How do I remove an old ceiling junction box to install one rated for a fan?

If you have determined that the existing box is not sufficient to support a fan or you want to make sure that a box is designed for a ceiling fan, it would not be difficult.  After opening the breaker to the box in question.

Remove the old box.  You may have to cut some of the drywall away to remove the old box and to install the support bracket of the new ceiling fan box.
Once the old box is removed, use a ceiling fan mount like this and attach to two joists.
Re-patch the sheetrock and mount the ceiling fan.


Cabinets with existing dowels in the wrong place. How do I fill for new hinges?

To try to plug that for the sake of getting better grip for the screws, will not be worth it.

Others may not agree but I would not hesitate to use a self-centering bit like a Vix bit and drill the new pilot hole where the hinge dictates- right at the area where the plastic and wood meet. The wood will be hard enough to hold the screw, and what little grabs the plastic insert will add a little more hold, and compress the plastic in tighter.


Can I reduce the grinding and humming noise from my portable air con's compressor?

Check to make sure one of the (presumably plastic) panels that make up the exterior of the unit are not loose. My unit had a "fancy" black plastic border that fastened around the front panel, and it would over time begin to work loose as the compressor vibrated. I ended up wedging a little folded piece of paper between the front panel and the bordering plastic to get it to shut up.

Other than that, put something vibration-absorbing under it if possible, as Ed Beal suggests. There's not a lot to be done. These units are noisy because the usual outdoor bits are now in a box next to you. But if you need cool air, you need cool air!


What is the purpose of a ground in a GFCI outlet?

A GFCI is one way to make an ungrounded circuit that you cannot manage to retrofit ground for safer than an otherwise unprotected ungrounded circuit.
However, it is always preferable (and required in any new work) to have an actual ground connection as well. Things fail in various ways, and if the grounding pin on a grounded item is actually connected to ground, more failure modes are protected against.
As a somewhat contrived example, if a tool with a metal shell and a grounded cord was plugged into a an ungrounded GFCI outlet but on an insulated surface, and it had a failure connecting hot to the grounded case, the case would be live, but without current flowing (it's on an insulated surface) the GFCI would not have a reason to trip until you picked it up and provided a path for current to go out of the circuit. If the GFCI works, you get a mild shock and it trips - if it fails (and they do, though more often "dead" than "alive", presumably by design) you just get shocked.
If it was grounded, either the GFCI would trip or the circuit breaker would trip. You would not be involved.


What is the best way to polish an old brass bed?

+

A drill mounted buffing ball or disc should eliminate most of the elbow grease needed for the job.


How can baseboards be attached to a plaster-on-masonry wall?

If by HMA you mean Hot-Melt Adhesive, that stuff is for arts & crafts, not construction.

You should be using construction adhesive.

LOCTITE®, LIQUID NAILS®, DAP®, and possibly other adhesive manufacturers offer a molding adhesive.


Typically, there is a beam put under the joists, then the post are put under each end of the beam. This detail is better suited for longer beams, covering more joists. Somebody has found new and unusual ways do do something there. I can see the logic of what they were trying to do, but makes for a lot of guessing still.

The problem really happened when the insulated pipe was drilled through the bottom edge of the joists.


Could a circuit breaker ever be faulty in a way that prevents it from tripping?

Neutral to ground will not blow a breaker.  Live to neutral or live to ground should.

It is possible for a circuit breaker to fail to trip.  This is a huge concern with old Federal Pacific breakers - some were recalled due to not tripping in a fault, and could cause a fire.  Testing for it isn't really a safe thing to do - because if your breaker has failed, intentionally shorting it could cause a fire.

My guess would be that your breaker is fine and there was no short - one wire for the outlet had come disconnected.  You said you wired the chain together after removing the outlet - that chain was broken with the wire missing, so any outlets downstream of that didn't get any power.


You never want the coils in the evaporator to ice up. Ice can damage the coils and reduces the airflow. More often I find dirty coils outside many times filled with dust so they are not cooling the refrigerant.  A 5 degree delta sounds small but is meaningless without the air temp , with a system this old an 80 deg outside temp you should be closer to 15-20 degree drop.
My guess would be that you are low on Refrigerant so the system doesn’t have the volume of high pressure liquid to be released and create the cold you are used to. You probably have R22 and it is Running ~100$/ lb , I have heard higher in some areas but it can still be purchased a 5 ton system may take ~ 8-10 lbs to bring back to full cooling, and they will probably try and talk you into updating to a new refrigerant basically a new system.


When insulating with closed-cell Spray Foam, what ERV and HVAC resizing considerations should I bear in mind?

At this point, it's not a DIY project. You need to consult an engineer or an architect/engineer that is used to these kind of building envelopes. A sealed envelope with an ERV needs to be designed and PROPERLY sealed, and the ERV capacity needs to be determined and designed by an engineer in order to meet building code and pass inspections.

Note: I'm in TX and familiar with building code for high efficiency projects here, and my girlfriend is a PE but not in HVAC.


Its rubbed in oil, dirt and small particles of metal. There is no way on the planet you can get it out. Sanding deep is the only option.

You can use oxalic acid, which will bleach the wood and significantly lighten the stains. Oxalic acid is powerful stuff, so be careful.


Should the covers on sewage drainage pipes be airtight?

The risk is that you have sewer gas escaping at ground level and this could easily enter your house. This gas is potentially flammable or explosive.

Venting issues are not going to cause a backup. Slow draining or gurgling are common symptoms of venting problems. If you have a backup it is very likely your sewer is clogged.

There are also environmental concerns with discharging sewage on your lawn in that it can enter the drinking water supply. I imagine you could be fined for this.


First the bad news. If smoke came from the disposer the windings are burnt and it's never going to work. Unless when you connected the power cord (the tail), it was made up incorrectly. When you "touched the wire"  most likely some of the fine strands were loose and caused a "pop".

So first take the disposer out from under the sink and check the connections and determine if the power cord was installed properly (you should be able to see the burns if it's at the connection point).  Then verify that you haven't burned up the windings (they should smell burnt). If there is any hint that the windings are burned return and replace the disposer.

Then check the breaker and make sure the power is on. Then use your tester to check the outlets under the sink. The outlet below the sink is usually a duplex and one side should be continually hot and the other should be on the switch above the counter by the sink. If you don't get power there start backtracking the circuit find the damaged location and of course repair the part.

If everything seems to be ok. Reinstall the disposer.

I know you probably would like to know another way to check the windings on the disposal. Unfortunately I can't recommend a way to check it safely without a workbench or a good understanding of how to check the windings with an ohmmeter.
If you really want to know that you need to take it to a motor specialist or the manufacturer's recommended warranty shop.

Stay safe and good luck.


How to efficiently trim 3mm polycarbonate with portable tool(s)?

If you have to use an unpowered hand tool, then a file or possibly a hacksaw will work.  Anything with coarser teeth than that (like the saw you linked to) will be very difficult to use on such a hard material and cracking is likely.

If you can use power, a belt sander will work.  An angle grinder iwth a cut-off wheel or Dremel tool will also work, but they can be a hassle to use if you have a long cut because they cut slowly and stink because they melt the material as they go (use in a well ventilated area).


How can I stop the icemaker on a GE fridge from overflowing water?

I threw in the towel and called an applicance guy. He looked at evertyhing I did, and could see no broken parts. Putting our heads together, we came to the conclusion that its a design flaw. We wound up doing two things - 1) We opened up the area at the bottom of the water funnel to water into the mold faster and 2) I made a small "fence" at the back of the funnel out of aluminum duct tape to stop water from overflowing. These two things together seem to have done the trick.


How should I repair this splintered wood. The splinter is on the back of the lid on a wooden box/chest. Thanks!

It looks like it will press right back into place, so it really comes down to what type of glue to use, and how to clamp. Here's what I would do:

Choose a glue: Any normal PVA ("wood glue") should be fine. Superglue might be quicker, but it can be fussy, so practice with it on another piece of wood if you go that route, so you know what to expect.
Plan/rehearse clamping: Is masking tape enough to hold the crack shut? How about a couple of bar clamps or a ratchet strap? Experiment to see what works before you apply any glue. If you need to apply some packing tape to a clamp or strap to keep the glue from sticking to it, do that now too. Keep the clamps handy.
Prepare the surfaces (optional).

If you rub a candle (paraffin) on the finished surfaces of the wood near the crack, excess glue will be easier to clean up, and you may avoid damaging the finish.
Some woods can be hard to glue because of oils on the surface, esp. tropical woods like mahogany. If in doubt, carefully wipe/floss the inside of the crack with some acetone or deglosser on a cotton rag. Whatever you do, don't splinter the wood--you want it to match perfectly when clamped.

Glue and clamp: Spread glue inside the crack without splintering the wood. You can "floss" it in there with some paper or cloth--or just get it to drip in. Don't worry too much about the excess. If it's super glue you'll have to work fast. Clamp it up--since you rehearsed it will be quick and without surprises. You did rehearse, right? Since the outside of the board looks like it's finished, you can wipe up excess with a damp rag.
Cleanup: wait until the glue is semi-cured, dry but not completely hard. Probably 30-60 minutes for PVA depending on humidity & temperature. Chip off the excess with a chisel, knife, fingernail, or whatever--just be careful not to damage the finish. Technically you could take the clamps off at this point, but it's better to leave them on for 8-24 hours just to be safe.


Are LED retrofit bulbs more resilient to ballast problems?

LEDs are not susceptible to the sorts of startup flickering that affect fluorescent tubes.

However LED units are susceptible to other types of flickering caused by dimmers, smart-switches or other types of device in the circuit.

Your best chance of eliminating flicker is to remove the ballasts, then fit a good quality LED fixture - ideally one that tolerates most dimmers.


How do I go about filling a hole that's all the way through wood, for a new nut?

The best way to deal with this is to drill out the holes to a larger size to match a piece of dowel rod. The dowel rods come in standard diameters so select one that is a bit larger than the hole that needs plugging.

