Parallel circuit between switches for bathroom fan outlet wiring

The parallel connection from the "line" terminal on the timer switch powers the light switch, otherwise there will be no power if removed or if connected to the "load" terminal the power will only be available when the fan switch is turned on. Below is the end result.


The outside corners of your walls have metal "drywall corner bead". (There's also paper and plastic.) Sometimes, though rare, there's metal bead in the inside corners.

The corner bead itself is relatively thin, but if you're trying to get through it, either with a drill bit or a screw, you'll need to push reasonably forcefully. If you don't, the bead can ride up the screw or bit, which will create a crack in the plaster.

Putting a screw into the last inch of a corner isn't a fabulous idea, though. Typically, there's 1/2" drywall, which won't hold a screw, and then the edge of the stud, which can splinter off and not be very strong.


How can I cut a hole through metal siding to open up a doorway or window?

I'd go with offset aviation snips to cut the sheet metal either start where sheets overlap or drill a half-inch pilot hole  4" from the edge and spiral out from that.
Sheet metal has sharp edges wear work gloves.
A sabre saw would also work but may scratch the surface finish. sawing sheet metal is VERY NOISY.
An angle grinder will make an even worse racket and burn the paint near the edge leading to accelerated rusting.
Straight snips will not work on the sheets while they are in place, but if you remove them they can be cut, but it's tricky, you probably want a helper spreading the cut.


That does not look like a bedbug but more like a Kissing Bug, or some other variant of Assassin Beetle. They bite (people) and sometimes spread disease.


Do I need a permit to renovate a porch in NYC?

At the point where someone wonders,  "Is a building permit required?" the answer is usually, Yes.

The only definitive answer will come from the local building department.


What would happen if I build a half bath without permits?

Non-expert information ahead...  For the most part, nothing happens... immediately.  People do work without permits all the time.  Sometimes its very major work, sometimes it's just a "technicality" and the permit is kinda silly.  Often, no one finds out and no one asks.  I'm not saying it's ok - just saying it happens.

But, since you are planning to sell soon, you really should make sure it's all on the level.  Say the buyer has an inspector come by and he finds any little silly issue with the work.  A good Realtor would ask for the permits on the recent work.  If you don't have them it turns into a huge negotiation tool.  It might not even be an inspector.  Someone could just notice the recent work or see that the number of bathrooms has changed.

Then let's say that you don't sell the house and you live there.  A pipe in the shower springs a leak and you call the insurance company.  Strange - we don't have a record of that extra bathroom.  Where are the permits for the work?  Oh, no permits for this illegal addition?  That's not covered, and furthermore, we are dropping the policy and reporting this to your lender.

Of course cases like that are rare, and that's why people skate by and don't get permits and claim, heck I've never pulled a permit and never had an issue!  Like so many building rules, that's right - you never have an issue at all, until you have a big, huge expensive issue.


"Hooking it up normally (black to black, white to white), the light fixture will stay on when the power is turned on at the breaker and the switch does not turn it off."

This tells you the black wires under the same wire nut and the white wires under the same wire nut, are the hot feed wires from the main panel. This is as it should be. The white wire from the fixture should go under the wire nut with the other white wires. It should never be connected to a black or red wire in normal configurations. (The configuration you have in the picture is incorrect as you have the neutral for the light connected to both switch legs under the same wire nut.)

If there is only one three-wire cable running to the switches, then the white wire should be permanently re-identified as black and it will be connected to the hot black wires in the J-box and become your hot feed to the switches. This is the proper way according to the Code. Then the black wire and the red wire coming back from the switches are your two switched legs. For example, black for light, red for fan/light.

Good luck and stay safe!


Yes, you can install drywall directly over plastered walls. First you need to solve the  water intrusion issue that damaged your plaster, or the drywall will end up being damaged the same way the plaster was.

Installing drywall over plaster is the same as installing it anywhere else except you may need longer fasteners (nails/screws). This forum is not the place to give comprehensive instruction on drywall installation but there are many sources for you to get that info...


Can I glue the shower escutcheon onto a fiberglass shower stall?

Yeah, glue's a bad choice for exactly the reason you noted...
If you can't get the bolts extracted and replaced with a decent brass or stainless steel that won't corrode, I'd suggest having a helper hold the escutcheon in place while you caulk around it. Then, make a bridge of tape (i.e. not touching the caulk) to hold it in place while the caulk sets up. Once the caulk has hit its minimum cure time (preferable to wait 24 hours or until the max cure time listed on the tube), peel the tape off.
When the time comes, you should be able to scrape off all the old caulk with a razor blade to have a nice clean surface to do it all over again.


Abandoned lamp post wire causing breaker to trip

A fundamental rule of electrical installation is that every wire must terminate in a junction box that is accessible without taking apart any part of the building (obviously other than the junction box cover, receptacle, switch, lamp etc. which covers the junction box).

So you have to search.  Unfortunately the mere fact that a junction box has a live wire in it does not mean your wires aren't there.  Yours could be "passing through".  But if a box is inexplicably dead, it is certainly part of that circuit.  Follow the wires and/or follow your nose.

Another rule of electrical installation is that wires have two ends, and if you unhook one end, you must unhook the other end too.  They should have done that for you, to avoid this problem...


How should I attach the grounding conductor for a replacement switch?

You would be best advised to shut off all live power feed to this box. Then pull the existing bare copper GND wires out of the back of the box and add an additional bare copper wire pigtail to the bunch. Then reattach to the box with the proper green grounding screw.

The new pigtail will get wire nutted to the green wire on your new dimmer switch using an appropriate green twist on wire nut.


How should I address water seeping into basement?

Always start with correcting the grade around the house - i.e. the shape of the soil. It should slope AWAY from the house at at least 1/8" per foot (or 1 cm per meter) for 10 feet or 3 meters. If there is settling, pooling, or unfortunate past choices causing that not to be the case, correcting them (if at all possible) is a huge help to basement water issues.

If there are gutters, verify that the water from them is carried well away from the house.

If the problem persists, then you get into the difficult stuff (underground work.)

One step towards mitigation is to raise items in the basement on bricks or the like so that a small amount of water in the basement is not getting things that will be bothered wet. My basement freezer is sitting on 4 bricks, which are mortared to the floor to make them stable and level (as the floor is not level there.) Likewise for  wooden workbench.


Is it necessary to notch the side door jambs for setting the header piece?

The rabbet joint you refer to is done for strength, its a mini jack/king, where the side jambs support the head jamb.

Your plan for a butt joint will be sufficient.


How can I be sure all the asbestos particles are gone?

If you had the ceiling removed by "professional certified removers" then you are free of asbestos.  They should have sealed everything up, including vents, etc. before starting and all the particulates were pulled out of the air as the removal was done.

Now on the otherhand if you did it yourself or hired some shady under the counter removal company, your probably exposed already so nothing you do now will matter much.

There is a bit of hope in that the asbestos used was probably long grain(Old terminology, now they are classified by color.) rather than short grain.  Long grain is less toxic than short grain but can still cause cancer, etc.

Cleaning everything, ducts, Furnace, filters, air conditioners, rugs, walls, floors, household items, etc., etc., etc. will help remove residual contamination, as will leaving all windows and doors open.  Once spread all over your home asbestos is hard to impossible to remove completely.

Use masks if you do the cleaning yourselves and a water vacuum to clean the rugs.

It will cost a small fortune to have an asbestos removal company do a whole house clean.  Also in many states doing asbestos removal yourself is illegal. So if you removed the ceiling yourselves don't get pro's in after the fact as its way too late and way too costly.


Gas line to appliance seized cannot disconnect

That top nut is the one to undo, it is not connected to the hose but just stuck to it.

You will need to hold the hose and free the nut.

If you do damage the hose you will have to replace it.


How do you disconnect a tv satellite from the roof?

If the piece dangling from the wire looks like this,

then you should be able to unscrew the cable from it ( connector on the left end of picture). Or,if the cable is not connected to a receiver in the house, it should have no power to it and you can cut it off with a pair of pliers.


Attic knee wall custom ripped top plate - Will it work?

It might be easier to nail a 2x4 to the roof joists and then cut the tops of the vertical studs to fit the angle of the top plate. You could then easily nail the studs to the top plate.


Insulate ceiling, walls, or garage door?

Insulating a garage door is really quite easy.  There are kits on the market here in the UK but I just used cellotex (foam sheet) because I had some lying around.  A steel door has even less insulation value than a drywall-lined ceiling.

I'd do the door first as the least effort to get a noticable return.


I have created a line splitter like this with a heavy duty male and female three prong plug and three 14g wires - white, black, and green. 12/2 romex will have a bare copper ground, and I didn't want any exposed wire so I used actual green insulated wire for ground.

Use plugs that have an integrated wire clamp so the connections are secure, and don't leave it plugged in for longer than you need to make your measurements because the exposed separate conductors are not as strong and make a trip or tangle hazard.  This is a special tool, not a permanent extension cord.

I know you said you didn't want a product, but if someone does, there are devices like this that are made to do just what you want in a safe, listed way.  It has one loop for regular measurements and a second loop that multiplies the signal 10x (it just as 10 loops of the wire there).


How do I drill a 2⅛ inch door knob hole over an existing 1½ inch hole?

Two other options. If you need to expand the hole with the exact same center, you can get a hole saw kit that uses an arbor with multiple attachable hole saws. Place the larger size hole saw with the smaller size inside of it, and tighten the arbor on both. The smaller hole saw acts as a guide in your existing hole.

For this to work the smaller hole saw must be the same or longer height, as depicted in the picture above. If they are the same length, the thickness of the base of the larger hole saw will cause it to protrude slightly. You can also use a washer to give it more depth as long as you can still secure the bit to the arbor.

The second option is similar to Chris's suggestion. Clamp a thin piece of plywood over the hole on the door, and drill through that. Pay special attention to keeping the drill level. The plywood keeps you from sliding all over the door. Just make sure you clamp it on well.


How can I build an automated water valve for a coffee maker?

