What can a Dremel tool do that a drill cannot?

An ordinary electric drill does not have the speed of the Dremel (30,000 rpm) which is the key to getting the best results from many of the accessories.  Also, the Dremel tool is much smaller and lighter than an electric drill which is very useful in many applications such as carving, etching and working with small work pieces. Dremels can be used with non-Dremel accessories such as drill bits and grinding wheels so you are not locked in. As an example, the Dremel tool is excellent for cutting screws and nails to size using the 1 inch diameter cutting wheels.  It would be very awkward to achieve the same results with an ordinary electric drill.


Lead was used as a pigment.

White lead was used in cheaper paints; quality paints used titanium dioxide, which is now the dominant white pigment.

Lead (II, IV) oxide yields a bold red pigment.

Lead chromate (boy, there's a nasty customer for you) yields a yellow pigment.

Mineral pigments, including all these mentioned here, are naturally resistant to UV light, so very durable. Carbon black remains an ideal black pigment.  Color pigments tend to be toxic minerals. (Or modern organic compounds that don't hold up under UV. Look at the nearest parking lot. See all the black/gray/white cars?  Now you know why.)  Old black is safe; old white/gray might be safe; old colors, lookout.

All of these things are pigments.  They add color for the purpose of masking the underlying surface.  You'd never find them in a varnish, whose job is to allow light to make a 2-way trip through the varnish and allow the underlying surface to shine through.

Use PPE, regardless.

That said, use PPE - i.e. a competent dust mask and safety glasses. Any dust WILL end up in your lungs, and there's a lot of other stuff in old varnish (and wood fiber itself) that you don't want in your lungs.

Also don't panic about lead.

It's lead, not plutonium.  (Even plutonium isn't plutonium in the panic sense). There are a lot of materials we can live alongside safely, merely by not being idiots.

Lead was only ever a problem when paint was allowed to chip, peel and deteriorate. The reason lead gets all the press is that it's also a social problem - the upper classes living in newer suburban housing stock had titanium-pigment walls that were well-kept, so children were not eating paint that was peeling off the walls. Meanwhile, in the slums...


How should I connect this meter to my power inverter?

You need to follow the labeling and instructions which were part of the equipment's UL, TUV, ETF etc. listing... nope, could not keep a straight face.

Seriously, the labeling and instructions that is actually on your equipment.  If that's the lower picture, then the current transformer goes on 5 and 6, line to 1 and 2, and neutral to 3 and 4.

Do not daisy chain, that is don't bring "line in" into 1, and "line out" into 2, unless your diagram tells you to (such as in your first picture). In the lower pictured unit, you need to put pigtail wires on line 1 and 2, and use an appropriate 4-wire splicing device to join those pigtails to line in and line out (4 wires in total). Likewise lines 3 and 4.  Note the instruction may be different for line vs neutral.  That's for a reason.


Demarc
The Demarcation point or DMARC or Network Interface for a phone line is simply the first place in the building where you can access the phone line to connect your own equipment. In a new installation, this will typically be an RJ11 jack in a box installed outside the building (for typical single-family home installation) or either an RJ11 jack or a punch block in a wiring closet for an apartment or an office building. The phone company guarantees a high-quality connection to that point.
In many installations the DMARC will actually have both RJ11 and a punch block. That allows you to securely attach a cable going into your house while still allowing for testing at the DMARC by plugging a phone, modem, test set, etc. directly into the DMARC outside.
The problem of course is older houses. In an older house the DMARC will often be a cable running into an old screw type jack (as pictured) or spliced directly to multiple cables for distribution through the house, or spliced to one cable which then daisy chains through the house. That leads to a game of finger-pointing as to where the problem lies.
The solution is normally for the phone company to install a modern DMARC (either outside or, if it is more convenient for them, inside) and patch your existing wiring into it. This is quite commonly done in my area (Verizon) for FIOS installations - the technician brings fiber to the house near the existing entry point and connects the existing home cable into the FIOS box. The FIOS box has an RJ11 test jack for every phone line. But even if you are only getting DSL, the phone company may decide to install a new DMARC to make things simpler for everyone.
Internal Cabling
Once you have a good DMARC, you may need to redo the cabling in the house. I prefer to put a DSL modem (or modem/router) near the DMARC so that I can split the cable coming from the DMARC to the modem (no filter) and everything else (one filter, installed inline). The normal procedure is to filter each non-DSL connection (phone, fax, answering machine) and just make sure the DSL modem is not filtered, wherever you install it.
The cabling to the DSL modem should be high-quality. But CAT6 is overkill. I normally use CAT5 or CAT5e, but even CAT3 is quite adequate for DSL. All the other cabling in the house can remain as is, particularly if it is filtered early on.
Recommendation for your particular setup
In your case, it appears that the cabling currently coming from the street to your nominal DMARC is crappy (that's the technical term). If you have not done so already, try (a) disconnect all other devices, (b) connect just the DSL modem at the first possible location (presumably that is the pictured jack) and make sure it does NOT get a reliable signal. Assuming it doesn't (as I believe you have already determined), have the phone company do "whatever they want" as long as they end it with a DMARC that is accessible that they can show produces a good signal. While they may argue that their testers can verify the signal, I'd want to see a DSL modem go from off->slow blink->fast blink->connected before letting the technician leave.
Then put in a splitter right after the DMARC. One side goes either straight to the DSL modem or via CAT3/5/5e/6 to the DSL modem. The other side goes to a filter and from there to all your existing phone cabling.
You may need to wire up a couple of extra jacks to make this all work - e.g., short wire from splitter to filter, short wire from filter to a new jack, then connect new or existing cabling to that new jack. Use jacks that have standard 110 punchdown connectors (the same as you have on RJ45 jacks for Ethernet) and use a proper punch tool. In general I would do that (I've learned the hard way) for all phone cabling from this point forward - even if you just want to wire up an extra regular phone extension.


How can I properly remove (not cover) an unused receptacle?

To properly remove a receptacle that you don't want a box cover on, you would need to remove the wire. Since you're renovating that area in to a shower, you are probably removing the drywall, so removing the wiring should be simple.

Flipping the box around so the outlet is in the adjoining room is also a good idea.


What glue to hold wooden batten to ceiling for window blind

Is it 1cm plaster? If so, the hanging load capacity is limited by the plaster, not the glue. Any vibration from movement of the blinds will eventually weaken the plaster and the integrity of the plaster & paint could fail, letting go of the blinds while keeping the glue in tact!
Perhaps you can run a wooden horizontal support (a batten, as you say) along the ceiling from wall to wall as a backer for the blinds, and bracket the support at the walls.


No, hydraulic cement is not considered a vapor barrier but it can reduce moisture.
 I have had really good experiances with epoxy coating cement flooring.  The first time I used epoxy I did not expect it to work As a moisture barrier as well as it did. The basement dehumidifier in the winter would remove 1/2 to 1 gallon a day in winter. The next year after coating the floor it was less than 1 quart per week.
One important thing is to use a coating that can handle moisture if your floor has problems. Tape some plastic to the floor at least a square foot or 3 square foot for a larger test area. After 24 hours if there is water on the plastic or the cement looks wet you will need to use a brand that can handle the moisture or try again in the summer when it may be dry.


Can I install hardwood floors (not floating) on a concrete floor?

Installing hardwood flooring over concrete is generally not advisable for multiple reasons.  Two of these reasons are:  1) oftentimes the concrete is moisture permeable, which means that any solid wood floor installed directly to the floor will buckle irreversibly; 2) typically solid wood floors are nailed to the substrate, which is not an option with concrete.  One can install 1.5" sleepers on top of the slab to provide this nailing substrate, but this affects significantly things like ceiling height, door height, countertop height, etc.  So this is generally not done as a remodel project unless you're remodeling the whole thing.  One thing I would recommend as a compromise is finding some way to seal the slab, say with an epoxy paint, and then gluing an engineered wood floor to it.


Infinite time.

Your 12 amp vacuum cleaner is probably labeled according to the maximum current it can draw (to be sure, look at its electrical specifications rather than the big marketing label some manufacturers put on the front to make the vacuum sound powerful).  It is unlikely that it was actually drawing 12 amps at that particular time.  If it was drawing say 8 amps, maybe the total load was closer to 22-23 amps.

If the total load was about 10-15% over the circuit breaker rating, it is expected that it would not trip.  Circuit breakers are rated for the current they will definitely allow for an unlimited period, and there is some tolerance on top of that depending on the ambient temperature (the hotter the breaker is, the lower the tolerance above labeled current will be).  We can assume the ambient temperature was less than 20C since you were using the space heater, and this gives roughly a 5% "bonus" to the current before the breaker trips.

If for some reason you want to make sure 22 amps cannot be drawn on that circuit, you should probably install a 15 amp circuit breaker instead.  But since this is recent work done by an electrician and the outlet is near the breaker, it's unlikely a cause for concern.  But do make sure the power strip plugged into the outlet is rated for 20 amps as well (or that you are using two separate strips with their own 15 amp breakers).


Fasteners for securing cabinets together

In most cases those will work nicely. At times, though, drawing force is substantial. The world isn't flat and level and hardwoods can be stubborn.

Feel free to use those screws, properly piloted and countersunk, but be prepared to use conventional flute-head screws (gold construction screws) behind hinges or in other hidden locations to do some heavy lifting.

For clarity, I'm assuming a faceframe configuration:

   ______________________________    ______________________________
  | _____________________________|  |______________________________|
  | |                          | |  | |                          | |
   \                            \    \                            \
  | |                          | |  | |                          | |
  | |                          | |  | |                          | |
 |___|                        |___||___|<-- screws here         |___|

If you're dealing with frameless cabinets I'd consider sleeve bolts as suggested in other answers, but only if you have a tough situation. 1-1/4" drywall or gold screws behind the hinges are usually adequate.


How to properly ventilate a Mansard Roof?

