Can ground shock me? It's bonded to neutral in my panel

A great question

Welcome to Code electrical.  You're starting off with a very astute observation and a valid concern.  It's about the difference between an isolated system and a grounded system.

Power doesn't want to go to ground.  It wants to return to source.

Chevy Volt - 2 systems at once

Automobiles have an apocryphal "grounded system". It's a 12V electrical system with ground (i.e. chassis) pegged to an arbitrary location in the supply power, almost always negative ground by convention.  Positive ground does exist.  (chassis is also used as a current return; that's a separate issue.)

The Prius or Chevy Volt also has a high-voltage traction electrical system - batteries, electronic inverters, motors etc. which is fully isolated from the chassis of the car. Any leakage from the high-voltage system is considered a fault, even from the "negative" side, since "negative ground" is not a concept in an isolated system.

Code

Enter the world of Code electrical, which applies to structures.  There is a religious battle between isolated systems and grounded systems, with grounded systems winning.

Industry sometimes uses isolated systems. I have a 480V 3-phase system, all three phases isolated from ground.  If one phase faults to ground, it's an unintended ground strap, and the system is no longer isolated.  If another phase faults to ground, kaboom!  It takes two failures to have a problem, and the idea is frequent inspection catches the first one. It's a fine philosophy.  If your accidental contact is the first fault, you only get hit with biasing current, and hopefully death "gives you a mulligan" (second chance).

Household electrical started out "isolated" because grounds were not a thing.  They went with a grounded system where you intentionally peg the system to ground rather than waiting for a "first fault".  Only one more failure creates a problem!  Downside, no mulligans like in the isolated system.  Upside, most faults cause an immediate and big problem, which assures a circuit breaker trip.

Power doesn't want to go to ground.  It wants to return to source.   By bonding ground to a conductor, now power wants to go to ground too.

Which is better? Like most of the Electrical Code, it's not about ideology, it's a numbers game based on a lot of accident reports.

Ground can be pegged ANYWHERE

Different systems see it different ways.

Euro power is 230V with "neutral" being at one extreme.
UK construction sites are 110V transformers with center-tap grounded.  The tool sees 110V and there's a safer 55V from any wire to ground.  Interestingly, this system does not have a neutral.
North America is the same, but 240V, and the center tap is brought out as neutral, allowing 120V circuits.

In principle you could peg ground somewhere else.  Like the UK tool system where ground is tapped where no conductor is, you could design a 6 volt AC bias between neutral and ground.  Or with a 6 volt DC bias.  Look up "wild leg delta" for a truly screwball ground bias.  My point is, it's arbitrary and there's no Godly answer.  There are merely agreed conventions and codes (some of which are rather clever, like wild-leg).

Neutral Is Not Ground

This is the hardest thing for a newbie to understand when he's staring at the panel and seeing a tangle of copper and white going to obviously the same place. What you're seeing is an ugly shortcut, and I'll explain that soon.  They have wildly different purposes.

Neutral is the current return.  It is a conductor which normally carries current.
Ground is a safety shield.  Current should never flow through ground; if it does, it's a ground fault.

If you can put a clamp ammeter on the neutral-ground strap, you should see 0.00000 amps of flow.  In fact, that's a pretty good system test.

Where to bond neutral and ground

Remember the isolated system, where the first ground fault was only a bias, and it took 2 ground faults to cause trouble?  Your ground-neutral bond is the first fault done intentionally.  Think it through -- that means there should not be a second.  Neutral and ground should be bonded in only one single place. The single place is the main panel.

If it was bonded in 2 places, current tries to flow down all available paths at once.  The ground path would end up seeing some of the return current intended for neutral, and that's not its job.  Worse, what if there as a neutral wire break between those two points?  Current return would detour down the ground wire.  Again not its job, and ground wires are allowed by code to be thinner than neutrals in some cases.  It would overheat.

A perfect panel

In an ideal panel, there is a neutral bus (insulated from the steel panel), a ground bus (attached to the steel panel), and all the neutrals go to the neutral bus, and all the grounds go to the ground bus.

If this panel is also a main panel, there is one, single, neutral-ground bond tying the buses, and in a dream world, enough space to clamp an ammeter under it.

Real world, most homes have only a main panel, so practical electricians just slobber all the neutrals and all the grounds onto one bus and call it done.  When you see that, that's all you're seeing.  I hope I don't give you an OCD attack.

What's a benefit of doing it "ideally"? You have several options for testing the ground-neutral relationship. You're in a good position to replace your main breaker with a "whole panel" GFCI.  And if you upgrade service, you can add a new main panel, and convert this to a sub-panel just by pulling the bond. Which means not having to rewire the whole panel.

Upshot

Yes, the conductors have electricity flowing through them.  Yes, normally you should respect and fear any conductor.

However, by design, this is a grounded system which intentionally pegs the neutral to ground at the panel.  Since current flows on neutral, voltage drop occurs (E=IR) on neutral, which means neutral won't be the same as ground everywhere, but it should be close, by design.  So, ground and neutral shouldn't bite you unless you're touching hot.

You have the right idea, install an indoor-rated GFCI outlet near the panel, and then use the LOAD terminals to feed a second receptacle outside.

By the way, many panels have an "electrician's outlet" a few inches away from the panel.  This is so the electrician can plug in lights and tools while he wires the panel.  This is typically on its own breaker if there's room.


Go big, Big, BIG on the subpanel

Especially if your main panel is getting full, and having double-stuff breakers in it definitely counts as "getting full".

We have so many questions on here of "My panel is full. What can I do?" And our answers are expensive and regretful.   But that we could go back in time, to when that panel was being bought, and say "Spend a couple lattes on a bigger panel".  So, we say it now.  Go big.  Really big.

You're at 7 breakers so far (2 for the heater) + a foreseeable dust collector and EVSE, so 10. I like to finish with all full-size breakers and >50% of spaces unused, so a 20-24 space panel. Disregard "x circuits" as that calls for double-stuff breakers which are no longer viable due to Code changes. (they don't mention that in the marketing materials :b)

Don't let panel bus rating hold you back: An "R" rated tire is only rated for 85 mph, would you put that on your car? Not willingly!  So it's not a win to get a panel with 100A busing. So don't think twice about a main-lug breaker that's 225A/24 space if you can find a happy price on it.

The main breaker doesn't buy you anything (sometimes main-breaker panels come bundled with some bonus breakers, so that can be a savings), but the main breaker per se is irrelevant. You can't make the more convenient breaker trip first, because of main vs branch trip curves and Murphy's Law.  Even if you needed a main disconnect switch, the trip value is irrelevant; feel free to feed a 225A subpanel from a 30A feed breaker.  Totally legit.

Your feeder wire

2/2/2/4 is an unnecessary size, but I understand why it seems correct.

First, if it's convenient to run conduit from the main to subpanel, and  you want to do that, use THHN/THWN-2 individual wires inside the conduit.

Don't bother with copper unless it's like a 10 foot run or something.  The lugs the subpanel will be aluminum anyway because aluminum lugs play nicely with both.  So why create a dissimilar metal "problem"?  (isn't actually much of a problem on these fat feeders).  But if you do go copper, #3 will suffice and #8 Cu ground is all you need.

If you go aluminum (most of us would), you need #1 AWG.

Loads

You're in very good shape.  Your PC and tools will chomp only 15A of your 100A. Electric garage heaters range from 15A to 50A, but you're definitely covered, even with a 60A sub. But stay at 100A.

Here's why I don't think 100A in a garage is overkill.  The automotive world is changing so very fast. "Range anxiety" which used to stop the electric car industry dead in its tracks, is being alleviated from both ends: First, consumers are becoming much more aware of their actual driving patterns. And second, Tesla and others are making is making enroute recharging look stupid-easy. I do lots of transcon trips, and Tesla is at the point where I could recharge in the time I already stop for gas, bathroom, and meals. So EVs are happening, so having 50-80A of headroom in a garage panel is great, and can only help resale value.


The reason eaves have this open space is so that moisture doesn't build up in the attic and cause rot. Completely sealing them off is generally not a great idea.

Attic insulation generally goes on top of the ceiling surface -- the space between there and the roof will generally be outside of the temperature-controlled part of the house anyway. It shouldn't really matter if the attic itself gets too hot or too cold. The main issues are vermin and moisture. There are vents you can install, and wire mesh will help with the vermin.

If you want to insulate a larger space than foam can handle, there are things called foam backing rods you can buy to fill large gaps -- once you've inserted it, there will be a much smaller gap between the foam backing rod and the surfaces, which can be filled with spray-in foam.


Try Fancy Tapes. They sell a product called mirror tape.


Which elements should I buy for my hot water heater?

I agree with both above answers but don't jump into throwing parts at it, get an ohm meter and measure the resistance of the elements with the breaker off the conductor should be open to ground and have a low resistance end to end , sometimes both elements are good and the controllers are bad or 1 controller bad possibly just 1 bad element,  you might save quite a bit by checking things out. Longer elements at the same 4500 w is lower watt density if they will fit go long the last longer. Also don't forget about your anode it probably needs replacing.


Best way to keep a PEX run in an attic (above a foyer) from freezing?

You are definitely running a risk of freezing these lines in an unheated space. It is never wise to run water lines in an outside wall or above an insulated ceiling in an unheated space.

Perhaps you can do one of the following:

Run the lines under the floor in the basement (not unheated crawl space) where freezing will be much less likely.
Run the lines under the insulation in your ceiling next to the heated drywall. If you have to drill holes in ceiling joists, be sure they are at least 2 inches from ceiling to prevent accidental puncturing from drywall screws. Apply the insulation over the lines.
Thermostatically controlled heat tape can work, but be absolutely sure it is installed properly and if possible use a heat tape that you can use pipe insulation over. Not all heat tapes allow use of pipe insulation due to overheating of the PEX.
If you do have to run in this area, be sure there are no drafts that can come to bear on the tubing. Freezing is always faster if a cold draft blows on a water line.

