Generally, the first step in this type of project is to decide on the hardware, then design the unit around the hardware.

A general idea would be to use cleats mounted underneath the top to keep it square on the bench, then use hardware to latch it down ....

1) A couple of gate hook and eyes mounted underneath:

https://www.google.com/images?q=safety+gate+hook

2) A couple of swivel hasps mounted underneath:

https://www.google.com/search?q=swivel+hasp

3) A surface mounted deadbolt w/key, mounted underneath:

https://www.google.com/images?q=surface+mounted+deadlock

4) A couple of window sash locks or clasps, mounted underneath:

https://www.google.com/images?q=window+sash+lock

https://www.google.com/images?q=child+proof+sash+lock

For the workbench top, I recommend a used solid core door from, say, HH's Restore. Cut it to size. It's weight will help make the bench stable.


Is it difficult to work around cellulose installation?

Blown-in cellulose insulation is fluffy stuff. It doesn't harden. You can shovel it out of the way if you need to work in the attic; you just need to redistribute it evenly back into place when you're done. So it makes working in that space something of a nuisance, but not worse than that.

(Assuming a traditional attic. If yours is a low-roof crawlspace, moving the blown-in around may be more of a problem, just because there's less space to move it into.)


This is easy

Fortunately, it appears that always-hot is present at the receptacle location in your case, so fixing the daftness the prior installers pulled (NEC 404.14(E) prohibits dimming general-purpose receptacles if nothing else does, for reasons that range from mere flickery lights to appliances that express their displeasure at being dimmed by getting rather...hot under the collar) is no great challenge for you.

Simply remove all the wires from the receptacle, attach a white pigtail (12AWG stranded THHN always works for pigtails in general wiring if you don't know what to get) to the existing white wires with a suitable wirenut, use another wirenut to attach the black and red wires that went to the receptacle together, undo the taped splice of the two black wires, use another wirenut and a black pigtail to pigtail off of that, and wire up the receptacle with the black pigtail on a brass screw, the white pigtail on a silver screw, and the bare ground pigtail on the green screw.  Button everything back up, turn the power back on, and enjoy your now not-so-dim receptacle!


You can find “straight grain” lumber, but most people don’t know how to order it and most “yards” (Home Depot, etc.) won’t order a small amount (half units, etc.).
Lumber is divided into three “Grades”: boards, dimensional, and timber. Further, dimensional and timbers are graded into “light framing”, decking, beams, timbers, etc. Those grades are further graded into: standard, select, utility, economy, No. 2 & better, No. 1 , etc.
For “Boards”, it’s further graded into “appearance grades”, they are further graded into: finish grades, casing, flooring, siding, etc.
Lumber yards keep a standard grade for framing and a standard grade for trim, etc.
In order to get the material you want, you’ll need to special order the size and grade. (Remember, lumber grading rules allows 10% mis-graded boards in a unit and it’s still considered acceptable. I’d order 10% - 20% more than needed if the appearance grade is critical.)


Luiz, to me this looks like it is not sealing and the pipe Dope liquid really doesn’t do much better than PFTE tape.
I have had better luck staying with plastic 100% or metal 100% until the final fitting used to connect the shutoff valve.
The PFTE tape should be “chewed up” when you put on the fitting, if not the 2 different sizes are not sealing and may very well leak.
I have seen this same thing when folks use electrical couplings for pipe (they are not tapered like normal pipe couplings) and they started leaking after the walls were closed.


I replaced gaskets in my side-by-side (so two gaskets at one time, each in the $100 range, IIRC) a few years ago. Easy to do. Ridiculously expensive - my guess is that these are parts the manufacturers get in quantity for literally just a few $ each, but that is the case with a lot of replacement parts, and gaskets are a problem because they have to match the exact size - can't cut to fit.
In the end, comes down to age of the refrigerator/freezer because:
1 - The older it is, the more (relatively speaking) efficient a new appliance will be, so that the savings in energy costs will help to pay for the appliance.
2 - The older it is, the more likely that something else will break. Depending on the part, that may be something inexpensive and easy, or may be prohibitively expensive.
The brand/model has some bearing on this too. The equation on a Sub-Zero (if you would replace it with a similar appliance) is quite different from a run-of-the-mill GE or Whirlpool.


Can I add a second 100A service panel alongside the existing one on the same feeder lines?

Not necessary.
All you need to do is get your 200A service, feeding a new service panel that is a 200A “main panel” with main breaker.  Then inside this panel, stick a 100A breaker,  then run 1 AWG aluminum wire from there to the old 100A panel.
The old panel must be re-configured as a subpanel, which requires removing all ground wires from the neutral bar, putting them on an accessory ground bar, and removing the neutral-ground bond.


How do I reduce the moisture under an exterior wood deck?

May I just add, providing spacing between the decking?

When we moved into our home, the deck which has two sides connected to the house had some standing water beneath it.  The decking was pushed together and heavily painted, so there were no gaps for water to just drip off.  Instead it all flowed to the lowest corner and created a puddle underneath the deck.

Once the decking was correctly spaced, water would drip evenly beneath the deck, now had a third option when evaporating which was up.


How do I increase the pressure in my sprinkler system that runs off a well?

"Cycling" in a pressure system is generally when the pump is turning on and off too quickly. Pressure systems are specifically designed so that the pump runs up to its maximum pressure, then you use water from the pressure tank, until it reaches the minimum pressure, at which point the pump turns back on and runs until it reaches the maximum.

The recommended minimum run-time for a 1-2HP pump is usually 2 minutes. How you get to that is based on the flow rate of the pump, and the size of the tank.

Based on your 150gallon tank, and not knowing your flow (in gallons per minute, GPM), based on this tool here's some example flows/times:

16GPM: 3 minutes
20GPM: 2.5 minutes
24GPM: 2 minutes

As you can see, the higher the flow rate, the shorter the pump will run.

In your case, it sounds like one zone is basically matching the flow rate of the pump (you could verify this by watching the pressure gauge while it's running, it should be fairly steady). While this may reduce pump starts, if you use water elsewhere at the same time, your pressure will drop and the pump will not be able to keep the pressure as high.

Now, the flow rate the pump puts out depends on a couple things, most importantly: the pump itself (and now many stages it has), and the depth to the water level. Each submersible pump will have a chart showing the flow rates at different depths, so you'll need to find your model and the water level to figure this out. Here's an example though, using a 2HP pump I found while running at 60psi (depth to water: flow rate):

20ft: 23.9 GPM
60ft: 22.7 GPM
100ft: 21.3 GPM

At first glance, this seems fine. My guess right now is that your first zone matches the flow rate of the pump, while the second zone is simply a lower flow rate than the pump. It's no problem, things are designed to work this way.

If you really want to reduce the cycling, you can hook up a bigger or a second pressure tank. This will give you more capacity, and so the pump will run longer, but it will also stay off longer while you use water stored in the tanks.

Now, if you had fast cycling (eg, <2 minutes run time) or "rapid cycling" (a couple seconds of runtime), then that would indicate a problem with the pressure tank. Normally the tank should be pre-pressurized at 2psi below your cut-off (low) pressure point - so in your case 43psi. To check this, you'll have to turn off your pump and let the water drain out (open a tap somewhere). You can top it up with a normal air compressor.


How do I choose paint for exterior steel on carport?

I would buy an auto-body primer and then use auto-body paint.  You can get a really good look doing this especially if you spray.


Can I cut the recessed lighting housing rails to make them fit in joists 12" apart?

You can trim the rails so they will fit in a tighter space. Look close there are usually indents in the metal to help with cutting and snapping the rail to a shorter length. This is part of a normal install.


How important is circuit breaker breaking capacity?

I am not a physicist, but i don't think the larger more expensive breaker is going to make much difference in your residential situation.  If you draw 1,300 amps, not only will the breaker arc over, but your wiring will be arcing, burning , not to mention your main breaker and service entry cable from the utility, which is probably only 4/0 alu rated at 200 amps with a max out of 400amps. Keep in mind that excessive current will heat up conductors and cause them to melt ,burn etc, thus allowing shorting between conductors. It is voltage that supplies the potential to arc. All wire and devices for residential use are rated for 600VAC min, unless the insulation is compromised. At 1,300 amps, every wire and devise will become a fuse! Call 911


There are a couple common reasons why the valve(s) might be locked up:

You reinstalled the valve in a position other than wide open. If the valve stem is in the closed or partially closed position (see pic below of valve that is not in the fully open position) when installed, the stem could strike the seat before the valve-body is fully tightened. This could destroy the new washer you replaced, could bend or otherwise damage the stem, could damage the seat that the washer seals against, and could destroy the worm threads on the stem and/or inside of the valve body that drive the stem in and out when you turn the handles. SOLUTION: remove the entire valve again and inspect for damage and proper operation prior to reinstalling with the stem in the fully retracted/wide open position.

You inadvertantly tightened the packing nut during your repair efforts. The packing nut is the smaller brass nut just outward from the valve body where the stem protrudes from, you can see it plainly in your first picture. Over-tightening the packing nut can make the stem difficult to turn (but undertightening it will cause a packing leak).


What does it mean when a property listing says that the county denied for a "conventional" septic system

This is likely off topic on the site. You'd be better off talking to a real estate agent, or the local government.

My guess is that they did a Percolation test (perc test), and the results came back as a fail.  This means that installing a septic system on the property is going to be a challenge, though they may have accepted alternative solutions in the area. If the lot has access to city/town sewers, you should be able to get hooked up to that.

Alternatively, the system may have been denied due to lack of space, too many other systems in the area, the system would be too close to ground or surface water, or some other local requirements were not met.

Depending on your area, you may be able to handle grey water without a septic system.  This would mean that you could have a shower, sink, washing machine, etc. You just wouldn't be able to have a toilet. Well, you wouldn't be able to have a toilet connected to a "conventional" septic system (whatever they consider "conventional"). There are alternatives ways of disposing of human waste, and the county may allow an "unconventional" septic system. You'd have to check with the county, to determine what would be allowed.

