circuits of 210.11(C)(1) and (C)(2), are summarized in
Table 210.24. This table provides only a summary of minimum
requirements. See 210.19, 210.20, and 210.21 for the specific
requirements applying to branch circuits.

As we can see, this table summarizes section 19, 20, and 21 of article 210. Also note that these are the requirements for "circuits that have two or more outlets or receptacles".
In this particular case, we'll want to read through section 21(B).

210.21 Outlet Devices.
(A) Lampholders.
(B) Receptacles.
(1) Single Receptacle on an Individual Branch Circuit. A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall have an
ampere rating not less than that of the branch circuit.
(2) Total Cord-and-Plug-Connected Load. Where connected to a branch circuit supplying two or more receptacles or outlets, a
receptacle shall not supply a total cord-and-plug-connected load in
excess of the maximum specified in Table 210.21(B)(2).
(3) Receptacle Ratings. Where connected to a branch circuit supplying two or more receptacles or outlets, receptacle ratings shall
conform to the values listed in Table 210.21(B)(3), or where larger
than 50 amperes, the receptacle rating shall not be less than the
branch-circuit rating.
Exception No. 1:
Exception No. 2: The ampere rating of a receptacle installed for electric discharge lighting shall be permitted to be based on 410.62(C).
(4) Range Receptacle Rating. The ampere rating of a range receptacle shall be permitted to be based on a single range demand
load as specified in Table 220.55.

First we're pointed to Table 210.21(B)(3).

Which again tells us that we can have a 50A receptacle on a 40A circuit, so it would seem that it's allowed because it's allowed. However, if we look at the table again and read 210.21(B)(3) Exception number 2.

They both seem to point us to 410.62(C).

410.62 Cord-Connected Lampholders and Luminaires.
(C) Electric-Discharge Luminaires.
(1) Cord-Connected Installation. A luminaire or a listed assembly shall be permitted to be cord connected if the following conditions
apply:   (1) The luminaire is located directly below the outlet or
busway.   (2) The flexible cord meets all the following:   a. Is
visible for its entire length outside the luminaire   b. Is not
subject to strain or physical damage   c. Is terminated in a
grounding-type attachment plug cap or busway plug, or is a part of a
listed assembly incorporating a manufactured wiring system connector
in accordance with 604.6(C), or has a luminaire assembly with a strain
relief and canopy having a maximum 152 mm (6 in.) long section of
raceway for attachment to an outlet box above a suspended ceiling
(2) Provided with Mogul-Base, Screw Shell Lampholders. Electric-discharge luminaires provided with mogulbase, screw shell
lampholders shall be permitted to be connected to branch circuits of
50 amperes or less by cords complying with 240.5. Receptacles and
attachment plugs shall be permitted to be of a lower ampere rating
than the branch circuit but not less than 125 percent of the luminaire
full-load current.
(3) Equipped with Flanged Surface Inlet. Electric discharge luminaires equipped with a flanged surface inlet shall be permitted to
be supplied by cord pendants equipped with cord connectors. Inlets and
connectors shall be permitted to be of a lower ampere rating than the
branch circuit but not less than 125 percent of the luminaire load
current.

If you look at 410.62(C)(2) & 410.62(C)(3), you'll see that it says:

Inlets and connectors shall be permitted to be of a lower ampere
rating than the branch circuit but not less than 125 percent of the
luminaire load current.

Say I have an electric discharge luminaire that is 35A. The first part says if I can find a 35A receptacle, I can use that. However, it also says that the connector cannot be less than 125% of the load. Which means I'll need a 43.75A receptacle. Since they don't exists, I'll have to use a 50A receptacle.

Also, they don't make 40A receptacles, so you'll have to use a 50A receptacle.


Toilet won’t flush and found this floating in the cistern

Flush mechanisms are fairly straightforward. Diagnosing the problem is the first step. Correcting the problem may require an adjustment or a new flush mechanism.

Diagnosis

With the lid off of the cistern push down on the flush handle. The lever inside should be connected to the flap (usually with a chain) that releases the water at the bottom of the cistern. From the picture it appears that the connecting chain may be loose or disconnecred.
The mystery part floating in your cistern is probably part of that connection.
Try pulling up the flap by hand and let it release. If it flushes normally the solution is in restoring the lever to flap connection. You might be able to do that by reconnecting everything or simply replace the flush mechanism which you should be able to buy at any Home Center for a few dollars.