Cut off the dowel rod to a length that matches the thickness of the door or drawer front. Then use wood glue to completely coat the outside of the dowel and inside of the hole and insert the dowel into the drilled out hole.

Use care to match up the outside surface of the wood with the end of the dowel so the surface is nice and level. Let the glue fully dry.

You can now drill your new hole through the wood where needed for the new handle of pull. If the original wood is a soft wood like pine and the dowel was a harder wood like birch then it is advisable to use a drill guide to hold the drill bit position if the new hole needs to span the transition between the dowel and the existing wood of the door/drawer front.

Before installing the new handle or pull you can use some wood stain or paint to touch up the ends of the dowel so it does not show out too much. If you got glue all over the ends of the dowel and it dried there it will first be necessary to sand this away before trying to apply stain.


Are insulation baffles necessary if the side attic has roof vents?

You are going the right way with you new idea. The box vents, the way they are originally, when the insulation was pulled down for the vents, it pretty much overrode what the insulation was supposed to do.  If you relocate the insulation to where you propose, then the whole cavity will exhaust the hot air, and keep the cold air where it is supposed to be. Hot air too for that matter.

Hopefully you plan to add more insulation everywhere you can, even on the walls held by wire mesh, staples and tie wire.

The baffles are needed when the insulation, whether it be blown in or batts, gets crammed into a tight spot, for example, where the roof meets the floor joists. In your drawing, the insulation is held back in those spaces, perhaps for clarity, perhaps because you plan on keeping it back that far so the air flows to the soffit vents, if you have them. If there are none, it would be better to have them, since the chimney effect will move the air better. Using baffles in those areas allow insulation to meet at those tight places, and still allow air flow to occur to the soffit vents. Of course the insulation thickness will still be limited on how much can really go in that tight of a space, but it is better than a gap in the insulation envelope.

Your section of roof that is angled with drywall on it should really be pulled down, add extra 2X to get more room for insulation, add baffles there before you replace any insulation. Usually this really reduces the amount of headroom the attic will have, so this is typically one place the insulation will suffer, or foam could go in its place. Keep it low so it creates it's own 2" airspace above the foam.

As a mention, the importance of the airspace above the angled area is minimized since above the angle and below the angle is vented already. Had the lower box vents never been installed, the airflow through that angled section would have been imperative.


Should we glue or nail our new engineered wood flooring

Either can be made to work, but both have challenges. Wood floor on slab is not a happy combination unless you prep the surface really well. And even then it has downsides, eg in winter the floor will be extremely cold. On the other hand, nailing the boards to a ply subfloor will give you great results, but you might have to fix every door, doorframe, base board,  transition step and so on in the space to accommodate the raised height of the floor.

I would be confident that gluing to the slab can work really well, but much less so that gluing to linoleum would not eventually fail. Although it's an ugly job, stripping the lino off the floor would be my recommendation if you go this path.


Cheap digital thermostat turns off furnace when cold?

99% sure this will be a thermostat that needs batteries. A fairly common approach to getting "smart" features without changing from old two-wire (heat only) mechanical thermostat wiring. I've lived with several variants - the batteries and method to get to the batteries can be less than obvious, depending on the design. If new batteries don't solve it, then it probably is new thermostat time (had that happen with one of them after 20 odd years of trouble-free service...)

Generally plan on replacing them once a year rather than waiting for them to leave the house cold. As a new homeowner, if you have not had your heating system professionally serviced annually, you might schedule a service call (for the heating system maintenance, not just for getting into the thermostat) and have the service person show you how to get to the batteries, as they will probably have a good idea how to get to them without breaking the thermostat (not uncommon to have to pull it off the wall to get to the batteries, but HOW you pull it off the wall without breaking it is not always evident.)

Otherwise, figure out what brand and model thermostat you have and look up the manual on the internet.


Will a high efficiency furnace vent etch the brick on my house?

The combustion byproducts of natural gas also include nitrogen and sulfur oxides. Those oxides combine with other combustion byproducts to create acidic compounds.

If those corrosive vapors condense on your brick wall, it will do damage. That is why high efficiency gas furnaces can not use unlined brick chimneys.


Buying an old house. What NOT to "modernize?"

Can I tear down all the dividing floors on the main floor? They are not load bearing of any sort, right?

No. At least half are likely load bearing. You will need to bring in an engineer and likely retrofit by installing beams to carry the load.

  I like the functionality of modern-day plastic framed, double glass windows, but won't they look "blasphemous" on a classic house, especially from the outside?

That's a matter of opinion. If this is a popular architectural style in your region, there are likely plenty of vinyl window options that try to mimic elements of the classic windows (likely to varying levels of success).

  Will I "waste" the real wood if I install laminate wood on top? I love laminate floors, they're too easy to clean and are cheap to buy and install, but will refinishing the wood floor cost similar?

In terms of future 'value', I think you'd be much better off with finished wood floors. But that's assuming the wood that is currently there of a quality and in a condition to be refinished. You'll want to bring in a floor person to make that call.

  should forget about excavating the concrete floor or raising the house, even in the future and given more money, because that is a serious hassle, correct?

Again, matter of opinion. It all depends. We can't say if it's worth it unless we know how long you plan to stay in the house, where it's located, comparable houses on the market, soil conditions, etc, etc. The biggest problem is that you don't have a detached house...there's no way to raise your side of the house without also raising the other side.


Should I replace or repair my dead/dying garage door?

Lots of things can be wrong with your garage door or opener:

It could be something as simple as needing to replace the springs. If they are torsion springs, you're going to want to consult a professional, as they can store a deadly amount of tension. Consider it as dangerous as electric repairs.
Some garage door openers operate on battery. You might need to replace them.
Some garage door openers have adjustable settings. This is probably not the problem because you've noticed a degradation in performance and haven't indicated fiddling with the settings at all.
It could be a misaligned track, causing unnecessary work for the motor.
If all else fails, it's the motor. It's cheaper to replace it!


Old house. Front porch light wiring is piped so need to know how to install an outlet box. Pic attached

The picture shows an armored conduit holding the wires. You could mount a box by removing the nut and mounting a box through a knockout at the back of the box, replacing the nut on the inside. You'd want to make sure it's rated for outdoor since it's exposed.
I'm not sure what type of base the light has and whether or not it will cover the box once you mount it or if that's important to you.
In this particular application code may allow you to attach the light directly to a mounting bar attached to the nipple. However, before you do that check codes. One of the electrical pros here might help you with that.


Yes, this needs to be on an AFCI

All 15A and 20A, 120V kitchen outlets (not just receptacles, but lighting and fixed appliances too) have been required to be AFCI protected since the 2014 NEC.  (See 210.12(A) for the details -- it covers just about any sort of space you'll find within a dwelling unit proper.)


Weslock Double Locking Deadbolt Impossible to Remove from Door:

Place a screw driver through the center hole in the dead bolt and pull with even pressure on both sides of the door, it should pop out.  Some gentle taps with a hammer might help.  You could also try prying it out.


How many arms should a 5.8m long awning have?

More is always better, I'd easily go with the guys putting a post every 10'. 2 poles would be okay if the bridge pole is a much larger diameter, which may be unsightly. That's still a pretty good wind to keep that sail down & everything better be bolted & not just screwed.


how do i replace a fence post that was also used as a deck footing?

Use a sledgehammer and a large punch to drive out the old bolts. For one-time use, a spike just smaller in diameter than the bolts, with the tip cut off flat may work well-enough at a lower cost, if you don't have a large punch on hand.


Gap around plumbing in bathroom floor/subfloor

Escutcheons do cover the rough edges around a pipe penetration. But you'll never find an escutcheon that covers the combination of cold pipe and drain pipe. It'll take two, and they may or may not overlap each other well enough to fully cover the rough edges. IMHO this is sub-par workmanship; the tile guy just didn't want to take the time to trim four hexagons to fit neatly (but not necessarily snugly - you'd still need an escutcheon) around the two water pipes and that many again around the drain pipe.
At this point what's done is done, though; modifying the tile could be difficult. It'll require grinding or chipping out some grout and placing a few little tiles. Building support for those tiles in the chasm between the cold water and drain pipes could be tricky. It'll take some creativity and determination to get it done. It might involve fitting some wood backing below the subfloor, or possibly a bit of sheet metal on top of the subfloor.


What is the appropriate type of caulking around a kitchen sink?

You need a 100% silicone clear caulk and since it is near a sink I would get something that is mold resistant.

Silicone for the sink to counter binding and its flexibility with temperature change.

Clear because you don't want to have staining issues down the road.  Also if you need to add caulk down the road - clear matches clear.

GE Silicone II

I have used this on almost anything.


Yes, you need to rip the starting board to match what's protruding into the bedroom. First establish an accurate straight line based on the existing flooring. You may need to taper the starter to fit an out-of-square or curved wall.

Update: I didn't initially catch that you had ripped the final board in the doorway. That board should be removed and replaced with a full board.


Either tool would be fine; but as stated in the comments, neither should be required for this job.


Are there any cons to use a T-fitting into two ball valves instead of one combinated (Y-valve or similar) valve?

I assume you are asking to be able to independently turn the water off for the sink or the washer. The only issue you could have with a T is running water past the right angle connecting pipe. If you do this run water line in into the singular and let it split out to the other two ends that are in line with each other. (See the picture below)

The reason for this set up is what is the siphoning effect , as fluid passes the singular it will have a tendency to create a suction - siphoning water from that line , also no resistance one way could allow more water to flow in one direction (unrestricted) and not flow in the other - so if you follow this rule as per the picture - you should not have any issue.


I'm not certain what guage that wire is but many manufacturers will cite a minimum bend radius.
It may or may not be code compliance wherever you are in the world.
I suspect that wire has a minimum bend radius between 1 and 2 inches.
You can achieve that most easily by just rotating the receptacle. The wire will tail upwards, which will look strange, but it will be behind the range so as long as you can maintain the clearance required, you'll be fine.


Existing Ceiling Fan fixture doesn't work - 2 hot wires, 1 neutral all confusion

Yeah, I see what they did now.

