Are freezers afected by subfreezing temperatures, (weather)

The key is that this is not "freezer" but "side-by-side refrigerator-freezer". In theory, at least, a simple freezer left in below freezing conditions will just freeze. Actually, not quite that simple, because a residential freezer ideal temperature is 0 degrees F, not 20 degrees, but if it simply quit working, 20 degrees would keep things safe enough, generally speaking, for a few days.
However, a refrigerator-freezer is a complex device. It typically does not have "a refrigerator temperature" and "a freezer temperature" with mechanisms to keep each compartment at the right temperature (e.g., 38 F refrigerator, 0 F freezer). Instead, it relies on:

Outside temperature in a very moderate range - typically 50 F (too cold and the refrigerator won't need much cooling...which leads to the freezer getting too warm because nothing is cooling) to 85 F (too hot and the appliance simply can't cool fast enough).
Both refrigerator and freezer needing cooling at the same time. So if the refrigerator gets warm, the compressor starts running to cool the refrigerator, and the freezer gets cooled down at the same time, and vice versa.

plus, modern refrigerators/freezers are designed to use very little energy. Part of that is handled by insulation - gain less heat and you have to run the compressor less. Part is by minimizing the equipment - if the compressor (and fans and so forth) is smaller/uses less energy when running then the total energy used will be lower.
The end result is that an unconditioned space is bad for a typical "inside" refrigerator/freezer, with bad results to be expected if there are extended times below the nominal refrigerator temperature (the system just doesn't handle it well) or very hot (just can't keep up - and unlike air conditioning where the people can manage and at least appreciate that 80 F inside is a lot better than 100 F outside, a refrigerator that ends up at 50 F will result in spoiled food without you even realizing it!).
The only practical way around the problem is to keep all ordinary refrigerators/freezers in conditioned space. Even in an extended power outage, that is still likely to be better than unconditioned space, at least for the first day or two. (Well, actually in a summer power outage inside is better, in a winter power outage, outside would be better - but that is only the combination of cold + power out. If you have hot + power out or power on (hot or cold) then inside is better.)


Why does paint on the table blister and wood swells?

Although it is difficult to tell by the picture, the damage shown is typical of what happens when painted particle board (which swells when exposed to moisture) is allowed to get wet.

Why does it expand? Because it is made by compressing sawdust with a binding resin, and unless it is protected from moisture the binder is compromised and it "decompresses".


Return ducts are commonly formed using cavities in framing and drywall. The vent opening is often nothing more than a sheet metal frame around which drywall is fit.

Use sheet metal, drywall, and existing framing to create your passage, and simply apply your vent grille where appropriate.


SDS, SDS MAX, SDS PLUS: which bits can I use?

It's described as SDS MAX and Spline combination.

This question/answer imply that your choices are... SDS MAX and Spline. SDS MAX is incompatible with (and much larger than) the other SDS types.

What are the differences between SDS, SDS Plus, and SDS Max drills?


With a GFCI breaker no other GFCI device is needed and sometimes a second GFCI device can cause nuisance tripping. I have seen a DIY person that did not understand put close to 50 GFCI outlets in his home that only had 5 or 6 branch circuits and thought he had miswired because now he was constantly tripping them. So why was a GFCI outlet added to a GFCI protected branch circuit? Probably because the person did not understand how they work.


Installing an outdoor inlet for a portable generator

If you want this to look decent, and be safe. You want to have something like this:

Circuit Protection
This setup assumes that the generator provides overcurrent, short-circuit,  overload, and ground-fault protection. Likely via a circuit breaker, and a GFCI receptacle.  If this is not the case, you'll want to provide that protection within your wiring.
If the generator output does not have short-circuit, overcurrent, and overload protection, you'll want to install a circuit breaker somewhere (likely between the inlet and the receptacle). If the generator does not provide ground-fault protection, you'll want to have that somewhere as well (likely via GFCI receptacle, or GFCI circuit breaker).
Shock Hazard Protection
You'll notice in the above diagram, that an inlet is used, and that the female end of the gen. cord plugs into the inlet. To understand why this is important, let's take this example.
The power goes out. You go out and start up the generator. You plug one end of a double male ended cord into the generator, and drag the other end over to the "input receptacle". As you do so, you touch the exposed prongs at the end of the cord. ZAP! You dead.
If the generator does not accept a male plug connection, you'll want to make up a double female cord. That way you'll plug a female end into the generator, and a female end into the inlet. You don't ever want to have exposed energized parts, as they are a serious shock hazard.
Sizing
Make sure all wiring and devices are sized properly. If you're working with a 20 ampere 125 volt output from the generator. That would mean 20 ampere devices, and at least 12 AWG copper wires.
Grounding
As this setup is basically an extension cord, there's no need to bond it to the electrical system of the house.  The neutral-ground bond on the generator should be left in place.
NEC 702.11 says that the generator has to be grounded to a grounding electrode in accordance with 250.30.
Signage
According to NEC 702.7(C), there should sign near the inlet that reads:

WARNING:
FOR CONNECTION OF A SEPARATELY DERIVED (BONDED NEUTRAL) SYSTEM ONLY


Most 240v spas have a 4 wire feed, so it is physically possible. The process for doing it would depend on the configuration of the spa disconnect, a picture of the disconnect would be good.
To legally do it where I live the breaker and wire in your panel that feeds the hot tub disconnect would need have capacity of 15A greater than the ampacity shown on the spa label.


Bring portable generator in through automatic transfer switch

How about putting the automatic interlock upstream of the interlocked panel you already have?

If that is your main panel you could side-grade it to a sub panel and put a main breaker upstream of the auto-switch.


It is not clear if that flickering occurs when the lamp is switched on or off.
The one-shot flickering - when the Lamp is switched off - with a period time of seconds to minutes is often simply caused by wires running parallel.
If a LED lamp is switched off, still some current can flow through the capacitance between the wires which are inevitable with the usual power cables.
A lamp switch or a dimmer is some kind of bridged by those between - wire- capacitors.
This is a very tiny current, which also flows through switched-off old style incandescent bulbs. But no effect is visible, no low frequency flashing is possible, since these bulbs can not store energy.
But some LED drivers have huge capacitors - elcos-  for smoothing out the rectified net voltage.
The tiny currents in switched- off state will slowly accumulate in those elcos. If the voltage is still low enough, the driver electronic can not start working.
But if a certain threshold is reached, the electronic starts working and thus discharges the energy stored in that elco in a short flash of LED light. Now the elco has much less charges or is even empty and the cycle starts again.
Especially lamps which can be switched from different switches have a higher probability to produce these flashes, since there are more parallel cables involved. F.e., between  2 switches 3 wires run, of which one is always hot, another wire is directly connected to the switched-off lamp. Even if switched off, some tiny current flows between the hot and the floating wire.
A flickering when the lamp is switched on would most likely be a defect  LED bulb which should be taken/sent back to the seller under warranty.
Other possibilities for flickering when switched on:
If other devices produce spikes in the net, the current through the LEDs could drastically increase. Many LED bulbs have simple "capacitor power supplies". There is a capacitor in series with resistors and the LED diodes. A capacitor will decrease its resistance, when the frequency increases. Spikes, which could be produced by motors in pumps, compressors (refrigerator, heat pump), drill machines, vacuum cleaners, garbage disposals, etc. and/or devices with triac power phase controls consist of high frequencies.
The capacitor in the LED power supply is only meant for 50/60 Hertz and will increase the current during the spikes for 2 reasons: higher voltage and higher frequencies, which will result in fast flickerings.
Motors and phase controls have filters to suppress those spikes, but those filters could fail or could be missing in old/cheap devices.
The spikes could be effective only in some places of the network, since a domestical power net is a very complicated network for high frequencies >> 60 Hertz.
The grounding of a domestical power net should be realised in one and only one central location, f.e. near the incomer supply line from the power supply company. If a desktop PC is connected to a HIFI Stereo set with a FM-tuner, a loud 50/60 Hertz humming noise could be heard, which disappears when the cable from the tuner to the socket for the roof-antenna is disconnected.
This double grounding is a huge loop (like a secondary winding in a transformer), which could be also produced by double or even multiple connections between Ground and Neutral.
That ground loop(s) could be antennas for spikes which could be a reason for the LED flickerings as well resp. could increase the probability for flickerings.
Just to mention a trivial reason (switched on case): a loose contact ( f.e. backstabs) could reduce the voltage for the LED below the operating voltage range ( f.e. 90 to 250V). A voltage measurement would yield different voltages for on/off.
If no multimeter is available and the circuit can be loaded with a hair dryer' s power demand, the hair dryer would work with a complete other motor sound compared to the same hair dryer connected to another circuit - if the hair dryer worked at all. And the sound of the hair dryer connected to the lamp circuit would also change if the heating level is changed ( f.e. by pressing the switch for "cold" air).
Also an incandescent bulb could reveal the loose contact by different brightness.
Of course, safety first in all works, especially when the lamp circuit has to be (temporarily) connected with an extension cord to accept the hair dryer.


Should I be concerned about rust on a post in my basement?

Obviously rust isn't a good thing. I don't seen enough here for immediate concern, but eventually you'll need to replace them if action isn't taken.

Since they appear to be sitting on the slab, as opposed to being embedded in it, you can easily replace them with screw-type floor jacks. They aren't terribly expensive, and you could use a bottle jack and a wood 4x4 as a temporary post while you do the work.

You might just paint these, though. Use a wire brush to clean away loose material, then apply a suitable primer. Stop there or add a nice top coat. Wait 20 years and repeat.


How do I repair my partially rotted subfloor?

Your plan to use your circular saw with the table set to depth is good. Even if you were to cut tight to the wall and tub, you still aren't getting all the damage, so a short distance out is fine. Personally I'm not a fan of joints right at walls and tubs anyway. I'd rather have an offset.

When you do the repair, float lumber under the remaining damage, with construction adhesive between, wherever possible to support it.

The fact that the damage extends under the wall probably isn't a serious concern if you haven't seen any significant side effects, such as settling or floor damage in the adjacent room. I'd be fixing whatever you can reasonably access and calling it good. It'll be a far cry better than what you have now.