How smooth does the floor need to be to lay vinyl plank over it?

You can download the DIY installation instructions here, which contain a lot of guidance on the subfloor requirements, as well as instructions.  They say concrete is a suitable subfloor, although they are probably referring to a typical interior floor rather than a broom finished surface.

There are also several caveats for concrete.  It needs to be level (i.e., smooth/flat) to within 3/16" per 10 foot radius, and not have a moisture problem (the planks won't be damaged, but the moisture can collect under them and wick to walls and cause damage).

Ceramic tile (with grout lines), and textured vinyl are suitable subfloors, so the the surface irregularities in those surfaces aren't considered a problem (but they provide more support surface, that is less pointy).

The planks are rigid, so irregularities won't telegraph through them.  They have a cork bottom layer which should conform to the small points in the surface.  The planks don't expand or contract, which would mean that they don't move in relation to the rough surface, which might abrade the bottom, although they still want you to leave an expansion gap around the perimeter, so who knows.

If you are concerned that the surface is rougher and more irregular than a typical concrete floor, the best bet is to ask them directly.  They have a toll-free support number, 844-743-7439, that you can call to get their recommendation.


Rinnai tankless on-demand water heater making a high-pitched whistling sound

An exterior garden hose spigot was on, leaking, and whistling.  Turning off the outside spigot stopped the whistling in the Rinnai.  The water heater must have acted as an amplifier for the sound travelling through the pipes of the house.


As mentioned in the comments, a test is the only way to be absolutely sure.  This site has some good information (though it is US-focused):

https://www.asbestosguide.org/asbestos-in-plaster/

This looks to be perhaps the most relevant to answering your question:

  Usually asbestos was only added to walls that were fire rated, such as elevator shaft walls and the walls in commercial buildings. Most houses don’t have asbestos plaster in them. To ensure everyone’s safety, if you know a wall is fire rated and was built before 1990, you should assume that it contains asbestos and get a sample of the plaster tested immediately.

But, note it starts with "usually".  The site also has a list of known products that contained asbestos, if you have construction history from the landlord.

Also of particular note:

  Asbestos plaster is most dangerous when it is damaged. Damaged asbestos plaster is known as “friable asbestos”, which means the material can easily break and crumble, releasing asbestos fibers into the atmosphere.


Do I need to prep/clean a new redwood fence before I apply sealer?

If the wood hasn't been pressure treated and is dry and clean, I'd skip the cleaning solution. If it has been pressure treated, the product suggests you wait a few months to let the wood "air out". In that case, you'd want to then use the cleaning solution.


What is the proper hole size to drill through joists for wiring?

According to International Residential Code, the maximum diameter of a bored hole in sawn lumber is 1/3 the depth of the board.

See this answer for more details.

A 2x8 joist has a depth 7¼", so maximum hole diameter would be 2 13/32" (7.25" / 3 = 2.41667").


Why does my pressure tank cycle so frequently?

The bladder is there to flatten the pressure/volume curve so pressure doesn't change rapidly as water is pumped.

This allows for a longer duty cycle.

The expected symptom of a burst bladder is just as you describe.


There are lots of places where you can get door glass inserts. Big Box stores such as HDepot and others ..

search term Door Glass Inserts

You are going to invest in labor and also it might cost you similar pricing for a new door.


How can I break up a small boulder without power tools?

You can go at it with a sledgehammer (or a smaller hand sledge) and a star drill, and then drive wedges into the holes (or if you are patient, fill the holes with water and let them freeze in the winter.) There are special wedges designed for use in round holes for splitting rock (feathers and wedges seems to find them). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug_and_feather

Remember to use ear and eye protection.

Another approach from our practical forebears if you just need it out of the way would be to dig a hole 2-1/2 feet long, 2 feet wide and 3 feet deep next to it, then roll it in and bury it.

You could also build a bonfire on or around it, but that has some potential to become more exciting than planned for if the stone has trapped water in it.


Ice buildup inside Samsung RF266 refrigerator

Had same issue with my Samsung refrigerator for a while was defrosting the fridge to work but was lucky to find repair kit for this issue and now not icing anymore for over 4 months now so decided upload my recommendation here.
please use link to view the lifesaver kit :)
Samsung Refrigerator Defrost Booster Kit -Ice Buildup, Noises and cooling issues repair kit, Samsung ice buildup repair kit
good luck guys


Want to know if we can make the window size of a bay window larger?