I own a mansard and we are battling this issue.  We had our roof replaced last year and the roofer that did it didn't even install 1/10th of the recommended ventilation.  Last winter was brutal in the north and we sustained substantial water damage from condensation inside of our home.  We are working with another roofer to get the proper edge venting installed.  Think of a cold glass on a hot summer day, that is what the inside of my roof decking looked like last winter.

Do not skimp or you will be sorry and sustain a substantially decreased lifespan of your roof, not to mention you could incur damage to the interior of your home if you live in the north (hot inside of the roof + extreme cold outside = large amounts of condensation).

Make sure you have a proper vapor barrier as well.  Loose fill insulation = more required ventilation.  I would also consider a power vent with both thermostat and a humidistat.  I am not a professional, but I am a Mechanical Engineer by education and since our issue, I have researched proper ventilation of mansards extensively.  Go with a very reputable roofer that will stand behind their work if you have condensation issues.


Should a GFCI interrupt the entire circuit?

Yes this is correct; a GFCI will protect downstream loads.  The purpose of this is that you only need a single GFCI outlet per circuit. Alternatively you could use a GFCI breaker, but these tend to be more expensive.

If this is not behavior you want and you can confirm that it is not needed for safety and code-compliance reasons (ie: it doesn't feed any downstream bathroom, kitchen or wet/damp location outlets), you can rewire the outlet with a pigtail instead of using the Load side of the outlet - the outlet will work as a standalone outlet and trips will not affect downstream loads.


How can I provide power to a dehumidifier in the bathroom?

The important rule about bathroom electrics is that, apart from shaver sockets, fundamentally you can't have any power sockets in there. There may be some exceptions, but they don't apply here.

However, you can have power going into a bathroom if you hard wire the device and have a switch outside the bathroom that can turn the device off (we have a couple of heated towel rails wired this way).

So as long as your de-humidifier isn't directly above the sink, bath or shower and wired this way it should be OK.

However, with all these things consult an electrician. Even if you do end up doing it yourself getting professional advice is always a good idea.


Yes, there are. Some speak the X10 carrier-current signalling protocol, some use more modern  communications. Obviously you would need to buy compatible components.

A good home-automation catalog or a website on that topic could give you product suggestions; we don't generally do that here.


OK, after turning off the breaker, take the two white wires on the right, with the orange and the yellow wire nuts, and twist them together. Turn the power back on and check the other rooms for power. If they have it, get your voltage meter and check between the ones you just twisted together and the white wire with the tape coming from the switch. If you get some on/off readings while operating the switch, then turn off the power again and hook the black wire from the fixture to the white taped wire from the switch and the white wire from the fixture to the two you twisted together. Turn back on the power and text everything. Turn off the power again, tuck the wires back into the box  and screw in the fixture.

FYI, that group of black wires contains the hot from the breaker, the hot to the switch and the hot to the other rooms.


How can I raise grade near my fence without making soil contact?

Anything directly against the fence will allow moisture to accumulate and hasten decay. If you want a fast, simple solution, lay any rigid board against the fence to the new grade level with spacer shims to keep contact minimal. It'll do the job. Don't use plastic. It'll look bad and trap even more moisture.
Ideally you'd create a retaining wall a few inches away from the fence. Put down landscape fabric and your choice of covering or mulch (washed or crushed rock, cypress bark, etc.) between the fence and wall. It'll look nice and won't create too much of a safety hazard.
You could also do a double retaining wall with a terrace between for shrubbery and/or flowers. This would reduce the appearance of a channel against the fence and improve safety somewhat.
Whatever you decide, I'd mock up a short section of it to get a feel for how it transforms your yard. You might find that what's in your imagination doesn't match reality. Better to know that before you do the entire job.


Replacing linoleum flooring in old house with tile, do I need to remove the papery layer?

The substrate you currently have is probably (90%+) not good enough for a ceramic install.  I would think that you need to put at least 1/2" concrete board down and possibly plywood before that (depends on the room size and what is below this).
Thinset doesn't really bond much to wood.  If you have demo'ed 20-30 bathrooms where people tiled right to wood (why do we demo the floor?  because it failed) you will know that thinset comes right up in big chunks.  Super quick demo.  Even if there is a bond at first, by the time the wood changes 100 times based on the season, temps, humidity, weight, moisture... there will be no bond left.   A good thinset layer acts more like a floating floor.  Which to answer your question, the black backing doesn't matter much if at all.  You may need to back butter your tiles first (so there is better consistency) but you can install it on that - but you shouldn't because you shouldn't hardly ever be installing tile straight to wood.


Since the surface is already painted I would not use a primer but getting that loose paint off will be important or the same will happen to this coat of paint.
You could use a paint scraper or corse sandpaper to help clean the loose stuff up but I would use an angle grinder with a wire brush , I use cup brushes with twisted wire to clean even badly rusted metal.
Once the loose paint is gone and the surface wiped clean any metal paint would work I like spraying but it can be brushed on   Don’t over work the paint or the brush marks will show.


How should I connect a new ceiling fan which is controlled by a remote?

Connect the white wire to the white wire.

If you want the wall switch to turn off the light/fan, then hook the pink wire in the box to the black wire on your controller. If you want to prevent the switch from turning off the light/fan then connect black to black.

Which ever wire you don't use should be capped with a spare wire nut and wrapped with electrical tape.


Partial Power Outage No Breakers Flipped

There's only one thing in electrical that is octagon shaped: a stop sign.  No just kidding; an octagon box.

This is a special type of box with a single purpose: mounting lamps in ceilings.  Your electrician clearly expects it to be a ceiling box, then; or, has seen evidence that the installer loved using octagon boxes for junction boxes.

The box is trying to resemble round, but still be made by the same machines that make drawn steel boxes.  A 4" box is 4" on the diagonal (what it would be if it were round), somewhat less on flats.  This is confusing because "somewhat less" is actually 3.5" and 3.5" octagon boxes also exist.  Measure the diagonal.


What could be leaking after installing a pet sprayer on a tub?

It sounds like it could either be a cracked breaching piece (between the to taps where the spout screws on)  or it could be the spindles leaking.

There is a o-ring in the spindles that stops water from coming out of the tap casing when the water is on. to check the o-ring take of the handles and cover flange turn the taps on with the sprayer turned off, is water coming out of the taps?

If not you can either cap off the fitting where the spout is connected and turn the water on and try and here/see water leaking or hook a pressure gauge up to the spout connection turn the water on then back off and see if the pressure drops when the water is off showing a leak in the breaching piece. How to pressure test


Can I add an exhaust fan to bathroom without exterior wall or roof access

Without seeing the house I cant tell you. It sounds like you are talking about creating a soffit which is going to be alot of labor.

You have some other options.  If this is just a 1/2 bath you can but a vent-free vent that uses a charcoal filter for smells.  If there is a bath then you can get a small dehumidifier.


Connecting UF wiring for under deck lighting to an existing NM exterior light switch

Yes, in fact, UF wire can be treated just like NM wire when ran indoors.
340.10 Uses Permitted
4. Installed as nonmetallic-sheathed cable. Where so installed, the installation and conductor requirements shall comply with Parts II and III of Article 334 and shall be of the multiconductor type.
Including the ampacity adjustment in 334.80.


Is it safe to substitute a 10-gauge wire for ground strap on dryer?

All due respect to Tester101, I'm not a fan of this method for a couple of reasons.

Not a listed method

And that matters because a failure here is lethal.  A lost neutral is precisely the failure that spooks us and is why NEMA 10 is considered bad news.

A break in a neutral wire will cause (internal to the appliance) the neutral to be "pulled up" to one of the hots.  That is normal in any appliance.  The problem is, by booting ground to neutral, the chassis of the machine is now hot. That problem is doubled because the washing machine right next to it is still properly grounded.  Touch both, you die.

This is literally bootlegging ground.  It is illegal in almost every context, (except this context, only due to lobbying by appliance manufacturers.)

You might as well do the best thing

Instead of running the grounding wire 2 inches to the neutral lug, you could run it 20 feet... to a proper grounding point.

OK, The right right way is to retrofit a ground: run it to the receptacle, change the receptacle for NEMA 14 and use that to support a NEMA 14 receptacle and plug.


How do I soundproof my vaulted townhouse wall?

Check out Holmes on Homes, Mike Holmes did an episode in season 5 called Wall of Sound, which tackled this issue.

Comment converted to answer.


Is it a problem to have water around a tub drain flange?

However, after draining, there is a tiny bit of water around the flange, and I'm wondering if this is something I should be worried about. ...
  Will the standing water cause any problems.

It is not a problem if all other aspects have been implemented correctly.
Because:

It's a "feature" of the geometry plus surface characteristics of the materials. The latter will change with time and may change the result (but it still doesn't matter regardless).

The "head" of water or pressure is so close to zero that the joint 'does not even know the water is there'.
In some circumstances you could get 'wicking' of fluid into a boundary between two materials by capilliary action - but a tub joint is designed to not be an example of this.

The water will evaporate in under a day in most atmospheric conditions.
Maybe not at about 0.5 degrees C and 99% humidity but in most others - and the materials used are designed to be permanently wet without other than cosmetic degradation.


Are four gang plastic boxes stackable in a wall?

I don't see why it wouldn't be allowed under code, but any question like this can only be answered by your permitting authority. My experience is that inspectors are happy to answer such questions.


Replace Old 200A Main Breaker with Newer Breaker

The MPD2200 should be correct as a replacement...

The MPD2200 should be the correct replacement main breaker for your panel -- the old Murray breaker factory changed hands a few times before ending up in its current home (with Siemens).