First off, they are feeding the right switch from a junction box in the ceiling on the white wire. Then the black wire on the right switch is a switch leg back to the closet, linen, receptacle. So, this all works because the neutral for that is in the junction box in the closet, linen, or receptacle. Wherever it is fed from.

Then they jumpered the hot white wire to the left switch. So, when the left switch is thrown it only energizes the black wire and there is no neutral to the light box. The white wire has been cut off.

The problem here is there is no neutral in the switch box to power the ceiling fan.

The fact that they used three way switches to do this is not a problem since they wired them as single pole switches. They could be easily replaced if you wish but it will not fix your problem.

You would need to get a cable from the feed junction box to the switches that has 3 wires and a ground. So, you would have a hot feed to the both switches, a switched leg to the closet,linen,rec., AND a neutral for the left switch to power the ceiling fan. There are other ways to do this that may be easier but the concept is the same. You need a neutral wire.

Good luck and stay safe!


How to add door trim where there isn't enough room?

There are only 2 options I can think of.

Rip the trim down so it is narrow for the place where it won't fit.
Build out the opening so the trim will fit.

Which is better is entirely a personal preference.

Option 1 is easier. I've had to do this with door trim and haven't been unhappy.


Have four-conductor feed at detached garage subpanel, how to verify the ground?

Follow the conduit

I gather the conduit is metal leaving the main panel. And clearly at some point it transitions to PVC.

It's possible to do that at a coupler, but I rather suspect it's at an intermediate junction box.  I bet the cable from the garage lands in this intermediate junction box, and the ground wire is tied to the metal box at that point. Then, the metal conduit carries it back to the panel.

You would want to find that box, and put the mark 1 eyeball on that setup and confirm it is so.


Is it safe to drill a 6" hole into a beam or i-joist for range hood duct?

When I got my first car, my Dad said, “GM builds ‘em, tests ‘em, and tells you how to maintain ‘em...so follow ALL the maintenance rules.”
I think that applies here. They know what their I-joists can withstand. I’d follow it carefully.
The one thing that causes problems seems to be when installers get in a hurry and “eyeball” cuts, etc. id carefully layout the holes and use a SHARP saw. You want it cut perfectly. No tearing of surrounding fibers.
Remember, there is a “safety factor” the manufacturers use and you don’t want to cut into that.
Note: Now you’ve got to be careful of any additional loading (like waterbed, refrigerator, etc.) from the second floor that could affect the manufacturer’s normal design criteria.
For cut timbers there are dozens of things that can go wrong, so I’d get a structural engineer or architect to lay it out, but for I-joists I’d follow their instructions.


If you're in a large apartment building, it may be a fire alarm or a speaker for the doorbell system (functional or no longer functional if they've switched to a cell phone based system).  Those are very common in larger buildings that are required to have a central alarm instead of only unit-by-unit alarms.


How do I repair a marble floor corroded by acid?

You would normally clean marble with etch spots with hydrogen peroxide or bleach and then repolish.  From the sound of it yours may be more severely damaged.  I would try both on a small spot and see how it goes.

If your marble is actually corroded then you will have to polish until you hit uncorroded marble.


That's a normal wall, sheetrock over plaster. That's how you save money when you want to renovate your home with plaster walls in bad shape, you just screw gyp board on top instead of paying for demo/dumping then gyp.
run your finger around the back side of the plaster inside the wall, you should feel some lath or if the lath is nocked away, you should feel flat/bulge/flat/etc.
Also, that's not insulation. Insulation is like cutting through butter. That's plaster. Delicious dusty plaster.
It's fine to cut into with a drywall saw, and it's normal that it will destroy your drywall saw. Most people just use whatever they have on hand, and you just have to decide which tool you want to destroy.... you can get purpose made masonry blades for your tool of choice, but then you have the tool of choice cost on top of the blade, and a drywall saw is so cheap to begin with. Cost of "replacing" drywall saw you already have if you're really sad it's not sharp as new versus: Cost of reciprocating saw and masonry blade; or, Cost of masonry reciprocating saw blade and replaceable blade handle that accepts that type of blade; or, Cost of oscillating multi tool and masonry blade.


Why electrical switches are rated lower for led than incadescent lights?

It's not a switch, for one thing. It's a dimmer - a switch, in the same circumstances, would be just fine with full rated amperage of LED or CFL. Unless you have a great deal of interest in dimming, your best option if you have 200W of LEDs on the circuit would be to use a switch.

The limit comes from the interaction of the power supply circuits internal to "dimmable" LEDs/CFLs and the dimmers that can be used with them. Overloading the dimmer will probably cost you at least a new dimmer, and depending what fails, perhaps one or more of the attached lights.

Look at the bottom of page 15:


How to add small 220 Volt Heater from an existing 220V 30 Amp receptacle

The best way to tackle this issue is to remove the 30 amp plug and replace it with a junction box. Locate a sub-breaker box on the wall and feed it with 10-ga 2-wire +ground cable from the new junction box. With the sub-box you can create two or 3 circuits with different amp loads (15, 20, 30) and wire sizes. Be sure to enclose the feed and any load cables in conduit if they are exposed to the living area.  And follow all safety rules, including shutting off the breaker at the main box while the work is ongoing.


What can I do about a room over the garage with temperature problems?

Jonathan, your problem is very common. Do you know what is in the floor for insulation now? Assuming there is some f/G batts or something similar, it would be hard to try to add anything else, such as high density cellulose  directly into the cavities. As much as you probably don't want to hear it, the best way is going to remove the sheetrock from the garage ceiling and remove the existing insulation. With the framing completely open, be sure to seal all holes through joists and floor areas where wires or other components may pass thru with foam. The absolute best insulation would be to have a high density foam sprayed into each bay and into any voids along garage door headers etc. This would give you the maximum R value and absolutely stop any cold air infiltration to the bedroom above. The goal would be to achieve an R value of 30 or more. The alternate method for DIY would be to again, seal any air passage ways and door headers with spray foam, then carefully install the max amount of f/g blanket and cover entire field with 4 mil poly and tape all seams and edges with tuck tape before reinstalling your fire rated sheetrock. This is not the best solution as the r value of the f/g is going to be limited by the size of the joists. 2X8 for example will limit you to about an R 23.  A slightly higher R value could be achieved with blown in high density cellulose after sheetrock is installed, in place of the blanket f/g insulation.  The spray foam is definitely the best overall, but the most expensive as well.

In response to Sharp Tooth's answer, too long for comment section: I have seen 2 to 4 inches of rigid foam insulation added to garage ceilings in this situation. The only drawback of this method is the problems it causes with garage door openers and suspension hardware. It also can cause issues with overhead lighting and overall head space. I hate to be a nay sayer, but I have to negatively comment on your other suggestions. Insulating a garage that does not have new style insulated, airtight doors is a total waste of money. Likewise, trying to heat a garage that is not build to be energy efficient can be extremely expensive to install and fuel, especially if a separate zone or plumbing needs to be added. This is not a viable solution as every time the garage door opens, out goes all that expensive heat. Carpeting, even over a thick foam pad will not help much either, maybe a gain of 2 to 4 "R", quite negligible. I hope you were not serious about heat tape under the ceiling. Other than electric or forced hot water radiant heat grids that would be installed under the floor, not under the ceiling, there is no safe product to do what you decribed. It would not work anyway, since the source of heat would be on the wrong side of the insulation and the vast majority of the heat would be wasted into the garage air. Sorry to shoot down your suggestions, but I truly believe questions should have informed, proven solutions, not wishful guesses.


Second toilet runs after first one flushed?

Sounds like a problem unrelated to the flapper. The "running" you hear is likely the fill valve. Perhaps the fluctuation of your water supply pressure when one toilet's fill valve opens is causing the other toilet fill valve to momentarily leak-by or open. I have seen this happen before and a rebuild of the fill valve washers (or fill valve replacement) should fix it.

Try shutting off the supply to the suspect fill valve and open it up. Inspect the valve washers for debris, lime, scale, mineral deposits. Flush the valve by cracking open the water supply while it is disassembled. If the valve washers are worn or soft (if you get black stuff on your fingers when touching them) they need replacing.


I can think of two potential fixes. In both cases, I wouldn't plane the stud at all, that compromises strength.

Plane the jamb

Door jambs are typically 5/8" or 11/16". In this case, I would just use a planer on the center of the jamb to shave it down to the 1/2" needed. There'd obviously be no shims in the center.

Fix the stud

If your drywall is not yet finished, and you a certain that the stud was not bowed before, you can try forcing it to be straight.

Pull all the screws out of the bowed stud. Cut a 2x4 to exactly 32", then use a hammer to wedge it in horizontally in the center of the door, pushing the stud straight again.

Put several drywall screws back in place -- it's going to be the drywall that holds the stud from bowing again, so you need to make sure the connection is good.

I'm definitely hesitant to suggest this, since if it doesn't work you'll end up with the edge of the drywall ripped apart by the screws holding it in, and if it gives way at some point after the construction is done, then you'll have a stuck door to contend with as well. You'll have to use your judgement to see if this is an appropriate fix.


Loren, it is normal and acceptable for 24-volt controlled appliances to have a transformer that delivers 27-28 volts. Then when the circuit is under load the voltage can drop a couple of points and still deliver the required voltage. The fifth blue wire should work fine as a common and make your new stat work fine. Don't get too hung up on those voltages you are seeing.


How can I get rid of frogs that have settled in an unused swimming pool?

Commercial frog repellents exist. Mothballs are recommended by some people, others say they don't work. It is illegal to use a pesticide (yes, mothballs are pesticides) in any way other than the way directed on the label.
I'm not sure if fake plastic snakes would help. Most animals are terrified of plastic owls.