FYI, a "toe kick saw" is actually called an "undercut saw".


What are these wires I found in my yard?

The wires do indeed go to the sprinkler system. There turned out to be a 4th white wire I hadn't yet uncovered. The two sets provide the current to open control valves for the two zones on the other side of the driveway.

I finally got input from a professional sprinkler repair company. They were baffled at first, because the pipes appear to go all the way around the house. The sprinkler guys finally decided that those had to be stubbed extensions for adding a zone to the backyard. Additionally, the wires turn under the drive at a different point than the actual water supply pipe.

Finally, I didn't detect the problem because there was another long standing problem with the zone they supplied that prevented it from getting water pressure.


Masonry screws won't engage in brick or mortar?

Be sure you're using the right size drill. If you are then your mortar/brick material might not be suitable for tapcons. As critical as railings are, I'd suggest lag shields and lag bolts. I've always used the stainless steel lag bolts for outdoors but galvanized are available too.


The normal answer would be to install a water softener; removing dissolved minerals is exactly what they're designed for.

A reverse-osmosis water filter might also do the job. I don't know whether they're available in sizes large enough to handle washing machines.


It looks like the insulation is intact I have seen much worse. I would leave it as is even the ground. If you do need to change any of the spade / disconnect fittings make sure to get high temp ones, standard female connectors like mni10-250dfix  will not hold up well to the heat, with the thermal cycling they become loose and will burn the end off. I learned this years ago after repairing an oven and the new ends did not last long, I use high temp (900 deg) ends like FR9C-250.
What you have there looks ok to me and is quite normal at when element entrance area so I would say it is ok.


Replacing 47-gal electric water heater with no pan and elevated drain

My advice is to leave the old water heater where it is and install a tankless hot water heater. I installed one at a shop for a friend in Georgia a few years ago. They had a shower in the shop and I showered there several times and never had any trouble with hot water. 4 gallons per minute was more than sufficient for a decent water flow shower and never ran out of hot water.

I think the link below is to the same unit I installed. It was quite small so it will take up very little space.

https://www.amazon.com/Rheem-RTE-13-Electric-Tankless/dp/B003UHUSGQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen-bath&ie=UTF8&qid=1496426163&sr=1-5&refinements=p_n_style_browse-bin%3A542712011

Drew k


Building water tight box from plywood and HDPE

When dealing with water, look at marine

People make boats out of plywood, just make one inside out.   They have several techniques, including involving fiberglass, but one of the most prominent is epoxy systems that give you a lot of options.  One such is West System epoxy.

Keep in mind water is heavy (1 tonne per cubic meter, in fact) so your cross bracing needs to be tip top.


How do I connect the wires to this USB receptacle?

You didn't say how the old outlet was wired, but I'm assuming that both whites were connected to the screws one one side and both blacks on the other side. In this case, the tho white wires were effectively connected together and the two black wires were also effectively connected together.

Put the three black wires(two from the wall and one from the outlet) together in one wirenut and put the three white wires together in another wirenut.

Note that if you are using small wires nuts provided with the new outlet, you may need to buy larger ones to fit all three wires.


Can white pine be stained to match yellow pine that has been sanded and sealed?

With a little trial and error the stain can be matched, color wise. The character of the grain never will, but that minor detail will not stand out. My windows are stained pine with stained poplar trim surrounding the sash. The wood that makes up the sash does not have the size to make it a problem with the other specie of wood that is in the area. Do make a test sample to get the color adjusted to the right color. Use white pine for that too needless to say. I have made samples... got what I though was a good match, and when the finish was applied, it was still off. I have adjusted the color further by adding a little stain to the finish. In this case, I am using oil based finishes. I do not have any experience in doing this with water based finish and stain. I would think the effect is the same though. Do not add no more than 20-25% stain to the finish to tone the color of the finish. I am told it will make the finish too soft.


Painting over paint with rust spots coming through

NASA's Kennedy Space Center is located on the Florida coast, unlike the Soviet complex located on desert steppe.  As such they have the most advanced anti-corrosion laboratory on earth.

You've found "bronze tier" doesn't work.  That's no surprise, emulsion (latex) paints don't stand a chance against rust.

"Gold tier" is what NASA says: the best process (and the only one that really, really works) is to sandblast to SSPC-SP10 near-white metal* and then a 2-part zinc chromate primer (that yellow-green primer you see on unfinished airplanes and locomotives) then finish to suit.

My "silver tier" has worked pretty well for me: aggressive mechanical removal (i.e. a 5" grinder with a knotted wirewheel in it).  Then I use (specifically) Rustoleum 7769 Rusty Metal Primer.  I don't know what it is about Rustoleum, but when all you can do is aggressively wirebrush, it outperforms the industrial primers I have tried. This is an alkyd, not an emulsion (latex). It will stink and be hard to clean up.  I typically brush it.

What's the matter with sanding?  Sanding can equal wirebrushing only if the surface is very smooth.  If it is at all uneven, sanding misses depressions and between/around high spots. Sanding is often a last resort of "I'm sanding because I don't have a proper wire wheel".

Honestly, since you are painting steel, I would follow with an alkyd (oil) paint (Rustoleum's paint lines are alright).  I would never paint steel with an emulsion paint.  I have seen this done, and by "seen" I mean "spent dozens of hours removing the failed coating".

Obtaining alkyd paint can be tricky.  There are different types of paint for different markets, and different government regulation in each market - marine, aircraft, industrial, automotive, hobby. "Architectural coatings" is the bailiwick of house paint.  Different categories have very different environmental standards ("VOC" mainly). Because emulsion paint works so well on houses, and so much of this paint is used, architectural VOC standards call for such low VOC that only emulsion paints can comply.  Fortunately most sensible governments provide exceptions for cases like yours.

However, all your usual stores - lumber supply, home improvement big-box stores and hardware stores - 99% of their stock these days is VOC-compliant house paint.  Finding an oil-based alkyd can take some looking, and paint manufacturers use tricky marketing that can be very confusing. I check the instructions for what to use for thinner or cleanup: if it says water, it's emulsion.


MAPP (which is actually a different gas marketed under the old name now) gives more heat than propane without supplemental oxygen, so it's still useable by people without training on mixed fuel torches. The fuel is more expensive than mixed setup, but the equipment cost is much lower; that's a reasonable trade off for something that isn't seeing constant use.

Speaking of which, MAPP torches will heat things up quicker than propane torches. It doesn't matter much for soldering plumbing, but it can be a real time saver if you're trying to loosen parts or heat something large. Some brazing compounds are also (technically) useable with MAPP, though the lower heat generally limits the size of the parts you can repair.

I believe there was a period of time where MAPP was widely used in cooling systems. The joints there generally need to be brazed rather than soldered, but the piping itself is easy to damage with high temperature torch. Cutting torches don't actually melt metals the way most people assume. Instead the torch heats the metal up to increase the rate of oxidation. Once the preheat is done a trigger on the torch allows even more oxygen into the flame, which reacts with the metal. This is why soldering requires flux, to prevent the hot fittings from oxidizing due to contact with the air.

The point being that too much torch can be a problem. You can weaken things unintentionally, burn off the flux and ruin the joint, start the occasional fire. The main reason MAPP didn't completely die off is that it fits a somewhat useful niche where it's hotter than propane, but not nearly as hot or complicated as a gas welding/cutting setup.


How to handle 4 wires using 3-port AlumiConn connectors?

You have two options here

You have two options here.  Either you can daisy-chain AlumiConns as you describe, using 12AWG copper THHN for the jumper wire, or you can use a single Al/Cu rated mechanical tap connector (often called "Polaris connector") rated for the wire sizes in question (the smallest size you'll find can take anywhere from 14 to 4 AWG), provided the latter will fit into the box.  An ILSCO PBTS-4-4, for instance, takes up about 2" by 1.3" by 1.4" (LxWxH) and requires a torque setting of 20 in-lbs for 14-10AWG wire.  Either way, you'll need to torque these connections correctly, as you are already doing with your existing AlumiConns.


What is the impact of moving a geyser outside?

Thank you keshlam. Anyway, it may actually cost less throughout the year. Paint it black (or just dark) or put it in a dark shed in a sunny area to greatly assist heating & heat retention. Air temperature is always lower than Solar Gain, a roof can reach 48C (120F) in 21C (70F) air.

If doing a shed, the year-round setup would be to heavily insulate the shed so it retains as much heat as is generated & that radiates in. If no shed, then a heavy insulation sleeve would be beneficial for the winter. Leading to, if you have an attic, it should go there instead.


Use an oil based paint, not latex. You have to coat the entire thing, including the bottom. This will help repel water.


Is notching a flange on an I-Joist ever acceptable?

According to this document (PDF), accidental notches in the top flange may not need to be repaired if they meet specific criteria. To determine if a repair is required, we'd need a bit more information, including:

The distance from the center of the notch to the end of the beam.
The depth of the notch.
The specific beam used, including beam height.

If a repair is required, it may be as simple as gluing and nailing on a 2x4 and some backing material.

This repair can be placed on either side of the beam, so in your case, it could be done on the side opposite the pipe.
Note that the building code specifically says "unless the effects of such penetrations are specifically considered in the design of the member". This means that the manufacturer of the beam is the one that determines what type and how much damage requires repair.

IRC R502.8.2 Engineered wood products.
Cuts, notches and holes bored in trusses, laminated veneer lumber, gluelaminated members or I-joists are not permitted unless the effects of such penetrations are specifically considered in the design of the member.

If you don't trust the advice of your builder, or simply want a second opinion, you could contact the local building department, and see if they'll come take a look. Contacting a structural engineer is another option, though I'm sure you'll have to pay them for their time.
While damage to these types of beams is concerning, it's better to seek professional assistance, rather than relying on the lunatic rantings of a bunch of dimwits on the internet. Now that you're done reading the lunatic rantings of this dimwit, seek the advice of somebody with a framed piece of paper on their wall.


Should I use uncoupling membrane for tile on concrete floor?