However, be careful here in more ways than one

However, you'll not only need to have your utility cut the power to your house to do this safely (most utilities will not charge for this service during working hours), but you should be quite careful and gentle when inserting the new breaker into the panel, following the directions precisely.  Any discrepancy whatsoever in the fit of the breaker to the bussing and interior should not be hacked around, but be treated as time to call in the cavalry (you'll have to call in an electrician and have them call Siemens tech support for advice, I reckon).  Furthermore, you'll need a torque wrench calibrated in inch-pounds to tighten the terminal lugs on the new breaker (for the incoming wires from the meter, if nothing else) to their specified torque, as well as for any other uses the install instructions may prescribe (NEC 110.14(D) requires that the breaker lugs be torqued correctly even).

Of course, if you're not comfortable with any of this, calling in an electrician is always an option.


How can I install a frost-free outdoor faucet with very little space?

The purpose of the extension on a frost free faucet is to get the valve itself in a heated space inside of your home so that it could never freeze (see the below diagram). If you only have an inch or so of insulation that's being penetrated by these plumbing pipes, it's likely that the valve would still reach the freezing point inside of your wall. So any type of build out on the outside of your home to mount the faucet is defeating the purpose of the extension. The proper way to use this type of faucet would be to build out something on the inside of your home, which I'm guessing isn't possible, or at least unattractive in your situation.

Therefore, I'd recommend getting in the habit of shutting off the water on the inside, possibly replacing the shutoff valve with a quarter turn ball valve so that it's quick, easy, and obvious when it's been done. You want to open the outside faucets when the water has been shut off so that the lines are empty when they do eventually freeze. After they've been left to drain for a day, I cover my outdoor faucets with insulating covers. This is also a good time to drain the hoses and bring them into a protected location (e.g. a garage or shed).


I just got off the phone with Honeywell.   If you only have a 4-wire older system, you'll only be able to use the fan in the "auto" position.   It won't let you use the fan-only selection.  You need a 5th wire for power for the wi-fi side of the thermostat.   Call Honeywell and they'll walk you through it for free.


I can tell you now that the condenser should be cleaned but I guess that's off topic.  If you are confident about the switch then most likely you will have to reclaim the refrigerant, replace the switch, pull vacuum and replace refrigerant.  Minimum items needed, Reclaiming pump, Reclaim cylinder, vacuum pump, gauge set, etc.  You'll need a service tech for this one.  If you do bypass it, clean the condenser because because that can cause an elevated head pressure.


When do splitting deck supports become a problem?

It is rather common for posts of that sort to develop cracks like that if they were cut from logs and then installed without being kiln dried. Even kiln dried timbers can develop cracks along the long grain but that will happen to a lesser extent.

Cracks like that appear when timbers dry out in an uneven manner. They should not greatly affect the vertical support strength of the posts. You can watch them and if one post also begins to warp or twist then you would want to get it replaced.


Replacing compressor motor (going from 3 wire to 4 wire) and question about wire colors

Figured this out!  I hope this answer posted here helps someone else.  The real topic here is "converting from a 3 to 4 wire motor.

First of all, a shout out to Solar Supply, Inc. in San Marcos, TX for matching the Mars 10204 motor with my GE for about 85 bucks.

The first thing he did when I got it was grab a capacitor and add it to the box.  I thought, "I wonder why, I already have one?"  Well, now that I compared both diagrams it makes sense.

The old motor's orange line was connected to one of 3 leads on the capacitor.  From that line I noticed that there was a YELLOW line that went to the terminal block.  I deduced that orange was analogous to yellow on the new motor.  Black? That was easy, at least one thing was obvious.

That leaves the brown and brown/white pair.  It finally dawned on me that these were to go on the new, separate capacitor that the guy at Solar gave me.  I'm assuming that having a dedicated capacitor for the fan motor is an overall improvement in safety and integrity.  I suppose it would be theoretically possible to join the brown and brown/white wires to the old capacitor, but Murphy's law said that a 50% chance of getting it wrong is optimistic..  by so doing you're essentially joining one leg of the capacitor wires to the line voltage, and there must be a good reason why the capacitor is now separate.

The small green ground wire was a bit of a mystery but I just added it to the mount screw attaching the motor to the grill.  Here is the diagram which should make everything clear:


Bevelling skirting boards to match architraves

I did this with my Philadelphia home. Below is the best picture I could find.  It's near impossible to tell from the picture (and this is not the most flattering angle), but the baseboard is thicker than the side case molding.  I simply beveled it to even with the casing at about a 45 degree angle with a block plane.  I did not use shoe molding; instead opting to scribe the baseboard to the floor.  The bevel actually helped the install look more detailed and "craftsman-like", in my opinion.

By the way, just in case it needs to be said: You will need to use real solid wood to do this.


dont try to cut glass on a mitre saw.  the blade goes too fast and other than the glass particles destroying every moving part of your saw (including the teeth), you are essentially trying to detonate a hand grenade this way

the key to cutting glass is the following:

1)  make sure you are using a sharp scoring wheel.  if you cant remember the last time you rotated or replaced the wheel, its time to do so.

2)  use light oil on your cut.  just dribble a little line of it down where your cut is going to go.

3)  use a straight edge.  just clamp (gently) or double sided tape a straight edge to the glass plate.  remember when positioning it to take into account offset for the thickness of the tool

4)  score once and once only.  slow, with even pressure is the key, from one edge all the way to the other

5)  put a thin wood or metal bar under the glass and push down on both sides to break the piece off.  dont try to hold one side over a table edge or something and snap down.  this technique is only for professional glaziers

6)  debur the edge with a diamond cloth, rock cloth or a diamond flat file.  dont try to use sandpaper or a sanding block.

7)  above all else, wear good quality work gloves or cut proof gloves and a faceshield or good safety glasses


How can high and low voltage be mixed in a junction box?

High and low voltage conductors in the same junction box must be separated by a barrier. Outdated NEC reference: 800-52(a)(1)c.1.Exception 1.

In the typical dbl. gang box installation, power in one half and phone and data in the other, there needs to be a partition in the box separating the two classes of conductors.


What did I do wrong when wiring a new light fixture?

You probably know this already, but the purpose of a switch is to break the "loop" of electricity that feeds the lights.

Find out where all your wires come from and go to, draw a picture of the circuit and that should narrow down your problem or at least help you in describing your problem to someone who could help you. Drawings are very helpful for issues like this.

From your description, it sounds like the black (hot) wire to the original light was not switched, but the white (neutral) wire was the break in the circuit via the switch. If you wired your can lights up with this in mind, and things still did not work, then there is something else going on that you need to do some investigating to see why your original assumption of where the wires go to/from failed. One of those wires doesn't go where you think it does, or the white/red wire that goes through the switch is not in the same "loop" as the black wire (not likely, nor really possible, but not impossible).

This might be a good opportunity to put the light and the outlets on different circuits. I think that may even be required by code. (ThreePhaseEel suggests that this is only required in bathrooms and kitchens, not necessarily for bedrooms.)

One way to check if you have the same wire (or branch of a circuit) at both ends is to flip the breaker, ground one side of your wire in question to something grounded (pipe, conduit, green ground wire, etc.) and measure with a multimeter that you have 0 Ohms of resistance to ground  at the other end (i.e. place one probe on your wire and the other probe on somethign that's grounded...pipe, conduit, green ground wire, etc.). undo the ground and your resistance should go to infinity (or OVLD or something similar). There are also helpful circuit finding tools that would do this same trick...check amazon.


Cheap solution for underside of barn overhang (soffit, siding, something else?)

At first I was thinking it was just some exposed rafter ends, but you have an entire roof there!  Short of using a netting like you have already done, I cannot think of anything inexpensive that will do the job any better. You have the option of putting some exterior sheathing such as 3/8" exterior glue plywood or maybe some T111 siding panels. They are not really cheap, but would be a permanent solution. Since you have a metal roof and don't want to trap air and moisture in there, plastic sheeting etc would not be a good choice. Seeing it, I would have recommended bird netting, but you already thought of that.


You should cut out the back of the cabinet.


Is it possible the fridge is dead

Yes.

  It's only 4 years old

People often say "they don't make them like they used to".

  I can't pull it out by myself so I don't know if the outlet is ok.

Unfortunately we can't pull it out for you from where we are. You may need to get a friend, relative, neighbour or tradesperson to help.

You can buy gadgets to make it easier for one person to slide appliances across smooth floors. There are low-cost teflon glides that you can slide under the appliances feet. These are small disks, slippery teflon (or hard plastic) on their underside, grippy rubber on the top.

You can also get more substantial metal rollers.

It can help to use a length of wood on a wooden block as a lever to lift the appliance a few mm or an inch or so to slide the glides/rollers under the appliance. If doing this by yourself it might help to cut some broad shallow wedges out of wood, you can then slip these under while pressing on your lever. That holds the appliance up while you carefully position the glides or rollers.

Even getting glides just under the two front feet will often help.

If your fridge is one of those that is the size of a small car, you'll need to enlist some help from nearby people.


Can a countertop microwave oven be placed under the counter on a shelf?

I don't think the code cares. What you need to look out for is mostly awkwardness in getting hot food out of the microwave, and not blocking the vents.

You can get pull-out microwaves that are designed to be easier to use when placed under the counter, but they're hilariously expensive ($1000+).


OK, a bunch of stuff to respond to:

Wire size

There are really two considerations when picking wire size:

Safety. You do not want the wire to overheat and catch fire. 6 gauge is fine for 50 amps, so you're good on this front.
Voltage drop. Long wires cause the voltage to drop. Upsizing the wire will counteract this. Typically you want to keep the voltage drop under 3% or so, although it somewhat depends on whether the voltage coming into your house is on the high or low end, and also what you're using the circuit for. 6 gauge wire for 500 feet @ 50 amps will have more than 8% drop, which is almost certainly unacceptable. If you want to stick close to 3% you will need 2 gauge at a minimum.

Cable Choice

Your RV hookup is probably 240V with a neutral, which requires 3 conductors + ground (not 2 conductors like a standard indoor 120V outlet).

