What problems might a single ground rod above 25 ohms resistance cause?

Well it is the National Electrical Code that requires 25 Ohms or less. Notice the exception after #5.
Here:

250.53(A)(2) Supplemental Electrode Required. A single rod, pipe, or plate electrode shall be supplemented by an additional electrode of a type specified in 250.52(A)(2) through (A)(8). The supplemental electrode shall be permitted to be bonded to one of the following:
(1) Rod, pipe, or plate electrode
(2) Grounding electrode conductor
(3) Grounded service-entrance conductor
(4) Nonflexible grounded service raceway
(5) Any grounded service enclosure
Exception: If a single rod, pipe, or plate grounding electrode has a resistance to earth of 25 ohms or less, the supplemental electrode shall not be required.
(3) Supplemental Electrode. If multiple rod, pipe, or plate electrodes are installed to meet the requirements of this section, they shall not be less than 1.8 m (6 ft) apart.
Informational Note: The paralleling efficiency of rods is increased by spacing them twice the length of the longest rod.
(B) Electrode Spacing. Where more than one of the elec-trodes of the type specified in 250.52(A)(5) or (A)(7) are used, each electrode of one grounding system (including that used for strike termination devices) shall not be less than 1.83 m (6 ft) from any other electrode of another grounding system. Two or more grounding electrodes that are bonded together shall be considered a single grounding electrode system.

The reason contractors elect to install a second ground rod is that it is cheaper than paying for the ground resistance testing.
The advantage to a low resistance is during a lightning strike or large ground fault even a small resistance creates a large voltage differential. This could be dangerous for persons in contact with grounded parts of the system at that moment. Hence the reason for the requirement.
Otherwise, during normal operation there isn't a noticeable advantage to consumers.
For an older home you may already have a grounded metal water pipe exiting the building so you already have a supplemental electrode. If not adding an extra rod may help protect you and your valuable electronic equipment during a lightning strike or large voltage transient on the line.
Good luck!


How do I handle the grounded neutral for a simple switch?

Simply cap it with a twist-on wire connector, or other approved method.


How should I go about fixing a faulty 240 V Electrical Outlet

I'm not in the US, so I used Google to deduce which prong is doing what in this outlet. I'll assume that the left and the right wires are phase wires and the middle wire is the ground.

Note that although the left wire looks melted the right one looks just fine although they usually carry equal currents. So this is not melting due to overload. The most likely scenario is that the left terminal got rusty and its surface resistance raised and so it overheated and this causes minor melting on the left wire.

The signs of burn on the outlet face are quite typical and likely don't indicate a wiring problem. Outlet contacts tend to get loose over time and once that happens they no longer maintain tight contact with the plug contacts. Also when a high load is disconnected an arc can start and this makes the contacts burn and cover with carbon and further increases the resistance. This is more likely to lower quality outlets, but happens just about everywhere.

So the bottom line is the outlet has just worn out and needs careful replacement. Remove the old outlet, clean the exposed wires, carefully connect the new outlet making sure all screws on the terminals are tight. You might want to test the new outlet - plug some high load and let it run for an hour, then trip the breaker, open the outlet cover and check whether there're any signs of warming up.


Can i use my old electric water heater electrical supply wire to power new outlets?

Yes, it can, but for normal 120v outlets, you'll need to swap the 240 volt/30 amp breaker for a 120v 20 amp,  I suggest a "DUFI" if available for your panel.  DUFIs are industry slang for Dual function breakers.  They actually do 4 things:  1) Normal over-current protection, 2) Ground Fault protection, 3) Series arc fault protection and 4) parallel arc fault protection. You'll need to get filler plate to block off the space since the 120 v breaker will be taking 1 slot whereas the 240 took two.
Depending upon your jurisdiction, only GFCI may be required for outdoor outlets. But AFCI isn't a bad thing.   Others here (with more knowledge than me) favor using GFCI breakers in panels rather than GFCI outlets, the reasoning is they are protected from the weather, by being installed in a panel and last a lot longer.
OK, that aside said, moving on:  At the box where the old water heater was, run 12/2 from there to your outdoor outlets. Use high quality outlets, not $.79 cheapies.
You'll install the white wire that is now the neutral to the GFCI breaker (assuming you go that route), and the white pig-tail from the breaker to the neutral bus bar.  If you choose to use a GFCI outlet "first in line" for your outdoor outlets, you'll need to move the white wire that was formally connected to the water heater breaker to the neutral bus bar.  Mark the 10ga wires with a tag saying there is 12ga as part of that circuit. Any decent electrician would probably realize that, but a future homeowner might not. No penalty for clarity!
I'd like to see a pic of the inside of your main panel to see exactly what we are dealing with.  Brand and age of panel also helps.  Based on that, I may update my answer.
CAVEAT:  What I responded with is what is a "typical" install, if you have something more unique, your mileage my vary.  Again, shoot us a pic of the innards and we can be more sure.


Check that the receptacles are wired correctly and that the hot and neutrals aren't crossed. As far as diagram the only this I see odd about this is that right circuit the neutral and ground are connected to the same bus. They should be connected like that the circuit on the left. Since the two busses are eventually connected its not dangerous but it may cause a small ground loop and maybe causing the audio hum.

Also I assume you're plugging in a powered speaker. If the audio source is plugged into a different circuit especially if the circuit is the other phase improper grounding can cause a hum.

Let us know what resolved the problem for you.


Running romex around switch box that is not being terminated to said switch box

Yes, you can loop around a box provided you staple like you describe. I'd suggest having the cable not touch the box since someday the box may have to be removed and keeping the cable away from the box will prevent it getting damaged.


Why I am having eye irritation problem with oil radiator in my home (in India/Asia) when I never had such problem in Europe

Probably paint on the outside of it off-gassing something.
Set it outside and run it on high for a few hours, that might help burn the volatiles off.
Most are too convoluted to expect removing the paint to be practical.


How do I properly insulate an attic ceiling?

If you are foaming the attic ceiling, you're converting the attic to conditioned space. If you do this, you must cover up the ridge, eave and gable vents (or any other vent, for that matter)

Here is an information link on the subject:

http://inspectapedia.com/interiors/atticcond8.htm


Removal of light switch. Power only to front light, no power to outlets or anything else

Your problem is that you didn't get all the wires

Your issue is that there was more wiring branching off from the always-hot feed using the switch itself as a junction point; not only was there an always-hot wire coming into the switch via the backstab, the matching screw played host to two always-hots that fed other things by using a middle-looped wire.  When you removed the switch, you left that onward feed unconnected, which is why stuff stopped working.

Fixing it is as simple as cutting that onward-wire in half at the stripped portion, stripping the ends sufficiently so it can be nutted in with the other two wires that went to the switch, and incorporating the two ends into the wirenut junction that replaced the switch, all with the circuit turned off at the breaker of course.


The backer board is usually screwed to the studs , just like the Sheetrock although some used to use nails back in the 70’s.  The problem with demolition on this side of the wall is it can cause issues on the other side. The shower should have a vapor barrier moisture would not be my concern, but if any hammering is done on the wall make sure to get a grout & Tile sealer and reseal the shower so it will not have a leak.
I like to work with fresh Sheetrock to have clean straight walls it may be easier to Remove the cabinets they look to be sectional. Remove the backer and install fresh Sheetrock,
another option is to overlay Sheetrock on top but that is hard to hide the edges  with cabinets in place but I have done it with 1/4” where I wanted to cover a large mess without all the removal, then extending the receptacle  and switch boxes with extenders is simple. The tough part is very precise cuts on the Sheetrock to slip it in place, but this may give you the clean straight wall look you want with the least work.


Penetrating a drywall ceiling; NM in conduit or NM not in conduit?

Go ahead and have the EMT penetrate the ceiling, then use an EMT-to-NM transition fitting in the attic where the EMT ends:


Should windows be sealed from the outside before the capping is done?

Yes.

You should silicone the flange top and sides (not the bottom), and use flashing as wide as practical for the top and sides as well.


aluminum or vinyl for replacement glass sliding door?

Aluminum is heat conductive and sweats in the wintertime as moist, warm inside air hits it. Despite drainage built into the frame, the water also condenses on the outside of the frames and can rot out the wood that forms the rough opening. Foam sealant will help eliminate the air spaces that allow this to happen but doesn't stop any exposed surface from getting damp and dripping. In windows, this leads to black mold growing in the tracks in the winter, no matter how hard you try to keep them clean.

Vinyl is self-insulating and prevents a tremendous quantity of this condensation from happening. Quality sliding doors have a stainless steel cap-strip for the rollers to run on and will outlast the aluminum rib most aluminum doors use for support.

Extra attention must be paid to installation as the vinyl frame needs proper support, a square and flat opening that won't distort the frame, and the door track checked to be properly level and straight. Vinyl is pretty tough, but not rigid like aluminum.

Note: Always use low-expansion foam to insulate the gaps around the frame between it and the rough opening so you don't distort either type of sliding door frame.


Use the side screws -- the old style "back-stab" terminations are rather unreliable critters (they have a habit of failing to a high-resistance state).  Also, 12 gauge wire won't fit into the backstabs, but is fine with the side screws.


Interesting.  What you actually need is a junction box with appropriate splices.

However, as I sit here trying to price that, I have quickly discovered you aren't gonna get that for $11.  Splicing #6 wire is actually fairly hard.  Too big for wire nuts except a rare few (Ideal 454 blue), and on the super low end of the working range of Polaris connectors, which are expensive.  It seems the most popular method is split bolts (which are all bare metal) and great gobs of electrical tape.  One person buys a $5 accessory ground bar for a panel, and cuts it into 2-screw sections. (Note these ground bars accept Al wire, so it's an efficient way to bond Al to Cu). Again with gobs of electrical tape.

You'll need to add an outdoor junction box and watertight(ish) entry grommets.

So if economies of scale lead someone to offer a 4-wire splice block inside a junction box with a disconnect too for $11... good on them.