At any rate... If you're buying unimproved land, you're going to have to pay for whatever is built/installed on the property (septic system or otherwise).


Rather than jacking up the joists it may be easier to sister some 2x6's onto the sides of the floor joists where the mismatches are noticed. These could be wedged into place and then fastened into place on the joist sides. The better way to secure the sistered members will be to apply construction adhesive to the mating faces of the lumber and then securely nail them together. After the adhesive has dried it will be stronger than the nails themselves and will distribute the load into the joist in a uniform manner.

Note that if you are aware of places where subfloor above has joints in wood pieces directly over the joist is would be a good idea to sister the extra member on both sides of the joist.


How should I hang Christmas lights where I don't have any gutters?

How about Magnetic Christmas Lights? I've never tried them, but if they use a descent magnet it would be a winner.

I've seen these before a Walmart or places like that.  It looks like it would clip onto your shingles.  They might be good for the short term of Christmas but I don't know how sun, wind and weather will affect their life.


Remodel Planning - working with or fixing present issues

Issue #1: Yes, you are correct. Those older, larger, joists (even using Douglas Fir - Larch species and Select Structural grade) they DO NOT meet the current structural code.

If I did my calculations correctly, they barely meet code (40 psf Live Load plus 15 psf Dead Load) for a 12’ span. You’ll need to add additional floor joists.

Issue #1.5: The tapered bearing end would be acceptable, if 1) the joist has full bearing, and 2) the roof slope is 4:12 or greater. (If it’s a low slope roof then more of the joist is cut and removed.) BTW, does that make those joists ceiling rafters and not floor joists with the roof sheathing in that arrangement? If so, your rough 2x6 at 16” oc spanning 16’ is acceptable.

Issue #2: Another way of solving the no sill plate issue is to install a pressure treated ledger bolted to the existing concrete wall, rather than cutting the existing concrete wall down. Lift the joists up 1/4” and clip the joists to the ledger. Then install blocking and nail the exterior sheathing to the blocking for shear walls. (Where you live, you’ll probably want to add exterior wall sheathing for your seismic resistance.)

I’m sure you have other issues too: 1) energy code, 2) tempered glass, 3) smoke detectors, etc.

1) The Energy Code will require 2x6 exterior studs so you can install 6” insulation or you’ll need to install and exterior layer of rigid insulation...or you could install a super efficient heating system to off-set the 4” insulation. Also, thermal pane windows, etc.

2) Any glass within 12” of a door or 18” of the floor will need to be changed to tempered glass.

3) Smoke detectors are required outside sleeping rooms.


I am not sure this is the correct answer but why let that stop me from postulating?
I have heard this in some light fixtures and my educated? guess is it is the sound of contraction ( as in expansion and contraction due to heating and cooling )
Some of the parts of the fixture expand from the heat produced by the light, when you turn off the light the fixture starts to cool and contract, I.E. return to its shape/size when not hot.

Is it normal/OK for LED lights to “crackle” when turned off?

Normal, ?? -  ok, YES.


Remove the tank, re-dope the pipe or wrap it in teflon tape, and reconnect the tank. You'll want to shut the water off first as gregmac aptly suggested; ideally there is a shutoff valve on both sides of the tank, otherwise the water in your house will drain out at low pressure.  If you only have one, you'll want to relieve the downstream pipes of water through the faucet closest to the tank and then be prepared to catch any excess with a bucket(s).


Why is my new Legrand Radiant smart dimmer switch not dimming?

I figured it out finally after trying different bulbs. I finally registered the smart switch and downloaded the Smart Lights app. I was playing with the settings and when I changed the phase from “forward” to “reverse,” the dimmer function started working (see photo below). I wish Legrand would have that somewhere in a FAQ but it’s website is not useful at all.


how to setup bathtub spout and shower head in separate locations

Hardly any noticeable difference; though a "high flow" showerhead would make any difference WORSE, not better, as well as increasing your water use needlessly.

The water is already traveling through many feet of pipe to get to the bathroom. Whether there's 4 more feet of pipe to the showerhead or 9 more feet of pipe to the showerhead makes very little difference, particularly at the typical 2.5 GPM flow. At a more efficient 1.5 GPM flow, even less.

4 feet of 1/2" plastic pipe @2.5 gpm = 0.625 feet added head. (0.27 PSI)

9 feet of 1/2" plastic pipe @2.5 gpm = 1.406 feet added head. (0.61 PSI)

4 feet of 1/2" plastic pipe @1.5 gpm = 0.243 feet added head. (0.11 PSI)

9 feet of 1/2" plastic pipe @1.5 gpm = 0.547 feet added head. (0.23 PSI)

There's also no particular reason to put the valve set closer to the spout - so you could just put the longer pipe on the spout, and take advantage of the pipes in the shower wall.


How do I remove glow in the dark paint from my walls?

You can try with soapy water.  But - having removed a lot of paint, what you're hoping for is probably impossible.  Even if you get the glow-in-the-dark stuff off, doing so will roughen up the underlying paint to the point that repainting is necessary.

You are stuck repainting, the question is whether you'd rather DIY or pay the landlord to do it.   First, I'd confer with the landlord about his plans and see if you can come up with a compromise.  Landlords don't make their money chiseling tenants out of their deposits.**  They make their money having the unit rented continuously, and uneventfully, with the least downtime and maintenance expense.   So see what can be worked out.

You'd definitely want a coat of quality primer like Kilz to keep the GitD paint from printing through the new topcoat.  Scuff-sand the whole wall (just a few swishes with a Scotchbrite pad to knock the gloss off, especially over the GitD paint, paint does not stick to gloss); wipedown with TSP substitute to remove chemical contaminants (body oils etc.); then roll and brush on the primer.  It's not a huge job, the biggest part of it is protecting your possessions and the carpet and window trim.  If the carpet is scheduled for replacement, it's good to know that.

** In fact they usually lose money seizing a tenant's deposit. Their cost of doing the work is far beyond the deposit, and beyond any amount they could ever hope to collect from a typical tenant, even if they went to court.  So they just say "heck with it" and move on.


Should I repair or replace a wheezing circular saw?

Repairing small hand tools is rarely economically feasible (even thought the thought of built in obsolescence/landfill overload is distressing).

It sounds like a bad bearing, but the cost of the labor involved in changing would probably exceed the cost of a new saw.

I would get a new one.

Cordless tools are great, even in a shop. But circular saws need a good deal of power, and most cordless ones are seriously underpowered. Unless you will be away from outlets a good deal or limited to a few cuts in light materials, I would opt for a corded circular saw.


How would you repair this exterior foundation insulation/wrap?

It looks like EIFS, Exterior Insulation Finish System, placed over a pink sheet of fiberglass foundation drain board. EIFS is not made to go at or below grade. I am not a pro of this material, but I have never seen it applied over a fiberglass sheet. There was a post I answered sometime back, about how to repair EIFS that I did not format properly and still don't know how to, (moderators got on me about it) but if you do a search on EIFS and it's repair, it will tell you all about it.

In my opinion, this stuff should not be on there. it goes to grade and the fiberglass is a freeway for termites and other pests to get to your framing.

If you remove it and find an unsuitable surface under it, you can fasten a galvanized expanded metal lathe over the exposed surfaces and have 2 coats of type "S" masonry cement troweled over it. First coat is a scratch coat, the second is a finsh coat. EIFS can even be troweled on over all this as a finish too, but don't run it to grade, leave it a few inches up. It may not need wire lathe over it if the surface is clean masonry or cement, but I figure it has some type of bonding agent or waterproofing to get the fiberglass to stick to it before the EIFS went on...


Identify source of current in phone lines and reclaim use of phone lines?

Based on the description, it sounds like you (or a previous owner of the house) USED to have traditional phone service and do not have that any more. If you are still paying for phone service then you may want to look into porting the number to VOIP instead of simply turning off the phone service and using VOIP with a new number.
Find the Network Interface
The network interface is the connection from the phone company network to your local equipment (phones/fax/etc.) With newer homes this is typically a clearly marked box with an easy to disconnect connection between the inside wiring and the phone company incoming lines.
In an older house this may be simply a small terminal block "anywhere" with one pair of wires for each phone line coming in and one or more pairs of wires (like the 3-pair UTP you found) going to the rest of the house.
A newer network interface will typically be on the outside of the house or together with electrical and other connections inside the house. An older network interface could be "anywhere", though near the electrical panel is typical. If your utilities come from overhead wires (aka telephone poles) then you can often trace the wires around the house and look for where the phone wire (typically smaller than the main electrical service) goes into the side of the house and look for a terminal block on the other side of the wall. If you have underground utilities then it will be a little harder to find where the wires enter the house.
Disconnect the Old
Once you find the network interface, disconnect either the incoming (phone company) or outgoing (home wiring) wires. With a modern network interface, it should be very easy to disconnect the home wiring. With a terminal block, it may vary. If you are not 100% sure, take a picture and/or mark the wires clearly so that you can put everything back the way it was previously. If you disconnect some wires and you still get 26V on the UTP then you haven't found the real network interface - but you may disconnected one section of phone wiring from another such that your VOIP would only work in part of the house.
Connect the New
Depending on how the VOIP works, you may be able to connect it directly to the network interface. However, many systems are designed so that you can simply plug the VOIP line into any existing phone jack and all other phone jacks on the house (sharing a linked pair of wires) will be instantly "live". You can use a line splitter to make the the jack used for the VOIP connection live at the same time.


Where to place wrenches to remove hose bib

Based on this annotation, it looks like you are correct.

I interpret:

The green to be the supply line exiting the house
The blue to be a female-female adapter
The red is the hose bib

Note that your "first wrench" will need to be a pipe wrench and will need to face the correct direction. A pipe wrench will tighten as the pipe attempts to twist within it, grabbing harder on the pipe as it does so. This needs to be on the green section of pipe.
Your "second wrench" can be a large combination wrench, adjustable wrench or another pipe wrench and needs to go on the blue section.
It looks like that's got some really old pipe dope on those threads (the bands of white between the colors I drew in), so it may take some muscle to get it loosened.
Don't forget to unscrew the garden hose first, that'll make the job easier.
Also, make sure you turn the water off inside before you start, too. That will keep the job drier. (Not dry, mind you, just drier.)