This is a subjective question that depends on individual risk tolerance. I wouldn't bother. My previous home was a similar situation, with several cracks and no expansion joints. It was obvious that the basement was perpetually dry and the cracks stable. (They probably occurred as a result of initial settling 50 years ago.)

I applied fiberglass mesh to the cracks with tile mortar and did the project. 15 years later the floor looked just fine, with no sign of movement or cracking.


Why would my microwave continually rotate when connected to a voltage stabilizer which is also used for a refrigerator?

You should / MUST not connect stabilizer made for refrigerator to microwave oven.
Stabilizer for fridge will be of capacity around 0.5kw and that for microwave oven should be around 2kw or more.


How deep should I embed a 30-foot light post?

5” cover around the steel pole is not enough.

Most electrical contractors have augurs in the 12”, 18”, 24” diameter. I’d go with the 24” diameter for four reasons: 1) it will give you 9 1/2” cover (if the pole ends up EXACTLY in the middle...doubtful), 2) the 24” width will help resist overturning, if it’s windy like you say, and 3) the rebar needs to be 3” from the outside edge and this leaves you plenty of room between the rebar and pole, and 4) the weight of the concrete base will help overturning.

For depth, I’d go 4’ in the sandy soil where you’re located. At 24” diameter and 4’ deep, that gives you about 630 lbs of concrete resisting overturning.

A light and bar at the top of the pole will have about 8” x 12” =96 sq. In. / 144 = .66 sq. ft. X 30’ pole = 20 ft. lbs. (not counting the pole).  Wind equals about 25 psf x 20 = 500 lbs.

Therefore, the concrete footing has more resistance than the wind on the light at the top of a 30’ pole...and the pole will break before it rotates.


How damaging can a 3 meter (10 feet) long drain hose be for the washing machine pump and microorganism growth?

Length doesn't matter, going uphill matters
Waste water from anything in your house - sinks, washing machines, dishwashers - doesn't just go 5 or 10 feet. It goes hundreds, typically thousands of feet before it gets to any treatment facility. (OK, if you have a septic tank then the distance is much shorter, but even then, typically a lot more than 10 feet). The main thing is to remember what an HVAC guy once told me (he didn't think highly of "regular" plumbers):

Plumbers just have to know three things:

Hot on the left
Cold on the right
!@$%& runs downhill

If your washing machine had to pump uphill - e.g., if it was in the basement and the only available drain was on the floor above the basement - then the distance would matter as the pump would need enough power to pump up to the drain. In normal installation, the hose only goes up a couple of feet - e.g., to the top of the washing machine - and it is, quite literally, all downhill from there.
I also doubt that, under typical circumstances, a drain hose would be a breeding ground for microorganisms. The exception would be if there is any standing water, which would likely be the case only if there is a loop or flat area of the hose because it is way too long.
If a hose is too long in a practical way - e.g., ends up looped in some fashion, then cut it. If the hose is rubber that should be easy. If it is some other material it still should be possible to cut it and clamp the end in place.


How can I make this tile floor smoother?

Rounding the edges of all the tiles is out of the question. Though, you might want to try to file down some of the worst offenders.

Ad hoc grout is likely to crack. At the very least, scarify the entire surface of the grout first.

Re-grouting it, it isn't going to be much different but it could be a little better. You don't have to get it all out, just make enough room for a solid bead to fit. Aim to achieve at least a 1/4" trough, and take what can you get. The deeper you go, the longer it will last.

See here, grout removers:

Tools and procedures for re-grouting a shower

 Less than helpful comments:

Don't use 1/4" grout lines on cut stone tile.

Don't use 2" tile on a floor. Use true mosaic or normal sized tile.

No matter what you do (aside from installing different tile), I doubt it will ever be fun to stand on with bare feet. Slap some temporary grout over the existing and see if it's worth doing a full, meticulously attended, re-grout.


Should I install a floor drain in my laundry room?

Consider that a typical washing machine holds roughly 40 gallons of water. Now imagine that all gushing out onto the floor at the same time. I've never seen this happen because of a washing machine failure, but I have seen it happen when the drain line from the washing machine pulled out and it wasn't a very pretty sight. If you have the opportunity to put in a floor drain, I'd do it - it doesn't add much work, but certainly beats ripping out a garage ceiling to replace wet drywall and insulation.


I'd suggest some plastic cement from a hobby shop (different from CA/superglue). The good stuff will glue the plastic, but will not stick to your fingers.
If you've got all the pieces, you should be able to hold the plastic together to make a nice tight seam, then you dab a bit of glue on with a small paint brush. The glue sucks into the joint and chemically welds it. If you're holding it right, you should be good to go.
Take your time and be patient and there's a high likelihood that you'll never see the seams. While you're at the hobby shop, take a look at the plastic models they've built using this stuff - most likely you won't see seams in it, either.


What are the differences between SDS, SDS Plus, and SDS Max drills?

The SDS chuck system was the original developed by Bosch.
SDS Plus is an improvement on the original SDS system, but remains
compatible with SDS bits, and is now the most commonly seen on the
market.

SDS Max is designed for the heaviest masonry work, and is
incompatible with SDS/SDS+ bits.

(source: wikimedia.org)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill_bit_shank#SDS_shank

It sounds like for your application, SDS Plus would be the way to go, given that they are generally less expensive, and you don't have really tough masonry work to do.


How can I make a copy of a door key without a matching blank?

If the key is for a high-security lock like Medeco or Mul-t-lock, only the locksmith who originally cut the key will be able to cut a new key as each locksmith is assigned a unique keyway.  These keys are actually not copied but cut from a specification.  Stores who cut keys but are not lock smiths might try to copy these but the results will be unsuccessful.

If the key is not a high-security key then the locksmith who said no without the original is doing his moral duty to not copy such keys since the numbering is a form of audit and access control.

The blank is not the issue - there are a ton of different types of blanks and a locksmith will know which one to use. They will not grind down other blanks normally, though I suppose if you were legitimately trying to create a copy of a very unique key (say something antique) then they might resort to other methods to copy it.

Your options are:

Find a locksmith who will copy it for you
Either replace the lock cylinder or the entire lock assembly with a new one, after which you will hold the original key and be able to make as many copies as you want. Usually you would just provide the landlord with a copy of the key so that they can enter but definitely check with your landlord to see if this is allowed.
Have at a blank with a dremel or other type of grinding tool.  Depending on the quality of the lock, this may or may not be successful.

Of course maybe the best thing to do would just be to ask your landlord!  Not to suggest you should lie to your landlord, but if you think multiple dwellers is a sticking point then maybe just say you want a copy so someone can come clean your apartment regularly - I think you'd be hard pressed to find a landlord who would actively discourage you from keeping the apartment clean.


A GFCI is a safety alarm, which detects problems in other devices.  Its one job is to trip when another appliance has a problem.  It is testing all the appliances all the time.  If an appliance has a problem, it will not reset. That is its job.

I imagine with this GFCI tripped, a bunch of sockets are dead.  Unplug everything in those sockets.

Now go back and see if it will reset.

If it does, then the GFCI did exactly what it's supposed to.  Now start plugging things back in.  One of them will trip it.  That appliance is dead. Unplug it and take it to the repair shop.   Did that fix it?  Done.

OK next. Everything's unplugged?   OK.

After you do what ThreePhaseEel suggests, remove the two wires from the LOAD terminals.

Now power the circuit back up and see if the GFCI will behave normally.  If it does, the problem is in the downline wiring.  Or an appliance you haven't found yet!

If it still won't reset, then yeah, it's the GFCI.


Best Way to Heat a Ductless Multi-Level Home

I'd look at heated floors. The idea is you lay a special wire mesh on the floor, then a compatible surface is installed over it. The wires maintain temp at the set point and natural convection works in your favor to circulate the air.


Why does my 240V range outlet have five wires?

The wires you have here are ample for almost any range/oven configuration... almost.
Well, you definitely have conduit. The 3-wire entry above might've been /3 armored cable, but nobody makes armored cable with four #8? 10? red and one #14? 12? white. And if they did, they wouldn't mark "TW" on the wires.    So the fat pipe is definitely conduit. Maybe so is the thin pipe.
I'm betting that metal conduit provides grounding.  So you're all set for a modern 4-wire hookup.
Note that since it is conduit, it is feasible to pull out any wires you don't like, and replace them with wires you do like.  This is a huge advantage over those poor people who have their oven wiring done in cable, and cannot replace that in-wall wiring without a bunch of carpentry, drywall and paint.
What do you have here now?
Your current wiring includes

A 24 or 32 amp 120V/240V circuit for a range or oven  (neutral for oven light),
Another 24 or 32 amp 240V-only circuit that does not,  and
a 15 or 20 amp 120/240V circuit that can serve either a single oven (providing neutral for oven light) or a multi-wire branch circuit powering two 120V sub-circuits e.g. microwave + vent hood.

I can't tell if you have #8 or #10 wire on the big stuff, but regardless, let's crunch the numbers.

If you use both circuits in this pipe, then you need to contend with a thermal derate. Because of the nature of split-phase power, each circuit contains 2 wires "that count" under this table:

So... 24A for #10 and 32A for #8.   This "TW" wire really ties your hands because it forces you to derate off the 60C column.
The TW wire is obsolete; it's been replaced with THW (H=High Temp: 75C) and finally THHN (90C).  If you did nothing else, it'd be productive to pull these wires out of the conduit, drag in a pulling rope, then pull in the same wires that are THHN.  That lets you run out of the 90C column, permitting 30A from #10* and 44A from #8 wire.
Or for that matter you could pull and replace exactly the wires you need now.  To determine that, we need to see your oven's documentation.  I do recommend using all-red for the hots, or a weirder color still, to signal to the next person that this is conduit and they can pull any wires they please.

* 32A by the math; but #10 can't exceed 30A because of NEC 240.4(D).


