The cracking is only a symptom. The symptom has previously been treated by covering with paint. Your proposed solution is simply another form of symptom treatment. The cracking will return, probably in the same time frame.

The underlying issues is what needs to be addressed to make the symptom go away. The issue is the soil under your foundation, either it is settling or you are on expansive soils

We don't have enough information to determine the source of the issue here now. I suggest getting a professional out to evaluate the situation to see if it is something that can be addressed in your budget. Otherwise, just continue covering the cracking with paint.


Put glue-ca or wood glue in now, back out the screw and then predrill and lightly countersink so the screw will hold but not force wood apart.


Should I apply waterproofer on the subfloor beneath a shower pan?

In such a high humidity environment, I'd remove the existing sub-floor and put in pressure treated plywood in the entire room.  Not out of concern for spilled water but because it's a steam shower, so your overall bathroom is going to become a playground for mold.

Update

Based on the comments to this answer, updated answer:

Since you're waterproofing the entire room, its not essential.  However, it's not a BAD idea to do it anyway - and I'd do the entire room not just the floor under the pan - because an ounce of water-proofer is worth several thousand dollars of ripped out bathroom due to rot...

Just in case your kerdi leaks, that is.


Water Supply Noise due to Thermal Expansion?

We had similar issue with hot water heater. Went through three of them in 15 years. Plumber confirmed issue was related to thermal expansion. Consider getting a thermal expansion tank on the supply side of the water heater.  If your water company installed a check valve on their side of the supply to the house, to eliminate backflow in to the city water suppy, your thermal expansion is stressing the holding tank in your water heater.  That can compromise the tank integrity, causing leaks and flooding from a ruptured tank.


Is there such a thing as wall lights that you can plug into a power outlet?

Yes, absolutely: what you want are called "wall mount plug-in lamps". You have a number of choices, e.g.:

See that pipe going downward? It's a conduit that dresses up the extension cord and protects it from getting yanked on. At the bottom is a standard plug.

These come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. I have one in my house which takes a 3-way bulb (50/100/150W) so you can get a lot of light out of them, and they often have hinges to let you swing them in and out.

Generally you will need to drill 2 holes into your drywall, hammer in a set of drywall anchors, and then attach a plate to it. (All the parts are included in the light.)

If you're renting, check with your landlord before drilling holes in the wall--but often it's easy enough to use spackle or compound to fill the holes you made, and then paint over it.


Can I Make a 14-3 cable Using Two 14-2s?

Absolutely not.

All conductors in the circuit must travel together in the same cable (i.e. sheath or jacket) or raceway (i.e. conduit), NEC 300.3.  It would only be legal to use two sets of 14-2 if they were in conduit.

The reason for this is inductive heating occurring between the cables.

Anyway, you need 14-4

You want to run three conductors: 2 messengers and a common.  That's the old way of doing it, and it's not legal anymore, because now you must provide a true neutral wire to each switch location.  That means 2 messengers, a common, and a neutral.  Get 14-4 or 14-2-2 from a proper electrical supply house, not the local bigbox.

Beat the Christmas rush: go smart-switch

The reason for mandatory neutral is the smart-switch revolution (or to be more precise, the hokey, dangerous things people to do cheat a neutral when they don't find one). Instead of fighting, you can just go with it.

Use a smart switch at the primary location, then use a smart-switch remote at the secondary location.  Some of them communicate via wireless or power line signaling, so you don't even need a datacomm wire.  Simple 14-2 will do it.  Others are entirely battery operated and don't need any wires run at all.


Is there a tool that will crimp close the end the ribs on a metal roofing panels?

Commercial standing seam roofs are systems. Very often they are fabricated with dedicated digitally controlled equipment from engineered design drawings. Eaves, soffits, and drips are likewise designed and shop fabricated. In the field, seaming is typically done with purpose specific tools.

All of which is a round about way of bringing home the idea that the infrastructure is outside the budget of most homeowners [as well as a great many residential tradespersons] and that off the shelf parts aren't readily available. Thus, it's not really a DIY sort of project for even the  skilled.


New replacement windows: what happens when I change thickness of exterior siding?

You don't need to move your windows. What you do need to do is be sure to maintain a proper drain plane. Flashing tape, metal flashings, a deeper sill, and caulk (the latter used sparingly) should handle the situation if done well.

It's a bit difficult to say more without specifics. Post a photo if you like.


What records should I make of underground infrastructure, before covering it up?

There are several things you can do:

Pictures, with clear reference points (eg, natural features of the land such as rock cuts, streams, as well as man-made structures).
Drawings using graph paper, and with GPS marking locations
For non-metallic water pipes (anything without a metal wire in it), bury a metal wire alongside (really, any kind of continuous wire will do). This will allow you to use an inductive cable locater to trace that line later. There are also some newer RFID-based tags you can get that specifically indicate types of cable/pipe (power, water, waste, gas, telephone, etc), and can be read by a special receiver.

Inductive cable locator:


Yes.

The bulbs required for most chandeliers are either the candelabra type, or Edison base type.  Just need to order some rated @ 220v.  Rewiring the chandelier is not necessary.

If using a dimmer, take note of the dimmers maximum wattage rating which here in the US are usually rated at 600 watts. 10 bulbs x 40 watt is 400 watts regardless if the voltage is 120V or 240V.


You should use ABS (black plastic sewer pipe).
I would remove (unthread) the iron elbow and thread on an ABS female adapter (it looks like 2" to me, but there is nothing in your pictures for size reference). From there I would glue up a 45° ell, a short piece of ABS pipe, then another 45° ell to accomplish the 90° turn to vertical (this will eliminate the "dead leg" of pooling rain water that likely caused the corrosion and failure of the old pipe), arranged such that the top of the last 45° ell is directly centered below the roof flashing.
Then, because it looks like there is a size change (to 3", or maybe 4", hard to tell...) glue up a bell reducer to transition to the larger pipe size. Then glue in an appropriate length of the larger pipe size to go up through the flashing. Roof tar around the flashing and done.
Because of variability by region, pricing is not on-topic here, but $599 seems like too much to me. The parts would be in the range of $35 - $70 US dollars.
Also, support the pipe with some metal strapping.


The vinyl plank click flooring I installed in two rooms develops gaps at the ends between the two rooms. Can I glue the ends together in this area?

When laying this floor you have to lock the ends in properly by tapping it several inches from the end instead of directly on the joints with a rubber mallet. If not in has a better chance of breaking breaking the locking systems


First, you can try to douse the area liberally with a penetrant to remove any rust and corrosion then grab the screw with a pair of locking pliers and twist it out.  Rather than pliers, you can try to use a screw extractor bit (easy-out), but that almost looks too small for that to work.

If that fails, the screw can be drilled out and the hole can be rethreaded.  Really what you would be doing is drilling with the proper size bit for that hole and threading with the same sized tap to remove the remaining screw rather than cutting new threads.  If that fails you can simply rethread the hole for the next largest screw.

The main point is you have a few options here, and you really shouldn't need to replace that piece.


What is the right way to mount a support column to a deck and to a header?

Use a 8" x 4" x 1/2" Steel Angled Deck Bracket: (the same thing that should be supporting 'B')

Menards

cityofchicago.org deck code, page listed as 25:


How to treat joist that has wet rot before sistering a new joist to it

In terms of sistering you don't need to treat the joist there if it has dried just sister the joists and attach the new subfloor to the new joists.
Pressure treated wood for joists and subfloor is going about this wrong. If those get wet from above things have already gone awry. If you end up with another leak in the future you'll still need to pull up everything to determine the extent of the damage.
If you are planning tile above the subfloor invest in a waterproofing system like schluter ditra as well as a good waterproofing system in the tub/shower area. Other systems are available as well.


I'm not aware of any reason for the corner of deck beams to be clipped like that other than for cosmetic purposes or clearance from something else.
My rafter tails have a lovely curved end and a little decorative notch in them, however, my deck beams are not cut back at all. The rafter tails are exposed & nicely decorated (as are most of them in our older - late 1800s to early 1900s - town), but I'm about to sister them up with square ends to hang soffit & fascia boards to cover them all up.
Most of the deck ends I've noticed around town are cut square and not clipped at all.
Figured I should make an answer out of this


I would be guessing that you have non polarized receptacles and the return is creating this issue. Flip the plug for the fan over just the fan and see if that fixes the issue.


How do I safely remove a drywall anchor from a stud?

If the anchors are wedged tight in the wood, full length, you don't really need to remove both of them, you can use leave one in. Remove just one to make everything level.

To remove it, just use a wood drill bit slightly larger then the hole and drill the plastic anchor out. Do NOT drill any deeper than the anchor length.

You can now glue in a dowel, pre-drill a pilot hole and screw in a screw at a correct height. Use a longer screw, say 3 1/2" or so, so at least some of the screw is inside the undisturbed part of your stud.

Personally, I'd just leave the anchor where it is, drill a new pilot hole where it needs to be (right through the anchor body), and use a longer screw, and not bother with gluing dowels. I wouldn't trust these glued-in dowels anyway. If your new hole needs to be slightly lower, I suggest you go with this route.

Another solution would be to abandon both anchors altogether (cut their bases flush so you can cover their holes later), and drill two new holes in a slightly different location (if this is possible in your circumstances).


What to look for in wood selection when building a coffee table frame with glass top

Knowing if the wood is appropriate depends on a lot of factors, but if you're building something close to what's in the photo you might want to consider Beech (good indoor furniture wood). White Ash has more grain and color to it. Poplar can also work (and may be more readily available in local DIY/big box stores). It will depend somewhat on your locale to build something from what's readily available and suitable for the climate.

There's nothing overly complex with the coffee table as pictured. You will want to think about the joinery methods for the various pieces of the frame to be stable and rigid.


Verify with a voltmeter that the fan is indeed getting 120V AC. If it does, and there's no physical obstruction to the fan blades, bring it back to where you bought it, the motor is faulty.