Also, using "indoor" Romex (NM-B) is not appropriate for an outdoor installation, even if it's in conduit. You will need to use something outdoor rated, either a UF cable or individual outdoor-rated conductors.

Finally, 500 feet is a very long run. Make sure you plan carefully. Even simply buying cable that long will probably require getting a whole spool. And pulling the cable through conduit is a whole other challenge.

At this length you might consider using aluminum cable, which is somewhat cheaper for large sizes, although it definitely complicates the installation. I don't know much about aluminum wiring but I believe it requires special connections and the wire amp ratings are different.

Since you are already going to be using an electrician, I think you should ask him/her what they recommend.


Low water pressure in the early morning hours

Check that the water softener hours for running and doing it back flush (if you have one).

If it is not a running softener, a water pressure gauge that attaches to your hose bib is a fairly cheap purchase.  If you obtain one hook it up to your hose bib and record the pressure low values and what you consider normal values.

Then obtain permission from one of your nearest neighbors to attach it to their hose bib.  And record the pressure at the same time you had recorded your values.  This will isolate if it is just your home or the whole neighborhood.  If it is the whole neighborhood take the readings to your water service provider and request them to investigate.


Help with box volume/fill for junction box provided with LED recessed light

Bonus question: 334.5B is not a statutory waiver, it's to let you off the hook if the task is not easy, or if trying would risk mistakes (like trying to reach through a 6" hole with a staple gun).  If it's easy, you gotta do it.

On your splices, the fill rules require:

1 "wire" covers all grounds
1 "wire" covers all cable clamps
1 "wire" per actual wire brought in

So I count 6 wires.  14 AWG calls for 2.0 cubic inches per wire or 12ci.  Since this is part of equipment, I would expect the provided wires would be included in the cubic inches the manufacturer states.

However I note a  < $ 10/light price point. I also note their website is very marketing oriented, and has absolutely no technical sections, in the ordinary way a site like Eaton's or Lutron's would.  On the other hand, the site is perfectly competent, with none of the teeth-clenching English mistakes typically seen in overseas "makers", so I don't know what to think.


How do I take apart this shower control?

Eventually, with more force applied, the front cap did unscrew (standard right hand thread) to reveal a 16mm hex insert.

However, this was misleading, as inside the tap handle is a screw. Removing the screw allows the handle to be pulled out.

Inside, the next stage is held on with a washer and C clip. They have already been removed in this picture - you will also notice the tap is no longer in the wall!

Removing the tiny C-clip, and the temperature limiting button, allows this section to be pulled out; it required some force to get it to move. The next stage had another C-clip behind the toothed wheels.

After removing the clip I could not get the final stage out of the valve. Here's a picture of all the clips (sorry they are not in the correct order!)

It was at this point I gave up trying and decided to extract it from the wall. This also proved difficult as it had been installed before the false wall was put in. This resulted in a number of tiles needing to be removed and the plywood "wall" chiselled to get access.

With no knowledge of how it was fixed to the wall I levered it off - not pretty. Once removed I noticed some small grub screws holding the two parts together. Even if I'd known about them I not sure I would have been able to get a hex key in there to take them out.

I then set about removing and capping the pipes, rebuilding the wall with a ply insert, and tiling. I did not have any of the original tiles but managed to find some in a local shop, even though they are a bit of a darker shade. Job done!

I hope some of this information helps others trying to remove old shower valves.


Is there any way to tell if these walls are load bearing from the blueprints?

You won't be able to tell from these blueprints because these are the electrical plans and not the structural.


Does my hot water tank have a bad element?

The element is probably fried; it can be checked with an ohm meter with power off.
Depending on the wattage of the element it should be ~12-50 ohms as a ball park
A dead short or very high reading is bad.


I normally would suggest a water based caulk, but for this since it is brick on one side, and would need to be taped to keep the brick neat, I would use a one part polyurethane caulk for this. The application would have to be done so there is not a whole lot of excess over the area since clean up is done with mineral spirits or paint thinner.
It is available in colors, so you can find something that will blend in. It is also paintable, and is very flexible.
I would go the extra mile and tape the cedar siding too. This will allow you to wipe off all the excess, pushing the caulk well into the gap at the same time, and touch up where needed, cleaning that excess up too. I would use my finger to do so and wipe it clean with a rag or paper towel dampened with thinner. After all the excess is cleaned and smoothed out down to the tape on both sides, remove the tape and spray the joint that is filled with a soapy water solution. This will allow you, with soapy fingers, smooth out any last flaws in the caulk.


Installing new ceiling fan. Don't think there is a white (neutral) wire

It sounds like whoever installed it, used the neutral as a hot and the ground as a neutral.  Likely they wanted to control the fan and light separately, but only had two conductor cable between the switch and fixture.

If you're installing a remote, you'll only need the two conductors.

Without seeing what you have, this is what you might have to do.

Disconnect the white wire from the switch, and connect it to the grounded (neutral) conductor in the switch box.
Connect the bare grounding conductors in the switch box togther, making sure to disconnect any bare grounding wires that are attached to white grounding conductors.
Follow the instructions to install the new fan and remote.

in the ceiling box, connect white to white, black to black, and ground to ground.

This will mean one switch does nothing, while the other provides power to the remote. So you can swap out the double switch for a single one if you want.

Warning

This answer is a guess based on past experience, and the limited information you've provided.  If you provide more information, we'll be able to provide more accurate answers. If you're unsure about what's going on, don't be afraid to contact an Electrician.


How to add electrical fixtures to (custom) furniture?

Assuming your furniture has Locations X and Y where you'd like to mount the receptacles, and location Z that would be a suitable, safe place for a power cord to exit the furniture without being underfoot or hazardous:

To connect X, Y and Z, I'd use steel or plastic junction boxes with steel or plastic conduit between them. Preferably steel (though it's harder to work with). Route between boxes doesn't matter.  You can go with plain old ugly stamped boxes or they make some fancy cast ones with threaded ports.  Whatever works.

At location Z, I'd have a flexible cord with proper grommets and strain reliefs.  This is "cordage", or cable specifically made to be flexible equipment cords.  (obviously cordage is common since every appliance has it; but you must use cordage, not random Romex or whatever.)  I would use a minimum of 14 AWG, preferably 12 since it will assure a breaker will trip before it overloads.

Inside the conduit, I'd see what makes sense.  If I can spare the length, I might pull the cordage through whole. Otherwise I'd splice it to THHN single-conductor wire run in the conduit between the boxes.  Either go Z then Y then X, or branch Z-Y and then Z-X.  Either way is fine.

I would NOT staple Romex between the junction boxes, because Romex is vulnerable to physical damage, that being the point of the conduit.


What to look for when buying recessed lights?

The fixtures you linked to are absolutely fine for new construction sheetrock ceilings.  If you are going to use suspended acoustical tile then you will need a different model fixture that mounts directly to the tiles, not the floor joists.

In either case, you can lamp them with CFL bulbs which will burn cooler, less electricity. The only disadvantage to standard CFL's is that they can not be dimmed with an inexpensive incandescent dimmer. Always be sure to match the dimmer and bulbs correctly.


There might be some confusion because the type of switch you need (single-pole, double-throw) is usually called a three-way switch in the US, and a two-way switch in the UK. So for two switches to control the same lights, you need two SPDT switches, and you can find the wiring diagram on Wikipedia.


How should I finish basement walls with half-height blanket insulation in place?

The blanket's providing almost nothing, so get rid of it (in that placement) and grind its fasteners down to flush with the wall. Research and testing has determined that a rigid board insulation (some sort of foam or rock wool, which requires a vapor barrier) tight against any exterior wall and those joist bays above the wall are the only way to go.

That way, you're minimizing and even eliminating any place for water vapor to collect and warming the exterior wall to avoid water vapor from condensing. Once that convection layer (no less than 1-inch thick) of rigid insulation is on or just rested into place, then the old fluffy insulations can go on top along with a stud wall.

Though, more rigid insulation is most beneficial. Any stud wall, in your non-load bearing situation, can then be comprised of as little as 1"x2" furring type members or regular dimensional lumber laid flat...to save floor space. And actually, you'll get the biggest benefit from insulating the ceiling. Being able to finally hold heat or cold in the room, may make you question whether to finish the walls or to just strip and repaint them...start with the ceiling, you'll be surprised and may be done a whole lot faster and easier (no new electrical requirements to satisfy).


How to attach an appliance bracket to a stainless steel table?

That application obviously results in a lot of torsional stress on the part. You'll want to drill the top for bolts and nuts, as opposed to using sheet metal screws, which will eventually work loose.

I'd size them to the holes in the bracket plate. The type of bolt isn't really important, but you probably want something with a low head profile. It must be stainless, of course. Use lock washers under the nuts, or use flat washers and stop nuts (with nylon inserts).

You may also want to add a backer plate of heavier material to reduce flex in the table, depending on its thickness gauge. 1/4" aluminum bar between the nuts and the table would do well.

Drilling stainless can be challenging. Do a little reading on tools and technique.


Can I attach the main ground from my service panel to the old steel water main in my house?

You would be advised to not depend on the condition of some old discontinued water pipe for grounding. That pipe may have rusted and corroded so much that a lot of it is missing or not even making a low resistance connection into the earth.

If it was me looking to correct this condition I would contact my local building / electrical safety agency and/or inspectors and determine if you can ground with a copper clad steel grounding rod that you would pound 8 or 10 feet into the ground outside the foundation near the electrical service box. Then the appropriate size heavy gauge copper wire would be run from the service panel to the ground rod.


Properly grounding equipment with a ground screw

Grounding of metal cased equipment is most often done for safety reasons, rather than ESD protection. If a fault occurs inside the equipment that places line voltage on the chassis, the voltage is shunted to ground and will trip the breaker on the circuit. This protects you from accidental electrocution.

Edit: Since this is powered by a brick, safety grounding is unlikely. For ESD protection, the wire can simply be connected to any suitable earth ground. I would suggest whatever method you find most esthetically pleasing.