Note that it may be easier to return the hose bib with a female thread and get one with a male thread. That would require a wrench on the blue section and one on the red section to undo just the bib. For this, you could use combination or adjustable wrenches. Personally, I would go this route, as I always struggle to get a pipe wrench to bite properly. I'm sure it's just technique, but sometimes you go with what's best for you.


Wiring a compressor to an external building

You can install an isolated neutral buss in the box connect the neutrals to this buss and the grounding conductors to the one that connects to the box case and you will be good to go. Most home stores and electrical supply stores have these isolated busses usually less than 10$ for a small one like you need, make sure if your box has 20 breaker openings to get a buss with close to that many holes, your 240v compressor may not require a neutral and most pumps, or other 240v only devices don't need a neutral.


Can I use #8 copper to replace a #6 ground wire?

Depends on the local code. Instead of dropping to 8 you could go bigger, assuming 6 gauge was to code in the first place.


Should I use faced or unfaced insulation in a utility room area?

You could.

I would consider buying XPS foam and gluing it to the walls with foam board adhesive. It will let the wall breathe while insulating and not have exposed fiberglass or bare paper.

Good luck!


What adhesive do I use to mount a glass pane in shed?

In the olden days (read: until a few decades ago), most windows were built and repaired with glazing putty. It's basically rolled in the palms until warm and in a rope, then pressed against the glass-frame joint with a putty knife or other flat tool. You'd use a smaller bead between the back of the glass and the frame, too, as a seal.
The outcome is ideally something like this, which seals against airflow and sheds water:

More on that
Nowadays (inasmuch as we re-glaze anything in the first place), you can use glazing tape. It's quicker, less messy, and maybe more suitable for beginners. If you use glazing tape you may still want to run a bead of silicone around the outside to lock things together more robustly.


I've labeled your image, to help you understand what's going on.

Off to the left, the grounding electrode conductor enters the box and terminates at the grounding bar. The feeder coming in the top of the disconnect has three wires, two ungrounded (hot) conductors, and a grounded (neutral) conductor. The two ungrounded (hot) conductors terminate at the disconnect, as they should. The grounded (neutral) conductor terminates at the grounding bar, as it should if this is where the service is grounded.
The feeder leaving the bottom of the panel has two ungrounded (hot) conductors, which terminate at the disconnect as expected. The grounding conductor terminates at the grounding bar, as it should. And the grounded (neutral) conductor terminates at the neutral bar. Unfortunately, since this appears to be where the service is grounded, the grounded (neutral) conductor from the lower feeder should be connected to the grounding bar.
As it's wired now, the grounded (neutral) from the lower feeder is connected to an isolated neutral bar. Which means that the grounded (neutral) conductor feeding the panel is floating, or not electrically connected to ground. Without a reference to ground, the voltage potential between either of the ungrounded (hot) conductors and the neutral can be anywhere between 0 - 240 volts.
Solution
Service grounding location
If the disconnect panel is where the service is grounded, you should move the white wire from the lower feeder to the grounding bar. Or you could bond the neutral bar to the grounding bar, using an appropriately sized conductor.

Click for larger image
Not service grounding location
If this is not where the service is grounded, you should move the bare conductor from the upper feeder to the neutral bar.

Click for larger image

Based on what you've said in comments; and because it's a 3 wire feeder and not a 4, it appears that this is where the service is grounded.


Those two knobs, the tiny ones on the inner sides of the hose connectors are the valves.


Why are half my Christmas lights not turning on?

On Christmas lights, they are wired with a backbone of 2 wires carrying power through to the socket on the other end.

Then, they have one or more strings of 40-50.  Each string taps one backbone wire at one end, and the other backbone wire at the other end.

Within each string, all lamps are in series.  A failure will darken the whole string, except the bulbs have fusible shunts so if a bulb burns out, it will shunt and the other bulbs will remain lit (at a slightly higher voltage, burning them out faster).

When you have a segment with 40-50 out, that means a shunt has failed, or you have a loose socket or broken wire.

They make toners specifically for Christmas tree lights (a cheapie version of a Fluke toner, I presume) that will help you find the bad one.


The best money spent would be finding where the critters are entering the home or crawl space and sealing that access point. Changing or modifying the duct work will be a costly procedure, and the critters may still get into your living space through some other means. If you still want to seal off the flex ducts, call a local HVAC company and ask for a price to replace with metal ducting.


Where do I attach C-Wire in this old Rheem Air Handler

This is easier than it looks even

Simply nut the blue wire in the four-wire cable to the junction of the white wire from the two-wire cable and the brown? wire going into the air handler.  We know it's your C wire because that two-wire cable has only one place it can head: to your outdoor unit and its contactor.  Since the red wire in that cable is the Y wire that switches the contactor, the white wire, and by extension the wire connected to it, must be C wires otherwise the contactor would never work.


Yes, in most cases you can feel the texture of the pattern with feet and fingers. Parquet floors tend to present slight differences in height among the individual wood components, and slight gaps between them, varying in width on a seasonal basis. Depending on the age and type, they can be rather creaky, since some are floating (not adhered to a substrate). The grain of the wood (usually oak) is also apparent in many cases.

It's more rare that the wood is bonded so well to a substrate that no variation in height occurs. This would generally indicate a simulated parquet floor.


Do I need a vapor barrier on tub surround with 1 external wall?

You need more than a vapor barrier...you need waterproofing. Tile and grout and hardi-backer aren't in and of themselves waterproof.

The easiest way to do this is to use Redgard. You put up the backer board, tape and mud the seams, then you paint the Redgard on. This creates a completely waterproof rubberized waterproofing layer behind your mortar/grout and tile.


Combining wires from two breakers to one appliance?

As far as 40 vs. 50 - that depends on the manufacturer's requirements. The installation instructions clearly state:

  A 50 Amp circuit breaker with wire gauge #8 AWG must be used.

So there you have it. 50 Amp - not 40 Amp. 8 AWG - not smaller. You can, of course, use larger wire - e.g., 6 AWG - that is always OK. But you can't use a smaller breaker - my guess is you would get nuisance trips if you use the microwave + convection in the top at the same time as you use broil in the bottom oven. And you can't use larger because it would not provide the necessary protection in certain situations.

As to why the oven needs a 50 Amp breaker if it seems to only use 7.8 kW, only the manufacturer can say for sure. But a couple of possibilities:

7,800 W/240 V = 32.5 A. 32.5 x 1.25 = 40.625. That is just over the magic 40.0, so goes to the next breaker size. But that would seem like a very poor design to be "so close".
7,800 W/208 V = 37.5 A. Of course, if the reason to need a 50 Amp breaker is for 208 V installation, they could have listed 40 A for 240, 50 A for 208. But they didn't.
7,800 W is the "usual" continuous rating, fitting OK (or close) with 40 Amp, but maybe the surge (startup of top & bottom ovens at the same time, part of self cleaning cycle, etc.) is significantly > 40 A, so 50 A is needed to avoid problems.

In any case, you must NOT combine two wires to get more capacity. It is against code and, aside from any other technical reasons, the basic problem is if one wire broke (or more likely, one end came off a connector) then 50A would be flowing over a wire that can only handle 20A or 30A. You can't parallel, as logical as it might seem.


Three options:

Buy vintage glass knobs and shafts.  These are widely traded on eBay as of this writing at about $40/pair.  If it survived 50 years in a different house, chances are it was well made.
Buy better quality reproduction glass knobs.  The item you pictured is looks like plated brass.  Get the solid brass stuff for more money.
"House of Antique Hardware" (http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/) can get you set up just fine.  The cheap stuff is about $35, the good stuff more like $45 a pair.
Get reproduction or vintage cast iron or steel knobs.  These won't break, even with a hammer.

If you get glass knobs DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN THE SHAFT.  It will contact the back of the glass knob and break it.  Mark the depth of the shaft before threading! Tighten your set screws properly.  Tighten set screws so they hit the flat, not the angles, of each shaft.  If the turning pressure is too high take the lock apart and find the problem (lubrication is optional, but chances are a spring is jammed in the works or something is bent).  These locks are simple to take apart.

The extra effort to use vintage is worth it: the house likely won't look right with modern knobs.  See also Fixing vintage glass doorknobs with loose glass to brass connection


The deadbolt on the door is broken preventing opening the door.

This may  just be friction from the door frame pressing on the bolt, caused by humidity changes or a shift in the frame. If so, pulling or pushing on the door while trying to retract the bolt may loosen things enough to let you retract the bolt.

If not, you can try pulling the hinge pins and removing the door from that side.


What paint should I use to paint front door? Why using Urethane in paint?

The world of paint is intentionally made confusing by people trying to sell you stuff.   (a lot like the world of investing.)

One of their favorite tricks is taking buzzwords from better paints, and finding the minimum possible way to legally use those words in their product.   Like spar varnish - it's for spars.  Or Epoxy, which is 2-part by definition - as is Polyurethane -- Imron, Nason, Interlux and Awlgrip are examples of bona-fide 2-part polyurethane paints. Your car and any commercial jet is painted with it.  They work because the cure happens in-situ, at full strength and without the need for air or moisture to cure.

Any 1-part paint is simply already-cured epoxy or urethane, ground up and mixed into the paint.  The material is tough and does help - but not near as much as the real deal.

They won't sell you actual 2-part urethanes or epoxies because the B-part is a toxic immune system irritant until cured.  It requires careful mixing and extreme "moon suit" grade protection when spraying. (brushing is safe.) They will sell you 2-part garage floor paint because nobody sprays that.


