Can a dishwasher and disposer be on the same 20 ampere circuit?

In a kitchen there are a minimum of 2 20 amp circuits required. Where I live a dedicated circuit is required for dishwashers, Most of the houses I have wired have 4 branch circuits or 5. I usually put the fridge on its own circuit, a microwave and the disposal on Thier own circuit, if there is a trash compactor the disposal and compactor. In some cases where a 120 outlet is needed for a gas stove or cooktop I will put that on the same as the microwave. There is not a code requirement for this many circuit but the permits only cost a couple dollars per breaker and a few extra feet of wire. I have had to upgrade quite a few kitchens over the years and only one I installed as the owner was pinching pennies and it cost him almost 3k to do what my proposal was at a 400$ savings up front.


How to account for wood expansion when installing moulding?

The boards shouldn't be attached to anything but themselves (glued & jointed together) & must literally float between the battens & rails. The battens, bottom & top rail should all be rabbeted to allow for full invisible movement of the boards, behind the battens & rails rabbets.


Floor-to-ceiling bookshelf before or after carpet?

Before.   I have done both and you can certainly do it either way but it is easier (and cheaper) more sturdy to fasten and shim the bottom to the floor without carpet in the way and because of the carpet you may need to shim more.
The only argument for doing it after is "I may hate these bookshelves in a few years and when I tear them down I don't want to have a flooring issue".   To add to the "pro-carpet" argument.   I have torn down many a bookshelf next to a fireplace.   The carpet has compression marks but this goes away after a few weeks and this carpet is basically brand-new.   Which means it probably looks out of place next to worn carpet if the area was used a lot.


Does a 100A outlet for a car charger need a dedicated disconnect?

Receptacle plugs can serve as a means to disconnect an appliance.

If there is no receptacle, but is instead direct-wired, appliances rated over 300 volt-amperes require a disconnect.  If the breaker box is within sight and is 50 ft or less the breaker can serve as the disconnect.  If it is not within sight, then a means to lock the breaker in the off position can suffice as a disconnect.

Addendum: There is a small section in the code that talks about car charging disconnects.  As mentioned by another post, 2011 625.23 says greater than 60A or 150 volts to ground requires a disconnect --  That section was moved to 625.42 in the 2014, and to 625.43 in 2017.

That being said, 60A or less can use a receptacle plug as a disconnect if listed by the manufacture, and with residential 150V to ground is not an concern.


How can I get a direct stream of water out of my kitchen sprayer hose?

Sprayers don't last forever. You can try replacing the sprayer and hose to see if that solves the problem. There could be some bad washers which are making a poor seal. This could be why you aren't getting a good flow from the sprayer.

Since you stated that the current faucet you have is a basic model, you could also invest in a replacement one. These can usually be replaced without needing very many tools. You would want to have some basic plumbing tools such as water pump pliers and an adjustable wrench. These tools will vary depending on the style of faucet you have, so you should consult with an employee at the store to see what they would recommend.

You can also try filling the humidifier in the bathtub if you have one. This is what I typically do. There is much more room underneath the spout and it fills up pretty quickly.


Get some thick stock, maybe a few heavy branches from the tree, and drill a 1.5" hole saw into the end of each leg about two inches deep. then with a regular saw, cut around the outside two inches from the end until the outer part falls out and you're left with a 1.5" round stud out the end of the leg. Then drill a 1.5" hole in the seat and insert the leg into the hole. You'll have to file the peg a bit to get it into the hole.
I'm assuming you don't have access to a wood turning lathe.


Corner crack moved 0.1mm 6 weeks after fitting crack monitor

A tenth of a millimeter over six weeks is an incredibly small motion. That's less than a millimeter per year, IF you assume that the motion continues at the same rate. But, you even state in your question that the motion has been intermittent. Plus, the the wallpaper you removed was apparently not torn, which suggests that there hasn't been a lot of movement in the long run.

Unless your house is completely built of steel, it will swell and shrink with changes in humidity, and in any case it will do so with changes in temperature. It's likely made of different materials, each with their own response to temperature and humidity, which means you'll inevitably have differential movement, with cracks opening and closing. That's just what houses do.

Unless there's some concerning information that you haven't shared, I wouldn't worry about it.


Any ideas why my Currys CID45B13 dishwasher won't let me select a wash cycle?

Here is the service manual for your dishwasher:

http://www.buyspares.com/images/mediator/1513/service%20manual%20-%20cid45b13.pdf

If the control panel is lighting up and giving you some sort of code, the service manual will help you determine where the problem might be.  Sometimes the dishwasher won't allow you to do anything because it detects a fault in the system somewhere.

Also, on page 24 is a diagnostics routine.   Read about the diagnostics and then run them to help isolate the issue.

If you are unable to run the diagnostics, then your control panel is probably the culprit, because the switches on the keypad aren't even working to the point of letting you run the diagnostics.

The service manual should get you going down the right track.


bladder tank pressure drops quickly as water is running

Could be the tank is a bit small for the system; we try to avoid cycle times of less than a minute. Could be there's a problem. If this is a significant change in behavior from previous behavior, likely a problem; if you never paid attention before, it could be the way it's always been.

Diagnostic step one. Turn off power to the pump, drain water from the system (WATER pressure gauge should read 0) and check AIR pressure in tank.

For a system set at 40-60 PSI as you described, air pressure in the bladder with no water pressure should be about 37-38 PSI. Adjust if needed. If it's also 0, or won't stay where you adjust it to, the bladder has failed and you need a new tank (or bladder, but replaceable bladders often don't cost less than a new tank. Economics is weird. In one case I had, the price was almost exactly the same, but a new bladder had no warranty and the joy of getting the old one out and the new one in, while a new tank had a 5-year warranty...)

Then power up the pump and let the system run until it shuts off. Without using water elsewhere, fill buckets or other known volume items JUST until the pump kicks on. Record the volume that took, and you have some actual diagnostic information. You should be able to look up the specifications of your tank and determine whether the volume you "drew down" matches the expected "draw-down" volume of your tank for 40-60 PSI. If it does, it's working as expected; but you should probably double the tank size to meet the standard aiming point of a minute or more between pump starts.

Another possible mitigating approach (if the bladder is intact and the tank is too small) would be to lower the pressure to 30-50 (set tank 27-28) or 20-40 (set tank to 17-18) which will store more water in the tank (really, look at the charts for your tank, they will tell you.) That assumes your pressure switch is adjustable (be extra certain the BREAKER for the well is off before opening the pressure switch to adjust it, if you do. It has power when the pump is not running.)


Troubleshooting a circular saw that quit working

Here's a first-stab at a troubleshooting guide:

With the unit unplugged and/or the battery removed:

Visually inspect the tool...

Is anything potentially jamming a mechanism?
Are the air vents clogged?
Has the unit been exposed to too much dust, ash, water and/or fine sawdust?
Is the case discolored or cracked at any spot?
On the power cord, is the insulation cracked at any point or is one or more strain-reliefs damaged or missing (especially where the cord enters the tool)?
Are the plug contacts reasonably straight and untarnished?
Is a fuse or reset button present?  Is it blown or popped out?
Was the tool used until it might have become too hot?  Many tools have a safety, over-temperature shutoff; wait an hour for it to reset.
Is the safety switch/lock, if present, installed and/or on?
If the unit came with a grounded plug, be sure that it's undamaged and that the power plug really is a properly wired grounded outlet.  Use one of those circuit checkers you can get for $2.
Has an oily, greasy, or varnishy fluid dripped or oozed out of any part of of the unit?  Grease could indicate bearing failure.  Other oozings would point to catastrophic motor damage, or sometimes electronics failure or starting capacitor failure.

Does the tool rotate/reciprocate relatively normally when moved by hand?
Does the the power switch feel normal?  Usually a busted switch will feel "off" (Pardon the pun.)
If you are comfortable with an ohmmeter, you can use it to do basic checks on the cord and switch.  Note that it is possible for a circuit to look okay with the meter and still be bad under load -- or for control electronics to be bad.

With the unit powered:

Does the motor hum or smoke when turned on? (Of course, Immediately switch it back off if it does this.)
Does a circuit breaker trip?
Do you feel an electric shock?
Does the motor arc excessively?
Any unusual noises? Humming, or squealing?

If the visual inspection is failed, it should be obvious what to do.

For a damaged cord, replace it. Do not attempt to repair it.
If the case is plastic and is discolored anywhere, it has likely degraded to the point that the tool is either unsafe or it's just not worth repairing.  Some uniform case discoloration due to age and UV exposure can be okay -- as long as the case is not also cracked or brittle.

If the switch feels funny and/or nothing happens when it is turned on, then it could well be a busted switch -- which is pretty common.  You can sometimes get replacement switches at a reasonable price.

If the motor arcs excessively (a little visible arcing is normal), the brushes may need replacing.  Do not run the tool if you suspect brushes, you can permanently damage the motor.

If the motor hums or smokes, it's typically one of these problems:

Something is mechanically jammed.
Bad switch.
Bad power cord.
Bad control electronics, if any.
Bad, broken, or burnt internal wiring.
Bad brushes or damaged commutator plates.
Bad starting capacitor (if used).
Bad starting coil.
Improper outlet voltage and/or grounding.


When is it OK to use stranded wires in fixed installation?

All wire sizes are available in stranded, however not all cabling styles are made with stranded wire (i.e. NM/Romex). Any sort of flexible cordage is only stranded.

For single-wire 10-12-14 gauge THHN/THWN as is widely used in commercial work, they sell both kinds right next to each other - watch out what you buy.  I use exclusively stranded.

Larger wiring sizes are not available in solid, because they are impossible to bend.

You can use stranded wire anytime you can get it, and your terminations are listed for stranded wire. For instance a backstab (push-in) connector might be listed for ”14 AWG solid" in which case they mean "not stranded".


Why is the power to three bathrooms' lights out?

Let's think about the bathroom wiring rules for a second.  The latest Code says you use one of two methods for the 20A circuit that must be dedicated to bathroom receptacles.