Just one thing. Get a metal one.  A plastic outer box is for the birds. Under arcing, plastic will melt; steel will dissipate the heat.

And understand those pull-out disconnects are super cheap, and not really intended to be ever operated. So if your plan is to never operate it, that'll be perfect.


Is this dimmer wired the wrong way around?

I do believe it is wired backwards.  That would never be tolerable in a DC (direct-current) system.

However, AC reverses 100 times a second (giving 50 full cycles per second). A funny side-effect of that is that some things don't care about being back-fed, e.g. breakers.

If your dimmers are one of those, then you got lucky.

However, I would expect that such a direction-agnostic dimmer is not very LED friendly.  It's really past time to upgrade to LED lighting. They have been quite good for several years now. The power bill alone will pay for the dimmers inside a year.


Do wires and electical boxes need to be protected on the un-finished side of basement?

No, but they do need to be secured to the framing according to the NEC schedule. You must staple (or otherwise restrain) within 12" of each box, and every four feet along framing members, centered on the board. By doing so you reduce the likelihood of cable damage due to snags and fastener penetration.

A neat wiring job involves straight, flat runs, gentle, consistent bends, and adequate stapling. For example:


This is a driver set.  It includes a handle (the green item), several bits (lower left) and several sockets (upper left).  The long items in the lower middle is an extender. One of the items in the bit tray is an adapter to allow the handle to accomodate the sockets.

The bits make it a multi purpose screwdriver. The sockets make it a nut driver.


What underlayment should I use for stapled engineered floor?

For nail down, no underlay is needed.  But for install and to help reduce noise from the wood floor rubbing against the subfloor (when someone walks on it), use red rosin paper.


Is this a termite? What bug has been eating my wood?

That most definitely appears to be termite damage. The pictured bug is NOT a termite however. It looks like what we call an "earwig" here in the south.


Is using a thermal camera an effective method to locate mold & moisture behind finished walls in a basement?

I doubt it. I'd assume that any water which has made its way far enough into your house, to wet the backside of drywall, would have already acclimated. It's hard enough to find gaping holes in the exterior of a building by scanning a panel of drywall.

Thermal cameras are used to find heat gain, standing inside, or heat loss, standing outside. Suggested reading: Where do I need to drain the footing drain when I waterproof a basement from the outside? You need to somehow drain or shed rain water away from the house. See any cracks in the foundation?


tieing different gauge of speaker wire together for one speaker

Using two different gages of wire is no worse than just using the thinner gage of wire; switching won't harm anything (as long as the connection is done properly).

As for the minimum gage to use, when I was at MIT I ran 150' of #24 double twisted pair stranded wire from the stereo in my room to my speakers in the courtyard. It sounded fine to me. Quite possibly I had/have tin ears, but I'm sure the results weren't awful. So, unless you're using extremely thin or extremely long cables, you'll be fine. (The humongous, finely-stranded, oxygen-free speaker cables you'll find sold for an arm and a leg are just silly.)


As long as you are getting an acceptable signal level at the router, replacing the six-way splitter with a coupler won't accomplish much. You can tell via a speed test, which is readily available on the web. However, reliability will be improved by replacement.

If you install the coupler, save the splitter for possible future applications


How to seal this crack in plywood subfloor?

Well it would help to have more information, This looks like cement backer that was cut. not a crack created by normal movement. If it is a crack RUN OUT OF THE COUNTRY! Because cracks don't show up 1/8" wide and and are gone in this short distance. The noise problem could be caused by the structure., not being glued and screwed or just cheap construction. I am not sure it really needs to be filled and I am sure it is not the root cause of the squeak. If you or any one out there can develop a "crack in plywood " anything like this you would make the record books. But if it is just old vinyl glue that makes it look like backer the problem may be more screws are needed, maybe some shims from the bottom. But filling the cut won't help.


Tips needed on concreting swing posts into to lawn

we'll need to first poor concrete to stand the post on and then fill the rest of the hole with soil.

The best solution is to dig the holes, fill the bottom with a foot of gravel for the post to stand on,  put the posts in place and then concrete around the post. Water running down the post can drain into the gravel.

If you stand a wooden post on concrete it will rot quickly.

I would use pressure-treated timber (or a species that is rot-resistant).
I would check it annually for rot and expect to replace it in 10 years.


I have seven 24v 2amp thermostats. Do I just need a single 24v 2amp power supply to power them?

That will adequately power the thermostats alone
The full spec page for your Tekmar 532 thermostats states they need a power supply of only 1.8VA for themselves.  Since your power supply has 24V * 2A = 48VA available, you can easily power all 7 of them, leaving 35.4VA of capacity left over.  The 2A spec is what the internal relays are capable of switching; i.e. your connected devices must not draw more than 2A.
Now, keep in mind that your transformer needs to power both the thermostats as well as the devices they control, and the devices sometimes have larger power requirements.  If your devices do have large power requirements, you may want to use separate transformers for each thermostat, or one much larger one.  It also doesn't hurt to oversize the transformers a bit, since they will run cooler and last longer that way.


What components need to be changed when upgrading from R22 to R410a?

On the AC side everything really needs to be changed R22 uses mineral oil based lubricants.
R410a uses ester oil lubricants. Getting all the residue out would cost a bunch and these can’t be mixed.
The compressor will need to be changed and the TXV / orifice will need to be changed.
You might be able to have the evaporator cleaned (indoor coil) if it is in good shape and the size will work.
Most of the time the older outdoor coils are in rough shape and of older less energy efficient design. Cleaning and changing the parts are not cost effective.
It would help to have the model because some units have adjacent coils and some the coils are interlinked for improved efficiency. I have only worked on a couple of old units but they just needed a recharge, I know some charge $100/LB for R22 but it can still be purchased if the system is working.

Just an update, another Stack exchange member posted there system had been upgraded and now is not working well from under sized lines and possibly contaminated oil. Just thought I would add this to help your decision.


Adding an outlet in kickspace of kitchen cabinet kickspace, meet code?

Since it is not actually serving the countertop and appears to be a reasonable distance from a sink, apparently this does not need to be GFCI protected.

However, GFCI protection may still be a good idea, either at the receptacle (which I can see it is not), at the breaker or somewhere in between. While it is unlikely that you'll be reaching down to plug/unplug appliances while your hands are wet (which can easily happen at the real countertop receptacles), kitchens get wet, especially on the floor (at least in my house) so I think it would be a good idea.


Is it safe to run power up to attic and back down to another outlet?

There's nothing wrong with this

It's A-OK to run a cable up through the top plate to the attic and back down to the next stud bay as long as the cable is run properly (1.5" setback from the edge of the studs, and run stapled to the top plate in the attic).


How can I restore old, brass coated door hardware?

I would use a wire brush to clean them. Take a magnet and find if they are brass or plated steel , then you can be aggressive with the brush if they are solid brass.  New brass plating could only be applied by a sophisticated commercial shop; It requires plating with two metals ( copper and zinc) at the same time.


#2. On a separate note, why are the white wires to the disposal connected to the line out to the next outlets?

That is completely wrong. I don't know what they were thinking!
It sounds like you have 2 completely separate circuits in this box: One that powers the disposal, and a double circuit (MWBC) that powers the receps.
When you have multiple circuits in a box, neutrals must stay with their partner hots. There are several reasons, but one is that neutrals don't have breakers.  They depend on the idea that neutral will carry the same current as its partner hot (or with MWBCs, <= the current of the hots due to how they work).
As things are, that disposal neutral could be returning 2 hots' worth of power, and could easily overload.
I don't know where that "probably to next outlet" leg is going, but it needs to make up its mind which circuit it is on!  I would put it on the disposal circuit, because that is less likely to violate Code.

All the outlets have 2 blacks, 2 reds, and 2 whites AND a ground running to them. The specific outlet I want to change is also in the same box as the disposal switch. See picture below.
As far as I understand, you can't have all 7 wires to one GFCI outlet because there's no breaky tab on the white side and the circuits will all mesh and short out.
So,
#1. Can this outlet be turned into 2 GFCI? Or will I just have to get an electrician to figure out wiring 1 breaker to each outlet?

This is called a Multi-wire branch circuit. Those are legal, but you must follow several rules, which "the last guy" ignored.
Rule 1: Neutrals must be pigtailed.  That is, neutrals must go to a wire nut and be joined with a short white wire that goes to the recep.  Neutral must stay continuous even if the receptacle is removed.
You notice that grounds already work this way.  In an MWBC, neutrals must too.
Rule 2: Back at the breaker panel, the breakers must be handle-tied or be 2-pole. Can't be independent breakers.
One very fast way to install GFCI protection is to fit a 2-pole GFCI breaker.  Boom done, you don't need to fiddle with anything else.

Now, as far as fitting GFCI protection, you have several options other than "blowing out the box to a 3-gang".  Nothing goes on LOAD - leave the warning tape on it.  There is no way to use LOAD with an MWBC.

Put one GFCI recep only on one leg - completely ignore the black leg.  In that case, the neutral pigtail goes onto the silver LINE screw.  The red wires go on the brass LINE screw.  The black wires connect to each other, but no longer connect to the socket.

Blow out to a 3-gang box and fit two GFCIs.  In this case you get one GFCI per circuit.  For simplicity's sake, I say pigtail white neutral to both GFCI's silver LINE screw.  One GFCI has red wires on its brass LINE. The other has black wires on its brass LINE.

Fit 2 GFCIs abreast in the 2-gang box...  one of the GFCIs is a half-switch.  Same as above, except the 2 pigtail wires (which are for the switch) go to the 2 wires going to the switch currently.

None of this will do anything to provide GFCI downline protection to other outlets in the kitchen.  If you need to do that, it may be cheaper to use a 2-pole GFCI breaker.  You will need to fix the poached-neutral problem, because GFCIs don't tolerate that.


First, make sure you get all (and I do mean all) of the loose paint off the wall. If you get a fairly flexible wallpaper scraper you should be able to bring most of it up. Keep going for that extra 5 minutes after you think you've finished.