If you're not married to your specific existing coffee pot you can purchase coffee machines which are designed to take in a water supply line.


There is no benefit to "downsizing" the supply size; however, with tub fillers it usually is not a deal breaker because it just takes a bit longer to fill up the tub. If you look at the size of the tub filler spout, it may be no more of a restriction than you already have.

Both the stop valves and the threaded adapters that are screwed into your cast brass tub valve arms are available for 1/2" O.D. tubing (1/2" compression). Stop valves for 1/2" compression may be difficult (not impossible) to find in a "straight" configuration (as opposed to an angled 90° configuration), I would suggest that is the reason the plumber used 3/8" tubing and fittings.

How will an aesthetically pleasing shower mixer arrangement be created for this? I recommend that you consider changing the filler valve to a faucet set that has a shower diverter incorporated, there are many available styles:


100% you need an electrician out there ASAP.  If you can't manually trip it, there's a good chance it won't trip in an overcurrent situation and that could be very dangerous.

Your electrician will probably need to arrange this with the power company.  To do this, the power must be cut upstream, and usually this involves removing the seal on your exterior meter.


How directional is LED strip lighting (with a diffuser)?

I just did the same thing a few months ago and it turned out great. I routed a 1/2" channel at the back of the shelves so the bulbs wouldn't be seen.  The color of the walls is important as well.  You don't want to reflect the light, but you don't want to necessarily absorb all of it.  A few coats of a flat or eggshell saturated relatively dark color work well.


Is a conservatory considered living space?

The Code defines “Habitable Space” as, “A space in a building for living, sleeping, eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet rooms, closets, halls, storage or utility spaces and similar spaces are not considered habitable spaces.” (See ICC R202)


What should I do with an old thermostat?

If your security system is monitored for a monthly fee I would save it. There is the possibility that it won't function if the service is terminated. If a year from now you decide you no longer want the service you may be in need of a new thermostat. Although it appears to be relatively new verify it doesn't contain mercury, even if it doesn't try to recycle it when you do throw it out.


Can I move the main breaker and the electrical meter?

I'll give the same answer I give to most electrical questions like this, call a professional.

Unless you have the knowledge and ability to handle any and all possible complications, this is a job well suited for a trained licensed professional.

EDIT:

As Mike B points out, there are also permit and other legal issues involved here.


How do I repair a garage door with a rusty bottom?

Is the garage door made out of steel?  Here is a good article on repainting rusty steel:

I think the key is to prep by washing the area and then removing as much rust as possible by scraping and then using a wire brush (or even sanding).  Prime the area with Rustoleum. The topcoat should be high quality latex exterior paint.


Question to code-legal of space between walls where circuit breaker box is located

The code reference 110.26 requires 30” wide and 30” in front with 6-1/2’ head room as a minimum.
If this is an original instillation it will be allowed to stay. If there was a remodel making the small area they may require removal.
Most of the inspections for moving a home (the electrical must meet all current code after the move) The inspectors were looking at:
GFCI’s, AFCI’s, Tamper resistant outlets. Verification that the bathrooms and kitchens had the current code required branch circuits.
I have only done 3 of these in my career but all 3 were similar. The last one the panel was in the bathroom (not allowed now & I did not have to move it).I did add a door that when open blocked access to the sink and tub.


I'll answer my own question a month after the installation.  Inline are great, especially high-quality ones such as Fantech.  Highly recommended.


Can I install a hot water circulator pump without using the drain valve?

You can use the cold water inlet to connect the recirculator input by a tee (if your boiler don't have a half-height water inlet purposed for recirculation return), just put one-way valves on both recirculation return and cold water feed. But usually, boilers has an inlet at about half-height to connect the recirculation return.

NOTES:

  black rectangle on the left represents the boiler
  you need both the 1-way valves because you:
  don't want cold water do go 'backward' trough the recirculation loop
  you must avoid backflow to cold water supply
  boiler hot water oulet and cold water inlet are on right side but can be on any side of the boiler.


8500 W generator with L14-30 plug.. How to access full capacity for house?

Don't worry about it

Breakers have a certain latitude to them, and can run slightly above rating for a short time.  That provides for motor starting and short term overloads.

You're not supposed to plan to overload anyway

You should be provisioning power for 125% of what you expect to actually draw.  So if you plan for 6800 VA of actual load, you should provision at least 8500 VA of supply.  So don't aim to draw more than 6800 VA.

If you actually have 8500 VA of load in mind, then provision 125% of that or 10,625 VA.

VA is not quite watts

Often loads don't use the entire sine wave.  The part they use is measured in watts.  But the entire sinewave must be generated, and that is measured in VA.  This can bite you.

Anyway, it’s really hard to load the generator evenly

North American 120/240V comes in two poles of 120V each.  Each one has its own breaker trip, but they are common-trip, so the breaker will trip if either side exceeds 30A by enough margin or time.

That means you must full balance your 120V loads to get full performance out of the generator. This is hard to do.  I would say impossible without ammeters on both legs, and even that is not telling you about the difference between watts and VA.

If you find that issue objectionable, you can fix it by putting a 10 KVA transformer in front of the transfer switch. Now 120V loads will evenly load the generator, since the transformer is balancing.

Never parallel

Electrical connections should never be paralleled, except in certain rare instances.  There are many reasons for it, including eddy current heating, but one problem is neutrals.  Current will flow as it pleases, while completely ignoring any breaker trip ratings.  If your breakers are 30/15 it will cheerfully flow 39/6 if it wants to, and trip your 30A breaker.

But much worse is happening on the neutral.  With two competing neutral route, the same thing could happen and neutrals don't have breakers. So you're just setting the wires on fire at that point.

Even when paralleling is done industrially, special equipment is used which deals with this important point!

Suicide cords, never

I have done some janky things with power.  But making a cord with males on both ends is something I would never do.  No problem exists which requires that as a solution.

Firstly you have the problem that you will inevitably have one end plugged into "live" while the other end is free to contact anything or anyone.

Second, you have the problem that a suicide cord can do an end-run around your transfer switch/generator interlock.  That can be over to "utility" side while your suicide cord backfeeds the grid.  This defeats the purpose of having an interlock.


What trade should I hire to vent a microwave through my roof?

Some microwaves come with an optional "vent to exterior" feature. We require a vent when installed over cooktop or oven. It comes with a charcoal filter that recirculates the air, but a small steel "flap" can be removed in the back and hooked up to duckwork and extended to exterior...it doesn't need to go through roof...whichever is easiest. Make sure it has a "backdraft" flap.

I'd use a carpenter/handyman. Get a bid, make sure their licensed and ask for references.


A photo would be helpful, but from your description it sounds like you need a box extension. This extends the box so your receptacles stand proud (above) of the surface and will allow the cover to fit properly. I use these quite often after a tile job where they did not reset the boxes prior to tiling. If it is a slight setback you can loosen the receptacles and pull them to the cover if 2 screw would be ok by code, there are plastic shims that go behind the tabs on the receptacles with only 1 screw to the cover so the covers don’t break but this is for ~1/8-1/4” set back more would need an extension.


Choosing the Right Outlet When Re-running Electric

You'll want to run 12-2 wire to accommodate the 20 amp breakers. And as far as the gfci outlets are concerned. You utilize them anytime your dealing with water, like in bathrooms kitchen sinks, laundry rooms, and exterior receptacles, as well as crawl spaces and basements below grade. You need to check with your local electric company to find out what the critical distance is for receptacle placement. In my area they need to be placed within 4' of sinks, and I can run 4 additinal outlets off the same gfci wiring. However, the nec codes may have changed, since I ran my electric. Your electric company will be able to tell you what you need to know. Just ask them to to let you talk to an inspector, and they'll tell you requirements for your local area. Some codes are locally regulated, while others are Nec controlled. Good Luck!


What underlay is used for installing pool tiles

You are going to use pool plaster to build up the area, modified thinset to apply the tiles and epoxy grout to grout the area.

Additional info -

Your pool will generally have a pool plaster for the "liner" (what you feel).  It could however have a ton of products - example is pebbletech - for this.  It really depends on how nice your pool is.   Pool plaster is generally made of concrete, sand, and quartz.  There are other combos and there is premade combos too.  If you are doing your whole pool then you can choose whatever you want - each will have their own characteristics.  If you have a question on this I would ask it on its own since you will get a lot of different views/help.

If you are doing patchwork then you will need to try to match up the characteristics of current "lining".  This will take practice/guesswork and maybe bringing in a little experience.

For the tile section at the top of the pool you generally want to buy tile that curve towards the pool bottom so there is a smooth transition or you will need to feather up to the tile area with a thicker amount of plaster (they sell very expensive "pool tile" for this).  This will create an indention to apply your thinset and tile.  And you will basically tile as you would a shower.

I would use a modified thinset that is best suited for the type of tile (a lot of pools use porcelain) you are using.  Note that under your tile should be sealed with pool plaster.  So the tile is really just decorative.  This is where there are differences in showers and pools.  Using tiles on the top ledge or steps in pools should be used to provide a nice surface/decorative - not as any sort of moisture barrier.

A lot of DIYers use "regular" porcelain/granite tile (I would not use marble or ceramic and I would make sure the porcelain I use has a low absorption rate) and can buy everything from a big box.  The hardest part is making sure the tile plus thinset depth is close to the depth of the adjoining plaster - for pool steps you don't have to worry about this.

And if you are replacing tile a lot of the stuff should be kind of set up for you.  You will damage some of the plaster when chipping out the old thinset.  You might have to make some repairs - I guess if the repairs are behind tile your plaster type is less important as long as it bonds.  Also you will need to match up the old tile thickness to the new tile thickness.  If you go with a new "thicker" tile it could create a lot of work because you may only have so much plaster you can get rid of before you hit the concrete base.  In general almost all pools with a tile layer on the top sides have a "lip".  You won't match it up exactly.  But you want to make sure that it isn't dangerous - as far as people scraping themselves.  And with a larger lip there is more upward force that could be put on the tile - causing more needed repairs down the road.