I wish I had a foolproof method for you to use. Just be cautious, monitor the conditions and have a water shut off handy. Although PEX will handle a lot of freezing without bursting, a leak is going to be a very expensive fix and a mess to clean up. Good Luck


While you probably could, this wouldn't be a good way to try and match a color.  It would likely effect the setting performance of the concrete and you'd never match the color of the paint.  On top of everything else, it would be much more expensive than the alternatives - all you really need is the pigment and everything else that makes up the paint is essentially wasted.

For coloring concrete it is much better to use products that are specifically designed for this - either a concrete dye mixed into the concrete itself, or a concrete stain applied afterwards.


What are the options for filtering fresh air entering a building (especially outdoor air with wildfire smoke)?

Electrostatic air filters are awesome I had a large set n my last house on the air handler intake. Even when we could not see the mountain across the street the air quality inside the house was excellent.
I can say this as one of my granddaughters has severe asthma we normally leave the fan running 24/7 that system has a small make up air intake that enters the duct several feet prior to the grid. So a small amount of fresh air is being drawn in the home and filtered, during the bad smoke I had to clean the filter under a month because it was filthy but the entire time my grand daughter was inside she had no problems They stayed for over a month because prior to that she had been hospitalized.
I have seen portable electrostatic fans that do the same thing and these are less expensive than hepa filters because the filter needs to be changed and you can not just put a hepa filter in your air handler because of the pressure drop.
I have not used the passive filters Ecnerwal comments on but know customers that like them but they also need to be cleaned regularly and do not have alarms like the powered ones do when dirty (some start snapping some set off a buzzer) but the passive ones are much cheaper than a hepa or hardwired/ ducted electrostatic filter.
I would verify you have make up air on your air handler it is usually a small duct less than 4” on the intake side of the air handler some times located in the crawl space or attic and it can be as small as a 1” hole I would guess mine was dampened down to aprox 1” because we ran the fan 24/7.
@jxramos answer looks like a good one but since I did not see electrostatic I felt this should be covered the portable fan with electrostatic grid would be my suggestion for constant filtering or try the electrostatic if you keep your fan running we found it worked the best for our granddaughter 24/7.


Is it safe to have a wall wart plugged in to a receptacle in an attic?

Use POE (Power over Ethernet), check to see if the router supports it directly, otherwise get a power injector and pickup (Cisco Linksys for example, has them available to power their wireless/router or WAP products).

This was the easiest to use a wireless bridge between two buildings where the antenna would be located 50' from the computers that needed the link and the inside Ethernet switch respectively.

This keeps the 120VAC wallwart out of the attic and exposure to excess heat and converts the power transmission requirements to low voltage over the CAT-X Ethernet cable.


There is an expanding foam product made specially for injection into stud wall cavities. I don't think standard "spray foam" insulation is appropriate for injection into an enclosed cavity. Generally spray foam is applied to exposed surfaces. At any rate, in terms of the required personal protective equipment, you should be able to get a hold of a MSDS (material safety data sheet) for the product you are considering, either from the vendor or from the manufacturer. It will list the required personal protective equipment. This may vary from one type of foam to another.

For enclosed walls, you might consider blown-in cellulose insulation. This is a common choice for retrofit applications.


What would cause this dishwasher diffuser part to repeatedly fail?

Look for an imbalance in the wash arm (or whatever it is) that rides on he axle. check that all the jets are clear and flowing propperly etc.


How many 14/2 romex cables can I put in a 1/2 pvc conduit?

Use individual THWNs here instead, or else prepare to face the full wrath of the fill rules (and the electrician that comes over to rescue your pull job!)

A 1/2" schedule 80 PVC conduit has 56mm2 of usable fill for individual wires, or 75mm2 of usable fill for a single wire or cable.  A 14AWG THWN takes up about 6.3mm2 of fill; however, a multiconductor cable's fill is computed as if it were a round wire with a diameter equal to the major diameter (long dimension) of the cable (Note 9 from chapter 9 of the NEC):

  (9) A multiconductor cable, optical fiber cable, or flexible
  cord of two or more conductors shall be treated as a
  single conductor for calculating percentage conduit fill
  area. For cables that have elliptical cross sections, the
  cross-sectional area calculation shall be based on using
  the major diameter of the ellipse as a circle diameter.

As a result of this, given that a 14/2 UF cable has dimensions of 0.185" by 0.385", as per Encore Wire's specsheet, or 4.7mm by 9.8mm in handier units, we then get an effective fill area for a single 14/2 UF cable of just over 75mm2!

Given that a single 14AWG bare copper conductor for the EGC counts for 2.1mm2 of fill, you can get 4 hots and 4 neutrals (i.e. 4 circuits) + 1 EGC (which all 4 circuits can share) into your conduit without busting the 56mm2 fill limit and allowing the conductors to carry their full permitted 15A still due to the way the derate rules work.  Compare that to the 75mm2 UF cable not quite fitting down the conduit by Code, making you emit profanity all the way through the pull, while only providing a single circuit to wherever this is going.

(Of course, this conduit will let you run a bigger feeder there if you want multiple circuits at the destination, too -- you could get 3 10AWG THWNs + a bare 10AWG ground down there and power your 4 15A circuits from a subpanel that way, instead of stuffing more 14AWG wires down the conduit.)


Since tenants are involved, you'll need to do this right

If you were owner-occupying a zoned single-family dwelling, then taking shortcuts in the interest of expediency would be an acceptable way to get rough estimates of zone energy usage for your own uses.  However, you're not in that situation; you're dealing with tenants instead, which brings real estate leasing (landlord-tenant) law into the picture.  While state and local policies and attitudes towards submetering vary, your best bet to get AHJ (and tenant!) acceptance is to do this the right way from the start.

Fortunately, you aren't the first landlord to have this general idea, so prepackaged BTU metering systems are available, generally running about $700-$800 a zone for an Istec 4440 or a Badger 380.  These consist of a flowmeter with totalizer/register and two pre-harnessed temperature sensors for supply and return.  The meter is installed in one of the two pipes going to the unit (the Istec goes in the return line, while the Badger doesn't care), while the other temperature sensor is fitted in a thermowell in the other pipe.

From there, the two diverge.  The Badger 380 requires 12 or 24VAC or DC power (a standard 24VAC, 40VA HVAC control transformer should be ample, even for several meters, though), and has to be programmed using a Mini-USB cable and the supplied commissioning software, but once that's done, it not only can output simple pulses to an external totalizer, but can speak BACnet or Modbus over RS-485 to some sort of central monitoring system (anything from a Pi with an RS-485 hat, to a full-on BMS such as one'd find in a large building).  The Istec 4440 lacks the network connectivity support of the Badger 380, but has a built-in LCD register (something the Badger 380 lacks), and is battery-powered; it does support pulse outputs to an external totalizer, though.

Either way, you can get within a few % of accuracy here, which is about as good as you'll get without spending much, much more on high-accuracy flowmetering hardware, as ordinary water meters aren't rated for hot-water hydronic duty, and are only held to 1.5% accuracy by AWWA standards, anyway, just for flow.  Given that we're dealing with a derived parameter (BTUs) here, 2-3% accuracy is not unreasonable.

Other legal issues

While Maine landlord-tenant statutes, as far as I can tell, do not directly touch on submetering, they do have the fairly logical prohibition on a tenant paying for common area heating service without expressly and separately agreeing to do so.  To avoid running afoul of this, I would put a BTU meter on the commons area zone or zones as well; this way, you can apportion fuel costs fairly among all participants, with you, as the landlord, paying for commons area heating and each tenant paying for their own unit's space heat.

Also, you may need to provide heating cost information for the past year to your tenants on request with the note that space heating costs will be apportioned based on BTU usage, and presumably will note the presence of BTU metering on your Energy Efficiency Disclosure Form.  See 14 MRSC 6024 and 14 MSC 6030-C for details.  You'll want to talk to a lawyer about amending any written leases, too, and any written billing you may do.  I would at the very least make heating costs into a separate line item on the billing, or otherwise make it clear that they are not fixed, unlike the rest of the rent.


Pavers mortared to cement - how to grout joints

You can use cement based grout.
Cement based  has been used long prior to polymer grouts. I haven’t used polymer or epoxy grouts outside but they work great in the bathroom.
I have used addmix in my grout but I also use this in my mortar.


Lights lowering in the kitchen when turning on microwave oven: symptom of an unstable electric environment?

In the best case, this may be normal if the dimming is minor. That said, you should still consider changing your wiring so that lights are not on the same circuit as outlets. This is a common wiring practice to prevent lights from going out when an overloaded breaker trips.

The second best case is that your wiring is under capacity for your microwave and you should consider getting one or more dedicated circuits for your kitchen appliances. To determine this, you'd want to check the wattage on the microwave and other devices on the same breaker and see if they are using less than 80% of that breaker's capacity.

The worst case is that you have a failed (or failing) neutral. If that happens, you'll see voltage lower on the same circuit as the microwave, and increase on circuits that are on the other hot leg. To detect this, you'd want a voltage tester that's designed to measure household AC voltage and check the voltage at multiple outlets when the microwave is running vs off. If you see the voltage increase anywhere when the microwave is running, this is a sign of a bad neutral connection between the breaker panel and the electrical service and will likely require a visit from the power company to repair.


How long should electric furnace element last

If losing elements every year I would be concerned that overheat safetys are not functioning or the system is heating without air flow this is one thing that will shorten the life of the elements.
Looking at the parts breakdown for your unit there are limits on Each rack, my question would be is the company troubleshooting to root cause or just pulling the cold rack. The thermal safety switches would be much more likely to fail than these elements and be way cheaper to replace. Things that cause the safetys to fail, dirty air filters limiting the air flow causing them to cycle open cool and then close, these switches are reliable to prevent overheats but continual cycling will wear them out.
How long should the heating elements last ? I would say at least 20 years with proper air flow, I have seen them closer to 40 years old in several cases.
I would suggest that you make sure to change your air filter and make sure it is the type specific for your unit, a super high filter may reduce the air flow and cause early problems. Make sure your registers are open closing two many down can drop airflow and cause the same problems as dirty air filters. Last I would check the blower motor if belt driven it may be slipping, but at its age it probably needs oil in the bearings (every year) just a few drops usually there are ports at each end of the motor for this. Last next time a element fails I would want to test the element itself and the thermal safety with an ohm meter (power to the furnace turned off) the resistance on the safety should be very close to zero ohms, the resistance on the element will probably be 20 ohms or less I am not sure because the part number did not show the wattage, but the resistance will be below 100 ohms a bad element or safety will usually show open.these are the things I would check now for proper flow and later when one has failed you may discover they are replacing the rack where a $10 part is all that is needed.