Then sand the remaining paint to feather the edges so that they are as smooth as possible.

Next get some filler (spackle I think it's called in the states) and fill in any cracks and large holes. You can also use it over any edges that still seem harsh. When it's dry a light sand will smooth out the imperfections - but don't let it get too dry as it can go very hard.

Then wash the walls down with warm (mild) soapy water, then rinse off with fresh clean water. Allow to dry then prime the wall with either a specialist primer or a watered down coat of emulsion. This will also help find any last imperfections which you can fill and reprime.

Then the wall is ready to paint.


Water heater anode rod replacement, teflon tape or no?

I just replaced my anode.  I wrapped three layers of teflon tape and torqued it to 66ft-lb which seemed adequately tight.  Online torque tables specified max 78ft-lb for 3/4 NPT.  Resistance between anode hex head and outlet was 0.6ohm.  This is essentially zero resistance. The lead to lead resistance alone is 0.2ohm.


Using existing exhaust stack for new furnace

You cannot use the flue in it's current state. High efficiency furnaces exhaust less heat out of your house. The exhaust gas is cool enough that it condensates that's why it needs a drain and also why the exhaust pipe is PVC The condensate is slightly acidic and will corrode even some types of stainless steel overtime. You can however, use the old flue as a chase to run your PVC pipe through. It's not easy but if your house has the furnace located in the middle in a finished basement, it's sometimes the only option.


This might sound strange but sometimes people inadvertently lean against the tank while sitting on the toilet seat.   This can put pressure on the large gasket that is meant to seal the tank to the toilet.  Even a new gasket can be compressed on the back side near the wall of the ring gasket which could cause leaks on the front side of the gasket. In the beginning of this happening, the leak may stop once a person stands up but eventually the rubber gasket can deteriorate and lose its sealing ability. A possible  fix is to avoid leaning back against the tank. Depending on the gasket, it might have to be replaced if it has been damaged from compression. Another preventative solution is to put a proper size board or  other solid material that fits the space between the top, back side of the tank just below the lid and attach it to the wall so that if someone leans back, the block of wood can help prevent tank from leaning. Nash Stephens


If one wanted more basement ceiling height

The safer and more predictable method (probably also cheaper) is to jack the house and build up, not messing with the footings. If the lower foundation is in good shape this can be a relatively simple approach if you work in concrete masonry unit lifts (i.e. an evenly divisible by 8 inches lift for most concrete blocks - perhaps 3 blocks or 2 feet for yours.) You raise the house somewhat more (well, unless you are nuts, your professional house movers do) and build the new block wall (reinforcing  probably a good idea to ask your engineer about) on top of the old wall, then set the house back down on it.

Another fairly common option with more dire foundation issues is to either build a whole new foundation and roll the house onto it, or roll the house off to the side and build a new foundation in place, then roll the house back onto it. This requires space to do that, but it is considerably cheaper to move the house than to build the foundation while the house is in the way. However, the latter approach is also seen.


Install recessed lights and chandelier with 3-way switches

It sounds like your plan will work now that you have the 12/3 cable -- since you have a neutral at the kitchen-side switch, you don't need to worry about running one to the entry-side switch, as the 404.2(C) provisions for neutral at switches only require neutral at one location within a multiway switching setup.


I'd use a pair of Tongue-and-groove pliers, just be careful not to crank too hard.


Temporary floor fix - Ikea laminate on concrete and wooden boards

Is this over a crawlspace?  Fix your dampness and ventilation problems first before you invest a lot of time/money into the cosmetics.  You will probably find more issues.  Why do you want to do this twice (now, and again in a year)?  My suggestion is to do it right, once.

Concrete shrinks as it cures, so cracks are probably only a cosmetic issue.


Should I Buy Cordless Drill/Driver From USA And Use It In My Country?

I would buy part number DW9116220. This is the 220 volt charger for the battery system. Then buy the drill separately and you're good to go.


What could be wrong with my flood damaged water heater?

Replace the thing, it's shot.  The lower thermostat if not the lower element's toast, and several other parts could have failed as well, in addition for the potential for waterlogged insulation causing...issues, especially if some foam-eating mold moves into it.

Oh, and your tank's likely to have started rusting from the outside in if the insulation has water in it, too.


I have the same problem. I discovered the body odor smell was coming from the fly screen. I live by the beach. After a weather event involving both wind and rain I noticed there salt deposits left. When the sun beats down on the salt deposits the BO smell is most prevelant. I have to remove the flyscreen and give it a thorough clean with sugar soap and a brush to get rid of the smell.


I agree with Ed Beal. The technician had no idea what they were doing.
The gas pipe is required to be bonded yes, but the equipment ground that serves the electrical circuit for the furnace is allowed to be the sole means of that bonding.
From the 2017 National Electrical Code (also in earlier versions)

250.104
(B) Other Metal Piping.  If installed in or attached to a building or structure, a metal piping system(s), including gas piping, that is likely to become energized shall be bonded to any of the following:
(1) Equipment grounding conductor for the circuit that is likely to energize the piping system.
...

You said --

However, when tested at the furnace using its ground there is no voltage at all on his multimeter.

This tells me your equipment grounding conductor for the gas furnace circuit is in good condition.
A millivolt signal to a screwdriver stuck in the ground is not a reliable way to do earth ground testing.
The Utility should immediately restore your service and that technician needs to be properly trained.
Good luck!


At a quick guess from a blurry picture, that looks like a double-pane "thermal glass" unit (very common in modern windows) and probably  requires taking the sash it is in (aluminum or vinyl?) out of the windowframe and dissassembling to replace.

Anything involving glazing putty and points almost certainly does not apply here.


Best option - drill hole out to 3/4", cover a 3/4" wooden dowel with wood glue, stuff it in the hole, wait for glue to dry, cut it off flush, drill new hole.

Wood filler is not a quality repair you should expect to last.

You might have enough room to drill your small hole beyond the current hole.


How do I prepare a wall for backsplash tile?

Assuming this is ceramic tile - not glass or stone - and you are going to do the standard mastic installation, if there is only mild damage (for example, a few 4-inch patches ripped off) either just ignore it or use joint compound to fill.

Joint compound is not strong at all.  It is pretty crumbly and soft - i.e. it's not plaster, even though builders nowadays use it to skim-coat walls for texture (you can easily gouge it with your fingernail on such installs).  So if there are large areas of damage, I would cut out the sections of drywall and replace them.  This is not difficult, because although you should still mud-and-tape the joints, you don't need to sand much since you'll be covering it with tile.

Final comment - I wish, on my installation, that we had added 1/4" hardiboard over the sheetrock (with const. adhesive and screws) to stiffen the wall.  My wall has the garage door in it, so the wall gets flexed and the grout cracks.  Just FYI.

(Adding Fein Multimaster picture, see comment below)


A 10"x 10" register box would be fine with an 8" flex duct.
I think you need to do a bit more research into your AC system though. 8" flex duct has a lot of resistance to air flow, much more than rigid duct. Depending on how well your existing system is balanced, supply and return, you might find out that adding that register won't help get rid of that trapped hot air. If you connect a length of 8" flex to a return plenum or another rigid return duct, the resistance of the flex might be too much to make any difference. Have you considered just adding a ceiling fan to move the trapped air around so the existing system can remove and cool that air down?


Can I route coaxial cable for tv through a gas fireplace?

DO NOT DO IT!!!!

Chimney vents must not be compromised! All heat and gas related stacks must be left intact. No additional venting or other holes may be put in them. As the comments have noted, you run the serious risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, as well as the risk of chimney and house fires.

Find another route well away from the chimney.


How can I store Latex paint for the long term - a decade or longer?

I put paint I glass jars and stored it for 10 years it mixed right up.


Fluorescent Lights and CFLs Take Longer to Startup in Cold

When turned off, the mercury in the fluorescent tube condenses on the inside surface of the tube.  In order to emit light, the mercury must evaporate and form a vapor as the conductive path between the ends of the tube.  The colder the bulb is to begin with, the longer it takes for all the mercury to evaporate, and for the light to reach full brightness.

This also explains why fluorescent lights get dimmer as they age: there is a small leakage of mercury from the tube during its lifetime, so there is less mercury vapor in the tube, so less light produced.


Is it legal to add a jumper wire to a conductor that is too short in a junction box?

I think 300.14 is quite clear.  You need at least 6" of free conductor, and the conductors must be long enough to extend 3" out of the box.  If you can't pull more cable into the box, you're going to have to replace it.

As others have mentioned, 314.17(C) requires at least 1/4" of the cable sheath to be in the box.  So the inspector might call you on that as well.


If you have a honer and it is not rusted through and through, you could clean up the outer lip, remove any calcium buildup, and ensure the outer lip of the sink itself is solid.

Also make sure it is not bent (the sink) and ideally, the drain tube is also perpendicular to the base of the sink. Make sure the sink is still sitting level on the counter top.

if everything is level, flush, and clean, you should be all set.

If the drain area of the sink is rusted through, you'll have to replace it, or epoxy it like mad. (then clean it, and seat everything).


Lubricating squeaky European cabinet hinges

It may not be a matter of where, but of what. WD-40 isn't a great lubricant in some cases. It's very light and may not work on the nylon parts. It may also dissolve any actual grease that was present.
Maybe try something with Teflon, lithium, or silicone, or use basic 3-in-1 household oil.


Bad ground??? Service panel updated!! Dim lights

Possible Neutral Out
Get a multimeter. Check voltage at several different receptacles - all should read about the same ~ 120V. If you have a 240V receptacle - e.g., electric dryer - check from each hot to neutral and between hots - you should get ~ 120V for each hot to neutral and ~ 240V between hots.
If you get find that some receptacles are way above 120V and some receptacles below 120V, and particularly if you find that a 240V receptacle has something other than 1/2 the voltage on each individual hot-to-neutral (e.g., 240V hot-to-hot but 130V on one hot-to-neutral and 110V on the other hot-to-neutral), and also if the voltage changes significantly when you turn various appliances on and off, then you very likely have a LOST NEUTRAL. That is a dangerous situation and is normally a CALL THE POWER COMPANY IMMEDIATELY situation because most of the time it is on their side of the meter.
Another possibility is a one leg of your service is out. Less likely based on your description as typically then certain things would start/stop working when a 240V appliance (e.g., dryer, oven, air conditioner, water heater) is turned on/off. But that is also a CALL THE POWER COMPANY situation.
That being said, anything can happen and these same problems (as well as many others) can be the result of circuit breaker panel problems. But I'd get a multimeter and if you find high/low then definitely call the electric company.


