Just bought old house, only some plugs are grounded

Good you're asking now.  So much has changed in the last few years. (Really, no joke).

Why do we want grounds?

Grounding was a frantic attempt to solve several problems from human-made electricity.  At the time the only protective devices were overcurrent protection, in the form of fuses or breakers.

Wired "ground" is pegged to neutral and earth in one place. Neutral is the return for human-made electricity.  Earth is the return for natural electricity.

Arcing across loose connections or damaged wire causing house fires.  The hope was it would arc to ground instead, giving a very high-current path which trips the overcurrent device.
People being shocked by wayward current trying to return to source via water pipes or the earth.  Providing a very high-conductance path back to source should divert almost all fault current, and again hopefully trip the overcurrent device.

It helped with natural electricity too, which wanted to get back to its source which is earth.  External tower antennas were already grounded, but some lightning energy would make it down the signal wire to the radio or TV. It was discovered grounding those would help stop fires by giving lightning a good path back to its natural source.  The same applied when they found new electronics were vulnerable to shuffle-feet-on-carpet static electricity, now called ESD.

What changed

For shock hazards, GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor) aka RCD (Residual Current Device) became established over the last 30 years. This trips on differential currents.  In theory, all the current going down the hot should return on the neutral - currents should be equal.  If not, current is traveling a third path in what's called a ground fault. That could be through a human.  A

GFCI can only detect a fault in its zone of protection, which is all the premises wiring downstream of the GFCI.  Europe protects the whole house with one RCD, but uses a weak 30ma threshold - which will still allow you to be stunnned and then fall or drown. That's why America uses the 8ma threshold, one circuit at a time because 8ma is too sensitive for a whole house.

For fires from arcing faults, AFCI (Arc Fault Circuit Interruptor) have become affordable this decade.  They contain a small control computer which does acoustical analysis of the power line, listening for the telltale sounds of *arcing - if you've ever hooked up speakers while the stereo is on, you know the sounds.  Its zone of protection is all downstream wires and a little bit upstream (it can hear arcing nearby).

Electrical fires are the #5 cause of house fires and the #3 cause of fatal house fires.

GFCI and AFCI breakers (and even GFCI+AFCI Combos) can be had for any modern panel - not Pushmatics (handle those by adding a modern subpanel), FPE or Zinsco (both of which are dangerous and should be immediately replaced!)

Third and also important, in the 2014 NEC (effective 2015-16), they greatly liberalized the rules for retrofitting grounds.  Now you can run just a ground wire to almost anywhere that needs a ground.  Ground paths can be combined for all circuits out of a panel, as long as each point gets a thick enough ground path. Install the 10AWG backbone first to major appliances, then all the 12AWG grounds to the nearest 10AWG place, then 14s to the nearest 10 or 12.  What's new is they made it easy.

You cannot use building steel or water pipes or the grounding electrode system  for the grounding path, the destination is the ground bar in the panel.

 Problem                    Weak solution          Strong solution

 Human shock             Ground or 30ma GFCI          8ma GFCI
 Fires from arcing       Ground or 30ma GFCI            AFCI
 Lightning                        -                    Ground
 ESD                              -                    Ground

To protect your family

You can now see that burning all your money pulling new cables is the wrong thing to do, a waste of funds needed elsewhere.

AFCI+GFCI are the place to start.

It would be a waste of money to spend $40 on an AFCI breaker and then $20 on each of its six receptacles for GFCI+receptacle combo devices.  As discussed, GFCI's and AFCI's cast a "zone of protection" to all devices downstream on that circuit, including the wiring.  A $50 combo/dual-mode GFCI+AFCI breaker will protect all outlets on that circuit, including hardwired outlets. The outlets need to be marked "GFCI protected" and if applicable "No equipment ground". If you don't like the ugly stickers that come with GFCI devices, you may use your own marking methods, I like white P-touch labels on white covers.

GFCI "receptacle" combo devices are almost always installed wastefully, even by pros - wasting money and forfeiting protection that is available.  Don't use them unless you really bone up on how the "downstream protection" works, that is the essence of the devices.