Judging by the amount of scum/sediment on the bottom of that tank, I'd bet just cleaning the mating surfaces between the flapper and the outflow drain will solve the problem. And if it only took a few months to get that scummy, you'll want to plan on cleaning these parts regularly—this is especially prudent if you're on septic.

Side note: You might want to look into why your water has so much sediment in suspension. Are you on well water, by any chance?


Dangers of connecting ground to neutral?

Based on further conversation.... this is an emergent condition that is trying to kill you.  It hasn't succeeded only because the shock path to source is high-impedance and limiting current flow to below 10ma.  (if you can feel it, it's at least 1ma).  Naturally occurring impedances can change dramatically, so it could turn and kill you tomorrow.

You say your garage already has a ground wire that you've tied into.  However since it is not tied back to the house, it is a "fake ground". It makes things more dangerous.

If a grounded device has a ground fault, that current is harmlessly shunted back to the main panel.
If an ungrounded device has a ground fault, it electrifies the chassis of that device only.
If a device plugged into a fake ground has a ground fault, it electrifies its chassis and every other device also plugged into that fake ground.

You have the latter situation and it's Very Bad.   Any device in the garage could be the origin of the ground fault that is giving you these problems.

The right solution is twofold:

Disconnect the fake ground from your receptacle(s).  This will protect you from any rogue ground faults in other devices in the buildings.  In this situation you are better off with no ground than fake ground.  Beware: metal junction boxes and conduit can deliver "ground" to the yoke (bracket) of a device, make sure that can't happen!
Replace that receptacle with a GFCI receptacle.  This will assure any ground faults don't kill you and confine any ground faults to just what's plugged into it.  So if only your devices are plugged into it, it's gotta be safe!   Connect only hot and neutral to the GFCI.  Mark the receptacle "no equipment ground"; it should come with some stickers.  Don't hook anything to the LOAD side of the GFCI.

Let's go into the details in my original answer.

Tying neutral to ground makes things much worse!

Under ideal conditions, modern electrical wiring is done as an isolated system, with a safety shield.  Without grounds, it should be the same, only without the safety shield obviously.

What's the deal with the neutral-ground bond in the main panel?  That is only to bond the isolated system to protect it from ESD, lightning and ground faults.  Never bond neutral to ground anywhere else - if the neutral wire breaks, neutral will float up to 120V, and that means, so will ground!  We see people fry themselves this way on a regular basis.

No appliance anywhere should be leaking any conductor to its case.  Not even neutral (as you propose) - because if you flip the plug over, or lose neutral, neutral becomes hot.  The ground shield would help if it was there.  A GFCI/RCD device would help a lot.

Get a GFCI

A GFCI receptacle or breaker will detect ground faults for you and shut off the power.  Mostly it's useful as a diagnostic aid, "when I touch X, the GFCI trips" which tells you X has a ground fault.  The GFCI doesn't care whether your building has grounding; it is comparing hot and neutral current flows and looking for current that has gone astray (e.g. through you).

Write yourself a get-out-of-jail-free card

Since you are leaving this behind, make sure you write a letter to the landlord advising him of defects in the garage wiring and the fact that you experienced tingling, shocks, whatever you did in fact experience, and that you did make an effort to reduce the hazard but that fixing it properly was impossible for you.  Keep a copy of the letter, it is your get-out-of-jail-free card if anyone is hurt in the future.

If someone is hurt, the landlord's best defense is "I didn't know" and to pin it on anyone but himself. His lawyer will force him to viciously deny receiving the letter; he will claim you created the hazard.  You want as much "paper trail" as possible to prove you sent it: at the very least a certified mail receipt, better sending a CC of the letter to the city's electrical inspector, and best having your own lawyer send it.

The rest of this advice applies to people able to modify the home at will.

Retrofit that ground!

Many people refuse to add grounds because they think they need to replace all their wiring. Now let's pause for a moment.  Wires that carry your power ordinarily (hot and neutral) need to run together.  That assures their magnetic fields cancel out and don't cause heating that starts a fire.  However, this does not apply to ground wires.

So in the 2014 NEC, Code was revised to give you wide freedom to retrofit grounds.  So you can just run the ground wire you need any way that is reasonable - including between buildings - and you don't need to follow the same route.  The book says "Git r done"!   And hardware stores sell bare ground wire, or you can take the insulation off Romex.

Don't parallel wires

Noting that you converted a pair of 3-way switches into non-switches, you should not have tied the two messengers together on both ends.  Paralleling wires causes a lot of subtle problems.  You should use one messenger or the other.   The other wire should be capped off as a spare.

Gee, what would you do with that spare?  Hum de dum...  I can't suggest using it as a ground wire because we follow Code here and there's a Code requirement that ground wires under 6 AWG be natively green or bare, and not just taped green.

A ground rod to the building is not enough.

The grounding system has at least two purposes:  One is returning natural electricity sources (ESD, lightning) to earth.  A local ground rod on your building will do that fine.

The other is returning fault current to source (which is where artificial electricity wants to go).  A ground rod in a remote building will not do that because dirt doesn't conduct electricity well enough to reach the ground rods in the main building.  That is why you need to have a ground wired between buildings.

If you really need a lot of power out there

Since I assume the 3-way is a 120V circuit, you could really bump up the power out there and solve your grounding problem by putting a transformer in your outbuilding and creating a separately derived service.  A transformer's isolation moots the ground wire back to the house, and requires a local grounding system (since this would then become a main panel).

However, this requires more education and a lot more respect for electricity than I have seen in OP. This stuff can kill you, and it's already trying.


How can it be dangerous to feed a water heater from two separate panels?

WARNING:
This answer describes a fictional installation, and is NOT meant to be a solution to a problem.  This setup should NEVER be implemented in the field, as it is unsafe, and violates countless codes. These codes are intentionally ignored in this answer, in an attempt to keep the answer short and to the point.  There's likely no way to make this setup safe, and this answer makes no attempt to do so (and neither should you).  There are obviously other flaws with a circuit like this, though this answer only seeks to explain one particular flaw. Please stay safe, and don't ever try this at home.

Assuming that both panels are fed by the same 120/240V single split-phase distribution transformer (which may be a terrible assumption). The wiring would look something like this.

Click for larger view
That's two panels, wired to a single transformer. I've eliminated the grounding conductors, to keep the diagrams cleaner.  I've also added a 120 volt load to each panel, to make the installation a bit more realistic.  The whole idea of a secondary panel has also been eliminated, again just to make the diagram cleaner.
Ignoring any obvious code violations, this idea seems to work. The heater works, and everybody is happy!
At some point in the future, the tenant in Unit 1 has to have some electrical work done. Before beginning, the Electrician turns off the main breaker in the panel.

Click for larger view
Luckily, The Electrician immediately notices dimly glowing lights. They grab a meter, and find that the panel is still energized.  The confounded Electrician begins to investigate, charging $150 per hour while they do so.
If you follow the circuit, you can see why the Electrician was almost electrocuted.

Click for larger view
Electricity flows into the building on Leg B (red line), and into the panel in Unit 2.  From there it goes to the water heater, through the heating element, and over to Leg A (blue line) of Unit 1s panel.  Since the main breaker is open, the electricity can't follow the normal path along Leg A back to the transformer.  Instead it takes a detour through a lamp, and ends up on the "neutral" line in Unit 1s panel.  From there it flows along the service neutral, all the way back to the transformer.
The panel in Unit 1 is being backfed through the water heater, causing an unsafe, potentially deadly situation.

To make sure this answer appeases all involved, and so that it's not "ABSOLUTE DRIVEL!". I've added a secondary panel to the diagram, to show that it still has the same problem.  Unfortunately, I wasn't sure how to wire up the "neutral" for the panel, so somebody will have to fill me in on how that should work.

Click for larger view


Removing the handle from this type of faucet/tap

Check to see if there is a nut just below the handle which the stem comes out of. If this is a laundry faucet or the type that projects from a wall there may be a connecting nut that allows the faucet to swivel into alignment with the supply pipe. Either way use a crescent (adjustable jaw) wrench or as @bib mentioned tape or a rag to protect the faucet from being marred.


Looks like that water line to the filter is 1/4 tubing.   Go to local big box hardware store. int he plumbing section there will be a selection on little bags containing either brass or plastic parts, valves, compression fittings etc.

Find either a compression fittingGood) or a push-in valve(Better) for the tubing size.  Either way make sure cuts to tubing a clean and square, no angles use a knife and piece of scrap wood to cut...not a pair of scissors.

Which ever you chose follow instructions to install correctly!


Add an electric socket to an existing light circuit (230v AC)

It sounds as though you have phase, neutral and earth available to you. So the initial answer is yes but there are two snags:

UK regulations require an RCD/ELCB (earth leakage protection) device on all socket circuits.
Someone could plug in a high current device into the lighting circuit.

Best way out of it would be to tap off L, N & E through a low current RCD and to a 13 A socket. That would address both problems. I had a look for low current (2 A) RCD but can't find any in RS or Farnell catalogues.


Can a well pump be moved from inside to outside?

The primary factor in the relocation of your well pump will be the climate you live in.  If you are in southern Florida and it never freezes, then things may likely work out well for you (no pun intended).

If you are in an area that gets freezing temperatures from time to time, things may not work and you could actually do damage to the pump, tank and other components if they were to freeze.

Sometimes there is a little "pump house" which is insulated, and also heated, which helps deal with climate issues, but heating a small pump house can be an additional cost, which one may find unacceptable.

One lower cost thing you could consider, is making an enclosure to cover the indoor components.  Should you decide to do so, you may wish to make that enclosure readily knock down, so that you can gain access to the components without a structure around them limiting accessibility.  You will also want to consider a double wall, or staggered stud construction to isolate noise from the pump.  You will still have some noise.  Better rubber isolation feet may help.