How to find the source of a wasp infestation?

It's hard to give accurate advice without more information about the building.  They've got to get in from the outside, but they can get into your room though an attic, crawlspace, etc.  Go outside and look for openings.  A common place is where the electrical service enters the house through an attic.  If you go out in the middle of the day, you should be able to see them flying around.

The house I grew up in had a HUGE bee infestation in the attic.  They got in through soffit vents. Every once and a while a couple of bees would come into my room through openings around the A/C register.  No one figured out that they were coming in from the attic until honey started dripping through the drywall ceiling (my mom had first blamed me for spilling something sticky on the carpet). They had to go in and out to feed, and we did notice them outside, but we did not think they had actually nested in our house.  They were much more evident outside than inside.

So, with this experience, I say take the time to observe them from the outside to determine where they are coming into the building structure, then search for nests.


You can use it, they work for coping and other sundry shaping. Then again, the fact that you can make a statue with a chainsaw doesn't mean that every carpenter ought to have on in their toolbox. A plane will give you a much flatter surface and probably be just as quick. I would suggest avoiding the grinder unless you can accept a wavy surface, since it will be difficult to keep the wheel flat and wood abrades much more quickly than metal or stone.

Speaking of chainsaws, I would suggest avoiding the chain-wrapped wheels for grinders in their entirety. I've never heard anyone suggest that they're a good idea. If you haven't seen them it's a grinder wheel with a chainsaw blade around the perimeter for sculpting wood.

A better solution is one of those abrasive flap wheels which mount sandpaper flaps to a grinder disk. It's not a replacement for belt sander but it's an economical solution if you already have a grinder.


Bathroom Exhaust Fan with Light - Wiring

This is fairly simple
Your fan brings out the neutrals for the light/nightlight and fan separately for cases where they wind up on two different circuits or on opposite sides of a GFCI.  Since you only have a single circuit, though, you can simply wirenut both the fan and light neutrals to your white incoming neutral inside the fan's built-in wiring compartment and land the bare wire from that cable on the fan ground terminal, then wire up the hots as you'd wish.
Personally, I'd forego the nightlight myself, which means you cap off the blue wire, then connect black to one incoming switched hot and brown to the other incoming switched hot.  (If you wanted to use the nightlight, you'd put the fan and main light on the same switched hot, then use the other wire in the cable to bring always-hot to the nightlight, taking one of the switches out of service in the process.)  Obviously, you'll need the appropriate clamp or fitting for where your wiring enters the fan's terminal compartment, as well.


Is there a code-compliant way to label a wire where the conductors are not wired in the expected way?

Nope, you can't loop power out one cable and back the other.

The rule is that currents must sum up to zero (be equal and opposite) amongst all wires in each cable or conduit.

That means your idea of 3 cables - one for hot+neutral and two more for four switched lines - is a non-starter.  You would need ONE cable that is /6.  Or alternately, conduit and individual THHN wires.  (No, you can not strip NM's sheath and use the individual wires, unless they are marked, and they're  not.)

As such, the three cables are useles, and this has an effect on the landscape.

You can't eliminate the stairwell switch

Code absolutely requires stairwell switches at top and bottom.  So that one needs to stay. The alternatives are motion sensors that are positioned correctly (hard), or lights left on 24x7.

Go back to your original plan

You have four cables or things that are only always-hot: supply, doorbell, smoke, and onward power to this lamp group.   That is 8 conductors, 1 for all grounds, 1 for all cable clamps, so 10 "wire count".  With 12 AWG wire that is 2.25 cubic inches per "wire", giving 22.5 cubic inches total.  A tick too much for a 4x4x1.5" steel box, so go with a 4-11/16" square steel box (42 c.i.), or a 4" deep (30.3 c.i.).

What does that leave in the switch box? Power supply, one /3 cable to the 3way, four /2 cables to lamps, and three yokes.   That's 11 conductors, 1 ground, 1 clamps, and 3 yokes.  A yoke counts as 2 of the largest wire attached to it, so 6+11+1+1 = 19 "wires".   At 2.25 cubic inches per, that is 42.75 cubic inches needed.

Look at your plastic junction box, they are pretty big so good shot.

Conduit

If that doesn't work, you'll need to change to the conduit wiring system so you can splice all those neutrals in a seeparate third box. But the problem is those plastic boxes don't have entry points for conduit.

Your better bet would be to change the plastic box for a metal one, and let the switches ground through their yokes.  All grounds are free, but that doesn't mean they don't take practical space.  If your metal switch box then fed to a metal junction box nearby with metal conduit between, all that conduit becomes the ground, and the NM cables only nee to tie to ground wherever they enter the metal piping system.


Why does my tester not indicate voltage when a light switch is on?

If you consider this simplified diagram, showing a light & switch, with the switch in the off position on the left, and in the on position on the right:

When the switch is OFF, its contacts are open - preventing current from flowing through the circuit to the light bulb.
When the switch is ON, its contacts are closed - allowing current to flow through the light bulb.

Your "voltage tester" is measuring voltage, not current.
When the switch is on the ON/closed position, your "voltage tester" measures 0V across the switch because that is exactly the case - a closed switch is a short-circuit and even though there may well be current flowing through it, there is no voltage across it.

If you were to put your "voltage tester" across the light bulb instead, you would find exactly the opposite case.
With the switch OFF/open there will be 0V across the light bulb and when the switch is ON/closed you will measure a voltage across the light bulb.


Tips for building a soundproof room with ventilation

"Insulation" (in the ordinary construction sense) is essentially worthless for blocking sound. But if you need it for the conventional thermal reasons, then certainly go for it.

When it comes down to the bottom line, nothing BLOCKS sound except MASS. That means either the mass of objects (like walls and doors) or the mass of air (i.e. DISTANCE).

And any gaps in the "envelope" will be HUGE holes in your noise-blocking scheme. So movable walls seem antithetical to the goal of blocking noise.

Yes, mass-loaded vinyl is good for adding mass to block sound. But it is rather an expensive compromise in places where space is at a premium. A layer of sheet-rock dry-wall would have the same effect at a lower cost if you are on a budget.

It is not clear whether you already have a concrete floor?  If so, then that is a pretty good advantage.  Yes likely a carpet or rug to mitigate internal reflections. And that foam on the walls is not just "decorative".  Especially in a SQUARE room, it is necessary for reducing internal reflections.

Note that making a space with equal size walls (or ceiling/floor) is a pretty BAD thing for recording sound because you are starting to create an "organ pipe" which will have resonance problems. Good studios not only have un-equal size walls, but they also have non-parallel walls so that "slap-echo" is reduced between parallel surfaces.

Note also that your choice of microphone will affect the effectiveness of your scheme.  If you use a modern "headset mic" where the tiny "wand" is right next to your mouth, you don't have to produce as sound to get a good recording (so not as much to block). And it will also have the added benefit of increasing the "signal-to-noise ratio) since your voice will be MUCH louder than ambient sounds (because of proximity), you won't have as much problem with ambient noise (including HVAC).

Not clear about your requirement for "ventilation".  Do you mean getting fresh air into the space? Or do you mean heating/cooling the air inside for comfort? There are different methods of reducing noise while doing both of those things, but few of them are very conducive for low-budget and/or temporary implementation.


Install doorbell transformer on round junction box

If that light fixture has a roof or structure over it so it would be considered a dry location the transformer could be wired in that location. If no roof you may need a transformer rated for a damp location most are listed for a dry location only.


Breaker, wire and disconnect size for an air conditioner

Edit: I see you have called a professional. My apologies for misreading your question.

It is not unheard of to have different contractors tell you different size wires- some will go for the minimum, some for future proofing. The cost difference between 10 gauge and 12 gauge is minimal, especially for short runs (other than being more difficult to bend). Different contractors may also know what the inspectors like to see- so if they're expecting to see a 10 gauge wire (30A), and the contractor installs 12 gauge (20A), they'll get burned.

With that said, absolute minimum is a 12gaug or 12/2 (so Hot-Hot Ground) However that assumes everything is 220V, and if the system has 110V anywhere then you might need a neutral. I don't know this particular unit, but a photo of the wiring diagram in the manual will help.

The run from my AC is just under 10'. It should be protected in conduit outside the house, run to a disconnect box (fused at 30A), and from there via flex into the compressor.

The cost of the wiring is negligible. The cost difference of the breakers should be 10$, maybe 20$ with markup. The labor is the expensive part.

Assuming they are running a new lineset these costs should be the same. The manufacturer says the size of the copper lines, and copper is copper. If they say 20' of 3/8 you can look up the base price of that- and everyone should be scaled by the same amount (Do NOT think you're going to get copper lineset at store prices, not going to happen).

Overall a bit of future proofing should be useful, but without more details- distance, quotes, environment (do you need a new pad, etc), and what after-the-install service is, prices can vary.

There are websites you can go to to get an estimate as to what things cost in your community. They're distributions, obviously, but it may help.

You probably do not want the cheapest bid, especially if it's by a margin. Calculate the median, average, and std. deviation of the prices. Always a good metric...

You should call a professional.

No, really.

4 individual contactors? Typically there's a compressor and fan, and then an 24v AC that turns them on.

You need the manual which will tell you the minimum sizes, wires, and whatnot, and you'll also need to know local code for what they need to be run to and any external or internal disconnects you have to provide for service.

Do this wrong and you'll be lucky to end up in the hospital.