Now if you have equipment that you want to protect from static electricity, you can retrofit grounds to that location.  Retrofitting grounds and fitting AFCI and/or GFCI are orthogonal and can be done independently without impacting each other.

The dryer and range

These should be on your "ground it" list because Code specifically allows a very ugly method of connecting dryers and ranges without a ground using the toxic NEMA 10 plugs: bootlegging ground from the neutral wire.  That's all grand until the neutral wire develops a flaw: when you turn on the dryer or open the oven door, it electrifies the chassis at 120V.  The correct fix is the modern NEMA 14 type plugs, and jumpering the dryer/range to separate neutral and ground.    A GFCI breaker will be an effective substitute, but expensive.


What is the allowable span of 2 stacked 6x6's?

I'm sure that will be fine.

The American Wood Council has a free load table table on their website.

If you assume a conservative 1400psi allowable bending stress, a single 6x6 with 12' span can support about 2000 lbs. So your double 6x6 can support at least 4000 lbs (possibly more if you do a good job bonding the two members together so that there's no slip between the faces).

If you have 3 swings, you should assume that each one is packed. Let's say each individual swing has 3 kids at 150 lbs each, for a total of 1350 lbs. [You want to design for the absolute worst case. I bet 3 kids can pile onto one swing.] So you're not that close to the swing limit. You could hang your car from those posts and still have a safe structure.

If you take a look at a swing set or jungle gym at a local park, I'm sure you'll find much skimpier designs.

While I'm quite confidant that your double 6x6s will properly support the bending caused by the kids, you should make sure the rest of the structure is adequate. You didn't ask about this in your question so maybe that means you have it all figured out, but you should be careful not to overlook:

The vertical supports. As Michael Karas says, there will be considerable lateral momentum from 3 kids swinging.
The connection between the horizontal piece and its supports. Especially since you seem to be designing this for use by active kids and not just toddlers, you want to make sure that the beam doesn't fall off the supports with a lot of synchronized swinging. Consider metal brackets (e.g. "hurricane ties") to strengthen that joint.
With 3 swings there will be a lot of momentum and I think you're going to want the whole swing set anchored to the ground. You definitely don't want the whole thing tipping over. Consider that a single 6x6x12' post weighs about 100 lbs. You don't want that falling on a kid.

EDIT: As The Evil Greebo points out in the comments below, the swinging motion will create additional force on the beam—as much as 3x the weight, if the kids can get up to 90˚. I'm still more than comfortable with the structure; while it's conceivable that three chubby kids could pile on a single swing, I seriously doubt they could all swing that high in unison.


How could one insulate sill plate from the outside?

Since all you need to do is keep out air here (not actually insulate it), and you need it to be durable to the elements and fauna, I'd suggest filling that gap with mortar or quick-setting concrete. Once it's fully sealed up on the exterior, you can go inside and seal up any remaining gap with Great Stuff or another kind of expanding spray foam, or even caulk if the gap is small enough.

If you want to go even farther and actually insulate the sill plate and band joists from the inside (a good idea), you can do as your first picture suggests and encapsulate them with even more spray foam, or you can cut pieces of rigid foam to the right size and caulk them into place so they're airtight. The point is that if you insulate the sill plate and rim joists, you need to make them completely airtight from interior air, which is moisture-bearing and can condense on them if you insulate them without cutting them off from interior air. Once you've 100% sealed them from interior air with spray foam or caulked rigid foam, you can fill the remainder of the space with cheaper mineral wool or fiberglass batt insulation. Use only unfaced batts.

Another thing to keep in mind. You mentioned that you feel a draft when the gas fireplace is on. Gas combustion consumes air, and that air has to come from somewhere. I'm guessing that your gas fireplace doesn't have its own ducted supply of combustion air, so the air is coming from inside the house, from the biggest nearby air leak--the one you're asking about. If you seal off that air leak (a good idea), the air will be pulled from somewhere else. If you seal off enough of these air leaks (a good idea), your gas fireplace may be starved of air and cause backdrafting of any other gas combustion appliances inside the house. This is very dangerous, but probably not something to worry about right now. However, keep in mind that the tighter you make your house, the more you will need to confront this challenge/danger. The fact of the matter is that gas appliances without ducted outside combustion air supply are not a very good match for being located inside tightly sealed houses.