What kind of valve is this and how do I disconnect it?

I have had good luck getting these fittings to release with an open end wrench. Slide a wrench the same size as the outside diameter of the tubing over the tubing. Then use it to push in the release collar. It works well in tight areas or where the fittings are close together. If you have to replace any tubing a clean cut is required to get a good seal.


How can I fix a door that doesn't close because it doesn't fit the frame?

If you're having the same problem I had, and it's a case of rubbing but the door could be forced closed (so it's just slightly off), I just made a note of where it was rubbing with a bit of crayon (wipes off easily), then took a small hand plane to shave down that area slightly.

Unfortunately, I also made the mistake of passing off the plane to my house mate, who wasn't familiar with its use, and he ended up taking a chunk off of his bedroom door.  I have no idea how he managed to do it.  So, for using a plane -- you want long strokes, and try to shave the door off -- if it gets caught and starts splitting the grain, stop, move back further, and then lightly shave down past where you had the problem.


How can I prevent water from leaking on an outlet?

I think the best way to prevent water issues would be to move the outlet and/or valves. If that is not preferable, at least ensure that the outlet is protected by a GFI, or install a GFI receptacle at that location. You could also use a weatherproof "in-use" cover. Keep a close eye on your hoses and valves and repair at first sign of leak. Turn those faucets off when you go on vacation.


Sheet material that does not adhere to wood glue

I have used wax paper over surfaces to keep it clean. Used tape over the shafts of bar clamps, small pieces of cellophane between blocks of wood that was clamped in place to keep faces of planks aligned while edge gluing.


I have had good luck using a crescent wrench when needing to bend “thin metal” close the jaws tight then the cresent wrench gives some leverage. The larger the wrench the more leverage large water pipe adjustable pliers would be another tool I would use


How can I remove these screws from a brick wall?

I believe that they are concrete sleeve anchors, something like these†. When you screw the nut on and tighten it down, it pulls the anchor in and tightens the expanding sleeve against the hole. With no nut, there's nothing threaded down in the hole so the threaded rod just spins.
I don't think you can pull those out, as the end in the wall is bigger than the sleeve that goes around the rest of the threaded rod - that's what causes the sleeve to expand.
To remove, I would think that you would have to pull it out as far as possible, cut it off, then push the remaining rod back into the wall and patch over it.
You might be able to put the washer and nut back on, tighten them down, cut off the exposed rod past the nut, then remove the nut and push the remaining rod back in. I'm not sure which method would enable you to cut the most rod off.

†Just a convenient link, no recommendation of the store or brand intended or implied.


When using a VPA (Variable-Pitch Connector) to connect roof rafters to a top plate, how and where do you install hurricane ties?

It depends. VPA’s have an uplift value and unless you live in an extreme high wind area, you probably don’t need an additional holddown.

As you can see from Simpson’s product load table, VPA’s have an uplift value of 255 lbs. for Douglas Fir / Southern Pine and 220 lbs. for Spruce and Hem-Fir. See here: https://www.strongtie.com/raftertowallconnectors_solidsawnlumberconnectors/vpa_connect/p/vpa

Likewise, a standard hurricane tie like H1 allows 480 for DF/SP and 420 for SPF, as seen here.

https://www.strongtie.com/hurricanetiesforplatedtruss_trusstiedowns/h-tsp_productgroup_wcc/p/h.tsp

If higher uplift loads are required, I’d use a “twist strap” with VPA’s.


How can I repair a cut in drywall and make the repair unoticable

Like any other drywall patch - there IS a raised area where the tape is. But you feather compound out 6-12" and there is no NOTICEABLE raised area, as the deviation from "exactly flat" is too small for the eye to see.

Tape with a 4" knife. Re-coat with an 8" knife. Finish with a 12" knife.


Concrete floor brick wall gap leaking severely (garage above basement)

I want to be your attorney. I think I could retire on this case and move to Hawaii.
There’s several issues: 1) the Building Code (and probably your zoning ordinances) require a “safe living space”, 2) you’re the renter not the landlord so you cannot make “improvements” without the landlord’s permission, 3) making repairs.

Having water “leak” into your living space is not only illegal, but it’s a health issue. The Code requires a safe environment for all habitable spaces. In addition, moisture leaking into your apartment can cause mold, fungus, etc. with long term effects.

However, I know some people have a difficult time finding adequate housing and you may not want to complain. (I have a friend in San Francisco and he has trouble finding adequate housing and would never complain unless the roof caved in.) However, I assure you leaking water into your apartment is a health hazard.
If you decide to pursue a claim, I’d notify your landlord in writing and contact your Building Department after 3 days notice to your landlord if he does not meet with you to decide on a course of action. Your landlord may terminate the lease and kick you out rather than spend money on fixing the problem.

Remember, you are the renter and need permission to do any repair. (Just for your own liability, I’d get permission in writing and itemize what you are going to do. If things go bad, the landlord could sue you for all sorts of repairs, etc. that you did and that you did not do and are not responsible for.)

Obviously you need to determine exactly where the leaks occur. I’d do that with a garden hose and soak each area until it leaks. Keep excess water vacuumed up and keep a journal with pictures of where it leaked.

The Code requires garage slabs to be sloped out so rain does not accumulate in the garage. This garage may be too old for that requirement to apply, but you could add a “topping slab” that slopes out the garage door, if the existing structure is suitable to add such a load. (You’ll need an architect or structural engineer to review.)
As a first attempt, I’d seal the joints with a two-part expansion joint compound and then seal (paint) the entire slab.
Yes, concrete is porous but it’s far more likely water is running through cracks, etc. than working it’s way through the slab.
Do not delay. Your health is at risk.


Make an hole at the center of a cylinder with a drill press

I'd create a channel out of wood blocks for the cylinder to lie in and pad it with a cloth. Something like this:

Image source and more info

Then I'd use an awl or nail set to create a divot in the surface of the acrylic. This will help prevent bit crawl, though a drill press usually takes care of that for you if you secure the work piece well.

Acrylic melts easily, so either drill fairly quickly or use a fluid bath for cooling.


Installing single receptacle for motor loads and not gfci protect

2014 NEC 210.8.A "All 125-volt, single phase 15- and 20-amp receptacles installed in the locations specified in 210.8.a.1 through 10 shal have GFCI for personal." (This means 5 MA trip on detected fault). #2 "Garages, and also accessory buildings that have a floor located at or below grade level not intended as habitable rooms and limited to storage areas, work areas, and areas of similar use."

This means all outlets in the garage require GFCI even ceiling mounted outlets for garage door openers. (My state exempts the dedicated outlet behind a freezer or a large piece of equipment not easily moved. All other outlets except an alarm system require GFCI protection).
For a Sump pump if you do not want GFCI protection get a 240V pump 120V pumps require GFCI even for a dedicated circuit.


Can I replace a window in a garage gable wall without adding a modern header?

A ridge board (as you've drawn it) isn't a beam. It's just a connection point and lateral bracing for the rafters, and (in the case of the overhang) support for the fly rafter. There's virtually no roof load transfer through the gable wall as the rafters and wall plates, which act as rafter ties, work as a truss system, just as they do in the middle of the building.

That said, modern standards would have at least a superficial header over the window to prevent sag in the wall. It's unlikely to be a problem if it hasn't already been, as the sheathing is acting as a shear beam, but since you're modifying the opening you'll probably put in a 2x6 or better U-header to meet modern standards.

Talk with your inspector. Even if (s)he calls for a 2x10 header, the cost is fairly minor, so it's worth doing right.


Gas oven goes "Thup" every 5 to 30 minutes. What to do?

RESOLUTION: WEAK IGNITER, NO DANGER.

I called in an appliance repair person.  The "Thup" sound was just the gas coming on. (I watched the gas igniting and heard the thup at the same time, several times.)  The repair person said the igniter was weak.  It took over 60 seconds for the igniter to ignite the gas when the oven was first turned on. The weak igniter was hot enough to light the gas, but the weakness caused the gas to go off.  When the gas went off, it stayed off for a short time (perhaps 15 sec), after which the gas came on again and ignited. This on-off-on  happened every 30 sec or so when the oven was first turned on.  After the oven was hot, the on-off happened very infrequently.  Probably the oven was operating properly after it was hot, going off when the target temperature was reached and going on when the temp dropped below that target.  The appliance repair person said there was no safety issue but sooner or later the weak igniter would not ignite the gas.  In any case, a new igniter solved the problem.  With the new igniter, the gas lit 30 sec after the oven was turned on and the on-off-on cycling was gone: the gas just stayed lit.

I do not know why a weak igniter would cause the gas to go off after was lit.  I would think that a heat sensor would detect the flame.  The repair person said there was no separate heat sensor.  So, it seems the igniter serves as the heat sensor also.


It is all glued together, it will need to be cut of at a given spot and glue a wall adapter on the remainder of the cut off piece.

Picture courtesy Home Depot

If the white pipe (PVC) is at least 1" beyond the face of the wall, and glue is not smeared over it to any major degree, the pipe can be cut just behind the black (ABS) connector. Clean up the square cut you give it, get rid of any burrs, add PVC primer and glue to the wall adapter and pipe, and join together, holding it in place for a short while , until the glue grabs.

If there is not enough room to get the 1" needed to glue on the wall adapter with the original escutcheon on, when you cut the pipe and remove the escutcheon, this should get you another 3/8" of pipe exposed. Then use a "bell escutcheon" to cover the wall adapter once you connect the sink p-trap.

Picture courtesy Signature Hardware

This means the ABS p trap is useless and a new p trap will need to be installed.

Wall adapters come in different sizes, make sure you get the right size, as well as the p trap.