It seems like a contradiction, but ice on the inside coil almost always means the air conditioner is LOW on refrigerant.  Most people think freezing up would mean too much, but in the case of AC it means the opposite.

It takes a physics lesson to explain why,  but in short because it’s low there is not even cooling across coil, instead too much cooling occurs in one spot and not enough across the rest of the coil.  That’s an over-simplified explanation, but to the point.

At 7-10 years old, I wouldn’t try to get that unit repaired, replace it instead—the new one will be more energy efficient and save you on electricity, todays units use significantly less electricity in most cases.


Is caulk sufficient to seal around my new bathtub?

No, that's not sufficient.

I would epoxy a flange to the tub.  And then for good measure use some roofing tape (which is flexible) to backstop the flange.  And maybe for really good measure install a pan under the tub, or a the very least some building paper leading to a visible spot below (so you quickly detect any leak).

Remember that most building materials can survive getting wet periodically.
No building material can survive staying wet.  Trapped water means mold, rust and worse.


Is this double tap for a subpanel a problem?

My bet is your panel is full and someone wanted to add the shed subpanel anyways so they simply fed it into the utility connection to the panel. There's several problems here

They're mixing aluminum and copper. This is dangerous because the wires can corrode like this. Corroded aluminum is a fire hazard
There's no way to cut the subpanel off. I'm sure someone can quote the relevant NEC, but there's a few reasons you connect wires in the panel to a circuit breaker, and one of them is you want to be able to cut the power to that wire
Even if the subpanel has a breaker, there's a risk that the wires double-tapped can exceed their design limits (which is the other major function of a breaker). If they do, the insulation can melt and now you have unrestricted current flowing straight from the utility, likely meaning fire.

If your panel is full, you'll want a subpanel by the main panel to hook this to. That likely means you'll need an electrician. It's a mess, but I wouldn't leave this as-is.


Do I install my green board before I install my shower pan?

Shower pan is always first because you want the top of the shower pan to the edge of the green board.  So there may be shimming involved to get the walls not only lined up with the pan but as close as you can to perpendicular.

I am not going to argue with your installers because I have had some large sheets of granite and marble installed for showers but I would recommend a backer board not green board.  Even if they say green board is fine because the water is impervious to their tile that doesn't mean water can't get on the green board from behind or up top.  And if they are gluing the sheets down there will eventually be issues.  Using Hardiboard would take water coming from any direction out of the equation.


The pop and flash was an arc, which could have been either a short circuit or a bad connection blowing apart.

If it occurred at the connections you made to the disposal, correcting those connections should solve the problem and the unit has almost certainly not been damaged. If it occurred elsewhere, you may have a larger problem.

If you have to ask, I would strongly recommend getting a friend who has more experience to help you correct this.


Help Identifying toilet tank make and model

That looks like fairly typical old toilet guts. You should be able to replace with any "standard" kit - Fluidmaster, Danco, etc. The parts are actually (a bit surprisingly) very much standardized. I suggest making sure it is a kit that is adjustable to handle the old (water wasting) and new (low flow) toilets. 1993 was in the middle of the transition to low flow toilets, so it is hard to guess what type yours is. I would replace everything inside the tank at one time.


Should I replace toilet fill valve or cap

Should I replace the cap or the complete fill valve?

Just the cap.

The most important part of the fill valve is the cap assembly and the valve it contains. The seal between the cap and the valve body may be compromised, and the seal is in the cap. There appears to be nothing wrong with the valve body or float assembly.

If you don't know how, you just shut off the water and, while holding the valve body with one hand to prevent bending and spinning, turn the cap assembly counter (anti)-clockwise and lift it off (pop the float rod loose from the float arm first).


Double-pole, 240-Volt, 15 Amp GFCI circuit breaker to create two 15amp 120 circuits for switched split receptacles

Yes, that's totally fine.  What you are proposing is called a multi-wire branch circuit in 120/240 split-phase.  They are falling out of favor because protecting them with GFCI or AFCI is a challenge. You must either

fork the circuit and place AFCI/GFCI after the split; or
use an expensive 2-pole GFCI device.  This is the option you are proposing. And that is fine.

A 2-pole GFCI is built the same as a 1-pole GFCI, it just has 3 wires going around its magnetic sensing core instead of two.  All current heading out on L1 must return via either L2 or N.  Current flowing out on N must return via L2.  Since all 3 wires are wrapped around the magnetic core, each combination causes equal and opposite magnetic flux, which cancel each other out.

After working with 1-pole GFCIs for awhile, ones armchair kneejerk may be to say "that can't work".  Take the time to diagram it out and think it through.  It works fine.


That's a silverfish. They're harmless to people and they won't do any structural damage to your home, but they do like to eat starch, cellulose, carbs; they'll do damage to wallpaper, book bindings, clothing, that kind of stuff. They like to eat mold and fungi too, and they tend to live in dark, moist / damp places.

As with any pest if you search around on the internet you can find a zillion suggestions for getting rid of them, some more successful than others.

Large infestations usually require an exterminator (if you find them problematic). But for small ones there are various things you can try first. This article on WikiHow has a number of suggestions, too many to reproduce here. Here is another decent article, although it's fairly clear that the author really despises these bugs.


My dehumidifier has an error margin of +/- 5% in the range 30%-90%

In theory, "+/- 5% in range of 30%-90%" means that...

if you set the humidistat dial to 30%, it might actually be set to anywhere from 25% to 35%
if you set the humidistat dial to 90%, it might actually be set to anywhere from 85% to 95%

In reality, consumer humidistats generally aren't very precise (e.g. relatively less precise than most thermostats). Unless you have an absolute need for a precise humidity level, I'd just set it to what feels good and not worry too much about the absolute humidity level.


Why isn't the water on my second story getting as hot as I'd like?

The change in water heaters should not have affected any of the physics of how the hot water travels through your home. Water will take just as long to travel through the pipes to the second floor as before, and it will lose a similar amount of heat along the way.

My guess is that your new water heater is set to a lower temperature than your old one. Water heater manufacturers and plumbers are more sensitive to scalding danger now than they used to be. The current recommendations are generally not to exceed 125*F.

You probably have a preference for how "hot" you want the water coming out of your faucet to be for washing your hands, maybe it's around 120*F. You mix hot and cold water at the faucet to reach this temperature.

I'm sure you've experienced that when you turn on the shower or the faucet to "hot," the water starts cool and at some point it starts gradually warming up, until it reaches some maximum temperature (this maximum temperature likely varies around the house--the facuets furthest from the heater will have a lower maximum temperature than those close to the heater, as some heat is lost from the pipes along the way).

It can take quite a while from when the water first starts warming until it reaches full temperature--you not only have to get water from the water heater to the faucet, but you must heat up all the pipes along the way before you reach steady state. This can take minutes. The hot water is often much hotter when you're done washing a sink load of dishes than when you started.

If your old water heater had been set to a higher temperature, say 140*F, the water will reach your desired temperature of 120*F a bit quicker than your new water heater, if your new water heater is set to 125*F.  With your new water heater, you need to get almost all the way to the setpoint of 125*F before you reach your desired temperature of 120*F. This takes some time.

Therefore, you might try adjusting the setpoint of your new water heater, but be aware that the risk of scalding is serious, especially with young children or the elderly. See The Burn Foundation for more information.


What parameters affect the amount of btu required to cool a single room

Some key parameters:

Size
Peak Outdoor Temperature (i.e., needs to be sized based on the hottest days)
Insulation
Windows - size of windows and also quality (double or triple pane will do a LOT better at keeping cold in/heat out than single pane)
Frequency of opening of doors to the outside
Air Leakage - cracks, holes, etc.
Internal loads - how many people? computers or other equipment? A room full of servers generates a lot of heat.


Should I remove nailed-down plywood before laying tile?

The plywood is there to make the vinyl the same height as the rest of the flooring in the house. If you add backerboard + tile on top of it, you are going to add somewhere in the range of 5/8" to 3/4" of height. That is enough to be a tripping hazard, and it also wouldn't look very nice.

Pulling up the plywood and the putting down the backer board is the right thing to do.


IR motion sensors can be thought of as a low quality camera with only one color, IR. They are constantly comparing the IR levels across a grid to see when there is a quick change in IR levels. When you look at the housing of a sensor, you can see this grid, and unlike that of a digital camera with mega-pixels, these sensors only have a dozen or so measurement points.

Motion directly towards or away from a sensor will show only a small change in IR at the same point. Therefore, you typically want the sensor position to detect motion from side to side. Locate them in places you need higher levels of security, like your home office, or in places a burglar would have to pass, like a stairway or central hallway. You also want them positioned that a pet could not accidentally trigger it, either by aiming high or by placing them in parts of the home that would be closed off.

Also, since these sensors are detecting a change in heat, avoid pointing them towards HVAC vents or other sources of quick temperature change. And avoid pointing them towards windows since IR can pass through glass (though various coating on newer windows should reduce this problem).


What is this plastic strip inside my laminate flooring?

The 5G locking system uses a set of plastic clips on the inside of the
groove to hold the attached plank in place. You will hear a slight
audible click when you’ve installed the planks correctly. See the
installation video demo below for a visualization of how to install a
5G locking system flooring.
https://www.bestlaminate.com/blog/the-difference-between-5g-and-megaloc-locking-systems/

The panels use a tongue-and-groove “Clic” system that lets you simply
snap panels together...
https://m.kronotex.com/Laminate-Flooring-Guide/Installing-snap-together-laminate-flooring-1419384348.html


What does this basement floor drain look like beneath the surface?

The softener drain line is supposed to be air gapped about 2" from the drain water level to prevent growth of bacteria working its way back up the line.

If you fasten your lines to a piece of double strut (or other blocking) so they terminate  above the drain with a 90° fitting, then they can drain into the opening without a bowl. You could even extend the down leg into the opening to prevent splashing, as long as the softener doesn't touch anything.

Or, look for an adapter that could be inserted into the throat of the drain to add the bowl above.