No, no and again NO.  Not the way you suggest it, anyway.

This is an exterior wall.  It is therefore a load bearing wall.  Those two 2x4s (called jack studs) support the header over the window.

The weight of the rest of the house above the window is protected by the header, which in turn transfers the force to the two jack studs (as in they jack up the house) carry that weight to the underlying structure.  If you remove one of the jack studs, too much force may be transferred to the other one, causing it to bow or even possibly fail.  Either scenario translates to having weight of the wall above the house coming to rest on the window itself - and that is a BAD THING (TM).

If you wish to restructure for a larger opening properly, you must open the wall up further and relocate the king and jack studs, and install a longer (and possibly wider) header as well.  Otherwise you can cause many tens of thousands of dollars of damage to your house.

Do not fiddle lightly with structure.


Replacing Electric Cooktop 30A #10 Wire (manual says needs #8 wire)

Cooking appliances are a bit weird

The NEC treats household electric cooking appliances (ranges, cooktops, ovens) somewhat differently due to their rather uneven loads.  This starts in section and table 220.55 of the NEC, which applies an 80% demand factor to the load of a single household cooking appliance rated not more than 8.75kW.  As a result, your JEC9530's nameplate rating gets this factor applied to it, causing it to be considered a 6kW cooktop for the purposes of load calculations, as 220.14(B) invokes 220.55, and 220.10 invokes 220.14 in turn.

From here, we divide by 240V to get 25A for the maximum demand load of the cooktop, then apply 210.19(A)(3) to allow us to use 10AWG wire and a 30A breaker, as the conductors only need to be large enough to serve the load, with no 125% continuous load adjustment in sight.


How should one polish transparent polystyrene plastic?

I've used a similar process to restore hazed automotive headlights. 3M sells a kit that is used with a power drill and includes all the required materials.

I've used this kit and was happy with the results. I'm not affiliated with 3M.


Are plywood dovetails a good solution to building something that needs to be dismantled?

Dove tail joints are not a good option for any type of furniture that you would later hope to take back apart. Dove tails are designed to make a strong and attractive joint that is meant to be permanent.

For advice on how to create effective joints that are straight forward to put together and take apart take a study of the techniques used by kit furniture producers.

The types of fastener hardware illustrated can be purchased from a number of on-line wood worker suppliers (leevalley, mcfeelys, woodcraft, rockler). Search for terms including "cam locks", "counter top connector", and "knock-down fasteners".


The box is grounded via conduit

The locknut on the right of your second photo along with the lack of ground wires and the doubled white wire running into the right-hand locknut all combine to say one thing: this is a conduit job, and since the box is metal and no ground wire is present, the conduit must be metal as well to provide the grounding path.

As a result, NEC 404.9(B) point 1 applies, rendering the switch yokes grounded:

  (B) Grounding. Snap switches, including dimmer and similar
  control switches, shall be connected to an equipment grounding conductor and shall provide a means to connect metal faceplates to the equipment grounding conductor, whether or not
  a metal faceplate is installed. Metal faceplates shall be
  grounded. Snap switches shall be considered to be part of an
  effective ground-fault current path if either of the following
  conditions is met:

  (1) The switch is mounted with metal screws to a metal box
  or metal cover that is connected to an equipment
  grounding conductor or to a nonmetallic box with integral means for connecting to an equipment grounding
  conductor.

  (2) An equipment grounding conductor or equipment bonding jumper is connected to an equipment grounding
  termination of the snap switch.

If your new switch provides a ground wire...

If your new switch has a ground wire on it, that can be terminated to a 10-32 machine screw threaded into the mating hole on the back of the box. (It's visible top right in the second photo, just to the left of a larger hole.)


Fishing coaxial through two floors and foam insulated holes in fire block

Your options are to engineer a new path or to open up the drywall around the places where the spray foam was used. This shouldn't be a major problem as drywall is easily patched and refinished.

Even with finding a new path you may very well have to open up access holes to allow for drilling through fire blocks or the top/bottom plates at floor transitions.