Adding an extra 240v outlet to dryer connection with switch for charging car

This was installed as a big, big mess.  That bare wire isn't ground, it's a dodgy neutral because the guy saved money buying the wrong wire. And this mess intersects the NEMA 10 problem: the way old dryers were wired, which is both dangerous and illegal by today's standards, but is technically "grandfathered".   The 400' distance both hurts and helps.  Sharing this as-is between an old dryer and a modern EV charger is out of the question.

You are correct that electronics experience doesn't map well to electrical.  For instance Ground is entirely a safety shield over which current should never flow except during fault conditions. Being AC, eddy currents matter, so only tree diagrams are allowed; currents must be equal (cancel out) in every cable.  It is also much easier to detect current flow; no shunts required :)

So let's get to work.

The problems

Like the rest of the addition, this is a mess.  You haven't told us about your layout except that it's 400' (that is both a curse and a possible blessing). As you know, there are two hot wires in the cable; the question is what the bare wire is doing.  It's an important question.

The EV charger requires Hot-Hot-Ground.  It is a 240V only device with no need for neutral, since it has no 120V parts internally.

The dryer is wired Hot-Hot-Neutral. This uses a NEMA 10-30 connector. Neutral is a live conductor that returns current normally.  We call it neutral because the equipotential bonding of the electrcial system places it near earth potential.

Our mantra: Neutral is not ground. There are many conditions (mostly routine, common failure conditions) when neutral is not anywhere near earth potential.  And that is fine, since we treat neutral with the respect of a live conductor.   Usually.

The original way of wiring dryers and ranges was Hot Hot Neutral, because grounds did not exist.  When grounds came in in the 1960s, they decided to break the rules and go ahead and ground dryers and ranges on the neutral wire, on the logic that this wiring is rarely disturbed, never complex and therefore unlikely to fail.  This is still problematic, and it does kill people, and it's outlawed in new work and has been for a long time.  Now, dryers and ranges must be wired Hot Hot Neutral Ground (NEMA 14) which is a universal donor that can also supply Hot Hot Ground (NEMA 6) loads.

Is this wire even a legal neutral wire?  The precedent for bare neutral wires is that in the days before grounding, a lot of dryer/range circuits got installed with SE (Service Entrance) cable, which is intended for prior to the service point and so doesn't have ground.  However this guy just used /2 NM cable, I'm not sure that's legit.  But it's legal as a ground wire. Dryer can't use that.  Boy, this sure would be easier if the dryer was hot-hot-ground...

Option 1: Hack dryer to be hot-hot-ground; retask wires

Dryers use 240V for their heating elements and sometimes controls and motor.  They use 120V for controls, lamps and motors.  Many manufacturers also ship dryers to East Asian markets like the Philippines which have both Euro and US style power.  In those cases, they "hack" the 120V loads to run on 240V, either by substituting 240V motors or by adding a small 240/120 transformer to supply the 120V load.  You can do the same thing, and now you have 2 Hot Hot ground appliances.

Then you rewire both ends of the circuit to make the bare wire ground: punch it down to the ground bar in the panel, and change the receptacles to NEMA 6 (Hot Hot Ground)

You don't need to switch ground, so you need to switch both hots. I'll come back to the switching later.

This complies with the National Electrical Code. Modifying the appliance may violate different codes, but I'm not too worried about an all-metal appliance with metal innards that is properly grounded.

I don't know what I think of doing this external to the dryer by making a NEMA 6 to NEMA 14 converter box with a common step-up/down transformer inside it. it would have to be sized sufficient to handle the neutral load (which is not nearly as much as the hot load).  It would need fuse protection on the neutral so you didn't smoke the stransformer. 240V loads would not go through the transformer.

Option 2: Super Stupid Mode

If you must... first use a mechanical relay, and second switch all three wires.  The bare wire is being used for different purposes dryer vs charger, these incompatible uses cannot be shared. Also don't blame me when someone gets electrocuted stepping into your car - and that really could happen.  This is a bad answer.

Option 3: Semi-stupid mode

Same but we'll take the worst of the life-safety risks out of it by installing a 2-pole GFCI breaker in the service panel, and this breaker ties to both hots and whatever that bare thing is.

The problem with this "solution" is, if there is any leakage to ground from the dryer's neutral or the vehicle charger's ground, this will trip the GFCI. So you would want do do everything you can to isolate the dryer and charger from ground.

So this has the risk of having a lot of nuisance trips.

Option 4: Gold standard, if...

You would need to check with your AHJ as to whether they will allow this old legacy wire to be a neutral. Remember the "currents must be equal" rule? The neutral must travel with the working conductors, since it is one.

However ground only carries fault current, so it is allowed to retrofit ground using a completely different route for the ground.  Bare copper wires can even be buried.

So in this scenario, we positively define the legacy bare wire as a neutral.  Then, we lay a ground wire via any practicable route, including outdoors, back to the same panel.

Now you replace that dangerous NEMA 10-30 HHN socket with a modern NEMA 14-30 HHNG socket.   And rewire the dryer with a NEMA 14 socket, and remove the dryer's neutral-ground jumper which is part of the cord-change procedure.

Now, you have fully modern, safe wiring and can do whatever you need in the normal way.  You could even put a subpanel here.

Now, if you're wondering, here's what you can't do: smack a ground rod into the earth and call it a good ground.  Electricity wants to get back to source, not earth.   Ground rods are great at returning natural electricity (ESD, lightning) to source (which is earth). But positively useless for returning human-made fault current to source (which is the power company's neutral wire. A ground-rod-only scheme will put lethal voltage on all your grounds the first time there is a ground fault.

Switching - avoiding it

You need to solve the above problems.  But if you choose option 1 or 4, you may not have to switch.   This comes up a lot, and we discovered if the breaker is 30A, you can simply have 2 receptacles on the circuit.  Of course, you have to worry about tripping the breaker.

Another option if you use option 1 or 4, is take a look and see if they up-sized your cable.  You can't tell at the socket, but look anywhere else you can access the cable sheath.  It should have the size stated every 1 foot.

The circuit must use at least 10 AWG wire.  But dryers are 23A, and the voltage drop would be a worrisome 8.05%.  So it's a good idea to look at the actual current draw, and consider a bump to a heavier cable.  These guys were cheap, and if they bumped, it may only be to #8. That will have a voltage drop of 5.30% which is acceptable.  Some people consider 3% an absolute limit, and they would pick 6 AWG for 3.39% voltage drop.

The voltage drop limits are advisory, not mandatory.  The mandatory limits are to keep the wire from overheating.  10AWG must have a 30A breaker, 8 AWG must have a 40A breaker, and 6 AWG is allowed a 60A breaker.

However, breakers larger than 30A don't allow multiple receptacles on them.  In that case you would need a subpanel, which will absolutely require option 1 or 4.

You say your charger wants a 20A circuit.  Ok, that means its continuous draw is 15-16A.  Together with the dryer that adds up to 38-39A.  However, due to the continuous-draw rules, you would need to derate that to 48-49A unless you use very specific breakers rated to carry at 100% rating.  If you can line that up, #8 could power  everything at once.

The subpanel is needed because 30A breakering for the dryer is mandatory.  And really, so is 20A breakering for the charger. If you need switching, a subpanel is compatible with the idea, and makes it a bit easier actually.

Switching - relays

Throw away the electronics catalog, you can't use junk from that.   Use either air conditioning contactors which are dirt cheap,  or 3-phase contactors such as would be used on a compressor.  They can be had with coils of 12V, 24V, 120V, 240V (handy) or 277V.

Anything with mains voltage should be fully enclosed in grounded (!!) metal boxes.  If you want to do something under the much easier low-voltage rules, use 24VAC: there are transformers for thermostats which easily mount in standard junction boxes,vand all this stuff is dirt cheap.

Switching - Current Detection

Again, remember the "currents must be equal in a cable or conduit" rule.  If wires in a circuit are tightly grouped, the AC magnetic fields cancel each other out.   If they are not grouped, the fields do not.

Likewise if you took all the conductors of a circuit and wrapped them around a ferrite core in the same direction, the magnetic fields cancel each other out.  If they are not wrapped in the same direction, they do not.

Have I painted a picture?  :)  Read the illustrated section of my answer here.    Look at the specs on magnetic reed switches, it doesn't take much to actuate them, least not to the 16A or 23A you plan to flow.  You may be able to just spread the wires and lay a reed switch alongside it.


Are the joist 16" oc? If not you may want to sister them for added strength, and give you a better nailng/screwing surface. The 1/4" doesn't give the best support for subflorring, so you need to upgrade to 3/4" or at least 1/2" plywood. It's also a good idea to use a glue like liquid nails or other adhesive over the joist. Your fastners should be placed about every 8 inches. Good Luck!


What are the connections on this German TV socket?

can you please explain to me what does each port in the socket does?

In your photo they are labelled DATA, TV, R

So it is reasonable to assume

Some kind of Internet connection.
A TV antenna.
A Radio antenna.

Nowadays the TV signal is likely to be DVB-T. The antenna and coaxial cable and connectors are the same as for the old analogue PAL signals. It is possible that it is DVB-S from a satellite dish. I'd ask the building manager (if there is one).


Are there alternatives to Shutter-lok fasteners?

Shutter-loks are basically vinyl nails with annular rings to grip. They are meant to be removable by snipping them, confirming that they have low strength.

Why not simply use screws of a similar length? You need a weatherproof type, such as these which are recommended for shutters.

You could also use coated deck screws which come in several colors and weather well.


I have had mine for quite some time and have sharpened them many times with a hand file.

Just be careful how much you remove on each side and keep the angles consistent for proper cutting. The thin metal of the bits would heat up too much under machine grinding or the angles would not be easy to reproduce, IMO.


Possible to drain mini split into clean out opening?

Are you against installing a sump basin in the cellar and having the split drain into that, with a sump pump to push the water outside of the house? Maybe this is financially prohibitive, but I suspect you could DIY it relatively inexpensively.