In one case, a circuit can power receptacles in any number of bathrooms, but only bathroom receptacles, not  fixed loads in the bathroom such as lights.
In the other case, a circuit can power receptacles in one bathroom only, but can also power fixed loads like lights in that same bathroom.  This is a weaker design since if you trip the bathroom breaker, the lights go out.

It sounds like your builder used method #1, with a twist, he put in a second circuit right alongside that powered each bathroom's lights.

No breakers are tripped, OK.  In modern construction they are fond of a connection method on switches called "backstabs", where the wire is jabbed into a hole on the back.  These are prone to failure, and it is the first place I would look.  Putting the wires properly around the side screws is the far more reliable way.

Any wiring failure in a chain from the panel is either at the failing location, or at the last working location prior.  I would expect to find it in the nearest bathroom to the panel.


How do I install vapor-retarder underlayment paper under vinyl floor planks?

We usually staple down the flooring paper just enough to keep it from shifting, then flatten the staples with a hammer or the back of the stapler. We overlap the rows by about 4 inches and tape the seams with Tyvec tape.


Carrier 60,000 BTU 92% Furnace vs Carrier 40,000 BTU 95% AFCU Furnace

The 40,000 BTU furnace is almost certainly sufficient. It doesn't take a gigantic amount of heat to heat an 1100 square foot house, even if the house is relatively poorly-insulated. If your goal is to improve your house's thermal envelope with more insulation and better windows, a 40,000 BTU furnace may even be oversized once you're done.
To make sure, do a quick calculation yourself using http://www.loadcalc.net/. You can play with the variables to see what impact your decisions have on the ultimate heating loads. This tool isn't perfect, but will probably get you within 10-20% of the correct number, which is good enough for your purposes here.
Since you're shooting for a well-insulated house, it would be a good idea to get a two-stage or modulating furnace that is capable of producing variable amounts of heat depending on the load. In the kind of house you're planning to have, one of these will be more comfortable, efficient, and longer-lasting compared to a single-stage furnace.


I believe Oregon uses the UPC as the basis for their state/local code. Under the UPC S traps are illegal, and that's what you have there. S traps are illegal because they can cause the trap seal (the water that prevents the sewer gasses from entering your house) to siphon out.


Can I cut the shower seal that is tearing or do I have to replace the whole seal?

I'd try removing the door and see if you can refit the seal into the groove on the door, maybe a little super glue to hold it in place. If it is, in fact, torn or split from th groove in the door, then you'll need to replace the whole seal. If you just cut the loose end off, the door will probably leak at that point.


Are standard UK wall sockets a 16A power supply

BS1363 is 13A max

The UK BS1363 plug system is 13A, maximum, per receptacle.  Since your appliance does not support that setting, only 10A and 16A, the 10A setting is correct; furthermore, they were smart enough to fuse the plug properly (at 10A) -- this means that if you tried to set it to 16A, you'd eventually blow the fuse in the plug.


Programming Travel on LiftMaster Gone Wrong

Please refer to above image.

The "top" adjustment is for the UP (open) travel limit switch for the door...
To lengthen the up travel, ( more "up" ) turn the slotted screw adjustment to the right. To shorten the up travel, turn the slotted screw adjustment the left.

The "bottom" adjustment is for the DOWN (close) travel limit switch for the door...
To lengthen the down travel, ( more "down" ) turn the slotted screw adjustment to the left. To shorten the down travel, turn the slotted screw adjustment to the right.

Hope this helps you,


How do I repair or replace a fascia gutter end caps?

That doesn't look like a "standard" gutter shape anyways. I doubt you'd be able to buy something to fit natively anyways.

What you can try is buying some sheet metal and cutting it to size with tin snips, making fold points on the sides so you can secure it with stainless steel screws. Then you caulk it up good. It should buy you some more time until you replace the entire gutter system.


Not so easy

The first thing you must learn is that you can't "dip" a vehicle battery very far, least of all your starting battery.  With lead-acid batteries, you can't use more than about 25% of its charge on a daily basis or you will degrade the battery and have short life.

Lithium batteries are much better (and more expensive) and you can use most of their range daily, but even really good Apple quality ones are only good for about 1000 full cycles.

Peltier fridges - too inefficient

A few "mini-fridges" operate on the Peltier principle using solid-state. This seems cool until you realize how ghastly inefficient they are. They do indeed operate internally on 12 voltish DC (with an AC adapter) but are rather weak and can only keep things cool, not chill them.  Far worse, their poor efficiency will necessitate a much larger battery.

House fridges can't handle vibration or shock

The #1 problem with residential grade refrigerators is they are not built for the vibration and shocks of being in a vehicle. Motion will tear them apart.  That's why they're out.

Just informationally...

These machines use the normal freon-compressor cycle, which is efficient.  However they are AC-only and have a big AC draw when they start.  That requires a big inverter to drive them.  What's more, they don't run very often, but you don't know when, so you must run the big inverter 24x7.  A large inverter driving no load has a high "standby" energy cost, which saps your battery.

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln"... people building alternative-power homes love the common residential-grade fridge.  They used to make very special fridges for solar off-grid use, with 6" thick walls - but it turns out there's no need, since recent Energy Star refrigerators are so good.  This presumes you already have a nice large inverter already in place for other reasons... and the battery bank to drive it.

Ammonia (propane) refrigerators

Some refrigerators work in a triple mode:  120V, 12V or propane.  These work on a less efficient ammonia cycle - great on propane, weak on 12V.  It also introduces the risk of a propane leak into your RV, which can kill  you explosively.

Freon refrigerators made for RVs

This is the best of all worlds.  The machine is sturdy enough to bounce around.  It uses the efficient Freon cycle.  It is either 12V or multi-voltage -- either using a DC motor internally, or a "brushless DC" (read: an AC motor driven by its own onboard inverter  that only runs when the motor is in use, so no standby losses).

The best fridges actually open from the top - after all if you've ever been hit by a curtain of cold air when you open a vertical fridge, you know cold air wants to go down.  Fridges/freezers with top lids don't lose much cold when you open them.

How do I know so much?  I follow people on the Internet who put refrigerators in vehicles.  You can too; look at

British narrowboating (also called "on the cut", cut being a civil engineering term)
Boaters generally, but beware, boats don't hit potholes
#VanLife - the US "people who turn vans and delivery trucks into stealth RVs
Off-grid* folks using solar/wind power to homestead, they use 12V fridges, most of which are vehicle-rated

* In the "I don't have a mains electrical feed" sense of the term, heh heh


Those bare copper wires are the safety ground wires. The ground wire from the light needs to connect in with those bare copper wires.

The best way to wire it in would be to free the two wires that are there now and use a wire nut to join the two bare wires, the one from the light and an additional short pigtail. The other end of the pigtail would go under that box grounding screw. The pigtail should be either a bare copper wire or a green insulated length of wire. It should be the same gauge as those already in the box.


Is it possible to create a better temperature controlling system?

I would recommend first contacting a home energy efficiency company first rather than an HVAC company. HVAC guys are usually clueless about systemic problems like these and will usually try to sell you a larger unit without diagnosing the true cause of the issue (which is a pain in the neck and can probably be fixed for much less than the cost of new equipment).

It sounds like you have two problems: Poor duct pressure and temperature stratification. These are likely caused by the same thing: conditioned air escaping or being wasted in some manner. A common cause is ductwork running through an unconditioned attic. For example, in a ranch house, if the A/C unit is on one side of the house, the register on the far side will often not be very cold because the heat of the attic is sucking out all the coolness in the ducts!

This is the kind of thing that is virtually impossible to diagnose over the internet. I would recommend contacting a local energy efficiency & retrofit firm.


Avoid rust where railing anchors into concrete

Honestly, I don't think you can. The problem is railings such as this rust from the inside out. The outside gets primed and painted while the inside never gets any kind of treatment.

Aside from using solid "tubing", which is unrealistic, the only other thing I can think of is to "try" to treat the inside of the tubing in areas where water can seep up in to the tubing, such as an anchor point.


Disregard wires that are not part of your project

And leave them alone.  What those other wires are doing is scientifically interesting, but attempting to learn electrical wiring by disassembling ones house is out of the question. Much easier on everyone's nerves to get a "How To" book from the library and read it through.

The red wire is a spare, to allow switching of fan and fan-light separately.  You are not using it today.  That is a good sign, it means the builder actually intended that ceiling box for a fan, and presumably used fan-rated boxes.

Ground wires are very important, but they have a simple M.O. - every ground connects to every other ground. That's all they ever do. They don't need thinking about, so when trying to understand a circuit, you can disregard them.  Just don't forget them.

So we ignore all the things we don't care about, what's left? I see 2 wires.  Black and black.   Looking at a common light switch, I see 2 screws.   Easy as it gets.

Mechanically

Those extra wires are called "pigtails".  For the supply black, you need a pigtail.  For the other one, as you note it is redundant, and could just go direct to the switch.  (Either way is acceptable, I broadly use pigtails even when I don't have to, because it lets me attach the pigtails at a workbench instead of up a ladder).

If those pigtails are permanently attached to the dimmer, don't use them.  It will wreck a perfectly good dimmer to cut them, but they may be too small a wire size - often dimmers are provided with lighter wires, and UL allows that because they are pigtailed like this, but lightening up the wire is not allowed here.  However, these wires look like the same wire stock already in the box, look for screws at the dimmer: if you can remove them, just do so, and attach them to the new switch.

When attaching to the switch, two methods are generally available: shape a J-hook to wrap them around the screw (clockwise) then tighten...  or push them in a backstab hole which grabs them tight. The backstabs seem much easier, but are unreliable and cause a lot of weird problems later. If you have a better quality switch, the backwire  holes may be directly under the screws, those you tighten the screw to clamp the wire.  Those are OK.