Need help understanding thermostat/heater wiring

You are missing something.

The schematic you drew is a fairly ordinary wiring arrangement where multiple thermostats and heaters are daisy-chained off of one electrical circuit.

In your drawing, the circuit feeding into the box might be shown at the bottom.  The thermostat controlled circuit leaves on the top right to connect to the local heater, and the feed through to the next thermostat and heater in the chain leaves on the top left.

The next thermostat and heater in the chain may be in a different room entirely and have nothing in common with the local thermostat except it is fed from the same branch circuit.


Is 1/2 inch hardboard more durable than mdf for a table top?

ANYTHING is better than MDF for your project as it is a terrible material for furniture, especially custom made furniture.  Also you can't use a router on MDF - well you can but it will not turn out well.
So you can probably find pine, oak and cedar at big box.   All stronger than mdf, all suitable.   If you are painting, pine is my go to as you can cover it without seeing the grains.  (there are many many other choices of solid wood planks if you want to order or go to lumber yard.  I just answered the question in a wood that is reasonably easy to find.)


How do I prepare a chipped, peeling, deeply cracked wall for painting?

I am glad you want to learn to do this type of job yourself. Before you jump in let's answer a couple of other questions first. How old is this place? If it was build before 1978, then you must by Federal EPA Law in all non owner occupied rental apartments test the peeling paint for lead before any scraping or sanding can be done. Simple test kits can be purchased at most HI stores, however it is the owners responsibility to have these tests done. If the test is positive for lead, then the work MUST be done by a licensed EPA Renovator with the training and tools to remediate the lead hazard and dispose of the wastes. There are no exemptions to this law in rental units and failure of the landlord to comply carries a $10,000 fine.

Now let us assume no lead is present and you can proceed with the job. The first step is going to scrape off any and all loose paint. Using a 3 or 4 inch stiff putty knife, carefully remove as much old loose paint as possible. Applying new paint over an unstable base will lift the old paint as you roll it on and make a mess. If the surface is too rough and uneven, then a skim coat of drywall compound will be needed if the entire wall surface needs to be leveled.  If just small areas need leveling, then you can use spackle compound. If a complete skim coat is needed, the compound is best applied with a 12 inch knife about 1/16" thick over the entire wall. Smaller repairs with spackle can be done with a 4 or 6 inch knife.  After the compound has dried, it has to be sanded smooth. Use 150 grit paper on a large sanding block. Do this gentily to remove ridges and give an overall smooth finish.  You can go over it a second time if necessary with compound and finish sand with 220 grit to achieve a very smooth finish.  Once you are happy with the smoothness of the wall, then prime it with a drywall sealer/primer, not regular primer. After you seal/prime, but before you paint, check the surfaces and make minor touchups using lightweight spackle.

There are several other tricks of the trade to help make a full skim coat go easier. Mix the compound well, add a little extra water and some Ivory dish soap as you mix. The idea is to make the compound a little thinner so it will be easy to spread evenly and minimize the tiny air pockets/bubbles. The larger the knife or trowel you can use will make the job go faster and leave less ridges. Do not overwork the compound or try to work it if starts to dry.

At this point you will be wondering why you agreed to this big job, but it will look great. So finally you can get to work painting with your selected color.


Exterior door mounting plate - replacing door hardware

There are two reasons for these products - security and appearance. For security, you typically want something that also covers the gap between the edge of the door and the door frame, to prevent jimmying the lock, or something that covers front, back and side of the door to make it harder to get to the lock mechanism. But for appearance, all you need is a flat plate with holes in the right places.

Most of the products I found in a quick search with predrilled holes appear to be much shorter. If you can't find an exact match (holes in the right places and long enough to cover the desired area), get a plain plate:

and use a hole saw to drill holes where needed.