That said, I'm not a plumber, but you could optionally add a 45-degree branch, shaped like the pic below, extending up from the "house-side" cleanout access. In your case, I would keep the vertical run capped, basically just extending the existing clean out upward a couple feet, and drain the mini-split into the 45-degree branch.

.......there are some caveats, for which a plumber's experience would be desirable:

1) What happens if/when you have a backup? Where does that problem manifest itself?? It should backup into the next lowest point, which is probably a bathtub, but the mini-split will be introduced as an option!

2) Venting. The dripping from the split probably doesn't need a vent to flow, but you might acquire a sewer smell in that bedroom. This might even be illegal in some respects, like if the home or room is rented.

3) You might hear gurgling sounds in that room, as water flowing through the piping will be transmitted up to the evap/fan assembly. Washing machines draining, toilets flushing, and bathtubs draining might be enough flow to transmit the gurgling sounds.

I would advise the sump basin/pump strategy, but the above could probably suffice as a short-term solution in the meantime. Again, I'm not a plumber!


Your code may be different but on this side of the pond the thinner lumber would be ok as it is not a load bearing wall. A hobby room also is not a living space so it may not require fire resistant wall board. I would check with the local building code enforcement to make sure I was doing it to code.


How do I install a sink in a room that doesn't have a drain vent?

Yours is a not uncommon problem, so a solution does exist. For example, how might one vent a sink in an island in the center of a kitchen? I looked online, and it seems there are two common solutions. You can use what is called a vacuum breaker, which lets air into the line to prevent slow/gurgly drain problems without allowing sewer gases into the area. The second option is an island loop vent. Both are described clearly in this link:

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Plumbing/Kitchen-Plumbing/how-to-plumb-an-island-sink


There should be markings on the cable jacket. If you can't read it due to age, measure the thickness of the wires with a caliper, or a pair of wire strippers. Modern NM cables are color coded, but older cable was not. So jacket color means nothing with older cable.

Checking the size of the breaker could give you a clue, but only if the cable was installed properly. If wired properly, 12 AWG should be used on a 20 amp circuit, while 14 AWG is good for 15 amp circuits.

14 AWG wires are fairly easy to bend, while 12 AWG are a bit stiffer. Though this is only helpful, if you're familiar with working with wires.

If you had a piece of wire of a known size, you could use that to compare. Though you'll want to compare the metal part of the wire, as the insulation may be slightly different even on the same size wires.


I would most definitely take up the linoleum. Why? If it starts coming away from the floor substrate (particle board), it could then very well lead to the grout between the tiles cracking (breaking up) due to movement underneath.

Personally I have no time for particle board, therefore would be very! tempted to take it up and replace it with plywood (fixed down appropriately).

That said, according to Schluter-DITRA and Schluter-DITRA-XL: Wood Substrates you can probably get away with keeping the particle board down on the floor. Before commencing I would ensure the particle board is fixed down very! firmly (nailed or screwed @ 150 to 200mm centres). Select a nail or screw length that will not go all the way through the floor boards underneath the particle board, you don't want to go hitting any pipe or cable that might run underneath your flooring.

For total peace of mind I would contact Schluter Systems directly and seek their advice: Contact Schluter Systems


It might pull straight down with spring clips holding it in place.


Do I use bushings, or something elese with metal clad romex through drywall penetration,

It does indeed "look off" because you don't simply run the MC or MC-lite cable through the box. You need appropriate clamps, and the clamps need the jacket cut on the armored cable, and then you have wire nuts in the junction box (because you also have to cut the wires to get the clamps in place.)
Armored cable is fine in drywall - indeed, it's superior to NM cable, and required in many/most commercial occupancies if not using conduit.


Explain voltage readings on NEMA 10-30 socket

In a 120/240V single split-phase system, there's two ungrounded (hot), one grounded (neutral), and in most cases one grounding conductor.  Measuring between the two ungrounded (hot) conductors should yield 240 volts +- 5%. Measuring between either hot and neutral, should read 120 volts +- 5%.

In the case of a NEMA 10-30. Each angled contact is one of the ungrounded (hot) legs, while the "L" shaped contact is grounded (neutral).  Therefore, measuring between the angled slots should give you 240V. While measuring between either of the angled slots and the "L" shaped slot, should measure 120V.

As for plugging a NEMA 6-50 plug into a NEMA 10-30 receptacle, forget about it.  NEMA 10-30 recepracles do not have a grounding conductor, whereas a NEMA 6-50 requires a grounding conductor.   NEMA 10-30 is an nongrounded 120/240V device (hot, hot, neutral), NEMA 6-50 is a grounded 240V device (hot, hot, ground).  A 10-30 receptacle will be protected by a 30 ampere breaker, and supplied by wires only rated to carry 30 amperes of current.  If you plug a 50 ampere load, into a 30 ampere circuit. You will overload the circuit, and (hopefully) trip the breaker.

If you need a 50 ampere circuit for your welder, have a proper 50 ampere circuit installed by a licensed electrician.

You should NOT plug a 50 ampere device into a 30 ampere circuit!


Have I got a faulty thermostat in my fridge freezer?

One sign that a freezer is not keeping a constant temperature is bad freezer burn (ice crystals forming around your food, dehydration, damage).

You could use an indoor/outdoor thermometer that records high/low in order to debug this. Each day, record the high/low then reset the thermometer.

If you are seeing a big range in temperature, or, your freezer is getting warm enough to start melting, then I would replace the thermostat.


What is a good PWM driver for LED lighting?

Wow! You can use the screw in type LED bulbs, which contain their own controllers. These are typically dimmable down to about 20% using standard wiring. Here, we have Cree bulbs that look VERY similar to old Edison (tungsten) A19 bulbs, rather than the funny looking futuristic LED's. They're also much cheaper than the older screw-in LED's, about $8 each for the newest type. I don't know if they're available in your area. I LOVE THESE BULBS. ref: homedepot.com/p/Cree-40W-Equivalent-Soft-White-2700K-A19-Dimmable-LED-Light-Bulb-with-4Flow-Filament-Design-BA19-04527OMF-12DE26-3U100/205597080

If you're going with low voltage, (12V) you can use the LED strips and get rather creative, rather than using standard lighting fixtures. I replace fluorescent tube lighting with LED quite often now, for instance, or you can use them in an area with a diffuser panel below, as is typical in kitchens here. Friend of mine did the same with his bathrooms. I've also seen them used inside a paper light globe, wound in creative spirals and such, to make a unique decorative touch.  Also consider using the strips as they were originally created to be used, as under-cabinet lighting.
Be aware, however, you can't have a dimmer on the AC voltage side (before the transformer) and will have to use dimmers supplied for the 12V LED strips. I've seen these with remotes, and that's probably your only option for those. On a side note, the LED strips come in various color outputs (Bright white, Red/Green/Blue (for accent lighting or novelty lighting,) Warm white, etc.) The multicolor ones do require the specialty 12V controller to get all the effects.


If a repair fixes a problem, then in general one does not look for more things to do. Wait before you do anything more.

In my experience the 240 V power line goes directly to the condensing unit outside. In the US there is usually no 240 V line to the air handler inside. In the US most residential air handlers use 120 V on an entirely different circuit from the 240 V line to the condensing unit outside.

There is a "relay" (called the contactor unit) inside the condensing unit which switches off and on the 240 V high current power to the compressor and fan. Failure of the contactor unit is common, but at present you have not given any reason to suspect yours should be replaced.

EDIT

But in Europe there is only one voltage 230 V to 240 V so the air handler would be at 240 V. I assume that the air handler and the condensing unit would still be on different circuits, but I really don't know.


Can 18/2 CL2 barostat cable be used for speakers?

There is a discussion of stranded vs. solid wire for speaker cable here. The consensus (or at least the weight of opinions) seems to be that there is a theoretical difference, but no practical difference.

Speaker wire is also called lamp cord. It is basically parallel stranded wire in either 16 or 18 gauge. The lower number indicates the thicker wire. 16 gauge is thicker than 18. The difference in gauge has to do with how much voltage drop (and in music, signal loss) there is over long distances.

Numerous comparisons seem to indicate that basic speaker wires (and wire sold as lamp cord at even a lower price) are indistinguishable from exotic wires.

If it is a long run, 16 gauge is preferred. If the run is very short, you probably can use 18 gauge with no apparent difference in sound. But the cost difference is fairly small, so 16 gauge is preferred.

There is no shielding on speaker wire, so the covering is of little import. Solid wire is much harder to handle (less flexibility), so stranded is preferred for audio applications.

While the barostat wire is solid and the speaker wire is stranded, it is highly unlikely you can get a measurable difference in signal between the two types. If it's already installed, and the run is not too long (20 feet or less) you probably can live with it. If the run is much longer, you might want to swap both wires out for a heavier gauge (16).


How to Ground When No Spot for Wire/Screw

There are two simple ways to connect a ground screw to the box, a screw or a grounding clip.

If there's no threaded hole for a ground screw, a clip is the easy way to go, rather than drilling and tapping the box.

However, without a ground wire, the box itself may not be grounded, so understand that clipping the ground wire to the box might not do anything.

I can't quite tell how the wires are fed into the box.  It's possible that the box is fed by an armored cable and the armor is an effective ground.  It's also possible that the ground wire is attached to the strain relief fitting that secures the cable jacket to the box - that's an old method I come across from time to time.  But it's possible the box is just not grounded.


OK. Based on what you said about the black and white pigtails without wire nuts on them being the wires that were connected to the old fan, connect them to the white and black wires on your new fan. The box isn't grounded so you don't need to connect your green wire from the fan. Don't try to figure out where all the wires go. You can't determine that unless you start disconnecting them and take reading... and you do not want to do that.

The really bad news is that the box you want to install the fan on is not rated for a ceiling fan and needs to be replace with one that is.


What could cause my showers hot water to not work well after water main work?

Sounds like there's gunk stuck in the shower line somewhere between the branch for the shower and the shower's hot water valve.  HOPEFULLY it's stuck right there at the valve.