Have water seepage in basement bedroom of 5 year old home, still under home warranty

Yes, file a claim against the warranty AND file a claim with the local Contractors Builders Board (CBB). It may be called something different in your area.
All contractors are required to be licensed with the CBB in their state. If you don’t know how to contact them, ask your local Building Department.
The CBB will assign a claim number and help mediate a settlement.
I don’t know how the contractor would know why it’s leaking due to a plugged drain tile.
Moisture is either coming up from below (a rising water table) or its coming from the surrounding ground water in the saturated soil, or both.
If it comes up from a rising water table, it will enter the living space from below through the crack between the foundation wall and slab.
If it comes from the surrounding ground water, it COULD enter the living space through the wall, especially if the EXTERIOR side of the foundation wall is not sealed properly.
Either way the moisture enters the living space it will need to be collected and disposed. I think the best way to collect it is on the exterior side of the foundation wall in drainrock and a perf pipe laid 6”-8” below the interior basement slab.
To keep the subsurface water from seeping through the wall, I recommend installing a moisture barrier on the exterior side of the foundation wall and install a 2” thick plastic mesh on the wall to allow water to flow down to the perf pipe. If dirt is allowed to be backfilled against the wall, the dirt could hold the moisture giving it a chance to seep through the wall.
Once collected it needs to be disposed by extending a solid pipe over an embankment or in a collection well and pumped away.
This may be the most expensive method of solving the problem, but it’s sure to work.
Note: I would start a journal listing the dates of the leaks, estimate of quantity of water (location and size), pictures documenting extent of leak, and weather conditions (amount of rain per day, etc.).


Elevate water heater next to ceiling in garage to gain floor space

The Uniform Plumbing Code has some language regarding placement, the spirit of which seems to require access for "cleaning... lubrication... adjustment" and other types of service.

It doesn't say easy access (in fact you are allowed to place water heaters in attics, but if you do "the passageway... and area adjacent to the appliance must be floored"). I am thinking that if you built a fixed ladder (maybe against the wall to save the space you are elevating it to gain) up to the platform you would be OK. Final word would rest with your AHJ. Always ensure clearances and other installation requirements in the manufacturer's instructions are adhered to, that is all over the code.

UPC 504.3.1- The clearances shall not be such as to interfere with... accessibility for servicing.

UPC 505.1- Each such appliance shall be installed in a location approved by the Authority Having Jurisdiction...

UPC 507.26 Accessibility For Service- Appliance shall be located... so as to permit access to the appliance.


The conductors and the insulation inside the jacket are almost certainly perfectly okay.

The only worrisome thing that comes to mind is that the ground wires in those old NM cables, when they had ground wires, were generally undersized relative to the primary conductors.

The electrical code requires that you bring anything you touch during a remodel up to the current code.

The current code basically requires that the ground wires be the same gauge as the primary conductors (#14 for 15A circuit, #12 for 20A circuit, etc).

I don't know if there's an exception for this old cable.


Why is it okay for a Lutron timer to have an 18 gauge ground wire?

This happens because UL has different rules for device parts
The timer's ground pigtail wire is the same as any other pigtail that is part of a device, and thus governed by the applicable UL standards instead of falling under NEC wire sizing rules.  You'll notice that the current-carrying pigtail wires on your dimmer are likely 18AWG or 16AWG, and this is true for devices such as light fixtures and fluorescent ballasts as well.  All of this uses the same logic in that UL-governed stuff can be tested for temperature rise explicitly at the device's rated nameplate load, and also can use different wire insulation temperature limits due to UL's adult supervision being involved.


Can I use #6 wire to feed a sub panel off main

You can feed as many 100A subpanels as you want with #6 wire, as long as the wire is supplied from 60A breakers.   Breakers protect wires.  You need a 60A breaker to protect #6 wire.  (or #4 Al).

In fact you can use any size of subpanel whose amp rating is >= the breaker that is feeding it.  Upsizing the panel is a very good idea  if it means getting more spaces.  Always get so many spaces that you never need twins/double-stuff breakers -- you can never have enough spaces!  42 spaces is not too many!

The required size for subpanel feeder is exactly the same as the required size for branch circuits, and comes out of NEC table 310.15(b)(16), formerly 310.16.  Do not use the service drop/lateral table, those are outside and can't burn your house down obviously.

You need 4-wire cable to feed a subpanel.  It is both illegal and unsafe to supply hot-hot-neutral (ungrounded) to a subpanel.  However, 3-wire cable can be used to a subpanel that is 240V-only and supports no 120V or 120/240V loads whatsoever -- for example water heater, A/C unit or any of those 8' baseboard heaters.  If you are stuck with useless 3-wire cable, sell it on Craigslist and let someone else use it.

If you have individual wires (THHN) also keep in mind your neutral must be natively white and your ground must be green or bare.   Different deal for wire #4 or larger, as it can be "re-defined" using black, red, white or green tape.

If you want to buy the correct wire for serving the panel from a 100A breaker, buy #3 Cu or preferably #1 Al.


What is causing toilet supply water leaks above the coupling nut?

The washer under the nut is probably leaking and the easiest/best solution's would to be replace the pipe.

Why

The reason it only leaks when you have the supply on is that there is no significant back pressure on the fittings from the tank as the tank has an air gap and the filler is at the top of the tank not submerged at the bottom ( which would cause back pressure)

P.S. DON'T use mutigrips, use a spanner or shifting spanner, on a plastic nut (or even brass) you can deform the nut by the crushing force of the mutigrips as you tighten the nut.


Tracking water infiltration can be difficult with the root cause not obvious. Sometimes you luck out and find a spot on the roof, in a valley or around a vent pipe or chimney that is the culprit. Since this is a town house with a shared wall, i wonder if the tenant on the other side has had the same moisture problems? Is there a possibility of damage or trapped moisture inside the wall?
  If you are looking to purchase, I would advise you to have it looked at and corrected by a professional before closing. If this defect is found during a home inspection, the current owner should be responsible for the repair of the leak and the discolored wall. At minimum, an allowance in the selling price should be made if you accept responsibility for the fix. In your specific case, don't plan on an easy self fix before you purchase the property, what you hope may be a minor repair may turn out to be very expensive.  Also, is the shell of the building covered by a condo Common area clause in the declaration of Condo? If so, the condo assoc will be responsible for the fix.  There are lots of questions here. Be careful and don't underestimate the problem.


How much power should a ductless A/C system use while "off"?

Your unit is probably a Heat Pump.  I sell these and I'm not aware of any companies that still sell a/c only units since the cost difference was minimal they have been phased out.  So being a heat pump it would have a crankcase heater either under or wrapped around the compressor.  As long as the main power switch is on the heater will be energized whenever the compressor is off.  That is to keep the oil in the system liquid so it can mix with the refrigerant gas when in operation.  It is a resistance type heater so the wattage seems reasonable.


I have a Champion 120V generator, I want to use it to plug into a preinstalled/wired 240volt split phase outlet

Nope, no chance.
You can't get there from here.
The only way to do it involves some wild back-flips with a 5 KVA 120/240V transformer, but those are $400+.  (you can occasionally get a find on Craigslist, but even then, the price will be greater than the price diff between this one and the generator you need.)
So back it goes.... if the well is a priority.
If it's not a priority, then maybe we can hook this up, but we'll need to see a much more detailed look at your generator interlock or transfer switch equipment, and how the panel is wired.


Sounds to me like the white wire is the ungrounded (hot) conductor, and should be reidentified as such using a bit of black tape/paint/marker. Power comes to the first switch via the white, and then to the second with a white jumper.

The red wire is the switched "hot", which is used to control one light. The black wire is the other switched "hot", and is used to control the other light. The bare wire is ground.

To install two new switches:

Turn the power off, and verify that it's off.
Mark the white wire with a bit of black tape/paint/marker.
Connect the white wire with two short bits of black wire (pigtails), using a twist-on wire connector.
Connect one black pigtail to one switch terminal, and the other to one of the switch terminals of the other switch.
Connect the red wire to the other terminal of one switch.
Connect the black wire to the other terminal of the other switch.
Using bare copper or green pigtails, connect a ground wire to the green screw on each switch, and the box if it's metal.

When done, it should look something like this.


I eventually got access to the other end and discovered that Daniel was indeed correct -- these were unwired.


What is the proper procedure for replacing rusted toilet anchor bolts?

The anchor bolts almost surely attach through the toilet flange.  This diagram shows the general layout.  (Click here for more detail.)

That image is part of U.S. Patent 7069603 showing who-knows-what.  Here is what the flange and closet fitting have looked like in new construction for the last 20 years or so:

(photo uploaded by user "molo" and posted here.)

The six small holes are for fastening the flange to the flooring and indirectly to the subfloor.  The two enlongated circular slots are for the heads of the bolts to slip under to fasten down the toilet.  Shown with a new wax ring they should look like this:

 (posted by "adams444" here.)

Replacing these are simple in theory.

Buy a wax ring which are about $3.  Buying two would not be overkill (see details further down for why).  There are also kits with replacement anchor bolts for about that much again.
Give the toilet a few flushes to make the whole experience a little more pleasant.
Turn off the water.
Flush again and hold the handle to get as much water out of the tank as possible.  Use a plunger to get most of the water out of the bowl.
Disconnect the water line from either under the tank or from the valve coupling.
If it is a two piece toilet, is heavy, and you don't have a helper, look inside the tank for a way to detach the tank from the base.  Be prepared for a half gallon of water to splash out by having a bucket, towels, mop, etc. on hand.  Otherwise prepare to lift the toilet as a single unit.
Remove the nuts from the anchor bolts.
Lift toilet mostly straight up.  You may have to rock it side to side or front to back to overcome the wax ring's adhesion while lifting.  To minimize water splashing on the floor, keep it tipped forward (away from the wall) and set it out of the way.
Assess the situation.  Maybe you want to replace the flange, or even install one if the installation is really old.  Most hardware stores sell kits with a flange, bolts, nuts, and wax ring for about $6.  You'll have to make sure the pipe underneath is compatible with the new flange:  if it is recent construction (~1980s and later), some ABS glue will be needed.  If it is older, an ABS to cast iron coupling is needed (and maybe some pipe sawing).
Note that a modern flange is designed to go on top of the flooring which is meant to go all the way under the toilet.
Once the flange is good to go—be sure it is installed in the proper orientation so that the anchor bolts can go in the curved slots and through the toilet—measure how much bolt length is actually needed and break or cut them to length, install them, the wax ring, and set the toilet into position.  To do this smoothly without experience, use two helpers:  two to lift and position the toilet and one eyes on ground positioning the anchor bolts (they tend to tilt) and directing the other two.
Put the anchor nuts on, moderately tighten, and check if the toilet is loose.  If the bolts are still too long, you might be able to hacksaw them with the toilet in position (put nuts on first so they can de-burr the thread at the cut).  Otherwise, if you lift the toilet out again, it is best to install another new wax ring.  (The squished new one makes a great shop item for waxing nails and screws for easier assembly.)
Reassemble and reconnect water line.