Since the problem started when you added the transformer, that is the first thing to check. Three possibilities:

You somehow wired it into the circuit in a way that it ended up in series with the dimmers/lights. That would be rather unusual, and with incandescent lights you'd probably have no lights at all. But LEDs don't need much power, so you just might end up with a "sometimes works" situation as you described.
Bad connections. If you spliced in hot & neutral for the transformer so that the lighting part of the circuit is on the same wire nut (or other splice) then a bad connection could cause high resistance and strange problems.
An actual interaction between the transformer and the dimmer/LEDs. Unlikely, as a transformer is a pretty simple device.

Disconnect the Transformer
Disconnect the transformer and see what happens to the lights. If that fixes the problem then you need to try:

Make sure the transformer is NOT in series. If you are not sure, post pictures of the wires in the boxes for the transformer and the dimmers.
Reconnect the transformer, checking connections carefully. If you use wire nuts, get a new set of wire nuts and make sure they are the right size for the number & size of wires.

And if all else fails, move the transformer to a different circuit.
If removing the transformer does NOT fix the problem, check/redo all the connections for the dimmers & lights. If that doesn't solve the problem, replace the dimmers with regular switches and see if the problem goes away - that will tell you if the problem is the dimmers or the LEDs.


How do I prepare wooden kitchen units for painting with eggshell?

Use one coat of a clear or white latex primer. I'm assuming you meant an opaque paint with an eggshell finish, not a stain.


Just bring that original screw to a hardware store (I would say for you NOT to go to a "big-box" store because it might be helpful for you to speak to a human for assistance) and ask for a *sheet metal screw" that is approximately the same diameter. A sheet metal screw will be a threaded screw not unlike your original, but will be pointed and is designed to carve its own thread into the metal as you drive it in. Sheet metal screws will not "tap" new threads which would allow you to use a machine screw like your original, but it should drive in and hold just fine.


If the issue is rodent access, steel wool is helpful because they don't really like to bite metal.

If you stuff the hole with lots of steel wool (coarse), then seal it in with spray foam, the rodents will probably be discouraged (we don't eliminate vermin, we manage them). And the foam is easily removed once the landlord gets a conscience.


Clothes washing machine doesn't heat water yet reports no errors

Obvious guess is that your ceramic heater element(s) are shot & I couldn't find them online in a quick search, for your model. Take it apart without effecting operation & see if you can confirm by hand or multi-meter. But, it could be a number of things from a loose connection to a dead thermistor. I'd get an Appliance Repairer if you use the heating option regularly.


Generally speaking, it's best to keep the relative humidity level between 35% and 55% for hardwood floors (and that's also a comfortable range for most people). You need a humidistat to measure this upstairs where the floor is. Over a couple of days, keep checking and adjusting your dehumidifier to get the humidity within that range.

The actual number on the dehumidifier is irrelevant, and even if it displays actual humidity, note that the humidity in the basement may be different than upstairs. You may also need to adjust as the seasons change.


Vent to outside in gas hot water heater closet, can I seal it?

Your gas water heater needs air to burn the gas. Without the vent, there's a possibility of air being sucked in through the flue instead, which could fill your house with carbon monoxide. So yes, you need the vent.

The exterior vent should have a flap/door on it that closes when there is no need for additional combustion air. If yours doesn't, then get it replaced with one that does.


There certainly are high-temperature epoxies that should do the trick for this (J-B Weld comes to mind,  it's rated for a constant 500 deg. F but you should confirm that's higher than this part of your furnace gets).

But you say "my assumption is that the metal groove for the e-clip has degraded" -- does that mean you're not sure?  I ask because to me this seems like an odd thing to wear out given that it's just holding a stationary piece of glass in place.  Is it possible the clip popped out a long time ago and the groove is just full of soot or rust?


My question is, is this a possible/valid way to add a "hidden" outlet for outside IP camera?

Generally "not valid" (under NEC rules) since you are combining low voltage and high voltage in a box without a barrier separating them. That is, it's a clear code violation.

  I nailed the outlet to a stud on the right (without a plastic gangbox)

That sounds rather like an additional code violation.

48V POE (af/at) or 24V passive POE (Power Over Ethernet) are generally much better ways to handle powering cameras, since there is no need to make horrible kludges to get a power adapter anywhere near the camera.


How to soundproof floor from neighbors below?

There are two kinds of “sound control” problems: 1) airborne sounds, and 2) impact sounds.

Airborne sounds (talking, tv, etc.). When I first read your statement, I thought this was your problem because it occurs BELOW your unit. As soon as that noise travels in the air up to your apartment, it becomes “airborne sound”.

However, now I think it is an “impact sound” because you’re not complaining about other airborne sounds. Therefore, the clicking noise (from walking on the tile) must remain in the structure until the sound reaches your space.

Impact sound (closing doors, heels clicking on floor from walking, etc.).  Impact sound travels through building materials (floor joists, wallboard, etc.) much faster and much more efficiently.

In order to control impact sound, you need to isolate the surrounding material. Some of these problems are “built in” and cannot be resolved easily (or cheaply), which appears to be your situation.
For impact sounds we try to 1) stop floor joists and underlayment from extending under a party wall, 2) provide separate party walls between rooms, and 3) stop roof joists from crossing from room to room, 4) isolate the impact noise. Obviously it’s too late for those techniques.
The easiest remedy is to remove the tile and reinstall it over a sound deadening board to isolate the tile. However, I understand this is not an option. Therefore, I’d 1) check to see if the sound is just as loud in other parts of your apartment. If so it not, then maybe you could rearrange your environment (perhaps sleep in the living room). 2) If it’s just as loud in all parts of the apartment, then I’d build a sound isolation room within your existing bedroom. This may include adding music to mask the sound.


A receptacle is merely a means to connect a device to the power source. It can fail for many reasons.

Short Circuit

If the hot lead directly touches neutral or ground, a short circuit will occur. If the line is protected by a circuit breaker, it will disconnect the outlet and connecting wires from the power source at the main panel and no current will flow. If you have fuses, the fuse from that circuit will blow, also disconnecting the power. If the fuse or circuit breaker failed to work properly (rare), it could result in a fire caused by overheating of the wires.

This type of problem can occur in the body of the receptacle, in the wires in a box, or somewhere along the wire path.

Break in Continuity

If there is a gap in either the hot wire or the neutral wire or its attachments, no current can flow, and the outlet will not work. However, if the break is in the neutral, even though the circuit does not work, there is power in the hot wire and poses a risk if it is touched.

The gap in connection can occur in the the receptacle itself. It can be a break within the body or a movement of the metal leaf that is supposed to contact an inserted plug, but does not. It also can occur in the attachment of the wire to the receptacle itself, in a connection within the box (loose or disconnected) or somewhere along the length of the wire.

The break can also be caused by a circuit breaker, GFCI or AFCI device or fuse tripping based on a detected fault. This can occur because of a short, a high amperage flow, an arc in the circuit, or a ground fault. Reseting the device may restore power, assuming the fault has been cured, but it is important to determine what caused the fault to ensure safety.

Solutions

It is important to test to determine whether there is any power at the outlet itself before starting to fix the problem. This requires a tester and a bit of knowledge about circuits. If you are not familiar with these things, it might be better to call in an electrician or someone with some experience to help.

Cures may involve simply fixing a loose connection or replacing the outlet. But it may require tracing a break or short and solving a more complex circuit problem.


If you are replacing the wiring (after a fire, I guess you mean by "partially burned"), I believe the normal standard is to meet the current codes at the time of replacement, not the code at the time of the building construction.

As such, you will need 4-wire service (hot, hot, neutral, ground) to 240V appliances that use the neutral. 240V appliances that don't use the neutral only need hot, hot, and ground.

You will also need to bring the grounding system up to current applicable code.

My sense from your question is that you might want to self-educate a bit more, or consult with an electrician in the planning stages, rather than have to re-do stuff later from improper planning now.


Tree stump in crawlspace surrounded by boards and covered in concrete?

WOW! I would be upset. It's a huge loss of space. I have never seen such a thing. Unless it's petrified, there is no reason for it. Any tree can be removed even if petrified. That is weird. Looks like cost savings to me. Hard to get a grinder in a basement. I'd talk to an engineer or architect if you don't care about the space. I


That photo is not very helpful in identifying how the awning is attached to the house. In general, there should be brackets of some type, which grab hold of a metal rod that's within a pocket of the awning. Once you've figured out how to free the top of the awning from the house, you'll have to remove the ropes that tie the awning to the support structure. Once the cover is free, you can roll it, or fold it up.

It shouldn't weigh too much, as it's just a sheet of canvas.  I usually take mine down, and put it up by myself. So if you're able bodied, you should have no problem. If you're not, you might want a hand getting it down.


Is there a problem with this service neutral?

This is not a time to plod along with exhaustive diagnostics and cautious bug-hunting.  This is a time for swift action.
The fact that you are seeing low voltage on one leg and high voltage on the other is evidence enough.
Call the power company and report an outage
Because 95% chance the problem is on the part of the service drop that they own.


Are there 3-way water pipe junctions which allow any variant of flow?

Get a 1-1/4" PVC T-fitting.  They're cheap.
Cast "Detect magic" on it.  There's no magic.  (magical T-fittings are NOT cheap).
Now look at the device itself with the Mark 1 eyeball and Fingers 1.0.
Do you see anything special about that fitting?
No. There are no innards/guts which would provide any sort of flow checking.  If you want, you can also examine a check valve to see an example of a piece which does have flow-management innards.
So a plain "tee" is "exactly what it says on the tin".  Flow will be decided by whatever is connected to it and how.


Can I use a 120 volt 50/60 Hz. tool on a 230 volt 50 Hz. circuit?

It will work with a step down transformer since the output should be 120~10 (120 with 10 +/- possible) with a low quality transformer, which, apparently the tool can handle. In a good transformer it should be 120~2. So the output wont be much different than regular 120 volt output. If it also increases the frequency, that would be much better. And make sure the continuous max rating is 700~20 volts. Otherwise you have a small danger of the lifetime of the transformer decreasing.