If there's no 120V, you'll need to check your wiring, and the switch. Any kind of automatic fan switch (humidity sensor, timer, etc.) is especially suspect. Replace it with a normal on/off switch and see if that solves the issue.


why is a lamp socket labeled "FOR TEMPORARY USE ONLY"?

It likely means that it is NOT designed or constructed for CONTINUOUS use and/or to be built INTO some kind of fixture.  It can handle the heat dissipation only when out in the free air, and with intermittent use. Perhaps no more than 2 or 4 hours at a stretch, etc.


Why can't I lay tiles on an uneven floor?

If the floor is concrete the best thing todo is scorch the uneven floor with a grinder making deep grooves in various directions. Clean with water jetting loose dust away. Mix some new concrete. Wet the floor again and screte it to a level But dont make it smooth just leave it slightly rough maintaing the level.
Pour water on as per concrete bag reccomebds. Usually 48 to 72 hours. Let the concrete dry for another 48 to 72 hours.
Then using tile paste and the tile tool (the one that is straight on one edge and has teeth on the other) lay the paste.

If it's a wooden moving floor. Like suspended on wooden beams and when you walk on it the glasses in your cupboard rattle then you place long as possible boards to have a flat even surface that is as continuous as possible. Make sure to find out which boards to use. I can't remember the name now. Then using the same tile paste lay your tiles. You might want to use chaulk or silicone to grout. But using normal grout is ok. It could just make hairline cracks or sometimes just a section would shatter. Just need to regrout. This is the minus side of unstable floors.

I have tiled 1 place on a place in Europe a house built in 1st world war. Some german barracks where everything vibrated when you walked on it. I used that method 11 years ago and no complaints till today.


toilet is constantly running water to tank but won’t fill

Get some food coloring and put a lot of it into the tank, you will likely see it ending up in the bowl. When it leaks into the bowl slowly, it just goes down the drain slowly without creating a "flush" action.

If you start putting the food coloring in next to the overflow tube in the tank, you will see it go into the bowl immediately, which means your fill valve needs adjusting so that it does not let the water go over the top of that tube.

If it is not, then when the coloring filters its way down to the flapper, that's when you will likely start to see it make it's way into the bowl. that means you must replace the flapper.


Replacing rotted shed flooring without changing foundation

Yes you can simply replace the plywood floor, but you really need to investigate why it rotted to begin with.


Is this 2 way light switch wired dangerously?

The only dangerous thing i see there is that that the wires is not properly inside the plug..

If you see the copper on the red wire = dangerous.

But the flicker will be because it is not screwed in properly most properly. You will need to turn off all power and look properly on the wires.. you will need to pull them .. like pulling a door to open is enough.. if wire comes out then that is the flicker problem.

Your plug should look like this with the wires... and the screws should be tight..
You see the wires are inside the holes and you cannot see any bare wire! The bare wire must only be enough for the screws to touch.. sometimes people fold it over for better contact.


How would I go about grounding this light switch?

The two bare wires in the box should be twisted together along with another short bare wire (about 4 - 6") called a pigtail, and capped with a wire nut. The other end of the pigtail should be attached to the grounding screw, shown in the picture, on the strap of the switch.


What could cause a replacement A/C condenser fan motor to only run for 3 minutes?

I had a capacitor replaced once.  Everything seemed to work fine, until 5 minutes after the a/c guy left, then the fan overheated and stopped.  I couldn't get him to come back, so I investigated and found that he hooked up the wires to the capacitor backwards; the fan was connected to the "run" prong on the capacitor and the motor to the "fan" prong.  I switched it back and it's been running fine ever since.


You can use the existing door as an example.
A few things to pay attention to:

Your hatch must be special kind that is air tight when closed. If it's insulated (styrofoam) it's a bonus. You don't need an external hatch door. The airtight fit ensures that no warm and moist air from the house mixes with cold air in the attic to form condensation and related mold problems at the hatch. That's also what the purpose of the existing vapour barrier is, the plastic foil you mention.
The existing vapour barrier must form a closed seal with the door's trim: it is glued or taped or compressed with a foam lip. Your hardware store can show you which sealing method is best for the hatch you chose. The tape and/or glue are special for vapour seals, so make sure you get the right kind.

To cut the opening you need a drywall saw. No need to drill corners first. The saw has a pointy tip to help initial protrusion. They are cheap manual things and easy to use but messy.
You will use your hatch as the cutting template. Your hatch will likely be fitted from the attic side, protruding down, with the vapour barrier lip pressing against the vapour barrier foil and drywall. Then a trim is applied to sandwich the drywall and rim, and provide a finished look. The trim also conceals the drywall edge at your cut.
For best strength, you may need to build a small a wooden frame to the back of the ceiling drywall. This relieves mechanical stresses from repeated opening and closing and prevents cracking of the drywall. The frame is then attached to both joists. One side of the hatch, usually the hinge side, is screwed into one of the joists. The other 3 sides are screwed into the trim or rim of the hatch. For the frame you'll need 2x2 or 2x3 lumber. You will also screw the ceiling drywall into the frame you built. No need to mud the screw heads if the hatch has a trim that conceals it. So make sure that the frame is positioned tightly behind the trim.
If the door is smaller than 15in you do not need to move the electrical wire. However, make sure that while you are working on the hatch and frame that you do not squeeze/pinch the wire or screw/nail into it. You could move the wire a few inches further up the joist.


How to repair subfloor softened by water damage

It may be easier to repair the sub floor from below depending on the space available. From under the floor you would install the plywood repair piece so that it (if necessary) fit between two floor joists. Good idea when you mentioned applying construction adhesive to the new piece. As a final step have some lengths of 2 x pieces ready and fasten them to the floor joists so as to support the newly installed plywood patch. There is a chance for the joists to be made of steel in which case carriage bolts would be substituted for wood fasteners (and pilot holes drilled in the steel).


Red wire spliced into a bundle of blacks?

To review the color codes:

Green, yellow/green, or bare are grounds.
white or gray are neutral, but if the wire is in a cable, it can be used as a hot if it is re-marked with paint or tape.  Many people forget the marking, but don't do it.
every other native wire color can only be used for hot.

Your lamp needs genuine neutral. Attaching it’s white wire to a hot will not work. If it does work, it's because something really weird has happened, like putting it in series with another light.  Fix that.

You have a big problem with "box fill"

In the octagon box, I see four /3 cables and two /2 cables terminating there.  (The /3 cables are round-ish with twisted wires). That is 4x3 + 2x2 conductors, or 16. All the grounds together are counted as 1 wire.  You also need to allocate 1 “wire” for all the cable clamps.   That adds up to 18.

#14 wire must be given 2 cubic inches per wire.  #12 wire needs 2.25 cubic inches.   So I count 36 cubic inches that you need.

A common 1-1/2” deep octagon box is 15.5 cubic inches.  A deep octagon box is 21.5.  So you need, at the least, one octagon box extension to give you the cubic inches you need.  There's no credit for shortening wires, so don't nip off wires to "make room".  In fact you need the length to clear the now-taller box.

Likewise the switch box has issues there too. That kind of deep steel 1-gang box is typically 18 cubic inches, or nine #14 wires.  A device like a switch or outlet takes 2 “wires", all grounds take 1 and all clamps take 1, so that leaves only 5 actual conductor wires allowable in that box. Fortunately, pigtails are free.

The easiest way to add cubic inches to a switch box is with a Legrand Wiremold "surface conduit starter kit".


Stop. Now!
Honestly, the follow up questions you've been asking lead me to believe you really don't understand how this works and I'm growing concerned that you could seriously hurt yourself!
I'm all for you learning to do this yourself, however, electricity can be deadly if you don't know what you're doing, and I don't want your family coming here after you're gone to blame us.
Wait until your buddy gets back from vacation and learn from him with hands on experience. Have him explain things to you, show you how to do it right, and how to avoid doing it wrong.
Waiting 2 weeks is far better than being dead or burning down your house. When he gets back, have him read this (and other answers) to your question, and show you how it works.
Seriously heed Harper's advice from a comment on your question:

Don't experiment. There are many combinations that you'll stumble upon, that will work (mission accomplished, button it up) but will kill you.

You've got 2 circuits in (A and B) and 3 outbound "circuits"* (1, 2, and 3).
Assuming that you want:

lines 1 and 2 to be on breaker A

put one wire nut each on all 3 White, all 3 Black and all 3 Ground wires from each of the 3 cables

line 3 will be on breaker B

Put one wire nut each on the 2 White, 2 Black and 2 Ground wires involved

If your desired connections are different, then rearrange them to match to suit your needs.
You should not need any pig-tail wires anywhere in this box. In no case will you need more than 3 wires nutted together, so, using the correct size nuts, there is no need for pig tails at all. It appears that there's a white pig tail from the nut at 12 o'clock connecting to the nut at 4 o'clock (though it may just be the angle causing confusion). If you can find ANY path between breaker A and breaker B you've done it wrong.
While you have the box open and things are fresh in your mind, I would strongly urge you to label the cables so you know which is which next time you open this up for repairs/modifications. A Sharpie applied to the white cable housing (Breaker A, Ceiling Lights, etc.) or a fancy label maker will do the trick.
* No, they're not really circuits - a circuit is based on the breaker and you only have 2 involved - but you're probably thinking of it as 3 "circuits".


Should there be waterproofing between the rim joist and ledger on new construction?

You do not need water proofing in between the ledger and the rim joist, but the joint needs protected some how.  Flashing, roofing membrane, etc.  And what ever it is needs to go under the siding and over the ledger in a continuous fashion with no seams at the ledger.  Tar paper is not enough.  Metal, EPDM, etc is what is needed.


Dumping bleach in the water risks corrosion of the pump, damaging it before long. A periodic flush may be a better choice.

You can top the crock with a piece of plastic, done in homes with radon mitigation systems. Note that this top must be properly done so as not to create an airlock. A trapped drain is built into the top.


How to support a hollow tabletop in the center?