With everything ready to go, this is 60–90 minutes work.  If everything goes wrong, it could take half a day.

The biggest danger is that once the toilet is off, you will see sub-floor (and maybe a floor joist) with dry rot and worse.  Then you'll have to choose whether to just fix it up as best you can, or tear the floor up and replace everything that is wrong.

Good luck!


What could cause a 240v dryer outlet to have proper voltage but not power the dryer?

I recently had a problem that stumped me. My dryer had worked for a couple of years and then stopped heating. Turns out, the 240 receptacle had a bad contact on one of the 120 legs so it made poor contact with the plug. I replaced the receptacle. Later, I autopsied the old receptacle, cutting it open by drilling out the central rivet, and found that one of the spring clips had actually broken, so it didn't maintain tension. Of course when I had probed the receptacle I had been able to get the 120 because I was hunting for it. Perhaps your receptacle is bad?


How do I clean marks from masking tape glue on my windows?

Use something like Goof Off or Goo Gone to dissolve the solvent, or something with orange oil in it, and then scrape it off. You might have to repeat a couple of times.

BTW, taping windows provides no additional protection during a hurricane. Don't bother.


Can I use the ground wire as a neutral for an outlet?

This is a wiring hack job.  Someone had a problem with the proper neutral wire, but they were aware that the safety grounding system has an equipotential bond with the neutral in the panel, so they are returning current on that instead.  Very dangerous; any problem in the grounding electrode system could result in all the safety grounds in your house being energized with the return current from that bulb!    Of course this arrangement would trip a whole-house RCD or GFCI.

Alternately, the neutral wire went dead on them, so they switched both ends, so the yellow/green wire is now the neutral wire, and there's no safety ground at all.  While less unsafe, this is still bad, since Europe is really into making the safety ground wire smaller than the conductors.


Here's a good guide on thermostat wiring:
http://wiki.xtronics.com/index.php/Thermostat_signals_and_wiring

Most likely, all you should need to do is connect one wire to either W for heating or Y for a cooling system, and the other to R (or Rh for heating or Rc for cooling).


So, I fixed it! The only wire I hadn't disconnected in the panel was the ground wire. As it turns out, the ground wire was broken somewhere in the home run cable. This means that the entire circuit was not grounded! This explains why I had a wandering ghost voltage AND why terminating the ground to the neutral made the problem disappear. I now am reading all the correct voltages. I had to run a ground wire from a switch that was above one of the other outlets. I've done lots of wiring, but I had never encountered a grounding and bonding issue like this. I appreciate all your guys' input. Hopefully, there may be someone out there that can figure out their issue by reading all of this. Cheers!


Use 3 prong microwave on 2 wire ungrounded outlet?

You can use a three prong adapter, but only if you can ensure that the adapter is properly grounded.

An AFCI/GFCI outlet will help with some scenarios, but those outlets are meant to be grounded.  If you install one without grounding it, you're going to confuse whoever comes along later (and sees a 3-prong outlet) into thinking that the outlet is grounded.  So don't do that.

Another problem is that the microwave's chassis, if not grounded, might act in certain circumstances like an antenna and radiate microwaves into the room.  That would cause a lot of interference with other electronics (especially WiFi gear), and could be harmful.

Lastly, there could be some capacitative coupling that would cause an electric charge to build up on the chassis, leading to a shock hazard.


Is my plan to add a neutral wire to a switch box ok?

What you have -- ?

Note that colors signify function, even though the actual cable color is whatever standard cable colors are.   Here, red is switched-hot, white is neutral.

You can't cross the streams - er, send current going in a loop. This is AC.  It'll do bad things.

A basic rule is that currents must be equal in each cable or conduit.  Think about an army of ants exploring a tree.  Anywhere on the tree, if you count the number of ants that went up a branch, the same number will come back down.  Currents are equal in tree topology - but branches can't touch.  If an ant goes up one branch and comes down another,  currents are not equal.  Hence, circuits must be a rigid "tree" topology and loops must be prevented.

You see in the first drawing where there's a "Great Wall" separating the two switches.

So we do the following.

See how neutral goes a bit farther, but this avoids sending current in one direction around the triangle, and it is a tree (vine, anyway) not a loop.

**Notice how you will have two separate neutral splices in the left box.  Don't combine them and don't mix them up!


A "ductless" a/c system would appear to be the solution for this condo. You must exhaust the heat and humidity to the outside. Google "ductless mini split a/c".

Having a window a/c unit exhaust to the sun room would be completely unacceptable. A window unit used in this way would be by far the cheapest way to cool the bedroom, but would destroy the utility and aesthetics of the sun room. It would almost certainly be rejected by the condo association.

The condensing unit of the ductless system would be on the ground outside or hung on the outside wall and the air handler/evaporator on the wall in the bedroom. Refrigerant and electrical lines would connect the two units. The tubing to carry away the condensed water could presumably follow the same path and drip onto the ground outside.


Connecting a ground wire (SER cable) to a main disconnect that has no lug for it?

So I think I am going to mount a small ground bar to the panel under the breaker and add a lug to that bar. Neutral and ground will be bonded through the enclosure.


Why is my new home only sheathed with rigid material at some locations?

Why not ask the builder about the lack of OSB sheathing in those places?
We have lived for 42 years in Dallas, Texas in a 1970 build tract house which has no serious sheathing anywhere. The studs are sheathed in an insubstantial fiberboard (dark brown in color) with aluminum foil on the outside.
The corners are 45 deg angle braced with 1" x 4" boards let in to the studs. Yet the house seems structurally stable. A custom builder from California told me once that stud construction as practiced in the US is far above the minimum required for structural soundness.
EDIT
Impression from the pictures is absolutely 1st quality construction. Exterior studs 2x6 on 16" centers? Is there to be an exterior access tankless water heater in the metal box in the first picture or is that for the electric service panel?
I would bet the builder would have a good reason for leaving off the OSB in those selected locations. Ask them and tell us what they say.


What are these small things on my laundry room wall?

If those are between 1/4" and 3/8" in diameter, they're old plastic drywall anchors.

If your shelf covers them, don't worry at all. If they're visible, slice the flange off with a knife or chisel, push the remaining plastic into the wall cavity and spackle to fix.
If nothing else, these will tell you where your stud isn't. (And you'll really need to know that to get a secure floating shelf up.)


3 valve shower allowing flow to tub and shower

You (almost certainly) need to replace the "diverter washer". In the picture below you can see it on the middle valve assembly (the diverter valve), it's a white plastic disc that sits between the backside of the valve stem bib area and the valve body:


According to IRC, the duct must be made from galvanized steel, stainless steel or copper. It must have a smooth interior, and be air tight. Which means you're not going to want to use a flexible product for this application, especially that flexible plastic crap. Instead, you'll want to use rigid duct like this.

And you'll want to make sure you seal all seams with mastic or tape, that's designed for the purpose.
If you're not sure what building code is used in your area, the safest bet is to simply follow the installation instructions provided by the manufacturer of the range hood.

International Residential Code 2012
Chapter 15 Exhaust Systems
Section M1503 Range Hoods
M1503.1 General. Range hoods shall discharge to the outdoors through a single-wall duct. The duct serving the hood shall have a smooth interior surface, shall be air tight, shall be equipped with a back-draft damper, and shall be independent of all other exhaust systems. Ducts serving range hoods shall not terminate in an attic or crawl space or areas inside the building.
M1503.2 Duct material. Single-wall ducts serving range hoods shall be constructed of galvanized steel, stainless steel or copper.


I've followed Jim's advice, and connected red & yellow to L1, and black & blue to L2, and everything is working fine now.


what is the opposite of a shoulder screw

They are called captive screws or captive panel screws.


Should I cut control joints into a 10' by 12' shed slab?

This is largely a matter of opinion, but in my experience a 10x12 slab will almost certainly crack. There's no question but that I'd cross-cut it, at least. I might even go so far as to split the length into thirds. Clean, straight lines are preferable to jagged ones, and you can always fill your cuts with caulk to keep the floor surface intact.

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Can a one way lamp swtich be converted to a 3 way switch?

If you look inside the lamp-socket for a three-way lamp, you'll see three contacts, rather than two. Replace the existing two-contact light socket with a three-way socket and switch.

However, there are few three-way "bulbs" available, and very few energy-efficient LED or CFL three-way bulbs (which are a bit pricey), you'd be better off using a small dimmer switch in the base of the lamp, or using a remote controlled LED bulb.

All links are for reference-purposes only.


True...but it's true for the 14 SEER unit too. It's a package deal. The condenser, evaporator, coils, furnace, etc. all need to be replaced to achieve the SEER rating.

Remember, the SEER rating is the MAXIMUM that is achieved. Depending on the number of heating days verses the number of cooling days per year is important too. Typical savings usually is about $10 - $20 per month from 14 to 16 SEERs. (Even 21 SEER unit has a savings of only $50 - $75 per month.) So, if you're COOLING about 6 months a year, your savings is about $60 - $120 per year. (We don't recommend a 21 SEER rating because the unit is two stage, complicated and expensive to service.)

By the way, here the cost difference between 14 and 16 SEER is about $500 - $700. (Installation cost is the same.)

Other considerations:
1) Here, we heat most of the time, so we are concerned about the HSPF rating.
2) Warranty (actually, we like Trane, Lennox, Carrier equally. Also, I just heard about a recall on some Carrier units...be sure to verify this.)
3) A programable thermostat will save a lot.