If you are going to finish the soffits, do as Fresh Codemonger indicated in comments. That will allow the gap of the soffit at the wall to be closed by the siding.

If you are not planning on finishing the soffits, add a 2X block between the overhang supports to create a straight line to finish the siding against. The added 2X which will also aid in the fastening of the soffit material if you choose to finish them later.

If you are planning on finishing the soffits, but it is not in the budget for now, temporarily fasten a scrap piece of material to the added 2X that is 1/8" thicker than what will be the soffit material thickness, so it can be removed when you are ready to add the finish soffits. The extra 1/8" will allow the soffit material to go in place over the siding and will only need a little caulk to seal the small gap left over.


There's a rule to prevent that shock

  In a multi-wire branch circuit (which shares neutral), Pigtail neutrals.  This is why: so you can remove any device for servicing without severing the neutral that other hot wires are depending on.

Set aside, for now, the fact that this isn't a MWBC and is, in fact, a disaster.

Consider the neutral above the receptacle, to the wirenut, and on to load 1 and the two smart switches.  What keeps this neutral near 0 volts?  Is it the appellation 'neutral'?  Is it the white color?  Nope.  What keeps it near 0 volts is that it's tied back to neutral at the panel.  Which you severed when you removed the receptacle for servicing.

Now, absolutely nothing keeps the neutral near 0 volts.  It would "float" at any voltage, vulnerable to inductive or capacitive coupling like any floating wire.  Except for switch 2.  Switch 2 is trying to power itself. It is trying to take power off the "LINE" wire from panel 2.  It is returning that power via the "neutral" from panel 1, which lifts that neutral to 120V, as I show in the second illustration here.  Your removed outlet is the X, and that's where you put your hand.

Now let's start into the grocery list of defects here.

Do not mix sources from two different panels

Don't even mix grounds.  Normally, grounds are the one thing you can web everywhere.  But even the rules for retrofitting grounds don't let you mix grounds out of two different panels.

Mixing neutrals out of two panels is way past wrong.  Mixing hots out of two panels is insane.  You just don't do that. Ever.

It's not illegal to have supplies from multiple panels transit the same raceways, but they never serve the same loads.

Do not mix neutrals - except in properly designed MWBC

The above notwithstanding, ground is a big spiderweb, but neutral is not - neutrals must be fastidiously kept with their partner hots.  There's a stupid-simple reason for this:  neutrals don't have breakers.  The only thing protecting a neutral from being overloaded is the fact that it only returns power for its one hot (or carefully chosen and balanced several hots, in a Multi-Wire Branch Circuit, where it only returns differential current. Damn, MWBCs are fun.)

  Multi-wire branch circuits must  have common maintenance shut-off, i.e. a 2-pole breaker that guarantees when you shut off an MWBC leg for service, you are shutting off all legs.

A fairly recent (2011) NEC rule which also aims to solve the problem you just had. This works belt and suspenders with the "pigtail neutrals" rule.

Regardless you need more experience to be playing with MWBCs.

Currents must be equal in each cable or conduit

It's difficult for geeks to understand this, because they are used to thinking DC.  AC creates pulsating magnetic fields.  As long as all wires run together, the magnetic fields cancel each other out.  However, if they travel a loop, the inside of the loop becomes the core of a transformer.  If you've ever torn one down, you know the core is inexplicably a stack of thin steel plates laminated together with some sort of lacquer. This is to arrest "eddy currents" so as to prevent eddy current heating within the transformer core.

That eddy current energy can be considerable, which is why Code talks so much about it.

The way you avoid this is, draw your drawings with all conductors in a cable or conduit drawn close together, and space between all cables and conduits.  If your drawing encloses an area, as your drawing does, then your currents are almost certainly unequal.  When I colored the above drawing gray, I should have left the center blob white, just to make that clear. If your drawing looks like a tree, then currents must be equal since there is no other possible route.  You're all set.

Fix 1: Feed everything from the left circuit

In this case we just cut the right power cable.  SNIP! And it's gone.

While I was writing this, ThreePhaseEel described this one.

Fix 2:  Feed load 2 from the right circuit

In this case we swap switch2 and the add-on and sever the neutral connection in the left box.  The add-on communicates only with the black-red-white cable from supply 2.