My washing machine stopped working. Should I replace, repair or call a technician?

First, figure out the replacement cost.  Based on that, figure out what you're willing to spend on keeping the old one running.  Never call a technician unless it's still under warranty.  Parts + Labour for one call can be up to half the price of a new machine.  (This is not a slight against the technicians.  They're entitled to a fair wage, and your 1 hour call actually takes two hours when you count travel time.)

If you decide to do it yourself, make sure you do your research as to how to take it apart. It's far too easy to get led down the wrong path and remove a whole lot of unnecessary stuff.

Remove the damaged part, and make sure it's actually damaged. Go to your parts store and get a price. The replacement cost will probably astound you.  It only takes a few replacement parts to quickly add up to the cost of a new machine.  Which means you need to look around and see if any valves or bearings look loose.  If they do, toss the machine,  and get a new one.  It'll need expensive repairs soon.


Can I connect an LED light fixture to a 240 volt oulet?

Easy peasy, just hook it up to hot and hot. Doesn't matter which.

You are relying on the device having competent neutral-ground insulation, but it should, because if it did not, it would fail in any of these applications:

many European countries use Schuko or other reversible plugs.
GFCI cares about neutral-ground insulation
Philippine power works exactly like what you are doing

By the way if you plug it in use NEMA 6 plugs and sockets, never NEMA 5.

If one of the wires is white or light blue, that goes to a hot.  Tape it with black tape to mark it as a hot in this installation, so the next maintainer is not confused.

This type of device auto-ranges between 100V and 277V using switching power supply technology, same as most cell phone chargers and laptop power supplies.  100V is Japanese appliance power. 277V is American power in large institutions; it is one leg of 480V 3-phase "wye".  It will also play nice with American 120V, Brazil 127V and 220V, NYC 208V,  Africa 220, EU 230, UK 240 etc.


There are a couple of ways you can get dents out of carpet. The key to getting dents out of carpet is to do 3 things: add moisture, dry, and fluff. Keep repeating these steps and eventually the fibers will be back upright.

Moisture

For this, you can:

Put ice in the dent and let it melt
Use a spray bottle to soak the fibers
Put a damp towel over the dent and use an iron on the steam setting.

Dry

Dry the dented area with:

A rag or sponge
A blow dryer
The iron if you used the iron on the steam setting

Fluff

Fluffing can be done with:

Your fingers
A fork or a spoon
Vacuuming over the area


3-wire electrical wire for recessed lighting

The rule you're referring to relates to presence of neutral in  the switch box.

It's saying, if neutral isn't already in the switch box, you have to bring it to the switch box; and that means if the wiring goes to the "lamp first" and you are wiring a switch loop, you must bring neutral down the switch loop, which in turn requires a 3-wire cable.

3-wire cable can't hurt, might help.  If you are doing retail therapy on zero information, then yeah, grab 3-wire cable (although this goes against Harper's Rule of "Buy the wire last").

Really, you should be finding out where your power source is going to be.  If power comes to the switch, then onward to the lamps, then /2 cable will be fine. If the lamps will be tapping power, then not only do you need /3 cable to the switch, you may need it between the lamps as well.

How to determine?  Draw the needed wires.

Lay out on paper a box for each lamp, and the switch, and also draw where power comes in.

Now, draw "pipes" connecting how you expect to physically lay out the wiring.  The pipes must follow tree topology: "T" branches are fine, but no loopbacks: No triangles or squares.  Between any two boxes, there must be only one possible route.

Now, put each of these wires into the "pipes":

Neutral (white or gray): comes from power and must connect to all lamps AND the switch.
Always-hot (black): Comes from power and must go to the switch.
Switched-hot (red): Must connect between the switch and every lamp.

Make sure the switch has all 3, and every lamp has switched-hot and neutral.

You will have 2 or 3 wires in every "pipe".  If you finish with only 2, you may use /2 cable and simply use the black for the red. (bonus points if you mark it with tape).

Now you know whether you need /2 or /3 on each segment.

If you remember something about remarking white wires to black, yeah that was a thing once, but is no longer allowed now that neutral must go everywhere.


It will quite possibly ruin the waterproofing layer under the tile. It is best to let it set up, roughen the glossy surface of the tile and set new tile directly over the first.
There will most likely need to be an extension ring added to the drain to get it to the new level.


How can I reduce noise from plumbing in a kitchen soffit?

I can't imagine there would be a lot of noise coming from them. If you're really concerned about it, stuff some extra insulation up in there and and use 5/8" drywall or double up on the 1/2" drywall. I've done this in the past and had some pretty fussy customers happy.


The part that you most likely need to replace is known as the flapper. It is the part shown in your picture that has the hinge arms that go back to the posts on the sides of the stand pipe. The flush lever also connects to this flapper to pull it up when the toilet is flushed.

The flappers are made of a flexible rubber or silicone material. Water treatments like chlorine in the water will degrade the flexibility of the flapper over time. This can lead to cracking or hardening of the flapper and can allow for the type of slow leak like you describe.

I find that I have to replace the ones in my house about once each 2 years or so. Note that there are some types that are better than others so look carefully at the options that you find at the home center or hardware store. Some of the replacement parts are designed to be "universal" and can be adapted to the several different hinge styles used in the water closet of the toilet. The ones I purchase generally have to have part of the thing cut away to adapt it to my usage.

Take your picture with you to the store. It will help you pick out just what you need.


I live in the Northeast area of the US, and my emergency heat on my furnace/ac is broken. Can I get thru the winter months without fixing it?

I would call in an HVAC company that is versed in heat pump repair. Since we do not know what is wrong with the electric back up heat we can only guess. The problem may be as simple as a bad sequencing relay, broken or loose wire, or a bad heat strip. Instead of being cold, I would get it serviced.


You have enough room to get what you want, but nothing more than that
The good news is that your panel can accept double-stuff (tandem/quadruplex) breakers at all positions, which means you can free up just enough room for the two new circuits in your panel and a feeder to a subpanel, but nothing more without compromising your ability to retrofit AFCI protection into your panel.
I would start by getting a HOMT230240 to put in spaces 5 and 7; this consolidates your range and dryer circuits into those two spaces, replacing the HOM240 and HOM230 that currently serve them.  We then move onto the wall heater and heat pump (mini-split) circuits, which get moved onto a HOMT215220 in spaces 1 and 3 to replace the existing HOM220 and HOM215, respectively.  This leaves spaces 2, 4, 16, and 19 open for the four new branch circuits you have planned; once those are in, you can put up to a 125A feeder in, with the feeder breaker on spaces 18 and 20 in the panel.
But you have a problem with that extra framing in front of the concrete
The bad news, though, is that extra framing furring out from the block wall the panel's mounted on already violates Code.  In particular, it infringes on the clear working area in front of the panel required by NEC 110.26(A); as a result, you'll need to either trim that frame back so you have a 30" wide space in front of the panel clear of errant framing bits or other obstructions, or frame up from the low wall to provide a bay to mount the panel into, then move the entire panel forward into the new bay.
(If you need a visual aid, think of a fridge-sized box in front of the panel that needs to be kept absolutely clear of fixtures, obstacles, tripping hazards, and so on.)
Worse yet, the original builder didn't foresee this coming
The other problem with your situation is that your panel was mounted in a spot that while legal modulo the knee-wall, is not wise.  You see, multiple pieces of electrical equipment are permitted to share a single 30" "bay" of clear working space, but the window and perpendicular wall in your picture are both rather awkwardly placed, making it rather impossible to get a second panel into that space, especially with the transition from frame to block involved.  Worse yet, while you theoretically could put the panel in the frame wall around the corner, that's practically a no-go due to the corner framing at the end of that wall blocking any effort to run wiring through it.
So, when you do put the subpanel in, you'll have to find room somewhere else for it.  This is further aggravated by the fact conduits fat enough for fat feeders don't fit well into 2x4 stud walls, which means you'll be stuck pulling a 4-wire SER cable over for the feeder instead.  The good news is that since you're constrained to a 125A feeder breaker by panel spaces, you can pull a 1/0-1/0-1/0-2 Al SER cable and have it be good enough for a reasonably sized subpanel installation, with a 24-space or 30-space, 125A, main lug panel fed from the feeder breaker in the main panel.


You would not bundle seven under one wire nut. I expect someone will amplify my answer with direct code call out. Basically, no more than 4... almost EVER, under any wire nut, and you must use the nut sized for the largest collective wire awg you are using. (not just buy a larger wire nut to stuff more inside of it).

Further, do not exceed the current rating of the breaker and in general having a situation like this begs the question whether it is smart to run another circuit to break up the load and the distribution path. Either way, exceeding 4 is typically not advisable and a fire hazard.

What you would do, is use up to 3 neutrals and a ~6" white jumper, and then 2 more neutrals, and another ~6" jumper, followed by one more wire-nut with 2 neutral and the end of the last jumper. Here you are distributing the wires as even and safely as possible provided it fits safely in the box and the circuit is not overloaded.

The box for the nuts you intend to buy certainly should list a limit on them. If you tell us the gauge (all are 14awg)? And the brands you are looking at it would be easy to lookup their recommended limits. E.g.: https://www.idealind.com/content/pdfs/catalogs/wire-connector-catalog.pdf


Why does my sink's strainer bowl connection leak?

If you see a leak as you describe then there is a bad seal in the slip joint between the black ABS plastic fitting and the tail pipe that slides inside the black pipe. The seal normally consists of a rubber, silicone or neoprene washer that fits over the tail piece and under the plastic compression nut as shown here:

In normal installation the compression nut slides onto the tail piece then the compression washer and then the tail piece is inserted into the plastic pipe. Once the slip fit length is adjusted the compression nut is slid down and threaded to the top of the ABS fitting.

Old compression washers can get hard, dry and crack. When this happens the seal is broken allowing for a leak to occur. Your probable best fix is to replace the compression washers with new flexible ones. Consider replacing the seals on both sides at the same time and the seal rings where the tail pieces attach to the sink drainer baskets. (Note that these upper seals are a different style/size of washer). When the piping assembly is apart clean all the surfaces of the seal areas so that there is no grit, grime or corrosion that could compromise the seal.