Boiler heating gauge drops to negative pressure (psi) on cooling

Water cannot compress, only gasses like air and steam can. So if there is no steam an no air in the system, the expansion of the hot water as it pushes against the cooler pipes can be problematic. So most systems have an "expansion tank" that holds an amount of trapped air to allow for that change in pressure so that the pipes don't burst. Once everything is at the same temperature, no pressure shows. But the hot water should be flowing in the pipes, that's why you get the heat. When it turns off, the water cools faster than the pipes, so you get that negative pressure again for a while. In other words that part all sounds normal.

Heat given off into the room is based on the flow of hot water. So there is usually a circulating pump in the hot water piping system, often right next to the boiler. Do you hear that running? If not, it should be and that's your problem. Hot water could still be circulating a little bit due to natural convection, but you need the pump to make it work well. Even if it is running the pump may be bad, especially if it is old. The impellers are usually made of bronze and can corrode if your water chemistry is bad.


Are child safety covers still required on modern outlets?

Along with arc-fault breakers protecting some areas of the home, "tamper-resistant" outlets are also required. They don't allow insertion into just one slot--both slots must be pressed together as an actual plug would do.

I get the sense that you're asking about protecting little people. I'd either use plugs or install tamper-resistant outlets if I had toddlers, regardless of arc-fault protection.


Why do the screws on my fence snap after install?

Fence boards tend to warp due to extreme sun exposure and changes in moisture levels. This puts a substantial strain on fasteners. If you did not purchase high-quality screws, this would explain the problem. Low-quality fasteners use weak metal alloys and have much less strength than better screws, which would pull through the wood before they'd break.

You can add new screws as needed or pull and replace them with better screws all one at a time (to avoid having to reposition boards).


How can I provide an electrical outlet at my portable kitchen island?

There are pendants and there are pendants. An item like this Power Pendant Outlet Drop is designed for the purpose you describe. An ordinary residential grade hanging light is NOT. There are a few possible issues:

An ordinary hanging light fixture is designed to carry the weight of the fixture. It is not designed to handle frequent manipulation and the stress of daily plugging/unplugging of appliances.
An ordinary light fixture (hanging or a table lamp or whatever) will often have smaller size wire than needed for a full 15A or 20A circuit because the requirements (and associated UL testing/rating) are based on the fixture having a maximum continuous usage far lower than 15A or 20A. For example, a 6-bulb chandelier might be rated for 6 x 60W = 360W == 3A continuous usage. Therefore, it can have 18 AWG wires from the bulbs on up to the ceiling box. You do NOT want to run your toaster oven on 18 AWG wires.
Grounding - I do not know if ANY edison-base to receptacle adapters are available with proper 3-wire grounded receptacles. I know the ones I Google'd now (UL listed, name brand) are NOT grounded, and I suspect that by design it is not possible to have such an adapter properly grounded.
GFCI - If the lighting circuit is on a GFCI breaker (or downstream "Load" of a GFCI receptacle) then you are protected (and this helps mitigate the grounding concern). But if that is not the case then you would need to retrofit a GFCI breaker. If you can't do that (e.g., old fuse box or double-stuff breakers) then you are going against modern code for kitchen receptacles.

In short: This is not a good idea unless you are prepared to install a "real" pendant power source.

As far as the alternative of a floor outlet - that can easily solve most of these issues. However, a floor outlet will be too far away for modern kitchen appliances that typically have (based on modern kitchen electrical code) ~ 2 - 3 ft. cords. A hanging pendant (of the right type) does not have that problem.


Not what you are describing, but "duct seal" is a (all I've ever seen is gray) non-hardening putty intended for plugging conduits to prevent various things (air, water, rodents, insects) from coming along with the wires, usually at building penetration points. Find it where electrical supplies are sold, though it may not be all that obvious on the shelf.

It is removable and reusable.

What you are describing sounds more like hot glue (which could work, though its performance exposed to sunlight may be dubious.)


Do I really care about thick insulation if I am ventilating the house?

As is typical of your past questions, you are being hyperbolic and absurd.

ASHRHE suggests a ventilation rate of 40 to 70 CFM - if we took 70 CFM and 4 air changes per hour, your house would be a 10 foot cube, roughly. As far as I recall past mention of your purported house, it will be much, much, much larger than that.

As such, the ACH (which would still be at most 70 per that standard) will be far below 4. And the surface area of poorly insulated or uninsulated building
to enclose that area will be large, and losing a metric-butt-ton® of heat as a result.

I've run the numbers in past answers.
Are BTU's only calculated using square feet?

Dropping them into my shop's spreadsheet, 70 CFM is 0.1736 ACH and amounts to 6381 BTU/hr at design temperature (-20°F). It will be a shade less if yours is only -10°F The walls (R33 SIPs) account for 6709 BTU/hr at design temperature. If you made the walls crappy R11 they'd burn 20128 BTU/Hr instead. I don't even need to get into the ceiling, floor, doors, or windows (all additional heat flows) to make fairly clear that even without a HRV, yes, insulation matters. Of course, if you added an HRV you could shave off 5104 btu/hr at my design temperature, and that's something I'm certainly considering doing.


How to fix a leaky basement wall from inside?

Yes, don’t we all “prefer clean, simple and effective ways to fix a leaky basement wall.” However, seldom are moisture problems simple.

First, concrete is porous. It also has cracks and construction joints in it that allows moisture to enter from a zillion different places.

So moisture is either coming up from below (a rising water table) or its coming from the surrounding ground water in the saturated soil.

If it comes up from a rising water table, it will enter the living space from below through the crack between the foundation wall and slab.

If it comes from the surrounding ground water, it COULD enter the living space through the wall, especially if the exterior side of the foundation wall is not sealed properly.
Either way the moisture enters the living space it will need to be collected and disposed. I think the best way to collect it is on the exterior side of the foundation wall in drainrock and a perforated pipe laid 6”-8” BELOW the interior basement slab.

To keep the subsurface water from seeping through the wall, I recommend installing a moisture barrier on the exterior side of the foundation wall and install a 2” thick plastic mesh on the wall to allow water to flow down to the perforated pipe. If dirt is allowed to be back filled against the wall, the dirt could hold the moisture giving it a chance to seep through the wall.

Once collected it needs to be disposed by extending a solid pipe over an embankment or in a collection well and pumped away.

This may be the most expensive method of solving the problem, but it’s sure to work.

BTW, if you do nothing, you could develop mold (if you haven’t already).


Toilet water drains out slowly after flush

I have had this happen on toilet models that have a vertical tube and not a flapper.  These are called no-flapper style.  Here is a link to a particular model: https://www.plumbingsupply.com/mansfieldtoiletparts-claro.html

The vertical tube looks sort of like an upside down trumpet, where it forms a seal at the base of the tank.  Two things can happen with these.  One is leaking at the bottom due to calcium buildup, that can be cleaned with vinegar and a toothbrush.  There is also a gasket that might need to be replaced.  The other is that the flush valve gets stuck on the part of the tube where the flush valve inserts.  Cleaning off the flush valve arm to make sure it is smooth and slippery, and doing the same to the part where the flush valve arm inserts, has helped.  But ultimately, what I ended up doing with these in the long run was to take the toilet apart and replace them with the flapper style.


How to make sure the toilet bowl won't break after abuse?

I'd try giving the main contractor (the person you're paying) a stern earfull about how you don't want their workers using your brand new toilet as a step-stool. Maybe say something like if you catch them doing it again you're not paying for that toilet, or they're fired, etc.

They're supposed be professionals and use ladders and stuff, besides the idiot worker could easily fall & hurt himself and your property.

Plastic wrap won't really protect porcelain from much more than dust, a dirty boot with a rock in the bottom could easily scratch it. Might even want to unwrap it some & carefully inspect the "stepped on area" for any hints of damage. Do be careful not to scratch it yourself though, especially if any workers are watching, even a sharp bit on a ring, or house key, or piece of rock on your hands could scratch it, and if it is scratched you could demand it be replaced since it is damaged.

I'm quite sure that porcelain is only broken when it's cracked, so if you don't see any cracks it isn't broken. Toilets are really very sturdy, they're supposed to hold the heaviest people who use them, and almost everyone drops closed heavy toilet seats (even though they probably shouldn't). The next time someone's throwing out an old toilet, ask if you can smash it up with a hammer, you'll find they're quite sturdy (the local garbage here will accept broken porcelain in a box for no charge, but wanted $10 to take a whole toilet).

Just an idea, but there are some special dyes used for detecting cracks in metal, I suppose you could try using one of those on the toilet.

You could try using a stainless steel toilet if you really don't like porcelain, though I'd imagine it would be a lot more expensive, just from it's rarity, or maybe an RV or boat toilet (plastic or metal) is another option. You're also always sitting on the plastic/wood seat, that's on top of the toilet, so even if the toilet cracks you should still be on the seat anyway...


That's a Euro-style lock cylinder. It is normally held in place by a setscrew clamping it into the lock, but you may have to substantially disassemble the lock before you can get to that screw.

If you can't figure out how to remove the cylinder, I'd suggest dismounting the whole lock body from the door and bringing it to a locksmith. That will save you the "on site service" fees.

Rekeying double-sided Euro cylinders is a skill not all locksmiths in the US have. Single-sided, with keyway on one end and thumb turn on the other, are simpler.


How to add a 'c' wire common wire to this system

Based on the second image, I'd say TR2 should be connected to the C terminal. However, for this to work, you'll likely have to swap TH1 and TH2. Since TR1 is associated with TH1, TH1 should be the R wire while TH2 should be the W wire.

The complete circuit should be:
TR1 -> TH1 -> R on thermostat -> W on thermostat -> TH2 -> TR2.

Then you can connect a wire from TR2 to the C terminal on the thermostat.

NOTE: If the transformer is not sized to support the additional load of the thermostat, you could end up blowing a fuse or frying the transformer.


can i wire 2x 30amp double pole circuits to a 60 amp device

Globally, no.  You cannot "parallel" except in extremerly rare circumstances and with special equipment.

But consult the documentation on that water heater.  You can do that if and only if the labeling or instructions say so, and by following the instructions.  This is codified in NEC 110.3B.

(I'm hoping that the heater is actually two 30A heating elements internally, and some jumper straps could be removed to allow them to be powered separately).