One thing you can do is shut off the hot water in the house, then remove the knob and valve stem for the hot water in the shower, then turn the water back on.  Water will flow out of the valve (I'm assuming the valve is in a water proof area like the shower itself) - and hopefully this will flush the gunk out of the line, restoring the water flow.


This is not an improper fire hazard. In operation the stove top near a burner will get a lot hotter than that.

You are not supposed to lay flammable materials on top of the stove, but I doubt it would start a piece of paper on fire. You could place a 1 inch square of paper towel over the hot spot and see if it would ignite.

EDIT

AFIK modern gas stoves have electronic spark igniters (they do not have standing pilot lights) so one cannot compare modern stoves to old ones which do have a standing pilot light. I don't think a hot spot over a standing pilot light is an out of specification condition.


Is it safe for my house's main carrying beam to be two separate beams?

We’ve learned a lot about construction in the last 115 years since your house was built.

We use to just worry about holding everything “up”. Now we design for vertical loads and horizontal loads (seismic and wind loads). We also worry about the performance of the structural systems over time...including shrinkage of materials.

Your beam (and gap between the two beams) is fine, but you should consider: 1) adding steel connectors to tie the beams to the posts, and 2) anchoring the posts to the foundation, and 3) jacking the beam up, if the floor is so far out of level that it’s noticeable.

1) It’s important to tie all structural members together so that during a seismic event or wind storm they all stay together. I’d use something like this for the center post (and an “L” shape for the end conditions):
https://www.strongtie.com/shapes_specialtystraps/tandl_productgroup_wcc/p/t-and-l

2) The posts need to be secured to the foundation too. I’d use something like a Simpson Retrofit Post Base, like this:

https://www.strongtie.com/resources/product-installers-guide/rpbz-installation

3) Jacking the floor system up runs the risk of cracking plaster, tweaking the doors so they don’t close properly, etc. If it’s not noticeable that the floors slope, I’d skip trying to make the floors perfectly level.

When the house was built, it was common to use “green” lumber. Your beam is large enough that over the years it shrunk significantly (I’d guess up to 1”) as the beam dried out. It’s now stabilized, so if it’s not a problem now, it won’t be in the future.


Fan wiring no switch, only using humidity sensor for control

You really need to add the switches as the instructions say to do. All warranties as well as any UL listings will be voided if not installed according to the directions. From a practical sense, you need a easy means to shut off the fan for cleaning and maintenance. It appears that only the brown wire needs to be connected to hot to do what you want but there's not a diagram of the sensor. Again, this is not recommended, follow the directions.


how do I measure the glass on a patio door (glass replacement)

The glass is held into the frame in different ways depending on the manufacturer. To properly measure the entire frame should be disassembled. The glass must be ordered to size and manufactured, as it must be tempered glass, tempered glass cannot be cut once made.The material that holds the glass (rubber or vinyl channel usually) will likely need to be replaced as well. This can be very complicated for modern units with dual-pane glass (there is also the process of filling the interstitial space between panes with inert gas.)

Is contractor you are hiring specifically qualified for this work? He should be the one to measure and order the glass, and would be responsible for errors.

You should be made aware that it is much more common, and probably less expensive, to install an entire new door and frame assembly. They even have units designed to retro-fit without removing the existing metal frame, thus avoiding plaster/stucco work. I would call a licensed and well known window and door installer in your area.


Can I replace just the plastic frame around the glass panes on my front door?

If you look on the hinge side of the door you may find a makers tag with a model number. If the door is fairly new the manufacturer may be able to supply a new one. You also might try a glass and window shop. The grid is typically screwed to the door. Small plastic plugs cover the screw heads. Some that I have encountered also have an adhesive applied. Sliding a putty knife under the grid will release the trim.


How to bind/pair a Sunvic wireless radio heating controller to its receiver

1/ Grab that handy paperclip you keep for poking and hooking things.

2/ Hold the On Off button on the receiver for 3 seconds or until the green LED flashes.

3/ On the back of the controller, with your paperclip, press/poke the Learn button.

Note that the Red LED means 'working' while the Green LED means 'you're going to freeze in your own house'. This might be something to do with Chinese manufacturing and red being their most positive colour.


Concrete porches pulling away from home and cracking

No, you cannot repair them. If a large concrete structure is falling apart, it means the foundation is not good. Putting a deck over it to hide the disaster is probably a good idea. Obviously, you should make footings below the frost line for your deck, unless you want the same thing to happen to it.

Personally I would probably build the deck and then sell the house and try to distract potential buyers as much as possible.


Modulate Hi-Def signal from HD-DVR or HD-DTV receiver

An old modulator (which is NTSC) will not be able to modulate a high-definition signal (which would need to be ATSC). The best you'd get would be a modulated SD signal.

Rather than a modulator, I recommend an HDMI splitter, and long HDMI cables. I bought mine from monoprice.com, I highly recommend their products.

My current configuration is a DISH receiver and other equipment in a closet, which then goes to this HDMI splitter, which splits to two TVs via two 40-foot HDMI cables.


Replace "Pipe" with "Conduit" and "Fiberglass insulation" with "duct seal" (note: the electrical conduit kind, not the air duct kind) and put a couple of bell-end fittings on the ends to make it nice (Or just ream the sharp corners off the inside of the cut ends really well to be inexpensive) and you have a normal workmanlike method of achieving your goal.
It will look more polished if the conduit extends all the way into the security camera box, rather than just poking through the ceiling above the box.


Can i hook run a 110 plug off my dryer out let and still have my dryer outlet and a plug out side for things

I know this has been asked before, but the simple answer is no, you cannot connect a normal 15 or 20A outlet to a 30A dryer circuit.


Should I use a timer or motion sensor in my hot water recirculation system?

Timer: the other way is too slow in many cases.

Using this chart of water contents(gallons per foot), we see that a 3/4" pipe of 70 feet has around 1.75 gallons of water in it. Using the fact that a lavatory sink emits out either 1 or 1.5 gpm, split between the hot and cold water pipes, means that it will take 1-2 minutes for the hot water to reach the tap, making the system useless.

A timer can circulate the water relatively quickly ever few minutes and then turn off, trading some electricity for your time.  The motion sensor won't have enough time to circulate the water before you need it.

Nominal Pipe Size
(in)   Water Content (Gallons/ft)
Type K  Type L  Type M
1/8     0.0014  0.0016  0.0016
1/4     0.0039  0.0040  0.0043
3/8     0.0066  0.0075  0.0083
1/2     0.0113  0.0121  0.0132
5/8     0.0173  0.0181  0.0194
3/4     0.0226  0.0251  0.0268
1   0.0404  0.0429  0.0454

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/water-content-steel-copper-pipes-tubes-d_1617.html
http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/pubs/faq_bs.html


How to Fix Central AC Bringing in Outside Air - Smokey outside

There are two ways I could think of that you could be drawing in outside air:

The return ducting runs through an unconditioned space, like an attic or crawl space, and has a leak, or
The supply duct runs through an unconditioned space and has a leak.

The AC system should be sucking return air, heating or cooling it, and then supplying that same volume (approximately) back to the house. In the first case above, the AC intake is sucking from the return duct but also from the outside, because the return duct is at a lower pressure than the outside.
In the second case, a hole in a supply duct means the conditioned air is shooting out of a high(er) pressure duct to the outside. You might not think this is such a big deal, but that volume of air being lost means the AC intake is now lowering the pressure of the entire house trying to find makeup air to keep the total air volume the same. This means air will be sucked through any crack in your house to try to equalize the pressure - door seals, dryer vents, window sills, bathroom fans, etc.
Sometimes a window leaks bad and you can see the curtains rustling, especially when the wind blows. If the leaks are bad enough, the air will permeate through the house regardless of what the AC is doing.
Since you're saying the smells only happen while the AC is on, I would guess it's a leaking duct, again in an unconditioned space. It's not immediately clear to me how your return is setup, but I would guess there's a large intake grill on the other side of one of those walls that just dumps into the air handler intake.
That would narrow it down to an air leak in a supply duct in an unconditioned space. I would check for it by starting in the attic or crawl space and trying to listen for it. You might also be able to feel a temperature difference in the insulation.
Finally, the spots for leaks would probably be at the joints where sections meet, like elbows. If I had to bet, I guess something like a sagging duct under a crawlspace ripped open an elbow flange and the air is shooting out.


How to mitigate and/or repair concrete frets (slab edge wetting)

Plastic sheets designed for lining foundations have studs that provide ventilation near the concrete:

There are also sheets available that insulate.


Do I need to remove remaining wallpaper backing before painting?

Those "brown spots" are the inside of your drywall's surface paper. You're actually pulling off the surface of the drywall (which is the gray you see adjacent to the brown). It's not a total disaster, but normally you'd use a little moisture to dissolve the adhesive and gently scrape it off.

Since you're going to paint, you'll need to do a few things for a favorable outcome:

Finish cleaning up the wallpaper to a reasonable extent. It doesn't have to be perfect since you'll need to skim things anyway. Use a putty knife to scrape away any remaining loose paper.
Roll on a drywall sealer or PVA primer. This will stabilize the exposed paper and provide a better substrate for repairs. Let that dry well.
Skim the walls with joint compound using a large taping knife or steel trowel. Apply several light applications as needed. Each should be very thin. You're not "spackling" or "plastering" here. You're just skimming. Think of it as applying a coat of paint only.
Sand lightly with a drywall screen or other large sanding block. Don't use a small block as it'll result in waviness. It's ok if some paper comes back through. Press lightly and use long strokes in multiple directions. If necessary, repeat steps 3 and 4.
Prime again and paint.


There may be debris in the popup drain assembly, or the trap (U-bend at the bottom) may be clogged, or there may be a problem downstream.

First, try a toilet plunger. Fill the basin halfway and give it a go.

If that doesn't do it, remove the white nut at the back of the drain tailpiece and pull out the lever. Now you can lift the popup drain plug out and see what's what. Here's what that system looks like:

When you reassemble it be sure to engage the loop in the drain plug. Don't over-tighten the plastic parts.