Reason for 2 cat5 cables to RJ11 Phone Jack?

There are multiple wires on the socket because it is a wired continuation on to the next RJ11 jack in another part of the house. In fact if you locate all the phone jacks in your house you will likely find them all connected together. The reason for this is because the wire set is capable of allowing for a landline phone to be moved from room to room OR for multiple phone sets to be installed.

You would not want to use this wiring for an Ethernet type connection. For that  you will need to pull new cables from each location where you want to have an RJ45 back to a central location where you would locate a network hub or switch. The ease or difficulty of getting the new wiring in place will depend a lot on how your house is constructed and to some degree on the locations that you intend to locate the RJ45 jacks.


I think I know what happened.

First, having red and gray for a second circuit is perfectly reasonable, I do it all the time in conduit.

Anyway.  I suspect the original circuit wiring had a plain duplex receptacle with both tabs broken off.  One socket was served by red and gray.  The other socket was served by black and white.  Why? Because he had 2 large loads he wanted to power -- table saw and dust collector, for instance.  But for whatever reason he wanted to git-r-dun on one duplex receptacle instead of two.

Mind you, in such a case, Code requires that the two circuits be on common maintenance shutoff, because both circuits are on the same yoke (i.e. Receptacle body). It is not required for them to have common trip, or be on opposite poles, but you'll get both as side-effects.

When he was selling the house, the home inspector did a walk-through and red flagged the lack of GFCI in that location.  He went to Home Depot, bought a $16 GFCI+receptacle combo device, noted the 4 screws on the receptacle, noted the 4 screws on the GFCI, and did the obvious.  Didn't work, he couldn't figure out what was wrong, and he just wanted to sell the house... so he gave up.  Inspector walked through, saw GFCI, approved.

Now if you don't care about GFCI, go back to the original plan.

If you don't care about the original plan, cap off the black & white and use the red & gray (or vice versa), attaching only to the LINE terminals and leaving the warning tape on the LOAD terminals.

If you do want the full use of both circuits, then:

if surface mounted, swap that box for a 2-gang deep (2-1/8") 4" or better a 4-11/16" square large box with appropriate 2-gang cover plate.
if flush mounted, get a Surface Conduit Starter Kit, and go off wherever you please (it can be 1 inch) and fit a surface box.  Extend the white/black to the surface box.
Alternately, use a plain 1-gang extension, a 1" or so nipple to a 4" or 4-11/16" square box.

Then you mount two GFCIs, using only the LINE terminals.  Red/gray to one, black/white to the other.


Gooey build up on sandpaper when sanding

Wood won't clog sandpaper that fast, so it has to be the finish, dirt/soil or a combination of both. Paint thinner or mineral spirits usually work well to get dirt and grease off of wood, and wont harm most finishes you want to put overtop.

60 grit on a table top is a very coarse grit, and I would pretty much never use a grit that coarse on an already smooth surface. It will take a long time to get those marks out with progressively smoother grits.

It sounds like its the finish or a combination of dirt and finish thats clogging your sandpaper.

You may want to consider using a paint/finish stripper to get down to the bare wood, then start with maybe a 120 or 150 grit and go up from there.


How to remove this brass collar from the pipe

Heat the brass collar with a propane torch. Insulate the tile and block the wall opening with heat proof material. Then twist (gently) while hot.


How strong can i expect wood glue to hold

Better wood glues make the claim that your joint will be stronger than the wood itself. That's to be taken with a grain of salt, as it really depends on the application. It's often true that a broken joint actually breaks off a layer of the wood rather than the glue itself.

In this case, if you glue the joint thoroughly I'd expect it to perform as expected, though the thickness of the side rails (and therefore the joint surface area) is a factor in ultimate strength. Unless the tray was dropped or otherwise impacted it will probably hold up well. That said, it might be wise to run a single small finish nail (with or without its head) through the joint to reinforce it. If you're going to stain it dark it's easy to hide something like that.