Here's an approximate frog repellent solution (legal per the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act), for use in a trigger spray bottle: 1 quart water, 1/2 cup citric acid, 1/2 cup salt, 1 oz sodium lauryl sulfate (it's a kind of surfactant -necessary to mix oil and water- that can be found at a tractor supply or online), 0.5 oz peppermint oil, 0.25 oz clove oil.
Collect and relocate the frogs before spraying. Spray 24" band around the pool, weekly or as necessary; avoid spraying brass, galvanized steel, and other metal finishes.


Gas water pipe corrosion.... Can It be fixed?

Are you sure that’s galvanized? Everything else (I know it dirty and hard to see) looks like black pipe. Which makes sense. But galvanized and gas is a huge no no. If it’s a water pipe, then turn off water heater and everything else and unthread that piece of pipe and get a new piece from a home improvement store.


Drilling a hole from both sides of the wall

Start with a small bit and measure from the same brick to get the center on both sides then drill in, starting with a smaller bit and good measurements I usually connect but am slightly angled (I guess I never hold the bit quite square) now that the 2 holes are connected open up with the correct size bit. I have done this on concrete block , brick and stone, some as thick as 2'.


Why is the coiled white wire on a GFCI circuit breaker smaller than the branch circuit neutral?

The size of wire required to carry a certain amount of current is primarily affected by two things:

How much power one can afford to waste in the form of voltage drop per unit length of wire.  The greater the power one can afford to waste per unit length, the smaller a wire one can use by this criterion.
How much power one can dissipate per unit length without the wire getting unacceptably hot.  The more heat can be carried away, or the greater the acceptable temperature rise, the smaller a wire one can use by this criterion.

Normal current-carrying figures assume a conductor wrapped in a protective outer jacket and then buried in material that is thermally non-conductive but flammable.  A wire in free air within a breaker box would be able to get rid of heat far more effectively than one in an insulated wall, and less likely to ignite anything nearby.  Further, if a wire is short, the allowable voltage drop per unit length will generally be much higher than it would with a longer wire.  Thus, the normal factors which limit allowable currents as a function of size, or compel minimum wire sizes as a function of current, are less applicable for short wires in a box than they would be for longer wires in a wall.


Sealing seams between outdoor composite decking

Sooner or later the splining will deteriorate, and whatever sealant you put in may as well. Also, you are creating little pools in the gaps that may be breeding grounds for mosquitos in wet weather.

Have you considered a waterproof underlayer instead of sealing the seams?
You could use any of various roof panels, such as pvc, polycarbonate, asphalt composition or even metal.  These would only need to be sealed at their edges, a relatively few linear feet that are easily accessible from underneath. And many of them are relatively cheap.

This layer can be easily sloped and you could direct drips in whatever direction you choose.


Is a porch temporarily roofed with just tar paper likely to be damaged by rain?

As long as the tar paper doesn’t get ripped up it will be fine. Even if the paper or felt is damaged it can be repaired or replaced and a little water on the plywood won’t be a problem long term.


The problem is probably in one of these places:

Between the toilet and the house's sewer pipe. This is the most common place for stoppages, and can usually be fixed with a plunger. If a plunger won't do it, then a flexible cable or spring can be run down to clear it out. A foreign object, such as a child's toy that has been flushed, can cause recurrent stoppages here.
The sewer line between the house and the sewer or septic system. Sometimes tree roots grow into this pipe, which collect toilet paper, etc. can cause a blockage. This can be cleared out with a roto rooter or similar device. Also, this can freeze if the weather conditions are right. For example, if there is less snow than usual (for insulation) and unusually cold temperatures, this can allow it to freeze.
The local sewer system. Sometimes the local sewer can have back pressure, either from a storm sewer leaking into the septic sewer or other problems. This is more likely if the house is in a low area. There should be a valve to prevent the sewage from backing up to the house, but this valve will also prevent sewage from leaving the house when it is closed.


That can't be fixed, but it can be replaced.
That ring snapped off the piece in the right side of your photo, it connects the threaded metal on the base of the bulb to one of the wire leads.  There's no practical and reliable way to repair that thin formed sheet metal.  Don't be fooled if you assemble it and it kind of works if you wiggle the bulb.  The loose connection would be dangerous.
But you can probably find a replacement socket assembly that will work.  Lamp and fixture repair parts are available at big box and hardware stores.  Sockets, pull chain switches, etc., are mostly generic - you don't have to match the original make and model like you do with auto parts.  You just have to find one that's the same size and has the same attachment to the fixture, often just spring clips.
In the future, you can buy silicone lubricant made just for bulbs / sockets, a very light coating of that stuff will prevent this from happening.  Just be careful not to get it on the glass or plastic, your fingers, your clothes, etc., it stains.  Just a little bit on the threads of the socket or on the threads of the base of the bulb.


Recommended to have drain hole in PVC weatherproof electrical box?

Yes, and you'll want a 1/8" hole
This is governed by NEC 314.15:

314.15 Damp or Wet Locations. In damp or wet locations,
boxes, conduit bodies, outlet box hoods, and fittings shall be
placed or equipped so as to prevent moisture from entering or
accumulating within the box, conduit body, or fitting. Boxes,
conduit bodies, outlet box hoods, and fittings installed in wet
locations shall be listed for use in wet locations. Approved
drainage openings not smaller than 3 mm ( ⅛ in.) and not
larger than 6 mm ( ¼ in.) in diameter shall be permitted to be
installed in the field in boxes or conduit bodies listed for use in
damp or wet locations. For installation of listed drain fittings,
larger openings are permitted to be installed in the field in
accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.

I would not seal the rest of the box though; the idea with normal weatherproof electrical enclosures is to provide a rough seal to keep bulk moisture, bugs, and such out, while having enough air movement to prevent any pressure differentials across the seal from driving moisture in through the slightest imperfections.  (The drain hole helps with this as well, although you'll want to keep an eye on it as spiders can be particularly pesky hole-pluggers.)


Double joists separating on outside edges of deck

From your pictures I would say the outer one is a perimeter board. These are for looks to dress up the outside of the deck.

The inner board is carrying the end of the deck boards but is not attached to the ledger board with a hanger. Bad technique, in my opinion. Notice, the inner joists are attached to the ledger board with joist hangers. But the outside joist is not.

You should be able to add more screws to the perimeter board to pull it back in to the outside joist.

Good luck!


Are there any QO boxes with the neutral screws along the breakers like the Homeline?

As it turns out, you can get what you want, but it's an extra piece

The QO and Homeline loadcenters use different designs for their plug-on neutrals.  The QO design has the screw terminals up against the mains while the neutral busbar extending down the breakers is plug-on only, while the Homeline plug-on neutral bars provide screw holes along their length.  Furthermore, the QO's bigger brother (the NQ) doesn't have any support for plug-on neutrals at all (this limits you to 60 slots, vs the 84 available in NQ).

However, someone at Square-D was thoughtful, because they make what are called neutral extension kits for the QO loadcenter line.  You'll need to order these from a supply house that stocks Square-D stuff (part numbers are QONK1 through QONK4 depending on how long you want the extension bars to be), but if you can get one of these kits in, this will give you something close to what you want, with extra neutral bars running alongside the breakers in the gutter.


Position of dryer vent relative to gas meter and furnace intake

Good questions. There are a few requirements for a Dryer Vent, but none that impact your situation. See the International Mechanical Code's pertinent section here in the 2nd answer - https://dryerbox.com/building-code.htm

I'd suggest the new Dryer Vent hole approach and position it at about 1-ft. above either the top gas pipe or top furnace elbow. As, this location appears to be accessible with just a step stool and provides enough separation so heavy lint won't be introduced into your furnace filter.

This location seems to also keep the inside pipe below the top of the dryer and not crud-up the look of the laundry area and, quite importantly, keeps the vent pipe run as short as possible and therefore virtually self-cleaning. Please also use rigid duct pipe and zero flexible stuff for the best longevity and durability.

Concerning the old vent hole, which was horribly done and I completely disagree with a dryer vent that's less than 2-ft. above a horizontal surface. Maybe the doggy door could go there. Or, maybe there's a rear address number requirement that a plaque could remedy. Otherwise, pick up a couple of thin veneer brick tiles and get it looking right after some chiseling.

Don't forget to insulate the old vent hole before patching the inside. Also, to avoid lint getting to the furnace, consider a Louvered Dryer Vent Cap on the outside instead of a Hooded Dryer Vent Cap. The Louvered Cap blows straight out rather than downward.


As Alan Ward says, it depends on your local jurisdiction.

In the UK, for example, it would be perfectly legal as long as it is on their land - in fact it is quite common in certain circumstances, for example if someone lives next to an industrial unit with a big metal security fence, they might put up a nicer-looking wooden one to hide the unsightly metal one.


Comparing American 240VAC equipment to European 230VAC

Yeah, a motor is going to care a lot about the different frequency.  A lot.  So will anything involved with induction.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln... The main difference is that Euro power is corner grounded whereas North American is center grounded.  European plugs also aren't very good at being polarized, so a Euro device must have 230V of insulation value from each conductor to ground.   It will handle North American power, 120V from ground, just fine.

A North American machine only expects to be insulated 120V from ground, so it may have to contend with higher voltage than it's been tested/listed for.


Thermostatic control of an unmanaged energy source to supply hot water cylinder

A woodstove would never be connected to a cylinder in such a fashion.

The only use for the thermostatic valve is to control the output of the hot water tank to the user and a common setting is 46 degrees C.

The hot out pipe of the woodstove should have the combined P&T valve fitted with an expansion pressure vessel to allow for the normal water expansion due to the rise in temperature.

The woodstove manufacturer will normally specify the minimum volume of tank to be used and, most likely, so will the local regulations - perhaps also set by the local fire department.


How should I rewire a miswired 3-way switch?

I had this EXACT issue when I moved into my new (to me) house. The original owner was a bit of a handyman and had done several small (and big) projects all over. In many cases regarding electrical work he'd done, I had to go back in and clean up.