Given the annoyance of having to change the wiring like that, I would return that water heater and get one that takes 2-4 30A circuits.

Also be aware you are halving the size of the on-demand heater.  It will give you dramatically less hot water.  A huge risk with on-demand water heaters is people failing to adequately size the heater, and then being disappointed with the results and blaming the heater.  This often leads to failed installations (people removing it in disappointment and having to buy another one).


What types of communication cables can pass through electrical conduit?

You just can't do it.  There are only two exceptions where you can intermix comms and mains voltage in a conduit.

Fiber-optic cable, where the cable is entirely non-conductive, is acceptable with mains
SCADA controls where the interlink is related to the mains equipment, or to be more precise, where all of the low-voltage wiring remains entirely contained within Class I wiring methods, e.g. power-rated conduit, and that means not coming out to a socket and continuing onward with non-mains-rated cable, i.e. ethernet is Right Out.  Examples:

3-way retrofit smart switches, where the switches re-task the existing mains /3+ground cable to be always-hot, neutral, and a comms wire.
Powerline monitoring and load-usage devices such as Sense, EnergyCurb, etc. These live entirely inside the service panel, and their signal lines (current transformers) are wired entirely inside mains wiring methods.  This is a great example of how there isn't any Ethernet port on the side of your service panel (huge no-no!!), instead WiFi is used, which provides the mandatory isolation.  Essentially this whole data network "lives at live voltage" and is contained thusly.
Commercial RR7 lighting installations, where 24VAC signals throw relays to operate lighting.
Industrial SCADA, where the controllers sit on mains power, and the interconnect is via an Ethernet/Canbus/whatever thrown into the mains conduit or raceway, and the equipment is designed to accommodate this method.  If the SCADA equipment has an Ethernet port to the "outside world", that port is built isolated and is UL-listed to that effect.

I am assuming you are dealing with equipment that takes a lot of power, like a server rack.  If you are only hauling AC power in that conduit to feed a "wall wart" power supply that's low voltage and <55W, then forget AC -- haul the low voltage.  An obvious method is PoE (Power Over Ethernet).  However you can do this with any low-voltage load, just carefully mind your voltage drop and feel free to dip into the mains electrical parts bin for the fat wires you may need.  For instance, if you need #10 wire, then use readily available, cheap, stranded white THHN, and use it for both low-voltage + and -.  (tape the ends of the wires red and black to designate polarity etc.  You are allowed to re-tape individual wires to different purposes in conduit when it's low-voltage wiring.)

If you just can't haul low voltage, yet your load is <40W, the other super sneaky way to haul low voltage while still having mains at both ends, is use two 40W thermostat transformers back-to-back, so the transmission through the low-voltage conduit happens at 24VAC.


Can duct tape be used to mark neutral wires?

We can always go for the old chestnuts.  They're on page 1 and 2.

  110.2 Approval. The conductors and equipment required or permitted by this Code shall be acceptable only if approved.

  110.3 Examination, Identification, Installation, and Use
  of Equipment.

  (A) Examination. In judging equipment, considerations
  such as the following shall be evaluated:
  (l) Suitability for installation and use in conformity with
  the provisions of this Code
  (4) Electrical insulation
  (5) Heating effects under normal conditions of use and also
  under abnormal conditions likely to arise in service

  (B) Installation and Use. Listed or labeled equipment
  shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions
  included in the listing or labeling.

  110.12 Mechanical Execution of Work. Electrical equipment
  shall be installed in a neat and workmanlike manner.

There's also a problem with the gray/silver color.

  200.7(C) Circuits of 50 volts or more.  The use of insulation
  that is white or gray or that has three continuous white
  stripes for other than a neutral for circuits of
  50 volts or more shall be permitted only as in (l) and (2).
  (1) If part of a cable assembly that has the insulation permanently
  reidentified to indicate its use as a hot by marking tape, painting, or other
  effective means at its termination and at each location
  where the conductor is visible and accessible. Identification
  shall encircle the insulation and shall be a color
  other than white, gray, or green.
  (2) [pertains to cordage only]


Why don't my 3-way switches work like 3-way switches?

Take a look inside
If you look at an image of how the switches work internally, it makes it a bit easier to understand what's going on.

This Blog post contains images of the various states of different types of switch combinations, which might help you understand what's going on in the circuit.
The Truth behind the logic
A properly functioning set of 3-way switches, should function like an XNOR gate (or XOR gate depending on how it's hooked up).
XNOR
If both switches are in position 1 or 0, the light is on. If the switches are in opposing positions, the circuit is open and the light is off.
XOR
If both switches are in position 1 or 0, the light is off. If the switches are in opposing positions, the circuit is closed and the light is on.
The first step in troubleshooting multi-way switches, is to set up a truth table. With 3-way switches, the table should look something like one of these.

The best way to do this is to designate one switch as A and one as B, then say up is 1 and down is 0.  Then follow the input values in the table, and log the output. For the output, 1 means the light is on, and 0 means the light is off.

Start with both switches in the down position, and log the result.
Move switch B to the up position. Log the result.
Move switch B back to the down position, and flip switch A to the up position. Log the result.
Flip switch B back to the up position, and log the result.

Now that we can clearly see what is happening with the switches, we can start to diagnose the problem.
What are all these screws?
When installing 3-way switches, you'll notice there are 4 screw terminals.

Black(Common)
Brass(Traveler)
Brass(Traveler)
Green (Ground)

Ground
The bare (ground) wire in the circuit should be attached to the green (ground) screw.
Travelers
The travelers are interconnected between the two switches, so it doesn't really matter which traveler is connected to which brass screw. Though it's common practice to be consistent, so if the red wire is connected to the left screw at switch 1, it should be connected to the left screw at switch 2 as well.
Common
Finally, the common screw is used to connect either to the incoming power or the fixture, depending on which switch you're working on.  For example. Power (from the breaker) might enter at switch 1, so we'll connect the black (hot) wire from the incoming cable to the common screw on switch 1.  In this case, the common screw on switch 2 will connect to the switched wire to the fixture.
Neutrals and grounds
All the neutrals should be tied together, and all the grounds should be connected to all other grounds.
If you are not comfortable working with electricity, never hesitate to contact an Electrician.


Outdoor disconnect for central air plus mini-split

Keeping what you have You will need 2 home runs because the smaller unit has 20 a max.
I might do it with a single home run and install a nema 3r load center, this is one of the cases where small is ok, I think a 6 position 75 amp panel will do what you need. Including a 120v receptacle I don’t see one in the photo.
I don’t know if you will get away with the exposed UF outside that should have been in conduit as it was exposed. Below 8’
Run the small load center and pay the 12$ for the lockout devices and that can be your disconnecting means (I did this at my home) and this load center will have enough room to feed the 120v outlet. Look for spa load centers this is the style I have used for this same type of job.
Note the lockout devices must be permanently mounted and you need GFCI breakers make sure you get one that the breakers are not as much as the panel.


Why is my Radon level high even with passive ventilation in place?

Radon is serious business

But at least there's some cool science around it.   Ever wonder why volcanos exist? Why is the earth hot? Turns out it is radioactive decay.  When God created the earth He "aged" it 5 billion years, which destroyed all radioactive substances except uranium, which has such a long half-life that some still exists.   "Half-life" means the element spontaneously decays randomly - in 4.5 billion years, half your uranium-238 will decay into Thorium-230.  That decays much sooner into Radium-226 (which was discoved by Marie Curie in 1898, yes, a woman scientist then). That's all well and fine, these are all heavy metals that combine with other elements to make heavy molecules, and just stay in the earth.  The heat of decay becomes volcanos.

However, Radium-226 decays into Radon-222.  Problem.  Radon is also a noble gas, to enter a whole 'nother branch of science.  The noble gas you know best is helium: it's like air, but lighter than air.  Noble gases  are complete by themselves, they don't want to combine with any other elements - which is why they are gases.

The problem is radon doesn't want to stay in the earth.  It is lighter than earth, so it tries to go straight up, and heads for places like basements.   However, unlike helium it is heavier than air, so it likes to collect in low places.

Radon is highly unstable (short half-life), which means it is highly radioactive. It will soon decay into Polonium-218, famous for being used to kill Russian dissidents.  Noble gases are harmless, but if radon decays while it's in your lungs, two things happen.  First, it emits alpha radiation which lungs are vulnerable to.  Second, it turns into polonium-218 which is not a gas, it's a heavy metal, so it falls to the bottom of your lungs instead of being exhaled. So the bottom of your lungs take damage from the polonium both from the heavy metal toxins and from the radiation when it decays. Not good.

This is a natural process. Nuclear technology had nothing to do with it.

This damage is cumulative. Every decay is a "dice roll" - 99.9% of hits, the DNA damage is detected and the cell self-destructs. But that is done by the 17p and 11q chromosomes, if that takes a hit, the error may replicate endlessly.  That's what cancer is.

The upshot is, do whatever you need to get that stuff outta there.  No more sleeping in the basement - not even tonight - and get some windows open throughout the house to keep fresh air rolling through.

Given the large number of pipes, I gather this is a "passive system" - they are hoping convection or gravity would carry the radon away.  That was probably a good bet, but not every good bet wins.  This one didn't.  The next step is to use small fans to force the air to circulate.  I wouldn't wing-ding this, this is one of the extremely rare cases where I say at least consult with a professional.

If you're into DIY, ask them how much work you can do yourself, like get power wired to the right places in the right way, e.g. On the generator board but not on a circuit that might trip, e.g. The table saw circuit or AFCI/GFCI.

Dueling safety systems are a problem, like a low-water trip on a fire pump.  Save the pump, lose the hospital. You don't want a GFCI saving you from a ground fault by shutting down the radon system.


The usual blunder is looking at wire position rather than purpose.    Anytime you work with 3-ways, your first priority is identifying the two messenger wires going to the switch from the same cable.

However when novices change 3-way switches, they usually look closely at the physical position of the terminals on the switch, duplicating this on the new switch.  The problem is manufacturers totally randomize which screws are in which positions.  So the swap ends up shuffling the wires on the switch - and creates cases where the switch won't work in some positions.