If you still don't have good flow, disassemble the trap using a rubber jar opener for grip and clear it. Turn the nuts counter-clockwise looking from the side with the rounded edges. If necessary, a slip-lock or locking pliers will help, but protect the chrome with a rag.


Can I run a new circuit in the same conduit as ground cable?

A cable is several wires that are factory assembled. A "circular inch" is the area of a circle 1" diameter. A "circular mil" is the area of a circle 1/1000" (1 mil) diameter.   (so there are 1 million circular mils in a circular inch).  This unit is used a lot in sizing larger wires, but I find it rather useful in conduit fill calcs.
The interior of 1/2" PVC Sched 80 conduit is 0.546" or 546 x 546 = 298,116 circular mils.  (or 0.298 circular inch).
Hold on... is this leeegal?
Yes, a branch circuit can share a conduit with a Grounding Electrode Conductor.  In that thread you see a great deal of arguing about how bonding works, but that's because they are using metal conduit. You're in PVC so you sidestep the discussion.  Nobody challenges the idea of a branch circuit in a conduit with a GEC.
The grounding electrode and branch circuit need to go their separate ways.  You can't do that in a conduit body (at least not this particular type).  So this conduit body must be changed out to a junction box or more flexible conduit body.   Remember the branch circuit needs a conduit "stub-up" down to 24" burial depth. That is probably incompatible with the bare GEC wire routing.
You are not allowed to cut and splice GEC runs, so you will need to pull it out of the conduit for this modification and then put it back in.  You are also not allowed to assemble conduit around cable, by the way.
UF cable doesn't work...
With oval shaped cables, the wide dimension is used for conduit fill.  Because it twists.
With 2 things in the pipe (cable and ground wire), we are allowed to use 30% of that or 89,435 circular mils.
The #4 bare ground wire is .232" diameter at its widest. That is 53,824 circular mils.
Leaving 35,611 circular mils to work with.  Square root of that -- the largest cable that will fit is 0.188" across in the wide dimension.  No cable exists anywhere near that small. Not gonna happen.
But let's crunch the numbers anyway.

A 12/3 UF cable is .626" diameter at its widest, so 391,876 cmil. So 445,700 cmil, divide by .3 and we need a conduit with 1.485 circular inches, or 1.218" ID on the conduit. So you'd need 1-1/4" conduit.  Wow!

A 14/2 UF cable is .423" diameter at its widest, so similar math: 1" conduit.

...try it with THWN wire
Okay, cable in conduit is always a stupid idea, and the above is a picture postcard as to the reason why.  Let's try it with THWN individual wires, at least through the pipe. Since we have 3 or more things, it'd be 40% or 119,246 cmil. The #4 bare ground wire is still 53,824 cmil, leaving us 65,422 cmil to play with.
A #12 THWN copper wire is 0.127" or 16,129 cmil.
16,129 x 4 wires (hot hot neutral ground) = 64,516 cmil.  And we skate under by a nose!    If it were closer we could use a solid ground wire and strip it bare.
OK, so we've got our 12/3 multi-wire branch circuit through.  Now we have to bury it.
Routing to the shed
Since you said "direct burial", you must trench down to 24" of cover (so 25" depth). Really. As discussed above, you will need a junction box or more versatile conduit body there.  Loose THWN wires can't be buried, so after you're through the hole, you will need to splice the THWN wires to a 12/3 UF cable that can be direct buried... and that means, it will need to be a junction box, not a conduit body.
You cannot use the 12" exception for GFCI protected circuits, because that only works on plain 120V circuits, and your planned/future multi-wire branch circuit does not qualify.
If you run conduit to the shed, the news gets brighter.  You need conduit for the stub-ups at both ends anyway, so if you simply stay in conduit in the trench, then you can just continue the THWN wires in the conduit.  No splicing and you only need 18" burial depth.
Rigid conduit  only requires 6" burial depth (12" under vehicle pathways), the stuff is hella expensive at over $2/foot Of course, you're only going 10 feet.  It will take a friendly hardware store who threads pipe and a couple of runs to see them once you have lengths worked out.


Is it OK to leave this switch ungrounded?

There's a ground there, so use it

Since the box has a grounding wire in it (it's the bare wire crimp-connected to the other bare wires), you'll need to hook it up to the switch, as per NEC 404.9(B) (the exceptions are not shown here as they do not apply to your case):

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

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

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


How can I wire multiple outlets controlled by a single switch?

If the switch is at the end of the run then you will need 3-conductor cable between the several outlets and between the outlets and the switch.

Pass the hot through all the outlet boxes to the switch via the black wires.
Pass the neutral through all the outlet boxes to the switch via the white wires, and also connect the neutral to the neutral side of each outlet via white pigtails.
At the switch, leave the white neutral wire capped off. This is required by code against the possible future installation of a powered switch.
Connect the black and red wires to the switch. The red becomes the switched-hot.
Pass the switched-hot back to all the outlets via the red wires. At each outlet except the one furthest from the switch, connect the hot side of the outlet to the switched-hot via a red pigtail.
Using the pigtails as illustrated will avoid the potential embarrassing situation where a connection fails at one outlet but other outlets stop working.
Also note that if in future you decide to split any of the outlets, you already have constant-hot available in every outlet box.


How can I split a shower head with this fitting?

Most hand held shower hose/sprayer units utilize 1/2" pipe thread, aka 1/2"NPT (not all, some have a proprietary thread). You should be able to rig a tee to that mounting bracket (somehow, using hose clamps, velcro, ingenuity, etc.) using 1/2" PCV fittings.

You could make it so the hose supplies the fixed tee, then use an additional hose or other fixed mount to locate two heads wherever you want.

Be advised, PVC pipe fittings use a tapered thread, which seals by taper along with thread compound and/or teflon tape. Those shower hoses and heads that would have the same thread (1/2"NPT) would utilize a non-tapered thread which seals by use of a flat rubber or vinyl washer/gasket. Does this mean that they will not work with PVC fittings? No, it means they will seem to not thread in very far perhaps, and to get a seal you made need some combination of teflon tape and gaskets. It's an open-ended system so it should not be under any real pressure anyway. Good luck.


Your idea may work in the short term, but over time the waves will rip that apart. The other thing is that plywood in water won't last long either, even marine treated plywood is not designed to be submerged.

Here is what I did on our dock and above ground pool to allow our dog access.

Be sure to use pressure treated wood. The step allows the dog to swim up, get his front paws on for grip and then pull himself up out of the water.

It will take a little training but nothing a few treats for motivation cant fix.

Adjust the step for the size of dog you have, the smaller the higher you place the step


How to fix a retaining wall that is difficult to access behind the house?

My neighbor and I fixed his retaining wall along the steps to his basement years ago (when we were both in better shape and in our late 20s).  We had it dug out by hand in a few hours, but it was mostly clay, and didn't require shoring up.  If you've got a long length, or sandy soil that's going to keep filling in as you dig, it might not be a good option, but it's really not that much work.

Digging out a pit isn't as hard as something like trenching, where you're always bending over ... with digging out the retaining wall, you can get in the hole, so you're not constantly bending over.

There are also plenty of ditch-digging equipment that could easily get through a five-foot opening.  If you really wanted equipment, measure how much space you have, and call your local tool rental shop; there's a whole class of 'mini-excavator' that might be able to get back there.  If you needed to loosen the soil, you could use a tiller, but then excavate by hand.


Minimum length of concrete fasteners to floor and ceiling to attach a wall?

First you have to think about what you need from the fasteners:

shear strength
pullout strength

Then you have to think about what you have to anchor into:

thickness of concrete in floors and ceilings
strength (PSI rating) of concrete

Then you can select an anchor / fastener with the strength you need, given the embedment possible and the strength of the concrete.

For this application, I'd bet that 1/2" expansion anchors or drop-in anchors would work, they require 2" embedment (about 5 cm).


Washing machine sound coming from top springs

One approach is to slip a shim of some softer metal (Al, Cu, or brass) under the hook. You could form a groove in the shim before placing it. Maybe the friction would be greater and the hook would not move.

Another approach is to completely immobilize the spring on the support. That would be a clamp of some kind. The simplest would be to screw a plate on so that it immobilizes the top of the hook on the spring. If the spring is moving relative to the support I think it will wear through the spring or the support or both.

Is it slipping by 'swinging' in the plane of the hook or by shifting back and forth perpendicular to the plane of the hook?


How can I improve ventilation in my room with a window fan while filtering pollen from a nearby tree?

You'd be better off with a box fan as it has a large, square area that will support your filter media properly. It will need to be powerful enough to develop airflow despite the next addition.

Not sure if you can find it, but we have here available electrostatic filter media by the roll. Cut several pieces large enough to cover the inlet side of the box fan. Mount one to the grill, keep an eye on it for pollen buildup, swap in a spare and wash the clogged one.

It's not as efficient as a HEPA filter system, but then the cost of the filter material isn't going to put you in the poor house like the cost of expensive HEPA microfilters that will quickly clog even though you keep the outer prefilter cleaned will.


This was something the builder just did (I wouldn't even call it convenience/cost, for that matter).

We start with 210.52(B)(1):

  (1) Receptacle Outlets Served. In the kitchen, pantry,
  breakfast room, dining room, or similar area of a dwelling
  unit, the two or more 20-ampere small-appliance branch
  circuits required by 210.11(C)(1) shall serve all wall and
  floor receptacle outlets covered by 210.52(A), all counter-
  top outlets covered by 210.52(C), and receptacle outlets for
  refrigeration equipment.

and 210.11(C)(1):

  (1) Small-Appliance Branch Circuits. In addition to the
  number of branch circuits required by other parts of this
  section, two or more 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits shall be provided for all receptacle outlets specified by
  210.52(B).

Between these two sections, we can establish that the dining room outlets are part of the small-appliance branch circuits, not the general lighting load.