Strategy to free up slot for a 50 amp 240 volt circuit

MWBC's and double-stuff

The worst danger to double-stuffing breakers is encountering a multi-wire branch circuit.  In that case, double-stuffing can overload the shared neutral.  However, I don't see any markings on your wires, so it appears they are installed in cable, and all your single-pole circuits are installed with their own /2 cable.  If that's so, then you have two multi-wire branch circuits in the box, already on 2-pole breakers where they belong, and I trust you'll keep them either on 2-pole or the inner 2-pole breaker of a quadplex.  These are

disposal --- dishwasher
kitchen receptacles #1 --- microwave oven & oven hood

Alien breakers

You have a Siemens panel, but you have Eaton "BR" breakers in the panel (the ones you consider candidates for replacement). Those are alien breakers and should be removed immediately. They may seem to snap in, but if you compare them to how a proper Siemens breaker snaps in, they feel different; that difference is the breaker not engaging properly to the bus stabs, which could cause arcing under load. That will destroy the bus stab, and now you'll have an 18 space panel.  So those BR breakers disappear - today.   And the guy who installed them isn't invited back.

What might've confused that guy is that Eaton does make a "CL" breaker line, specifically UL-classified to replace your Siemens Q115/Q120 breakers. However BR is not that line, note CL breakers are not classified for BR panels.  CL costs more and is much harder to find, so there's no earthly reason to go that way unless you have a high volume commercial account with an Eaton dealer (or want Eaton-only exotica like CLR "remote control" breakers).

This panel...

You are correct, AFCI breakers are not available in double-stuff. The most you could do is combine 2 circuits onto one AFCI, but it appears your existing AFCI breakers are heavily oversubscribed already, serving more than one room each.  Somebody really, really chintzed out on this panel, and is putting you to considerable inconvenience.  Well, I hope they really, really, really enjoyed that pizza (the one they bought with the savings on not getting a properly sized panel).

At your very first opportunity, you will want to install at least a 20 space subpanel, either here, or somewhere more convenient to your loads.   A proper house, especially one with 200A service, needs 40+ spaces.  There's always another load, and "I'm out of space, help" is a top question here.

Best plan going forward: option 1

I see a couple options. The first one is simpler/cheaper, but the second one prevents future problems.

Replace the three alien BR breakers with a Siemens QT type ("Q" Twin) Q2020 duplex breaker, and a Siemens Q115 one-pole.  That frees up one space, and gets you home for about $14.

Option 2

You know the problem where someone replaces a multi-wire branch circuit 2-pole with a duplex, and overloads the neutral?  This option has a big advantage: it heads that off.  This overstuff problem isn't going to go away, and somebody's going to come along and want to compress those big 2-pole breakers.  So we're pre-emptively double-stuffing the MWBCs so the next guy can't screw them up.

We'll use quadplex (Siemens calls them Triplex) breakers.  And by the way, MWBCs require common maintenance shutoff, so they must be on the inner 2-pole on a quadplex. The outer 2-pole won't do, even if they're handle-tied, because the handle-tie is too flimsy to assure common maintenance shutoff (and the labeling says so).

We replace the 15A 2-pole MWBC (Disposal/Dishwasher) with with a Q21515CT quadplex.  (15A singles and 15A inner 2-pole).  We are stuck doing this because this is the only quadplex readily available with 15A in the center.  That is where the MWBC goes.  The two outer 15A's are independent 1-poles.  Your panel has two singleton 15A circuits -- "Furnace" (which must be a separate breaker) and "Garage/GFCI".  Those move to the outer terminals of this quadplex.

Then, let's kill two birds with one stone.  Pre-emptively replace the "Kitchen#1/Micro-hood" MWBC 2-pole, in similar fashion, with a Q22020CT 20A-all-around breaker.  Then, likewise, move two 20A single circuits to the outer positions.  I would say go with what wires will reach.  This does one other useful thing -- frees up two real Siemens 20A breakers.  Those replace the alien BR breakers, which go on Craigslist unless you need them to fill empty holes.

This scenario will cost you about $40 plus some 12 AWG pigtails, because Mr. Snippy didn't do you any favors by nipping off the wires to barely what's needed to reach the breakers now.  Future note: Every circuit should have its hot and neutral both long enough to reach every breaker space in the panel.  Neutral for GFCI or AFCI.

This option will create some empty holes in your panel.  Slap any handy breaker in there, and don't connect it to anything, just put a sticker with a red X on the breaker. If it's a BR breaker, spray-paint the whole breaker red to deter people from using it.


I'd like to build my own garage Olympic lifting platform, but can it support a car?

Just build the platform as Chris Duffin did, make sure it is low enough so your auto's undercarriage will clear, and leave a couple channels/slots for your auto to pass through. You could make hinged lids that fold back down when the car is gone, giving you a continuous level platform surface. Keep it simple.


What stops water from stagnating in a gutter drain line that has a pop-up emitter?

I used a post hole digger and made a small leech pit right under the 90 on mine. Filled it with gravel and drilled a 3/8" hole in the bottom of the 90. After it rains the water can drain out and absorb into the dirt.


Where to add a c-wire on my Goodman furnace?

Where would be the best place to tap into?

whatever side of the transformer goes to Rh or Rc on the thermostat, the C (common) is the other side of the transformer.  From that other side of the transformer or tapping off the wire from that other side of transformer goes to the C terminal of your new thermostat.


old wiring inside wall gets voltage when shared switch is used - safe and to code?

Presuming that the new wire (the constant hot) run to the fan is up to code, capping off the old wires in the metal fan box is fine.

You might consider also wrapping the wire nuts with electrician's tape for good measure.


Electronic transformers designed for Halogen lamps will kill LEDs.

Electronic transformers are very simple switched mode power supplies. They "chop" the input 230 V/125 V sine wave in a way that will yield an average output voltage of 12 V. However, the peak voltage will be much higher and will eventually kill LEDs (that's no problem with Halogen lamps because they react more slowly). In addition, the chopped waveform may cause radio interference if the cables to the lamps are too long. The waveform may also be the reason why your voltage readings are off.

Instead of an electronic transformer designed for Halogen lamps, you should either use:

a conventional AC transformer (the heavy kind); or
an electronic DC transformer designed for LEDs.


Can exterior exhaust vents be stacked on top of one another?

Yes, it's acceptable by code. Make sure both have a backdraft damper (flap).


How to install recessed lights without bar hangers?

Sure, just rotate them 90° and attach them to a ceiling joist with nails or screws through the bracket where the bars used to go.

Of course then you have no adjustment for placement between joists.


Need to fix the grading of my backyard: remove the sod or turn it over?

I have not had a good experience with tilling an existing lawn. The existing grass does not get shredded completely but will form lumps that make for an uneven surface. Depending on how much top soil you have, you may bring out a lot of sand and rocks. Even a small electric tiller can go as deep as 6-8 inches. If your top soil is not at least 12 inches, it will be a long and labor-intensive process to get back your lawn without spreading additional screened loam.

What a landscaper will do with a bobcat (as I have just observed in my neighbor's yard) is

scrape off the sod and discard
try to salvage as much loam as possible and dump it on a pile that is out of the way
grade the land as desired
re-spread the loam, and add new loam if needed
reseed


What is this scissor-like accordion contraption called?

first image: foldable roller conveyer.
second image accordion barrier.
where to buy is off topic, try engineering suppliers.
If you just want to make the XXX part get some flat steel (or aluminium) bars with three holes in them  and some bolts...


How to move a garage opener switch and minimize damage to sheetrock

Because it is drywall, you can do pretty much as you suggest:

Enlarge the existing hole enough so that you can drill a hole through the stud
Cut a hole for the switch above the light switch box
Take the door switch off the cable and feed the cable through the stud
Use a coathanger/hook/other tool to catch the cable and pull it through the new hole
Reattach the switch and install into the wall
Plaster and smooth old hole
Paint as necessary

Job done.


Switched outlet still has some power when off

IMHO, it could be one of three things:

1) A feature of the lights. Some lights might have a "nightlight" feature.

2) Electromagnetic interference (EMI). Depending on how much electricity the lights require, and how dim they are, this might be possible. Especially if it's a half switched receptacle that was wired with a single 14-3 wire and the constant hot is powering the other half of the plug and something is plugged into it and drawing power while the switch is off... but I guess it could feasibly happen if the wires were just run next to other wires that are constantly powering something else. If this is the case, there's nothing wrong - it's just annoying

3) There's a small arc fault. I don't know how to verify this for sure because it might look just like EMI. These can go undetected for years and have the potential to start a fire. I've opened up walls before and found that half the 2x4 was burned away. I suggest doing whatever is cheapest and easiest first just in case the fault is in something easily replaceable (like replacing the switch and/or receptacle, or checking the receptacle with a volt meter). Or you could start with this just to make sure it's wired correctly (although I don't see how that could be the problem). But if you can't find it easily right away with those things, I'd install an AFCI on that circuit... and if that continues to trip, you know you have a serious problem, and it's time to call a professional electrician with equipment that can trace the wire and/or find the location of the fault.


Moved into an older home and found plastic sheeting was applied to cinder blocks in basement

The plastic will reduce the moisture, bare cinder block walls are almost always damp, there may be a drain tile at the base of the wall to take the moisture away, I would leave the plastic in place. I have rarely found dry cinder block basements so this will be something to watch. A dehumidifier will help dry things out and prevent mold growth. Making sure the gutters drain away from the home and the ground graded so any water drains away from the home will help to reduce chances of moisture making its way through the walls.


If it hasn't seen a lot of foot or car traffic yet, you can just sweep/vac to get it clean enough for the floor paint.  If it has any grime on it, then mopping and sucking up the water with a shop vac is the way to go.


what is this semicircular crank connector part called?

I used the phrase "replacement crank handles" in google and saw lots of places to visit.
One promising site lists handles like shown here:

Picture Source
A model EN 570.2-80-B3.0 sports a 3/8" bore hole and a lever length of 3.15". You may have to work out adapting the bore with a set screw or craft a D slot using epoxy.


I'd suggest you get yourself a "Door Lock Installation Kit"

With 2 different size hole saws and an adjustable jig I've found these to be reasonably fool-proof.