Note the Invisible Wall between the circuit 1 stuff in the left side of the switch box, and the circuit 2 stuff on the right side.   I am surprised the remote switch doesn't need an always-hot, however if needed, it's in the bundle as a spare.  Also separate the ground for that extra cable - that'll make it rather obvious to the astute observer that this is served from a different circuit, since every wire in the cable goes to one device.


Why would said gas furnace keep shutting off?

This isn't a great answer but I want to provide something in case it helps others.

There was no issue with my flame sensor or the ignition device.  It went on just fine but was kicking off due to some other reason.

After a lot of troubleshooting it was fixed by one of three reasons:

powering off the furnace for a couple hours with thermostat disconnected.
installing new thermostat. I was due for a new thermostat and not sure what could have been wrong with the old one.  It did run out of batteries right before this but it doesn't make sense that when I left the old thermostat it worked fine with the furnace cover off.  The only thing I can think of is the old thermostat was sending incorrect signals to the furnace that caused it to need more air during usage (maybe an AC expert might be able to give a plausible reason for this).
Reseating cover with slight gap.  I have since put this fully on but left it with a slight gap the first couple of weeks.

I did nothing else to the unit and the unit was in otherwise pristine condition - only a couple years old.


There are two, somewhat related problems that can happen to the earthing system in a house

Your earthing system isn't connected to earth well enough (or at all)

This is mainly a problem due to lightning etc. inducing surges on the power line -- the earthing of your house's power grid limits these surges to a manageable value for other things (like surge suppressors).  Ed Beal's answer covers testing for this, although it's not a terribly high priority to fix.

Your earthing system isn't connected to the neutral/return well enough (or at all), or is connected improperly to the neutral/return

This is the main issue people complain about when they say their house has "no ground".  The bond between the neutral (return) and ground (earth) systems at the service entrance is what allows the ground system to serve as a safety mechanism against exposed metal parts becoming energized.  However, it can be defeated by being absent altogether, or by an improper cross-connection between earth and neutral.  There are two tests to perform here, in addition to a visual inspection of the neutral and earthing systems:

The energized yoke test -- this involves seeing if a non-contact voltage detector held near the normally earthed yoke of a receptacle is set off.  This test catches a very dangerous situation where the neutral and earth contacts on the receptacle are both inadvertently hot while the hot contact is connected to the neutral -- in North American practice, this is called a "reverse polarity bootleg ground".
The earth bond/ground loop impedance test -- a specialized tester called a "ground loop impedance tester" is used for this.  It plugs into a receptacle and measures the impedance it finds between ground and neutral -- this catches other issues like an open ground, or a "bootleg" connection between neutral and ground located at the receptacle.  If one is not available, a voltmeter measurement from neutral to ground with the circuit loaded can substitute -- this should read half a volt to a few volts on a properly wired and loaded circuit due to voltage drops in the loaded neutral wire, but will read nearly nothing if a bootleg ground is present at a receptacle.  Unfortunately, bootleg grounds may be present in other places in the electrical system as well, and are far harder to catch when they are, often requiring a lucky visual sighting of the errant wire to find.


My artesian well just ran dry. Do I just wait for it to fill up?

The short answer is, depending on the source of the water table, it should fill back up over time.
But there are many reasons, other than you leaving the hose on for a day, why your well can run dry.
Are there any new building developments in the area?
Is your region suffering from low rain or snow fall this year?
Or, if there's excessive rain/snowfall, your well could have filled up with excess silt, effectively clogging your well pump.


Replacing double light switch 4 black and one red

It looks like you have something like this.

The top switch is the three way and controls the light along with the other dimmer switch. The bottom one is is a single pole that controls a light by itself. You're going to want to buy a switch just like this and wire back the same. As long as you make sure the wires go back in the same positions, you'll be fine.
As someone mentioned, putting some tape around the wires as they are pulled off might help to identify them later. You can get different colors of electrical tape at a hardware store. Also important is to make sure the power is turned off to that switch before working on it to avoid being shocked.
When in doubt, call a professional.


That will depend on exact details of the tube's thickness and alloy, how force is being applied at the fulcrum, ... I suggest getting expert advice on this one and buying something spec'd by forces it has to carry rather than trying to guess by size.


How should I decide which flooring underlayment is best?

The question is quite broad, but there are two primary differences (aside from cost): sound management and the ability to level imperfect subfloors.