The trestles appear to be solid wood... and the top is supposed to fit. The tabletop is said to come with predrilled legholes. Regarding the silicon rings (that came with the trestle?), Ikea says, "Plastic bumpers for holding the table top in place are included"; I think that you could drill holes in the trestles and just put the bumpers wherever they need to be- or just use a dowel rod to pin the trestle and tabletop together (since the tabletop has predrilled holes).

I would not drill all the way through the trestle-top because I wouldn't want the dowel pins to fall out through the bottom. I would be tempted to glue it, but then again, it would be easier to take it apart without glue.

Also, I'm not sure what alum angles are, and I don't see any (good) ways for attaching the table with brackets, but if you happen to have a good bracket for this, then I wouldn't object to it.


Based on the new information... It looks like the blue wire from the secondary side of the transformer is the R, which would make the yellow secondary wire C.

I should have read the transformer label, that clearly says BL (Blue) is common, and yellow is 24V.


Does it matter where a pipe is reduced when splitting the line?

No, it really doesn't matter whether you reduce at or after the split. There's no real benefit from having a length of 3/4" pipe instead of 1/2" if it gets reduced anyway.

If you were talking about an extreme distance with many bends, maybe, or if you had extremely low pressure.


Do I remove cornice when I'm getting rid of horse hair plasterboard walls?

Normally I would remove the cornice and replace it once the drywall is finished and painted - because that is usually the easiest, if you are okay with installing new crown molding.

If that's something you aren't interested in doing (perhaps it's a molding you can't copy and don't want to get rid of), then you can finish your job without removing it. First, remove the plaster down to the studs, from the floor to about an inch below the cornice. Then nail strips on each stud to shim the surface of the drywall out to the surface of the old plasterboard which is still visible under the cornice. Plaster is generally about 7/8", and if you're using 1/2" drywall, that would be a 3/8" shim the length of the stud. (You should measure the plaster thickness in several places to be sure of this thickness, though.) Rip 2x4s into a lot of 3/8" x 1-1/2" strips and cut to the length of the studs. 4 penny nails are sufficient for tacking these shims onto the studs.

Then, hang the drywall as normal. Use 1-5/8" screws so that you grab the studs behind the shim strips. When taping, run tape right up against the cornice all around the room. Then finish as you would finish any butt joint, feathering down twelve inches or so.

Once sanded and painted, no one will ever know that there is plaster behind the cornice.


3-way switch with 2 lights, alternate off/on

OK, I got off track when i read about the screw colors on the switch corresponding to colors of wires. According to the diagram, I had it correct, but I changed the hot wire to the black screw and the traveler to the brass screw and it works perfectly! Thank you all for your help


Consequences of gutter water collecting in corrugated drain pipe

You will not have a siphoning effect unless the corrugated pipe is completely filled with water and no air is allowed to enter it, which will not happen from a gutter draining into it.
No real consequences of the water sitting there. Most of the water will drain out if the pipe is perfectly level, which will be hard to do. The remaining water will be the amount that is "held in place" by the corrugated part of the piping. There will be some air flow from the gutter through the pipe so the water will probably evaporate.


Unless you are unusually clumsy, the extraordinary protective devices you've listed would be excessive.

Eye protection in the form of safety goggles or safety glasses would be appropriate. If the debris you are blasting is at or above eye level, your clear plastic shield provides sufficient protection for your entire face. An ordinary ball cap for head protection takes care of the top.

If you don't care about being soaked by the water, long sleeve shirt with a button up collar and suitable long pants and boots will protect the rest of your body. Hand protection by gloves of almost any type (other than latex or nitrile) will do the job well.

If you wish to avoid being soaked by the spray, there are inexpensive Tyvek brand full body coveralls, equipped with hoods that will shed water. I've used them to operate a weed eater and avoid the "back-spray" of vegetative matter from the cutter. It would be well suited for use with a pressure washer in the environment you describe. All that would be needed beyond the coveralls is a pair of gloves, as the suits include built-in booties.

The bounced spray has very little power. I've been struck in the face with bounced spray and it has approximately the force of a strong rain. You may already be aware that the direct force of the spray can cut skin. I can confirm that.

I suspect the biggest danger to which you will be exposed is debris and gravity. If the debris is small and the distance is short, neither item should be much of a factor. The air space under a Tyvek coverall and the fabric will absorb much of that energy.


Since the power is intermittent, this indicates a circuit that is being made and broken, and could end in a high-resistance state, rather than off or on. That spot with high resistance would get very hot if there is a substantial load, possibly leading to a fire in a circuit box or in the wall itself.

Bring in a certified electrician to fix this, rather than risk a house fire.


What can I do about joist framing in brick pockets that is uneven and loose?

You should shim under the loose joists with steel shims, not cement, because cement causes wood to deteriorate. Large galvanized washers and small steel plates can be used as shims. The framing block in between the joists are called bridging and in an old house I would space them about 4' on center. You can off set each row by 1 1/2" which will enable you to blind nail through the joists which minimizes toe nailing. Use 3/4 tongue. And groove ply glued and screwed to the joists and bridging. I would use pl400 for glue and 2" exterior screws spaced about 8" apart. If a second layer of ply is desired you should also glue and screw it the same as the first sheet. Try to hit the joists. Use a chalk line to mark the joists. If a solid wood finished floor is being installed 1 layer of 3/4 plywood is all you need.if a ceramic tile,stone or wood laminate floor is going in use 1/2 ac plywood over the sub-floor.


It's possible because a range has it's electrical requirements calculated based on a certain usage pattern that might not be realistic.  They might require 40A, because if you turn on the oven and all the elements, it's going to draw 40A.  But, no one really does that.  You might use the oven and one element, or no oven and two elements...

That's the answer of "how is it possible that my neighbors are doing this".  The range will work.  Heck, if you only use one thing at a time then I bet you could make it work on a 20A circuit.  The circuit breaker or fuse protects the wiring in the walls, so if you use more than 30A, the fuse should blow, and there should be no danger.  The problem is, that's a lot of shoulds and you're working with very old wiring.

So, as with most electrical "rules", it comes down to safety and liability.  Sure, you can install a 40A range and it will probably work fine - right up until it doesn't.  If a fire starts in the condo walls, is it your fault because you installed the wrong range?  Will insurance cover the damage if it was an improperly installed appliance?  Would someone die?  At the very least, it would void the warranty of the new range.

The point is that you can do a lot of "illegal" stuff with wiring, and it will work just fine.  It might never cause a problem and work great forever, but there are edge cases that he electrical codes guard against.  The codes tell you how to be as safe as possible.

To sum up, and answer your question, I think that using a 40A range on a 30A circuit is low risk with normal range usage, but all bets are off if you have people over and they start turning on more burners than normal.  You should upgrade the wiring to be safe.  Or... just repair the old range.


Is it normal for a 1" Lawn Sprinkler repair to leak only under pressure?

The pressure in the tubing will be lower if there is an open-end or slightly-open-end.
If the supplying valve is a normal tap (i.e. not a ball valve) that pressure is even lower, because usually the center hole of the tap is smaller than the outgoing tubing.

When you close the hole, the pressure increases measurably, because the outflow that mitigated the pressure has stopped and now the full main pressure can be applied to the tube's walls and couplings.

Now if the couplings or tube has a tiny hole, that can mean it leaks only when the end of the tube is closed.

Imagine having a 0.1" (2.54mm) hole and a chunk of clay. If you gently push the clay against the hole, nothing goes through. If you put your weight on it, you will get the clay through quite quickly.
In very small openings the water can act exactly as the clay, too low pressure and it will not want to go through the hole, but rather out the sprinkler. Too much pressure and it will squirt out, because it has nowhere else to go.


What would make one of the hot legs on the main breaker burn and get brittle?

What happened to burn the leg was some combination of two things:

You were pulling excessive amperage through the leg without the breaker tripping to protect the circuit from the overload, resulting in overheating of the overloaded leg.
The leg was connected to the breaker lug poorly/incompletely, causing a high resistance which overheated under normal loads.

For the first, I'd use a clampmeter to diagnose the overload situation.  For the second, I'd check for a sagging voltage on that leg (as testing resistance from lug to wire would require the utility to pull the meter).


A key question, as noted in the comments, is whether this is a real 3-way setup, where either switch can be used at any time to turn the light on or off, or some sort of "crazy thing" (like in the dining room I grew up with - timer replaced one 3-way switch and we had to always remember to leave the other switch "on").
Assuming this is a proper 3-way switch, with one of the switches being the dimmer:

Turn off power at the breaker
Open up the dimmer switch. You should find 3 wires (plus possibly a green or bare ground wire).
Determine which wire is common (which may be hot or switched hot, but doesn't actually matter much) and which two wires are travellers. How you do that will vary depending on the setup. If the wires attach to screws on the dimmer then usually two screws will be one color and the 3rd screw will be a different color. The screws with the same color should be the travellers. Or the wires may actually be labelled on the dimmer. But color (except green for ground) is no guarantee of anything (unless wires are part of the dimmer and labelled on the dimmer). If it isn't 100% clear, upload pictures before disconnecting any wires.
Remove the dimmer and install a simple 3-way switch (you can get regular or Decora, plus get a face plate to match). The new switch will come with instructions that should make it very clear which wires or screws are for the travellers.
Put everything back together and turn on the power.


The plaster/joint compound has cracked along the line of the corner-bead below. Adding tape to your repair will strengthen the repair (reduce likelihood of re-cracking) but will also require you to remove paint and plaster to the width of the tape, all along the crack, or you will see a bulge. That said, I recommend doing it.


Two switchboxes, power through light - how is this wired?

Here's how your circuit is connected.

I've changed blue to white, I've labeled the screws on your 3-ways, and I've put red, black and yellow tape on a few wires to designate their function.  Red is switched-hot for lamps.

Now, we have 3 separate circuits here in close proximity.  I added "Chinese Walls" to separate them. No wire can cross those, except ground.