How much should you expect a painter to scrape off exterior of historic house?

At 100 years old, if you want all the paint removed it may become expensive due to the older paint probably contains lead...

It also depends on what you and the contractor agreed - they will usually say something like "remove loose and flaking paint" and paint...


Attaching a PTFE tube inside a bigger PTFE tube

I would put a metal sleeve inside the smaller tube then use hose clamps on the outer tube which should produce sufficient compression.

The disadvantage is that these tubes slide easily, but if the pressure is not too high then it will work.


Chandelier socket removal for arm replacement

That bracket is riveted on. You could drill it out, but you'll have no good way to reattach it to a new socket anyway. Often candelabra sockets come with pre-attached brackets like that (sometimes threaded for a pipe nipple, other times slotted for a screw - hard to say which that is). Best option would be to remove the whole thing together if possible and try to find a matching one at the hardware store (I know my local store has a good variety of such sockets with attached brackets from Servalite). You shouldn't need to drill out the rivet to remove the wiring.


Hot tub heater not working and making noise

The clicking noise sounds like a contactor or power relay. On the tubs I have worked on there has been a safety pressure switch on the pump, no pressure the switch opens and the heat contactor drops out. Other possible problems include a rusty contactor trying to pull in, loud buzz because it's not fully closing. I would check the pressure switch and look for a possible thermal overtemp switch also. Loose or corroded connections are quite possible also. So an inspection of the connections could also identify the problem. The contactor issue needs to be fixed but you can test the heater with the power off, measure the terminals with an ohm meter the value will probably be 10-30 ohms if it shows open it is bad. The resistance is based on the size of the heat element so it could be lower or higher but will probably be close to 10-30 ohms. I have bypassed both pressure switches and over temp switches to verify that is the problem but once solved never leave a safety bypassed.


LED bulb won’t work in a standard outside porch light fixture

Given the symptoms, I have to suspect that this fixture is wired with the bulbs in series, rather than with the bulbs in parallel.
So, two incandescents - operate happily if somewhat dim and yellow on half-voltage. Bulbs would last a long time and veer towards "bug light" yellow without the ugly yellow paintjob, so it's not unreasonable for a "porch light" fixture.
One LED one incandescent - adequate voltage for the LED, so little current you don't even notice the glow on the incandescent.
Two LEDs - half voltage, ain't nobody happy.
Diagnostic - one bulb, one empty socket - what happens?


Window casing and conversion from inch thick drywall to half inch

Your options are:

Use a second layer of 1/2" drywall to bring the wall flush to the
window;
Trim the window casing down by 1/2"; or
Use inch thick
trim on the window casing.

Personally I recommend #2 and would use what's called a Japanese saw:

or a multi-tool with a wood blade

to trim the casing down to be flush with the wall.


Why is a light switch is buzzing at audible volume?

There are a couple of possibilities: the most likely is that the switch is worn and should be replaced.  If the switch makes a good connection sometimes and a bad connection at other times, you would hear the noise only occasionally.

If your local laws allow you to do the work yourself, I think this would be an easy task.  The steps would be (at least in the US where I am):

turn off the circuit breaker;
remove the switch cover plate;
double-check that there's no voltage at the switch in both on and off positions;
unscrew the wires from the switch
screw the wires onto the new switch
reinstall the new switch and cover plate.

Another possibility, but much less likely, is that there's a loose connection between the switch and one of the wires.  The steps to fix this would be the same as for replacing the switch, but tighten the screws on the wires instead of removing the wires.


How to address drywall damage and wet grout from my Travertine tiled shower?

Without knowing how sever the water damage is inside the walls there is no way of telling exactly what will be required.

If, as it appears,  the whole tile job was  improperly installed on   drywall, ( Sheetrock ) not a proper waterproof substrate, then there could be significant mold, mildew ( as evidenced in the second photo ) and wood rot.  This would require completely gutting it and starting over.

You could spend many hours removing a re-grouting but that does not address the root of the problem. Water saturated drywall can not be left to "dry out" and mold inside the wall NEEDS to be removed.

If it has been happening for years than wood rot could be an issue. Any rotten wood will need to be accessed to see if it needs be replaced as well.

You could cut out the rotten drywall next to the tile and see if you can get some visuals from inside the wall,  A endoscope type camera may help, ( there are cheap-ish ones available for your phone. ) You will only be able to see inside that one stud cavity but it will give some more clues and allow air in the space.

Porous tile and grout will let water through so it is imperative that the substrate behind it is water proof.

The bottom line is there needs to be more exploratory assessment before a compressive plan can be formulated.


Good resources to learn about Home Automation

There's no definitive resource on the topic or at least I could not find one (and I spent couple of months heavily involved in HA during one of my projects).

Get started with the Wikipedia article on HA. This gives you overview of what is what and gives you a good starting point. Then proceed to familiarise yourself with technology out there like X10, UPB, Z-Wave, etc etc.

From there you will be able to start to judge the prices of different technologies as well as find resources on specific tech/protocol/brand which seems to be a little more common than broad scope resources. In terms of sourcing the components, eBay as always is a good starting point. I ordered a few things from New Zealand because availability here is shocking. Though always be aware of country differences (voltages, frequencies, etc.)

I hope this helps you to get started. And I will definitely keep an eye on answers here - maybe I have missed something too.


Toilet makes high pitch whine after flushing, but only in the middle of the night

In many areas water pressure is lower at night, to reduce leaks on the network. This will slow filling, and the valve might be 'dithering' at an awkward point, whereas under higher pressure it fills quickly enough to move over the awkward point quickly.


So I did not get any useful suggestion other than "test it first".   So after some test on new and old paint, I pulled the trigger on using it as porch "paint" and have been pleased with the final product...so far.

Of course not all sealer are the same as paint, but the latex/asphalt based, as it seems to me, is pretty close to paint. What I used is Latex-ite rubberized asphalt and sand mix from Home Depot.

To prepare the surface, I scraped loose paint, repaired rotted-wood, lightly sanded the entire porch, and applied a single coat of Zinsser 1-2-3 primer.  And this is what I learned after applying the sealant, mostly with an ordinary roller brush:

After about a weeks worth of foot traffic, it seems to hold up pretty well.  Of course the real test will be 1 or 2 yrs worth.
Applying it is different than with paint.  Whereas paint is tacky on contact, the asphalt suspension is not.  On smooth surfaces, the suspension just does NOT stick upon application. You can't use the squeegee method and roller brush works okay, but you really need a light touch: the heaviness of the suspension impedes the free rolling of the roller brush, and you end up pushing the suspension around. Even with a light-touch, the roller left a lot of bare patches that needed a second coat to conceal.  However, I can confirm that roller brush works well for that second coat, after first coat cures and the surface takes on some roughness.  Indeed, squeegee might also work as well, but I don't did not try it.
The upside to #2, however, is that clean-up is much easier
than with paint.  Whereas it was hard to clean primer that I spilled and let stand for as little as 5 mins, the asphalt was super easy to clean with rag and water, even after 30 mins.
The texture created during application really stays in place.  I
could see all the brush and roller strokers clearly after 24 hr cure
time--much more noticeable than with ordinary house paint.
Fortunately, I took the time to keep the strokes even and straight,
so the final product does not look messy.  More importantly, given
that texture was an desired feature for me, the end result--a very high-traction surface--is perfect.
Finally, the finish, like a driveway, is quite matte and black.
In low-light condition, it's like looking into a bottom-less abyss.
Ordinarily, this would be cool, but I do find dusty footprints to be
more noticeable in the bright light of day.   I don't know if its
the blackness that makes the dirt stand out or the roughness causing
more dirt to be left behind or both, but aesthetically, the use of
this product as porch paint could be an issue, especially with a
covered porch, with limited rain exposure.

With the exception of #5, so far I find the asphalt-latex sealer to be a resounding success.  I like the final finish and seeming durability.  Of course, there are porch paints designed specifically to achieve the same results, but I'm pleased with the use of driveway sealer as porch paint.

I look forward to seeing how it performs under and holds up to a cold winter: with salt and shovel use as well as heavier boot traffic.  Hopefully I will remember to update this post next summer.

UPDATE 11/3:  After a heavy flow of Halloween trick-or-treaters, the sealer held up well, albeit with lots of dirt due to surface roughness.

UPDATE 08/2018:  After a whole year, I can say the Latex-ite worked reasonably well.  It provided significant improvement in traction with snow and withstood foot traffic fairly well.   Where foot traffic is light or non-existence, the rubberized coating did extremely well.  Underfoot, however, it was mixed; that is it mostly stood up to wear and tear EXCEPT at the floorboard joints.  At the board seam, the coating crack and did exhibit additional wear from foot traffic. Presumably thermal expansion and the flex in the board was too much for the rubberized coating to withstand.  It is not obvious, on the other hand, that regular deck paint would have done better.    One regret I have is that while the coating did significantly improve traction with snow (which was the main objective), it made clearing the snow off the deck harder--residual thin coating of snow always remained after shoveling, cosmetic issue only.  I would presume that this is an unavoidable compromise with any textured deck coating.   In conclusion, after a year, I would say that functionally the latex/asphalt/sand mix worked fairly well as deck coating.

UPDATE 05/2020:   The drive sealer is still hanging on pretty good.  As noted before, it did not stand up to flex at floorboard joints, but else where, in high and low traffic areas, the sealer is still adhered to floor (to the primer layer).  The rough-texture is mostly worn in the high traffic areas, but coating still remains.


How can I attach a new drain to a drain pipe that's fallen away from the tub?

Yeah, you're in a spot of trouble. There's likely a nut around the flange of the waste pipe that you need to turn as you hold the drain flange in place.

If it's not possible to get behind the wall where the drain is, how about from below? Crawlspace / basement / first floor?

Even if you could get the threads started, you'd likely end up with leaks if you're spinning the drain flange- you want a thin bit of plumber's putty under the flange, and spinning the flange would likely lead to a broken seal and leaks.