However, 210.8(A) point 6:

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

  (6) Kitchens - where the receptacles are installed to
  serve the countertop surfaces

requires only that the receptacles installed to serve the countertop surfaces in the kitchen be GFCI protected.  This means that no other receptacles on the small appliance branch circuits require GFCI protection under the 2014 NEC, regardless if they are located in the kitchen proper or in a separate dining room.


How do I wire a switch to control 2 outlets (all outdoor)?

GFCIs can't be half switched

Unlike a regular receptacle (where you can break the tabs off to get two independent receptacles on one yoke), a GFCI receptacle has a single set of hot/neutral inputs, so it can't be "half switched", unlike a standard receptacle which will let you do that.  So, putting the GFCIs at the receptacle locations is out.

Putting a GFCI outside isn't a great idea anyway

GFCIs contain a fair bit of electronics; this means that even with a "bubble cover" protecting them, they're still vulnerable to moisture that gets past the while-in-use cover.  This means that it's better to put GFCIs inside; in addition, a GFCI inside can trip and protect the boxes outside if they do succumb to water infiltration.

But, there's a solution to this

Get a deadfront GFCI device, like the one shown below, and mount it inside in the nearest readily accessible location opposite from where the existing 14/2 terminates (picture is for exposition only).

Then, you can extend the circuit with a 14-2 from the LOAD terminals of the deadfront GFCI to the switch location.  You'll need a weatherproof cover for the switch here, as depicted below (again, picture for exposition only):

Last but not least, you then can run 14/3 from the switch box to the receptacle boxes, with the black in the 14/3 as the always-hot and the red as the switched-hot.  Other than needing an "extra duty" while-in-use receptacle cover (I recommend the metallic ones, as the plastic ones have a bad habit of breaking) and needing to be Weather Resistant receptacles, these are wired as any other half-switched receptacle is -- with the black (hot) pigtail to one brass screw, the red (switched) pigtail to the other brass screw, and the tab on the hot (brass) side broken off.  The neutral pigtail goes to a silver screw and the ground pigtail goes to the green screw, as usual.


Old house ceiling has unused brown wire, what is it for?

Ceiling fans tend to also have lights integrated with then and you want to control the separately. This is why 2 live wires are often run from the switch to the fan.

To check you can open the switch that controls the fan and see if a matching wire is present and has continuity to the wire in the ceiling box.

It is safe to leave it disconnected. However I suggest you cap it off with a wire nut at both ends to avoid the copper inside from touching something it shouldn't.


It sounds like you have a fairly typical dishwasher set-up whereby it drains into your garbage disposer. If the dishwasher is expelling a larger volume of water than can be drained through the garbage disposer and its drain plumbing, that sounds like you have a blockage.

If you have a two-bowl sink and the bowl with the garbage disposer is the only one that drains slowly, then the blockage is either in the garbage disposer or in the drain pipe that connects the garbage disposer to the drain for the other bowl. This is fairly common and happens when people use their garbage disposer for its intended purpose, and large food chunks or slices get caught in there. You can usually access this pipe fairly easily and clear the blockage. Then you can stop using your garbage disposer and instead compose all the junk you were throwing down the drain. :)

If, on the other hand, the bowl without a garbage disposer also drains slowly when you run the water, then the blockage is downstream of the sink and you may need to call a plumber, or else use a snake yourself to try to clear the blockage.


Would I have to use a new paint tray liner after only one day of I left it out overnight?

Your suspicion is correct. You've rolled a second coat, which often makes color more bold or intense.

It's common practice to wrap trays, rollers, and brushes as a set overnight. It's not a problem.


Connecting female thread to female threaded faucet

If we can believe what you wrote in your question rather than what you show in your pictures then what you are really looking for is a M to M adapter. Not the F to M adapter that you linked. Here is an example of an M to M adapter.

(Picture Source: https://www.amazon.com/Danco-10524-Chrome-Aerator-Adapter/dp/B00FI6U81C/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=male+to+male+faucet+adapter&qid=1552209508&s=gateway&sr=8-6)

There are multiple sizes used for aerator attachments. Some of the most common include in metric sizes M22x1, M24x1 and M28x1. In USA sizes you will find 3/4"-27, 15/16"-27 and 55/64"-27. The first number being the diameter and the second the thread pitch designation. So take this into account when you select the proper adapter. Some adapters are actually designed to convert between these sizes including the one that you linked in your question.


How to establish footings for a raised frame

If the existing slab had extended under the base plate of the wall studs then it is a common procedure to use a row of concrete blocks along the edge of the slab to create a curbing to provide the fill-in for the space where the walls were raised up. The best situation would of course would be to have raised the walls an inch or so above where the top of the block row will come so that it is possible to properly mortar in the concrete blocks and get them leveled and even.

If the concrete slab surface is clean the mortar under the concrete blocks should bond the blocks to the slab. If there are hold down bolts embedded in the slab some consideration needs to be made to extend those up to the above the row of blocks so that there is provision to re-anchor the base of the wall sections back down onto the top of the row of blocks.

For this application I have seen solid concrete blocks used for when the curbing height is 4 or 5 inches. Concrete blocks with holes are common when the curbing height is 8 inches. The holes would of course face up and down. It would be your choice to choose to fill the block holes with concrete mix or not. It is common that the holes that accomodate the hold down bolts are filled.

Note that when laying in the curbing blocks some accommodation needs to be made to plan the lengths of some blocks so that webbing in the blocks does not come right where hold down bolts would be located.


Do I need a vapor-barrier for laminate if my current floor is raised off a concrete floor?

Contractor never added a vapor barrier. The basement is incredibly dry, never any trace of mold in places where the floor had come up, so this was not a concern. Too late either way, so answering the question to close out this question.


Front Porch Posts Not Contacting Porch Slab

Typically in cases like this you'll have cantilevered trusses in the roof system with an interior bearing point. The posts are entirely decorative (and hold the railing system). The biggest clue is the shape of the gable.
It's possible that only the one by the door is carrying a load. There could be a small beam there for the high front gable, but that's not likely. You'll need to peek into your attic to be sure, but considering the design and apparent age of the home it's a safe bet.


Should I install a wall before or after hardwood floor installation?

If you are using a true floating floor like Pergo or a similar product I would suspect that the wall would need to be done first.If you build the wall on top of the flooring it will no longer float and buckling will occur as the flooring expands and contracts.This is why they recomend spacing between the flooring and fixed points like walls,cabinets etc.


Steel welding options for a remote property?

I would look at drilling and tapping the hole then screwing a new handle in.


How can I power a vanity light from a ceiling light switch circuit?

The best way is to identify lights that you want switched together with the new lights, and run a /2 cable from those lights to the new lights.

The new lights' black and white go to black and white on the cable.

In the old box, you look at where the black and white from the lamp itself go to.  The black and white from the new cable go to those same places.


Yes, you are right on track here

Simply connecting the light blue wire to the C terminal on your furnace control board (with the furnace turned off at the service switch or breaker, of course) will get you a C wire for your new thermostat.  You are also correct that the cable with the yellow and dark blue wires connected in it goes off to your air conditioner (outdoor unit); it is what carries the signal to the air conditioner that calls for it to run the compressor.


What are the differences between these two receptacles?

The outlet on the left will accept both 15 amp  and 20 and compatible

The outlet on the right is a 15 amp only outlet

The left is formally a: NEMA R5-20R

The right is formally a: NEMA R5-15R

The designation is for the pin pattern alone

The shape of the 'Square' vs. the 'Double D' outline is cosmetic only

The square shape is typically called 'Decora' - the word Decora is a trademark of Leviton. But it is used generically.

At this point, I think you can actually get more things in the Decora pattern footprint. GFI, Motion sensors, and other devices come in the Docra pattern, but are not seen often, if at all in the double d format.

Both of the devices you show are in a 'Single Gang' and 'Duplex' format.

'Gang' is a trade unit of measure (2.812" x 1.75") and 'Duplex' refers to the fact that there are two of them.

The 'NEMA' (knee-ma) is the acronym for National Electrical Manufactures Association. Lots of information, but being a standard, it lacks the symmetrical debates that occur with the NEC

http://www.nema.org


Is it okay to install a 15A outlet on a 20A dedicated circuit for a dishwasher?

You can use a 15A duplex, but not a single outlet. [NEC 210.21(B)(1) and (3)].
Edit: Sorry my answer was initially incomplete, only answering specifically what was asked. Many additional Code requirements still apply. GFCI protection (breaker, device, or receptacle) is likely required, see code references in comments to other answer.
Your added picture shows you mounted receptacle with only center screw, 406.5(C) requires receptacles mounted on covers to be mounted by more than one screw.
Also worth mentioning since the ground screw hole was empty in the first picture that the equipment ground needs to be pigtailed to the box and receptacle so both remain grounded when the cover is removed.
It does look like you are probably satisfying the 422.16(B)(2)(6) requirement that the receptacle for the DW must be in the cabinet adjacent to the DW.


None of that is concerning. It's called "checking" and it's what happens when wood dries out. Look at the logs next time you're in a cabin. The screws tend to direct it and mildly exacerbate it, but it's not really a problem.

You could use flashing to protect the joists from water going forward, but for every joist you cover there's an unprotected connection or cut end or other vulnerable spot that will rot out eventually anyway. I'd install your new decking and railing and plan on another 10-15 years of service from the deck. Then it'll be time for a rebuild.


What thickness cable should I use to wire these outside lights?

Current
3 x 30W = 90W
90W / 240V = 0.375 A
So 20A cable is overkill.
A typical lighting circuit uses 5A cable - typically 1 mm² (older installations) or 1.5 mm² (current standards). You could use thinner cable rated for 1A but you might then need a fused connection unit with a 1A fuse to protect the 1A cable from setting fire to your house in the event of a fault in the light fitting.
Outdoor use
What is important for outside use is insulation durability. It has to stand up to UV from sunshine and extremes of hot and cold plus mechanical strength. You need cable rated for outdoor use.
Totally random example
Another random example

300/500V for environments like pond pumps and external lighting exposed to sun rays with standard risk of mechanical damage.