Now when you want to add additional lamps to a circuit that already switches one lamp, the best place to extend it is from the lamp.  But that's not what you're asking, is it?  You can extend anywhere you can get switched-hot for that light and the neutral for that light! Neutral from another circuit will not do!

For instance lamp 1, you can see the left side of switch box 1 has the actually-red wire and the actually-white wire on the left side of the box.  That's an acceptable place to tap for more lamps with lamp 1.
Lamp 2, the only place genuine neutral (not white-wire-used-for-another-purpose) and switched-hot (black marked red) coexist is in the light 2 box.  That is the only place. You cannot tap switch box 2 because there is no neutral whatsoever in switch box 2.  Even if switch 3 brought down neutral, you couldn't use it because it's from a different circuit.


Can we mount a TV over a fireplace with the chimney directly behind it?

When in use, the chimney itself will be at a higher temperature than ambient. Just how high will depend on several factors: materials used, thickness, fire heat output, etc. You can get an idea of just how hot just by touching the visible part of the chimney with your hand, and a more precise reading from an IR gun. This is actually a desirable feature, since the chimney radiates heat into the room.

On the other hand, the television is electronics. The individual components radiate some heat (flat-screen give off less than old cathode-ray tubes, but still), but do not like to work at high temperatures - which is why you will find heat sinks on some components and air vents all around the back of the television set: to get some air moving and cooling the electronics inside.

So, in the first place putting the television on the chimney is probably not a good move for the set itself. The manufacturer may or may not specify in the documentation just how much ambient heat is acceptable, but as a rule of the thumb anything above 40C (about 105F) is a no-no, will void the guarantee and shorten lifespan. Unless it actually starts melting the plastic ... and please don't laugh, I have seen it happen.

If you do decide to proceed, I would make sure to use some isolation. If you use plastics or foams, make sure they can stand the heat. Otherwise, just leaving a separation or air gap between the set and the chimney wall may be enough to isolate the television from the heat.

Also take into account any metal fixtures you use to actually bear the weight of the television. Since metal transmits heat, you should try to reduce their section (while still being strong enough for their purpose). Steel would be better than aluminum, and much better than bronze or copper (steel conducts less heat).

HTH.


Just extend the pigtail with a wire nut. Wire nuts and other splices ARE allowed in panels per NEC.


Sump pump only turns on when I open the lid - working ok?

It's likely that the flexible output hose is interfering with the pump float. When you close the lid the hose flexes into an S shape, laying on  top of the float.
The best solution is to eliminate the flexible hose in that area and replace it with rigid pipe, but you can also secure the hose in such a way that it can't settle like that. Make sure the lid is installed with the hose to the opposite side of the pail from the float.
One thing I've done is to use a couple bricks in the bottom of the pail to maintain the pump's location. If it vibrates its way over to one side the float can get stuck that way as well. Put some bricks below the float area to prevent that.
Were that my home I'd get a garden hose down there and flush/scrub all that algae out of the pail and off the equipment. It can't be smelling too great. Flush the area until the water is clear, and remove any large debris that remains.
At the start of the dry months, when the groundwater is no longer flowing, lift the float and hold it until you hear the pump suck air. This will dramatically reduce future scuzz growth. You could also pour a small amount of chlorine bleach in there.


Hand-Spray Bidet Connection didn't work due to smaller existing pipes

Look for a compression fitting.in the plumbing department. Something like this as it's hard to guess the sizes by the picture.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-2-in-OD-Compression-x-3-8-in-MIP-Brass-Adapter-Fitting-800959/207176460?MERCH=REC-_-searchViewed-_-NA-_-207176460-_-N


Why are two outlets on one circuit suddenly reading 16V?

You have bad wiring or a bad outlet. Turn off the breaker for that circuit immediately as this type of problem can cause arcing or heating at the site of the break, possibly leading to a fire. And no, this type of failure may not trip a breaker.

Depending on your comfort working with household voltages and wiring, you can start troubleshooting by figuring out where the wire for those outlets start and inspecting the end for corrosion, nicks on the conductor, or breaks in the conductor or insulation. Also try replacing the outlets themselves, including the outlet before the non-working outlets.

A quick anecdote: an outlet in my previous house that had been working fine for years developed this weird behavior where if something was plugged in, nothing else in the room worked. Turns out that the outlet had a manufacturing defect that only became apparent after 4 years of use.


Unless my house was all brick and done well I would not let ivy grow on it.  Ivy spreads out and finds its way in any crack.  As the ivy matures it grows thicker to keep spreading.  As it grows thicker it will push out on things once it is in the crack.  I have ivy on a chain link fence in back yard and fence is ruined.

Think about the ivy getting in between the gutters and house.  It just grows so quick during some parts of the year that you might have to potentially check every couple days.

Nonstructural Note:  The bad ivy (poison) can grow with the good.  Taking down the ivy on my back fence resulted in 2 bouts of poison ivy for me.

Obvious Note:  Ivy holds water.  So anything that can decay, rot, warp, or whatever due to water will not last as long.  Also Fiasco Labs has a great point with their "suckers" that they use to attach.  Within a year of freshly painted house you could need a new paint job because of them.


What could be causing my three way switch to malfunction?

You have a simple mis-wire somewhere. As previously stated, you need to open both switches and see how everything is wired. Get a few good diagrams of common 3-way wiring patterns and see if one is like the way yours are wired. A Google search will bring up many.
The position of the switches does NOT matter at all. What matters is identifying the feed wire, the load wire and the travelers. In many cases even colors don't matter (or at least are not consistent).


Drain gurgling due to blocked sewer pipe?

Gurgling is caused by a partial blockage of either the sewer or the vent.  This blockage could be in the main sewer pipe leaving your house, or anywhere in the waste pipes of your house.  Likewise with the venting.

Without finding where the blockage is, you cannot say with any certainty that the belly in your sewer is the problem.  Video inspection is probably a good idea in your case.


Is it normal for a hammer drill bit to wobble?

I have 3 or 4 hammer drills some combo units and 1 is just a large hammer / demo drill model. None of mine have the wobble you are describing brands I have are hilti, dewalt and milwaukee. For tile I would not use a hammer function but a standard drill and a diamond coated or carbide / grit coated bit. I would think the hammer action will crack the tile, I am sure it would on most natural stone tiles as they tend to crack with a wet diamond saw.


How can I waterproof this weak spot in my roof tile where pipe goes through it?

I would take a piece of flexible rubber sheeting approximately 12"X12", cut a hole in the rubber about the size of the tubing (make it a tight fit), near the center, and slit the rubber from the edge to the cut hole. Fit the rubber sheet around the tubing and use silicone caulking to seal the underside of the rubber, the slit area and between the tubing and rubber sheet. Use a lot of a good silicone caulk (not the cheap stuff or spray foam), 2-3 Tubes of caulking should suffice. Lastly, coat the whole top of the rubber sheet with a thick film of caulking and spread with a cheap paint brush to coat the whole rubber sheet out past the edges.


What Transformer for Smart video Doorbell

OK, you need a transformer that delivers 16-24 volts and 30 VA. The 30 VA is equal to 30 watts. The first transformer you're looking at have windings that will give you three different voltages, depending on what voltage you need. None of the configurations deliver 30 watts or 30 VA. The second transformer gives one voltage, 16 Volts and 10 watts or 10 VA.  Keep looking for a transformer that will deliver what your specifications call for. the smart video systems require more power than the old hard wired ones.


What are pros/cons of skylight placement?

I think you've figured out the pros/cons already: solar gain and light brightness.

I'd place them on both sides for symmetry, but without seeing the room, that's just a random thought.

A pet peeve of mine is cheap skylights, though. If you're going to invest in these, consider doing it right and get a model that:

can be opened (a easy way to help cool the house in summer)
can be opened remotely (you want powered windows)
has some form of shades/blinds

Nice to haves:

rain detection (will close for you if it detects rain)
internal power shades (to 'soften' direct light)
external power black-out shutters (for when you want full sun blocked)


Tying a switched line into a switched line

Electrical work should really be done by a licensed Electrical Contractor.
Please only undertake DIY wiring if you REALLY understand what you are doing.

What you are suggesting is not ideal, and should be avoided if possible.
How are you planning to switch the new fittings?
Sometimes, for example when retrofitting say an exhaust fan to a bathroom or WC, there is no access, and the only way is to tap into the light, generally using a pull-cord switch.  Not ideal but sometimes unavoidable.


What is correct vapour barrier method for bathroom ceiling in a bungalow in Canada

Most of the time in a house in Canada you would have 6-10mil plastic over the drywall in the ceiling.

However the answer isn't that easy and the vapor barrier isn't needed for sure.

It also depends on the type of insulation that you have (faced or not), what other types of barriers are installed in your attic, and really what is on the rest of your house.

So from this picture I would get a ladder and look at what was in the next room on the ceiling.  I would do the same thing.

My personal opinion... is that I don't like a vapor barrier in the attic above a bathroom.  Unless you paint the hell out of your ceiling (which I do for bathrooms including two coats of Killz oil based primer) water will get into the drywall.  It might after 4 coats too...  So I want that water to be able to escape, not be trapped in a vapor barrier.


Can I flush patch a speaker box on a wall with spackle for wallpaper

In order to recess the blank cover plates into your drywall, you could try finding the smallest blank cover you can get. They do make them in smaller and larger sizes, though you may need to shop around a bit.
Once you found one that's smaller than what's on there now, install it on the box, and mark the outline on the wall. Remove the plate, trim the drywall around your markings, and re-install the blank cover. It will now be recessed behind the drywall, unless the box itself is exactly flush or protrudes out.
Now you could use tape and drywall mud to make the area flush and apply whatever covering you would like.

Alternatively, you could also remove the boxes completely, for example, by using a saw to cut through the nails that hold them to the joist and then pulling them through the hole. You would then place a thin, short board through the opening (like a piece of 1x4 ripped to fit easily, or plywood), and use that to fix some cut-out drywall into the hole, and then patch as you normally would.
It would look something like this before you place the patch piece over the wood:


Useless soffit on on low ceiling. Cover-up or stupid aesthetic?