Or, you will have to dig it up and replace it with your choice.


How do I troubleshoot my pool filtration system?

Let us start with some basics of how the pool plumbing works. This picture helps to show the basic connectivity of a typical swimming pool system.

(Picture borrowed from website)

Note that not all pool setups have two separate pipes to draw water from the skimmer or main drain and bring it up to the to the pump station as shown above. On some the main drain T's into the bottom of the skimmer and then a single line goes to the pump. The following picture shows this alternate type connection and when one wants to drain the pool the skimmer intake is blocked via a diverter in the bottom of the skimmer.

(Picture borrowed from here)

The above picture shows the basic plumbing circuit for water flow when the pool is operating in the normal filtration mode. Not shown are the various valves that are used to re-direct the pump water flow backward through the pool filter to suppport the back flush operation. Here is yet another picture showing a setup with all the valves.

(Picture from here)

In the above the numbered elements are as follows:

Swimming Pool Skimmer Line
Swimming Pool Main Drain Line
Swimming Pool Slide Line
Automatic Pool Cleaner Line
Swimming Pool Return Line
Swimming Pool Return Line
Automatic Pool Cleaner Motor
Auto Sanitizer
Swimming Pool Heater
Swimming Pool Pump
D.E. Pool Filter
Pool Heater Gas Supply Line

Hopefully that helps to gain an understanding of how these systems work. Now let's talk about what could be wrong with the setup that you have.

a) Make sure that after the back flush operation that you have returned all the valves to their position for normal filtration operation.

b) Most pool pump assemblies are equipped with a debris basket on the inlet side of the pump. Make sure to clean this out. If it gets all full of leaves and other stuff that comes from the pool then the pump will not be able to draw water from the pool.

c) Make sure to clean out the basket assembly in the pool skimmer. Generally when this gets completely full of leaves, tree droppings and flowers there is greatly reduced water flow in the system and the pump will be unable to produce much pressure.

d) Also check to make sure that the skimmer pipe in the bottom of the skimmer is not clogged up with debris that may have pulled through a broken skimmer basket. If the basket is broken it should be replaced.

e) Now you can turn on the pool pump motor. When it is running you should be able to observe suction in the bottom of the skimmer. If there is no suction there then there is either an improperly positioned valve, the line from the skimmer to the pump is plugged, the line is broken, the pump intake basket is plugged or the pump itself has failed.

f) After you have the pump going again it is necessary to purge air that gets trapped in the top of the filter assembly. You should find a air bleeder valve near the top of the filter (may be part of the pressure gauge) that you open to expel the air. When all air is removed water should shoot out of the bleeder valve.

g) Be aware that when the DE filter has been flushed most of the DE material in the filter gets ejected out into the drain line. No filtration can happen when returning to the normal pumping mode until fresh clean DE is introduced into the system via the pool skimmer. Follow the directions for your filter to know how much DE to place back into the system.

Hope that helps with the basics. There are obviously other things that could go wrong but start with this and comment back if more information is gathered.


Shall I keep windows and blinds open during hot summer days?

Freeman's comment is exactly right.  The optimum approach depends on delta temperature, humidity, breezes, how long the sun shines directly into a window, etc.
Get a couple thermometers (and humidity monitors if you can) and record the variation from dawn to dusk for several days with windows closed, several with windows open, etc.
If your area cools down nicely at night, then be sure to keep windows open all night, then close them up in the AM to preserve the cool air in the room, for example.


Do I need to shut the gas off to my fireplace before replacing the wall switch?

Generally speaking it's not necessary.
Disconnecting the switch is no different than turning the switch off. Both can create tiny sparks and both leave the fireplace without power. Of course, if you turn off the breaker as you should, sparks are less likely.
Either you have an electronic gas valve, in which case it'll remain closed, or you have a pilot flame, in which case it'll continue burning. Both are safe conditions.


I'm not sure exactly what's going on with the wiring, since in the one photo there's a giant ball of wires and cables, and in another there's extra wires hooked up. Here's what I see in the photos you've posted.

In this photo, you'll notice the cable with a red and white wire. That cable should go between the furnace and the A/C unit. The white wire from the cable is connected to Y, while the red wire is connected to C.

The other cable I've labeled should go to the thermostat. The wires from that cable should be connected as follows:

White to W
Green to G
Yellow to Y
Red to R

It's difficult to tell if that's what's going on, due to the big mess of wires and cables in the middle of the photo.

Also take note of the blue and black wires, that are wrapped around the thermostat cable.

In this photo, the cable coming from the furnace looks completely normal. However, there seems to be an extra cable that comes from who-knows-where. It appears that the wires from this mysterious cable, are connected to the blue and black wires that at the furnace are wrapped around the thermostat cable.  Which if that's the case, they're doing nothing.

It's possible that you might be able to attach the blue wire that is wrapped around the thermostat cable, to the C terminal at the furnace. Then attach the blue wire at the thermostat, to the C terminal on the thermostat. Though without knowing what the mysterious cable at the thermostat is, there's no way to be sure.

I wasn't able to decipher the diagram on the wall behind the thermostat, so I'm not sure what that's all about. I'm sure it meant something to whoever drew it, but it's not helpful to me.

I'm not sure if you have multiple A/C units, and the extra cable is used to control that. You'll have to investigate further, to determine what exactly is going on with that.


I can see a couple potential ways around this.

Pry up the side away from the wall, shove the whole cover towards the wall,  possibly pry up the underside/backside of the cover lip, pop off. That's assuming both are on the same side.

Long screwdriver though one of the holes on the opposite side of the box from the screws - have fun finding the head. A flashlight in another hole and your eye at a third might help. Philips might be a good guess unless they were really being nasty, in which case security Torx might be more likely. Try to look first.

Don't overlook pure misdirection. Could be the panel appears to open, but actually you slide it up off keyhole slots in the back. Would be kinda hokey, but I have run into some hokey stuff in consumer products that the maker wanted to become damaged if someone opened them the way that appeared to be the obvious way of opening them. Could be you push something to unlatch and it opens on a hinge rather like a rear access wall-mount rack.

or wait until a disgruntled ex-Brinks home security installer comes along and says....


Supporting foam board melts when cutting plywood

Never tried this, honestly don't see a point in doing it this way (expensive material, and yes, foam melts.)

Ignoring the option of using a blade that causes less problems, a supporting material that costs less and does not melt would be appropriate. OSB, or MDF for two, or hardboard, for another. Hardboard being the generic term for Masonite® which you might or might not know it better as. And I do recall mention of using it for exactly this purpose on difficult materials in some old woodworking text.

However, as a rule the combination of the correct (and sharp) blade and the correct depth of cut for that blade (so it's cutting into the surface, not stripping it off - this problem is usually associated with inadequate tooth projection from the cut material - the entire tooth down to the gullet should be sticking out below the sheet) are a more common solution that does not require a bunch of sacrificial backing material. A dull blade will tend to beat the wood more than it cuts it and aggravate this problem.


Why does my toilet overflow during my washer's spin cycle?

There is a partial blockage in a pipe common to both the washer and toilet. With the blockage, the path of least resistance is out of the toilet, so that's where the water goes. This blockage needs to be cleared.

Often, gurgling is a sign of faulty drain venting. In your case, I hope it's just incidental to water working it's way back up to the toilet, and not an actual vent issue.


wiring 220V GFCI in a subpanel with only 2 conductors

Earth is not Ground

Ground is the safety and equipment protection system.  It should absolutely never have current.  For the sake of discharging lightning, they bond it to earth.

Earth is an absolutely terrible conductor.  That's why, when manufacturing wires, they use copper instead of dirt.

Neutral is not Ground

US/EU electrical is wired pretty much as an isolated system with a ground shield. Neutral is just another conductor.

Neutral is called such because it's the center point. (If you're in Europe and don't agree, ask for more phases.)

One more wrinkle confuses the heck out of people.   To prevent the conductors from floating or rattling at crazy voltages, they bond it to earth.  They bond at the middle. Which happens to be where neutral is.  Also ground.  OMG neutral=ground=earth!  No.

You don't have a ground

With no ground wire going back to the main panel, you have no Current path back to source.  Earth won't cut it, it's made of dirt.   What happens if your equipment has a hot-ground fault (only kind it can have)?  Your laughable "ground" is overwhelmed by the current and it floats all all the components of your grounding system to near 120V, which makes it deadly.

To be clear, current is trying to return to source (ground/neutral connection back at the house via all available paths at once.  The earth is a lousy path.  So is a human... so current will split and travel all ways, and with 20+++ amps of flow, at least a fraction of 1 amp will go through the human, killing or stunning.  "Stun" causes falls. But when the fall is into water, they drown.  Hundreds of pool and lake drownings happen this way exactly.  They are unexplained because they leave no evidence, so investigators check any power circuits near a drowning.

What happens if you hook a 120V load between hot and ground? That's a hot-ground fault, so the last two paragraphs happens immediately. Super super bad plan.

In other words that stunt with the grounding rod is worse than useless, it creates safety theater while actually making more surfaces dangerous.

240V GFCI (no neutral) is easy

Check the documentation, it'll say to either cap the neutral wire or loop it back onto the neutral terminal on the GFCI.  Do not attach it to ground.

A GFCI is a good way to compensate for the deficiencies of this ugly  system. Better in the main panel.

240V lighting/supply are readily available

If your LED "transformer" is an electronic power supply, it's probably already 120/240 dual mode.  In any case, there's no trouble getting ones that are.   5 out of 6 continents have only 240V mains power, and everything is built for world markets now.

You can retrofit a ground and be legal and safe

It is legal to retrofit a ground path.  You simply trench/slot/bury a bare or green wire listed for underground use.  Bare wire must be copper.  Or, as an alternative, lay RMC conduit at a shallower depth, don't put any wires in it, just use the pipe as the ground. 344.10A.  It does not need to follow the same route as the conductors.