If your well setup is getting near the end of it's life, you might plan transitioning to a submersible pump.


There are exceptions, but typically walls parallel with the joists are non bearing. The exception will be if it is carrying a load from above, transferred down by another wall above it, carrying the roof or corner of a roof, or something like that. Also a point load from above can be brought down through a non-bearing wall.


Rather than melt your brain with white, black, red blah blah, let's call travelers yellow.    Here's how a 3-way circuit actually works.

Golly, that's simple. Align the two switches onto the same yellow wire, light lights.  Easy peasy.
But of course, they don't make cables in yellow-yellow-white.  They only make them in black-white-red; and; depending on the other needs of the circuit, the two travelers might be any combination of colors. That's what colored electrical tape is for.  $5 will get you a 5-pack of 5 colors.
Identify the travelers.  Travelers are

always in the same cable (so might the third wire, but it won't be that way on both ends).
On the brass switch screws if the circuit is wired correctly

Assuming your lower switch is untouched, black and red are your travelers in this circuit.  I would remark them with yellow on both ends.
Then, it's dog simple: yellow wires to brass screws, remaining wire to remaining screw and Bob's your uncle.
3-way switches don't take neutral wires, so the white wire in the blue box is definitely not a neutral.  It must be re-marked a color.  (any color but gray or green, but it's preferable to mark it for its function: black always-hot, red switched-hot).


Can I use liquid nails to attach toe plate/sill plate to concrete floor?

I wouldn't recommend bonding sill plates directly to a concrete floor. Any wood in direct contact with basement concrete is asking for trouble. Concrete is porous and will wick moisture to anything placed on top of it. In order to prevent moisture wicking into the sill plate and consequent danger of mould, mildew, and rot, it's better to lay a 12" wide sheet of 6 mil polyethylene vapour barrier between the concrete and wood sill plate, then fasten sill plate to concrete with tapcon screws. Wrap the poly up on the inside of the drywall (if you're finishing the walls again) to also protect the drywall from wicking moisture from the concrete.


Will my breaker accept #10 wire even though the chart lists #14?

The Eaton catalog clearly says that the breaker can accept anything between and including #14 - #4 AWG.

You should follow the instructions that tell you to use #10, as it will fit the breaker, and will be appropriate for the amps you are running.


What are some good downspout options for a brick house?

Is there some particular reason not to put new holes in the bricks? My first inclination is to just drill new holes, and secure the spouts properly - after all, they did come off during a snow storm.

Do you have pictures of the existing mounts? Perhaps there is a way to retrofit something onto the existing hooks but still use a modern downspout.


I used a tall plastic bucket once to catch the mice in the garage - I just put a small amount of dog food in the bottom, they could not climb the walls or jump that high to get out.  I used a "ramp" made of simple cardboard to the top so that they could hop right in!  Safe, no poison and easy to carry out when "full".


How to remove construction adhesive from concrete?

Removing glue from any surface is a thankless task.  You will not be able to return the floor to an as-built state.  You're going to have to cover it with something.

You're going to have to dissolve it and scrape it.  And it's going to be a heck of job.

Some expert google-fu has yielded Baby Oil as a potential solvent.  Other suggestions were mineral oil.

However, I think a better solution would be to get a floor sander with a grinding pad and sand it off.  Remember to wear a dust mask.


Can this joist support be replaced with plywood?

They seem to be 2x8, spanded out to the max,with strong backs added to help the frame.Witch is fine for a ceiling joist,to only handle ceiling load. Now you take the strong backs off weaken ceiling joist frame. Want to add plywood more weight.and you make them floor joist,if any load or a room is added due to span you may be under sized. If 2x10 and short span maybe fine .2x12  16 inches on center ,I would say your fine.  After finding out you have a 20 foot span .2x12  24 on center changes things they are spanded out to the max.and strong backs added to help them . Adding plywood and taking out strong back not a good idea. Not a good spot to store stuff.


Can I backfeed a portable generator into my house's electrical system?

You know what, I'm going to repeat the answer found here to the same question. Here's that answer, short and sweet and to the point:

ABSOLUTELY NOT!! This is NEVER an option.

You MUST use some form of transfer switch or
interlock, along with the proper male inlet.
Also, a male-to-male cord is called a
"suicide cord" for a reason.

A transfer switch/interlock wired into your service panel is the ONLY LEGAL WAY to do this, and the only safe way.

Look, transfer switches.

Just a few expanded reasons not to do this include:

Check out this story, where backfeeding a generator like this started a fire that burned the generator, the neighbor's house, the neighbor's motorhome, the neighbor's race car hauler, a boat, and an SUV. Fun times, huh?
Check out this post, where a retired lineman talks about how many times he's seen broken main breakers that still let current through even when they were OFF. Yikes.
Backfeeding your generator into your dryer outlet is ILLEGAL, possibly criminally so, or at least totally open to civil prosecution. Tell me that an injury caused by you turning on your generator and feeding power back onto a damaged electrical grid where people are working to repair the lines, and into your neighbor's homes during a crisis won't be actionable? The NEC requires a transfer switch (and not for trivial or capricious reasons). That's good enough for me.
the "suicide cord":

Seriously, do you actually WANT a #10 extension cord energized with 240V/30A strung across your floor with energized metal prongs sticking out the end of it? What if it accidentally gets kicked out of the wall socket or something? A million things could go wrong. HORRIBLE idea.

You'll dump power (stepped up to at least 7,200 Volts by the transformer outside, so it'll go for miles and miles) on the power grid and electrocute a lineman doing repairs.

You, or more likely a spouse, visiting relative, or one of your kids, will forget to throw the main breaker before powering on the generator. Or one of your kids' rambunctious friends will fire up your generator when you're not looking, on some sunny July afternoon.
Guaranteed, especially since the generator will be needed seldom enough that nobody will remember the entire power-up checklist when the time comes.
The whole point of the transfer switch being an interlock is that it only physically permits a connection to one power source at a time.

You'll fry your generator and/or anything with electronics in your home:

When you've inevitably forgotten to throw the main breaker before powering up the generator, and you've been lucky enough not to have electrocuted a lineman, when the main power comes back on there's a good possibility it will backfeed into your equipment and cook it in one way or another (the timing of the 60Hz wave will be different, possibly amplifying the power to much higher levels, etc., other interesting possibilities).

If you do this, and none of the bad things happen to you, that's what we call blind dumb luck and you really shouldn't tempt fate like that more than once.  :-)

Don't do this. It's illegal and just a terrible idea--"Redneck" in the most uncomplimentary way.


Is it more efficient to only run a dehumidifier when I'm at home?

This is a really common question, that applies to many things: heat, air conditioning, dehumidifiers, lighting and even PCs.

"Isn't it better to just leave the machine running continuously?  The energy costs of restarting it must be enormous, surely they must be more than the costs of leaving it running."

Almost universally, the answer is nope.  "Leave it running" is just an excuse/rationalization.  What's really true is you want the facility to be already comfortable when you return, but you are bothered by the "guilt" of leaving equipment running unnecessarily.  So you find a way to "believe" you are doing the right thing.   It's a convenient untruth.

WHY?   Consider: when you turn off the heat/cool/dehumidify, it has a "ramp" period where the house gets worse.  Then it has an "equilibrium" period where the house has hit bottom, and doesn't get any worse.  Then another "ramp" period when you start the machine back up, to bring it to your preferred level.

First, let's look at those ramp periods.  Surely they cancel each other out, yes?  Not quite.  Actually, A/C and dehumidifiers work more efficiently when conditions are worse. That's readily obvious on a dehumidifer; it's much easier for the unit to get from 80% to 70% than it is to get from 50% to 40%. An A/C coil also has a much easier time cooling air from 100 to 90 than from 78 to 68.  Heat transfers more easily when temperature differentials are higher.

Second, for that same reason, insulation works better when there's less temperature differential across it.  The houses loses much less "cool" at 90 than it does at 70.

Third, that equilibrium period is absolutely free.   The house doesn't get any worse, even though you aren't paying to run the machine.

So go ahead and shut it off if you don't need it.   If you are annoyed having to suffer through the down-ramp period, then consider a Nest style thermostat or other "smart home" type automation that lets you turn it on via a timer, or auto-learning process, or remotely with your phone.


How to finish drywall under stair treads and risers seamlessly?

Since your goal is not to use any trim, we can't cover it up. You need something that will look like drywall after you paint it. If you use joint compound / putties it will crack at the seams if the steps budge/give.

What about paintable caulk? It'll maintain its elasticity so it won't crack, it'll seal the edge, and it'll look like drywall after its painted.


It's a standard single-pole, single-throw switch?

Just replace it. They cost $1 or so, and it's not worth the hassle to figure out what's wrong with the current one.


What pipe diameter, for gravity drain of a given impermeable area?

From the 2012 International Plumbing Code Section 1106, I get a pipe diameter of 3" based on table 1106.3 and this map:


Do I need a bathroom fan to increase house ventilation?

I agree with Ed, bathroom fans are turned on intermittently to exhaust MOISTURE not to INTRODUCE fresh air into your house, especially on a continual non-controlled (no thermostat or no humidistat) manner. Even outside air intakes on furnaces only work when the thermostat is calling for heat or air conditioning and it usually has a manual damper that you can adjust for the amount of air desired.


How do i stop office chair sound when leaning back?

I've used Lock Ease for this exact issue.

Lock Ease is an amazing product. It's dry graphite, with an alcohol (I think) based carrier fluid packaged in an aerosol can. The carrier fluid help gets the dry graphite to penetrate then evaporates leaving no oily residue behind. It's made for lock cylinders, but I use it wherever dry lubricant (such as graphite) is needed.

Disclaimer: Amazon link for convenience only, I don't work Lock-Ease, Amazon, or the Amazon Marketplace seller distributing the product.