So you need resistors with an ampacity comparable to incandescent lightbulbs... have you considered incandescent light bulbs? I know, but hear me out here - we run incandescent light bulbs at the extreme end of their tolerance for the sake maximizing luminous efficacy. Backing down on the voltage, even a little bit, significantly increases the durability of the bulb. At 90% voltage, you're talking somewhere around 4x life span, 16x at 80% voltage... at 50% voltage, the bulb may well survive longer than you. So if you wire two incandescent light bulbs in series, you have a very cheap, low ohm, high wattage resistor, with a good life span (as long as vibration is low).

How to turn this into a code approved solution is left as an exercise for the reader.


Window "brakes" - What are these things?

In many cases, repair of really old wood windows can be as or more expensive than replacement due to a variety of factors, one of which you have found--unavailability of off-the-shelf replacement parts. And after you're done, you still have leaky, single-glazed windows! I would only consider repairing these windows if they have architectural or historical value to the house. If they don't, you may be better served by replacing them with modern, well-sealed, energy-efficient windows, which come in wood if you like that look. You can even get windows that are wood on the inside and aluminum or fiberglass on the outside, which really improves their durability and reduces maintenance.


What can be sprayed over ceiling mastic?

Acrylic admix is a liquid additive formulated to increase bonding performance when mixed with joint compounds or texture when additional adhesion may be required or when applying over questionable surfaces. It seems to work for this purpose.


Why are all towel bars 24 inch? With studs being 16 inches apart - how do people mount them?

Drywall Anchors

I have had 100% success with drywall anchors but I am very careful about all aspects of the mounting hardware.  You have to design and execute your plan carefully to have success, otherwise they'll be vulnerable to pulling out as Michael Karas points out.  If you mess up any aspect of what I set out below, your anchors will probably pull out.  If, on the other hand, you get it right, the anchors will be stronger than the sheetrock.

Select a Towel Bar with Appropriate Mounting Plates

Select a towel bar where the mounting plate at each end has the following attributes:

holes for at least 4 fasteners - You can only expect about 50 lb pullout strength from each drywall anchor, but the pullout strengths add up.  So with 8 anchors altogether you end up with 400 lb pullout strength.
holes for 2 of the fasteners separated vertically by at least 1-1/4" - A towel bar is an overhung load so the tendency is for the top of the mounting plate to pull away from the drywall.  Fasteners near the top and bottom will prevent gaps from forming between the mounting plate and the drywall when the towel rack is under load.  You want a tight fit between the mounting plate and drywall because you need to at all times maximize the surface area in contact between the mounting plate and drywall.  Drywall fails when it is subject to pressure (ie. force per unit area) above a certain, rather small threshold.  Keeping the full area of the mounting plate in contact with the drywall at all times spreads the load over the widest possible area.  Area is the denominator for pressure (i.e. P=F/A) so maximum area minimizes the pressure.
solid flat-back mounting plate that encompasses at least a 2" round circular area - A flat back and large area minimizes the pressure on any single point on the drywall which is good for the reasons in the previous bullet.

This is an example of a good mounting plate (installation guide):

Note the flat, solid mounting plate and four-hole bolt pattern.

Select Studs or Pristine Areas of Sheetrock for Mount Points

Areas of sheetrock that are in any way damaged (from installation or otherwise) will reduce the pullout strength of the anchors dramatically.  I use a power drill with a 1/16" drill bit to test how sound an area of sheetrock is.  With a little practice you should be able to detect the difference between seams, drywall mud, studs, and pristine sheet rock.  In general you want to avoid the following areas for mount points:

anywhere within 4" of any edge of a piece of sheet rock including seams and corners
anywhere within 2" of a stud - There's a good chance there are drywall screws near that spot on the stud and drywall screws damage the sheetrock in about a 1" radius around the screw head.  On the other hand, if you can put the fasteners right into the stud, that is likely a better solution than anchors for that end of the towel bar.
anywhere there isn't enough clearance for the anchor and screw behind the drywall - The risk here is that the end of the anchor or screw contact a hard object (like an electrical box or concrete) and the anchor or screw acts as a jack against that object.  That will certainly cause that anchor to fail because you will immediately exceed the holding strength of the anchor when the jacking starts.

Select Quality Deep Thread Screw-Type Anchors

Forget about toggle anchors: The toggles are so bulky and the bolt patterns so crowded that the toggles will usually interfere with one another and whatever happens to be behind the drywall.

Sheetrock only has strength because the gypsum is under compression.  The gypsum is under compression only insofar the paper (yes the outside of drywall is paper) retains its tensile strength and gypsum does not leak out.  These anchors, used correctly, work without compromising these critical aspects of the sheetrock:

Note how the anchor's threads achieve a large contact area with the gypsum and have deep threads.  Note also how the head and barrel of the anchor seal against the paper to keep the gypsum in.

When these anchors are installed correctly they do two critical things to preserve the integrity of the sheetrock:

They stretch the paper around the barrel preserving the paper's tensile strength.
Their barrels displace the gypsum slightly into the surround area thereby preserving or slightly increasing the compression of the gypsum.

If your method of installing the anchors doesn't achieve these critical things, you need to re-think your approach because the anchors won't hold.

For reference, here is the data on the anchors I use (I got them from Home Depot):

Note the table of shear and pullout strengths -- these are quality engineered anchors.  Installed correctly, they have real usable anchor strength.

You have to get your layout perfect, the first time.

You need to get your layout perfect the first time.  You cannot undo a hole, or move an anchor 1/4" to the right or left.  Once you put an anchor in the drywall you must leave it in there if there are other anchors anywhere nearby.  Otherwise the sheetrock in that area will be forever weakened and your other anchors' pullout strength will be severely weakened.  You can easily sink an anchor into the paper and float mud and paint over it.  You can't however move the location of an anchor once you have drilled for it.  Here is my advice for layout:

  Measure, check, measure, dryfit, measure, check for level, check what's behind the drywall, go for coffee, check it again, dryfit again, check for level again, and then repeat.  You must be absolutely sure your layout is correct before you drill your first hole.

Pilot Drill at 75% the Barrel Diameter

Forget what it says on the box of anchors about self-drilling.  You must pilot drill every anchor hole.  No exceptions.  Without a pilot hole, the anchor tips will do two things that are terrible:

tear the paper - This undermines the tensile strength of the sheetrock in the surround area.  If you do this, you no longer have sheetrock in that area. You just have a bunch of paper and dust.
wander - It is critical that your anchors line up with the hole pattern of the mounting plates (which you carefully layed out, right?).  If the anchor and hole patterns don't line up well enough, the anchors and mounting plate will fight one another, the shear strength of one or more of the anchors will be exceeded and those anchors will no longer have much holding strength.  Without a pilot hole, the anchors will wander before they start to penetrate, and you are basically guaranteeing anchor failure because the anchor pattern won't match the hole pattern.

The pilot drill should be sized at about 75% the barrel diameter.  This will result in the right amount of gypsum displacement and will stretch the paper around the barrel for a tight fit without tearing it.

Set the Anchor with a Slow Drill set to a Low-Torque Clutch

This point is extremely important.  If you overtighten the anchor into the sheetrock, the anchor will fail.  If the axis of the anchor changes as it is screwed into the sheetrock, the anchor will fail.  The only reliable method I have found for setting the anchors into sheetrock is with a decent variable-speed cordless drill starting with the following settings:

low gear
lowest torque clutch setting

Do not use an impact driver.

The reasons I use a drill are as follows:

you reliably can apply torque and stay on axis - As you screw the anchor into the dry wall it is critical to keep the axis of the anchor perfectly still.  Until the anchor is set all the way into the sheetrock, the gypsum is surprisingly vulnerable to damage.  Even the slightest change in angle caused by the driving tool while the anchor is being screwed into the wall will cause the gypsum around the anchor threads to turn from its semi-solid form into a powder.  When that happens, the strength of the drywall anchor is reduced.
you can drive rather quickly which reduces risk of damage - Once you have the clutch set to the right setting, you can set an anchor in one or two seconds.  This speed is an advantage because while the anchor is screwed part-way into the sheetrock, it is very vulnerable to damaging the surrounding sheetrock and undermining its strength once set.  With the speed of a properly-setup drill, you reduce this risk simply by getting through the vulnerable stage quicker.  You only have to hold the drill perfectly on-axis for seconds (see previous bullet).

Start twisting the anchor into the pilot hole with the drill.  Make sure you keep the axis of the drill completely still.  If the clutch is slipping, increase the torque setting just enough that the anchor advances into the wall.  Stop as soon as the head of the anchor makes contact with the paper.  The clutch should slip just as the anchor this occurs.  You might have to adjust the clutch to get this right.  The head and paper should be snug when you are done.  Do not overtighten.  Do not back out.  Doing either will almost certainly result in tearing the paper or losing some gypsum which will cause your anchor to fail.

Use the screws that came with the anchors.

The anchors and screws that go into the anchors are engineered to work together.  Don't try to substitute.  Their length and thread profile must be correct for the anchors to work correctly.

Assemble the towel bar to the mounting plates.

Once the mounting plates are installed in the correct position, the rest is just a matter of following the manufacturer's directions to assemble the towel bar.

Here is what one of my installations look like:

Note that even though the towel bar is overhung about 6", the mounting is plenty strong enough.  People knock their elbows on it and grab it to steady themselves without a problem.  This works because the load is distributed across 8 correctly-installed anchors for a combined pull-out strength of about 640 lbs and a shear strength of about 960 lbs.  At that strength, the weakness is the sheetrock itself, not the anchors.  In other words, to break this mounting you'd have to apply enough force to tear a whole section of sheetrock off the wall.


Fix blinking LEDs with a motion sensor (when off)

This is common with sensors that are not listed for use with LED’s
The sensor is drawing a tiny amount of power to power the electronics, this s just enough to cause a glow and sometimes flashing. You have 2 options use higher wattage lamps like you have tried to prove the sensor was working OR find an LED compatible sensor. I use motion sensors that work with LED’s you will find many of the led type need a neutral so they power the electronics with out drawing current through the lamps this is causing the flashing.