Fan in my furnace will not turn on in the manual position

It depends on how many wires your thermostat has.
If you only have 2 or 3 wires it is 100% normal for there to be No connection to turn on the fan.
If you have more then it would be common to have a fan connected to the thermostat.
It also depends on the model of Goodman some are only 2 wire units.
A bypass switch can be added at the furnace location quite easily I have done this many times.


8-3 copper is totally inappropriate for a normal branch circuit in the US. What kind of store has only 8-3 ?! Where are you located? Is this single phase two leg 240 & 120 V as in the US or 240 V single leg as in the UK?

For one thing 8 AWG  will not fit on the screws of ordinary receptacles sold in the US. #10 AWG will barely fit on receptacles at least in aluminum. I have 10-2 + gnd aluminum in my original 20-A cicuits. The 20-A circuits I added are all in copper 12-2 + gnd.

The most you should use in copper is 12-2 + ground  (12-3 + gnd to feed a split receptacle from two different breakers on different legs). If this is a 15-A circuit use either 14-2 + gnd or 12-2 + gnd, but the former is a lot easier to work with. If a 20-A circuit, then you must use 12-2 + gnd.


Can I use foil bubble insulation inside the house on exterior walls?

Although it is technically possible, doing so will be a waste of time and money. The radiant barrier itself is only effective if it is facing open space; if one side is touching the wall and the other is covered in fabric, then there is no benefit. The bubble wrap itself has an insulation value of maybe R-1, so it will offer very little insulation for the cost and effort required.

Even if you leave the foil exposed on the interior side, the added benefit is pretty small. There are very, very few scenarios where a radiant barrier provides cost effective insulation compared to traditional alternatives.

In your case, assuming you're in the US, I would recommend contacting your local  Weatherization Assistance Program. If you have a very limited income and a house with no insulation, it's likely you'll qualify to receive significant insulation improvements free of charge.


How should I attach a desk to a wall on one end?

If I understand what you're describing, I'd suggest using angle iron rather than L-brackets.  The attachment of the angle iron to the wall has to be strong, you'd want to hit at least two studs, use strong fasteners, washers, etc.  The attachment of the angle iron to the tabletop would depend on what material the tabletop is made of, but you'd want to use enough screws to make it secure.


When doing a line side tap, Can ground and neutral be tap before the main panel?

I gather the service panel is full, otherwise you'd just backfeed a 2-pole breaker there.
The junction box would have to be absolutely enormous because of the wire bending rules for such large feeder.
So how about killing 2 birds with 1 stone?  You might as well use a load center there instead of the junction box; not least, it comes with all the lugs you need and will provide the ground as well as breaker spaces for the solar and more.  Eliminating the need for all that stuff.  May even be cost-neutral or even cheaper.
For instance, I see plenty of 8-space panels with thru-lugs in the $140 neighborhood. At that point you install the solar breaker normally off a $10 breaker... and feed the old main panel off the thru-lugs.  You have also added 6 empty breaker spaces to the house for future needs, and taken care of picking up ground for the solar since this is now the main panel.


Is there a difference between Low-e Glass And Argon Gas?

Low-E windows are designed with material inside the glass or layered on it at the time of manufacture.

Argon Gas windows are multiple-pane windows that are air-tight with the gap between the panes filled with argon at assembly.

It is possible to get windows that are both at once. A Google search for Argon Windows brings up several links explaining Low-E windows and how Argon and Low-E are not the same.


How can I paint both sides of a door without waiting for each side to dry first?

Remember the saying, "Haste makes waste". I understand the convenience and speed of hanging the doors so you can paint both sides at once with a sprayer. However, if you are looking for a smooth professional finish without runs, orange peel and loss of the millwork detail, painting them while hanging vertically will will not give you good results with standard latex paints. Shooting latex is not like shooting auto lacquer paint.

When painting doors, gravity is your friend, thus they really should be laid down on horses or supports with sharp stand-offs and done one side at a time.  This minimizes dripping and runs and allows paint to level before drying.