The right way is to pause before removing the old switch, identify the messengers (typically on the brass screws of the old switch) and then mark them with colored tape, e.g. I like to use yellow for messengers (they can both be yellow since they are interchangeable.) Be sure to mark the wires the same on both ends of the wire.

The good news is there are only three possibilities - one wire is the common and the other two are the messengers - and often the common goes into a different cable than the messengers, which are always together.

That wiring

Homeowners doing their own wiring can be a problem because they can often get quite "inventive".  Worst case, if you have to tear work out, they usually do give you enough wires to do it properly.  If not, "smart switches" can often save the day.

You can exclude a California style wiring because it would involve /4 cable or (illegally) two /2 cables paired.  The Carter system (serving hot or neutral, lamp in the middle, lamp lights when one is hot and the other neutral) is something to watch out for, not least because it is a wiring loop, which is bad.  All wiring should be physically in a tree topology.


Should I keep my 5-year-old electric tank heater as a storage unit if I am about to install a new gas tankless heater?

Your core concern is the amount of time it takes between opening the hot faucet and getting water that is actually hot.  This plan will do nothing for that.
The delay is caused by the volume of water (inventory) that is in the pipe in between the water heater and the faucet.  That pipe is exposed to ambient? Outside? air, and has cooled off. That water must be physically pushed out of the pipe by hot water. It's like a big plunger.
You can figure out the inventory of water in the pipe by taking its interior cross section x its length.  For instance 50' of 1/2" pipe* contains 0.57 gallons of (now cold) water. Going out a 1.5 GPM low flow showerhead, it will take 23 seconds for that to vamonos.
The cure is to make the pipe routing more direct, smallify it, or move the heater closer to the faucet. Each step down in pipe size reduces pipe volume by about half (and thus wait time) - however, too small and that restricts flow too much.
Restricting flow can actually help tanklesses, because a major customer-satisfaction issue with tankless is when the customer draws water faster than the tankless is able to heat it satisfactorily, so they get tepid water - and the customer does not understand the technology, so they refuse to do the one thing that'll fix it -- to reduce flow rate. So they reach impasse and blame it on the tankless.
Note that a tankless->tank arrangement will only make this problem worse, because the tanked heater will assure the first 40 gallons is OK, then will put a 40-gallon "delay" between action and consequence. So as hard as it is already for customers to connect "reducing flow" to "increasing temperature", this "40 gallon delay" will be far more confusing.  I would expect bizarre customer-satisfaction issues with this.
Putting the tankless after the tank would mean you can ignore flow rate issues until the tank empties, as the tankless will not operate at all.  Once the tank goes tepid, the tankless will be doing "all the heavy lifting", and then flow rate will affect heat. Again, very complicated, you shouldn't have to take a training class to understand your water heater.

* 1/2" squared x pi/4 = 0.2 square inches or 0.00137 square feet.... x 50' = 0.06 square feet.... x 8.33 gal/sq.ft. = 0.569 gal.


Upgrading baseboard thermostat -wiring help

I think I just need to separate the nuts connecting the white wires from the line in and run that to the new stat, leave the two white load lines and connect those to the load out of the double pole but wanted to make sure.

Short answer is: Yes, you can do that or you can just use one set of wires like they did. (The National Electrical Code does require a disconnect for the heater. The thermostat can be used for this as long as it disconnects both ungrounded conductors and has a marked "off" position.)

Long answer is: Whether you use a single pole or double pole thermostat it will work the same. It is a single phase circuit and it will work either way.

The difference is, with a double pole thermostat you are breaking the circuit in two places at the same time instead of one. This reduces the amount of pitting on the device contacts. With a double-break device the contacts will last longer at any given voltage. At 240 volts contact pitting is much higher than at 120 volts.

If you had a triac based thermostat contact pitting becomes a non-issue and you can go back to breaking the circuit in one place.

Good luck!


For starters, torch down is a rubber product. It should NOT be installed over asphalt shingles. Swelling and contracting will eventually allow the asphalt shingles to wear a hole in the torchdown membrane from the underside. The same applies for rubber membranes.

You are correct about the drip edge needing to be under the roofing material. This applies to ALL roof coverings.

Your roofer should have mentioned the soft spot prior to covering it up. That's complete irresponsibility. Roofers typically don't repair facia but it shouldn't be beyond a decent roofers skill set.

As for what the rafter you need repaired... Unless there's access from below, a portion of your new touchdown will need to be removed, along with the decking above. Unless the rafter is totally rotted out, I'd scab another 2x to the side of the rafter in question instead of removing it completely.

Additional details per OP questions:

The recommended overhang for torch down is 1/2".

For roof pitches below 12/4 torch down or rubber are my recommendation.

To my knowledge, it's not standard practice to double up material around the drip edge.

Since I'm unsure what your rafters are, I used a generic term "2x" ( pronounced 2 by ), which can mean anything from 2x2 to 2x12.

Yes, if there's any bad decking it should be replaced, but it can be spot fixed from rafter to rafter.

Additional Info

Decking is a generic term... Meaning your roof deck ( sheathing ). Spot fixing means cutting out the bad decking from rafter center to rafter center.

I've never heard of Timbor. I ALWAYS replace rotten/dry rotted decking.

To repair the damaged rafter, screw or nail a new rafter to the side of the bad one.


What primer should I use to paint over nicotine stained walls?

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

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

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

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

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


Is there a more environmentally-friendly alternative to using oil to heat a house with oil heating installed?

Aside from environmental factors, you are buying the oil from Vladimir Putin or others fond of AK-47's.

Biodiesel

Heating oil, at least if it's anything like what's used in the States, is quite similar to kerosene/diesel fuel. The difference is diesel is more precisely refined, so it's a little more expensive.

So you can use "green" diesel substitutes, notably, biodiesel.

Most product advertised as biodiesel is in fact nasty, toxic petroleum diesel, with some tiny fraction (2-20%) of actual biodiesel, sold as B2 to B20. The reason is engines need a high-lubricity material like biodiesel to lubricate fuel injection pumps (sulfur used to serve that purpose)... and a fraction of biodiesel accomplishes that.

So in purchasing biodiesel, you must be careful to buy "B100" type, which means 100% biodiesel.

Waste Vegetable Oil

Used fryer oil has four significant differences from heating oil or diesel.

Viscosity (thickness). At room temperature, Vegetable oil is thicker than diesel, which can strain pumps.  However, when warmed to about 60C, vegetable oil is thinner and will happily pump like diesel.  Further, oil will "freeze solid" at common UK outdoor temperatures.  Butter is an example of an oil that has frozen. You cannot pump refrigerated butter.  This creates a serious "cold start" problem, if your house were to ever get cold, you would not be able to restart the heater.   You can modify the heater to have a method to preheat, or you can modify the fuel by a process called "transesterification" also known as "making biodiesel".
Particlulates (solids):  bits of fried potato will clog your fuel injectors.  Diesels hate it, but it may be less of a problem on a heater.  This is solved by filtering.
water content - this can rust the insides of equipment, and it's a serious concern on diesel vehicles, particularly as the fuel is constantly stirred by motion. It's solved by letting it rest in a still tank, and draining the water out of the bottom.
Acid content - a side effect of frying. This will corrode equipment.  It is solved by intentionally adding water, stirring the fuel/water, and titrating (adding lye until the acidity is gone), then, separating out the water.  The water is needed to draw out the acidic material, which cannot attach to oil.

There is already a robust business in waste vegetable oil, this is handled by rendering companies who no doubt would sell you waste oil.  I gather you want to process it as little as possible.  Since you're running a heater and not an engine, you may be able to tolerate a great deal more of the above traits than a diesel car can.   If you need to run the full process to remove acidity and thus water, that is most of the work needed to make biodiesel, so you might as well go the rest of the way.

Getting serious: Passive solar design

Using an alternative fuel is just throwing a better carbon at a root problem of atrocious design.   Now I get it; you were raised to believe houses should be built the way houses in your area are built. Due to that design, active fuel heating is absolutely necessary.

However, passive solar design can capture a great deal of energy from the sun, and by that, I mean in winter (in summer, the goal is to get rid of energy). This is hard to toss on as an afterthought to a conventionally built house, it works best when you start with the principles and build a new house around it.  This can also be augmented with active solar heating, where solar thermal panels collect heat from the sun and store it in a tank of fluid. Again, winter.


You'll be fine with solid wire.  Tstat wire is generally 18 gauge which is pretty small.  Also, since you'll be going thru all the work to fish the cable (which can be a PITA), I'd go with 18/7 cable.  That way, if you or the next homeowner wants to install a heat pump or A/C the cable will be in place to support that.
Edit:  Thanks for the contribution from manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact, I want to add to the answer:  Smart tstats also need constant power which requires an additional wire in the cable. So if the OP or some future owner wanted to incorporate that as well, the cable would be in place.  I deleted the ref to 18/5.


PERGO Locking Hardwood Flooring in wet areas?

No. Wood flooring needs it to be dry. This is one reason that wood flooring is not usually recommended for mounting on concrete floors where the concrete rests on soil.


How to override an attic thermostat with a wall switch?

OH!  That's easy.

Get a 3-way switch.  Common goes to HOT.
Traveler 1 goes straight to the fan.
Traveler 2 goes via the thermostat to the fan, so that line is interrupted by the thermostat.
Traveler 1 and the switched line from the thermostat merge with the fan's HOT input.

Neutral needs to be part of the wiring bundle, so use 12/3 if you're not using conduit.


Where should I start laying nail down hardwood flooring and how do I make it straight?

First, remember to lay your wood perpendicular to the floor joists. Laying it parallel can cause a waving effect which is unpleasant.

Next, find the longest, longest, straightest wall which is perpendicular to the joists.
Measure out two feet from the wall all the way down the wall.
Then find the best line down these marks, snap a chalk line,
Measure back to the wall about 23 and 5/8 inches. Snap a this line.
Line up your first run of floor against this line, tongue side out (nail through the tongue).

