Is it necessary to connect a boiler and gas meter to the main fuse box?

I know you're in the UK, but I'll answer for the US in case someone there has the same question.

Boilers and furnaces must be powered by a separate, grounded circuit.

Any metal piping system that is likely to become energized must be bonded, including gas pipes, but the equipment grounding conductor run with the circuit conductors feeding a gas appliance "shall be permitted to serve as the bonding means":

  NEC 250.104
  (B) Other Metal Piping.

  Where installed in or attached to a building or structure, a metal piping system(s), including gas piping, that is likely to become energized shall be bonded to the service equipment enclosure, the grounded conductor at the service, the grounding electrode conductor where of sufficient size, or the one or more grounding electrodes used. The bonding jumper(s) shall be sized in accordance with 250.122, using the rating of the circuit that is likely to energize the piping system(s). The equipment grounding conductor for the circuit that is likely to energize the piping shall be permitted to serve as the bonding means. The points of attachment of the bonding jumper(s) shall be accessible.


I find using the correct “c” spanner, in fact I would use two together to undo that as it means no hammering to possibly damage bearings etc.

This method of using two nuts is used to set a limit or stop position - if only one nut was used it could easily move. A "nyloc" nut may also move but the two nuts locked together do not move. Some nuts can have a set-screw inserted to prevent movement but that is less secure than the two nuts...

Called a c spanner because it looks like a c but has a tooth at the end to engage in the slot on the nut.


Top Fixing Toilet Seat Bolt won’t unscrew

Cut the head or the nut off with a small saw or drill.
I have even used a small hacksaw blade held in a bit of rag and gently cut through like that.


How do I add an outdoor GFCI outlet to an existing indoor 2 wire outlet with no ground?

If you were replacing an existing two-wire receptacle you could do that with a GFCI without an equipment ground.
However since you are adding a new receptacle, I believe that is covered by this article of the National Electrical Code:

250.130(C) Nongrounding Receptacle Replacement or Branch Circuit Extensions. The equipment grounding conductor of a grounding-type receptacle or a branch-circuit extension shall be permitted to be connected to any of the following:
(1) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode system as described in 250.50
(2) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode conductor
(3) The equipment grounding terminal bar within the enclosure where the branch circuit for the receptacle or branch circuit originates
(4) For grounded systems, the grounded service conductor within the service equipment enclosure
(5) For ungrounded systems, the grounding terminal bar within the service equipment enclosure

So, basically you have to run an Equipment Ground back the main panel unless you can attach to the grounding electrode or grounding electrode conductor along the way.
Good luck and stay safe!


How can I fix a Moen faucet that is still leaking after replacing cartridge?

I contacted Moen directly with this same question and they let me know that they recommended a model 1225 replacement cartridge instead (that's what I get for trusting the guy at the hardware store to look up the matching part for me). Technically either one will work but apparently the plastic 1225 offers a tighter fit than the brass (and more expensive) 1220.

Moen also recommended cleaning out the inside of the valve with an old toothbrush or bottle brush and then flushing thoroughly before installing the new cartridge.

I will update this once I know if the new cartridge resolves my leak.

Update:
After the installation of the model 1225 cartridge, the faucet works without any leaks from the stem. With the addition of a new knob the whole fixture is working better than new.

The moral of the story here is, when in doubt, try to contact the vendor (and post your results!)


Making low voltage prettier/weatherproof?

I'd slap up a 6" box, maybe PVC with threaded entries, and then use weathertight screw-in cable clamps to bring each data cable into the box.
And I'd either glue and caulk the back of the box to the wall... or have conduit go through the wall from that box, and fill the rest of the hole.  My concern is animals or insects using the hole as a superhighway.


How should I orient the laminate flooring in this room?

Not an expert but I have installed laminate in 3 rooms in my house.  I would go with the light (assuming you mean windows being the light source) rule for the following reasons:

Assuming your drawing is to scale, if you eliminate the alcove in front of the closet, the room is almost square making the longest wall rule almost irrelevant.
The reflection off the floor from outside light when you walk into a room will be broken by seams in the laminate (I've found that even the flattest laminate still has seams) which will make your room seem darker and probably look smaller as well.

Also, no matter what the choice, I would probably recommend putting the laminate in the closets the same direction as the main room.  I believe those rooms are small enough that the longest wall rule doesn't really apply and I believe it will look funny having the boards a different direction when finished.


Condensor went, HVAC guy is blaming electrician, is this possible?

Per the National Electric Code (assuming you are in the US), #8 is for up to 40A, the Minimum Circuit Ampacity (MCA) was 32A, so there was no issue with the wire size he initially selected. The MCA rating is based on the 125% factors already, so you do NOT need to do them again if you already have that number available to you on the nameplate.

Bottom line, the HVAC guy is just trying to dodge responsibility for a defective product.

Also, a "buzzing" sound would not be coming from the breaker unless it was loose. That sound was likely the result of a failed starting capacitor.


How can I connect additional wires to a receptacle?

Do not think of using back stab holes even if they were there. Back stab hole connections can have their problems. I've seen more cases of intermittent connections when back stab holes were used for connections than I care to relate.

What you want to do is to bring your two additional branch wires into the electrical box. Join their safety GND wires in with the others already in the box. Then take the hot "load" side wire off the GFI receptacle and straighten out the wire nicely, Then join the two hots from your added wires to the now freed load hot wire plus a short hot pigtail wire. Join these four wires together with a good quality and appropriately sized wire nut. Push the joint toward the back of the electrical box leaving the other end of the hot pigtail sticking out the front of the electrical box.

Now repeat this for the "load" side neutral wire. Take it off the GFI and the wire nut the two added neutrals plus the new freed neutral plus an added neutral pigtail. Once again push the joint toward the back of the electrical box leaving the other end of the neutral pigtail sticking out the front of the electrical box.

Finally you cut the two pigtails to an appropriate working length, strip and connect them to the respective hot and neutral "load" side screws of the GFI outlet.


Here is the section RME cited:

240.24 Location in or on Premises.
(A) Accessibility. Overcurrent devices shall be readily accessible and shall be installed so that the center of the grip of the operating handle of the switch or circuit breaker, when in its highest position, is not more than 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in.) above the floor or working platform, unless one of the following applies:
(1) For busways, as provided in 368.17(C).
(2) For supplementary overcurrent protection, as described in 240.10.
(3) For overcurrent devices, as described in 225.40 and 230.92.
(4) For overcurrent devices adjacent to utilization equipment that they supply, access shall be permitted to be by portable means.
(B) Occupancy. Each occupant shall have ready access to all overcurrent devices protecting the conductors supplying that occupancy, unless otherwise permitted in 240.24(B)(1) and (B)(2).
(1) Service and Feeder Overcurrent Devices. Where electric service and electrical maintenance are provided by the building management and where these are under continuous building management supervision, the service overcurrent devices and feeder overcurrent devices supplying more than one occupancy shall be permitted to be accessible only to authorized management personnel in the following:
(1) Multiple-occupancy buildings
(2) Guest rooms or guest suites
(2) Branch-Circuit Overcurrent Devices. Where electric service and electrical maintenance are provided by the building management and where these are under continuous building management supervision, the branch-circuit overcurrent devices supplying any guest rooms or guest suites without permanent provisions for cooking shall be permitted to be accessible only to authorized management personnel.
(C) Not Exposed to Physical Damage. Overcurrent devices shall be located where they will not be exposed to physical damage.
Informational Note: See 110.11, Deteriorating Agents.
(D) Not in Vicinity of Easily Ignitible Material. Overcurrent devices shall not be located in the vicinity of easily ignitible material, such as in clothes closets.
(E) Not Located in Bathrooms. In dwelling units, dormitories, and guest rooms or guest suites, overcurrent devices, other than supplementary overcurrent protection, shall not be located in bathrooms.
(F) Not Located over Steps. Overcurrent devices shall not be located over steps of a stairway.

Specifically, 240.24(D) prevents location in clothes closets as RME stated.
However, if your space is dedicated to other utilities, e.g. Water heater, furnace, etc. and you have the required clearance in accordance with 110.26 then you can call it a utility closet and it's within Code. Many slab homes have just such a "closet".
It would seem to me canned goods would not be considered easily ignitable but paper products would be.
So, depending on what you are storing in this pantry is your answer.
Good luck!


How can I take the arms off my desk chair?

They're probably installed with some sort of thread lock.

Try a few good whacks with a hammer to the screw heads. Then use a high torque screw driver (One that you can turn with a wrench), or a vice grip on the outside of the head, or an impact driver.

Make sure to use the correct bit for those screws.  It should be the largest one that fits and doesn't wobble.

Sit the chair upside down, and place YOUR ENTIRE BODY WEIGHT onto the back of the impact driver to avoid stripping another screw head.  Hopefully the one that stripped one will loosen enough with the other three off.  It not, use one of these stripped screw remover bits.

If you have to use those bits, again, place extraordinary backpressure on the back of the impact driver when you do.

If all else fails (say they literally welded the threads in place) you can use an angle to grind away all four screws from both sides.  But be careful not to let enough heat build up to melt or burn the fabric.


Why are my outlet and switch plates bowing away from the wall?

It appears the wall cannot dry out either to the inside or the outside. I question the use of closed cell foam in the wall and do not think you should add still more without careful consideration.
You built a superinsulated house that was strongly built to resist hurricane force winds in a warm humid climate. You got a wall which traps moisture inside. The blocking every 4 ft is going to make it difficult to dry the inside without removing all the drywall and the sheathing inside. Then you will have to figure out how to insulate the wall in such a way that it can stay dry.


Uh-oh. Your voltage (hot to neutral) should not be 130V anywhere except a few countries where 127V is common.

Start by measuring across the two hot "legs" in your panel.  This value should be 220-240V, tending toward the latter, e.g. 238V.

Now measure each leg to neutral, these should be very close to half that, and very close to each other, e.g. 118-120V.