And...No. Plumbers putty is not a suitable product to fix this type of leak.


How to independently verify that bedbug heat treatment is working?

First, I'm not a lawyer. Second, I know 100% that a landlord is required to provide habitable living spaces if they are renting for occupancy purposes. A proven existing condition such as a bedbug infestation is near certain proof that he has not (yet) provided habitable living accommodations and there is already precedent set when the rental is not habitable; therefore it would be advisable to seek legal counsel to ensure you are paying only if you should be. Further, if I recall correctly, for a situation like this the landlord only needs to prove they are taking the correct actions to resolve the issue. E.g., using extermination services is such an action. Now, it is questionable whether your business relationship is off to the right start, you be the judge,  and let legal counsel assist.

The real answer to your question is that you cannot be reasonably certain. There simply is no way.

Also, if everything you've said above is on the table and nothing is left out or massaged, then technically it is not your job, nor should you really want it to be your job to solve the problem. Unfortunately, bedbugs are hitchhiker bugs and they can get anywhere, any number of ways. The landlord could have successfully exterminated the issue in the apartment, and one of your belongings could have brought it in, even if you didn't have any issue where it came from. Far fetched? Sure. But still possible.

Numerous articles and research identify heat treatment as a sure thing, presuming the heat gets to the bugs, and it has to be at the right temperature for the right length of time. A series of treatments with different chemicals may be employed, dust in outlets and switches, with the covers off. And now that you have possessions on the premises, these should be treated as well. Also, most exterminators will recommend a re-inspection and re-treatment around 20 days after the initial treatment to get any that have since then hatched, and a second shot at what could have been missed the first time.  If there was truly "an easy" way that was not obtusely cost prohibitive to detect success, exterminators would employ it, or be required to employ it by the paying clients.

I have experienced the unfortunate gift these pests brought me by finding their way into a duplex. Of course while it had been occupied by the same people for a very long time, the fingers were pointed in all directions. I chose the path of whole house as to avoid misses and while clearly I didn't introduce the problem, I was going to be stuck with it no matter what. It was extremely costly, and the job was not performed well at all. On the second treatment I had the owner of the company involved and they had two people perform the work and took their time. Like I said, it was not cheap, but the problem is thankfully gone.

Your ideas are all fine, but they are not fool proof and there aren't any foolproof options, so any suggestions you get are only that - suggestions. At the end of the day the only SURE PROOF you get is TIME, the longer they have no food the more die off, but even then I have read of people seeing them months afterwards *(no idea how, but still, you read about it).


Gurji, that’s what what I got also. I did calculate it after making the statement. In basic duct sizing 4 to 6 is double and 6 to 8 is double, but pi r squared is right. But I only do HVAC part time.
Cutting the area in half may speed the air up in the choke point but fans work by moving air--once the resistance increases the blades start “slipping”. I don’t remember the tech term but it’s like cavitation on a boat prop; you can put all kinds of power in but the boat goes slower until the blades bite and push the water air does similar. You can put a tachometer on the fan and watch it speed up but it is moving less air. This why duct sizing/flow is critical to set up a system.
Cutting 10% may not make a huge difference, but at 1/2 you may find your system is no longer going to cool the garage and it may shorten the service life with your compressor possibly shutting down from overheating (this can damage the refrigerant in some units).  Can you go up and out? I would not suggest cutting the flow by that much.


You are likely to have issues and I would strongly recommend replacing at least the LED driver box ("junction box"), if not the entire light.

The white cable that connects to the driver box contains at least two low-voltage wires, and is secured to the grounded metal driver box by a plastic collar. Contact between the metal box and the internal wires likely caused your issue, pulling on the cable probably caused further exposure of the internal wires, and if your wire nuts aren't well-secured inside the box due to some of this punching and pulling, you could have a real mess on your hands from low voltage + high voltage + ground contact.

Rather than punching holes in the ceiling, try to pull the light downward out of the hole and the driver box should follow.


If sewage can no longer flow downhill by gravity, then a grinder pump would be installed at the lowest point to pump the sewage up to the sewer line.


I'll try to break down what the inspector is describing.  Keep in mind that these inspection reports will show "defects" that are simply things that do not meet certain recommendations they look for.  They may not be up to code, etc.  The problem with some inspection reports is all defects are called out in the same way.  One defect can be seriously dangerous while another on is merely an annoyance.  Understanding why it is considered a defect is the most important thing.

You basically have two issues.  The first is that the A/C condensate drain is tied into the temperature and pressure relief overflow for the water heater.  Imagine the pressure and temperature in the heater rises to a dangerous level and the valve activates.  That's going to force scalding hot water to flood your air conditioner because they are both connected.  The A/C housing will leak and the PVC pipe will not stand up to the temperature or pressure for long.  This is not the way it should be done.  The A/C condensate drain should flow into a nearby drain pipe.  It's common for it to tie into a bathroom sink drain or similar.

The second issue is a little less clear, but we can assume it's related to the first.  The inspector is saying that there is not a proper overflow drain to the outside for the water heater.  This could be because the overflow doesn't run all the way outside, but since the condensate drains there it probably does drain outside or into the sewer.  He probably means the overflow drain isn't functional because of how its tied into the A/C.

So, if you have a gas water heater, and you don't have access to a proper drain, you can get a special gas valve like the Watts 210-5.  This is a temperature sensitive valve that will cut off the gas supply to the water heater if it gets too hot.  The idea is that cutting off the gas stops the dangerous heating of water without it getting to the point of blowing water out of the TPR valve that doesn't have a proper drain.

The Watts valve seems to be pretty expensive - online prices range from $250 to $400.  On top of that you will need some additional gas piping, and if someone else is installing it, you could be in the $800 neighborhood pretty quickly.  Also if the water heater is old then any time you mess around with the pipe fittings going into the tank, you have a chance of doing irreparable damage if they are corroded (have to replace the water heater).

If the copper overflow pipe does go outside, then rerouting the PVC A/C condensate drain could be cheaper.


Worst case scenario: remove the flooring.

Medium damage throughout: Lay down 3/8" plywood over it, first replacing heavily damaged areas.

Every board is slightly cupped: Have it professionally sanded and refinished. Upright floor sanders can be rented but they are not for novices. A random orbit sander would get it done... eventually.


OK, so that is a "Split Phase" AC induction motor, meaning there is a centrifugally operated switch inside of it that is supposed to change state at a certain speed in order to allow the motor to run. Without getting too deep in the weeds of AC motor theory, single phase motors will not rotate on their own, they need to be "tricked" into starting to rotate, then once they are, they will continue doing so. One of the "tricks" is called a "Split Phase" design. The winding is in two parts, one of them designed to"bump" the motor in one direction, the other designed to run it once it begins rotating. The first part has low power capability, all it is supposed to do it get it started (bump it), then a centrifugally operated switch on the shaft kicks in the other part of the winding that actually creates the rated torque. That centrifugal switch is not functioning correctly in your motor, so it appears as though your start winding is being left in place and the run winding is not being connected.

These switches wear out, or they get filled with dust and gunk over the years, especially if the blower is being used for dust collection or extraction, like in a cooking vent hood. In most cases, that switch is located under the end bell housing on the NON drive-end of the motor, meaning the end WITHOUT the shaft that is connected to your clutch. The simplest attempt for you to try is to open that up and spray in a bunch of "Electrical Contact Cleaner" that you can buy from most hardware or auto-parts stores. Just do NOT spray it in there with the motor plugged in, and let it thoroughly dry out before you do apply power; that cleaner is flammable.

In this photo, the centrifugal switch is not labeled, but is directly below the word "winding":

If that doesn't work, the contact points are likely burned and it needs to be replaced, you can buy replacement centrifugal switches over the internet from numerous sources, probably even Grainger (who sells the Dayton line). That's not a job for the feint of heart however, there are springs and levers and wires that must be carefully disassembled and reassembled. So if you DON'T want to tackle that, you can remove the motor and take it to a motor shop, they can do that for you. Or, you can just buy a new motor, it might cost you less...


For a natural gas furnace, cut off the heat pump at a fairly high outdoor air temperature (OAT).  The cost of heating with natural gas in the US is similar to the cost of running a heat pump that has a coefficient of performance (COP) around 3, which many heat pumps only achieve at an outdoor air temperature warmer than 40-50 degrees F.  Look up the cost of natural gas vs electricity per million BTU and the performance information on your particular heat pump to verify this.  The Elk Public Utility District in Tennessee has a cost comparison of heating sources at the bottom of the following webpage:

http://www.erpud.com/comparison.htm

To find the cut-off temperature for the the heat pump vs the natural gas furnace: (1) Divide the natural gas MMBTU fuel price by the efficiency of the furnace, giving the furnace heating cost per MMBTU.  (2) Divide the cost of electricity per MMBTU by the furnace heating cost per MMBTU, giving the COP at which the heat pump is break-even with the furnace.  (3) On the manufacturer extended performance table for your heat pump, look up the OAT associated with the break-even COP.  That is the OAT cut-off temperature.

Also accumulated snow on the outdoor unit is a problem, especially if the unit is always off when the OAT is below 45F.  Snow can block airflow and eventually turn to ice.  Severe ice buildup must be avoided since it can melt and refreeze, physically damaging the outdoor coils.  If you get deep snow in your area, do consider building snow protection for the outdoor unit.  Either that or disable it for the deep winter months and put a cover over it.

FYI, for someone with electric backup heat and not natural gas, the cut-off for many modern R410a heat pumps occurs around an OAT of 5-15 degrees F.


How to align PVC pipe to metal electrical box

You can make a transition with a piece of carflex (LFNC) or sealtite (LFMC) to make a flexible offset in your conduit. Use a PVC male adapter and a sealtite connector to make the transition. Some hardware stores will already have small piece of flex premanufactured. The only problems with this is sometimes this can look pretty ugly, and pulling through may get a little tougher. Be sure and bring along some pulling lubricant to help.