It was popular in the 1980s and 90s to have soffits above the kitchen cabinets. So to directly answer your question Yes there is some justifiable reason to have remodeled to then-current trends, such as if one was trying to maximize resale value at the time, or were just beginning to modernize the entire house. Of course that is based on personal preferences, how the remodel matches the rest of the house, neighborhood, etc.  Clearly you do not like the choices the previous owners had made in the 1990's to follow then-current design trends, although one could guess they probably shared your loathing for the original 1940's styles (or lack thereof) and were similarly trying to do something about it on a reasonable budget, and that is a common thing that people do.

Its funny to think that if you do modernize your interior to today's design trends, then thirty years from now the future owner will think the dated look is also stupid!

Oftentimes in practice soffits only cover up empty space above the cabinets, which, at the time they were installed was a design trend in new construction and remodels.  The only reason they were installed was to cover up the 'unsightly' void which was considered unpopular at the time. I have removed soffits from an old house that were installed in the 1990s and found nothing behind them, but that doesn't means yours are that way!

Here is a website that talks about this design trend, and with several pictures of how to make them look nicer.


Can I add/install overhead kitchen cabinets without a wall?

Adding a wall beside an island seems a major step backwards from current trends of open and airy interior architecture, which have been steadily embraced for decades.  The obvious solution would be to add a drop down wall, or even just suspend cabinets from the ceiling, like this:
.
(found here).

One idea to help integrate that into the kitchen would be to add beams over the rest of the room:

To do this right requires cutting some holes into the ceiling, tying bracing into the ceiling joists, and then repairing the ceiling.  This is a medium sized job for a competent contractor, costing anywhere from $500 to $3000 depending on the scale and specifics of your house.  As a do-it-yourself, it is perhaps $50 in materials plus the cabinets and 20 to 60 hours of effort, most of which is drywall work to match the rest of the ceiling.


How to trim an exterior door to fit new flooring

Take your door off and get a good look at the bottom. There's a fair chance it's an aluminum or steel skin on a wood core. If so, you'll want to get a blade (I'm assuming circular saw is your weapon of choice, here) that's rated for whatever you've got. In addition, you'll want a U-shaped door sweep (well, 3 sides of a box, really) to cover up any nasty metal edges.

Best practice would be to splash a bit of primer on the raw wood you've exposed.

Depending on the configuration of your door, a new threshold might be a good thing.

At a minimum, wear eye and ear protection... a nuisance dust mask is also a good idea.


You can run the fridge but not the dishwasher as shown in exhibit 210.28. It also depends on where you live local code may have exemptions or tougher requirements. I usually run a dedicated circuit for the fridge. There is an exception that allows a gas stove igniter and a clock outlet on the 2 small appliance circuit.
The wording is counter top a dishwasher, Garbage disposal, trash compactor and in some cases a built in microwave require additional circuits. It really depends on local requirements. But Exhibit 210.28 clearly shows the fridge not gfci protected and on 1 of the 2 small appliance circuits. (The Exhibit is 2 drawings of methods that can be used for the required 2ea 20 Amp small appliance circuits in the 2014 NEC hand book).


Your best answer is to move. <grin>
Replacing the glass with windows designed for this can help, but IMHO they don't do enough to be worth their high price.
You could try exterior mounted bamboo slat sun blinds (they would be easy to raise and lower) But I think they would only drop it by 3-4 dB.
A better and cheaper thing to try would be to glue old carpet to the underside of the balcony above you.  Would look ugly as sin, but 2 foot long strips a foot wide, with 3 inches glued to the upper balcony, and the remainder hanging down would put a big dent on sound reflections.
It should be possible to create a device that has a microphone that you fasten to the outside of the window at the center, and a device inside that picks up the mike signal and vibrates the inner window out of phase.
While this would work for sound that is coming straight on, with the peak arriving at the entire pane essentially simultaneously, coming from below there will be considerable delay between a wave crest reaching the lower and upper part of the window.  (An 8 foot window is about 1/120 of a second corresponding to about 120 Hz (approximating sound at 1000 ft/s) )  To cope with this you would need to have a phase difference between the bottom and top of the window.

It's been/being done.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/11/science/windows-street-noise.html#:~:text=Researchers%20in%20Singapore%20have%20developed,Nanyang%20Technological%20University%20in%20Singapore.
Denoise is selling them now.  But only claims 90% reduction.  That's about 30 dB  https://denoize.com/residents/  Costs are about 500 english pounds per square meter.  Window has to be replaced, not a a retrofit to existing windows.
However a search did not reveal anything as simple as what I described above.


Why do fluorescent lighting tombstones melt?

Keep that is the guess of some yo-yo's on a discussion forum, and even though it's an electrician forum, fluorescent internals are not really their bailiwick.  (Being unclear on whether T8 and T12 have same pin spacing? Please.)

But it's not untrue; instant-start ballasts can have some fairly impressive arcing, since they see bad contact in a tombstone as the lamp being unstruck, so they bump the voltage to strike the lamp.  This is series arcing.  That is a bug in instant-start (one wire per lamp end) ballasts, and I have not seen it in rapid-start or programmed-start ballasts.

The root cause is still a tombstone or lamp fitment problem.

And by the way, that kind of burn-up is why I do not like the idea of 120V on a tombstone, as single-ended LED tubes require.

All electronic ballasts can be excluded by the fact that they flicker much faster than 120 Hz.  Spin a pinwheel or anything like that with the light in the background, even just waving your hand across may suffice.  If you get the stroboscopic  "wagon wheels going backwards" effect, it's magnetic.


Can I add USB outlets to bath/hall lighting circuit box (not GFCI)?

No, Class 2 power outlets (such as USB receptacles) are not required to have GFCI protection

This can be drawn from the fact that the GFCI requirements in NEC 210.8(A) are specifically restricted to 125V, 15 and 20A receptacles:

  (A) Dwelling Units. All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in the locations specified in
  210.8(A)(1) through (10) shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.

  (1) Bathrooms

and is further justified by the definition of Class 2 circuit in 725.2 already taking shock hazards into account:

  Class 2 Circuit. The portion of the wiring system between the
  load side of a Class 2 power source and the connected equip‐
  ment. Due to its power limitations, a Class 2 circuit considers
  safety from a fire initiation standpoint and provides acceptable
  protection from electric shock.

(See also the fact that 210.8 is not referenced in NEC 725.3.)


Exists: power to outlet1 to outlet2 to switch - can't change wiring, would like switch to control only outlet #2

Connect the white wire between outlet #1 to #2 to the neutral screw on outlet #2. (Do not break the tab on the neutral side.)
Break the tab on the hot side of outlet #2.
Use a wirenut and a short piece of black wire to connect the two black wires for outlet #2 to one hot screw on outlet #2. This will be your unswitched outlet.
Connect the white wire to the other hot screw. This will be your switched outlet. Wrap some electrical tape around the ends of the white wire from the switch. This is an indicator to future people that the wire is a switched hot, and not a neutral.

Note:

If this is new construction or a permitted remodel where you have removed the drywall (and you therefore have to meet the newer electrical code),
Or you want to install a smart switch that requires a neutral wire...

...then you will have to replace the cable between outlet #2 and the switch with some /3 cable. In that case, you would use the red wire between the switch and the outlet, and instead connect the white wire to the neutral side of outlet #2, and leave the white wire unconnected in the switch box (or connected to you smart switch).


Stop payment on the check

This guy is not a real electricion.  This work is a hack job, with shortcuts all over the place that are insanely dangerous, and have never been legal, ever.

I guarantee you no permit was pulled, either.  The inspector would not have signed off on this.

Subpanel connection pretends neutral=ground. Dangerous!

On the subpanel connection, the person is completely ignoring "Neutral is not ground" and doing something that was never legal, using the ground wire as neutral.  It will kinda sorta "work", but if anything goes wrong with that ground wire, it will electrify every ground in the shed, and possibly, in the house.  It's much worse than the old NEMA 10 killer.

No ground bars in the subpanel

Hello!  Neutral and ground need to be separated in the subpanel.  Ground bars are like $6, so this was a very cheap negligence.

I'll lay dollars to donuts there's no ground rod, either.

No disconnect in the shed

There's no main breaker in the shed - that's the usual way you install a disconnect switch for an outbuilding.

The panel is UNFUSED, WTH!!!!!

The feed cable to this subpanel has no fuses whatsoever.  Nothing will keep this cable or subpanel from exploding into flame.

This is just not giving a damn.  Negligence of staggering proportion.

The panel is double-tapped

Those lugs that the wires are hung onto -- are not made or rated for two wires.  You can only put 1 wire per lug.

This is the bare minimum rigging to get it to barely work.  I'd exepct this type of work in Kowloon City or Bangkok. Faked it and hoped you wouldn't notice. I would actually talk to the AHJ and warn that this clown is operating in your town.


Recommendation for mounting transfer switch to vinyl sided exterior wall

The first option that comes to mind is U-strut. (Channel strut or C-channel)

Photo from fireequip.com.au
The first two struts would be mounted vertically  on studs with at least  three points. Use   double ended lag screws, (wood threads on one side and machine threads on the other)

Pilot drill through the siding/foam board and into a stud. Drive the appropriate length lag in so that a nut on it will be proud of the siding. Then on each lag goes a nut, big flat washer, U-strut, washer nut. Now you have two solid vertical rails to work with.
You can mount horizontal U-strut to these or a board, You have many options.
A YouTube search will give many sources of info on U-strut.


Prevent Sound from Entering Mattress through Bed Legs

I don't think it's practical to come up with a definitive answer without experimentation, but I would try these:

sheets of rubber, such as what is sold in the plumbing section of the hardware store, maybe folded over a couple times
sound isolating feet sold for washers/dryers


Join multiple independent electrical heaters under one thermostat or one control hub

Since you have an Aube TH108, you will need a line voltage thermostat. They do make smart thermostats and wifi connected thermostats capable of switching line voltage.