If they are not, but the two values add up to the first number, you have a very dangerous condition called a "lost neutral": the two "hots" are good, so 240V machines are happy.   But the "neutral" is floating, and voltage on each leg is going to vary all over the map as the loads change, e.g. 171V and 67V, which will cause your appliances to catch fire.  If you have this, shut off the main breaker now and unplug everything 120V or 120/240 until you fix it for good.

In light of your dryer error, a more likely possibility is that you have lost a leg of "hot".  In this case, all the 120V circuits on that leg will be out, while the ones on the other leg work fine.  240V-only appliances will not work.  120/240 appliance controls may work, but the heaters won't.  This is not an emergency in the same way as a lost neutral.

You may be having this problem with your entire house, it may have only appeared first at the pool.  I gather your dryer is not at poolside.

The answer for any kind of "lost" wire is to give the panel a thorough take-apart and inspection.  Look for loose screws (prticularly on heavy-wire lugs), corroded or arced contacts on breakers, burnt busbar, etc.

If you have a smart meter, good chance the power company can turn it off remotely using their SCADA system with a phone call.

White to green: In a properly wired house to code, with the main breaker off, resistance between neutral and ground should be as close to zero as your meter can detect.  Voltage should be zero obviously.  However, if any circuit is on, all bets are off. Voltage may be somewhat more than zero (but not more than 6 volts), which will make it impossible to measure resistance.


How to: Electrical Wiring Distance & Voltage Drop

The drawing is cut off and we can't see most of the exterior receptacles, but it looks like they're mostly on the far side of the building from the panel (lower left and I really hope the panel isn't outside, that's asking for trouble).

Your building is EDIT: 54x58, that's 76' on diagonal, plus 10' twice to get to the attic; 96'.  That would be about 5.6% voltage drop at full 20A, or half that at 10A.  If you strictly follow the 3% voltage drop on max current rule, you can only get 51' out of 12AWG... but that's not the rule.  The actual rule is try to stay around 3% for the actual ampacity you expect to use, so for a 12A electric lawnmower you're a tick over 3% for a 96' run.   No big.

Seriously, one guy strictly following the 3% fake-rule was about to install 600kcmil for his 1600' run to a couple of 10-watt post lights.  I showed him how to do it with 14AWG.

Nothing says you must wire in a string all the way around the circumference of the building.  You can wire a separate homerun for each receptacle.  Or more likely, you can wire in a star configuration, or even more than one star.

For instance as you suggest, I would establish two "stars", one at the panel and one, about I don't know, the kitchen.  I'd take each receptacle to whichever "star" is nearest. In some cases that might end up being a home run to the panel.

If you have 2 or more homeruns, you can either make them separate circuits or the same circuit, up to you.

I know some places like the Philippines use 2 breakers per circuit, and panels get pretty crowded pretty fast.  You can get panels with as many as 84 spaces - panel spaces are cheap, buy LOTS of extra.  You can also do sub-panels - that might be a good idea given the size of the house.  If you had a sub-panel in, say, the laundry room, a lot of these concerns would go away.  You'd have to do a load calculation to see how large the subpanel should be, too large is not bad.  It can't exceed the size of the main breaker obviously.


Water flooding out of "Sink Erator/Dishwasher Air Gap

There is a clog somewhere. Sounds like your dishwasher drain line goes into your disposal which sometimes causes issues. It sounds like the water is coming out of the air gap on top of your sink. If the water is also coming up through the disposal the blockage is in your drain somewhere after the disposal in the P trap or waste line. If the water is only coming out of the aerator up on the back of the sink you probably have a block in the DW drain line between the aerator and the disposal. This could be a kink in the line or a debris blockage. If so, this is not a hard fix. Check for kinks first. Something may have been shoved up against the line under the sink and kinked it. If you don't see a kink you need to disconnect the line from the side of the disposal and clean any debris you might find out of the line.The debris could be anywhere between the aerator and the disposal. If it's up near the aerator it may be a difficult to reach but I'm pretty sure that will solve your problem.


Can I have two main panels from a single service drop?

Your profile does not show where you are from. If you are in the US, then the answer is yes. The main electrical drop has to be sized for both panels and each panel should have its own utility meter. All NEC codes must be conformed to. You need to consult your local government to see about local codes as well.


Two things here:

If a basement is poured right it will all slope to the floor drain.  This sometimes is noticeable because not all guys pouring a basement floor are artists, so their flow to the drain might not be as even as you would want (being nice).   Maybe sometimes the exterior walls will slope in if there is an extensive weeping system - that flows to sump pit(s).

Very normal for a basement to have 1 major heave line.   This is basically the concrete buckling on itself.   This has nothing to do with your foundation is in essence cosmetic.   To fix these there are a number of products but basically you chisel out the line (in reality hammer but giving you a visual) and then install some sort of flexible substance (you can just use caulk on smaller heaves) and then reseal it with concrete.   It is basically the same way you fix drywall that has seasonal heaves with just slightly different materials.

If you are alarmed pull up the carpet, take some pictures and post them on here.   You really can't tell with carpet there.   My gut reaction is that you are probably just fine.   Sometimes these heaves are caused by once in a lifetime events (a summer of 100 degree days 40 days in a row without rain - happened to two of my properties that summer) or that's just what the basement was going to do no matter what (not enough stress reliefs during pour).   Either way this is usually not a big deal or a big risk to home owner unless you are feeling the unevenness next to walls which could effect footings.
Note based on added picture:  Your basement has heaved right at the joint control - which is by design.   It looks like the joint cut was slightly small for the amount of movement.   This is neither a problem or even a tad alarming.   If you don't like it, grind down the ridge flat.   You could even chisel a "V" in that ridge and fill with something more pliable than concrete.   On the scale of being an issue this is a .5 out of 10.
Also the crack is because the heave point pushed out.  Again not a big deal.  Given the house was built 35 years ago, it is probably settled in.   So it is basically as bad as it is going to get.   Remember basement floors almost have nothing to do with the foundation of your house (except in rare cases which I don't think yours is).


You have to assemble it first, before wires, but putting the string in as you put it together is fine.

300.18 Raceway Installations

(A) Complete Runs. Raceways, other than busways or exposed raceways having hinged or removable covers, shall be installed complete between outlet, junction, or splicing points prior to the installation of conductors.


They're all more or less standard these days. The overflow comes in between the upper and lower rings on the drain. I've never seen one that didn't work.


Nest thermostat heating way beyond set temperature

Did you put fresh batteries in the Nest?  No.  Because the Nest doesn't take batteries :)
So that raises a question. How does Nest power itself? It has a lithium battery (like a phone) but that has to be replenished somehow.
The answer is, Nest depends on the fact that thermostat wiring is in series with the furnace relay.  Power flows
            -----R wire--------------------------- THERMOSTAT
         /                                           /
        /                                           /
       /                                           /
TRANSFORMER                    -------W wire-------
       \                      /
        ------C wire----- FURNACE RELAY

Now, on most furnaces, the furnace relay is a physical relay.  They require a certain amount of current flow to "pick up" or actuate.  If current is too little, they will not pick up.
So if the thermostat leaked a small amount of current through the relay, it should not actuate.  So the Nest takes advantage of that.  It leaks that small amount of current - which typically will not actuate the relay on most furnaces - and uses that current flow to power itself.  This is the same way old style dimmers work.
There are two ways this can blow up.  #1 the relay may not be able to flow enough current to power the Nest.   #2 that small current may be enough to actuate the relay and turn the furnace on.   #2 is your problem.
Two ways to solve this.
Put a dummy load across the relay so current has a second path
            -----R wire--------------------------- THERMOSTAT
         /                                             /
        /       ---DUMMY LOAD--                       /
       /       /               \                     /
TRANSFORMER   /                 >-----W wire---------
       \     /                 /
        ----+-C wire----- FURNACE RELAY

Now current splits and follows 2 paths: through the dummy and also through the furnace relay.  Smart sizing of the dummy load will divert enough current to stop the relay from actuating.  On most furnaces.
Several companies make appropriate "dummy loads" for use with the Nest.
Add a "C" wire to the Nest
If none of these options work, Nest has the provision to take power directly off the transformer, by tapping the transformer via an extra wire: the "C" wire.
            -----R wire--------------------------- THERMOSTAT
         /                                          /     /
        /       -------------C wire-----------------     /
       /       /                                        /
TRANSFORMER   /                -------W wire------------
       \     /                /
        ----+-C wire----- FURNACE RELAY

We haven't seen the sheath of your thermostat cable; typically furnace installers use larger cable than you immediately need and simply wrap the unneeded wires around the thermostat cable sheath.  So you may have 1-3 more wires in that cable that are unused. If so, this is fairly easy.
A "wire multiplexer"
They make fairly complex powered gadgets which allow you to cram 5 wires worth of signal (R, W, G, Y, C) over 4 wires (or even 3).  However they are a mighty octopus to wire, and prone to creating very difficult-to-troubleshoot problems, so I disrecommend them until the "dummy load" option has been exhausted.


You want the diameter of the countersink bit to be at least slightly larger than the screw head. Larger is OK, for wood, larger bits don't cost much more. You then drill until the V-shape is slightly larger than the screw head. If I am drilling a lot of them on a drill press, I set the depth stop. If drilling by hand, I drill a little, then I test the depth by putting the screw head into the hole upside-down. If it is important for it to be exactly flush, work slowly.

Ideally the chamfer angle of the bit should be equal to the screw head angle. But for your application it isn't critical. My local home store only has 82 degree chamfer bits, this is close to the angle of most common flat-head screws.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-5-8-in-High-Speed-Steel-Countersink-A10CS82/205469295


Main water line from 3/4 to 1in, meter and pressure

The size of the water line does not determine the water pressure. Increasing the water line will affect the volume of water flow and the pressure drop in that line. If you increased the incoming line to 2" the pressure would remain the same only the amount of flow available would change. I would check with the water supplier about changing the water meter size. Where I live, the water meter has to comply with the water authority and there is a monthly up-charge for a larger meter.
Since I have never used PEX I can not can't comment on it's use.


Did I mount this light too close to a post?