However, you cannot retrofit a neutral; neutrals must be in the same sheath or conduit as the conductors.  I don't care about neutral; I totally endorse the idea of 240-only on long/distant circuits.  Saves a wire.  If you later need 110, do this:

Best of all worlds: add a supply transformer

Adding a transformer to make this a main service would be like making Pinnochio a real boy.

The two wires would become acceptable, and feed the transformer primary.  The split-phase secondary would provide 120/240. The subpanel would become a main panel.  The joke ground would become a real ground.


Can I use just molding to hold down a floating floor or must I use quarter-round?

Most molding (skirting board) is 3/8" thick. You need a 1/4 inch gap around the floor to allow for expansion due to moisture.  So if you're going up right against the drywall, you'll have a problem with getting molding thick enough to cover it (minor variations in the gap WILL show).

One alternative is to buy the stuff they sell as window/door casing which is usually closer to 3/4" thick on one edge. This is a bit pricier, and can look a bit heavy.

An attractive alternative, which can give you a nice look is to use door stop instead of quarter round.  This is basically the same as using quarter round, but it's smaller and lighter, and doesn't encroach on the floor as much.

However, if your drywall doesn't come all the way down to the floor (usually a basement scenario) then as long as you have that quarter inch gap under the drywall free and clear, you should be ok with just ordinary skirting board.


Portable battery using this adaptor spec

Why try and "home-brew" something? 5V out is about as standard as it's possible to get, nowadays. Get a Lithium-Ion power-bank, something like this 26000mAh unit.

It has 4.8A max output current, and 26000mAh will do 4A for 6.5h (if that really is the capacity, these things tend to be exaggerated somewhat.)

You'd need to make a custom charger cable, paralleling the 5V & 0V lines between the ports, so as not to overrate the USB connectors, but as you're talking about making your own, I'm sure that won't be a problem.


Is plastic paint a possible solution for a wall with humidity?

Trapping the water in the wall is no solution, it will only wreck the wall more quickly.

Any paint you put on there will fall off the wall, as it will be pushed off by the water.  I use a lot of different paints from LPU to powdercoat.  Nothing I know of will do what you want.


what are my options when it comes to updating my recessed lighting?

R is for reflector and 30 is how many eighths of an inch wide they are... 3-3/4 inches in this case. BR is for bulged reflector. PAR is for parabolic aluminized reflector.

I agree with all the other comments regarding code and UL. Halo says use halo trims. Of course they do. And technically you should use Halo trims, but I would use another brand in my own home if it was convenient and or priced right. It is just a beauty ring.

They sell BR3O led lamps from 8 to 12 watt so stay with 9 watt maximum like they state on the label and sleep easy. I have 45 years experience in this work and this is 100% safe.


How to repair a detached fiberglass bow rake

I suggest that the first approach is to remove the fragments of wood from both pieces. Once that is accomplished you might be able to determine a near-standard diameter that will accept a replacement wooden dowel. Measure the depth of both pieces, add them together and cut that length of dowel.

If you don't have a standard diameter, buy the next larger size and sand it as closely as possible. A polyurethane glue such as Gorilla Glue or equivalent will swell up to fill any small irregularities caused by sanding.

You may also be able to sand a slight taper to one end of the dowel and use a hammer to tap it into the metal section, shaving off the excess, then sanding away the portion that extends outside of the metal section to match diameters.

If you want extra-super strength for the joint, there is a product known as Fiberfix, available at many handyman type locations, including Ace Hardware (US). It appears to be an air-curing type fiberglass tape and resin, activated after a period of time removed from the air-tight packaging. The video adverts are encouraging, but I don't believe everything I see on the internet.


As Kris already indicated with a link in a comment, the solution for "big" equipment is usually not Home Depot. Some Home Depot rental departments are better than others, so you may have better luck if you check other area stores. But there are plenty of places where the only thing they do is rent equipment, so they:

have a larger variety of equipment available than an "everything" store
often have lower prices, since this is their specialty
are more likely to have someone on staff who can give a little advice instead of being just an order-taker

A typical place won't require anything special to rent a floor polisher or most other equipment, though it helps if you come in seeming reasonably knowledgeable about what you are trying to do and what kind of equipment you need.


How is a pre-existing condition evaluated by home warranty companies

In my experience, they will rely on the evaluation of the service person that comes out to perform the work. In most cases it's pretty obvious that something was a pre-existing condition or now.

If you read the conditions more carefully, it probably says something along the lines of the problem must be apparent to a regular user in the course of normal operation. So a slow water leak that has no symptoms for weeks but actually predates the warranty should be covered.


Of course you can do nothing but change the filters but that will affect the reliability and service life of the unit.
There is more to these things than just a filter.  A furnace service usually includes a cleaning of the blower motor, an inspection of the burner and housing for any cracks or leaks (a HUGE safety concern!), inspection of the ignition system, inspection of the thermostat, as well as some other stuff depending on the unit.
Yes, it costs money but so does replacing a furnace prematurely or having the heat go out at the worst possible time and having to pay overtime or holiday rates for an emergency service call.


Removed one kitchen cabinet others will be fine?

You are correct, the only purpose of the two nails were to align the cabinet edges together.  The screws in the back panel is what holds the cabinet up and provide the load support.


How to secure a cutting disc on a smooth electric motor arbor..unthreaded

File an appropriately sized notch in the cutting disc and use a key. Obviously this depends on the disc material and will not work for all discs.


What to be done about cut I-joists? Cut is in lower flange above load bearing point

I would hire a structural engineer and ask him to inspect the house before buying.


Will an old oak tree close to my house cause problems?

Maybe I can post some pictures later but I have 3 very large oaks next to my house - one is absolutely huge and 10 feet away.  There are tons of limbs directly over my roof.  Do I care?  Not really.  I asked my insurance company and they don't care nor do they offer discounts for trimming them back.

Pros:

Tons of shade when you are out
Definitely lower energy costs in the summer
Protects roof and cars from hail and harsh weather
I have a 15 year old roof that looks half its age
burglars scared of spooky trees leave my house alone
have sticks to burn in backyard fire pit
once the leaves come in the sun isn't blinding in the morning

Cons:

branches, squirrels, and acorns hit the roof in late summer and fall
pollen
acorn residue in gutters (I have a guard so leaves don't get in)
I might have to pay someone in the future to cut something... almost 10 years here and haven't but I could at some point
leaves... I mulch them up as it sheds.  Not a ton of extra work but a little.

Things not mentioned:

roaches... huh?  Never had a roach in my house.
foundation issues... the house would have already had issues.  I would consider an older tree a minor threat to a patio area.
other bugs...  Never had any sort of bug/termite issue at my house.  I have 3 huge trees near my house and about 25 more in yard.

I would consider it only a plus given two things.  First that the tree is in good condition.  You don't need a pro for this unless you think it is iffy.  Second if there is a branch that is a little too big for the tree creeping over the house.


Is my electrical wiring for the refrigerator correct?

Looks fine, provided it doesn't reflect the physical route of the wires.
Looks fine.
Those words aren't the right words, but you have the gist. I would say "branched" and "daisy chained".
The toaster receptacle needs GFCI protection.  The fridge should avoid GFCI.

The electrical code doesn't care about whether your fridge is on GFCI, but it ought to, because food poisoning is just as deadly as electric shocks.  Fridges do not benefit from GFCI  protection if they're grounded.


Depends on who's paying for it. When you buy a home, you can often get the seller to cover a 1- or 2-year home warranty for the basics (structure, roof, plumbing, HVAC). This is usually insurance as much for the seller as the buyer; if something goes wrong that the seller and home inspector thought were fine, the buyer (who must now fix the problem as they've closed on the house) can call on the home warranty, pay the $100 deductible or whatever, and the problem will be fixed. This dramatically reduces the incidence of lawsuits after closure; actual damages no longer include the real cost to fix the problem (which can be in the tens of thousands for something big like rotting timbers in the attic due to a leak).

As far as you as a homeowner buying a warranty for your own home, this is basically supplemental homeowner's insurance, and you should treat it as such.

The thing to remember with any insurance is that it is a bet; in fact, the field of probability mathematics was originally developed for underwriters, not casinos. By buying the policy for X dollars, you are "betting" the insurance company that some catastrophe will befall your home within the term of the policy. The insurance company is betting Y dollars that your house will be in the same condition at the end of the month (or six months or year etc) as it is now, and if they're wrong they'll pay you up to Y dollars to cover the loss. In the case of home warranty, they generally have more individualized limits on payout and more limited coverage, but the idea is the same. These "bets", just like bets against the house in a casino game, are rigged in favor of the insurance company; the "paid odds" (ratio of payoff to policy cost per year) is less than the "true odds" (ratio of probability against versus probability for) that your house will be totaled in any given term of the policy. Supplemental insurance is less tightly controlled by regulation, since you aren't required to have it (unlike basic home insurance, which under certain mortgage contracts you are often required to have), which means in the long-term, general case, it's a pretty significant losing bet.

However, you can "beat the house" at this game by having a better understanding of when things are more likely to happen than the insurance company's "general-case" calculation. If your hot water heater is over 30 years old, and you don't have to tell them that so they can figure it into their price, then odds are you will need to replace it (on their dollar) before they can break even on your policy premiums. If the policy covers replacement prior to total failure, it's a pretty sure thing for you. Same with roof repair; almost nobody pays for a new roof themselves, they just wait for the next hailstorm after the 20- or 30-year rated life of the roof has passed, and pay the insurance deductible for the (overall much more expensive) reshingling and/or resheathing job.


How safe is it to plug in an extension cord that has a missing ground pin in to a GFCI outlet?

Actually, it's not that dangerous at all.  If you're going to use an ungrounded extension cord (which is not recommended), plugging it into a GFCI receptacle mitigates much of the risk.

Having a grounding conductor in place, may prevent a fault condition from energizing grounded portions of a device (technically it won't prevent it, but it should trip the breaker). A GFCI should prevent you from being electrocuted, if you happen to come into contact with an energized portion of the circuit or device.