How to remove metal ring on flex conduit?

It's threaded into the flex conduit. it has ridges on the side of the fitting that match the pitch of the spiral of the flex.

In reality they are not really using that correctly, they are rigging it up using parts that are intended for a different use. Here is the actual assembly that it is part of (the photo is of a stainless steel version, but it's the same concept):

The part you are looking at on yours is only the chase sleeve, shown in this photo to the left of the blue ring. It is INTENDED to go into a fitting that is sealing against the seal-tite flex. They are using only that sleeve and using it kind of backward.


What's the next step in troubleshooting my electric water heater?

Here was the solution:

For some reason, the circuit was showing a reading of 120v on the multimeter. This led me to believe it was good. Since it is a 120v water heater, I went ahead and hooked it up to a nearby circuit which I KNOW was good. Sure enough, we had hot water within 45 minutes.

I am not sure how the multimeter read 120v if the circuit was bad.

Apparently water heater elements need extremely consistent and constant supply of power or else they won't heat up.

Problem Solved. Thanks for all of the pointers and advice.


1 - Yes, it can be retrofitted depending on the style you choose & if that style fit your soffits. For example, an Aluminum Fin type would need a 6" soffit or eave & would require a 2" slot to be cut-out, because the fin section is recessed & must sit into the slot. Vinyl Holes type would need 11" to 12" to look professional but you can cut out or drill whatever openings you want as it just sits flat.

2 - Gable Vents work regardless of anything else or nothing else, but I would ditch any older in-the-field roof work vents as the roofing my not be pliable & break off in pieces. Gable vents are regularly enlarged & re-shaped to meet the desired ventilation. I've seen the entire gable turned into a vent. I think enlargement is your 2nd best now answer.

3 - I'm sorry I don't know the cost difference, your local roofers will vary & there's more labor in Boxes so they may be equal out if Ridge Materials are more expensive. But, Ridge Vents would be best for an old roof due to brittleness of the field shingles. Plus, Box Vents are quite small & due to their very small amount of penetrations they don't work well to start with.

4 - Ridge Vent re-use is a little tricky. The issues are nail removal & then re-nailing. You don't want to pay your roofer to waste time ripping out nails at 4x's the price of new ridge vent (dramatization) nor do you want him nailing in old holes where a tight attachment may not be achieved.

5 - Keep the existing Gable & Soffit vents as they are & install a Thermostatic or Switched or Timed fan in one of the Gable Vents to beat all of the above. This way you can cool when all of the above may not work to your liking without the direct solar gain (rainy, overcast, nighttime, snow covered). I think this is your overall best option with #2 being the closest behind.


How can I drain water from the area between a concrete walkway and the side of the house?

As other's have mentioned in comments, having the walkway sloped properly may reduce the problem.  However, if the area between the walkway and the house is lower than the walkway, you'll still likely end up with water trapped there.

The most common solution to this problem, is to build up the land between the walkway and house. Most folks us the area as a flower bed, and build the dirt up higher than the walkway. The raised land should shed most of the water away from the house, and eliminate the puddling problem you're having.

If you don't like flowers, you could raise the land a bit and plant grass instead. The key to solving the problem, is to have the land raised higher than the walkway.

If you really want the land to be lower, you can install a french drain or other drainage system. This will allow the water to be moved away from this area, though will most likely involve tunneling under the walkway (or ripping up a small section) to run the pipe.


Parallel (2) 20 amp 220 12 ga wires into one 30 amp 220 Breaker OK?

In a very simple answer NO. NEC forbids paralleling conductors less than 1/0. Article 310.10 (H)(1)


What primer and paint should I used for a solid-core wooden front door?

My favorite primer for wood doors is Bins Bullseye, pigmented shellac. This primer bonds well, hides wood grain well and gives a very smooth surface for top coats. If you prefer to stay with a latex product, then Kilz premium is good too.

Remember prep is of the utmost importance for a good finish.  Sand everything and clean it well before applying primer.  On a new piece, I like to lightly sand the first coat of primer. You will feel the difference, trust me.  I like to use two coats of primer, then sand it again very lightly to make it super smooth: 220 grit used lightly is fine.  Clean it well with a tact cloth or very slightly water dampened rag.

Now for the top coat.  Use a premium quality 100% acrylic exterior trim paint. Usually a gloss or semi gloss looks great, but that's a personal preference. Don't skimp on the brush: get a good Purdy Glide, poly/nylon 2½" angled, soft chisel tip.  Apply nice smooth, thin coats, and expect to do three coats for a good solid fill. Start in the panels and work your way out to the rails and stiles.  If you can take the time to remove the door after it is installed, (never remove door from frame before installation!!!!)  lay it flat to paint.  Laying it flat will really help avoid drips and runs.  Pay special attention to the panel corners and details for drips and puddles a few minutes after you apply the paint.  Use long smooth strokes to finish each panel, rail and stile.

BTW, a really good latex 100% acrylic is every bit as durable as an oil based product. Oil based paints are going away and have been compromised greatly in recent years due to VOC laws. I stopped using oil paint several years ago.  The only oil based product I use now is urethane.


Can I re-grout if there is possibility of mold/mildew behind shower?

This is really impossible to answer without opening it up more.  But basically it depends on the damage already done.  What you really need to do is clean this shower (bleach) and take out any loose pieces.  And let it sit for a week.  Also try to keep the humidity in the room low too.

If nothing grows back and your tiles are structurally bonding you can grout over.  You need to get rid of as much as the old grout as possible.  Then you need to let grout sit a while after putting it in - at least 3-4 days.  I would even introduce heat to the room and have done this before.

You need to sap the moisture and humidity out of the walls.  Then you need to seal the new grout.  Even if you have mold/mildew on the walls (unless it is extremely bad) it will soon die off due to lack of air/water.  Note that there could be issues inside the wall or on the other side I am not addressing.

This advice is nothing more than a logical guess from someone who has flipped a lot of houses with bathrooms like these.  I would normally try to look at the wall from the other side if possible and have cut out huge sections to look.   If this is your only shower this is going to be tough to do but I certainly wouldn't go through the trouble of cleaning, getting rid of old grout, and regrouting before properly drying out the shower.  I have demo'ed showers full of mold/mildew before with drywall behind and find almost no signs of damage.  At the same time I have demo'ed showers with some mold in one corner and that water leak caused mold on everything behind it.  If you can see this wall from the other side and it is concrete board (can take a tile off too) then I would be very confident in just letting this thing dry out and regrouting.


Found PVC while digging, what is the purpose of the pipe I hit?

My best guess is the two pvc are abandoned irrigation given the size and thickness. The black is definitely for a drip system and the wire is most likely low voltage landscape lighting. Keep in mind all any of us can do is tell you what those items were intended For by the mfg. I have seen many a product abused and misused so without testing one cannot be sure. But given the material, location, depth, and proximity odds are very high that one or more of us nailed it. Not quite as good as you did though.


What flooring material to install in a sunroom with wide temperature and moisture variations?

Your best option is sheet vinyl.  Next to that would be tile or concrete.

Most other flooring has seams which will eventually leak.  Yes, you can place vinyl tiles, or even laminate flooring, if you appropriately glue/seal all the seams.  Eventually the seams will leak, and in the case of laminate surface scratches must be sealed immediately to avoid damage to the laminate below the waterproof surface.

A single sheet, if possible, will provide continuous leak protection across the entire floor surface.  If it's too wide for a single sheet, then a single seam is easier to keep sealed than the multiple seams found in other flooring choices.

Tile and concrete are both good options as well. Regular maintenance and upkeep will keep them in good waterproof operation for the life of the house, while vinyl will need to be replaced every decade or two.

Even though it's designed to be an unheated space, you should consider adding a vapor barrier and insulation to the flooring area.  This will reduce the likelihood of later rotting or water condensation.

Keep in mind that outdoor carpet requires a sealed or well-draining surface.  Your current plywood would have to be treated and sealed for the outdoor carpeting to be useful.  The carpeting alone won't prevent damage to the subfloor - it will only avoid damage itself when exposed to water.

In your situation you need to protect both the flooring and the subfloor.

Regarding the cold temperatures, newer vinyl floors are much more flexible and resilient even in the fact of extreme cold weather. You'll need to specify that both the flooring and the adhesive be tolerant to freeze-thaw cycles.

Be certain that your subfloor is substantial and secure.  Cracking occurs where stresses increase significantly on one area of the floor.  As long as the vinyl is well-adhered to the subfloor, and the subfloor is relatively stable, then the stresses from expansion and contraction will be spread evenly across the entire surface.  While these forces are large, they won't overcome the strength of the vinyl.  If the subfloor develops a large gap, then the stresses in the vinyl would be greater around that gap and that's where a tear might start.

So your flooring really starts with a good, stable, strong subfloor.  What you put on top, then, will be fine as long as it can deal with the water exposure.


installing a laminate countertop on uneven cabinets

Rather than using "L" brackets why not set the counter top in place and get a few bundles of shims and shim up the difference? The brackets will be difficult to install exactly at the height you need whereas the shims are easy to adjust very small differences. Once everything is level, you can secure the counter top in place. Enjoy it and Good luck.


How to Level Concrete for Sliding Patio Doors?

set your door with available shimming it in place then use a 4000 psi rated NON SHRINK grout this will harden and will not allow the door to move .be sure its non shrink use a small trowel  to push to grout under the jam  don't try and get away with only using your hands the trial will help you make sure you have no air bubble so there will be no room for water to fill small voids and freeze causing separation good luck


Is some asymmetry in a breaker box normal? What about neutral to ground having voltage?

Neutral-ground bonding

The panels are wired correctly. There must only be one connection between neutral and ground in the main service panel.

If a subpanel has a bond, then it puts the neutral in parallel with the ground wire back to the main panel -- and this means current from normal loads (that normally the neutral would carry) will travel on ground paths back to the main panel. This includes bare ground wires, conduits, and metal housings. If someone were to touch anything grounded, they could be electrocuted.