With CFL or LED, this shouldn't be an issue
The only plausible Code issue with this situation is NEC 410.11 with regards to luminaires near combustible materials.  Practically speaking, though, you'll never exceed the 90°C limit the Code imposes with a normally functioning CFL or LED bulb, and even with an incandescent, the chances are rather low unless you leave the lamp burning 24/7/365.


Is it safe to use dishes that have had turpentine on them?

Perfectly safe. The surfactants in the soap, combined with hot water and a thorough scrubbing, would remove the turpentine effectively. Even if the dishes were of a material that was not as non-porous as, say, glazed pottery, there would still be so little residue as to make any health danger minimal (if not nil).


"Siding Corner Caps"
Or often just tin caps. They should be available. Or you could have some fabricated, or perhaps adapt some intended for other siding materials.

Install by running a thin bead of caulk along the end of each clapboard, slide the top under the upper course and press into the caulk. Nail underneath at each corner with a small corrosion resistant ring shank nail.

Alternately, for a different look, take them all off, trim the clapboards back a bit and install a vertical wooden lapped corner.


Testing electrical outlet wiring, arising from wikipedia

I'm taking a stab to open the analysis. Based on the wording of the Wikipedia entry the puzzle is to devise a test using a test load and a multi-meter with the cover plate in place. To detect whether the ground is carrying current one would connect a load to one receptacle of a duplex pair and then on the other receptacle measure the voltage difference between the neutral and the ground or the hot and the neutral or ground. If this is a single receptacle one would use a multiplug cord or adaptor. Somehow the results would reveal reversed neutral and ground or bootleg ground.

Another possibility is with the load connected use an extension cord to a known good receptacle. Measure the voltage difference between a good ground and the ground and the neutral on the receptacle under test.

EDIT

The detection of a bootleg ground in a given receptacle seems straightforward. Connect a significant test load (10 to 12 A) and measure the potential difference (voltage) between the neutral and the ground. If they are tied together in the  box, the voltage will be close to 0. If the ground and neutral are tied only at the panel, the voltage will be > 1 V to ~ 3 V. I have a simple Fluke tester which will not read less than ~4 V so using that meter I would measure the voltage between the hot and the ground and the hot and the neutral. If these are equal, then there is a bootleg ground.


What is the Source of the Approximate "R Value" Chart?

Journal of Civil Engineering Research
p-ISSN: 2163-2316    e-ISSN: 2163-2340
2014;  4(2A): 42-50
doi:10.5923/c.jce.201401.09

PDF

  To determine the "R value" of a wall, insulated window or ceiling
  requires three simple temperature measurements:

  The "air" or ambient room temperature.
  The inside surface temperature of an exterior wall.
  The outside surface temperature of the same exterior wall.

  The difference of the interior and exterior wall temperatures is
  calculated and this is labeled as "Temperature Difference, Interior to
  Exterior Wall". Now the difference between the "air" or ambient and
  the interior wall temperature is taken and this is labeled as
  "Temperature Difference, Air to Interior Wall". The interior to
  exterior difference is taken and the corresponding point is selected
  on the bottom of the graph given below. The air to interior difference
  is selected on the vertical axis of graph. Curve is chosen from these
  two points.


Swapping wires in electrical panel to move outlets to different phase of service. Is this safe?

This panel has more problems than you can shake a stick at
Not only do you have the mis-wired MWBC pair in #13/#14/#15/#16 trying to slow-cook a couple of neutral wires, you have a bigger (in terms of time and cost to fix) problem with this panel, namely that 75% of your breakers don't belong there as they're the wrong type for the panel you have. Furthermore, it appears that most of your MWBCs do not have a means for a common maintenance shutoff, which also is a Code violation.
As a result, this isn't just a matter of swapping a couple of wires around and washing your hands -- you'll need to replace 75% of the breakers here just to bring it as close to Code as practical for this panel, given that putting a bigger panel in would make this a far larger job.
Problem #1 -- the double-stuffed panel
Whoever put this panel in was penny-wise and utterly pound-foolish, as they put in a panel that was basically half (or less) the size it should have been.  This forced them to use double-stuff breakers, which provide two breaker mechanisms and handles in a one-space package, connected to the same leg or phase of the incoming service as they share the same contact clip that attaches them to the busbar.
These double-stuff breakers are different from two pole breakers, which have two contact clips on their back and take up two full width spaces, allowing them to attach to both busbars and provide access to both legs of the feeder, and power things that require 240V as a result.  Of course, one can have a breaker that's both a two-pole breaker and a double-stuff breaker.  Those are called quadplex breakers, and one can be seen feeding circuits 9-12 in your panel -- each pole-space contains two breaker mechanisms, with the inner pair and outer pair tied together.
Problem #2 -- multi-wire branch circuit mishaps
It seems that whoever wired this condo wanted to save a few pennies on copper, so they made heavy use of multi-wire branch circuits (MWBCs) to wire it.  In short, because North American light-duty electrical service is delivered as 240V but with the neutral point set halfway between the 240V legs, if you connect two 120V loads in series and connect the neutral wire to the midpoint of those two loads, the only current that returns down the neutral is current that flowed through one load but not the other load, allowing one neutral to be shared between the two hot wires.
However, this requires the hots to be on different legs, and also requires both hots to be shut off simultaneously when you go to turn things off for maintenance work so that you don't get bit by hot B when you're working on something attached to hot A.  Right now, your miswired situation at #13/#14/#15/#16 has neither of those properties, which risks you getting shocked (if you only turned off one of #13 or #14 to work on the garage outlets, for instance), and also is busy trying to light your house on fire, as now you have two hots on the same leg trying to share a single neutral, potentially pumping 40A down a 12AWG wire only rated to handle 20A. (The situation with #4 and #6 only has the former problem, while #9 and #12 are somehow correctly wired to their breaker, but that has other issues which will be detailed below.)
Problem #3 -- the alien invasion
Your panel is a Murray/Siemens loadcenter.  This means that UL, as part of the process to get it listed, tested it with Murray breakers in the panel.  However, only two of the breakers (#3/#4 and #15/#16) in your panel were made by Murray/Siemens to begin with.  The remaining breakers are of the wrong type to be used in a Murray panel (there's a Square D HOMT at #5/#6, and the rest are Eaton/C-H/Westinghouse/Bryant BR breakers) and thus have not been tested for proper compatibility with a Murray panel.
This is what drives the need for breaker replacements here -- the last installer (or installers, even) whacked in whatever they had on the back of their truck instead of getting the correct breaker for your panel.  Note that you are best off shopping at an electrical supply house that stocks Murray/Siemens, or ordering the exact part numbers you need online from a reputable distributor -- the big box stores generally don't have a great selection on these things, which may be part of the reason your panel was invaded by aliens.
Eating this elephant, one bite at a time
Fixing this panel will be a multi-step process, requiring:

Temporary number tags (1-16) to put on the existing wires so that you can tell which wire goes where when rewiring this thing -- if worse comes to worse, you can use flags of masking tape for this and scribble the numbers on with Sharpie
And replacement breakers, namely (these are exact Murray/Siemens part numbers, and are the only parts acceptable here):

a MP21515 (Q21515CT) for #3/#4/#5/#6
a MP220230CT2 (Q220230CT2) for #9/#10/#11/#12
and a MP220220CT2 (Q220220CT2) for #13/#14/#15/#16

The first step, of course, is to turn the main breaker for your condo off.  Once you've verified that nothing's live in your panel, then you can tag the hot wires #1 through #16 based on which circuit in the panel they are hooked up to at this point in time -- we'll be using these numbers later when we hook stuff up to the new breakers.  Once everything's tagged, you can then unhook all the wires from the old breakers, and pull out all the old breakers -- put the ones for circuits #3/#4 and #15/#16 with the new breakers as we'll be transferring those to different circuits as part of this, and dispose of the rest appropriately.
Now that you have all the needed breakers at hand, you can install them into the panel.  The MP2020 goes in the space for circuits #1 & #2, the MP21515 goes into the spaces for circuits #3, #4, #5, & #6, the MP1515 goes in the space for circuits #7 & #8, the MP220230CT2 goes in the spaces for circuits #9, #10, #11, & #12, and the MP220220CT2 goes in the spaces for circuits #13, #14, #15, and #16.
Once that's done, then it's a matter of wiring the new breakers up.  The wires labeled #1, #2, #3, #4, #7, and #8 go back to the same circuits they were always on, while #5 and #6 are swapped to provide a common maintenance shutoff for the #4/#5 MWBC -- this puts the wires labeled #4 and #6 on the inner two poles, while the outer poles get the wires labeled #3 and #5.
Moving on to the right side of the panel, the wires labeled #9 and #12 connect to the two 20A poles of the breaker that services #9/#10/#11/#12, while the wires labeled #10 and #11 connect to the two 30A poles of that same breaker.  Finally, we get to the situation you originally asked about; for this breaker, the wires labeled #13 and #14 connect to circuits #13 and #16 (aka the two outer poles), while the wires labeled #15 and #16 go to circuits #14 and #15 (aka the two inner poles).
Once everything is wired up and tightened down, and the temporary number tags removed to avoid later confusion, then we can button the panel up and turn everything on save for the #13/#16 handle (which will be ganged together), as we'll be moving onto that next -- note that the breakers I got for the MWBCs not only have common maintenance shutoffs, but common trip functionality as well, which will be important when we move onto the garage circuit.
Now that the panel's corrected, there's a much less hinky way to get 240V at the garage
Now that we have the breaker panel straightened out as best as possible (ideally, we'd get GFCI and AFCI protection installed, but that requires wholesale replacement of the panel with a much larger one, something beyond the scope of this project), thanks to the MWBC wiring that's already there, we can make it so you have 240V in the garage without the need to screw around with dodgy adapters.  You'll need three things besides the breakers for this, and those are a Leviton 5844-I combination 5-20T/6-20T receptacle, a wirenut accepting 3 #12 wires, and a piece of red 12AWG wire to add to the existing pigtails.
At the box that you labeled "Outlet on breaker 13", you'll want to unhook the receptacle from the existing pigtails, and also undo the wirenut that joins the black and red wires together.  Use your new wirenut to add one end of the 12AWG red pigtail to the junction of the black and red wires, and then wire the receptacle as follows (feel free to use the screw-and-clamp backwire system on this receptacle, or the side screws instead if you're more comfortable with those):

Black pigtail to one of the brass screws on the opposite side of the receptacle from the silver screw
Red pigtail to the brass screw on the same side of the receptacle as the silver screw
White pigtail to the silver screw
And bare pigtail to the green ground screw

Last but not least, button up all the receptacles on the garage circuit, and turn the #13/#16 breaker back on.
Now, you have both a standard 120V (NEMA 5-20T) receptacle there, and a 240V (NEMA 6-20T) receptacle that your charger can plug directly into without the need for a dodgy adapter.  This works because the breakers I specified above are common trip breakers, which are required when you are mixing 120V and 240V loads on a multi-wire branch circuit as we're doing here because the common trip function disconnects both legs of the circuit on a breaker trip, thus cutting power to the fault and avoiding a scenario where a one-legged trip doesn't do anything useful because the fault's backfed from the other leg via the 240V load.