Spraying only will give you a bit of an orange peel effect and possibly flood details. Unless you are really good and are using a high quality sprayer with the proper nozzle, the coverage will be uneven. Spraying is a great method of getting a lot of area covered quickly and fairly evenly. Even us pros will overbrush quickly after spraying with a super soft Purdy XTRA-Glide or equivalent brush. This allows you to get into the details, smooth the finish, spread excess paint, even out the coverage and eliminate the orange peel effect.

When spraying latex enamels, thin them with 15 to 20% Flotrol. This will help the paint spray more smoothly with less jams and spits. When you over brush, it will also help the paint level better and give you more working time before it starts to tack.

You can still hang the doors to dry after doing one side. this will save space. Wait about 15 mins after you over brush to hang them so they won't develop runs. Depending on temp and humidity, you may be able to lay them back down on some sharp pointed supports to do the other side in about 4 hours.
Depending on whether they are bare wood or pre-primed doors, count on at least two coats. If they are bare wood, you will have to add in a sanding, priming, sand again, then two coats of paint.


How to wire 3 separate switches to a single exhaust fan

The answer to your question depends on many exact details of your existing circumstances. Are you building anew, or are you modifying an existing construction? If modifying, do you have access to run new cables? Is power supplied at the fan location or must you draw power from one of the bathrooms?

The following diagram assumes power supplied at the fan location. In general, the wiring for such a shared fan should look something like this:

The idea is to distribute the always-hot from the service panel to all the switches, then collect the switched-hots and connect them to the hot side of the load. The neutral side of the load is connected to the neutral from the service panel.

The name for this kind of circuit is "multiple parallel switch loops".

If power is to be take from one of the switch locations, the circuit becomes slightly more complicated:

But the principle is the same -- always-hot to all the switches, switched-hots in parallel to the load, neutral to the load.

In any case, in most places, your electric code now requires neutral to be distributed to all switch locations.


The first thing to do is positively verify what is and what is not working. Plug the appliances in elsewhere to make sure the appliances are working. Plug in a known working lamp (or other simple device like a drill or a mixer) to every socket in the kitchen to test them. BTW, usually outlets are fused, not individual sockets in the outlet.

Let's assume that two of the outlets, both having two sockets, are completely off, having no power, and no circuit breakers are tripped. You write "fuse board". Do you really have fuses, not circuit breakers? This would have to be a very old house for that to be the case.

If you have two outlets without power and no tripped breakers, that is very bad because it indicates a potential wiring problem inside the walls. In this case I would strongly recommend getting an electrician, because you may be at risk of a fire and if there is a problem with old wiring in the walls, you will not be able to fix it yourself.


Can I terminate a ground wire to the neutral bus if the ground bus is full?

Mixing Grounded and Grounding
If this panel serves as the main disconnect, and the grounding and neutral bus bars are bonded. Then yes, you can terminate both grounded (neutral) and grounding conductors at the same bus bar.

Notice that the bus bars are bonded using a bonding strap.
Multiple Conductor Terminals
If the bus bar is able to accept multiple conductors under some or all of the terminal screws, it should be labeled as such either on the bar itself or in the panel documentation.  Terminating multiple conductors under a screw that is not rated for it, can cause bad connections, excess heating, damage to the conductors, etc.
Additional Bus Bars
Some panels are configured to allow additional bus bars to be installed. If your panel is one of them, you could install an additional bus bar and terminate extra conductors there.  Other panels may accommodate extended (longer/larger) bus bars, that can be installed in place of the existing bus bars.


Ceiling Fan w/remote, capped off red - but now dawn to dusk sensor on porch only stays on

Before you do anything else try resetting the wall switch for the porch light. When you turned off power to the fan (and the porch light) it probably affected the sensor setting. Check your instructions for resetting the sensor from your installation pamphlet or on-line.
The red wire in the fan is probably only part of the switch loop you're not using any longer.


Switched outlet needs to be on for an exterior light switch to work; how can I fix this?