Good luck.


How much pressure fluctuation is normal on 3/4" line when one tap is open?

There are too many variables involved; it isn't really feasible to give a specific answer. You can determine an answer for your situation by determining the main supply line pipe material and length, checking for excessive quantities of elbows (ie more than just a couple), and then consulting a pressure loss table. For example, The Engineering Toolbox web site has such tables for SCH 40 PVC and Types K, L, and M copper tubing. Similar tables may be found for PEX, IPS- or CTS-sized HDPE, and other tube materials.

In all honesty, though, you can probably do well enough using one of the copper tubing tables even if your supply line is another material. For example, Engineering Toolbox provides a chart for Type K copper. The purple line 5th from the left is for 3/4" size. Choosing an arbitrary point on the line we see that expected pressure loss is about 0.1 psi/ft at 9 GPM flow. If you had a 100 foot supply line we'd expect 10 psi loss with 9 GPM flow. A static pressure of 100 psi and a loss of 10 psi while flowing should provide plenty of pressure left over for the regulator to be able to maintain a setpoint of 60 psi inside the house.

If that's not the case, the first thing you could do to investigate is to install pressure gauges before and after the regulator. You'll be able to see the static and dynamic pressures on both sides of the regulator and immediately determine whether you have excessive pressure drop in the supply, across the regulator, or possibly in downstream plumbing in the house.

In theory a regulator should hold its output steady through any fluctuations in flow or in supply pressure. In practice it won't be perfect. Sudden changes in flow will cause the regulator output pressure to overshoot or undershoot a bit (maybe a few psi I'd guess), and higher steady flow may also cause the regulator output pressure to run a little low. Each regulator is rated for a specific amount of flow; below this limit it should regulate fairly well. In all cases if the supply pressure drops too near to the output setting, or even falls below it, then all regulation is lost and the output pressure becomes equal to the input minus some semi-constant amount.


How can I eliminate some of the switches in a 4-way circuit?

Right box

Connect the black wire from the power source to the black wire on the cable going to the middle switch box (this will be the hot wire to the new switch).

Connect the black wire from the lamp to the red wire going to the middle switch box (this will be the switched hot from the new switch).

Connect the white wire in the cable going to the middle switch box to the two white wires already bundled. Remove the black marking (this is now a neutral going to the new switch, even if it is not used).

Middle box

Connect the black wire from the right box to one pole of the switch, the line side if there is a distinction (this is hot).

Connect the red wire from the right box to the other pole of the switch, the load side if there is a distinction (this is now the switched hot).

Leave the white wire capped unless the switch needs it. Remove the black marking (this is now a neutral to be used by a smart switch if needed).

Cap all the wires going to the left box.

Left box

Cap all the wires.


Is there a motion sensor light switch that does not need ground?

Occupancy sensors, timers, dimmers, and other "smart" switches often are required to be independently powered. If you look at this diagram from the devices documentation (PDF), you'll see that there are three ways this requirement is achieved.

Neutral Wire Required
The first method, is to simply require a neural wire.  In this configuration, the device draws power using the ungrounded (hot) conductor and grounded (neutral) conductor. It also has a separate switched conductor, that it uses to control the load.
This setup would be wired like this...

Minimum Load Required
This method draws power using the ungrounded (hot) conductor, and the switched conductor.  So the device is actually in line with the load.
This setup is wired like this...

Ground Wire Required
This method draws power using the ungrounded (hot) conductor, and the grounding conductor.  It's wired similar to the Neutral Required devices, however, it uses the grounding conductor instead of the grounded conductor.  This means that there will be a small amount of current on the grounding conductor, and that the grounding conductor is required for the device to operate.
This setup would be wired like this...

Notice there's a bare, and green wire connected to ground in this diagram.

tl;dr
Your device
The device you're using (MS-OPS5M-XX) requires a ground to operate, according to the documentation.
Solutions
Install grounding conductors
One solution, would be to install a grounding conductor with this circuit. This will likely require quite a bit of work, and might be quite costly.
Install a grounded conductor
It may be possible to extend a grounded (neutral) conductor from the light to the switch box, which could then be used to power the device. In this case you'd have to purchase a different device (one that requires a neutral rather than a ground).


How to clean rust in hard to reach points on a tool?

This stuff is sick: http://www.evapo-rust.com/

I used it on a drill press my buddy left out on a patio in the rain for a year.  Virtually no scrubbing.  I don't understand how this is not one of the most widely known products in the world.  It is THAT good.  I guess with the military as a client, they don't need the business from the public.  Here are some pics.  Truly an amazing product.  I purchased a gallon of it at a Harbor Freight store for $20.

Before:

After:


Covering peeling lead paint with joint compound?

Any time the paint is pealing it will only make things worse by putting more on top unless covering with something like sheetrock as suggested. I would not use joint compound it will probably cause the loose paint to flake off. Making a divot because of the old paint and joint compound thickness.


What is the easiest way to get rid of a very large patio door?

You could get one of those large low cost plastic material tarps. Fold it out double thickness on the ground outside. Then lay the glass panels down flat on the tarp to break them up. You can successively break larger pieces down to smaller pieces that you can dispose of in the trash bin. After you have gathered up all the larger pieces for disposal you can use the tarp to bundle all the small shards and slivers of glass for disposal.


Replaced fluorescent tubes with LED tubes, the LEDs only turn on when tapped

I have the same issue.  The Keystone KTEB-232RIS-1-TP-SL ballast is not compatible with the Feit T48/840/LED/2 tube.  I have four Lithonia Lighting fixtures I just purchased only to learn the Keystone ballast is not compatible with these Feit lamps.  I've had good luck with Feit products.  This is a compatibility issue.


What do I need to consider when enlarging a basement apartment by opening up an attached garden shed?

A block wall that is actually part of the original outside wall of the main structure is most certainly a load bearing wall or part of the foundation.  It is possible to open a six foot section, but care must be taken to install a properly sized supported  header or if block is still going to be above the opening, a steel lentil. You will need some temp supports while building this new opening. A bit more details of your proposed project and some pics would be helpful.


Considering the fact that you've never worked with gas lines, contact the gas company. They will probably come out and disconnect it for you and then check for leaks from your valves.


How should I reattach this garage door bracket?

Once screws rip out I like to reenforced the door.
I would get a larger piece of metal several inches wider. And screw into the door in 2-3 new locations if in the center use flat head screws there. Then attach the original bracket to the new piece of metal.

Next I would check that the door moves up with only a few pounds of force. I have found garage like you have when the torsion or one of the torsion springs break. If the door feels like more than 30lb you may want to inspect your spring(s). Broken springs are not hard to replace but can be quite dangerous (believe it or not even fatal at times). Door pros can knock a broken spring out quickly.
This may be the reason the bracket ripped loose.


How can I make a lightweight structure (sukkah) stronger and more windproof?

You have two separate issues. #1 is keeping the wind from taking it... because if the wind lifts it off the ground, it will get wrecked. This type of structure is not made to survive being a tumbleweed.
So tying it down is non-negotiable. I'm partial to spiral (corkscrew) ground anchors, because they let you use all the ground above them as your virtual sandbag.  You want to fantastically over-do this job.  Very consistently, people underestimate the wind and their tent stakes pull out. Nobody ever said "Wow, these tent stakes are stronger than we needed" :)
Part of staking is guying - that is, come from the top of the structure diagonally (looking from the side, not the top) to a tie point on the ground. There can be up to 8 guys of this sort.  One might be tempted to have four guys diagonally (looking from the top also. That would create interesting forces in the walls. Guying, on the sides you are able to guy, helps the structure resist tramming (shearing/parallelograming).
What will also help that is internal bracing, or better, rigid sides.  Bracing can be done by making an "X" with tent ropes which you then cinch up taut.  However, bracing will increase the compressive load on all elements of the structure.  So this might just mean the wind bends the structure all up.
So the better plan is to rigidize the structure sides with something like plywood. Assuming that's ... kosher?

Given the canvas exterior I would probably add a face on the inside of two opposite (non-door) walls... full width and height and notched to clear structural members where needed and let the velcro be used.   Tie that to the existing structure however as suitable, drill and screw, or use conduit clamps.
Then I'd measure the distance between the two faces on the inside, and make a third face that will go full width - no need to tie this one to the structure because it'll tie to the other two walls with angle straps.
At that point you have 3 sides that are very rigid and will strongly resist tramming horizontally. And better, it will not be transferring high forces onto the metal structure the way cross-bracing ropes would.
It would be nice to have a fourth side to resist twisting... but I gather you need a doorway.

The last issue you'll have with tramming is "from the sky looking down".  For that you need cross bracing in the horizontal plane.  Doing a good job of staking the structure will probably take care of that. But you could also do an "X" under the floor, or better, as the floor!  Again, tied to the 3 walls with angle straps.  That structure isn't going anywhere!


How to use Ideal 92-650 F connectors on RG-6 quad shield cable?

First to be clear you want to strip and fold back correctly.  Regular RG6 has these layers from the inside out:

center conductor
dielectric
foam
foil
braid
jacket

Quad shield RG6 has an additional foil and an additional braid, so it's like this from the inside out:

center conductor
dielectric
foam
inner foil
inner braid
outer foil
outer braid
jacket

So there's more material to fold back, and if it doesn't get folded back out of the way, you're going to get hung up inserting the connector.

When you strip the cable, you want to strip back 1/4" from the tip all the way to the center conductor, and another 1/4" of the jacket.  Then you fold back the outer braid, tear off the outer foil, fold back the inner braid, leave the inner foil on the dielectric.

If you fold everything back, and nothing gets tangled while inserting the connector, it should go in just a little tighter than regular RG6.


Why is there water in my washing machine barrel some time after a load?

It sounds like you have something causing drain water to backup, and siphon back into the barrel slowly.  The drain pipe that runs to the utility sink... does the pipe incline to get to the sink?