As for room to room, if they are really out of square with each other, try building a transition between rooms:

----||----
----||----
----||----
----||----

This allows you to lay each room separately, allowing each room to be square.


Stopping / braking rope in pulley system

If the canoe is getting in the way, can you not put a second pulley wheel with the cord over it off to the side so you can pull the cord from the ground? Then you can just use a standard cleat.


What steps should I take after kitty litter has been washed down the drain?

If it rinsed down the drain and hasn't clogged yet then you're in fairly good shape.  Clumping litter definitely can be saturated and breaks down.  I'm assuming this is some sort of clay based litter (I use a pine based product myself) with fairly small granules and not a lot of stone.

Also I'm presuming that you haven't been flushing the line out with water continuously, and so if any clumping was going to occur, it would have.

If you have access to any of the traps I would go ahead and put a bucket underneath and open them up just to be certain.

If you don't have access then you either continue to flush the line or you could use a plumber's snake (a home version is a great investment) to disturb any settled litter possibly while flushing.

Not a magic bullet, but probably a measured response.


I agree with Warloki & Michael K, I never plug something in other than a meter to verify the voltage. 4 prong plugs can be a bugger. I would turn the power off and pull it out then try reinstalling by pushing hard and rocking as you push it may take quite a bit of force. I am a big guy and have had trouble getting them to go in. Pull it back out noticing if you made any progress and try again. After 3 or 4 attempts it will probably go in. Once it is seated then turn the power back on. I say to turn the power off because I have ended up touching the prongs on these type of plugs more than once over the years so if I have trouble inserting the plug the breaker gets turned off.


New oven/microwave combination unit with 4 wire pigtail

It's possible the newest units are simply not made for a 3-prong receptacle (and that would be reasonable since grounds are important to protect electronics from people).

In that case, and regardless for safety, you have the ability to retrofit ground.   This involves running a #10 bare wire via any achievable route back to any of several locations:

the service panel the power comes out of
any other appliance or junction which has a #10 ground wire or larger going back to that same panel
the grounding electrode wire that grounds the service panel to your water pipe or ground rods


Should my evaporator be hissing? Should cold air be blowing from it?

Have you lived there long enough to compare the performance of the system to previous summers?  (Sometimes units are undersized, or paired with poor duct design.)

Is the air coming out of the vents cold?  Is it as cold as you remember before problems started?  Is the airflow at the vents good?

After he added coolant, is the system working better?  If yes, the system was low on charge.  If not, something else is wrong.

It is possible for the system to be low on charge, but still be able to keep up on days that are moderate (albeit at a lower efficiency than a properly charged system).

It is also possible for there to be a leak, but the HVAC guy missed it.  He probably only did a quick leak check (soap bubbles).  There are more involved (expensive) tests he can do.  However, they may not be necessary.  If adding coolant made the system work well, wait and see.  If the performance degrades again in a few weeks/months, you have a leak.

If there is a leak, it is usually in the outdoor unit, which is exposed to the elements, and takes a beating.

The good news is that the unit is probably still under parts warranty (typically 5 years for a cheap unit, 10 years for a good one), so if there is something expensive wrong, the parts should be covered.

(When was the last time your air filter was replaced?  If it's been more than 6mo, look at it and see if it is OK.  Replace if necessary.  If you aren't up for replacing your air filter at least once a year, you should consider a service contract where the techs do it for you.)


Drilling a hole in a 2x8 joist would not be a problem, the building codes have guidelines and you could drill holes big enough for 1/2" conduit within those guidelines.  However, your roof is not regular joist and rafter construction, you have trusses which are engineered and manufactured and there are no general rules for drilling and notching them.  You'd have to consult the manufacturer or engineer.  (In fact I think you'd have to check about whether it's suitable for storage, those mending plates in the bottom chord make me think not - but that's a different question.)
Even if it was joists - did you think about how you'd thread sections of EMT through the holes you drilled? It's pretty tricky, it has some flex and you can oversize the holes some to gain some wiggle room, but still.  You  have 10' sticks of EMT and trusses 2' apart on centers ... think about that a minute.  Believe me, you don't want to do that, it would be the hardest possible way to do the job.
There are a number of better alternatives for routing the EMT.  You could run it on top of the bottom chord of the trusses, or hang it from the vertical or angled members.  I think my preference would be to mount the boxes on the bottom face of the angled members of the trusses, that would give you easy access to the wiring inside and with hangers, it would be easy to support and little to no conduit bending.


How do I clean vinyl siding without a pressure washer?

Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.  I wish I took before/after pics.

Bought:

Jomax

Clorox Outdoor

Put in a garden sprayer designed for bleach according to instructions on Jomax:

3/4 cups Jomax
2 1/4 cups bleach
13 cups water

For 75% of the siding, I applied the mixture, then rinsed after 5 minutes.  A number of sections needed a second application, and the worst section took three.

I rinsed using one of the "fireman" nozzles on my hose, just so I could get it up to the eaves:

I did try just spraying the mildew with the nozzle...worthless.  "Firemen" should sue for defamation.

Anyway, I'm thrilled.  Probably took 25% longer than last year, but I wasn't dripping wet either :)  I'll get a power sprayer for next year, but I'll definitely stick with this; it looks much better than what I get from pressure washing alone.


Grounding
Since the garage is detached yes a grounding rod is required.  Last the ground wire from the rod is connected to the grounding buss and the metal frame of the box / the building. The grounded or neutral conductor is isolated from ground an insulated buss is normally available in a main lug panel or a main breaker panel, if the bonding screw or jumper is installed in a main lug panel it is removed.
Running cable behind metal studs of unfinished wall
Any NM-B or Romex running horizontally requires protection below 8 feet. In my jurisdiction even running down the side of the stud requires protection.
Although MC or metal clad is under the same requirements as NMB most inspectors will let this fly on an inspection so I would consider upgrading to MC wire it is a little more expensive but will look a lot better in my opinion than exposed NM-B.
Cable through conduit
Can you use NM-B or romex in conduit sure but why? It would be many times harder to pull (you cannot strip it) and if going to conduit THHN is cheaper and much easier to pull.
GFCI breaker or receptacle
As far as a breaker or first outlet it depends on the location to me because there is no difference in the operation or safety.
The difference is in cost. Usually GFCI receptacles are cheaper than breakers. But again location comes up.
By location if you have a separate room or a large area walking 30-50’ to reset a GFCI can become a pain when the receptacle is just a few feet away so many times I will use GFCI receptacles in a home and garage to save $ and have the reset close.
Hope I hit all your questions we normally ask that they be broken up but these are quite common for a detached building.


Hang 20lb projector screen on Hardieplank

Mount a board on the wall and then mount the screen on the board.

Get an 8 foot cedar or pressure treated 2x6, you can then use timber screws to mount it to the wall insuring you hit the studs. You will need to pre-drill both the 2x6 and the cement siding, the hole in the siding should be as big as the screw and the hole in the board should be just smaller then the screw. This will prevent the board and siding from splitting.

I would think three studs would be sufficient for the weight of the screen.

Put some Quad silicone in the hole in the siding and the hole in the 2x6 to prevent water from entering the wall.

You may want to use spacers behind the board, cedar or composite shims also pre-drilled, so that the board sits off the wall by a 1x4 inch. This will allow air to get in and prevent  water getting trapped, it will also help to put the board at the correct angle  if your siding is typical lap siding.

You now have solid surface to mount your screen to.


How should I seal a shower base that is leaking?

This happened to me in a previous apartment due to an improper shower pan/missing-concrete installation when the complex was built.  What the restoration guy did was cut out the floor of the tub, pour concrete over the subfloor, then used layers of fiberglass mats and resin to complete the restoration.

Hope that helps.


You can't / shouldn't try to make an adapter to power a 6-30 device from a 6-15 receptacle, the voltage is correct but the current handling capacity is insufficient.  The 6-30 heater would at a minimum overload the 6-15 receptacle, and likely overload the circuit's wiring and breaker.  Hopefully the breaker would trip before much damage was done, and you'd only waste time, but if the breaker doesn't trip quickly, you could start a fire.


Is wiring laying alongside an attic access opening a code violation or safety concern?

This sounds like an issue from a physical damage standpoint

While the NM cable only needs to be protected by guard strips if it's within 6' of a scuttle hole in your case, as per NEC 320.23(A) (referred to by NEC 334.23):

  (A) Cables Run Across the Top of Floor Joists. Where run
  across the top of floor joists, or within 2.1 m (7 ft) of the floor
  or floor joists across the face of rafters or studding, the cable
  shall be protected by guard strips that are at least as high as the
  cable. Where this space is not accessible by permanent stairs or
  ladders, protection shall only be required within 1.8 m (6 ft) of
  the nearest edge of the scuttle hole or attic entrance.

your attic seems to be intended as a storage space.  As a result of this, the exposed cabling you describe in your OP would be subject to physical damage, which would require protection from physical damage as per NEC 300.4:

  300.4 Protection Against Physical Damage. Where subject to
  physical damage, conductors, raceways, and cables shall be
  protected.

and 334.15(B):

  (B) Protection from Physical Damage. Cable shall be protected from physical damage where necessary by rigid metal
  conduit, intermediate metal conduit, electrical metallic tubing,
  Schedule 80 PVC conduit, Type RTRC marked with the suffix -XW, or other approved means. Where passing through a floor,
  the cable shall be enclosed in rigid metal conduit, intermediate
  metal conduit, electrical metallic tubing, Schedule 80 PVC
  conduit, Type RTRC marked with the suffix -XW, or other
  approved means extending at least 150 mm (6 in.) above the
  floor.

  Type NMC cable installed in shallow chases or grooves in
  masonry, concrete, or adobe shall be protected in accordance
  with the requirements in 300.4(F) and covered with plaster,
  adobe, or similar finish.


Glyptal

It was invented by GE for literally that purpose. It's for painting metal parts of electrical motors, rotating equipment and cabinets.

Aside from superlative electrical insulation, it has good thermal performance and low flammability.   This has resulted in off-label use to seal engine blocks.