Depending on the year built this could have been a totally coda compliant multi wire branch circuit. The red being 1 leg and the black being a second leg with the white neutral common to both circuits. In the past the breakers did not require handle ties for the last few code cycles this has been a requirement. Some electricians will split the hot tab on an outlet and wire the top outlet in kitchens with 1 leg and the bottom on the second . others would wire every other outlet with 1. Then the other on the next. All of this was up to code and before the late 70's gfci's were not required. Installing GFCI'S on multi wire branch circuit can be problematic.


What does that mean if my LED light bulb starts blinking when I turned it on?

I called Philips about this issue.   They said that it indicates that the bulb is broken and needs to be replaced.  Some LED bulbs have enough electronics in them that they are able to have diagnostic circuits and to report errors in this manner.


How can I conceal an over-the-range microwave?

You used to be able to buy microwaves that you could apply cabinet facing to, but a quick google search doesn't show any examples.

There are a number of ways to put a cabinet door over a microwave, and it looks like the following would probably suit your needs best:

http://www.houzz.com/hidden-microwave

There is cabinet hardware that lifts the cabinet door out and up, so if properly mounted you can have the bottom venting portion of the microwave open for the stove, and cover the rest of the microwave with the same cabinet facing you have in the kitchen.  You just lift it up to access the microwave.


IME the half-second delay is typical of many LED Dimmers. It's unlikely that a higher wattage will help, but a different brand might. You already have 150W (I'm hoping you are giving the LED wattage here) connected to 10W and 30W LED respectively. In fact, you may be running into an issue specific the LED dimmers, which is that many of them don't work well without a certain minimum wattage connected. I need at least 4 9W fixtures for the dimmers I currently have; on a switch, the LEDs turn on instantly, and on a dimmer they have that annoying delay.

If a contractor, not you, did the job, the contractor should fix it.

The "lowest dimming level" can be adjusted, normally, and should be so that all lamps are on. The highest is also normally adjustable. THose will be covered in the dimmer documentation, as will the issue of a minimum wattage, if that is applicable.


Without knowing more details, any advice is going to be very generic.

Preventing Energy Loss

Look into weather sealing, if you find windows or doors that are drafty
Add attic insulation if you don't already have it (or increase the amount if you are able)
Upgrade to double-pane windows with Low-E coatings to minimize heat loss in winter and heat gain in the summer
Fix leaky faucets
Turn off lights, power strips, appliances, etc. when not being used to minimize vampire-draw
Adjust refrigerator temperature to energy-optimal settings

In general, if you can minimize energy loss, you can decrease your costs. Energy that (literally) goes out the window is basically money that (figuratively) goes out the window.

Decrease Usage

Turn down water heater temperature
Turn down thermostat (and potentially use heated blankets or space heaters for comfort)

Consider using less energy in general. Most water heaters are set far higher than is really needed. While they are typically well insulated, it still leads to greater standby loss and somewhat greater distribution loss.

Increasing Efficiency

Upgrade your water heater to a heat pump model
Upgrade your heating/cooling systems to a ground-source heat pump
Upgrade your appliances to Energy Star appliances
Look into waste-heat recovery systems (such as Drain Water Heat Recovery)

The Energy Factor of an appliance is (essentially) a rating of its efficiency. Look for appliances with >.9EF, which typically means condensing water heaters/furnaces, heat pumps (see below), and better insulated refrigerators/ovens. If you pay for 100% of your electricity, it would be nice to utilize 100% of it (or more, see below).

A quick note about heat pumps, under most conditions they are able to provide greater thermal efficiency (denoted by the Coefficient of Performance) than pure electric resistance heating. This is because a resistance heater generates 1W of heat for every  1W of electric power provided. A heat pump, on the other hand, is able to deliver more than 1W for every 1W of electric power (often ~3) because it takes heat that already exists and simply moves it to where you need it.

The downside to some heat pumps is the minimum operating temperature may be higher than the low temps you experience in winter. In that case, you will need a secondary heat source (like an electric resistance heater or natural gas furnace).

Lowering Costs

Investigate alternative rate plans, such as time of use
Consider investing in solar panels

ETOU (as they are known here) plans change the electricity rate based on when you use the energy. Sticking to off-peak hours means you'll pay less and your utility likes you more for reducing peak demand.

Solar, while--potentially--a big investment, can potentially take you off-the-grid. Furthermore, you might even be able to sell electricity back to the utility for money, if you generate enough. Buying the panels, batteries, inverters, and related equipment is expensive, but many providers offer lease, loan, and PPA (where they act as your utility) options as well, which could mean no money up-front.


What can I do about an old steam baseboard heating valve that wont turn?

As a temporary solution you could cover the radiator with blankets or clothing to limit the amount of heat dissipation into the room. Don't worry, hot water/steam heating systems do not get hot enough to ignite combustible materials.

If you cannot get the valve repaired or replaced, then you may want to pick up some foam insulation boards and duct tape from a builder's supply store. You can cut the foam with a sharp razor knife to form a 3-sided box that would fit over the radiator. Then just duct tape the edges of the foam box and it should set in place against the wall. Adjust the distance the box is from the wall for regulating the heat in the room.


What is this white powder on my foundation?

Looks like effloresence to me, which itself is not harmful, but possibly a symptom, mainly of water movement; I would check perimeter walls for further signs of water infiltration, and make sure water movement outside is properly being handled, i.e. gutters, grading.


SInce you know hot water is making it to the 2nd floor, there are pretty much two possibilties.  One, as TPE suggested, is that you have a thermostatic shower valve that's not working -- or even a mixer valve that isn't opening on the hot-water side.  The other is that the shower is on a separate hot-water feed line from the sinks, and that this line is kinked, or has a cut-off valve somewhere that is shut or jammed (or is just letting a trickle of hot water through.

I fear that without being on-site none of us can tell what your plumbing "map" is.  My usual advice is to ask your friends who they have used and recommend for plumbing work, and explain in the same detail as you did here what's wrong.


You have a ventless gas heater problem. I would strongly suggest using a vented (preferably
"sealed combustion" with an outside air intake as well as an exhaust) rather than a ventless heater which dumps combustion byproducts, including a great deal of water vapor into your living space.

You can set a dehumidifer at 50%, and it will probably help, if it keeps up with the problem (i.e has adequate capacity), but it's treating the effect, rather than the cause.

Or use a cold-climate air-air mini-split heat pump, which may be cost competitive with gas heat depending on your local gas and electric rates, and which also will not dump water into your air.


Damaged oven plug, possible unsafe installation

Replace your socket if my memory serves me right European wiring - Brown is your hot and blue is your neutral. Your socket looks heavily damaged and will cause you problems even with a new plug - it is a safety hazard. The resistance at that point is higher than it should be (think HEAT - melting eventual falling apart - loose hanging moving unshielded wires..).

I am not familiar enough with European codes to state whether you can plug it into a wall socket - the current carrying capacity of the wall socket wiring  might be lower than your dedicated oven socket. If that is the case you will burn your house wiring and possibly burn your house down.

Replace your socket - it is not that difficult - but by all means TURN OFF ANY CIRCUIT BREAKERS or REMOVE FUSES that supply power to that Circuit. Test with a volt meter first to verify no power. Even when power is removed: use the one hand rule and work on the circuit as if it is LIVE!


Trying to plan a pressure-tank + air compressor for raising home water pressure

Offer, I do not know of a regulator that will do what you want but it could be done with solenoid valves.
You discuss a 200L pressure tank this is 52.8 gallons
Even with low flow shower heads that’s not much shower time. my wife 3 daughters, 6 granddaughters would think that is just about right for 1 shower.
(A 2.5 gallon shower head for ~20 minutes).
You state that electricity is not reliable, but air compressors also use electricity and as someone that has cheap small volume air compressors to high volume compressors these are energy hogs they are not an efficient way to boost your pressure.
A pressure tank is usually used to provide a buffer to the system and reduce the start cycles on the pump.
It is obvious you do not want to hear this advice and I will accept the down votes but air over water in a dynamic system will be more costly and more prone to failure.
Just as an example I can give dozens of water pump designs used in hundreds of millions of homes but not one example like yours.
Could your idea work, sure it could, but it would require an air compressor and solenoid valves to control the tank pressure for a very limited amount of water between recharge cycles.
A small pump 1/2 horse power possibly smaller could provide the flow & pressure from a holding tank. This is what people in the US do when they have low flow water wells, they pump into a open cistern or tank not pressurized, a pump at the tank pressurizes the system usually comprised of a small pressure tank to reduce the start cycles. A large plastic tank to hold water is not very expensive.
I live in a zone that has abundant ground water. There are some areas that the water is deep or they don’t have a good flow so a holding tank or cistern is used not air over water.
It is a good question and I up vote it for that but I do not think it is economically viable.


If the shower has not been used for a long time, the water in the P-trap under the drain  will evaporate, so you no longer have a seal against the sewer lines. So anything else that drains into the sewer will make sound that can now come back through that shower drain. That by the way would also be letting sewer gasses back into your house, which is not good. Pour some water into that shower and see if the sound goes away.


Are Porter Cable 20v and 20v Max batteries interchangeable?

You'll need to check your battery model against page 8 of the compatibility chart.


Perfectly fine to drill through a baseboard.

I would drill a pilot hole from the side that still has the shorter-baseboard. That gets you lined up without worrying about splitting the new baseboard or pushing it away from the wall. Then drill the full-size hole from the taller-baseboard side, centered on the pilot hole.


Why does my heater have a weak flame after restarting?

The thermostat should turn the system on and off. If you are having problems with intermittent flame you may have moisture in your line. I usually install drip legs after the shutoff valve prior to the furnace, water heater or range this traps the water. A drip leg is a T with a short section of pipe going straight down that is capped. This leg catches rust, and moisture. 1 drop of water in a gas valve can cause problems so I would check to see if you have a drip leg and if so shut the gas off and clean it. If you don't install one. I have had homes that had horrible moisture problems in gas lines and others that had almost no problems. Since you have thrown all those parts at it I would be looking at moisture as the possible cause.


Help identifying thermostatic mixer (shower temperature control)

After shutting off the water, try adjusting the knob to the open position to see if there's a hidden screw.  Otherwise, there may be a cap that just pops off with the right pressure and often with the careful use of a blade (I usually try with a putty knife first before moving down to sharper tools).