If you want something like a Nest or EcoBee, you'll also need something like an Aube RC840T-240 to provide the 24 volts they expect and act on the low voltage signals they provide.


Most often the ends of the closet rod are captured in some type of round pocket holders that attach to the shelf support board. So the rod could be removed from these and thus be re-positioned.

Your easiest solution may very well be to purchase two more of these same support brackets and install one on each end and one in the middle as you showed in your picture. The rod can then be supported by the three new brackets in similar manner.

I am not a huge fan of metal closet rods and by far prefer a wooden rod. With the three bracket solution you have the option to replace the metal one with a wooden one.


Is it worth replacing globe valve with ball valve for my main shutoff?

YES!   I came across a 10:1 flow rate differential between 3/4 ball (25 GPM) and 1/2 globe (2.2 GPM)  There's almost a 50% reduction, just going from 3/4 pipe to 1/2 pipe (I inferred the pipe size flow differential by comparing 1/2" and 3/4" ball valves of the same type here).  Table 2 here Compares 2" ball at 228 and a globe at 44 for a ratio of 5:1, then add in pipe diameter and 10:1 seems reasonable.

Be sure they put in a full port ball valve in bronze with drain (on house side).
Full port has the least flow restriction.  Bronze is safe for potable water, the drain is for future repairs to drain the lines.


A standard lockset could be inset into the face of the door, so that 95% has full insulation.  You will also need to consider hinge screw locations in the edge of the door.


So you are (if I get your idea correctly) looking at two large-diameter log sections, large enough that two of them would serve as all the legs needed for your table? Could be a nice look.

If you get lucky, you might find a hollow beech. Pine, less likely in usable form - if it's hollow it's usually also rotten outside that.

Assuming you don't get lucky: Your logs/cylinders have two ends, really - coat them both with something. But the biggest factor is to QUICKLY (or at least before bringing them inside where they will start to dry faster) hollow them out all the way through (not just at one end) so that they can shrink without excessive cracking. A large Forstner drill bit is probably the best method for doing this unless you have access to a large wood lathe, (but if you did, you probably wouldn't be asking this question or contemplating a chainsaw/chisel attempt at it.)

Lay out a circle on the end of the log, and drill overlapping holes to remove the bulk of the wood. Using a large-diameter bit (3 inches or so) will allow you to drill down to where the body of the drill is inside the cavity while still being straight. You will have to drill in stages, and probably from both sides. i.e. take a 18" diameter log, lay out a 14" diameter circle, and drill overlapping 3 inch holes all around the inside of the 14" circle, 3 inches deep; having made 3 inches of depth to work in (so that there is room to get the drill down that far), resume drilling another 3 inches deep, all over,  repeat once more, then flip and start from the far side and you can hollow an 18 inch long log.

You can also use any of the (often overly complex) methods that folks dream up for "primitive drums" if you like - I'm simply promoting the quickest way I know, not making use of a large lathe...

If a more finished look worked for you, you could also buy some sonotube (very heavy cardboard concrete form tube) and apply wood veneer to the outside of it.


what the best option to deal with a rusting screw in drywall?

Rust will continue to rust.

Remove it (them) and replace it (them) with coated drywall screws, which resist rust.

Then fill and paint.

P.S. The cause of the rust may be a leak in the wall behind the board. If so, you have a bigger problem that this cosmetic fix will not solve.


How can I replace an aluminum window spiral balance?

At the end of the spiral balance is a small hole... you will need a tool for this... (look on line and buy one ) it has a small hook on it... move your spiral up by hand until it stops... take  the tool insert tip into hole  and turn the spiral about 10 times... ( clockwise ) ... then using that same tool move the spiral up in to the area that will hold it...( this might not be easy ) but it will kind of be on a ledge that will hold the two small pins... the tension will hold it up... do both sides so the number of times is 10 and giving the same tension on both sides.... slowly raise the window...
Good luck !


You may have a lose connection at the main or in the meter. Check the areas above the branch breakers. Particularly at the main breaker the main bus below the breaker and the lugs at the meter. Look for signs of overheating or burnt insulation. Also if you have an infrared thermometer look for hot spots the drop could be coming from the internal parts of a breaker. Picture attached for an example.

It may not look as bad but it will in time. If you find the location you need to replace that piece of equipment asap.

Good Luck


Should I stain or paint my blotchy concrete?

I think the white spots are lime leaching up to the top. If the concrete stays wet, that is hard to stop. Sealing the concrete can help but it can wick up moisture from below too. I stained an interior slab and haven't had this problem but I think there is plastic below the slab. But personally I think your concrete looks fine. I would find another project to worry about.


What type of control joint is best for my concrete project?

Cut joints are smaller and straighter, generally speaking. I personally prefer them for that reason. They do require a return visit, however, and therefore may cost more. One possible downside is the sharp edges that are left, which can chip away and degrade appearance depending on the use case.

Tooled joints can be done at finishing time, and if done well don't degrade from the final appearance of the project. They are larger, though, and therefore can collect more debris. They do tend to be more durable due to the rounded corners.

A quick search does return quite a bit of discussion on this.


I'm not sure this is within the scope of DIY but DSL issues are almost always a result of interference on the line.  A site like dslreports.com would probably be a good place to start.  Either way, I'll type out a long winded answer because I spent a few years doing DSL troubleshooting for earthlink a while ago and this is an issue near and dear to my heart.

Also, I would find out exactly what the ISP means by "Everything looks good".  They certainly have specific things they are measuring for so you will want to find out what those things are.  My guess is that they just came out while it was working and ran some line tests which usually won't exactly tell you much about when it's failing.  Also, do they see the connection drop from their end when the problem happens?  The phone support techs should be able to answer this (from authentication logs) if you don't already know.

If the connection is fine most of the time but occasionally stops working (as in the sync light on the modem/router goes off), then the techs that come out aren't going to find a problem because when they are there, it was working fine.

Possible sources of interference for DSL are numerous.

Landline phones being unfiltered - All sides of every path the phone lines travel that do NOT lead to the modem need a filter.  This is frequently done either via a single filter in the box on the outside of the house if your modem has a dedicated line from that box with nothing else on it.  If that isn't the case, you need to have a filter on every other device that uses the phone lines.

Wireless landline phones (not cell) - the wireless frequencies by some phones will cause interference with the DSL signal.

Home security systems - these frequently phone home occasionally and are often missed when installing the above filters.

Speakers - if your phone line happens to run along the wall behind a pair of entertainment speakers, you might have problems there.

Microwaves - pretty unusual to have a phone line running near a microwave but it will likely cause problems if it does.

Basically, almost anything inside your house that uses electricity can cause interference for DSL lines which is why they always recommend you get a dedicated line ran from the box to your modem and that the line be as short as possible.  Try paying attention to what else in the house is being used when the internet cuts out (and verify the modem loses sync when it happens).  If the internet cuts out when someone turns on a light in a specific room, or when the TV is turned on, or the AC kicks on, (etc, etc, etc) then you will have a better idea of where to start looking.  If possible, at least temporarily, put the dsl modem as close (measured by length of wire needed to hook it up) to the box on the outside of the house as possible.  Then run networking cable inside the house (this is temporary..run it down the hallway if necessary) to the computer(s).  If you can unhook all the telephones long enough to troubleshoot, that would also help.  Just unhook all the lines out in the box besides the one going to the modem.  If the problem goes away, start plugging phones and other stuff back in until it comes back.  By process of elimination, you should be able to figure out what is causing the issue and maybe even be able to determine how to fix it.

As for who to call to fix it.  I always like to chat up the techs that come out to find out if they seem like they know what they are doing or if they are just following a manual.  If they know what they are doing, I will usually try to get their personal contact info (even just an email address) and work something out with them on the side if a need ever arises.  some will, some wont (they really shouldn't since they are likely not insured themselves and work won't be happy if they find out their techs have been moonlighting with their customers) but generally speaking, most of them can always use the extra cash on the side.  Failing that, I would simply ask around.  Everyone knows someone who has a wiz-kid who understands computer networking and you can probably get the problem fixed for far less than an electrician charging $100+/hr.


Can I use two 30amp breakers instead of one 60amp?

You definitely do not want to do this. One of the reasons is if one of those 30A breakers were to trip it would leave the other half of the circuit to carry more current than it would normally be safe for it to handle.

Sure you might say that if the second breaker circuit saw a current overload then that breaker would also trip but this is not always assured. A 30A breaker is not going to instantly trip at say 30.001A. Whatever operating margin that second breaker would allow continued current to flow to the load overrating the 30A conductor on that half of the circuit.

So do this right and install a 60A breaker and new wiring suitable for 60A circuit.


what caused this new small dark hole on my hardwood floor recently?

It's likely a knot that came loose.  The circular grain around it sure makes it look that way.  The wood can turn blackish like this if water gets in there and sits which could easily have happened with a small hole like that.

How a Pin Knot is formed. Broken branch with encased dead twig, when the branch split under snow load, the twig slid through the surrounding wood, surviving intact. Same thing happens on tree trunks when small branches die and don't break off.


How to select a good Triangle (Speed square?)

For marking right angles, a try square is a good choice.

You might also want to consider a Japanese style square.


Yes, but you'll have to change the breakers to 20A.  You can't have 12AWG wire downline of a 30A breaker.  (NEC 240.4).

And I presume you'll want to fit common 15A or 20A receptacles, and those are only allowed on 15A or 20A circuits.  (with an exception allowing 15A receptacles on 20A circuits; no other substitutions allowed.)  NEC 210.21(B)(3).

Another problem is you're talking about running two separate 120V circuits to an outbuilding.  That is not allowed.  You can only have 1 circuit of any particular voltage, unless by nature the circuit has a special requirement e.g. a lighting circuit that needs to be switched from the main building. (NEC 225.30) You can have exactly one 120V circuit, and if you want to plug anything into it, it must be 15A or 20A. (210.21b3).  You can also have a 240V circuit.