Slight brown tint when starting cold water from tub faucet?

I cannot add a comment so I’m placing it here?

If you want to try and pinpoint if it’s that single line or fixture or possibly a whole house issue. I’d start by seeing if any other locations, after sitting a couple days has this same issue or not. If the rust/corrosion still only settles at the tub fixture you would (likely) narrow down your culprit.

Im just reaching here. Is this tub at the end of the line of your plumbing? And if so are you using other water lines in the vacinity? That would keep water moving to or past the take off line to the tub? Or depending how you water lines are set up. If you have your supply line running the length of the house and 1/2” take offs from there at the room location split to the fixture. If this line to the tub is the only one coming off the supply line from the underside of it. It possibly be actaing as a rust knock out and as rust passes past this line the sediment could drop down and collect up.

If you can do some further investigating and show/explain your water supply set up and trouble shoot a tiny bit more, it would really help further narrow down a potential issue and help the community have a less broad and more informed answer. Hope this helps


Dehumidifier Does not work and reports incorrect humidity

If the dehumidifier is working and producing water, I would look for other sources of water or moisture entering the space. To gauge how well the dehumidifier is working, calculate how much humidity (water) the unit removes in a given period of time and compare this figure to the specifications or capacity of the unit. Your comparisons won't be exact but you can be close. If the dehumidifier seems to be performing as it should, look elsewhere for a source of excess humidity. As far as the reading on the dehumidifier itself, I would not rely too much on it being accurate. I would buy another gauge and compare the 2 numbers. If you really need an accurate figure there are devices called sling psychrometers you can buy that will give you an exact reading reading. To consider sizing of a dehumidifier, I have 4000 sq. ft. of finished and conditioned space, and have a 70 pint rated dehumidifier that runs about 18 hours a day to keep the humidity below 45%.


Tighten toilet seat with nut in tough spot

So here is how I solved this issue.

I made a tool similar to the one shown in the hinge & tool diagram link above by wrapping a 1/2" socket with electrical tape, then securing a conduit bracket around the taped socket with more tape. This allowed me to use the portion of the conduit bracket that is screwed into the wall for leverage with my thumb to turn the nut.

Now the nut was still frozen so I used a product called PB Blaster liberally on it and after letting it sit for an hour the handmade tool above was able to break the nut loose.

Thanks everyone for your responses.


Should an underground drainage pipe be perforated?

Typical practice is to make the first 10 feet or so solid and use perforated after that, but that would vary depending on where it is relative to the building basement floor - for a pumped sump I assume the pipe is above the floor level, so 10 feet of solid to get it away from the building and then the remainder perforated to allow it to drain water from the yard as well.

If the pipe is below the basement floor level you would not need a pump, as gravity flow downhill from there would carry water away, and it would all be perforated.


Is there any way to change this light bulb? (no socket I guess)

Usually, with those types of "2D" fluorescent tubes, you grasp the central plastic portion and pull down firmly. There are pins in the underside that are gripped by a receptacle in the fitting.

A video
Another

Here's some randomly selected  instructions


How powerful of a hammer drill do I need to make holes in a concrete ceiling?

You can drill through concrete even without a hammer drill, really it's just a function of time and energy.  How many holes do you have to drill? How big and how deep? For two small holes, I wouldn't really worry about it (so what if they take 5min each?), but if I had to drill 20 large holes, I'd want something like a rotary drill.

Good bits will make quick work of the job too, and low end bits in the best drill will be slow and tedious.

For small holes (say 1/2" or less diameter, regardless of depth), I'd say use a standard hammer drill.  Anything larger, rent or buy a rotary drill.  For really big holes (several inches in diameter), you need a core drill.


Is it okay to connect a round supply duct directly to an air handler?

Such a connection introduces more friction to the system, reducing the available flow. If the system is sized adequately to accommodate this, then yes, it is OK. If I understand you correctly, this large round duct you are connecting to the air handler is serving as an extended plenum. Partly depending on the relative size of the duct and air handler, this may be the one place where it would be worth constructing a proper transition fitting instead of a simple flat adapter.

In a way, the flat adapter is crippling the entire system before it even gets a chance to get going, just my opinion, based on my innate desire for efficiency. As stated earlier, if the system can accommodate an inefficient transition, then it is OK to use it. I just happen to not like it.


Can you help save re-staining project please

The purpose of the solvent is to not remove but redistribute the stain that is already applied, although it will remove some of it. It will not remove what has penetrated into the grain of the wood, but it will lighten it. The solvent may even push it deeper into the grain, and that is ok too.

You can sand your project at this point, the scratches will still most likely be holding stain so you can see how far you need to go on your sanding. If you remove more stain by sanding, that should not be a problem. Presumably the lacquer thinner has evaporated before you sand, and the rest of the areas have been cleared of "excess" stain, that is, stain that has built up excessively on the surface, and all the surface has, for the most part uniform coloration throughout, before you sand.

As I mentioned in my comment earlier you can sand before the lacquer thinner, but your sandpaper will readily clog. Then you could use solvent to re-disperse the stain over the freshly sanded surface too and let it dry, Then apply the second coat of stain, rubbing it out after a few minutes, again, a VERY important step.

Which ever way you choose, the idea is to get rid of the cross scratches, disperse the heavy deposits of stain using solvent, let it dry thoroughly, and recoat with fresh stain, and rub it out after a few minutes. Rubbing out the stain removes the heavy pigments off the surface, so the clear coat you choose to use will adhere. If you do not rub it out, what you lay on as a finish will peel off in time. probably in sheets.

One last thing, if the stain still looks lighter in places than others, you can still add another coat of stain, the places that are dark will not take as much, and the lighter places will take in more stain, essentially evening out the color. After all, wood can only take on only so much pigment. You can even try localizing your added stain, only adding it to the panel or just a rail or a stile, following the joinery in the doors.


Can I use an adapter to connect a welder to a dryer outlet?

Yes that looks like an appropriate adapter for the job.
It is a metal working convention to put the 6-50 plug on welders, plasma cutters, and the like even when they require nowhere near 50 amps to operate. I guess it's analogous to every kind of small appliance (table lamps, alarm clocks, etc) using a 5-15 plug even though they'll draw nowhere near 15 amps. As the 5-15 socket is just the standard around the house; so also the 6-50 socket is the standard around the metal shop.


Can I properly install Roxul mineral wool batts in a mostly-drywalled stud bay by pushing them up from below?

Roxul batts do not compress a lot, well not nearly as much as traditional fiberglass.  They are also pretty rigid.  They can definitely go 6 feet or so in a wall cavity.  I have used them to do what you are doing, when there aren't things in the way.

I am guessing you believe you don't have cross bracing or electric/plumbing or obviously this won't work.  I would unroll a batt, cut to height size (possibly cut to width), push up slowly starting at top of batt.  If it snags and is resisting I would cut it.  Then push up with broom or something similar and just keep on going until you fill it.  Even if the Roxul slides a little you can stuff the bottom to hold it.  The stuff really compacts well and holds its place.  Why I tend to use it in basement joists.

Also if you place a small screw in the top side of your batt (just push it in so it isn't hanging out) you can use a magnetic stud finder to see where you are at.


When to use drop ears + nipples, and when to not?

The drop ears are used when the plumbing should remain stationary, usually at the termination of the water line. A shower head may have a nipple (or stub out) tightened to it, usually with a cap when pressure tests are run. But the type of material used for a nipple ,as you mentioned, is dictated by the existing piping. Early plumbing lines used galvanized pipe. If you extended the pipe you should have used galvanized fittings to avoid reactions or corroding between any dissimilar metals. I think drop ears are required by code for all shower installations due to the showerhead being adjusted and grabbed. For a nipple that is installed for a sink to a shutoff valve , the pipe is usually supported close to the entry point.


How deep can you sand into pine flooring?

I don’t buy the “blotchy or discoloration” claim. Sanding doesn’t bring the blotchy problem out. If it wasn’t blotchy before, it won’t all of a sudden develop a blotchy appearance.

Blotchy areas are caused by pockets of sap, chemicals, stacking problems, etc. Here is an article that explains:

https://hardwoodfloorsmag.com/2018/07/31/common-stains-discolorations/

Yes, refinishing wood floors are sanded down through the finish. Often we’ll refinish school gym floors. The finish (and painted lines) are sanded until they’re gone. Then we use a light “pre-stain” to help eliminate any possibility of blotchy finish.

The real sanding depth issue is sanding down so many times that the nail head begins to show. Usually we can sand a gym floor 3-4 times before we need to replace it.

BTW, I doubt that it’s pine. Floors are made from hardwoods.


What could cause washing machine drum to bang against housing during spin cycle after a repair?

I discovered that one of the 3 suspension pads was indeed broken, and replaced.  Also, I had previously had to replace the drive block which was rusted out, and in trying to jerk the basket loose from it, had caused the skate plate to rest out of place.  This caused one or two of the plastic "feet" of the outer tub to be resting on top of the skate place which caused the dreadful banging against the side of the cabinet.  Once the skate plate was returned to it's proper place, and the suspension pads replaced, the washer runs smoothly once again.