Table 310.15(B)(16) from the 2017 NEC provides the information you need:

Assuming a 75 degree temperature rating, you could get away with 1 AWG copper or 2/0 AWG aluminum or copper clad-aluminum.


Replacing older light switch, confused about "5a 250v 10a 125v" rating

Should be fine.
You are replacing a 10A rated switch with a 15A rated switch, assuming your lights are 120V as per normal. More is better there. especially since it's unlikely that the circuit is fused or breakered at 10A.
AIUI, all 110/115/120/125V devices in the US (at least the UL-Rated ones) are actually dual-rated up to 250V, though you might have to look at the device markings rather than the packaging to see that. In any case, the 125 .vs. 120V is just a matter of nominal rating, not "this will blow up if the voltage fluctuates to 121V"
It may lack the 250V marking specifically because it's a "lighted handle switch" and thus can only operate on the one voltage, correctly. Depending on how the "lighted handle feature" is configured, you might get strange behaviors if the lights are LEDs rather than incandescents.


After a lot of time wandering the faster aisle at my local Ace, I ended up finding a rubber grommet that fit snugly around the 6d nails I am using. I then took the grommet and found a fender washer that fit the grommet inside it (ended up being a 1/2" washer).

Then I drilled a hole in the floating bottom plate large enough for the grommet to drop into (about 5/8"), so the washer would sit flush against the top of the 2x4. I set the washer/grommet in there and pre-drilled 2 holes through the washer. Finally I screwed the washer down with 2 pan head screws to hold it in place. Before I drywall over everything I'll spray the washers with some Armor-All just for grins.

I haven't had any problems with noise with this approach, and the wall doesn't seem to move any more than it did when it was spiked the normal way. I also stiffened up the entire wall assembly by toe-screwing every stud into the top and bottom plate with some heavy-duty SPAX screws, so that the nails didn't work their way loose.

In regards to Michael Karas' suggestions, stiffening the floor seemed like overkill. I've never felt movement in the floor from above, and even having a 175-lb. person jumping on the floor upstairs I couldn't see movement in the floating walls.


Wiring a single pole dimmer: How to identify ground wire

I bet the two wires that are taped together are neutrals, not grounds.  (BTW, that tape should be replaced with a wire nut.)  There doesn't appear to be a ground wire in this box.  The metal box itself may or may not be grounded by a metallic conduit or armor.  You couldn't say for sure without a lot more thorough checking, beyond the scope of a StackExchange answer.

You definitely don't want to connect the ground wire to a neutral.  The switch will work but it's not safe at all.

NEC 404.9(B) addresses grounding for switches.

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

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

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

  Exception to (B): Where no means
  exists within the snapswitch enclosure for connecting to the equipment
  grounding conductor or where the wiring method does not include or
  provide an equipment grounding conductor a snap switch without a
  connection to an equipment grounding conductor shall be permitted for
  replacement purposes only. A snap switch wired under the provisions of
  this exception and located within reach of earth, grade, conducting
  floors, or other conducting surfaces shall be provided with a
  faceplate of nonconducting, noncombustible material or shall be
  protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter.

So if the box itself is grounded, you can bond the ground wire on the switch to the box with pigtail and a ground screw or ground clip.

If there's no ground available, and you're replacing an existing switch, you can cap the ground and use a plastic faceplate.  There are some locations in there where you're supposed to install GFCI protection if the circuit doesn't already have it when you replace the switch.

Even if the code doesn't require it with your old wiring, installing GFCI protection on circuits without a ground is worth looking into, it may not be too expensive and it is a big safety improvement.


I'd do a hybrid of your other ideas: Drill through the beam as you would for an eye bolt, but simply feed the cable through and terminate it with a stop of some sort. You could loop back on itself and use a clamp. Back it with a washer to prevent pull-through of any sort.

I did almost exactly this with a circular (ring-shaped) suspended treehouse in a huge white pine at my old place. It held solid for years.


Installing a strong-tie post anchor on unlevel concrete

One or two galvanized or stainless-steel washers between the post base and the concrete should do. The latter are thinner and would allow finer angle adjustment. If you don't like the look of the gap underneath, fill it with a fine bead of gray caulk.

That said, there's probably plenty of slop against the post that you can plumb it and add the side screws to keep it plumb even if the base is slightly out of level.

To really make it solid with either approach, use heavy-duty construction adhesive between the base and the post.


For those who may have the same problem, the dust was fiberglass from inside the electric range. When burners were on, convection was sending tiny bits of it in the air.


To facilitate work on plumbing, I have removed and later replaced the pedestal from several pedestal basins with no problem other than clearing any carpet or other flooring or woodwork around the bottom to make it possible to slide the pedestal out.

Sometimes they are a close fit but so far none have really been needed to support the basin.


Why doesn't my door close properly after an earthquake?

It sounds as though there has been some movement of your house - particularly in this area. I'd recommend getting a surveyor in to assess the movement and see what else might need attention. This might be just the most obvious symptom of some more serious problems.

Assuming that it is just the door that's the problem then you need to "ease" the door by removing some of the wood from where it's sticking. By closing the door gently you should be able to see where it now hits the frame. You need to sand/plane/rasp this section of the door removing material until it fits.

If it's at the bottom you might need to take the door off its hinges to be able to do this.

Once you've got the door fitting properly re-seal the now bare edges to prevent moisture getting in that way.

You could remove some material from the frame, but that's more awkward.


Can I connect a second keyless light fixture and control both from one pull-chain?

Possible, with a change of fixture

I mean, we are dealing with a 2 dollar lightbulb holder here.

The problem is, we will need to feed the downline light with a) neutral, and b) switched-hot: the electrical point between the switch and the bulb.

On this particular fixture, the switch and socket base are integral, and they don't make that point accessible. At all.

So you'd need to find a model of fixture where they do expose it at a tappable screw.

At that point, neutral would stay where it is, and hot for the downline cable would be placed on the screw.


Is it possible to create a 4"x4" channel through concrete using acid?

No, and no. Acid isn't controllable that way.

And hydrofluoric acid is really nasty stuff.


How do I repair improperly backed shower tile?

In those years, wonder board (cement type backer board) was not in general use yet.  Green board was still widely used with a couple of coats of paint over it.  And as you are very well seeing, it did not stand up to moisture for the long haul as was expected.  If the tile sealing was not maintained and or the grout lines, within 5 to 8-years the whole shower was falling apart.

The gap was intentional. It was meant as an air gap.  Water was not supposed to wick across the gap up into the drywall board and thus last longer.

No easy answers here.  Recommend you simply tear it all out and start again.  The new cement type backer board is far superior to what you now have. P.


Is it acceptable to cut studs to install an electrical panel?

It's not likely a problem. However, it would be preferable to at least box the area with a flat header and sill. This will help reduce movement that could crack drywall joints later, and will keep the drywall more stable around the box.


There is NO neutral in a NEMA L6-?? circuit. That is a straight 240V circuit/receptacle.

I have no idea what an "L609" is. There is no such NEMA number, but you CANNOT simply run a loose or separate neutral for this circuit. It MUST be run with the circuit conductors in the same cable or conduit/raceway. It must also be correctly sized based on the required circuit and overcurrent protection.

Also, what is the cabinet you speak of? Is this what you are feeding or where the feed comes from??


What's the procedure for diluting bitumen mastic with a solvent?

Leave the can in the sun on the next sunny day for several hours (if the ambient air temperature is warm). The sealer should be sufficiently softened to add the prescribed amount of solvent and stir with a sturdy mixing stick. (If the directions on either the solvent or the sealers label states otherwise always follow those instructions).


Using a flap sand disc to remove the finish from a closet door

I wouldn't recommend that no.  As mentioned in the other post, the layer that gives the doors their wood grain appearance is likely very thin (unless they are solid wood doors, which I doubt).

So the main drawbacks of this method are:

The disc sander will leave a spiral pattern in whatever you sand with it.  I would never recommend this for wood (metal yes)
Unless you are very very careful, you will likely gouge the wood to the point the top layer is no longer nice at all.

What do you intend to do after you remove the finish?  Stain/Seal, Paint?

Edit: You can attempt to utilize a gel stripper to remove the finish.  Now this would have to be done very carefully.

One or two layers should eat through the finish pretty quickly.  Do NOT let it sit for very long on veneer as it can penetrate and eat through the glue meaning...no more veneer.  (I would like to put this disclaimer up front:  If not done carefully and correctly (and potentially even then) this can cause veneer to peel off.

If you go this route don't leave the stripper on long...30 seconds to a minute tops, then scrape it off and wipe off any remainder.  If you can get through the finish, you can use sanding sponges and get the stain layer off by hand easily enough,


No Mortar for the pavers, you'd lay the pavers on a 1/2" to 1" bed of sand & sweep either that same sand or the below special Perma-Sand into the paver joints. This, allows for the constant movement & drainage. Mortared or not you'll need a perimeter retainer of, at least, 1/2" tall.

If you insist on Mortaring the pavers, & having cracks, then use a Type-S Mortar, this would also be used for the Fire Pit's red or decorative brick. The Fire Pit needs a Fire Brick interior Mortared with High Heat Cement.


What chemicals and what amount is used to start up a 3300 gallon 14'x42" summer wave pool

There is no general answer for this type of question.  The specifics and quantity of chemicals greatly depend upon:

your local water conditions:  water source, minerals, age of pipe
pool liner type
filter type
pump type
plumbing type
climate:  rainfall, humidity, salty air, etc.
usage patterns
and other possible variations like overhanging vegetation, runoff,
local critters, etc., etc.

The best advice is found at your local friendly neighborhood pool chemical supply store.  Take care to select a good one.  Maybe you have coworkers or friends with a pool:  seek out their advice about the best pool shop in town.

Take a sample of your pool water in a clean container; also take your pool's details above.  At least some stores do the analysis for free and provide you with a custom list of chemicals, quantities, and frequency of application for proper treatment.