The normal way you handle multiple circuits to an outbuilding is one single feeder that feeds a sub-panel.  You can only have one, but the subpanel can support any number of 120V, 120/240V, and 240V circuits.

The subpanel can be any amperage.  It can then have any number of 15A or 20A circuit breakers in the subpanel protecting individual branch circuits, or circuits of other sizes.


Does the pilot flame of a gas furnace stay on for the duration of a heating cycle?

This is an edited answer

After reviewing the additional information provided above along with relevant information obtained from this post: What is wrong with my gas furnace? I have entered my answer below.

The "something red hot" in your furnace is apparently a "hot surface ignitor".  The red hot glow is produced by passing current through the ignitor and is the intended function.

Now, to my concern for your safety:

I originally stated that there did not appear to be a thermocouple on your furnace.  While I maintain that there is indeed no thermocouple, I also add that the hot surface ignitor is likely monitored by the control module in the furnace.  While I am not intimately familiar with this furnace nor the application of such an ignitor, I can safely presume that the control module senses the resistance of the ignitor and can tell this way whether the pilot light is lit or not.

One way to verify my assumption about the control of gas flow would be to remove the connector for the ignitor while the unit is off and then see if you can hear the gas flowing (or can otherwise sense the gas flow - temperature, smell) when a demand for heat is made.  Just make sure you do this quickly and safely! (i.e. Do not reconnect the ignitor unless the thermostat is off!!!)


There may be an overload, First off make sure all the other breakers are a lower value than the main. If one is higher than its likely overloading the Main.

On each breaker there should be a value. In the US they are on the end of the switch. In that picture you posted they seem to be on the body prefixed with a "C". Those values are the number of amps a circuit will handle before the breaker trip. If the Main is higher then a branch then the branch will not trip because the main is tripping first.

If thats not it then the main may be defective and would need to be replaced.


Apartment Circuit breaker flips randomly

This may not be worth spending a lot of time on. Buy a replacement and swap it in.  If the problem goes away, it must have been a defective breaker.

New breakers cost between $3.50 and $40 depending on make, model, and if it is an AFCI or GFI.

Be sure to note carefully if the existing breaker is a GFI (also called GFCI)—ground fault interrupter—or an AFCI—arc fault circuit interrupter.  The former is required for outdoor and wet locations, the latter for "residential family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways, and similar rooms or areas."ref

Replacing a breaker is not a highly skilled operation, but not respecting electricity can be dangerous.  If you aren't comfortable working around open wiring, call in a handy friend.


Why won't my hose bib handle turn either way?

The acme thread that allows the valve to open and shut has either galled or seized due to mineral deposits. At this point, you need to remove and replace the whole valve.

Since we don't have a picture, it's difficult to give further advice, but if it's a standard frost free, the valve is actually 8-12 inches back inside a tube on a long, easily broken valve stem and it's not easily repaired once it seizes.


Goodman furnace - intermittantly works (80% of time works, then one blink (ignition failure)

The startup of a gas furnace usually sees the controller moving through a series of states. The controller would verify that high temperature limit switch is not activated, the exhaust pressure sensor shows no pressure, then switch on the inducer fan, then verify that the exhaust pressure shows pressure, then turn on the igniter. I don't know if any common controllers verify the igniter (current consumption, heat produced, etc) or not. After a delay the gas valve is opened. As long as the gas valve remains open the controller continuously looks for the flame proving sensor to verify that the burner is still burning.

If your furnace always ignites when there's a call for heat but subsequently extinguishes before the call for heat was satisfied then the problem could be anywhere: flame sensing, exhaust pressure sensing, high limit cutout.. flame sensing is probably the most likely, though, because arguably it experiences the most extreme operating conditions.

On the other hand, if it sometimes doesn't ignite at all, that's more likely to be an igniter problem than a flame proving problem. I agree it seems most sensible that an igniter might completely fail, but I guess there must be some intermittent failure modes possible too. You could remove it and visually inspect for cracks or other signs of failure, but be prepared to deal with the possibility that this might push it from partial failure to complete failure!


How to keep a bathroom door slightly ajar, without adjusting a doorstop

I've heard of that in such cases you can pop one of the hinge pins out, wack the hinge pin with a hammer to give it a slight bend and pop it back in. The slight bend will keep the door from going close all the way with being manually shut.


Can I transition a 12 mm to a 8 mm laminate wood floor in an adjacent room?

4 mm is between 1/4" and 1/8". With a transition I doubt it would be very noticeable. You can add 1/4" (6.35 mm) underlayment under the new laminate and that would reduce the difference to 2.35 mm which is between 1/8" and 1/16". Of course the new laminate would now be the higher one, but the difference in height would be reduce in half


How to drill a hole in a partitioned wall?

It looks like it should be easy and routine to drill through easily, though it is hard to tell what the material is from the photo.

Those six bits on the left are intended for drilling into masonry like concrete, ceramic, brick, rock, etc.  Be sure the material actually is like that.

If the material is fibrous (wood, paper) or metallic, instead use one of the yellowish bits in the center.

Be sure the bit rotates in the correct direction.  At slow speed, the bit spirals should appear to be pulling material from the surface out.  The bit is spinning in the wrong direction if it looks like the spirals would carry material into the hole.
Use moderate bit pressure to start the hole in the intended position.  Hold the drill firmly in position and as perpendicular to the surface as possible to prevent it walking across the surface.  Once the hole is started, then you can gradually reposition the drill to a non-perpendicular orientation if that is what is needed.  (Most holes are perpendicular.)
After the hole is started, the material will guide the bit and prevent it from slipping or jumping out as long as at least light bit pressure is maintained.  The focus then is holding the drill so that it goes the correct direction through the material.
For fibrous materials, increase the bit speed to "high".  For ceramics, set it to "medium".  The goal is to not take all day to drill one hole, but also not to overheat the drill bit or material surface.  If you see smoke, immediately stop, pull out, and wait a minute for everything to cool off.  Then continue with a slower speed and less bit pressure.
If the fractured material is not readily flowing out (through the bit spiral), periodically slide the bit mostly out of the hole and back in (without stopping the bit from turning) to allow it to clear.  Sometimes it is necessary to remove material stuck in the spiral manually (brush it out with a carpentry nail, small stick, or a finger with the bit out of the hole and stopped).
If applicable, monitor the depth of the hole by occasionally measuring its depth by inserting a probe such as a carpentry nail.  For repeating a controlled depth in a series of holes, wrap the drill bit with a band of masking tape such that the length of the drill exposed is the desired depth.


Replacing Crestron switches with standard switches

I have only worked on a few of these systems.
Each switch has a hot and neutral.
If you cap the neutral or remove that pigtail then the black(s) can be moved to a simple snap switch.
If you decommission everything I would put the controller and all the switches on E-bay you might just pay for all of your replacements.
The other option is switching to WiFi type switches and a hub.
These are possibly a bit smarter and can be controlled through your smart phone and WiFi.
In either case going with simple snap switches and capping or removing the pig tail or a different smarter type of smart switch and hub(s) setup should not be hard because you have hot and neutral at each location.


Will shutting down my main water line inlet and draining my lines in
preparation for a freeze damage my gas hot water heaters?

Is it necessary?, we do  not know about your situation but to drain your whole system and shut it down the following is a general overview.
Assuming it is a tank style WH, It will not damage your water heater (WH) if you shut it down properly.  In order to drain your hot water pipes you need to shut down your WH. (Some homes have drain valve on the hot line out of the WH and this will allow you to drain the hot water lines without draining the WH if the supply line in is off.)
The first thing you do turn the WH off. If it is a gas unit there will be a dial or control pad that will have some settings such off, pilot, and the option to set the temperature from low to high.
Next turn off the gas supply at the valve to the WH.  (for those that have an electric unit it will have switch that supplies power).
Next you must close the water supply valve that is on the inlet side of the WH. ( OR, in your case, the main supply line from the street will shut  off all water.)
Once the water, power/gas and controls are off   then it is safe to drain it, You may want to wait for the water to cool down, and the rest of the system.


Why would the power only to the upstairs lights go off mysteriously?

The loss of electrical power described in the question may be symptomatic of potentially serious issues that might result in fire and/or injurious or fatal electri shock. It needs prompt attention from a person competent to analyze and work on residential electrical systems. Hiring a licensed electrician is strongly recommended as a general recommendation.

The interruption of power to a portion of your home was undoubtedly caused by an absence of electricity in the conductors serving that portion of the building. Normally this is caused by a open circuit.

It is easy to talk in theory. However, a house that was built in 1890 was certainly built without electrical service. Such service was added later. Because there are both circuit breakers and fuses in the ceiling, it is highly likely that several renovations/additions to the electrical service have been made since it was installed.

Therefore, the only way to determine the pertinent details is by physically observing the actual installation.


To explain a bit:

Both travelers (Red and Black) must be continuous from the first to the second switch. Then from the second switch you would connect the non-traveler (now the switched wire) to each outlet.

If the outlets are along the path of the travelers then that means that each outlet will have 4 wires (+ground): the neutral, the switched wire and the 2 travelers.

Convention for the color codes in the switches are

red and marked white = traveler.
black = switched wire
white = neutral.

current code also requires you to pull the neutral to the second switch (left capped off if not used) as future proofing for when you want to connect a timer or motion sensor.


Can sheetrock be put in for fire barrier over existing ductwork and plumbing in drive under garage?

It looks like about the only thing you can do is add a drop ceiling in this area. Code here would require the drywall to be 5/8ths between a garage area and a living area. Basically this means putting in a frame to support that drywall. It wouldn't have to be finished except on the joints, and if you have an area you need to leave access to, you can make that a removable panel (leaving access to the screws that hold that drywall panel up, or creating a hinged door for it.) On the bonus side, it would hide all the plumbing, AC, etc that is now exposed. On the down side, yes, it's expensive, about $400 per 4X8 foot area to do this properly, with the frame-in, unless you do it yourself...
Part of the consideration for this is also fumes and not just fire, otherwise you could probably install a drop acoustic panel ceiling, which is much easier, and slightly less cost.
Also, I'm surprised the inspection found that door to the stairway acceptable, it should be a 20-minute rated fire door, even if one is installed at the top of the stairway, with proper self-closing mechanism!