This can also mean that the magnetic fields created in the hot and neutral don't cancel each other out, which can generate a lot of interference.

In the worst case, bad connections or other faults can cause a voltage difference between ground and neutral, causing a lot of very difficult to diagnose problems, and making it even more likely to be electrocuted by touching something grounded (anywhere in the house, from any panel).

In short: There must be only one bond between ground and neutral, and it goes in the main panel.

Differences in voltage

The differences in voltage between the two busses is fairly normal. It is likely caused by the transformer on the pole, or by a load in your house that is causing a voltage drop. For the latter you can try turning off circuits to see if it goes away, but for the former, you're pretty much SOL. That said, it's not a problem. Mains in North America is supposed to be 120V +/-5% (so 114 to 126V is acceptable).

The voltage from neutral-ground is also normal. Here is a decent (but technical) article on neutral-ground voltage. In short, it's caused by the fact that over any length of wire, you have some drop in voltage. Since no current flows in the ground wire, there is no drop there and thus you have a difference in voltage. Another source is induced current, which can be caused by wires going through magnetic fields, such as near motors.

In short, it doesn't sound like you have any problems.


Do building codes allow smaller nails when using gun instead of manually hammering?

Fastening schedules are quite straight forward. You look up what you're connecting together, and it tells you what size fastener to use, how many to use, the spacing between fasteners, and where the fastener should go.  There are no exceptions based on how the fastener is driven.

For example:

According to International Residential Code 2012, if you're going to end nail a top or sole plate to a stud, you'll use 2 16d (3 1/2″ × 0.135″) nails.


Why does my switch turn on one outlet and off another?

It sounds like a 3way switch that was wired to power one device in up and another in down , but more likely a DIY screwup that thought this was a way to power an outlet, I have seen this a few times.


Probably a sticky rubber gasket that has kinda adhered to the cage frame over time. Try spraying a penetrating lubricant (you know, the yellow and blue can with the little tube for the nozzle) into the crack and giving it a few taps. Then try your twist (counterclockwise) method again.


The common wire for the thermostat should be connected to the 24V side of the transformer.  In your schematic that you shared, this is the brown (br) wire leaving the transformer.  There are 4 brown wires attached with a wire nut.  This is where the COMmon for your thermostat should attach.


how to bypass an HVAC unit float switch (safe-t-switch)

All you need to do is short the wires together: cut the wires, strip them and twist them together.

Or, trace the wires back to where they hook up in your air handler and connect them together there.


How wide should I make my game-room if I want to fit a "full-size" pool table in it?

You need enough room to be able to properly line up and execute any shot. I would say you need at least 5 to 6ft "elbow room" around the table.

  A regulation sized pool table is 4.5'x9'.

Source

So your room needs to be 14.5' x 19' to 16.5' x 21' (which sounds very large).


Is the ground resistance meter indispensable when grounding your home?

If the utility neutral breaks you're up against the ground (i.e earth, dirt, soil, water, rocks) being a relatively terrible conductor as compared to a metal wire, so the various tests involving testing the ground with a heavy load between hot and ground are highly dubious.

In the USA, the NEC (our local code, presumably not what applies in Brazil) requires either a ground test (time consuming, expensive meter) or two ground rods 8 feet or more apart, minimum. Many places have also implemented code requiring that in new construction the concrete foundation should include a "Ufer" ground or basically have the reinforcing steel tied into the grounding system, which is a far more effective connection to earth ground than ground rods in almost all soil conditions.

As a result, few electricians here bother to own the expensive meter, and most services have two (or more) ground rods 8 (or more) feet apart; Or one foundation ground (concrete encased electrode) and one ground rod.


A good drywall adhesive has much more shear strength than screws - and this is just when your glue is on the framing.  So if you are doubling up the drywall gluing makes a ton of sense.

Just recently my drywall guys started using glue and I can say this, I hope I never have to demo these places because the drywall is ATTACHED.

All this being said the glue holds to the back paper of the drywall.  What you are saying is that behind the drywall you don't have a solid base... then the glue won't work.

Also I am going to assume that crumbling drywall means moisture.  While most glues will be fine with a little moisture, the back paper of your drywall will not.

Then we have to think about heavy tiles.  Heavy tiles do not go on drywall.  They go on a backer board.

You need to take out crumbling drywall, then install 1/2 inch Hardiboard, then install tiles.  There is no reason in the world that you need exterior access to remove interior drywall.

Recap:

general purpose Liquid Nails is not a drywall adhesive
approved adhesives are just as good or better than screwing - but not applicable to you
I wouldn't install drywall when you have an exterior moisture issue
drywall can't be used for heavy tiles
-


Telco ground: meter panel vs service panel

This is OK, as long as Dominion's happy, which they seem to be
Meter sockets upstream of the service disconnect generally pick up ground by being bonded to the neutral.  (This is OK because you haven't hit the service disconnect yet, so there is no separation between neutral and ground at this point.)  As a result, NEC 250.94(A) point 4 permits the Intersystem Bonding Termination (IBT) to be connected to the meter enclosure or to a bonding jumper connected to the meter enclosure.
However, since this is the meter enclosure we're dealing with, the NEC doesn't have the last word here.  Utilities can and do set rules about the treatment of their cash register that go above and beyond what the NEC has to say about the topic, and some utilities indeed prohibit attaching grounding conductors or devices to meter sockets.  In the case of Dominion, Section 240.11 of their Blue Book requires that bonding connections to the meter be made using an appropriate watertight (compression) fitting ("Kenny" clamp or equivalent) in a ½" KO to bring the bond wire into the meter base, where it can land on a dedicated terminal screw there.


What can I do about a breaker that trips frequently on a Stab-Lok panel?

A kettle is 12.5 amps*. A toaster oven is 12.5 amps*.  A microwave is between 8 and 15 amps.  You're running all at once, so between 33 and 40 amps.

Now, what is the number on the circuit breaker that is actually tripping?

Uh huh. And that is normal.  By law, kitchen circuits must be either 15 or 20 amps.  You are overloading this circuit by nearly 2:1 (and worse, doing it on an FPE Stab-Lok, but we'll come back to that).

The breaker is supposed to trip.

Now, I gather you are following the math here.  You're adding 10 and 12.5 and coming to a sad realization.  It is true. You cannot even run even two of those loads at once on a standard kitchen circuit.  Nevermind the Stab-Lok.

Now, to ease that, the Electrical Code has several new rules.  First, in newer construction, each kitchen must have two 20A circuits dedicated to kitchen countertop receptacles.  That still is not enough to satisfy your perfectly reasonable need, but Code is an absolute minimum. Yours is a picture postcard example why a savvy electrician installs more than two: one circuit per receptacle is not excessive. (One circuit per socket is ideal, but very expensive for technical reasons).

That said, I gather from the Stab-Lok that your building is not new construction, and the current situation is grandfathered. It was legal at the time it was installed, and there is no obligation to upgrade it, i.e. Grandfathered.

As a rental property, it is illegal for you or anyone who is not a licensed electrician to make any modifications to the electrical system.  Even the landlord can't do it.  His handyman can't do anything but simple socket changes.  Must be a licensed electrician.  Further, any work needs landlord permission, failing to get it is grounds for eviction.

Due to the foibles of Stab-Lok, you really don't want to make a habit of tripping that breaker.  Seriously.  You are creating exactly the situation Stab-Lok is known to fail in!

So this pretty much locks you onto one option: Only run one heat appliance at once.

Read the sticker on the back or the manual, it will state amps, which is what can't exceed 20 in total.   If it does not state amps but does state "watts" or "VA", divide it by 120 (volts) to get amps.  Mains voltage is 120 these days in the US.  In our house, we learned their amp values, and know not to exceed 20. (Or 16 if continuous).

Now, about that Stab-Lok panel.  The company is purported to have committed fraud when certifying the panel as safe.  They tricked UL, sorta the way Volkswagen diesels tricked the EPA.  There are separate problems with the breakers, and also with the panel busses.

What do breakers do? They protect the house's branch circuit wires from overheating and starting a fire in the worst place possible to fight a fire, inside the walls.  You won't detect it early, you can't reach it to extinguish it, all you can do is evacuate and call the F.D. and the house is probably done for.  FPE Stab-Lok breakers are notorious for sticking, and failing to trip when they are supposed to. Older breakers from this era were not made for frequent, repeated trips.  Every trip "wears them out" somewhat.  So you are really "playing with  fire" by continuing to taunt the Stab-Lok.

Why don't they just make replacement breakers that are safe? No point.  Stab-Lok panels have a second problem: the way the breakers attach to the power bus (specifically, they stab) has proven to be very bad news.  It conducts poorly, heats up, develops a gap, starts arcing, and this arcing makes a great deal of heat - the more load on the circuit, the more heat.  Main panel arcing is serious business, and again a firestarter.

So this old panel is just plain nogoodnik, and that is the consensus of most everyone in the business: these panels should be replaced ASAP.   The company defended their panel saying they will only fail if (you do things like you are doing and which lots of consumers do) and CPSC said "shrug, we don't have the budget to test this". The upshot is, there is not a mandatory recall, and the company went bankrupt so there's no way to fund it anyway.  So it is legal for the landlord to continue this one in service, and anyway, it does seem to be working.

* Heating elements are very cheap to make, so cost is not a factor. Heat appliances want to be as high-current as possible so they work quickly.  1500W or 12.5A comes up a lot because that is the max that UL will allow a resistor heater to have on a 15A plug.  UL (Underwriters Laboratories) being the agency that tests and approves appliances for sale.

The problem is that US 120V electricity is very limited in how much power it can provide.  In Europe, they use 230V, and circuits support nearly twice as much power.  Kettles and such are typically 2500 watts because they can be, i.e. That is the preferable size for these appliances.


Can I use 1" XPS and fiberglass batts instead of 2" XPS insulation in my basement?

The issue here isn't how well to insulate your basement but it is how to insulate it without trapping water in your walls.

If you double insulated your entire basement you are basically trapping water in your walls Building Science report covers this well.  Water can also sit in fiberglass for a long time - it doesn't dry out fast.  I'm not even proposing that you have a major leak, I am just talking about the normal bleed through concrete.