HAR
Rubber insulated
-20 to +60°C
BSEN 50525-2-21

Shedding water
Cable needs to be routed so that it exits the wall and any enclosure in a downward direction so that rainwater does not run into the wall nor into any enclosure. Enclosures need to be waterproof (e.g. IP66) and fitted with cable-glands to prevent water ingress.
Walls
Running cable through masonry walls should be protected in conduit. At the inside there should be something to indicate the presence of any electrical cables channelled into the plaster - e.g. a back-box with blanking plate.
Ideally you'd use T&E cable through conduit through the wall and flexible cable to a lamp. Which obviously requires an external waterproof junction box.


The term pre-fab is loosely used. There are several versions of pre-built structures, from pre-framed wall sections, to modular building block sections, all the way to completely built (interior & exterior) modular homes delivered on site in two or more sections. most manufactures of modular homes offer a wide variety of styles and floor plans. I would suggest finding a manufacturer within a couple hundred miles of your site, to limit transportation costs.  If you google "manufactured housing" it should bring you to many sources.  A typical modular home is sound, well built and can be ready to move in, in a week or less. If your prep is ready and you have your plumber, electrician and finish carpenter all lined up, the process is fairly easy.  Good luck.


How much structural support does a Gazebo require?

Get an architecture plan and take it to the city for a permit.  They will tell you if the supports are sufficient.  Despite the obvious statement that you should always get a permit, you should definitely get a permit for anything built outside because otherwise a complaint from a neighbor can force you to tear it down.

Supporting the roof is not a problem.  Supporting the weight of all the people that could fit inside it is a problem.  I have a 12'x14' deck that required 10 concrete posts driven 5' deep (the frost line where I live in Canada) in order to be able to support a full load of people that could possibly fit during a big party or something.  It would have been 15 posts if it wasn't bolted to the house foundation.  I could hold an elephant on it, but that's what the city demanded (and rightly so).

Note:  Wood should not be driven into the ground.  It'll rot.  Either float it on concrete pads or put concrete posts down to below the frost line (if any).


How to wire a switch so that it does not turn off another in the chain?

Based on your description, it seems that your fan is wired in one of two ways:

The fan switch is on the ungrounded conductor (hot, black wire typically) after passing through the dimmer switch
The fan switch is on the grounded conductor (neutral, white wire typically) coming out of the fan fixture

Always switch the circuit breaker off before attempting any wiring changes and use a circuit tester to ensure the power is off

I attempted to use the solid black lines to indicate black insulated wires. Typically, those represent the ungrounded (hot) conductor. The black lines with a white stripe are white wires, typically the neutral (grounded) conductor. Double check your arrangement to make sure you know which wires are which for your case because someone might not have followed convention.

The former case is ideal because it would make rewiring easier (and means that there's never a chance for the fan fixture to be live even when its switch is off).

Case 1

Here's a diagram showing the status quo and how you would want to rewire it:

The red circle indicates a wire splice that needs to be moved upstream of the dimmer switch. You may find a wire nut on the load side of the dimmer switch, where one wire comes from the dimmer, one goes to the light, and one goes to the fan. Moving the wire coming from the fan so it's spliced on the wire coming from the circuit breaker should then isolate the fan and light.

Case 2

Based on the pictures, it seems that you may have the less ideal wiring case. This is dangerous because if the dimmer switch is on but the fan switch is off, the fan fixture is still energized and could represent a hazard if a short occurs.

Here's a diagram, as with case 1, showing the current and rewired circuits:

As before, the red circle indicates a splice that you will need to move. In fact, the final wiring diagram looks nearly identical because the desired outcome is the same no matter how you start. The only difference here is that you will need to add a wire splice where you removed the fan switch from the neutral. In essence, when you remove the switch, you need to close the circuit with a wire splice or you won't have a functional fan at all.


How would I go about leveling a sagging floor?

There are two ways to fix this.

have the cabinets installed correctly.  They should have been shimmed to at least very close to level.  This is basically a one day job and isn't rocket science.  You unscrew cabinets and shim them.  Front bases have to be redone.  If someone installed these for you I would call that company to come back out.
install plywood over cabinets.  Have it planed/sanded to meet the needs (this will be difficult).


Normally the long metal arm holds all the weight.  The screws are just holding the shelf in place.

With the upside down shelves all the weight is on the screws/bolts.  They will not be able to hold as much weight.  It might be good enough.  Or it might not and piles of books come crashing down on someone's head.

There are calculators online to figure out how much weight a particular size piece of wood can safely hold with supports at a given distance.  I would see if you can make the shelf strong enough with supports on either side of the doorway.


I think this is a patch work of “early vinyl tile” these type of tiles were reenforced with asbestos but the colors look a lot like what used to be available in the 40’s and 50’s from the homes I have worked on.

The photo looks to have a texture in the center but I think there was something on top that caused that.  the light reflecting off the floor from the door is smooth and that is normal. I call them asphalt vinyl because I don’t remember the correct name and they usually have a asphalt like tar for the adhesive that is really horrible to try and clean up.


It is a personal preference to seal or not to seal. I have sand stone night stands. When we purchased I sealed incase I knock a cup of coffee over or spill something that would stain the surface I don’t want it looking bad. Yes things have spilled and they still look good.
Another possible reason for sealing outside work is if it freezes hard. At my current location I won’t use a concrete finishing method I used in the San Francisco Bay Area , it worked great and looked cool there but the occasional hard freeze here would cause the surface to fracture, I believe the same may be true for sand stone but am not sure so if I used sand stone outside I would want to water seal it to prevent freezing damage. But as I said it is personal preference since sand stone is soft as an outside wear surface you may need to seal more often.


The conventional way to deal with this type of serious problem is to call in some tree service professionals. They know all the proper techniques to safely remove a fallen tree and may even have a crane truck that can be used to hoist pieces of the tree as it is cut apart.
Tree removal is dangerous work and you should not attempt this on a DIY basis unless you know exactly what you are doing and have experience.


What could be causing there to be no power at my ceiling fixture?

The dimmer is blown, trying turning off the breaker and connecting the line and load for the chandelier(bypass the dimmer), and see what happens when you turn on the breaker. Most dimmer manufacturers recommend using a toggle switch to test new light fixtures, that way if there's a short you don't kill a good dimmer.


How can I resolve tripping problems with CAFCI?

We can divide this problem into two cases; namely, "instant trip" circuits and "device trip" circuits.  (There are also "any device trips" circuits, but you do not have one of those.)

Circuits that trip a CAFCI instantly when the breaker is installed and switched ON without loads connected/switched on.

This is a clear sign of a wiring flaw in the circuit: either there is a parallel arc present due to faulty wiring (rare), or more likely, a ground fault is present in the circuit, also due to faulty wiring or a mis-wired circuit.

Examples of the latter include:

landing the circuit neutral on the neutral bar instead of the breaker
cross-connecting the circuit neutral to another circuit's neutral
grounding the neutral at some point downstream of the main panel (this is most commonly the fault of bad subpanel installs, but can happen if someone does something wrong in a box as well)
trying to put a single pole breaker on a multi-wire branch circuit or shared neutral run

Helpfully, you can glean diagnostic information from your breakers when troubleshooting this.  As per this Square-D instruction sheet,

Turn the culprit AFCI OFF
Hold in the TEST button (white button) on the culprit AFCI
While holding in the TEST button, turn the culprit AFCI back on.
If the culprit AFCI trips instantly, it is sensing a ground fault (such as a shared or miswired neutral, although damaged wiring cannot be ruled out).  If it delays a couple of seconds and then trips, it is sensing an arc fault (damaged wiring).

Circuits that trip a CAFCI when a specific device is switched on or plugged in

This is indicative of a faulty device -- in your case, a garbage disposal.  Some older disposals use brushed "universal" motors, and these can produce more severe arcs if the brushes are worn, which could trick the AFCI into tripping.  Having the motor rebuilt with new brushes would fix it in this case.

If your garbage disposal is a newer model using an AC induction motor, though, it is likely simply either a victim of water ingress, or just plain faulty; in either case, it's time to replace the whole disposal.


Why do light fixtures, dimmer switches, etc. use stranded wire?

That's only a problem if your wire-nut technique is bad.
Most people's technique is terrible when they start.  Where people depart is that some refuse to learn, and do not test their work, or think, or refine their technique. They simply tape the wires onto the nuts to keep them from falling apart.  This only hides the symptom; the root problem is a poor electrical connection, which results in overheating, arcing, and a meltdown or fire.
Just don't be that person and you'll be fine.


Why won't my air hose engage the quick connector on a Fortress compressor?

There are 2 common types of connectors. Unless your female quick disconnect is a universal one, and you will need to get the other type of connector. This is assuming that you are pulling back on the sleeve on the female while pushing the male into the connector.  The automotive type has a wide band close to the end of the male and the standard or generic is a taller narrow bump.


Is it okay to connect a subwoofer to two devices with a Y cable?

I tried that exact same thing back in my younger years and found out that the signals definitely back fed into each other and weakened the signal going to the subwoofer. Whether or not it would have burned out the equipment, I don't know because I immediately went back to the A/B switches I originally had used. The setups today are not made as well as the ones back when I did this so I'd shy away from trying it. Just get a two channel A/B switch. I'm sure they have remote control ones.


Can I remove blocking to level floor and sister this joist?

Yes, you can remove the blocking. Blocking is NOT structural.

Blocking is only used to keep structural members plumb so they don’t lay over to one side when “fully” loaded.

Actually, blocking is not required until the structural member gets to a ratio of 6:1 (i.e.: 2x12, etc.) (See IRC R502.7.1)


What is/are the proper method and tools for drilling into masonry?

Assuming that you have masonry walls, you need masonry drill bits and masonry anchors, which are somewhat different than the molly anchors you find for use with hanging on plaster.

Any masonry anchor style should do - as long as you size it appropriately for the item to be hung.