Here's a fail-safe process to fix a three way setup that isn't working:

Turn off the breaker controlling this light. You may also need to cut additional breakers if either or both of the 3-ways are in "multi-gang" boxes with other switches on different circuits. Use a non-contact voltage tester to ensure all of the screws on the side of all the switches in both boxes are dead before pulling out any switches.
Disconnect all wires from both of the 3-way switches (but do not unwrap or un-nut any of the twisted wire bundles, or disassemble any other switches). Pull these wires out of the box and separate them so there is no bare copper touching any other metal.
Turn the panel breaker back on. From this moment until step 5, the second you are not extremely cautious around every bit of bare metal in that box, you will pay for it.
Probe all the wires you disconnected and separated one at a time with your non-contact voltage tester, being extremely careful not to touch any of the other wires with the tester or any part of you. You will find one loose black wire in one of the two boxes that is live, and all other wires should be dead. The live wire is your panel hot; remember it.
Turn off the breaker at the panel again.
Back at the box with the wire you identified as the panel hot, connect the hot wire to the "common" terminal of the 3-way switch for that box. Looking at the body of a three-way switch, the common terminal is the terminal that has another terminal screw on the switch body facing the same way, but doesn't have a screw directly across the switch body facing the other way. A picture's worth a thousand words; see below.
The other two insulated wires you removed from the switch are the "traveler" wires. One will be black, and the other red, and they should both be a part of the same "trunk" of Romex wire. Connect the black to one of the remaining terminals other than the grounding terminal, and the red to the other terminal.
Both of the two wire "trunks" should have white and bare wires in addition to the black and/or red; ALL the white wires in the box should be twisted into a bundle with a wire nut, and all bares should be twisted in a bundle with or without a nut.
Screw the terminals down firmly, attach the ground wire to the green grounding terminal screw if one was connected (bathrooms require a bare wire ground to be connected to the switch, most other rooms don't), cover all the switch terminals with a layer or two of electrical tape, and, being careful not to short out any wires, push the wires and switch back into the J-box and screw it down.

Now, go to the other switch box. Examine the loose wires which you disconnected from the switch (there should be two black and one red). The black wire that doesn't go into the same outer insulation conduit as the red wire is the hot lead to the light. The other two wires are the other ends of your traveler line. Both these "trunks" should have white and bare wires in addition to the black and/or red; the white wires should be twisted into a bundle with a wire nut, and bares should be twisted in a bundle with or without a nut.
Connect the light's hot wire to the switch's common terminal.
One note; if you connect the black wire from the traveler to the same side of the second switch that you connected the black traveler wire to on the first switch, the switches must be set opposite each other (one up and one down) for the light to be off. Personally, I prefer to be able to turn every light in the house off by pushing all the light switches down. If you're like me, then swap the red and black wires of the traveler pair, connecting the black wire to the opposite traveler terminal from the one you used on the first switch. This will result in the circuit being off when the switches are set the same way (both down or up).
Connect the traveler wires to the other switch terminals in the manner you choose, and connect the ground if you have one. Wrap the terminals in electrical tape, and put the switch back in the wall box.
Turn the panel breaker(s) back on. Have another person stand at one switch, while you stand at the other. If the light is on, flip one of the switches. Now, have the other person flip their switch; the light goes on. Flip yours (light off). Flip theirs again (light on), then flip yours again (light off). You've now gone through all four combinations of light positions, and verified that either switch can turn the light on or off.
If something still doesn't work, turn off the panel and take the switches out of the box (but don't disconnect them). Make sure none of the terminals are shorting out against any other piece of metal in the box (including the box itself, if it's conductive). If it STILL doesn't work, replace one or both switches (they're about $3 a pop). if it STILL doesn't work, I'd call an electrician; there may be a break in the wires of this circuit, or there may have been a mix-up involving multiple switches in the boxes; pretty much any way you slice it it could be dangerous or expensive for you to continue to try to fix it.
Once the switches are working to your satisfaction, put the switch plate back on over the box (make sure before you start screwing in plate screws that ALL the holes line up), and enjoy your repaired three-way circuit.


Is it necessary to remove stickers before gluing PVC?

Surfaces to be glued together should always be made thoroughly clean before gluing. That includes removing labels and removing any adhesive residue left by the label.

This especially applies when using solvent-welding - as is often the case for plastics used in plumbing.


Cable in conduit

Say what?  It's never prohibited to run a wire in a conduit. What's prohibited is running wires in too-darned-small conduit, which is a problem of the cheap.   Well, in fairness, it's easy to mis-guess with cable, because a flat cable needs the same space as a round cable of the wide dimension. (because they twist).

For instance, with 1 cable in conduit, the conduit ID must be 138% of the widest dimension of the cable.  6/3UF is flat and 1.223" wide, so the conduit ID must be 1.680".  That puts you into 2" conduit.

You need to use UF cable, because the cable you want to use, NM-B, is not rated for outdoor use, and lots of us have experience with NM-B cable failing outdoors.

Why even put cable in conduit?

Because cables are the only kind I have ever heard of.  I didn't know there were other kinds of wiring.

Meet THWN-2 wire.  It is actual wire, not cable.  Like what's inside an NM-B sheath, but with insulation that's up to the task, and wire markings to make it legal to use directly. Needless to say, this packs much nicer into conduit than balky cable, only needing a 3/4" conduit (though I recommend 1" to make the pulling easier).

Also, it's a pleasure to pull, since each wire flexes independently.

Downside: THWN-2 cannot be used outside a conduit.  So the entire route must be conduit.

Upside: Shallower burial depth, only 18" cover isntead of 24" for cable.  Also, Rigid or IMC metal conduit only needs 6" cover - expensive, but the upside is you can trench it with a garden trowel.

Upside: smaller wire. 50A only requires  #8 Copper THWN-2 instead of #6.  Further, #6 Aluminum THWN-2 is also acceptable, for some cost savings, but this requires a socket which is CO-ALR rated. The breaker lugs are already aluminum rated.

Boxes at the pole

That's pretty easy. They already make a variety of outdoor boxes for mounting on poles, intended for RVs. Just use one of those.

You can get a simple one, that simply provides a receptacle.

Or you can get an RV "sub-panel", that provides a 50A, 30A, and normal common outlets all in the same panel.    However, this will require installation of grounding rods on-site and a ground wire back to the panel must also be run. The ground wire deals with ground faults; the ground rod deals with lightning.

Certain applications will also require GFCI protection on the 50A circuit.  If you need that, it needs to be a GFCI circuit breaker back in the main panel. Upside: the 120V socket doesn't need it now.

You come into the bottom of the box with conduit.  Even if you use direct burial cable like UF, you must still use conduit for the rise from burial depth to the surface and on into the box.  Remember your 6 AWG UF cable will require 2" conduit. Make sure your box has a knockout that big!


Replacing an electric range with a gas range

So far as I know, residential ranges and ovens do not require venting to the outside, only commercial locations (restaurants etc.). You might WANT to do so to get smells / cooking smoke out of the house, but it is not required. In that case, you can likely fit your over-the-stove microwave oven with a pass-through vent that would go through ducting and out the roof. DO NOT use the same venting you have for your utility room, those are different venting requirements and you do not want cooking grease venting into that room.
As to the gas pipe (although I agree, should have been a separate question), we cannot answer that from afar. Pipe size, pressure and requirements for the stove and oven are details that make a difference. Professional plumbers have calculation methods for determining that. SOMETIMES a cooperative gas utility will help you out with that because after all, they LIKE selling you more gas. If so, then yes, you can tee into an existing gas line to feed a new appliance. But be forewarned, if you have never run gas lines before and learned how to do it from someone with experience, it's not something I recommend for novices. Mistakes can be deadly.


How do I remove a fish smell from my freezer?

After cleaning it well, put a piece of coal in the freezer; this will remove any smells from it within few hours, maybe a day.

I used to put a mid-sized piece of coal inside the refrigerator all the time. This was a piece of advice from my mother and always worked.


how to find out if wall is plaster, wood or drywall?

Remove an outlet or switch plate and look at what the edges of the wall are. It should be immediately obvious if they're wood paneling or something. Otherwise, it'll be plaster or drywall. Drywall will have straight edges and a chalky core, while plaster is more organic-looking and flowing, and will have wooden supports behind it.

Regardless, it's actually irrelevant for the task at hand. Your blinds should be screwed into something structural, like a wall stud, and not the wall finish material. There should be a stud up against the edge of the window, right underneath the finish material, so if you drill deep enough, you'll hit it.


How to run 10 AWG ground wire along basement wall?

The traditional would be drill holes, insert plugs and use a cable clip with a nail or screw. This is a lot of work. Alternatives would be to glue it.

As to connecting it, the Good way to do it is with cable lugs. That requires tools to install. Solid core may also be terminated directly to the ground lugs of the rack.

But note that you are not bonding to dissipate static. You're bonding to ensure that all conductive surfaces are at the same potential. Concrete is conductive, so if the concrete is earthed, and the rack is not, you may get a potential difference between the rack and concrete. This can shock you. For dissipating static electricity, a high resistance is commonly used to avoid dangerous currents trough the dissipation wire.


thermostat batteries replaced, AC unit won't start

Did some further sleuthing and found the capacitor on the unit is shot.

Thanks to all for the input.


How can I improve the appearance of an old concrete storage room floor?

Linoleum square tiles are cheap, ~0.88/ea and can be cut/scored with a utility knife and then snapped but the floor needs to be sound and flat. All high spots removed. Do a search for installing linoleum square tiles.


Non-recessed pancake box for ceiling fan

There surface mount boxes that are fan rated.

You can use one of the back knockouts and the proper connector to bring your cable in from above.

Your plan to reinforce with wood above the mounting seems sound. You should not try to mount such a box with just plaster mounted fasteners. You may want to consider steel joist hangers for your crossbeam.

  Links images are illustrative only, not an endorsement of brands or sources


Top course of cedar shingle on a lean-to roof

Your roof edge may have different details, but the concept is the same - drip edge is required to prevent water damages.