How do I repair hairline cracks in stucco?

If it were my house I'd get painting! Paint is intended to seal hairline cracks of this kind. Depending on your locality you may find that it's feasible to spray a paint finish over stucco, which can be by far the easiest and cheapest way to do it.


How can I disconnect this brass fitting on my kitchen faucet?

The braided hose is attached to the black plastic fitting with a push-fit connector.
The locking part is inside the brass 'ferrule' on the end of the hose, and to release it you need to pull the light-grey plastic ring back in towards the ferrule (away from the black plastic fitting).
The hose should then just pop off as you're doing that.


I do not think it would be a good idea to double up on the clamps.  When you are clamping PEX onto a fitting, you want to try to get the clamp near the middle of the fitting, ideally between two ribs.  With two clamps, it wouldn't be possible to do this.

To ease your trepidation about the staying power of the clamps, do a test clamp on a fitting.  Let it stay overnight, and then try to get it off.  You should find that it's very strong.  If you ask me, the PEX + clamps is tougher than copper and solder.


Having recently had my panel (~20 circuits, 150A service) relocated to the opposite side of the wall it was on (though mine went from exterior to interior, along with a panel upgrade), it took the better part of a day for the electrician to get everything unhooked, taken out, the new panel in, and everything reconnected. The power company took their sweet time reconnecting my meter, but the electricians' work was done by mid-afternoon.

A rough step-by-step of the work involved:

Have the power company disconnect the meter
Label and disconnect all of the circuits in the panel
Prepare the wall where the panel will be moved to
Remove the panel, and install it (or a new panel) in the new location
Feed all the wires through to the new panel
Reconnect all of the circuits
Get it inspected, if needed / desired
Have the power company reconnect the meter
Drywall repair, trim, cabinet, whatever to hide or improve appearance of panel - this is typically not done by the electrician though

Some things can be done in parallel if there are multiple people available, and some things may involve a lot of waiting.

Make sure to check local codes, permitting requirements, etc.

If you're just planning to flip the panel to the other side of the wall, keeping it in the same stud bay, you won't have any issues relating to obstructions, too-short wires, etc so it may be even easier. Everything being interior makes it a bit easier as well.

I'd strongly urge you to consider how much space your existing panel has and whether a bigger (number of circuits and/or max amperage) panel would be useful. Panels are cheap, compared to the cost of upgrading later on, so if you can swing it to get a bigger panel now (and your existing one is close to full), now is the time to do it.


Sounds like they have both swapped hot and neutral, and they are switching neutral.  This is probably one mistake, made in the switch area.

This device is simple: the green light is between hot and neutral.  The blue light is between hot and earth.  The red light is between neutral and earth.

The device has a useful feature: it deliberately doesn't try to explain the meaning of every color combination. That's because there can be several reasons for any of them. And as such, anything they say is likely to be balderdash and more misleading than helpful.  This drives us crazy with the similar tool in North America; some of us call it the "magic 8-ball" tester because their explanations of the cause are so laughably wrong, and waste a lot of time.

On safety, raises hands yeah, you got us.  The system is overbuilt so it takes more than one simple failure to create a hazardous condition.  All this stuff is redundant.   Fuses, your system will work without em.  Grounds -- well, you need them on that circuit, but not normally.  Yeah, so shortcut away.  What could possibly go wrong?


Help identifying unusual type of toilet flush button

Google "7677-CP KOHLER Portrait Vibrant Polished Brass Flush Actuator".

You'll probably have some issues connecting the old and the new, but this should get you started. The underlying Kohler unit might be useful in the future if you need to start replacing parts...


Max distance for 2x8 pergola rafter span

I would think you'd be safe at 13'. Although it's not an exact comparison, 13' seems to be "in the ballpark" considering there won't be much load on them.

Here's what I'm basing my opinion on:

Max. Live Load 20 lbs/ft2 (956 N/m2)

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/horizontal-roof-rafter-span-d_1484.html

And also using this calculator to try various wood species and spans, etc:

https://www.awc.org/codes-standards/calculators-software/spancalc

I think how the "rafters" are attached might have some significance for you too.


You might use a half-round rasp or file.


If the current box is rated for a light fixture, then you can use it for a fan, if there is structure behind the box to attach the fan bracket to. You could use long wood screws to clamp the fan bracket to the box and the screws would go through holes in the box or beside the box and screw into a suitable wooden member in the ceiling or just in the OSB if it is thick enough.

You could not use small bolts into threaded holes in the box designed for a cover or for a light-weight light fixture. The new Hunter fans come with fairly long wood screws which are designed to hold the fan bracket in ceiling joists, but check that they are long enough. The instructions will state how much thread of these screws must be in solid wood.

You might have to build a split ring out of plywood or solid wood, place it around the electrical box and screw that to the OSB ceiling. Then the fan bracket would be secured to the ring with the special wood screws supplied with the fan. Modern fans have a large shroud which would obscure the ring. There would be a larger gap than usual between the top of the shroud and the ceiling, but I don't think it would look bad.


I found a company named Neoperl that makes a rectangular aerator which is what I believe you need:


QO Main Service Panel - Ground lug question - CT resident

That lug is intended to be used as a grounding electrode conductor termination, but can be used as an extra neutral instead
The Square-D neutral design basically intends for the grounding electrode conductor ("outside-ground-rod wire" or water pipe bond wire) to be landed on the N-G strap at the lug you point out, with the larger lug next to it used for the service neutral, and the bond to the panel cabinet provided by the green screw through the neutral intertie crossbar; this keeps all the busbar holes provided by the panel free for branch neutrals and grounds.
However, since you have removed the bonding screw, and are using a wire as your bonding jumper instead, NEC 250.24(D) permits you to do as Harper describes and use the left-hand equipment grounding bar to land your grounding electrode conductor instead.  As a result of this, you can now use the lug you point out as a spare branch neutral lug to make up for losing a branch neutral hole to the bonding jumper.  Doing as you and the manufacturer intend and using the small lug on the neutral strap for the grounding electrode conductor is fine still, though.


Why use a Thinner Water Pipe to Branch off From a Tee

You are correct about the electricity analogy, the reasons are normally cost and ease of installation its easier, quicker and cheaper to install a 1/2" pipe than a 3/4" pipe.
The 3/4 pipe will give less frictional loss than the 1/2" pipe. The sizing of water through a house is of worked of

Main connection:  The total simultaneous demand in the house ( calculation given in a table for domestic houses which gives the nominal amount of flow to normal fixtures, or this can be worked out manually for non standard installation eg. a mansion)
The Main index run:The index length to the furthest (or most disadvantaged ( which in domestic is usually the furthest) fixture and the total loading units for all fixtures.
Branch Pipes: sized using the index length still and the loading units of fixtures on each branch
Branch from Branch: As above

Some things that affect the calculations are the available pressure at the main ( for main fed houses), the height of the house above or below main height (higher means less pressure, lower means more), the product used eg, materials have different frictional loss and i\d sizes.

With the pressure increase it is good to keep in mind (which it seems you already understand), increasing the pipe size will not increase the pressure just decrease the frictional loss providing more available pressure and flow at the end destination.

If your interested in the calculations or regs have a look at this link for an example


Why are my bathroom light and fan wired to the same switch?

Many apartment owners wire the fan and light to a single switch. The reason I have done it is to limit moisture build up. Not all renters are responsible enough to turn on the fan while using the shower. Failing to do so can cause moisture to build up and allow mold to form.


Very common in tropical Australia, not a big deal. The ground gets hot in summer and even though the street pipes are six feet underground the water can scald.  Every summer we turn off the power to the hot water storage tank, it then becomes the cold water supply. If we use too much "cold" water the tank warms up. The house has an  evaporative cooler and the tank is positioned inside the house and is cooled.


How do I fix a coarse paint job on interior doors?

Sand them LIGHTLY with 120 and then 220 grit on an random orbital sander, taking care not to burn through the paint that's already on, and then re-spray.

When spraying, lay the doors flat. Apply a THIN coat of paint. The doors can be stood up once the paint has flashed. Try to do it in a place that's out of the sun and preferably out of any blowing dust.

It's probably going to take two coats, honestly, to get decent coverage and finish. Between coats, if you got dust in the paint during the first coast, use a "between coats finishing pad" from 3M. (You would use steel wool if you were using an oil-based product, but you're using a latex product, so you need to use a non-metallic pad.) Take your time, or you'll just waste product, as you've already seen.

If you have to backroll to control drips, whoever is applying it is applying WAY too much product. Thin coats. THIN coats. (Although you'd probably have been mostly OK if they'd just used a foam roller instead of the 3/8 nap one.)


How do I power fluorescent lights hanging from a drop ceiling?

I'm looking at NEC Article 410.62 (1) conditions (1) & (2) Cord Connected Lampholders and Luminaires. It basically says you can't connect up the fluorescents the way you have them. I suggest the best way is to eliminate the receptacles you can use the boxes for junctions since they are accessible. Then use standard wiring practices and connect into the top of the fixture and junction inside the fluorescent.


Thinking of switching to a salt water pool

No it is not maintenance free.  A salt water pool is still a chlorinated pool but due to the salt levels it uses less chlorine.   I have had both pool types.   To sum it up the chlorine pool does require more daily maintenance as the chlorine levels have to be high but not too high.   Everything else though is easy on a chlorine pool.

The salt water pool only needs to be checked a couple times a week and usually serviced weekly.   It has higher start up costs and you have to watch for corrosion due to the salt.   I preferred the salt water pool but it wasn't a huge difference.

(Most pool places will try to sell you a saltwater pool as it makes them more money - unless they think you will buy chlorine through them.   In my opinion salt water is probably cheaper in long run if your pool is in an open yard.  If my pool is near trees I would go chlorine as the salt water pools do not handle the extra bugs/leaves/stuff as well as the higher chlorinated pools.)


Extending longevity of ceramic water filters

Check with the manufacturer. Some have their own Kitchen Scrubby & others don't say anything about it, so you buy very much more frequently. My understanding & experience is that you want to scuff or sand the surface visibly clean. Basically, sand off anything that's been caught, since really nothing gets past the outer most surface. The outer surface just gets more crowded.