Sound management (deadening, which can reduce tapping noise) depends on the thickness and composition of the underlayment. Leveling ability is primarily a matter of underlayment thickness.

You'll need to discuss the options as they pertain to your choice of flooring and your subfloor situation with your sales pro and make a decision based on your personal criteria.


Does a split neutral conform to the NEC?

Yes, the proper term for that is "multi-wire branch circuit".  Two hot wires share a neutral. The neutral handles only the difference in current, becuase the hots are on opposite poles.  If one hot is loaded to 15A and the other is loaded to 13A, the neutral only carries 2A.  Several things for an inspector to watch for:

the hots MUST be on opposite poles.  If they are on the same pole, the neutral will carry the sum of currents (28A) instead of the difference (2A).
In MWBC, neutral wires do not count as conductors for anything thermal.  E.g. There is a maximum of 9 conductors allowed in one conduit before derating is required.  If you see 12 wires in four MWBCs, that is OK because it's only 8 conductors.  Why?  See note at bottom.
Wires in MWBCs must be marked as "together" in the usual manner of marking wires as groups, e.g. entering the box in the same Romex.
starting at NEC 2002, neutrals in MWBC's must be pigtailed.  To be more precise, wiring must be done so that any device (outlet, switch, lamp, etc.) can be removed for servicing without severing the neutral for the other side of the MWBC.   That's so if the power is still turned on for the other half of the MWBC, the serviceman doesn't interrupt its neutral.   This is not a factor after the hots go their separate ways, e.g. if they split into two outlet strings.
Starting at NEC 2011, the maintenance shut-off must disconnect all legs of the MWBC. On common circuit breaker panels, the breakers need handle ties. A 2-pole breaker will do the job, but it is not required.  Overcurrent protection does not need to trip together, so if a trip on one leg fails to trip the other handle-tied breaker, that is not a violation.
Beware of MWBC's connected to a tandem/duplex breaker.  People often confuse these for 2-pole breakers, but they are on the same pole, so they create the dangerous situation in my first point.  One hint is that they don't make handle ties for that.
There is such a thing as a 3-phase MWBC.  This involves 208 "wye" and three hots and a neutral.  With these, you can get 3 MWBC's (e.g. 9 lighting zones)  into a single conduit without derating.

Why do 3 wires count as 2?  Heat is a function of current squared, and in any MWBC load, the three wires' heat is equal or cooler than two wires carrying the same current.  Three wires carrying 15, 13 and 2 amps run cooler than two wires carrying 15 and 15 amps.  Hence they are only counted as two wires.


Can built in bookcases be installed on carpet

I think you can go either way regarding the carpet. Installing the book case is really not much different from moving a piece of furniture shelving along a wall, filling it up with things and then letting it stay there for 10 or 15 years.

Since you are installing a built-in unit it is probably being custom made. As such you may want to consider how the bottom of it designed so that it has a base that is a nice streamlined rectangular shape. This would greatly simplify cutting carpet now or dealing with future flooring installs. This would be as opposed to having shelf sides or back panels that come all the way to the floor where the carpet or new flooring would have to be fitted all around the shape of the unit's foot print.

My recommendation is that since you are planning floor covering replacement within the time frame that you will have to deal with it that you get the footprint to be "as easy as possible" like I discussed above and then cut the existing carpet, tack strips and padding away from where the new unit will sit. Then set your unit right down on the sub-floor. Doing so will necessitate that you install new tack strip along the front of the unit (and maybe the sides) to re-stretch and hook the carpet to for the duration of the time you keep the existing carpet.

Cutting the carpet is relatively easy. Measure carefully where the cuts need to be made and then lay down a metal carpet cutting guide. Use a carpet cutting knife to slit along the metal guide down into the carpet and pad. Note that sometimes it can be helpful to use heavy weights or medium sandbags to hold the cutting guide in place during measurement and placement.


Damper close to main supply vs damper close to the register end: what is the difference between the two positions?

The biggest difference I see is noise.  The damper at the register likes to whistle when I have it mostly closed.

Also I personally want to install dampers on my main trunks so I can control air flow to each level, this is where dampers on the lines excel at.  Controlling air flow to areas of your house.  In the summer I want more airflow upstairs and in the winter I want more flow downstairs.  If your system is trunked/branched right, you can do this with only a couple of dampers.