You have the wrong wire identified as your always hot
The problem you have is that the last installer who was in the box made the same mistake and identified the incorrect wire as the always-hot for this circuit.  In particular, based on what happened when you moved the jumper to the other terminal on the switch for the receptacle, the wire pointed to by the red arrow in your pictures isn't the always-hot coming into the box, but the switched-hot going off to the receptacle. In turn, this makes the wire pointed to by the green arrow in your pictures the always-hot coming into the box.
So, you can fix this by undoing the wire nut on your pigtailing job, removing the wire from the top screw of the switch for the receptacle, nutting that wire in with your pigtails, and landing the wire you undid from the pigtailing job on the now-free top screw of the switch for the receptacle.  Once that's done, you can button the box up, turn the breaker on, and enjoy your lightswitches!


Ceiling Fan is hot 6' down, but lights nor fan comes on

Make sure you turn the fan on!  No seriously, it probably has a pull cord in addition to the switch that may not be obvious (plus a direction switch that might be stuck in the middle or something) You could always install a dummy load like a light bulb to test it


Once you have a weak layer of paint, adding strong layers won't help, as it will still crack and peel at that weak layer. I'd suggest waiting and seeing what happens; if it lasts as-is then you're good, if it starts peeling then you'll have a head start on removing it.


Installing bathroom exhaust fan: what to do with vapour barrier and insulation?

Check the directions/specifications of your exhaust fan, it should say if it is rated to have insulation next to or on top of it.

It would probably be a good idea to seal the vapour barrier back around the fan.


What is the purpose of a whole home surge suppressor?

A whole-house surge protector is used for the same reasons that you use the power-strip surge protectors with your computers and TVs - to protect that equipment from power surges. The benefit of a whole-house unit, though, is that it protects everything connected to your electrical panel - your furnace, AC, water heater (if electric), washing machine, as well as your computers and TVs. Newer appliances have a lot of internal electronics, and the cost of replacing a fried circuit board can exceed the cost of a new appliance, making the installation of a whole-house surge protector a very attractive value.

Be sure to read the fine print of any warranty the surge protector comes with, as it may require professional installation. Typically, these units come as a double-pole breaker and are usually installed as one of the first breakers in the panel. Some of them have also a piece that sits outside the panel, and are installed through a knockout in the panel.

A lot of people will tell you to continue using strip surge protectors for your consumer electronics, and there really is no harm. Most of us need the extra outlets provided by the power strip anyway.


Can I install a switch on my overhead door opener's circuit for added security?

Yes, a switch that shuts off power to the garage door opener would make it unresponsive to commands from a remote (or anything else, such as a hardwired button). In some models, it may be possible to wire a separate switch to disable only the remote receiver while maintaining the functionality of wired buttons.

You may also look into setting a new code for your opener - this may not help but you should at least ensure the current setting isn't simply the factory default.

Another option, aside from replacing the whole opener with a new model that is more secure, might be to get an aftermarket remote kit and replace the built-in remote system. These are wired like a button control, but come with their own remote receiver and transmitters.

An electrician or garage door specialist should be able to help you with these.


Getting various non-zero voltages between neutral and ground on daisy-chained extension cords

Keep in mind that voltage drop in the wire is totally load dependent; when you measure voltage without load at the end of long wires, you won't see much if any voltage drop.  If you use a splitter on the end of your chain of extension cords, and plug in your shop vac and turn it on, and test voltage on another receptacle on the splitter, you'll see voltage drop.
The small voltages you're measuring from neutral to ground could be induced voltages, and will disappear if any load is placed in the test circuit, or if you use a low impedance volt meter, which is in itself enough of a load to make the phantom voltage vanish.


Small Wifi double switches/SSR's behind sockets ( Home automation - lights)

What you're proposing is to make using prefab electronic modules.

That's fine to play with in the lab.  But if you want to actually install that in a real house in the EU, you're going to need to take your assembled, finished equipment over to TUV and have them certify it as safe for use in houses.  Which ain't gonna happen with components from a place called "banggood" lol...

If you do not have your equipment certified, any malfunction which causes fire or injury will create severe personal liability.