Drip edges are metal sheets, usually shaped like an “L,” installed at the edge of the roof. Also called drip edge flashing or D-metal, they serve a vital function by directing water away from the fascia and into the gutter. Without a drip edge, water may end up beneath the shingles and may cause damage to various parts of the home. Though your home may not have originally had a drip edge installed, drip edges are now required by most building codes across North America to protect homes from damage.
https://www.iko.com/na/pro/building-professional-tools/learn-about-roofing/guide-to-drip-edges-for-shingle-roofs/
For the ridge:


Do cracks in a brick wall signify a serious problem?

The bricks separating from the threshold is a cosmetic problem, but it is a symptom, along with your cracked mortar and bricks of something more significant -- the foundation is/has settled. You should ask if the foundation (this typically occurs with slab vs. pier and beam) has been repaired. If done recently, then you have some "minor" fixes for the cosmetics.  If the foundation was repaired some time ago, or hasn't been fixed, then you should get a professional to inspect it, assuming you can get access to inside of property.
I've had this issue with two properties in the DFW area, and both times the foundation repair was approx. $8000 to $9000, which was on the low end of estimates.  That work will only fix the foundation, and it will only last as long as the owner keeps the soil watered around the house afterwards, for as long as the owner has the property. it is a result of the shifting clay soil found in the DFW area.
I had a bid to fix my cracked mortar and bricks, and the estimate wasn't too bad, but it wasn't really too large of an area (maybe $500 IIRC?). It included being able to match the color of the mortar, which (for me) was critical. I fixed the bricks at the threshold myself for practically nothing.
If the house has had foundation repairs, but the owner didn't keep the foundation watered, as we say, then there's no reason why the property couldn't need additional foundation repair.
Built in 2018? That's a relatively new home and it suggests how bad the soil is in this area, as well as suggesting how little care was given to the landscaping/area immediately around the house, since it's already messed up within less than 3 yrs.  should you pass? Depends upon your budget. The vast majority of residential properties have/had this issue in this part of Texas.
Will it last 5 to 10 yrs.? maybe, assuming the foundation is/will get repaired and how extensive the cracks in the mortar are.  I have seen similar brick walls still standing after that amount of time.  Obviously, if you buy it, you will want to fix it- either now or when you go to sell it in the future. the cosmetics won't necessarily keep someone from getting financing for the purchase, but needed foundation repairs can prevent financing.


On which hinge(s) should hinge pin doorstops be installed?

I do not know if there is a "should".
I have always seen them on the top hinge, probably because it does not require bending over to install.
If you have a middle hinge that may be better as there will be less flexing of the door.
You have solid doors but I have seen them punch holes in hollow core doors.
I avoid them if i can, they can cause stress on  doors, trim and hinges- loosening/stripping hinge screws. I prefer baseboard or even floor mounted stops.


I'm not sure who the idiot was who put this down that hole, but it was pretty firmly lodged in there. I cut off a bit more of the PVC and was able to get my trusty pry bar in the notch and turn it. After about three quarters of a turn the stupid thing came out. And sure enough, there was a regular stop and waste down there underneath whatever the heck this is.


Power Factor
VA and Watt are sort-of the same, but not exactly. The difference is based on the power factor.
From a practical standpoint with residential lighting these days it makes little difference because with LEDs (and even with fluorescent), 600 Watts is a lot of light. On the one hand, with incandescent bulbs (a simple resistance load), the power factor is essentially 1, which is ideal, LEDs and fluorescent use so much less power that for typical residential usage this more than makes up for any power factor issues. It is easy to hit 600 Watts with incandescents - 10 x 60 or 6 x 100. But with LEDs, a 100 Watt equivalent might use 14 Watts, so it would take an awful lot of lighting on one switch to get even close to 600 VA or 600 Watts, no matter what the power factor.
In commercial settings the power factor becomes a real consideration as even LED lights can add up when you are lighting a warehouse or an auditorium or other large area. Large customers often have charges based partly on the power factor and may install equipment to improve the power factor. But that is not normally the case for residential customers.


Don’t collapse the hole under the pier fill it with sand use water to flush the sand and pack it, I have found adding lime to the mix keeps them from tunneling.


Should I convert from a rooftop to a split HVAC system?

Is this a heat pump with supplemental gas heat?

Sounds like the shuttle valve is stuck or something in the cycle reversing has failed, heatpumps do both AC and heating.

Why double the misery by having two systems to fail and not having the current one repaired/replaced?

As to new systems, you can get very efficient heat pumps with supplemental gas heat, we just installed such a system in our business. During low level heat needs, it runs in heat pump mode, when the temperature outside drops below a certain settable level, the gas portion runs in tandem. The gas section is the new high-efficiency type that extracts so much heat that they use a PVC stack and water drain for the condensate. You'd kill two birds with one stone, having AC and more efficient gas heat.


Why did insulation and vapor barrier cause mold in my storage shed?

Vapour barrier goes on the cold side of the insulation.

The problem here is that for an unheated, Un-airconditioned shed, the outside will always be the cool side.

Insulation won't stop heat transfer, it only slows it down.  A closed shed, no matter how well insulated, will always turn into a sauna.

Now you have a hot, steamy inside, and a (relatively) cool outside (especially at night).  If you put the vapour barrier on the inside, sandwiching the insulation in, the condensation will occur within your insulation. Hence, the mold issue.

You're better off without a vapour barrier in this situation.  This way the batts can dry out.   Even better would be some rigid foam insulation, but I really think that insulation in this situation is a waste of money.


Can I connect 12 AWG wire to 10 AWG in a junction box?

You can't do that

You cannot come off a 30A breaker with #10 wire (so far so good) and then terminate it at 15-20A receptacles. (nope, nope, nope!)

Unfortunately people sometimes become aware of the rule that allows 15 or 20A receptacles on 20A circuits, and they falsely generalize that to "Any receptacle <= circuit capacity".  Nope.  The receptacle ampacity must be an exact match to the breaker:  15 to 15.  30 to 30.  50 to 50.

Now there are two exceptions, but they are... exceptional.

40A receptacles do not exist. NEMA, distributors/stockers, and electricians didn't want the burden of yet another socket type (there are like 40 varieties already when you consider every iteration of 3-phase, 208, 480, etc.) and oven manufacturers didn't want consumers stymied by a 40A range's plug not fitting an installed 50A socket.  So the (only) correct receptacle for a 40A circuit is 50A.
UL requires all 15A receptacles to be internally rated for 20A.  As such, 15A receptacles are allowed on 20A circuits.

And that's all, folks!

Only a 30A receptacle is acceptable on a 30A breaker.

"But I want to plug in common devices!"  Then you have 3 options.

Change the breaker to 20A.

Now it becomes a 20A circuit (overbuilt with #10 wire - overbuilding is allowed).  You can fit 20A receptacles.  You can also fit 15A receptacles due to the exception mentioned above.

How do you handle the pinchy wires?  I work in metal boxes which are annoyingly small and constantly run out of statutory cubic inches.  Obviously your first defense is go with a bigger box.  Or go with a box extensions or lids which give extra space.   Another option is to place 2 boxes next to each other joined with a nipple -- and in one box, splice from #10 solid to #10 stranded, and in the other box fit the receptacle.  Once you work with stranded wire, you won't want to go back!

Install a Power Distribution Unit

PDUs are typically used with server racks.  They allow the rack to have a single power cord for the entire rack.  It has a NEMA 14-30 or 14-50 plug, and splits that out to a number of 120V receptacles.  Mind you, the PDU is a commercial unit that has been through the rigors of UL listing.  You cannot build one out of parts except this way:

Install a Subpanel

This is conventional stuff, you bring L1, L2, N and G into a small service panel then hang any number of 120V/15A or 20A breakers off that panel, and those power your 15/20A 120V circuits.  In any subpanel, neutral and ground are kept separate.  No "main breaker" is needed if the subpanel is in the same building.


Can I use the unused blue wire as a C wire?

Yes. Connect the unused blue wire to the C terminal in the furnace, then connect the other end to the C terminal on the thermostat.  As long as there's no funny business between the furnace and the thermostat, it should work just fine.


Good initiative :-) - BUT -

DYING WOULD BE EASY

IF the circuits are both fed from the same phase
AND the same utility transformer -
AND if the current drawn is within the ratings of the wiring and fusing used     THENelectrically this may not cause a problem. Or may.

BUT the neutral connection that you made had mains voltage across it and you could easily die if you touched either the feed or the dead circuit while doing this.

AND the power company may be very unhappy with you doing this.
If it does cause a problem you may be legally and financially liable.


What does water leak through my chimney and wood stove pipe?

There should not be anything dripping from your liner's insulation.

Your local chimney sweep should know how to inspect your liner and its top termination to determine if it was properly installed to conform to local code, including the installation instructions for that liner product. The space surrounding the liner should be covered (metal or masonry) to prevent entry of rain, snow, birds or other small animals, whether or not the liner itself has a rain cap or spark arrester. If your liner was required to be insulated (e.g., for purpose of helping induce a draft more quickly), it won't work very well if the insulation layer is soaking wet and then freezes.

You might browse through NFPA 211, a national standard for "Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents and Solid-fuel Burning Appliances", and the installation manual for the stove and for the chimney (if it's a factory-built liner).

When we recently had a liner installed for a gas-fired log (not the same, I know, but offered as illustration), the chimney kit included a cap device to support the new pipes (exhaust and combustion air) and to block off the top of the old flue. It was simply fastened to the top of the old chimney and the rain cap added to the new pipes.


How do I remove these Ikea screws? (studs inside holes)

I would apply a high-strength thread-locking adhesive (e.g. loctite 270) to the inside of the head, reattach the head to the threaded rod (AKA stud), wait many hours, remove bolt.

  LOCTITE 270 is a high-strength threadlocker for maximum efficacy in the securing and sealing of bolts, nuts and studs to prevent loosening due to vibration. The product serves to permanently lock assemblies which must not come loose. It works on all metals, including passive substrates such as stainless steel, aluminium and plated surfaces. It is proven to be tolerant of minor contamination due to industrial oils, e.g. engine oils, corrosion prevention oils and cutting fluids. Can be disassembled by heating to 300°C.