I'm on my 3rd sanding with a Pro-Pur & did 15 sanding's on a previous Berkey. I still have the Berkey as a spare & it probably has 30 or more sanding's left in it. It was working fine & at the same "good for so many gallons capacity" with no weakness or threat of collapse yet, but I wanted to try the Pro-Pur. In both cases, my slow drip was restored to the original quick drip & no taste or smell difference & a food coloring test reveals no difference.


Cut steel fascia board cover lengthwise?

I'm not sure what sort of edge treatment you need at the top, but fascia and other light sheet steel can be cut with a sharp utility knife.

With clamps or a helper, lay a straightedge on the back side of the fascia and score along it with a new knife blade. Knife angle is important and can cause your cut to run astray. Keep things in line. Run the cut twice more, then remove the straightedge and snap the metal along the cut by flexing it.

If it doesn't fold on the snap right away, and cleanly, score the metal again with the knife. You only need to get maybe halfway through the metal for it to snap.

If you know someone in the siding or HVAC business with a brake apparatus, cut your metal a bit wide and have them hem it to the final height. A hem provides a safer workpiece and a nicer finish.


Is there a danger of back flow from water heater while replacing a saddle valve?

Yes, it's good possibility that if you don't purposefully depressurize the lines first, you will get spray. But this is easy to do.

Turn off the hot water heater. If it's electric, there is usually an off position on the knob on the front, or turn it off at the breaker panel. If it's gas, just turn the knob to pilot.
Turn off the cold water supply to the house.
Open the hot and cold taps in a sink somewhere. When the water stops flowing, you're good. If you want to be really safe, you could drain a little bit of water out of the tank using the valve at the bottom.
Complete your repair to the saddle valve.
Turn on the cold water supply to the house.
Open the cold tap on a sink. Wait for air to bleed out and a good water flow. Repeat with the hot tap. The hot water could take a much longer time to flow properly.
Turn your water heater back on.


Wiring a Double Pole Thermostat to Replace a Single Pole 240 Thermostat

You have EITHER... supply power being split here to power other thermostats... OR... this thermostat controlling two heaters.  Don't know, don't care if the thermostat doesn't.
Let's convert this thing to 4 wires.
A "Cable" is several "wires" inside a sheath, which you seem to grasp.  We're going to label the cables A1, A2 and B (not really, we can't reach them, but pretend).  Turn the power off.
If you look at the wire-nut with 3 black wires, it includes these 3:

Black "A" pigtail to the thermostat
cable A1 black
cable A2 black

So, I want you to follow A1 and A2 blacks back to their cables.  Those will be black A1 and A2.  Follow those back to their respective cables, so you can identify White A1 and White A2.
Get a new white pigtail wire, and wire these exactly like the blacks. Add pigtail White A, which splices to White A1 and White A2 with a red or tan wire nut.
The remaining black and white from the wall are Black B and White B.
Now, if you ignore the pigtails, you have 4 wires: White A, Black A, White B and Black B.
Now you can hook up the thermostat as instructed.

By the way, wire-nut-wise, those Scotchlok wire nuts are garbage. 3M is a great company but these were a miss... and they're not reusable, and the products on the market today are vastly superior.  If you're not touching them, you can leave them alone. But if you have to disturb one, throw it in the trash and replace it with an Ideal brand nut.


This can probably be done with 4.5" hole saw which is pretty close to your dimensions.

I assume what you want is the disk, not the hole.

A circular disk can also be cut with a scroll saw.

Another tool is an adjustable circle cutter or fly cutter of which there are few different types.

A circle can also be cut using a mill (or lathe) with a milling cutter in combination with a rotary table (or divider).


could air in the line cause drop in water pressure?

No, if the pressure is 80 when you turn it off then it would stay at 80 even with air in the line.

You have a leak. It could be as simple as a very slow drip at a garden hose faucet or as complicated as a main line leak.

By the way, this is a very common occurrence; faucets/valves generally leak a bit as they get old. If your piping and fittings are sound then there is no acute danger. If you are worried you should carry out an inspection of your piping system and fittings, looking for tell-tale signs like damp spots, water marks, stains, etc. Also, plumbers have leak detection equipment and procedures that may help.


How to clean this oil spill stain from driveway if council cant help?

You could investigate trying to spread a layer of the dry clay type cat litter over the spot and grinding it down into the surface with your foot. If there is any residual petro/oil material there that has not reacted with the asphalt road surface the clay material should absorb it and help to clean the surface. It may be necessary to leave the clay material there for a day or so. If you see some improvement after sweeping/vacuuming up the first application you may want to try a second or third iteration of the treatment.

A final stage of cleanup with water can be aided by using a soap such as laundry detergent and a scrub brush. The soap will emulsify the oils and allow some of it to be washed away with the water.

In the case where the spill has actually had a reaction with the asphalt it may be very difficult if next to impossible to remove the spot.


Hampton Bay fan missing remote, replace with pull chain?

As far as I can find, having taken the fan down, there is no way to add a pull chain to this fan. There is also no remote receiver in any user serviceable area of the fan. The light housing connects to the fan body via a six pin Molex connector and contains a wattage limiter of some kind (per the Hampton Bay specs for similar fans).

I am unable to buy a replacement remote with a reverse button, nor have I been able to get the fan to reverse or speed up. The Home Depot staff were also unsure how to fix the problem, and the service personnel at the 1-800 number included with the fan remote were also unsure how to fix the problem.

The fan appears to be worth at most $70, so I am just going to replace it in its entirety. Lesson learned: avoid Hampton Bay remote controlled fans.

Edit: A look inside showed that the light housing was fubar (partially melted, probably killed the receiver). I replaced it with an aftermarket kit and voila:


3 way light switch with timer - flickering

Thanks for the tips.

I had removed all the wires, taken pictures and was going to test the configuration again to double check that everything was correct. I was emptying the timer box and noticed a black wire there. I thought it was odd to see a wire there.. I re-read the instructions and it turns out I missed a step! As you can see below, there is a step "E" - After installing that wire the switches are working correctly.


Why is one light staying on when the switch is off?

The red wire that goes to the second light (that is bundled with the rest of the reds at the first light), needs to be connected to the black with red sleeve wire. Since it's currently bundled with the rest of the red (hot) conductors, the light is always getting power. The black wire with a red sleeve is the switched hot lead, and only has power when the switch is on.


How can I build a custom stair case in a small space?

First of all, since it sounds like this could be considered "occupied space", you better check your local building codes and/or with your local inspector to see what is allowed. Most codes have specific requirements for stairs, and in some jurisdictions strange things like spiral stair cases may not be allowed or may require specific approval because of their narrow treads.

I'd definitely look to see if there is any way to get more space at all. For example, what is behind the closet? If you can lose a bit of ceiling height there, you could get a bit more room for the staircase. Likewise, is it acceptable to have the stairs coming out into the room at all? This too, will provide a bit more space. Using this calculator, if you can do 10 rises of 8" (this may be steep though), you need 6'8" of total run space.

Depending on the adjoining space, you might also be able to make use of the room under the stairs.

If you can't get any extra space, you might consider a "ladder staircase" (kind of a hybrid of ladders and stairs):

There are some interesting designs for these, including alternating treads:

And some really funky variations if you want to be really creative:


If it is a shared wall between the garage and house it requires something that is fire rated and something that will not allow the passing of fumes from garage.  Easiest and usually cheapest thing to do is to drywall it.  It doesn't have to look good but your seems do have to be mudded - again doesn't have to look good.

For other exterior walls there is no code for the inside of them.  Tyvek is cheap for this and plastic rolls are even cheaper.  But they will probably tear and have issues over time.  If you want something cool and to hang tools I would just put up peg board (if you don't want to drywall.  I will be peg boarding one of my garage walls this summer.


There's nothing wrong with adding another wire to the COM terminal at your furnace.
Just use the spare blue wire there along with the existing white wire from the other cable.


How do I correctly measure this basement window for a replacement?

Foundation windows are a difficult item to order replacements for. The mounting and track is different for most manufactures. Since you can't easily change the steel frame that is embedded in the concrete, you need the right window glass frame and size.  My advise would be to remove the glass sashes and bring them with you to your supplier and see if they can identify the manufacturer. they can measure them and order the right items. The other option would be to take the glass and removable frame to a glass shop and have them reconditioned.


Nest Thermostat says "delayed" and never turns AC on

I chatted with Nest support. They said to troubleshoot by disconnecting the blue/C wire.
It worked fine after doing this. They said the blue wire probably wasn't properly grounded.
When I asked why it worked with the old thermostat, they said "Traditional and non smart thermostats are not sensitive enough to detect the power and voltage issues. They will only activate the AC or heating - even if there are power issues. Nest thermostat will detect sensitive power and voltage issues and prevent the AC unit or heating unit from turning on to prevent damage to your HVAC system."  Would be nice if the unit would give information though...


How much does a degree tilt impact the height of the centerline?

The centerline of the television will change by the sine of the angle of change times the distance from the television.

In simpler terms, for every 12 inches from the television, a one degree change of angle will drop (or raise) the line by 0.209 inches. Realistically, say a 12 foot viewing distance and a ten degree change of the screen, you get a 24 inch drop of the angle of the line.

Most televisions will have a reasonably wide viewing angle both horizontally and vertically, and allow for leeway in the angling of the screen.


Wiring a ceiling fan with black, white, red, green in ceiling box and two wall switches

That's not really a white wire coming out of your fan control

When the instructions for your fan control say a wire is "black/white" -- they mean it's a black wire with white stripes on it, which has nothing to do with the white neutral wires in your box.

As to wiring up the fan control...

The new fan control gets wired as follows, then:

Green gets nutted in with the rest of the greens
Black/white gets nutted to the bundle of red wires that the two bottom black wires came off of (the two bottom black pigtails can be removed and saved for use down the road)
Black gets nutted to the black that was nutted to the top right black pigtail
And blue gets nutted to the red that was nutted to the top left black pigtail

You'll also need a two-gang faceplate that has a decorator opening on one side and a blank space on the other -- either that, or a decorator opening blank for your existing faceplate, considering that the new control only takes up a single gang of box space.