The mirror is too heavy to hang from the wall.

No, its not.  You can hang 300+ lbs on a wall.  Find the center line of a stud and use the proper fastener.

Even without a stud, a couple high quality dry wall anchors would hold up 50 lbs easily.

  It seems a more uncommon setting than I thought.

Because it's a good way to break the mirror.


Why won't my pilot light stay lit on my hot water heater?

Here are a few things to consider, from a Reliance water heater Installation Instructions and Use & Care Guide.

  Safety Shut-off
  This water heater is designed to automatically shut-off in  the event of the following:

  The pilot flame is extinguished for any reason.
  The water temperature exceeds 195°F (91°C).
  Excessive build up of dust on the base ring filter or  flame arrestor. See Maintenance of your Water Heater  Section.
  The ignition of flammable vapors.

  A thermocouple is used to determine if a pilot flame is  present, and will shut off the gas supply to the main  burner and the pilot if the flame is absent. This unit is  also equipped with a thermal switch, designed to shut off  the gas supply in the event the water heater has been  exposed to flammable vapors (e.g., spilled gasoline),  poor combustion caused by a blocked vent or insufficient  combustion air. If the thermal switch opens:

  Check the flame-arrestor for signs of high temperature  (blue or black discoloration). See Figure 29.

  Click for larger view
  If there are signs of high temperature, inspect your installation for any problems with venting, combustion air supply and for a flammable vapor event (see "Pilot Light Troubleshooting Flow Chart" section). Correct any issues prior to resetting the thermal switch. If you suspect a flammable vapor incident has occurred, do not use this appliance. Immediately call a qualified technician to inspect the appliance. Water heaters subjected to a flammable vapors ignition will require replacement of the entire water heater.
  Reset the thermal switch by depressing the small button in the center of the thermal switch. Follow the Lighting Instructions found on the front of your water heater

  A high temperature limit switch or ECO (Energy Cut Off) in the tank is used to shut off the unit if the water temperature exceeds 195°F (91°C). The ECO is a single-use switch, which, if activated, requires complete replacement of the entire gas control valve/thermostat. If the ECO should activate, the water heater cannot be used until the gas control valve/thermostat is replaced by a qualified technician.  Contact your local dealer for service information.

Also make sure you check and clean the base-ring filter.

  External Inspection & Cleaning of the Base-Ring Filter

  At least annually check the base-ring filter (Figure 29)
  for any dust or debris that may have accumulated on
  the filter screen. NOTE: If the water heater is located
  in an area that is subjected to lint and dirt, it may be
  necessary to check the base-ring filter more frequently.
  Follow the Lighting Instructions to turn off the water
  heater and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before
  attempting to clean the base-ring filter.
  Use a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment to
  remove any dust or debris that may have accumulated
  on the filter. NOTE: If unable to inspect or clean the
  base-ring filter, follow the “Cleaning the Combustion
  Chamber and Flame-arrestor” instructions.
  After the base-ring filter has been cleaned, follow
  the Lighting Instructions to return the water heater to
  service.

The guide also has a pretty good troubleshooting section.

  Click for larger View

Make sure the unit has plenty of combustion air. Often after a flood in the basement, folks tend to shuffle things around. If things are stacked too closely to the appliances, the combustion air to appliances can be restricted.


Concrete walkway work - considered acceptable?

"Normal and acceptable" is subjective but should be thought about as being inversely proportional to how much you paid for the work.

The form boards need to stay in place until the concrete has set sufficiently to hold the vertical surfaces from sagging; this takes awhile. A craftsman would stay on site, testing the set and removing the boards at the earliest opportunity, then finishing the areas where the form boards were. I have seen this done with a wet wood float, a wet steel trowel, a light spray and a broom; all depends on the desired finish.

For private homes it has been my experience that the rough work on your job is the exception, nice finish work is the norm. Remember the old adage- "You get what you pay for".


Installing a window unit in a metal window frame with two raised lips

My solution has been to build up the inner windowsill by temporarily affixing a 2x4 on top of it, and use that raised surface to mount the AC. Depending on the window hardware, you may be able to align this so the window can be closed normally when the AC isn't present, avoiding the need to dismount and remount the adaptation.

This could be made more attractive, of course. But an AC in the window usually means aesthetics aren't a primary concern.


Turns out it was the heating coil. I was able to test resistance with a multi-meter and saw that there was a broken circuit in one of the 3 legs of the heating coil. At first I crimped the broken end together, but later replaced the part.

Googling:

  test dryer heating element multimeter

will yield good results.


I figured out how this works, and thought I would add the info here for someone else. You don't control the heater directly with the thermostat, you have to add a 3 pole contactor to it, that has a 24 VAC coil, and switch the contactor coil with the thermostat. Basically you are cutting the mains power on and off to control it. I bought a 16 amp 4 pole Allen Bradley electro mechanical contactor with a 24 VAC coil. Possibly this is how all 3 phase powered furnaces run, I don't know.


main two pole 32 amp breaker tripping problem

Normal breakers (not GFCI/RCBO or AFCI) trip because you are drawing too much power.

If it sometimes trips when you turn it on, and sometimes doesn't, that means either you were using more power elsewhere on that circuit during the times it tripped, or it is right at the edge of what that circuit can handle and it drew more power than usual or was on for a longer time.  Or the breaker is defective.

A clamp on ammeter can tell you how much power is being draw on a particular circuit.  If you had an electrician out to fix this, why did they check for lose connections and then stop looking?


How should I remove the texture from the ceiling *without* tearing it out?

I have the same thing.  We used two methods:  1st we used a sander to lower the high points of the texture,  this is something you want to use as last resort.  After the sanding was finished I did a skim coat, then had to sand again to smooth the skim coat.  Super labor intensive.
The next room I just put up 3/8 drywall, took half the time.  It seems more practical to just give up a little space and hang drywall.


AC wire hanging out by itself in receptacle, safe?

To your question on the plugs, yes you can just stuff them into the hole and leave them there, there are no exposed wires (no more than any switch or receptacle would have anyway). If you are overly cautious you could put some electrical tape over them, but I didn't bother when I swapped mine out.

One thing to be aware of, many of these older "hard wired" smoke detectors would "talk" to other units on the same wires, so if one goes off, they all go off, but also they would learn what other units were on the connections. So when you remove only one of them then, you get the others eventually start "chirping" at you to tell you that one of their pals is not responding. So if you remove one, you should remove and replace them all.

Also, some local fire codes REQUIRE that you have hard wired smoke detectors with battery backup. While living in the house it's up to you, but when you go to sell the house some day (or you are a renter and move out), you may be required to replace them with hard wired versions again.


Can I run drainage pipe a short distance above the frost line

While I do not know the regulations in Michigan, drainage pipe does not need to be below the frost line in Ohio.

The most common way to connect drainage lines is to send them to the street. This puts the pipe at curb level. At the street, the pipe is 2 to 3 inches below the ground. At the house, the pipe is maybe a foot underground. The frost line in northern Ohio is similar to Michigan.

As long as the pipe sloap is enough to clear the pipe of standing water, you should be ok.


There is really only one product you should use on windows and door hinges, that is dry silicone spray.  Silicone will not remain wet, collect dirt or build up with every coat or application.  Spray the tracks liberally then wipe it gently with a soft cloth to distribute the product and remove access.  I think you will be pleased with how well it works and how long it lasts.


Probably by unhooking the opener, operating the door manually, noting were the problems are, and adjusting or lubricating or replacing bad rollers to restore smooth operation by hand, leading to smooth operation by opener.
If there are no problems, sticky spots, difficult areas of movement when operating by hand, the opener itself becomes suspect. Aside from checking it for needs in the lubrication and adjustment realm, that quickly bifurcates into

"replace the whole opener" (advantage - guaranteed item)
or

"start replacing parts" advantage - CAN be cheaper if the parts fix
the problem. Disadvantage - parts are often not returnable and may
not fix the problem, depending what the problem is, so there's a
potential for it to cost more if you end up needing to replace the
whole thing anyway.


Are these fibers in my drywall asbestos?

If that drywall job is more than 30 years old, it could have asbestos in it, but you wouldn't be able to see it - the fibers are too small.

Those fibers are probably fiberglass - added for strength.

Testing either way, causes no harm.


Can I run cable across the gap between floor joists?

As @George stated, running between joists is fine.  Just don't attach to the bottom of the joists.  That is not fine.
One finer point, by the way...make sure you drill your holes in your joists within the middle 1/3 of the joist.  Don't do it 1.5" from the bottom of the joist.


will any glue bond 2 long, bendable metal components

I'd screw it. I'm afraid that any glue that can flex would be too soft for the bond you're looking for, and any glue that would prevent flexing would lose it's bond if flexed.

Or have it welded.


Are there screwdrivers that can hold an M1 slotted screw during insertion without being magnetic?

I managed to solve my problem by buying as small a gripping screwdriver as I could find, and sanding it down to fit the slot on my M1 screw:

Thanks for your help.


This feels like the washing machine has a ground fault, where there's a connection between neutral and earth somewhere. See Why does my laundry machine trip the GFCI when I plug it in?

If so, this is something you need to deal with, as it makes using your washing machine unsafe.

(In that case, when the tester checks for ground, power goes into the earth pin, up the earth pin on the washer, out the neutral pin on the washer, and back into the panel, which looks a lot like a real ground.)

You can also test with a different three-pin device connected, and see if you still get a fake earth reading.

EDIT: since you tested with a GFCI, and it works, I'll take another look with the new information.

When you plug in the washer, the 3rd light comes on. The usual meaning for the third light is that there's a voltage difference between hot to ground, which means the ground is going somewhere. While it's possible there's a grounding wire somewhere that you missed, another interesting possibility is that the surface the washing machine rests on is acting as a ground. This is somewhat dependent on the surface and the actual construction of the washing machine, but if the washer feet are metal, and it's resting on concrete, there might be enough conductivity to give a ground reading. In that case, your tester is giving a correct result. (But you should still run a real earth wire.)