For your situation I would do the foam board everywhere.  Then I would rock wool to one foot below grade.  So your basement will have different amounts on insulation on different walls.  On a wall that is ground level I would stop a foot off the ground.  Moisture should wick to the bottom and you are giving yourself an air pocket that will help evaporation.  If you feel that you don't want to leave that pocket then I suggest that just the ground level wall gets the 2 inch variety (and I would still rock wool over that).


Also need a picture. I fix a lot of busted doors under various financial circumstances I often use bondo especially for exterior doors or even joint compound or wood putty on interior doors depending on the wood grain pattern of the door whether it be smooth or textured makes a great deal a difference when it comes to making a nice unnoticeable finished product. Priming the finished patch is a must in order to not have a dry spot look in the paint you can use a multi tool with a sanding pad for best results in fine sanding any contours that might be in the area of the patch. Of course if its too far out of shape your best option would be to replace the door if it is within your budget.


Should concrete stair landing be anchored to building?

Ok guess I need to put as an answer thanks @DMoore. I regularly tie small slabs to the foundation. You don't have to use anchors if you drill you holes at angles like- / \ / \ / \ - you can use 20 penny galvanized nails the angles keep it from moving away and from settling


How can I use a portable A/C unit to cool my clean room?

I've seen several unique installations of portable type air conditioners. The true difficulty comes as you need to have a separate location to exhaust, which will get both hotter and more humid. Fundamentally, an air conditioner is increasing the temperature gradient between the cooled side and the exhaust side. This exhaust side is typically meant to be outside, as the way most of these uprights are built, blows a healthy majority of condensate out as water vapor. I discovered this after I disassembled mine completely out of curiosity.

To get more directly to your question, unless you have a good and thorough seal between the area you're cooling and area your exhausting to, you will actually just be disturbing more air and creating some odd microclimates.

It matters less if you pipe the exhaust out, or if you pipe the cooled air in. What matters is that you contain the cooled air and prevent it from re-mixing with the unconditioned air.

However, these units can create a bit of negative pressure near them as they  exhaust some air from the conditioned space, over the heat exchanger. So your suspicion that it is pulling in the air from your shop that it sounds like is both unconditioned AND it sounds like you're exhausting to.

I would surmise, that creating a positive pressure from blowing in the conditioned air might feel more comfortable, but know that you're creating a fairly small space with both a dry cool area and a warmer, more humid area. This could cause problems with things like condensation, mildew, corrosion, etc. if there were enough moisture throughout.

It might be good to pair this with a dedicated dehumidifier also.

Also, it's worth noting, that the recovery time for these type of units is quite poor. It makes more sense to let them run as much as possible, and the larger/more hot and muggy the room you're conditioning, the more lead time they'll require.

I would also go ahead and check how the exhaust vent line is attached. If it's misaligned, has a tear etc, you would just be blowing heated and moistened air near your unit.


Why would a compact fluorescent lamp randomly turn off?

It's impossible to say for sure without inspecting the lamp, but it sounds like a bad CFL. Have you already checked to be sure that the bulb is screwed in securely?

You could use a multimeter to check for continuity through all of the wires to the socket (which can be difficult when trying to find an intermittent connection since digital multimeters displays don't update instantly, a meter with an audible continuity tone would be useful).

However, If this is a standard lamp with a screw-in CFL bulb, there's a simple test you can do that only costs a couple dollars (or may even be free if you have a spare CFL bulb in the house or can "borrow" one from a different lamp):

Put a new bulb in the lamp and see if it works.


Adding pergola beams to an existing deck

A 2x6 weighs about 2 lbs. per foot, so each 2x6 will weigh about 2 lbs. x 12’ span = 24 lbs.

Half the weight will be carried by one end, so the weight on each end will be about 12 - 16 lbs. per foot (if the 2x6’s are 12” o.c.) and there are miscellaneous 2x2 wood strips on top too.

A 2x6 roof joist support can carry about 150 lbs. per foot, depending on the species and grade.

So, structurally you do not need to add another 2x6 to support your pergola Beams (2x6’s), but you may want to for appearance.

See these designs

Remember, the best wood for exterior use and natural finish will be cedar or redwood...but you can always paint pressure treated wood.


Toaster oven makes my kitchen lights flicker

The problem isn't within the toaster, and adding a "power conditioner" wouldn't help. It's simply drawing a lot of power from the outlet, and the wiring impedance between the outlet and the distribution panel is causing the voltage at the outlet to drop a bit.

In general, the lighting circuits and the countertop appliance circuits should be on separate breakers to begin with, so that an appliance fault won't leave you in the dark with a potentially dangerous situation (hot and/or spinning objects).

You should try to work out which outlets in your kitchen are on which circuits, and operate the toaster on a separate circuit from the one your lights are plugged into.


Why would an outdoor floodlight only work in test mode?

I’m an idiot! My son in law and I could only get the light to come on in test mode. WE WERE WORKING ON THE LIGHT IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!!! We finally gave up and just left it on high sensor and ten minutes. Around 6:30 this evening, it was dark as midnight, all of a sudden the light came on and stayed on for 10 minutes.

If you are working on the light during daylight, you have to cover the sensor with tape and let it sit for a few minutes before it works the way it would at night.


Reinforcing a high load wooden corner shelf

Really I think you need bigger brackets. Otherwise I'd consider ...

Make the wood thick
Select a strong species
Align the grain across the width (less chance of 40cm splitting off)
Extend the brackets using ~60cm pieces of wood as an intermediate support.
Screw a support rail along the wall up to the window.


Water stain in basement found during inspection in a house

Looks like a pretty small stain. Even if the wastewater pipe is the cause I don't think it would be a big deal to fix. The risk looks pretty small to me.


If you use it for a form again no problem . . . otherwise, the remnants of the concrete on the wood will damage your power tools.


Seems your TRV was allowing a small flow to maintain the temperature of the (disconnected) radiator.

Try capping the open end of the pipe, the male end in your illustration.

Your local hardware store will have the right sized cap; take a cell-phone photo of the threaded open end with a ruler placed next to it, at the maximum width of the threads. To be certain, do the same with the radiator's end of the connection.

This should stop the TRV's flow (your "leak") and allow your boiler pressure to rise to normal while you have the radiator detached.


No remote/pull chains, how do I turn off fan without turning off the lights on combo unit

Check the wiring of the fan (after taking the regular safety precaution of turning off the breaker and double checking that the wires aren't hot), chances are that there are 3 connections (besides ground): neutral, lamp and fan. It's very likely that lamp and fan are jumpered together.

To disable the fan entirely you can then simply remove the jumper and connect the switched live to only the lamp.

To fix it properly you can remove the jumper and connect a separate switched live wire from the second switch to the fan. If that isn't in place you will need to run that extra wire which can be difficult depending on access from above.


Prefab houses seem to cost more than you would suspect

Built in California.
Take a look at that slick website and the design of the houses; does it looks like they're marketing to the moderate income crowd?


Is it a good idea to have an Infrared scan and/or air quality test done during a home inspection?

I am a certified home inspector, so I am a little reluctant to answer this question. I will, however spill a few thoughts. In recent years, the tests you refer to have become fairly popular, but normally in houses that show some signs of water or mold. I personally would only recommend an infrared scan if there was suspicious water spots or paint peeling on walls or ceilings where pipes would be located. The other reason for an infrared scan would be for an energy audit. Every house is going to show some areas where there is some excessive heat loss, but that is the norm, not the exception. nothing to get alarmed about. Since infrared looks at temperature differences, only active leaks or saturated insulation will show up in a scan.  If there is no evidence of a leak, I normally would not recommend one.

Air tests that look for allergens are actually looking for airborne mold spores. Every test I have done returns with some degree of mold spores. Most are naturally occuring outdoors rather than in the house itself. Most are classified as slight or moderate irritants to people who are sensitive to them. Again, unless I see actual signs of mold on walls, in the bathroom or in the attic, I don't recommend an air test. I do however recommend a "tape" test on actual mold samples. If the results come back as a bad type of mold, then I will encourage an air test and possible remediation.

I am always a buyer's advocate and tend to ere on the side of caution. Any house, regardless of age can have problems created from a leak or poor construction standards. In the huge majority of homes, this type of test is a feel good thing, rather than a necessity. A good inspector will see the signs. If they push the tests without cause, then they are padding the bill.  Just my humble opinion.  Good luck...


OK, the switch in the wall is just sloppy work someone pigtailed the switch and they just used white instead of a correct color.

That gets us to the fan junction box. If you don't know, you need to find the black wire that is controlled by the switch. simply turn off the switch and put you meter on the black wires, at least one of them should show no power. Verify by turning on the switch and it should now read 120V. Mark that wire as your switch leg. If the other black wire is continually on just leave it alone. The white wires are your neutral. Kill all power to the junction box.

Your fan should have four wires green (ground), White (neutral), Black and it should be labeled "fan", and blue or red and should be labeled "light". Of course you need to mount your hanger. Then connect your green wire first to the other ground wires or a ground screw. Then connect your white to your other white wires. Then connect your blue and black wire from the fan to the switch leg and button up the junction box making sure no wire are pinched and hang you fan motor.

When you attach your light kit to you fan you will see a multiple pin connector coming down from the fan. When you look at your light kit you will find a matching pin connector. Plug those connectors together and make sure they are locked in place. All you have to do know is hook up you light kit to the fan.

The switch in the wall should power up both the fan and the light kit. Both the fan and the light kit can be controlled by the pull switches on both devices.

Whew. Good luck


corian sink overflow tube and box replacement

Here is one source for the box and tube.  Your sink model number should be molded into the underside of the bowl.


How can I fix/modify my tub/shower combo so the water comes out of the showerhead?

If I'm not mistaken, you can pull down with some force on the bottom of the spout.

If you turn the water on and do that, the water will come out of the shower head until you turn the water off (or until the pressure is low enough).


Australia: Which wire is hot / active and which is neutral?