My answer would be no you cannot. It may depend on your location, maybe not, but a metal roof will allow condensation to form on the underside and that will allow other things to grow like mildew, from the existing growth you have, or keep the other alive too. You will need to clear the old roofing material and lay a condensation barrier down to keep the condensation from the metal from damaging the under structure of the roof.


Is there any way to reduce UV fading on a hardwood floor?

Low-E windows will go a great job, and help with many energy losses.

A rug will always be better than just about anything, covered places on just about anything will take less abuse than uncovered surfaces.

Minwax has always been my favorite for anything I can put it on.

Their naming conventions are not always the most clever.

'Minwax Super Fast-Drying Polyurethane for Floors' is a product that will work for you.

They make a number of other products for coating hardwood floors.

Sherwin-Williams has never led me astray either.

Working on wood floors sucks, best of luck to you


Inserting pvc pipe into wall for kitchen drain

I wouldn't just throw cement on a PVC pipe and shove it in there. You need to clean off the rust, corrosion and other debris that's in the cast iron pipe. Grind out the rough/rust spots so you have a smooth surface. Then get an compression donut from your plumbing store that fits in your cast iron pipe and also your PVC pipe. Follow the directions and you should be good to go..
(picture from Home Depot site)


A healthy home pulls in air, circulates it, and releases it. You have negative pressure when you are releasing more air than you are pulling in. This could be caused by a blocked intake or an over-working exhaust system. The most common, for a stove, would be a vent hood pulling too much air from your home than it can pull in to keep the fire going (see figure 1 above.) However, since this is happening throughout the house, it could be multiple fans that are leading to the overall problem. The best way to test this, no joke, is to open a window near one of the fires and see if it can stay lit then. If it can, then it is negative air pressure within the home. If it goes out, you might be having issues with your gas line.. possibly a partially closed valve somewhere or issues further down with your meter even.

This is most common with wood fires as they draw a lot of air to keep going, but it's the same concept for any fire. Try opening a window and see where that gets you.

As for fixing negative pressure.. that comes down to the systems in your home. Either you're not getting enough air coming into the home, or your house is pulling too much out. Have you had any changes to your HVAC system?


I want to mix old latex paint with ready concrete mix or cat litter to make pavers.

Honestly this seems like more of a "life hacks".SE question.  There are how-to guides "all over the web" about tinting concrete with latex paint (normal mix, except when adding water, replace 25% of the water with latex paint). While the intent is not yours and they are obviously running out and buying paint for this purpose, the effect is the same.

Despite your eagerness to make the paint go away, I would not increase the ratio further unless you want the concrete to fail.  If you think it's a hassle to dispose of 3000 pounds of paint, try disposing of 50,000 pounds of concrete.

You may want stronger tints.  You can up-tint paint: adding more tints than are already in the can. - more yellow, or if yellow, some green/blue to make it greener.   Don't try to overpower tints with contradictory tints (ones on the other side of the color wheel), as the combination will turn to mud.   You'd need to find a family hardware store small enough not to have "policy" against selling you tints compatible with your system.


How well does ceiling paint double as closet paint?

i hate to break it to you, but closets are usually left with ceiling paint all over them.  its not for the reason of "seeing the colours of your clothes" (thats a good one that i havent heard before), its because when a builder puts paint on, its with a gun.  if you dont mask the inside of the closet, you save time and money.  ceiling paint is pretty tough, hides imperfections in the drywall (very common in closets), and most importantly, is cheaper than wall paint.

builders dont use semigloss anywhere unless the customer specifically requests it (and pays the difference in finishing and painting costs) because semigloss highlights imperfections, whereas flats or eggshells minimize them.

its all about the dollarino


Should I Insulate Between Floors to Reduce Noise?

I put Roxul Safe n Sound in our entire basement ceiling when I finished the basement, and it made an enormous difference. So much so that it's hard to remember what it used to be like. I would absolutely recommend it.


What material is window insulation film?

A quick Wikipedia search leads me to say its Polyolefin (also see Shrink Wrap):

  The most commonly used shrink wrap is polyolefin. It is available in a variety of thicknesses, clarities, strengths and shrink ratios. The two primary films can be either crosslinked, or non crosslinked. Other shrink films include PVC and several other compositions.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrink_wrap

Any adhesive that will adhere to "plastics" should work fine.