And to the fan itself

The fan, though, is a bit easier to wire:

Ceiling red to fan blue
Ceiling black to fan black
Ceiling white to fan orange and white
Ceiling green bundle to fan green

As to mounting that fan...

Your box is likely a special type of box known as a concrete box that was poured right into the ceiling.  This type of box, however, does not have the correct setup for mounting a fan to it (the mounting ears will bend if you try, letting the fan fall on your head).  So, you'll need to use masonry fasteners to mount the fan to the concrete surrounding the box, instead.


What type of electrical box do I use for a hard-wired smoke detector?

I'd use a round plastic cut-in box even though you have access behind. You'll find this much easier in the long run.

Remember, smokes do not have ground connections, so just splice the grounds with a wire nut or other approved method and fold into the back of the box.

Along the lines of this:


How do I connect a 4 prong cord on my GE dryer which is currently connected with a 3 prong cord?

Remove that brass jumper, connect white to the middle terminal, red and black to the one each of the two end terminals and green to the ground screw.


What can I fill my deck beam trench with to prevent standing water?

You will need to dig these trenches deep enough so that the supports for your deck are situated BELOW the frost line for your area.  No amount of fill or drainage will be sufficient since it's the freezing of the moisture in the ground that causes frost heave.
Get in touch with your local building codes department and get their specifications for how deep things should be in your area.
I'm also not clear what you're doing here with this trench.  Generally decks are supported by piers which would be a lot less excavation than what you're doing.
If you actually intend the beams for your deck to be below grade, I think you're going to have issues.  You should probably rethink your plans here if it's not possible to excavate the area and grade it so that water drains away from the area.


Usually you use the two outmost connection points for +/- 12VDC on the strip ... and usually + and - leads are marked by printed labels on the strips at each seperation mark.

For connection from power supply to the strip you either use the premounted socket (if any is mounted at the end of the strip) or you solder the cables coming from the transformer / DC source onto the connection pads.

With the shopping list of your OP I would do the following wiring

            +-------------+              +-------------+                +---------.
           ~|             |+ ---------- +|  in     out |+ ------------ +|
 110/220VAC |  Mains/12V  |    12VDC     |   Dimmer    |   12VDC PWM    |  Strip  ....
           ~|  converter  |- ---------- -|             |- ------------ -|
            +-------------+              +-------------+                +---------.

The power rating of your ACDC converter is a function of the length of LED strip you want to use. If I am not mistaken - a single tripple of LEDs (the smallest separable unit) takes 60mA ... so all 300 LEDs (100 sections) would require as much a 6000 mA (6A)

The current limit of the dimmer is 12A which is fine for the whole strip.

If you are using more than -say- half of the strip I would consider more than 1 feed point to avoid voltage drops along the strip.


Should I run 1/2" pex from a manifold to each fixture or 3/4"?

The average fixture has no need for 3/4" inch, particularly with homerun piping from a manifold. 3/4" is really only needed for tub fillers with larger tubs, or showers with multiple shower heads.

Running 3/4" hot water lines to fixtures will significantly increase hot water wait times, and should be avoided when not necessary (and for lavatory sinks, I'd strongly recommend 3/8" hot water supply lines).


Can I use these replacement ballast even though the yellow wires are on the opposite end?

If you live in the USA, that's a perfectly fine ballast for your purposes, Lori. Some manufacturers bring the yellow wires out the same end, some bring them out the opposite end. That ballast is rated to handle two 40W T12 tubes.

If you live in a country with 240V municipal power, though, that ballast won't work for you; it's built to be connected only to the 120V common in the USA.


What is the proper term for a huge chisel-like tool used for building log cabins?

I think you may be talking about a slick:

This is what Wikipedia has to say:

A slick is a large chisel, characterized by a wide (2-4 inches, 5–10
cm), heavy blade, and a long, frequently slender, socketed handle. The
combined blade and handle can reach two feet (60 cm) in length. The
blade of a slick is slightly curved lengthwise, and/or the handle
socket is cranked upward, such that the handle and socket clear the
surface of the work when the edge is touching. This distinguishes the
slick from the similarly-sized, short-handled millwright's chisel.


Accidentally Touching One Lead Of A Multimeter While Other Is In Electrical Outlet

If the multimeter is set to read voltage, it will have a very high-resistance, so if everything is working correctly touching the other lead will not shock you.

If it's set to read current, it will have almost 0-resistance, so touching the other lead would be equivalent to touching the bare wire.  Thus, having the multimeter plugged into the hot-slot and touching the other lead will shock you (but, having it plugged into the neutral won't)


Regarding greases for outdoor connections: Noalox for general use (not necessarily for aluminum)? Dielectric grease for outdoor receptacles?

I have used dielectric grease for years in so many applications. For mains voltages is is primarily a non-conductive corrosion barrier. In that sense, any non-conductive grease will do. Electrically, the original metal-to-metal connection is maintained because corrosion is reduced. You can use it liberally around connection points because it does not conduct.
Noalox sems to contain zinc dust in a plastic grease matrix. I'm not sure how conductive it may be at mains voltages, but I would apply it only at the specific connections.


Do you know whether the stud spacing in this structure is 16" or 24"? This one stud may be all there is. You may have the edges of studs accessible at the ends of the alcove. If these are available, that would give three studs which is sufficient. Depending on how much weight you plan to put on this, you can use anchors in drywall. ELFA drywall anchors are very secure against pullout stress.

Scan the wall with a stud finder.


Help: Wiring 220V in garage to NEMA 10-30r because MIG welder and air compressor have 10-30p

You can't install a 10-30R.   That's off the table.  The question is whether you can

install a 6-30R with hot-hot-ground wires, or
run hot-hot-neutral-ground wires and install a 14-30R.

You need to check this.  But most likely these machines are 220V-only and have no need for neutral.  If so, those machines should not have had the 10-30 plug on them in the first place, because 10-30 provides neutral but not ground.  This is very common with hobbyists who simply want to 'get-r-dun' and don't want to care about safety or Code (which are close to the same thing IME).

Those machines probably want 6-30.

10-30 is bad news because it lacks ground. Neutral is not ground, and grounding things to neutral is unsafe.

Conduit is magic

Regardless, You have conduit, and I take that to mean the conduit is continuous from the service panel to the new receptacle location.  Cable such as 10/2 cable, is definitely the wrong thing in the sense that trying to install it in conduit will be like wrestling alligators.  It also destroys your ability to expand it.

The right thing to put in that conduit is

Two black wires, type THWN-2, size #10, stranded. *
One bare or green ground wire, #10, pref. stranded

Pull those through and you'll have everything you need to hook up a NEMA 6-30, which is I believe what your tools actually need. Now if I am wrong and a tool actually needs neutral and NEMA 14-30... or if later on, you want to hook up a new thing which needs neutral, or you just want to future-proof, nothing easier:  Leave the wires in place and pull 1 additional wire:

One white wire, THWN-2 #10, stranded

To pull it, you can try bundling the ends with tape and pushing it through, or use a shop-vac to pull through a napkin tied to a stout string.  Anywhere you gave yourself a conduit body to pull through, open that up and guide the wires through, don't drag 'em around that corner.  You can also use fishing tape.

You notice this leaves you lots of room.  You can actually put as many as 4 circuits in that cable.  The circuits could be larger - you could support three more 50A circuits (#6 wire) or even a mix of bigger or smaller.  So in fact you don't even need to swap plugs, you can simply throw another hot-hot or hot-hot-neutral in that pipe, and power a separate plug, and you can run both at once. Real handy if you get a 240V dust collector.  These multiple circuits can share the 1 ground wire.

It's not actually illegal to run cable in conduit, just a very miserable experience to pull it, and the cable chomps most of your pipe capacity (flat cable is counted as if it is round wire of the widest dimension, which means only 1 cable in a 1-1/4" conduit). And you wouldn't be able to do modular upgrades like this - if you had pulled 10/2 and wanted neutral, you'd need to yank out the 10/2 and pull 10/3, what a waste.  The upshot is, whoever told you to use cable is a fool.

All this to say: grab the 10-30R and the cut cable and take it all back to Lowes, and at the customer service desk be angry.

You already did it!!??

Edit: Now you are telling me you already have a 6/2 cable and a 10/2 cable stuffed into this conduit.

OK let's do the math.  Your 1-1/4" trade size conduit has 1.5625 square inches.  Oval cables count the same as a round wire of their wide dimension, 6/2 is 0.68" across so 0.4624 square inches. 10/2 is 0.49" across so 0.2401 square inches. Both cables (so far) count as 0.7025 square inches.  That means your conduit is already 45% full.  Two "wires" in a raceway are only permitted 31%, so that's already illegal overstuffing.

3 or more wires can fill to 40%, but the two Romex already put you over 45% so that's no go. There is no way to do this.  If you want to add a third circuit you must yank out all the Romex and substitute THWN, which will be insanely easier to pull, by the way, especially if it's stranded.

Once again: You see it at Lowes/whatever where they often have pre-cut lengths of cable at a discount, even though Lowes supposedly has a no-cut-cable-return policy. This is where those come from.  Tear out all that cable, take it and everything else on the receipt back to Lowes, slam it down on the table and let the Hulk rage: "You knew this stuff was illegal when you sold it to me!"  Leave em all the stuff, tell them you are going to chargeback your credit card for the full charge, and then do it.  Doing a chargeback costs them about $20 and they lose the money too.

If you have things on the receipt you want to keep, just buy clones on another receipt, and return them on this receipt, so you're returning every single thing on the receipt.  I do it all the time because I get reimbursed, and accounting dosn't like to see two complicated receipts showing buying A B C D E and returning -A -B -C.

And when you buy replacement cable, I'd go to an electrical supply and tell them you're not impressed with the prices or service at big-box (say that so they know you are price-motivated and will give you a contractor price).  The electrical supply will have more variety of colors for your circuit-distinguishing pleasure.