I had one many years ago and I can see it in my head.. the pipe would hold about 1.5 gallons of water, and would stink quite badly.  I never had it run back into my machine, but it would occasionally get knocked off the sink and spill on the basement floor.


New aluminum fence posts loose in Quiikrete

Most of the concrete I've used wants 24 hours to cure. There are quick setting bags out there where you don't mix anything, you just pour the dry concrete in the hole and add water and they can set in 4 to 5 hours. If you mix it and then tamp it in, 24 hours is pretty standard but quit testing the poles, you'll just loosen them up. You want to tamp it in every 6". I've just used a piece of 2x4. Don't worry about over tamping.... have at it.


Why would a single electric receptacle stop working?

Some possibilities:

it's controlled by a wall switch and you turned off the switch.
the receptacle is old and worn and no longer making a good connection to the plug.  The main symptom of this would be the plug being loose in the socket; it's unlikely to happen suddenly so you might have noticed it beforehand.
the receptacle was overloaded and got damaged.  You might see some visible signs of charring or smoking around the receptacle -- especially if you remove the cover plate and look inside the electrical box -- if this is the case.
a loose connection in the wiring has finally failed (this might be in a different part of the circuit).
it's on a completely different circuit from the other receptacles in the room.  If you're adding an outlet, the most convenient place to get power from may not be other points in the same room; it could be from an adjacent room's circuit, or even from a different floor in the house.

A non-contact voltage tester will help you find out if you're still getting power to that receptacle.  If so, replacing the receptacle will probably fix the problem.


In working on computers, or for that matter of fact most electrical equipment, avoiding static damage is achieved by establishing a ground plane.

It's not whether you're connected to earth potential, but rather the fact that everything you're working on is at equal potential.

You can get by easily by having an antistatic mat on a desktop that you've laid all the components on, and then grounding yourself to that mat with your personal grounding wrist strap. This establishes a ground plane of equal potential as everything on the mat will bleed charge to equal potential. No potential differential, no sparks...

The same can be done with an unplugged computer simply by attaching yourself to the metal case with a grounding wrist strap and laying the plastic component packaging (antistatic conductive plastic) on bare metal in the case before opening. Once again, you're attempting zero potential between you, the computer case and the component, not absolute earth potential.

As to worries about computer power, the maximum voltage you'll encounter is 24V if you manage to bridge the powered output between +12V and -12V. The line current is pretty effectively contained inside the metal box the PSU resides in except for ancient AT style PSUs with the hot switch that switched full line power. Those could be dangerous.

I've also had situations where there were bad grounds in the power wiring that allowed for hot chassis, so if it's unplugged, you will find this is the safest mode of operation.

If you feel it's absolutely necessary to work on an earth potential chassis, there are green-cords available. They have only the ground lug attached. Using the ground plane methods described, I've never really needed such a thing and I've worked in some industrial situations where there's been some pretty heavy inductive magnetic fields available that have powered up the outer shields of ungrounded coax ethernet cabling. Computer system completely disconnected from all external devices with grounding strap worked the best.


How can I repair my wall where the paint around screw holes has torn away?

Looks like paint or a light texture on drywall to me, but I agree with DMoore otherwise. You'll want to take a couple steps:

Using a sharp utility knife, slice away the loose edge of the torn paint. Remove anything that isn't well attached, but don't cut through the paper on the face of the drywall if you can help it.
Using a 6" or larger putty/drywall knife, skim the damage with general purpose or topping joint compound. (Spackle is usually very light and a little fragile for this purpose.) Press firmly with the knife laid over at a shallow angle. Don't let more material on the wall than it takes to fill the very thin void left by the removed paint/texture. Let that dry completely. A fan will make it quick.
Using a foam sanding block or a drywall screen, very lightly sand the repair flat. Use long strokes with light pressure. Your main goal is to eliminate the line around the edge of your patch where it blends into the paint. Pay particular attention to that as it's the most frequent cause for disappointment in repairs like this.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 if needed to get a perfectly smooth repair.
Using a heavy nap roller (say 3/8" or 1/2"), roll drywall primer over the repair. Blend outward with a relatively dry roller.
Do the same with the paint topcoat (which may need to be applied to the entire wall section for color matching). Use plenty of paint and don't overwork it. You want the nap to leave a heavy stipple. This should be adequate in lieu of sprayed texture, assuming the wall ever had that.

If you find that the texture just isn't heavy enough to blend you may need to pick up a can of "orange peel" spray texture. Apply that between steps 4 and 5. Practice on a scrap of cardboard to get a feel for distance.


How to work around bowed king stud for a window frame?

What you have there is not too bad at all. It will, if left alone and nail the jack stud tight to it, will only mean a larger rough opening, maybe a 1/4-3/8" at the worst place it occurs??? Not a biggie. Yes you can shim it straight if you choose to, make sure it is well nailed, 2 nails at either end, the bottom preferably toe nailed into the bottom plate, and the remainder nailed at least every 16" approx. in a staggered fashion. That is roughly 16" from the top and bottom, it can be closer, drive a nail favoring one side of the jack stud, then move another increment and favor the other side of the jack stud. If you choose to, you can double nail it all he way along the stud.


PVC fittings and pipes have some play and flexibility to them, especially before the joint has been glued. You simply give the pipe a little muscle and clamp it to the proper slope.


Does anyone know what has caused this corrosion on hot water heater?

The corrosion is being caused be a poor solder job. The joints are slowly leaking. Next time get a real plumber to do the job and don't call this company back. By the way, the discharge pipe for the T&P valve is to be run in a full pipe size not a reduced pipe or tubing as it looks like yours was installed. That in itself shows that the "butcher" that installed this water heater needs to find a different line of work. If by chance the installing company is a good and reputable company, call them back and show them work done by their employee and maybe they will re-do the installation for free or at a reduced rate.


A simple fix might be using white poster putty / sticky tack.  If that doesn't hold, try a dab of superglue.  Each of these are available at the dollar store.  For a slightly more expensive option, perhaps some white adhesive silicone caulking.  All of these options should hold the cap in place enough to not blow off in the wind, but stilll allow you to break open the cap again if you need to ever remove or tighten the bolts.


Is a little ice on the cooling coils ok?

The suction line (the larger pipe) should never be iced up during normal operation.  By the time the refrigerant gets to the end of the evaporator coil, it should be completely boiled off (in a gas state).  The bottom few coils may frost up,  but the top ones should only be sweating at most.
If the suction line; or more than the bottom third of the coil, is frosted up.  You either have an overcharged system, or you're not getting enough air flow over the coils.
Make sure all registers and returns are open, and unobstructed. Check all filters, to make sure they're clean. If you have a multi-speed blower,  make sure it's set to run at the proper speed. And make sure it's actually running at, or near the speed it's supposed to be running at.
If none of that helps, have an HVAC technician check the refrigerant level.
Normal System

Temperature and pressure are the same thing in a refrigeration system, so based on the pressures shown above you can easily determine the temperature of the refrigerant .  Assuming this is an R22 system, you'll see that the refrigerant enters the evaporator at 26°F, and leaves above freezing at 43°F. The suction line in this system is above freezing, so no icing will take place. The temperature may be below the dew point, so there may be sweating (condensation).
Not enough air flow

In this example you can see that the refrigerant enters the evaporator at 26°F, but it leaves the evaporator below freezing at 31°F.  Since the suction line in this case is below freezing, there may be frosting/icing of the line.  If the temperature of the line stays below freezing all the way back to the compressor, you'll see icing all the way along the line.
In this case, there's not enough air flowing through the evaporator. Because of this, not enough heat is being transferred to the refrigerant.
Overcharged
Sorry, I don't have an image for this. In this situation, you'll see that the temperature of the refrigerant entering the evaporator is so low. That even with good air flow, enough heat cannot be transferred to bring the refrigerant above freezing.
undercharged
While icing due to low refrigerant is rare, and often requires other problems, it can happen.  Because the pressure in the evaporator is so low, the boiling point of the refrigerant is well below 32°F. This causes the coils closest to the metering device to be very cold, which causes moisture to freeze. As the coil freezes, air flow is restricted. As air flow is restricted, less heat is removed from the refrigerant. The freezing slowly creeps through the coil, and eventually makes its way back along the suction line to the compressor.


I have never used interior duct insulation, I would think the foam or whatever material could off gass causing the smell you are getting. Metal ducts in my experiance are wrapped on the outside and flex ducting has the insulation outside the plastic. Since you are having smell issues I would say exterior is the way to go.


How can I figure out why this electrical receptacle is dead?

I'm new to the US and wasn't aware of the fact that in many houses the light switch on the wall actually controls one of the electric receptacle in the room. It was just off.


Is it possible that I could have a 240V circuit with no circuit breaker?

If there's no main breaker, then there is probably another breaker box somewhere, possibly in the same enclosure as the meter.

Also, it's possible that the panel you are looking at does not have a main breaker at the top; it could be one of the breakers mixed in with the branch circuit breakers. If you can, post a picture of your breaker panel with the cover removed so we can see the wiring inside.


Can I build a deck this low to the ground?

Sure, you can do that.  Rather than using a beam though, just use some of those pre-cast concrete pier blocks (like in this article).

If you really want to use a beam instead (it might be cheaper) you'll want to make sure the treated wood you use is rated for ground contact.  You might have a hard time finding ground-contact rated 2x6's at a local home store, but they probably do carry ground-contact rated 4x6's that you could use instead.

Another option would be to use railroad ties for your "beam".  just dig a trench, fill it with gravel, level it out, compact it, and set the railroad ties on top (note - railroad ties are much heavier than they look).


Clunking sound when ground water heat pump stops running

Could be a loose mounting bolt on the compressor, or the other common noise a heatpump makes that concerns people is the reversing valve shifting. This changes the direction of high pressure refrigerant, and low pressure refrigerant. Causing line sets to hammer, if not properly secured. If sound is loud check the supports on the line sets (copper lines from outside to inside assuming it is a split system.)