Don't paint parts of the panel that are not meant to be painted. It may be most expedient to protect the bus assembly by pulling it out entirely for painting.


How to tell if a house is equipped for a gas stove

Any house can be equipted to run a gas stove.  Some houses have gas service from the utility, others have on-site tanks.

If you already have gas service or some type of gas distribution in your house, then you can add a stove by having a licensed contractor run a line to your kitchen.  The process is similar to running new pipes or electrical circuits.  It is easier to do if the area under your kitchen is not finished, otherwise expect a lot of holes.  The cost will depend on the distance from the gas main and the complexity of the run.

Cost will also depend on where you live.  Just for an example, in Toronto, ON, Canada, it cost me $700 CAD to add hook-ups for my BBQ and stove. The BBQ run was outside while the stove run was done in my unfinished basement.

Make sure you contact a licensed installer/contractor.  Don't mess with gas yourself.


Can a ceiling fan's speed be controlled with a light dimmer switch

Light dimmers use triac based phase control for dimming purpose. It chops the sine wave somewhere in between depending upon the knob position, which produces a signal like this:

(a) is pure sine wave. (b) and (c) represent modified sine wave going to the appliance depending upon dimmer knob position. This works well for dimming an incandescent bulb because they give off light based on heating of the filament.

However when you give this waveform to a ceiling fan, it won't behave very well. Most obvious issue will be a humming sound specially at a lower speed (corresponding to signal (b)). Lesser obvious issues might be increased energy loss in the coil.

Nowadays companies have started using a series capacitor to reduce the voltage while maintaining a sine wave which eliminates humming while reducing the fan speed.


Want to install an outdoor ceiling fan directly to exposed 2x4 on a covered porch

You want the main attachment for the fan box to be attached perpendicular to the floor, not horizontally into a faming member. The twist on a horizontal attachment could lead to failure. The box should be attached with sizable screws or lag bolts.

That means, you should have a framing member directly above the box, either the 2x4 you mentioned or a short added framing piece running perpendicular (vertically) to the joist.

I would build a small wooden frame around the fan box. 2x or 1x pieces should do. They are not structural but decorative and gap filling. These will give a base larger than the canopy.

I would then run a conduit to carry the cable to the fan box, making holes in the surrounding box trim.


20amp circuit with 130 feet 10awg main line and 12awg from junction box to outlets

You'll be fine here
With your pressure-washer load on a 130' run of 10AWG copper, you're a bit over 3% voltage drop, and the LEDs will draw next to nothing atop that.  So, I wouldn't worry too hard about your plans.  What you make the splices in your "junction box" with depends on if you're dealing with an aboveground box or an underground handhole, though.  For the former, you can use standard wirenuts or lever-lock type connectors; however, for the latter, you'll want to use connectors rated for direct burial, as handholes get quite wet inside.


Is it considered safe to connect ground to neutral with GFCI outlets?

Yes you can replace two prong ungrounded receptacles with GFCIs. Since you say you are a retired electrician I'll be brief. 2014 NEC Article 406.4(D)(2) will explain how to do it.

No you should never bootleg a ground. If you want to install a ground, it can be added as outlined in 2014 NEC Article 250.130(C) and Exhibit 250.47. They can guide you through it.

I am mentioning the NEC year because these articles have moved around in different editions. Good luck explaining it to contractors. Hope this helps.


What are the key criteria to consider when purchasing new locks and deadbolts?

Here's a suggestion: Make sure your door and frame are properly installed and REINFORCED before even considering installing any lock that is above consumer grade. The frame on your h*me depot door will break in half with no where near as much force as you think it would take. your $200 mul-t-lock dead bolt will be rendered useless.


10 inch rough toilet but heating baseboard is in the way

I had a weird offset flange in a bathroom where I replaced a toilet and like you, couldn't come close to finding one at my locals shops. At this point one option is to visit a plumbing supply outlet and see if they can help. They are the ones who know about these specialty items.


help me interpret the results of an outlet tester on some GFCI receptacles

Normally, the legends on a 3-light tester are useless and wrong, so I call them "magic 8-ball testers".   However, they are simple affairs, with the 3 neon lights connected triangle style across the 3 prongs, and a thinker can get useful info out of that.

Not in your case.  That tester has a microcontroller stuck in front of the lights. The controller is interpreting the raw signals to "help you out". Just like the old legends, the interpreted answers are wrong.   So it destroyed the one thing that made a 3-lamp tester useful: raw data. Into the trash it goes.

Get an old style one, with yellow yellow red lights and Y Y - being a normal reading.

Of course get one with a GFCI tester; that function has nothing to do with the presence or absence of the very unhelpful microcomputer.

I agree with your analysis on receptacles 2, 3 and 4.  GFCI #1, ??? Whatever.  It is normal for outdoor GFCIs to fail far too soon, that's what you get for leaving them outside.  Occam's razor: bad GFCI.

Do you know how GFCIs work?   "I spend $20 a socket replacing every receptacle with one of these and the home inspector signs off" is not how GFCIs work.

GFCI is a filtering/safety system that rides between the hot and neutral.  It comes in combo w/breaker, standalone (deadfront) or combo w/receptacle.  Obviously, the first two don't have any sockets and their one thing is to protect the downline part of the circuit.  They can protect the whole circuit - one device.

Here's the thing: the common GFCI receptacle can do that too. That's the one purpose of the LOAD terminals.

So when I hear about GFCIs getting chewed up outdoors, and when I hear about 2 GFCIs on the same circuit, I say it's a good time to figure how the circuit is wired, and find an indoor location to fit one GFCI that'll protect the whole outdoor part of the circuit.


Attic Insulation in hot and humid climate

Any good paint on ceilings eliminates the need for vapor barrier. As far as which way to face a barrier if your climate is hot most of the time and you have air conditioning then face toward living area (ceiling) since inside air is cooler than attic. I.e. a cold glass of tea sweats on outside of glass. But my field experience says vapor barrier towards attic is a moot issue. Since you (should) have at least 8 inches attic insulation and that R value will buffer any temp exchange before it gets to ceiling material. Even on the walls I've never seen any mildew or evidence of excessive sweating due to lack of vapor barrier. I have seen such with rain leaks. Maybe in much colder climates walls would need a barrier.


Leveling options for bumpy basement floor

Leveling compound really is the way to go with this job, are there any tricks to save money on doing it - I am sure there might be. But it is always cheaper to do it right the first time than to do it right the second time.

This is the area where most people make the mistakes : COSTS.
To do something right costs this much and they don't want to spend the money, so they do it wrong, later they have issues and wish they had done it right - some then ask a pro to come in and do it right (More money) others tear up what they have and do it right the second time (More money). Then you have the others who simply sell the house to an unsuspecting soul and go their way, possibly to make the same mistake in their new home and never learning this simple rule..

Cheaper to do it right the first time than to do it right the second time.

I know it will cost you up front, but in the long run it will be cheaper both in terms of laying your flooring and having it right. You could even put heating elements under the plank if you were so inclined.


How to stop door knob latch from twisting and sticking on strike plate?

The locks appear to be worn out. If these are just inexpensive builder's grade door locks, replace them.

You then get to decide whether you want knobs or lever handles. We opted for levers and these have worked well for the bedroom and bathroom doors because they are recessed from the hallway. We also used a lever handle on the HVAC closet in the hallway which was a mistake because it is flush with the wall and is an interference.


I have an indoor swimming pool - can I have a large mirror, or will it be steamed all the time?

Are the walls wet? If not, then a mirror the same temperature as the wall it's mounted on will also not be wet, as the water is not condensing on the walls.

If the walls are too cold and the water is condensing on the them, then it will condense on a mirror mounted on them, since that will also be too cold.

Constant fogging is primarily a problem (in my experience) where a poorly insulated mostly-glass structure is built over an originally outdoor pool. If your pool room is inside a house that's properly insulated, that's far less likely to be a problem.


What does "adjacent to water pipes within 3 feet of grade" mean?

If your pipes are not buried deeper than 3 feet/900cm, you should use "the backfill method" only, in their vicinity, whatever that method is (I'll let you read the manual to figure out what that is.)


Sure, just turn the water back on and wait.

Of course, that won't actually minimize the drywall repair work. But you'll eventually localize where the leak is.

My actual approach would be to point out that a big drywall repair is barely any harder than a small one, so get over that misconception and rip away.


It's a fire hazard because there are a lot of variables and the code (and remember that the code is the law) errs on the side of safety.

EDIT: Consider this answer to another question that was asked today:  https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/86019/24137

One answer referenced old knob and tube wiring being spliced inside walls and never showing a scorch mark in 100 years of use.

I'll buy that, because the connections were very solid, professional connections.

But also consider that k&t splices are soldered together in addition to being crimped and/or twisted together. Those soldered connections also protect the conductors within the splice itself from corrosion since oxygen is sealed out (both copper and aluminum wire oxidizes), and from movement. As wire changes temperature, it expands and contracts and this can loosen connections.

Also, it's possible that somebody will pull on one end of the cable or the other from a box, and a wirenut connection is more likely to fail than an intact run of wire is in that situation.

Compared to soldered connections, wire nuts are straight pressure connectors and it's far more likely that a wire nut connection will become loose and overheat or start sparking than it is for a soldered connection to do so.

Also, what if somebody does something like connecting a copper and an aluminum wire with a wire nut? Even the purple wire nuts specifically designed for making those bimetallic connections have a notoriously high failure rate (there are clamp-type connections that are better). Copper and aluminum expand and contract at different rates as the temperature changes, and this can really loosen the connection. Additionally, bimetallic connections like that are subject to greater levels of corrosion, and aluminum oxide is an insulator. Forcing current through an insulator generates a lot of heat (fire hazard). If that kind of failure happens inside a junction box, you'll smell it and be able to find and access it much more easily than if it was sealed up inside the wall. Additionally, the electrical box itself has some nominal fire resistance and code says the box has to extend far enough out to the surface of the wall so that no flammable materials are exposed around the edges of the box.

There are more reasons than these, of course.

So it actually is a fire safety issue, as most of the electrical code is.