Of course the business wants to sell you as much product as possible.  If you are not experienced managing a pool's chemical balance, follow their advice closely until you get a feel for how your pool behaves—which could take two or three months of daily sampling and maintenance.


How does a soft-start autotransformer compare to a regular autotransformer?

Normally "soft-start" style circuits are used for motors connected to equipment to limit the startup torque and reduce damage to equipment.

Other equipment can use this concept if large inrush currents would be damaging to the circuits or equipment.

Resistive heating elements like those used in cooking equipment would not need a soft start. Appliances should already have a proper filter circuit for their electronic controls to limit the effect of small voltage fluctuations or spikes.

I can't really see the advantage to a soft-start for a transformer for appliances. If a product can handle being plugged in to 120 volts here in the US then they should certainly be able to handle it in Europe.

Good luck!


You are way overthinking this.  First, ever hear of companies doing chrome plating? Yes. Zinc plating (galvanizing)? Yes. Aluminum plating?  No. And there's a reason for that!  Aluminum corrodes horribly in the weather, it would be somewhat less desirable than manure plating.

Just buy cold galvanizing compound. It is paint that's over 90% zinc,  designed to repair/restore things which were galvanized.  The remaining 10% is the resin that holds the paint together, and the solvents which evaporate.

It weathers to the appearance of a galvanized tin roof.

The solids are heavy and really want to separate.  It takes a long time to stir it up. It wants to separate in the paint cup while you are painting, so you must constantly stir it up from the bottom.  Also, it's liable to break a paint shaker unless the shaker is designed for much larger cans.

Seriously, the can is so heavy you want to heat it up to see if it says "One ring to rule them all".

If you must make your own paint, don't use epoxy as a base. Sunlight destroys epoxy.  But there are several other things like epoxy which don't have that problem, and they are widely used by shops that make skateboards and surfboards.  An example is polyurethane, which comes in 2 parts, you mix it like epoxy, mix in your powdered metal base, and off you go.

Also before you say "not available in NZ", do make sure you've done some genuine detective work. Industrial procurement is never easy.  I need a custom crankshaft for an obsolete industrial diesel, they don't sell those at Walmart and it isn't on the Internet.  You have to dig, dig, dig through the industrial supply network.


I'll assume a few things and you can correct me if I'm mistaken. I'm guessing you're using phillips screws (not pozi-drive, nothing fancy like torx). I'm also assuming you've got a good quality driver bit, that hasn't been used too long.

So, a few suggestions:

make sure you're screwing directly in line with the screw. Any angle variance is bad.
get behind the impact driver and push. You need to maintain a good amount of pressure.
buy high-quality screws... I've had particularly bad results from big box gold screws. The exterior grade ones (gray paint) seem much better. Most of the name-brand ones (as opposed to the 'house brands') are better.
also consider alternate driver heads -- torx, robertson, pozi-drive, unidrive. (The alternate heads frequently go hand-in-hand with better products, as well.)
if your bit is worn out from a few too many off-angle screeching spins, throw it out.


Repair of a split on a plastic water tank

Here are a couple of solutions, one simple but temporary, and one that will take a little work and an inexpensive tool, but permanent.

Simple but temporary

There a line of products that's been advertised on TV for sealing leaks.  One of their products, called FLEX TAPE looked too good to be true.  They slap a piece of tape on a hole in a tank that's gushing water, and it immediately seals it water tight.

However, I've seen a number of tests, including a news crew that brought in a product debunker, and a guy with a pool filter with huge cracks in the pressurized plumbing.  The videos show that the stuff actually works.

It's intended, though, as a temporary fix.  BTW, the guy in one video recommends getting it on Amazon to save the outrageous shipping and handling charges if you order directly from the company.  Home Depot (and likely other similar stores) carry it and stock it in the stores (also without the S&H add-on charges), so you can get it fast if you have an emergency.

Permanent fix

The standard way to permanently repair a crack in a plastic tank is to weld it.  You will need the tank empty for that.  The heat is applied with either a special type of hot air gun ( a little expensive for a one-time need), or an inexpensive tool resembling a soldering iron with a special tip (that operates at the right temperature).  You can get a kit containing the iron, welding sticks, stainless steel mesh and various accessories used in the process.  Harbor Freight has one for $16, which I've used a lot (and it's kept on working).

The process involves:

closing the hole
adding additional material from a plastic rod
and reinforcing it by embedding a piece of stainless steel mesh in the repair.

This kind of repair is as strong and permanent as the original material.

A note on plastic welding: the process melts the plastic together.  The additional material you add needs to be either the same type of plastic or a special welding plastic designed to bond with common "structural" plastics (it's usually a black color).  The rods that come with the Harbor Freight kit are the latter, but you can also get rods of common plastics if it is important for the repair to blend in.

If you can't reliably determine the tank material, use the special rods.  If you know what kind of plastic the tank is made from (it may have been specified when you bought the tank, or it may be identified by a recycling symbol molded into it), you can probably find the same material in the same color lying around.

For example, many of these tanks are high density polyethylene (HDPE, recycling number 2).  That's likely if it is translucent white and does not have a glossy surface.  In that case, you could cut up a plastic milk jug (or other bottle of a similar color with the same recycling code) to use as the fill material.

There are numerous online tutorial videos showing how to repair various plastic items this way.  Here's one showing a guy using this technique to repair a crack in a water tank.  It doesn't take much practice to be able to make a good repair.


Argh, typical right after I post a question I find the answer myself.

They're called "in-line modules" or "in-line switches". And there's plenty of companies that do it.


Replacing Ceiling Fan with Light Fixture - No Wall Switch

You've got many choices. There are pull chain fixtures, Smart fixtures, Smart bulbs for a regular fixture or standard fixtures with a remote control similar to the one pictured below from Amazon


I think it's worth just replacing - it'd be too much risk to try and reuse it now.

It appears to have been a loose or bent screw or connection on the left terminal. Replace the block, check the wires to ensure that they aren't fried (they appear to be fine from here), and reconnect.


Any special precautions when turning off water to a property?

In addition to what FreeMan stated, if you have an electric water heater you want to turn off the breaker that feeds it. Depending on your plumbing, turning on some hot water faucets to finish some dishes or finish washing up could drain the water heater. If the thermostat for it kicks in and the water level is low, you'll burn up the element in seconds. When you turn your water back on, release any air in the water heater by opening a few faucets. Once your tank in full, turn your power to it back on.
If your tank is gas, it's not so important because your tank don't be damaged like your elements would be but it's still a good idea to shut it off.


how many outlets and fixtures can I connect to 20 amp cicuit?

The NEC requires 1 - 20A circuit for bathroom receptacles, and you can feed thru to the other non GFCI outlet, and you can connect up the lights and the exhaust fan in the bathroom if and only if the 20A circuit is specifically used in that bathroom. If the 20A circuit is used for multiple bathrooms then no you will have to find another circuit to connect your lights and exhaust fan.

I am assuming of course that you are talking about a bathroom.


Bathroom toilet has air bubbles when I shower

Sounds to me like a roof vent is plugged or restricted. Run water from a hose into each roof vent and see if you can clear them. Have someone inside while running water into the vents to insure that if this would cause a water leak inside that you stop before doing damage.

Or run a snake down each roof vent. But don't drive the snake into the drain joint where the vent connects to the horizontal runs. You could damage the drain and turn a minor problem into a major one.


Should I test the water in my house for contamination?

Water testing (from what I've seen) is cheap and easy enough that it's worthwhile to do if you are worried at all.  If you're in the US, check with your local Department of Natural Resources to find out where to get a sample kit.  Where I live, it's $10 for a container and testing from my State Health Lab.

Typically, you'll need to sterilize a faucet before you take a sample (either using a torch or flushing it with bleach) and you'll need to drop it off for testing fairly quickly (24-48 hours).  This is third-hand from my home inspector (and I'm sure different labs have their own requirements for prepping and collecting the sample) so definitely read the directions you get with your kit.  I recently purchased an older home with a well and I'll be doing a test myself this week so I'll be able to follow up with actual experience soon :)


My blower motor doesn't have the brown wires for a capacitor

It is probably a shaded pole motor or perhaps a variable speed motor. If It doesn’t have wires for a capacitor it doesn’t need a capacitor. Capacitors are only for split phase motors. Granted split phase motors are most common for blowers but by no means the only motors for blowers.


Assuming you are in North America, this probably indicates as problem in the main circuit breaker. Basically, you have two legs of 120V each with opposite phase so that when used together, you get 240V. Half of your 120V circuits are on one leg, the rest are on the other and 240V circuits (stove, furnace, etc.) are on both.

Probably one half of the main breaker isn't conducting. Try turning the main breaker off and on a few times to see if you can make it work.

Even if you get it working, you need to call an electrician to replace it.


What are the guidelines for drilling holes through rim or band joists?

I have never seen an issue with cutting through a band joist. HVAC guys will gut a whole section with reckless abandon, so it seems. If you are not cutting into the joists, you will be fine. I never had an inspector cite a band joist not being cut properly.

It might be wise to make the hole so there are at least 2 joists at least on one side of the cut. The band joists are to stabilize the end of the joists.

I would make the hole larger than 8" for an 8" duct. 8 1/4" minimum. All this assumes the band joist is fully supported by a foundation wall and is not spanning over an area as in going from pier to pier...


No. That will likely not pass inspection.  Most codes require a trap seal of 2-4", which you will not get with a 45.

Trap seal is measured from the top of the trap bend, to the trap weir.


How to hang very heavy (marble, granite, quartz, etc.) shelves on drywall and studs?

Anchoring them to studs is just fine, your main problem is going to be getting brackets that will support that amount of weight. The amount of weight each bracket will support will be printed on the package. I would consult your granite or stone supplier for weights of their products.

You MUST make sure that you're anchored into studs, though, and preferably with three inch wood screws that are NOT drywall screws.