*Why the same color?  It's not really necessary to distinguish the two hot wires from each other - seriously, you're not going to do anything with that knowledge!  Also, feel free to use other hot-legal colors (NOT green gray white) especially if you are mixing several circuits in this pipe.

So if you heavily populate this with four 30A circuits, use black-black, red-red, blue-blue, and orange-orange (or whatever your electrical supply stocks).

I had one genius put four #10 circuits (and some #12 circuits) in two parallel conduits. (4 circuits per conduit max). He put all the #10s in one conduit, circuit 1 was black-red and so were the other 3.  His markings fell off, and you couldn't tell 'em apart.  So I "rearranged" - 2 blacks and 2 reds in each conduit.  And made the circuits black-black and red-red.  Now it's easy!


Canexel warping - How to evaluate the risk, cost of maintenance and cost of replacement?

I think Canexel is something that's only available in Canada, so I cannot speak to the siding itself. Also (being from the states) I don't know much about the process of purchasing a home up there either. But here's what I would do if I were buying this home. It looks to me like the siding was laid over furring strips, and the installer probably cheaped out and didn't lay the proper number of strips down to prevent overlap or warping. Laying furring strips is a common practice here in the US under siding (typically vinyl which has a lot more flex - less so over hardie or wood because those are easier to offset for the most part). Since this is a purchase I would have the current homeowner repair before signing. It's common in the US to have repairs done as part of negotiating the contract. Again, I don't know what Canexel is so that material may factor into it as well. Best of luck!


Can SER labled XHHW-2 be buried in conduit

SE cables simply can't be buried, conduit or no conduit
Why you're seeing "SER can't be buried" on this site is because the rule's right there in section 338.12(A) of the National Electrical Code (irrelevant point 1 snipped):

338.12 Uses Not Permitted.

(A) Service-Entrance Cable. Service-entrance cable (SE) shall
not be used under the following conditions or in the following
locations:

...

(2) Underground with or without a raceway

You're better off pulling individual wires instead
Even disregarding the restriction above, you're still better off pulling individual wires through the conduit, simply due to how stiff that cable will be to pull. You'll have to send the cable to the scrapper and get new wire for your pull, though, since the wires inside cables aren't generally marked for usage outside the cable.  Furthermore, a 2AWG Al conductor is limited to 90A by NEC Table 310.16 when landed on the 75°C capable terminations found in modern distribution equipment; the 100A figure you may see in other sources is only usable when you can apply the 83% rule for dwelling unit services or feeders found in NEC 310.15(B)(7), which is not the case here since you're feeding an outbuilding. Given that you're putting a fat conduit in, being limited to 90A at the moment isn't too big a deal now since you can upgrade later without needing an excavator, but you'll probably want to go to 1AWG Al so that you can have a full 100A feeder to your workshop subpanel.
GO BIG OR GO HOME
Another common mistake with subpanels is to try to pinch pennies by downsizing the subpanel.  In particular, breaker spaces count for far more than amps do; while a 100A or 125A, main breaker panel is fine for most detached outbuildings, it should be a 24 space panel at a minimum in order to have sufficient room for expansion, and a 30 space panel is not at all out of place here; given that this is a workshop, splashing out on a 40 space, 200A panel might even be worthwhile.  (The extra main breaker amps in the subpanel don't matter since the subpanel main breaker is simply a convenient shutoff switch in this situation.)


how to identify lumber grade of unmarked ceiling joists

Code requires a Live Load of 40 lbs. per square foot plus a Dead Load (flooring, joists, insulation, etc.) of 15 psf (probably) for a total load of 55 psf.

#3 spruce/ fir (fb = 1200 psi & fv = 95 psi) spanning 14’ will support about 40 psf at 16” oc.      #2 (fb = 1750 psi & fv = 120 psi) will support about 60 psf. The main difference between #2 and #3 are knotholes. If you have loose or missing knotholes, then it’s probably #3.  If the knotholes are less than 2” in diameter and “tight”, then it’s probably #2 and better.

Code requires 1-hr. fire protection between a garage and “habitable space”.  Therefore, you’ll want 1/2” Type C or 5/8” Type X gypsum board on the bottom of the floor joists, wall by stairs, etc. for protection.

The door leading to the upstairs needs to be rated: 1) solid core, and 2) frame needs to be solid material (no applied stop), 3) weatherstripping around on 3 sides... but consider threshold too due to fumes.

If you use L/180 the gypsum board will crack under deflection. I’d use L/360...then, no cracks.


What is the right wire size for a 30A 220 Circuit over 40 ft?

First, get Amps

You start by looking at the instructions on the heater.  If the instructions say to use a specific breaker and maybe wire size, then that's what you do, and you're done with this section.

If the instructions don't say, your next stop is the nameplate on the heater.  Either literally a nameplate, possibly behind a cover, or in the documentation.  You are looking for  either

Amperes (amps or A), a number somewhere between 20 and 32 or so. If not listed, try
Watts or W, expect a number in the 5000 to 7500 range.  You will need to divide by 240 to get Amps (I gather this is a 240V heater). Or
VA, which on a resistor based heater will be almost identical to watts. Again you divide that by 240 to get Amps.

Now derate that Amps number by multiplying it by 1.25 or 125%.  That is because it is a continuous load and runs the wires pretty hard.

For instance, if the heater was 30 amps, multiply that by 1.25 and get 37.5.

Now size your breaker and wires

Take your instructions or derated amps number and round UP to the next larger size of 30, 40 or 50.   So 37.5 becomes 40.

That will be the size of your circuit and breaker.

The minimum wire size for 30A is 10 AWG.
The minimum wire size for 40A is 8 AWG.
The minimum wire size for 50A is 6 AWG copper, or 4 AWG aluminum. Don't use aluminum smaller than 4 AWG.

You can use larger wires if you really want to.  There are some good reasons to do this, like the possibility of upgrading heaters later.   But you must stay with the breaker size determined by the need of the heater, as we did above.

Upsizing wire for long distances

Not an issue at 40'.

Over long distances, wires can have "voltage drop".  It may be desirable to limit voltage drop by using larger wire than required.  First, nobody cares about drops less than 3%, and that happens at around 120' length (round trip) on most wire sizes.  So below 120' you never have to worry about it.  Otherwise it depends what your loads can tolerate -- resistive heaters are very tolerant of voltage drop for instance; motors not so much.

You usually don't need /3 cable for heaters

/3 cable has an extra conductor, allowing 240V and also a middle neutral, making both 120V and 240V available.  Dryers and ranges need this.  Water heaters, A/C and electric heaters usually do not.  Therefore running /3 cable is a waste of money unless a) the heater says it requires it, or b) you expect in the future to fit something that would require it.

Some people believe that running /3 lets you carry more power.  That is not true unless you are dealing in 3-phase "delta", but you won't have that in a residence.


Is this wiring suitable suitable for 3-way Z-Wave switches?

Unfortunately, that style of wiring -- essentially a "switched loop" -- is not compatible with "smart" switches that require a neutral.

The 2011 NEC finally recognized this and now requires neutral at switches, but your home obviously predates that requirement.

There are a few options, but none are easy/cheap:

New wire

Replace the wire between switch and light with a three-conductor (14/3) wire. You get hot, neutral, and switched hot.

New power feed

Run a new power source (which would include neutral) to either switch, and disconnect the existing source in the light.

The existing 3-wire between switches carries hot, neutral, and your signal/traveler, and the 2-wire between switch and light carries neutral and switched hot.

This requires access to one of the light boxes, as well as another power source.

Use an in-line module

Buy and install a Z-Wave "in-line" dimmer or relay in the light box to control the light.

The existing 2-wire between the light and switch would just be hot and neutral, and you'd setup the switch to control the in-line module via z-wave signalling. There is no switched-hot going to the light. The existing 3-wire between switches carries hot, neutral, and your signal/traveler.

Nice thing about this option is it doesn't require changing wiring (and thus no holes/etc). The module will cost ~$60 but that may be the cheapest option compared to the alternatives anyway.


Can I use 2x4s to extend studs so I can mount my TV?

This should be OK, but I would recommend attaching the 2x4s to studs on both sides of the TV, not just the right side as you've shown. You don't want the weight of the TV to pull the 2x4s away from the wall on the left side. A 55" TV is going to be heavy and the eccentricity caused by the spacing of the wood and the bracket will cause it to pull away.

Personally I would probably use a single piece of plywood — it will have a lower profile and will provide plenty of opportunities for getting strong fasteners into the studs. But 2x4s will be cheap (or free, if you've got some lying around), are easy to cut, and should work fine.


Do I have the right tools for drilling granite?

Definitely using the wrong drill bit. You should be using a masonry bit, which is designed for drilling into concrete, masonry, and stone. It has a different tip than a regular wood/metal bit.


The T5 fixtures have several differences the first is they are shorter than a T8 so no you can't use the T8 lamps.

2nd would be,
The tombstones are smaller in a T5 and not compatible with T8 or T12.

Last the T5 fixtures and lamps I use require 54w ballasts where the T8 only require 30-40w this may be a problem for both the ballast and the new led lamp if you could make it fit.

A new fixture is the only real path forward for T8 but T5 tombstones are inexpensive if you want to save the fixture.


How to level a section of raised concrete floor?

Grinding concrete is a very dirty job. If I had to do it I would use a 9 or 4 1/2 inch grinder with a concrete grinding wheel. At least an N95 dust mask, goggles, preferably like motorcycle riders use with the foam around the edges to keep dust out. I would put one or two shop vacuum cleaners hoses in the exhaust vent to create an air flow through the bathroom. You will need to mark where the toilet base hits and remove the toilet then grind away free hand. Leave the outside edges till last so you can put a straight edge across to measure progress. Leave the area where the toilet sits high, it wont be noticible when the tiles are in. Can you get the plumber to fix it, he screwed it up.  For the vacuum cleaner's you could remove the door and make a plastic door then you could just run the hoses under the plastic and let air be pulled in from the vent, try and have a slightly negative pressure to keep the dust in the bathroom.