Other brands and products are available

From studying the assembly instructions, it seems to me it is also possible (perhaps even likely) that your furniture can be disassembled without fully extracting the threaded studs - so long as all the heads are removed.

With the head removed, the clearance hole allows the parts to separate

After disassembly you can use the two-nut trick or locking pliers (vise-grip, mole-grip etc) on the centre of the stud to unscrew the studs.


How to install insulation in a small space behind an existing shower?

Remove the shower and build the wall right
Or forget the vapor barrier and blow in cellulose.

If you really want a probable horror show, spray foam it, but I would not recommend that if you don't want a horror show - it will probably overexpand and warp or crack the shower enclosure.
If you don't insulate it that will be an uncomfortable shower (I've lived with that junk in places I didn't build. Would not recommend.)


How can you call such a mat?

The general name for a long thin protective mat is a runner.

Walmart "Vinyl Runner".


How to install floor baseboard on drywall frame with metal studs?

If the walls and baseboard is all perfectly straight, it would likely work -- but everything won't be perfectly straight.

I've used liquid nails to attach baseboard before (in a similar situation), and it does work except where there are bows in the wall or baseboard.

I used finishing (or brad -- I don't remember) nails to both hold it while the glue sets and provide some re-enforcement where needed. Install two nails nearby at opposite angles -- essentially forming an "X" if you were looking straight-down on them. This is a lot stronger than nails going straight in and will resist pulling out.

You can caulk the edge between the baseboard and wall. It makes it look significantly nicer, IMHO. I use bright white for that. Normally the edge touching the floor isn't caulked but if it makes sense in your situation you can do that.


No power to some outlets after short circuit

Odds are you burnt out the connection point to your one of your receptacles, or you blew apart a splice or pigtail. You need to find the downstream receptacle that is not working and the receptacle that is working just ahead of it. Generally you will find a loose or broken connection in one of those two places.

In short kill power, open the receptacles and try and determine how they are wired from the panel to the last outlet. Then check each receptacle and connection for something that is loose or disconnected. It will probably look burnt or damaged also. It's not a hard problem but does take some time.

Once you have found and fixed the problem reinstall your outlets the turn the power back on and verify everything is working.

Stay safe and good luck.


Use one 14-3 cable in place of two parallel 14-2 cable

Yes, that is fine.

It will ease wire count in the switch box if you use the 14/3 option. Fan boxes are usually nice and big.


What's the risk of water/rain falling on a recently placed tilework that's not grouted yet

Once the initial set/superficial hardening has taken place, water should not be a problem. Excess water is a big problem when it can still alter the mix of the cement or wash it away - after that, it won't have much effect.

On the other hand, it will be difficult to "dry the steps well" with water trapped under the tiles, so covering would probably make sense - 3 steps can't be that large of an area to cover.


Possible leak from upstairs window into downstairs window

After several years of fighting this issue and asking many experts, I finally have a solution.  I attached a garden nozzle with a high pressure setting.  Then I sprayed the windows all over the corners and edges.  Nothing.

So I started looking at the bricks.  I found several places that looked like holes.  I sprayed those.  FINALLY.  Water came into the house.  The mortar came loose from the brick and caused the leak.  I'm going to plug it up with Quikrete Mortar Repair Sealant.

If I had a buddy I would have also tried a leaf blower.  I figure if water can get through then so can air.  I was going to push the leaf blower into the hole in my window then go look for a place where air is blowing out.

I credit Dan Schweihs at The Window Dog for helping to finally reproduce the problem.  And I'm thankful he did NOT blindly sell me windows that would not have fixed my primary concern (as several other window companies did).


What is the recommended way to clean oil based stain out of a spray gun?

here's a link to the Power Painter manual(PDF) on Wagner's site..  Its a newer version but the cleaning instructions will be very similar.


Metal Junction Box screwed to wood - same screw used for grounding

Screws that mount the box to the framing are not allowed to be used for grounding. There is a separate hole in most of the pancake boxes for a grounding screw, a 10/32 thread and you can pick them up at your home store. If there is conduit terminating in the box, that might serve as a ground.


According to the schematic, the labeled C terminal is the C terminal.


How fast would you like it to crack?
Drystack walls without mortared joints are somewhat tolerant of frost movement. Many landscaping wall block systems intended to perform that wall function are out there, as well as actual drystone walls from natural stone.
Mortared joints will break unless sitting on a solid foundation that does not move.
That does not need to be solid concrete, there are other foundation systems such as the "rubble trench" that Frank Lloyd Wright (somewhat) popularized (also seen under virtually every railroad track) - that does require good drainage so that the rubble drains, rather than being full of water.


To meet current NEC codes you cannot have neutral and ground share the same grounding rod.  Ground requires its own separate rod from each panel and sub-panel installed in the house.

The depth of the rod outside depends heavily on your area as factors like precipitation, soil composition and climate affect just how far the rod needs to be placed into the ground.  Performing this work likely requires that you obtain a permit from your local municipality, meaning that you will need to have an inspection anyway.  I would ask the inspector what he will be looking for in a ground rod.