In Australia and New Zealand, the general rule is that

any wire with green on it has to be earth,
any wire with blue or black on it has to be neutral,
any wire that does NOT have blue, black or green on it has to be phase (hot).

So in this case, the pale grey wire from the ceiling is the phase wire, and it's correct to connect it to the brown wire in the lamp, as shown in your photo.

Also, if the lamp doesn't have any metal parts within normal reach, then it typically won't have an earth connection.  In that case, there's nothing to connect the green/yellow wire from the ceiling to, and it's perfectly correct to leave it unconnected.

I believe the wiring in your photo is correct, and up to code for Australia.  It's not a sloppy job at all - it looks quite professional to me.

Having said that, I am neither a lawyer, nor an electrician,  nor an Australian; so please do not consider this to be normative advice about the Australian electrical code.


Does the plate have to be metal?
We recently did just this, with a piece of 2x8 bracing two joists, and 4 lag screws into the joists. A 2x6 is also fine. The screws must be 3in long as they go through the plate, through the drywall, and then 1 inch into the joist. Any wiring through or around the joist should -by code- be 1.25in in from the edge. You can use 3/8in or 1/2in diameter screws.
See also the "cleat" answer by Isherwood for Hang indoor swing chair BETWEEN two ceiling joists
Pre-drill the joist for the lag screws, but first use a 3/4in to drill through the ceiling drywall and confirm location of the joist to make sure you pre-drill in the centre of joist edge. I don't find stud finders accurate enough to drill blindly. The brace will cover these holes.
Optionally stain the brace.
Attach the chair's hanging hardware to the brace (U ring etc...)
As for the metal option, I'd have to defer, because the critical point is the welding of the U ring. You'd have to make sure that whoever welds it knows what it's for, and is aware of the dynamic loading. Perhaps it is better screwed or bolted onto the brace. If bolted, the nut can be recessed into the drywall.


How can I repair this Ikea light fixture that seems to be missing parts?

The bulbs are not rated for line voltage, and that box is likely some form of Rectifier and/or step down transformer.  I'd follow the instructions on page 3 of the installation guide.

From IKEA SÖDER Chandelier, 7-armed:

Care instructions
Halogen bulb G4 12V 10W


How do you troubleshoot a baseboard heater that is not heating up?

Unless there is a valve in the line that's shut off, you probably either have an air blockage (which either means you need to find a bleeder you haven't yet, possibly hidden under the baseboard cover, or you need to cut the pipe and add one) or you have a frozen pipe (surprisingly common with the way some baseboard systems are installed, especially in older houses.)

If you can bleed air from anywhere else in the system, do that for a start.

Other than "looking carefully at the pipes", feeling them to see where the system is and is not hot can be diagnostic, sometimes. If there's a single pump, and a way to shut off other loops while leaving this loop on the system, that MIGHT burp the bubble out to a place you can bleed it from. If there are multiple pumps, check to be sure the pump in this loop is operating, both by sound/feel and by feeling for heat in the pipes to/from the pump.


AFCI randomly tripping, and related questions

AFCI
AFCI generally detects problems with wiring, but can be triggered by certain devices that may or may not be a dangerous situation. The more devices, receptacles, wire connections, etc., the more likely that (a) real problems will crop up that are actually being protected by the AFCI and (b) false "nuisance" trips will happen. But until you know for sure, you should assume the trips are "real".
Do you need AFCI? Probably, but depends on location. Unlike GFCI, which is life-safety based such that out-of-reach (e.g., lighting) is normally exempt), AFCI is fire-safety based so lighting is as in need of protection as anything else, subject to local code requirements.
Pigtail
You can connect two circuits to one breaker. You use a pigtail to connect to the breaker on one end and the two separate circuits on the other end (pigtail plus the other 2 wires in a wire nut). However, that doesn't really gain anything here since your total current is limited by the neutral wire, unless you go to an MWBC.
Multi Wire Branch Circuit - MWBC
What you have described as a solution is a MWBC. Basically you have two hots and one neutral == /3 cable - connecting to two breakers. There are a number of catches to this:

The breakers must be on opposite legs. Traditionally that has been easy to do. However, if you were thinking of "replace a full size breaker with a double-stuff pair of 1/2 size breakers", that won't work here because that would be on only one leg. There are, for some panels, quad 1/2 size breakers where one of the pairs can be used this way, but that is very panel dependent. The simple way to look at it is: If installed correctly, red to black will measure 240V, red to white (neutral) 120V, black to white 120V. If you get red to black 0V then everything is on one leg == NO GOOD.
The breakers must have a common maintenance shutoff because otherwise neutral current could be quite dangerous when working on 1/2 the circuit when the other 1/2 is off.
AFCI and GFCI get messy unless handled as part of the breaker.

Note that an MWBC is not "two separate circuits". It is one multi-wire combined circuit. Effectively two circuits in one, but the savings being 3 wires (plus ground) instead of 2. Neutral "cancels out" which is why it works in general but also why it must be on a properly installed double breaker.
Two truly separate circuits would require 4 wires (plus grounds) - i.e., each circuit needs its own paired hot & neutral. An MWBC shares the neutral in a safe way.


Is it ok for a bathroom sink vent to go up and come back down over an obstacle?

All vent and branch vent pipes shall be so graded and connected as to drain back to the drainage pipe by gravity.

which this arrangement arguably does have.

I believe that as the code is typically interpreted, the latter half is draining "forward" (in the direction of the vent) rather than "back" even though the water (condensation, mostly) ends up in the same drain pipe ultimately.
Practically speaking I can't see that it should not work, and IPC tends to have so many ways to vent things I would not swear it's not allowed in some paragraph I missed (or found not relevant to my situation) when educating myself for my own plumbing, but I don't think it quite passes.


How to stop rats from walking in plastic sewage pipe and damaging it?

Step one: eliminate the rats.

Step two: find their means of ingress and block it off.

Pictures of the pipe where it exits the house, the cover on the access port of the tank, and the area of the ground that's above the tank would help suggestions flow in to accomplish these steps. Failing that, those are the places that you'd need to inspect, to figure it out.


How do I determine how much weight an indoor hammock mounting kit can bear?

Some general comments:

Single point loads of 200lbs on a single stud (1/2 the rated full load, since you will use 2 anchors) is significant.  Such a mounting would be dependant on securing the lag bolt near the center of the stud.  That can be hard to do, even with a stud detector.

Wall connections: Exterior walls are much stronger than interior (partition) walls. Connections across a corner or across a room will be stronger than a single wall.

Ceiling connections: Connecting perpendicularly to the joists will be stronger than parallel to them (spanning several is discussed below).

Ceiling mounting may be complicated by double mounting to a single joist.

Some specific comments:

My suggestion is to have each attachment point span 2 studs or 2 joists.  This would be simplest by connecting a cross member (such as 2x4 lumber).  Make each support piece longer than the stud/joist spacing by 25% (so the screw holes have strength)  Predrill and use 4 mounting (2 Each end) lag screws, make sure they are centered on each stud/joist and embedded sufficiently.

Then connect the hammock kit as directed.


After going through 20+ outlets, switches, and lights I finally found the issue. Big thank you to everyone for their words of advice. 2 black wires and "common" were incorrectly wired from a switch to a light. Basically they ran a black and white wire to the switch making the common hot (of course the white wire wasn't marked with tape) Then they tied 2 black wires together with that common at the light. I completely removed that entire rats nest of confusion and ran new wires for that portion of the circuit. My entire circuit is now GF/AF protected, free of hot neutrals, TR outlets, and most importantly only works off of 1 breaker.


Mine was freezing over and not cooling the house. I had recently replaced the filters so I made sure all the vents were open. I noticed there was no airflow so I checked the A/C coil up in the attic... I pulled the panel off and  it was completely blocked by lint. I used a wide vacuum brush and sucked all the crud off and now there's airflow again and the house is cooling down as I write this.
Cost, sweat! lots of sweat!


Toilet will not flush and has Air Bubbles

Will the bath keep draining? It sounds like the pipe below the toilet,sink & tub are plugged. The other bathrooms are probably closer to the tank / city sewer so they work fine. A snake would probably clear the drain. I would go in at the sink trap as these are easy to remove unless there is a clean out close by.


How would I set the temperature of my water heater so that it is the most energy efficient?

Setting the temperature lower would be the most energy efficient setting, but the question is open whether this would be a significant savings. It may be beneficial to the heater--IIRC the instructions for my Bosch Aquastar 125B say that if the heater is set at the lowest flame setting then it may never have to be descaled.

The downside of outputting a lower temperature of water is that this will reduce the ability to supply multiple simultaneous uses.

But there is the question of microbes in the water and specifically Legionella, the cause of Legionnaires' disease. All over the scientifically based world the recommendation is that water stored in tanks should be kept cold or at a temp of 130 to 140 F, not in between. It is not clear how this applies to hot water supply systems that use a tankless heater.

If all the water that ends up abandoned in the hot water pipes after the hot water taps are turned off has been heated to 140 F, then that would have killed "all" the Legionella in the incoming water. As it sits in the hot water line and gets tepid there is not enough surviving bacteria to grow to a dangerous level. But if the heater never heats the water past say 105 F, then Legionella will survive to grow in the hot water supply lines.


Landscaping - How to Correct Heavily Flooded Yard

If your jurisdiction's drainage code permits it, you could install a yard drain in your yard.  You would need to slope the lawn so that in a light rain (such that the water can eventually be absorbed by the topsoil) the water does not drain into the drain, but that if enough water collects on the lawn to be a problem, the excess does drain into the drain.  You would also need to pipe the drain water to where your roof drain goes to.  (This is why you should check with your jurisdiction about its drainage requirements.)

Also, is your topsoil well aerated?  Compacted and/or clayey topsoil often does not absorb water well.  You might want to consider aerating your lawn, or even replacing the top 8" - 12" of your topsoil with a sandier, more organic mix that is designed for drainage.


How can I fit a door to my 28" wide fireplace?

Notching the front of the fireplace sounds like an acceptable solution to me. The brick will be soft.  You may also need a little hammer and chisel work.