The proper thing to do, is to replace the extension cord.  However, if you're going to use the cord, plugging it into a GFCI makes it a bit safer (assuming the GFCI is in good working order).

WARNING: A GFCI may not prevent you from being shocked, but it should prevent you from being electrocuted.


Why does my toilet make a low-pitched moaning noise when it refills?

This happened to me once. I solved it by shutting off the water all the way and turning it back on again.

If that doesn't help, try taking the parts out one by one and flushing them with water. It's possible a small piece of debris (Such as an iron or mineral deposit) got stuck in there.


How can I drill a 2" deep hole, 1/16" in diameter?

A quick visit to a metalworking supplier website finds 3" long (overall length) ones with 1.7" cutting depth (presumably the flute depth, so for light-duty drilling if you "peck" (pull out to clear chips) when you get deep you could probably get it done. "Extended-Reach Drill Bits" A more extensive search might find a longer one. Buy them by the dozen, you probably will break some and they are usually cheaper that way.

A different metalworking supplier website has 6" and 12" OAL listed (under "aircraft drills" which the other site calls "Short-Flute Extended-Reach Drill Bits") but only 7/8" flutes, which would be a lot more pecking to get the chips out.


Waterproofing 1st floor bathroom with original wooden floor boards in a Victorian house

You could sand down the floors, and refinish them with oil based stain and polyurethane. That should be enough protection to keep the floors from rotting. You could do what they did in the old days and put towels down around the tub and wipe up spills immediately. Standing water will leak through the cracks between the floorboards.

You could also good clear polyurethane caulk meant for bathrooms and fill the gaps between the boards around the wet areas, or on the entire floor. This should prevent water from seeping to the room below.


Any words of advice on dealing with termites?

We just went with a pest control company after we found a bunch of the critters. Very scary when you live in a log home!

They put down poison to get a beachhead and then went with bait stations since. It seems to be working. No new damage.

Some other advice those guys gave is:
 - Do not use wood mulch right up against the house.
 - Make sure not to pile dirt up anywhere near the top of the concrete foundation of the house.
 - pick up any lose wood or dead brush laying around the yard. You want the minimum of wood-to-dirt contact anywhere near your house as possible, otherwise you are attracting the suckers and feeding them.


Can I pull 120v outlets from a 220v box with no neutral?

NO!

That would be a National Electrical Code violation and a dangerous practice.

That would energize the the ground wire and someone could be electrocuted from a wire they can normally expect to be safe.


How can I fix a bayonet light socket without replacing it?

Not really. The "teeth" are an integral part of the design and if weakened won't hold the bulb in place safely.

The best thing you can do is find an electrician who'll change the socket for you. It's a quick job so you shouldn't be charged much, but get 2 or 3 quotes to make sure you find the best.

If you're having problems with bayonet fittings then it might be worth getting it replaced with a screw cap. Even in the UK these are becoming more popular so you shouldn't have any trouble finding bulbs.


I called Kohler and they tried to help me realy nicely, they found it for me (http://www.us.kohler.com/us/catalog/svg_viewer.jsp?productId=415967&diagram=0) and you can see that there is a elbow at the bottom in which the horizontal and the vertical parts are screwed in, so now after years of the installation the rod has got already a lot build up on it and its VERY hard to take it out:-(   (item is discontinued)


I would assume the braid is just for strength.  Ground fault relies on detecting current leaks between hot and neutral.

However, if the existing plug is a GFCI plug, then it is advisable to replace it with a comparable part.  Alternatively, you could replace the outlet with a GFCI outlet, or even a GFCI breaker. This would provide the same level of protection with a standard plug.


How to attach quarter-round molding to the base of a shower stall

Is that wood quarter round? I would encourage you not to use that and find PVC quarter round if you insist.
For install I would first silicone the end of the laminate gap where it butts into the pan and let it dry. Then attach the quarter round with a bead polyurethane construction adhesive to the pan only on the vertical surface, or better yet schluter kerdi-fix if you can find it. Then silicone the edges and hope there is enough allowance for movement. Ideally there would not caulk the gap with the laminate but I would be more worried about water intrusion than expansion and contraction.


Paper cone paint strainer for latex paint

Throw out the rusty paint, move on with life.
Get a colander from a thrift store.
Buy the "5 gallon" filter and set that over your ring so that you
can use just part of it (perhaps with some clothespins to hold it in
place.)
(non-ripped) nylon stocking. Or non-ripped portion of ripped nylon stocking.


Box to handle electrical wiring coming out of drywall?

As was mentioned in comments, you can't use Romex or other-brand NM cable stapled to the wall surface. Since conduit is required for protection you can save yourself some trouble (wrestling and conduit up-sizing) by using THHN or similar conductors instead.
An "old work box" can be installed in a finished wall. Cut a hole just the right size in the drywall and slide the box in. The old work box provides the path from in the wall to the face of the wall. Old work boxes are available in plastic, but because conduit and THHN are recommended here anyway, I'm showing a metal old work box. You can connect this up to the circuit breaker panel with a pre-threaded rigid conduit nipple or with a segment of conduit and appropriate connectors.

So, with the old work box providing the pathway to the wall face, next you need to transition into conduit on the wall surface. An easy way to do that is to stack an extension box on the front of the old work box. Conduit exits one of the side walls of the extension box and a blank face plate goes on front.


2nd floor bathroom floor is sagging with some water damage

You'll need to header off the cut truss. This will transfer and redistribute the load on the cut truss to the adjacent trusses. To do this, you'll need to remove the tub because you'll need the space to work, or you can do this from the room below and cut the ceiling for access. Either way, I would still recommend moving the tub so you don't have to deal with the weight. Support both sides of the truss cut truss from below. For the headers, cut out a section of the sagging truss where the p trap is. Sixteen or so inches should suffice. Cut two 2x12s long enough to run perpendicular to the cut truss between the adjacent trusses, then cut two more for the other end of the sagging truss. Cut four pieces of ¾" plywood as long as the headers, and as wide as the truss, then fasten two to each 2x12 header. So now you have a box around the p trap. If the drain line needs to run through the header, just cut a hole through it to run the pipe. Putting in these headers is structurally sound, and should also satisfy local code. Also, keep in mind that this is not a trivial task, and I wouldn't recommend a casual diyer doing this. I would instead find a local carpenter with experience in this area.


How to ground a 3 prong outlet in plastic box no green ground wire

Years ago I bought an older trailer like this.

All the outlets were 2-wire.  Fortunately, all the runs back to the fuse box were fairly short.  Back in the days when it was built it was assumed that all the neutrals would be connected to a ground bus in the box.

So we made sure they were bonded and attached to a utility company-provided ground rod.

We had to replace all the receptacles with 3-prong outlets.  I stopped short of tying the ground to the neutral at the outlet, which meant that the ground leads ended up floating.

I understand PG&E's position, since they deal with the code as it exists today.

So you have the option of adding a ground lead for the particular outlet they will inspect and call it a day.  Or, perhaps you want to provide grounds all around the unit.

I live in PG&E territory and find they are very safety-oriented.  If their focus is just on that one fridge then adding a ground wire might be worth the effort.

Ground wires do not need to be insulated or run in conduit, but definitely run it all the way to an approved ground bus or rod.

Never rely on the structure itself to be grounded properly.  It is sitting on rubber wheels, remember, and even if it is grounded at the box it would provide a much higher resistance path to ground than a run of copper wire can. Just think of how many structural panels are screwed together between the box and your outlet.  Each one rusts over time.  You get the picture.

Of all appliances I have owned, the one most prone to having a hot case seems to be refrigerators.  So whether you get it from them or buy one on your own, you really should have a grounded outlet for it.

Good luck!


Dimmer switch remains powered with switch off!

Dimmers work differently

To start with, a dimmer is a smart device, and all smart devices need power themselves for their own internal functioning.

How do they get power?  That's kind of a problem.  A plain switch loop doesn't need neutral - it gets always-hot and delivers switched-hot.  So many older switch loops are wired with no neutral.   However, old style incandescent bulbs have a unique property: when they are not lit, their resistance is near zero.  So many smart devices (and almost all older ones) power themselves by leaking power through the incandescent bulb.  CFL and LED bulbs don't play well with this, unless they're designed to.

How do newer smart devices power themselves?

Some newer still do it this way, because they're afraid of having a lot of returns from consumers who find out they don't have a neutral.
Some simply require a neutral.
Some misuse the ground wire as a neutral, and they don't blow GFCIs because they flow very little power.  (How they make it through UL listing is a mystery to me.)

Dimmers which require or steal a neutral should not put any power on the line when "off", but you should not count on that for safety!

A dimmer without a neutral should, and must, energize the switched-hot at all times.

Some dimmers have a hard-switched "off" (and sometimes a hard-switched "on")... but it's past a stiff "detent" and people never push the switch hard enough to realize the detent is there.


Are extension cords safe for permanent use?

Extension cords that are not listed, labeled, or rated for permanent (long term) use are all temporary wiring devices.

If you need to permanently connect an electrical device, you should use approved wires and/or cable assemblies installed in an approved manner.


Convert USB powered lamp to a remote controlled lamp

The lamp has no brain; it's just using USB as a power source. You would have to add some form of receiver and control circuit either between lamp and USB, or between USB and wall.


IMO the best option is to dig The whole thing out.

A sabre saw with the right blade  will cut it but you'll be left with 5cm+ of jagged pipe sticking out of the ground.

A grinder will cut it down further and tidy the edges, but will still be ugly.

Get digging.


Water flow with plastic and brass pex fittings

Yes, of course it has an effect.  How could it not?  One benefit to using PEX is that you can make very long runs with a single piece of pipe without any joints.
But if you have a concern about a specific run, then the solution is to upsize that run to a size that will flow what you need at that location.
You have not provided any specifics in your question, so the best answer that can be given is also general.


Painting may be your best friend here, but I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Where the purlins meet the OSB will never be painted unless they are removed, then after they are painted, the holes from the nails holding the purlins in place may be the weak spot.