Install manual generator transfer switch to two 200A feeders

Staying out of trouble where neutral meets ground
The first problem with your idea of using an "el cheapo" interlock kit with an arbitrary portable generator is that while the interlock deals with making sure the utility's hots don't get backfed, it does nothing to help you switch the neutral between the utility and the generator. While you can't get in trouble for backfeeding the utility this way, you can cause a bunch of consternation for yourself, as your average portable generator is going to ship with its neutral bonded to its frame and ground connections so that it can be safely and legally used for portable (i.e. jobsite) power.  This means that if you plug it into a system that doesn't switch the neutral, you'll have your generator's bond connected in parallel with the neutral-ground bond in your main panel, which can trip GFCIs on the generator and cause wayward neutral current to flow on normally nonenergized grounding wires.
Avoiding this requires the use of a transfer switch or panel that switches the neutral wire to the standby loads between the "utility" and "generator" side neutral wires in addition to switching the hots.  While these aren't as common as switching setups that use a solid neutral, they do exist in a few different variations.  The one we'll be using here is the XRK0603DR from Reliance Controls; while not nearly as cheap as an interlock, it provides a fairly convenient package in an outdoor-rated enclosure, although you'll have to fit the matching flanged inlet (L1430F for a 30A inlet to match your 30A generator) yourself.  (If you get a bigger generator, you can use an XRK0605DR and a matching LL530F inlet instead.  Note that with this setup you will need a California Standard 50A plug on your generator cord to go with your inlet, as there is no NEMA L14-50 configuration.)
With either of these, you'll need a label on the transfer switch saying it's for connection of a separately derived (bonded neutral) system, as per NEC 702.7(C).  Note that NEC 110.21(B) requires you to use a preprinted label/decal for this instead of something handwritten; your local sign shop should be able to find or make you something suitable that you can stick on the transfer switch.  This is atop the NEC 702.7(A) requirement that the service entrance equipment be labeled to denote where the standby source is (which can be satisfied by a note in the panel directory, since it isn't a caution, warning, or danger sign or label), and in your situation, the NEC 702.7(B) requirement that the service equipment bear a preprinted warning label about how disconnecting the GEC there would undo the generator's connection to earth.
Sidebar: what if you do get a floating neutral generator after all?
If you do somehow wind up with a floating neutral genset that you can't reconfigure to have a bonded neutral, this does not require a change of transfer hardware, luckily.  What you can do instead is "fill in" the missing bonding jumper using a tap connector off the generator neutral wire within the transfer switch and a piece of 8AWG or 6AWG copper connected from that neutral wire to the transfer switch grounding bar.  You'll need to use the correct NEC 702.7(C) label if you do this, though!
Interlocked and bypassed out
The other problem with your interlock proposal is that Class 320 single-main-breaker meter-panels don't support interlocks best I can tell, and their multiple-main-breaker counterparts are being rendered obsolete by the 2020 NEC's restrictions on the use of "rule of six" disconnecting arrangements.  Fortunately for us, all this is mooted by the neutral-switching issue, so we can simply go ahead and use a single-breaker Class 320 meter-panel for this, although we do need to make sure we have one that meets your utility's specifications, as your utility, like most of the Washington State PUDs and many other West Coast utilities, requires EUSERC compliant metering hardware.
Fortunately, the Siemens MC2442B1400SD you are considering fits that bill; this should be available through local electrical supply houses without too much trouble (the SDS variant has a test block bypass, so check for that too).  If you can't find that particular part, Milbank makes a suitable substitute known as the M404-UG-LC(-BS for a test block bypass), or you can use an Eaton U404430MC(C for a bypass) or HP402442 for that matter, although the last part is not available with a bypass feature.  All of these of these supply most of the knockouts we need, although you'll need to punch a couple of KOs in the right side yourself no matter which of these you pick.
A sidenote on architecture before we start wiring things up...
Note that I only talked above about a single transfer switch; this is acceptable in this application since Accessory Dwelling Units or other contrivances that may require separate metering are not a concern based on what you have said.  It does mean that we're running utility and standby feeders to the garage, though, vs. running utility and generator feeders.  This plays nicely with the idea of putting in battery storage at the house, and isn't a barrier to putting the batteries in the garage, either, as running a second feeder in the standby feeder conduit to the garage can be done without impacting its load carrying capacity too heavily if you play your cards right.
Note also that all of the aforementioned meter-panels are compatible only with underground service, not overhead; fortunately, your service is underground, like most Class 320 services, rendering this a non-issue for you.  Finally, we'll need to put in a whole-house surge protector for this service in order to meet the new 2020 NEC 230.67 requirement for surge protection on residential services.
Now that we have all that out of the way...
Now that we have all that out of the way, we can start discussing how this all fits together.  First up is the meter-panel, sitting atop the 3" PVC riser from the utility.  A 2" and a 1.5" PVC conduit run out of the meter-panel to the garage/shop space in a 24" deep trench, along with a second 1.5" conduit laid in the same trench but capped off at its stubups so that you don't need to dig anything up if you want to run fiber out to the shop.
In the meter-panel, we start by fitting a 60A breaker in the top left for the utility side of the transfer switch and a 50A breaker in the top right for the surge protector.  Below these two, we fit two 200A breakers, one each for the house and garage/shop feeders; the rest of the spaces in this panel are left open, though.  Once we've done that, we make a 1/2" KO in the right side of the panel in line with the 50A breaker and fit a Type 2 SPD there, using a pair of sealing locknuts to attach it so that water can't get in through a hole that'd let it drip onto live buswork.
With all that out of the way, we then can concern ourselves with connecting the transfer switch.  First off, we'll need a 1.25" by 12" rigid nipple; this goes into a field-punched 1.25" KO on the right side of the meter main that aligns with the matching KO on the left side of the transfer switch chosen.  Once the boxes are mounted and the nipple's installed, we can then proceed to wire it up with 6AWG copper from the utility terminals to the 60A breaker in the meter-main and the generator terminals to the inlet's connections.  It then gets fitted with another 50A or 60A breaker for the feed to the house and a 20A, 2-pole breaker for the standby feed to the garage/shed.  This latter feeder is wired with 4 12AWG wires headed back through the nipple to the 1.5" conduit coming off the main panel to the garage.
Moving onto the larger feeders, a four-wire feeder gets run from the transfer switch outside to a main lug subpanel inside for the actual standby loads in the house (you'll see why when we start talking about solar and batteries) using either a 6/3 cable of some sort, or 4 6AWG wires in whatever flavor of conduit you pick. (If you use NM for this, you'll be limited to 50A; you'll need to use conduit of some flavor, armored cable, or type SE cable in order to get 60A out of this, or go to a 4/3 NM cable for that matter.)  With that out of the way, we then can wire up the two big 200A feeders; the feeder going into the house gets run out the back of the meter-main with a 250kcmil-250kcmil-250kcmil-3/0 SER cable as 2" conduit won't fit into a 2x4 stud wall even with stud shoes on the holes, while the feeder to the garage is run using individual 250kcmil Al XHHW-2 wires inside the 2" PVC conduit from before alongside a 6AWG copper ground wire (green or bare).
Tying all this down to Planet Earth
Now, we can consider the grounding electrode systems this all requires.  At the house, you'll need to run a 4AWG copper wire from the meter-panel, via a suitable box connector (Arlington GC50 or equivalent), to the main house grounding electrode system, and fit an Intersystem Bonding Termination bridge to that copper wire for that matter to provide a place to land communications (phone, satellite-TV, and so on) grounding wires.  Note that this is 4AWG, and not the 2AWG that'd otherwise be called for by Table 250.66, since your grounding electrode is an Ufer and thus falls under NEC 250.66(B) instead.
Moving onto the garage, you'll need to use more of that 6AWG copper wire from earlier to connect the grounding bar of the garage's primary (200A) panel to a pair of 8' ground rods driven at least 8' apart.  The garage standby feeder, then, can be landed on a second, smaller main breaker panel, using a wirenut to splice the neutrals in the latter case, and a length of 6AWG copper to connect the grounding bar on the standby disconnect to the garage's grounding electrode system no matter what you use for a disconnect.
As to that solar + storage thing...
Now that all the basics are taken care of, we can start concerning ourselves with solar and storage matters.  First off, we start with straight grid-tied solar, as that's the easiest/simplest case.  While tying your solar system in at the main panel is the correct thing to do in this situation as it simplifies the figuring considerably, your existing plans don't account for the limits of the busbars in the main panel.  NEC 705.12(B)(2) point (3)(b) limits you to a total feed-in of 480A, split between the main breaker and 125% of the solar breaker, and requires the solar breaker to be at the opposite end of the panel from the main breaker as well.  Running the numbers, this means you are limited to a maximum of 64A of solar on an 80A breaker, which translates into just over 15kW of solar generation.
Adding storage changes this situation quite considerably; since a storage (multimode) inverter can form a grid all on its own, it can run in conjunction with grid-tied solar inverters (what's called "AC coupling"), a fuel-burning generator, or even solar inverters and a generator at the same time, at least as long as your batteries aren't full.  However, they rely on a very different power transfer configuration to accomplish their goals; in particular, instead of transferring a load between two independent sources, they have a single throw switch between the inverter-load connection and the power input, so that they can export power to the grid when a utility grid is present.
However, most multimode (solar + storage) inverters listed for use in the US do not transfer or otherwise switch the neutral wire, nor do the interface-devices (Backup Gateway or equivalent) used with AC-coupled energy storage systems.  This means we can't use any internal input-to-input transfer they provide with a portable generator. However, that works out OK in the end here since we already have a switching neutral transfer panel fitted to handle that job.
The end result is that you wind up with the battery/inverter setup wherever you wish it (at the garage is fine), with a transferred (utility or generator) feeder from the transfer panel running to the multimode inverter or transfer device (Backup Gateway, in Powerwall terms) via a maintenance disconnecting means.  The output of the multimode inverter or transfer device then runs over to an AC distribution panel with feeders from that to the house and garage/shop standby panels. That panel can also have an interlock on it to provide a bypass function so that standby power can be provided to loads while the battery inverter is inoperable, although that may not be advisable in some configurations.  The solar inverters also get re-routed to tie into that AC distribution panel, or a panel downstream of that AC distribution panel, in this setup, as that's simpler than trying to DC-couple the solar system with its attendant power electronics and DC switching/protection issues.
Note that since you're putting the storage in the garage for the last setup, you'll have to replace that existing 12AWG feeder and 20A breaker for the garage with a 60A breaker and a 6AWG copper or 4AWG aluminum feeder when you put the storage system in. In addition, you'll have to put a 60A breaker and another 6AWG Cu or 4AWG Al feeder to feed standby power from the AC distribution panel at the garage back to the house. This can run in the same conduit as the transfer-switch feed to the garage, though, as NEC 310.15(B) permits you to base the Table 310.15(B)(3)(a) adjustments off of the 90°C ampacity column when using 90°C rated conductors such as today's THHN/THWN-2, and for 4 current-carrying 6AWG wires (as neither the neutrals nor the ground count), 80% of 75A gives us exactly 60A.  Last but not least, you'll need to move the 60A breaker feeding the transfer panel down to the bottom of the main breaker box in order to use 705.12(B)(2) point (3)(b) as described above.
Note, by the way, that this limits you to 11.5kW of DC coupled storage with up to 11.5kW of solar behind it, or a combination of 11.5kW of solar and AC coupled storage.  If you want to go up to the full 15kW possible with your main panel while using the solar while the power's out, you'll need to use an XRK1003DR (instead of the XRK0603DR) for the transfer panel, along with 80A breakers instead of the 60A breakers, 2AWG Al wire instead of the 6AWG Cu or 4AWG Al in the standby-feeder conduit between the house and garage, and a 2-2-2-4 Al SER cable from the transfer panel to the house standby panel instead of the 6AWG Cu cable called for above.


Why won't my outdoor motion detector shut off?

If you have had any lightning in the area it can leave the sensor in the always on mode. Some sensors I have used require a 5 minute powered off cycle to reset them. A power surge,spike or blip can also fry the electronics. I also had a unit that came on even in the day light. It turned out to be a mudwasp nest covering the photosensor.


Covering intake register for a whole house fan in winter

Your register should not be "blowing cold air" regardless of the time of year. That indicates that you have a ducting problem, likely a popped duct seam somewhere. That could be costing you a LOT of money and should be found and fixed.


Is the unused hot water line cooling all the other hot water lines?

Posting suggested test as an answer since the follow up identified it as a crossover.

When testing hot water flow and a crossover is suspected, an easy test is to turn off the water flow from the hot side at thetank to remove hot availability. When the hot tap is opened downstream, there should be no pressure, so very little water will come out.  If pressure seems normal or near normal such that water consistently flows without ceasing, it can only be a crossover OR a bad shutoff valve *(but if it was a bad shutoff valve, the water would be hot for a good while if provided from a tank).

At this point, its a matter of following the various faucets or mixing valves to verify their settings. These valves (mixing vales) can go bad, or be installed wrong, so it's usually worth it to turn off the cold supply at each suspect location until flow stops.

Congratulations on solving the issues.


Jigsaw cuts crooked when trying to rip enginered wood

You are, IME, IMHO, using the wrong tool, definitely.

A (sharp) hand ripsaw would be preferable.
A circular saw would be preferable.
A bandsaw would be preferable.
A tablesaw would be ideal

...but a circular saw is far less expensive than a tablesaw and still pretty capable with a rip guide.


Operational Electrical Panel in an unfinished building -- safe? Sane? Legal?

If your solar system is large enough to provide power it is legal, sane, and safe. For temporary power all the circuits will need to have GFCI'S, if the panel is exposed to wet conditions you will need a nema 3r type of enclosure (outdoor as you mentioned) the last if not under cover you will not be able to use NMB or Romex wiring it will need to be in conduit and use thhn/ thwn wire. With weather proof boxes , and in use covers. I have seen temporary power using standard breakers and WR rated GFCI outlets this may be a better way to go because the circuit breakers don't have the electronics sealed (I have had to replace GFCI'S in a nema 3r panel in just the last year on one of my temporary power setups).

In my area a temporary power permit is required. If you are only connecting to your own solar system I don't know if I would get a temporary permit, the temporary permit provides an inspection and a green tag so the power company can connect to the panel. If you need more power than your solar can supply then a permit / inspection would be required. In my mind your solar would be the same as running a generator for temporary power and no permit is needed for that.


One of the things I have done in the past with crushed rock driveways is pack it with a roller or plate compactor until there is no movement, then use some Portland cement on the surface and broom the surface so the cement gets in the cracks, this is not a big area but with a bus or other heavy equipment using it the cement (dry powder) swept in and a light sprinkle with water will help it hold. As an example my last home 1 of the driveways dropped 30’ in 70’ steep. It was crushed quarry. I used several bags of Portland cement it never washed out and really stayed in place quite well for many years.