Fireplace sealing to avoid "false chimney"

I would use fire brick mortar. It will hold up to the heat and seal the gap so you won't have the false chimney issue you are concerned about.


Low pressure in sprinklers troubleshooting

Jimmy Fix-it is right.
If you decide to try to disassemble the diaphragm valve, make sure there is no water pressure or the diaphragm will break (my experience).


Are foam brushes suitable for applying wood stain, or is a cloth necessary? Is "rubbing in" required?

Most stains don't need to be "rubbed in" but of course that depends from can to can. Read what your can says for how to apply. If it doesn't mention rubbing in then don't do it.  Almost all stain (unless otherwise stated on the can) has to be removed shortly after it has been applied. The longer you leave it on for before you wipe it off, the darker it will be. Try to be consistent on your floors for whatever time you choose to keep the color consistent across the room.

Using a cloth or foam pad doesn't really matter for the applying part. Of course it will be much easier to remove the stain with a cloth. I personally like using Viva brand paper towels as they are very rugged for this but you can choose whatever works for you.

As an aside, if you are staining floors, you may want to look into water popping as I feel it produces a much better end product. :)


Please tell me what's the name of the metal wrap

combining Kris and Ecnerwal's answer that's a "cap flashing" cost is off topic.
Usually these are made to order at sheet-metal shop (ask at a plumbers supplier)
when you go to place an order (with a drawing and dimensions) they will tell you the cost.
It may be that the incorrect method has been used to make this connection and that a join capable of moving is needed here. It looks intact if it's not corroded, possibly only the join needs to be replaced with an expansion joint.


How tight should vinyl siding be against each other?

That sounds like an excessive amount of space. Contact the manufacturer and get the installation instructions if they are doing it wrong it will void the warranty.


What are some tips for deep cycle battery maintenance for an offgrid solar system?

Based on my experience being qualified as a battery charging electrician on submarines and installing/upgrading/maintaining the 12v electrical system in my motorhome.

Battery electrolyte specific gravity is not model or battery specific so your chart is fine.
Amp-hours is a measurement of current consumed (or the sheer number of electrons you've pulled out of the battery) rather than tracking watts which is a measure of power.  You can easily track the amount of power used, but it would be impossible to determine the actual state of charge in your battery.  It would be like if you tried to gauge how much fuel you had left in your car by reading a "cumulative horsepower meter".
A manual hydrometer is fine - just avoid the super cheap ones available at the auto parts store.
Get a real battery charge monitor that measures amp-hours in/out.  I use one made by Xantrex.
You have to test the battery to know its bad.
An equalizing charge involves holding charge current at a low value, which boosts charge voltage - so if your charge controller won't allow you to set EQ current at a value, get a new one.  10 amps is probably close enough to the charge rate appropriate for equalizing - however if your array is only capable of delivering 10 amps with full sun, you might want to reconsider that strategy.
Who cares.  Battery capacity is a function of the rate of discharge so that value is effectively worthless to you as a monitoring metric.


Can I branch off of a 2 pole 30 amp 10-3 wire found abandoned in a junction box?

As long as the existing cable has a grounding conductor what you propose is absolutely fine, although you must replace the breaker with the proper two-pole 20A breaker. Although not required I would definitely place a label on the wire in the panel stating it is to be used for a 20A circuit maximum.

I would place the 10/3 in a box and branch off with two 12/2's going to your new loads. This will give you the two 20A dedicated circuits you are looking for.


Why does my oil-furnace's on-demand water heater go tepid and then return to full heat?

Years ago I had one of the first high efficiency gas boilers. It supplied an air-handler for heat and a heat exchanger for hot water. Because back then this kind of boiler would breakdown about 2 or 3 times a year, I installed backup electric heat in the air-handler and a backup electric 30 gallon hot water tank.

I plumbed the hot water tanks in parallel with separate valves to both and normally just kept all valves open and the breaker off to the electric tank until needed. It was amazing how the two tanks acted as one with just gravity flow for one tank to heat the other. If I hadn't experienced it for many years I wouldn't believe it could work so well.

If you added a small electric tank, you'd increase the amount of stored hot water to buffer the times of high usage. And you wouldn't even have to run electric to it, but if you did you'd also have electric auxiliary hot water.


Is it possible to convert a sliding drawer into a rolling drawer?

The answer is yes you can and yes without rebuilding the drawers. However your options will be limited.

The Blum glides mentioned in another answer are awesome but they require rather particular dimensions. Specifically they require specific space available between the sides of the drawer and the cabinet, between the back of the drawer and the cabinet, and they require a particular recess on the bottom of the drawer.

Some of these requirements are minimums. Some are very specific.

Based on your photos it appears you have neither the room on the sides nor the space in the back, it also looks like your bottom recess is too shallow. You can search for the installation instructions and they will be very informative for you.

I can imagine that it would be painful to remake the drawers when yours have those beautiful dovetails. Do you know if your friends made the cabinet? Or did they acquire a cabinet and apply the reclaimed face material? If the latter it may be psychologically easier to rebuild the drawers.

There are center mount slides that might work for you. But those can be disappointing.

Other observations - the drawers may run fine with wax and soap and other tricks but those drawers are pine and the runners appear to be pine. The soft wood will show its weakness over time. But that might be a looooong time. In fact you might want to wait - use wax for ten or fifteen years and then deal with the slides. Seriously. By then you might solve the problem with nanotechnology. Also seriously.


Washer causing pipes banging, is this dangerous?

Some washers evidently have soft close valves that reduce water hammer. But if yours does not, then you can get water hammer arrestors. Watts mini water hammer arrestors There are other designs that might fit your faucets better. I wonder if there is an adjustment on your washing machine to soften the closure of the valves. We don't have any significant water hammer from our washing machines.


Is a 2x4 strong enough to hold up a porch swing?

There are several issues to consider - whether the 2x4 itself is strong enough to bear the load you're putting on it in the direction that you're loading it (so the grade/type of wood is important, not all 2x4's are created equal), whether the fastener/hook you use will overstress the wood in the 2x4 at the point where it attaches, and whether the load on the 2x4 will overstress/exceed the capacity of whatever it is that's attaching the 2x4 to whatever it is that it's attached to/supported by.

My unscientific, short answer is "no", I wouldn't depend on a 2x4 of unknown provenance to support the weight of 2 adults (or any number of children) + the weight of the swing, especially given wear & degradation over time.

If it was a short run of 2x4 and the swing was attached really well and the 2x4 is attached really well to something strong, yeah, it'll probably work, but if it were my house/family involved, I'd look for a stronger way to hang the swing.


Will isolating a clothes dryer make it safer if fire occurs?

Can the fire spread? Yes I have seen dust, lint and cobwebs catch fire and quickly run up a concrete / cinder block wall to areas that could support combustion. keeping the pipe cleaned out and the area free of combustibles (dust, lint and others) will increase your safety.


Which way does the air flow through my furnace?

Red, here's a diagram that shows airflow in a furnace:


When containing petroleum-based solvents it is best to place them in a metal or glass jar that can be sealed. Empty paint cans or preserve jars work well (but be sure to re-label the new container to avoid it being misconstrued for anything other than it is).    Trying to patch an opening with tape on a solvent filled vessel will not hold very long as the solvent will dissolve the adhesive. A better solution to patch the can is to wrap it with foil and than tape. Or transfer the thinner into another container.    Another temporary option is to pour the liquid into an empty five gallon bucket no more than half full. Leave the bucket in a place that will not get it spilled. The solvent will evaporate in several days.


Yes, it does, under 2014 code. You may find outdated articles claiming it does not - they are outdated.

210.8(A)(7)  Any 125V 15 or 20 A receptacle within 6 feet of the outside edge of a sink (shortest path) requires GFCI protection

Used to have an exception for dwelling kitchens (up to 2011) does not now (2014 forward.) Other than dwellings was required in 2008.


What's the appropriate range for the angle of a slide?

Per the Michigan State Handbook for Public
Playground Safety:

It is recommended that the average incline of a slide
chute be no more than 30 degrees. This can be measured
by determining that the height to length ratio (as shown
in Figure 18) does not exceed 0.577. No span on the
slide chute should have a slope greater than 50 degrees.

There is some other really good information in that booklet as well regarding the design of a slide.


Can I use an old refrigerator to produce water from air

You don't need to take the fridge apart, and most people tend to break the refrigeration system when doing so, so don't. Just run it with the door open. Also leaves it in more salable condition when you tire of the science experiment.

To make it more efficient, use a new, not old, refrigeration system.

To make it easy, use a dehumidifier, which is already made to do exactly this. Or an air conditioner, which is like a dehumidifier but with the hot side placed out-of-doors - that's also where the collected water is generally drained to.

The collected water will in one sense be "pure" (it's effectively distilled) but in most others it's fairly foul (every bit of dust in the air can come along and contaminate it) so regardless of what you use, you're going to want to filter or treat  (boil, for instance) the water before using it as "potable"

Finally, this is generally not a cost-effective method of getting liquid water, unless you happen to need a dehumidifier (or air conditioner) anyway.


What are the benefits of purple drywall?

I'm not sure. I thought it'd be an easy answer but googling seems to return two different types:

High Density (stronger) wall board
and an updated version of green board (mildew resistant)

It may be that the color is being used by different manufacturers for different reasons.

In either case, for a basement, I'd suggest using something else. I'd go with the paper-less sheetrock options such as DensArmor

The 'pro' is that there is no paper, so no place for mold/mildew to grow. Instead it uses a fiberglass mesh. The 'con' is that it's fiberglass. So itchy. Be sure to wear long sleeve shirt and gloves while hanging it.