Anyway, design questions go over to the Electronics Stack Exchange.  Our wheelhouse here is accomplishing your goals using pre-built technologies to homes. To that end...

First, you should not need to add wires to your home. Using low-voltage wires to control loads throws back to the GE RR7 system, which used 24VAC to operate relays.  Technology is, if anything, reducing wire count. For instance, if you have a 3-way circuit where the spur switch only has switched-hot and 2 travelers, and you want a power receptacle there on the existing wires, Smart switches are how you get that done.

Any reasonable solution will involve

powerline signaling, which itself harkens back to 1975 and the X10 system, a reasonably "open" standard. And/or
wireless communication, which no doubt started a week after WiFi chips were prototyped.

For instance, Insteon uses both adaptively.  Powerline signaling is not 100% reliable in the US because every home is fed from 2 transformer phases (opposed, so we dall them poles), so half your circuits have a transformer winding between the other half. Less of an issue in Europe.

You don't need to stick something behind the mechanical switch; not least, there isn't room.  The smart device should replace the switch and provide a reasonable human UI.

Switch loops (power fed into lamp, hot and switched-hot only to the switch) are a special case.  In that case, a module could be fit at the lamp, the swich loop converted to always-hot and neutral that powers the smart switch, which communicates with the module.

You won't have to design any of this. The marketplace is thick with appropriate products, and getting thicker.

Keep in mind also that such alterations will affect the resale value of the home. Commercially rated smart switches will be appreciated, homebrew jobs will need to be torn out and restored to legal standard before sale.


Is this crack in block foundation/under pinning something to worry about

That looks like settlement cracks.
Whether you should worry about it depends on several things:

what is that supporting?
Is it still settling?

This is 100 yr old construction, so there will have been settlement.  The question is whether that settlement is done or you have a new problem.  Water can be a source of new settlement, and it can become a new problem on old construction.

The pictures look like there is a water problem in that area so even if it isn't causing settlement issues, it will create a mold problem.  Look for easy to spot, easy to fix water issues (gutters that need cleaning, gutters that have pulled away from the house, clogged downspouts, downspouts discharging near the house, poor grading around the foundation, etc.).

That corner is supporting something.  A typical first step is to stick an indicator on the crack.  You can get simple measuring tools like this that just lets you measure and record the size of the crack: https://www.amazon.com/CRACKMON-224R-Comparator-224R-01-Compliant/dp/B00K5HXJB0

A more reliable indicator is a simple gauge that is glued across the crack and shows the current alignment.  For example:  https://www.amazon.com/CRACKMON%C2%AE-4020A-Heavy-Duty-Building-Foundation/dp/B00QWFYA7G
You leave it in place and check it every few weeks.  If there is any additional movement, it is easy to see.  You could just watch it.  If there is no movement in say half a year, that indicates that it's old settlement and you don't need to worry about it.

Another possibility: if there are existing piers, this may be a problem that has already been fixed.

If you do see new movement, it would be important to take remedial steps.  I would have a foundation repair specialist evaluate it (often no charge for an initial look and recommendations on how to proceed).


What's the easiest way to fix these deck joists?

I've replace a few on decks and never had to remove all the planks because there was enough room underneath to get to the joist hangers.
You should remove the screws from the planks going into a joist you want to replace. Then support the joist and remove the hanger from one end and the screws from the other hanger into the joist. Then lower and remove the joist. Take the new joist, work it into the one hanger and the install a new hanger at the other end. You might have to use new hangers at each end if the new joist in a slightly different size than the old one. Then re screw the planks into the new joist.
If you don't have the clearance under the deck to do the above, then you'll have to remove the planks to get to the joists.


Bonding new ground wire from ground rod to exsiting house grounding block

For lightning protection, the antenna and mast should be connected directly to a ground rod. Use straight runs and avoid splices.

Even nearby lightning, as opposed to a direct hit. creates very high magnetic and induced electric fields, so avoid sharp bends in the ground wire and do not run near or parallel to other wiring.

Ground wire and rods are fairly inexpensive and are easily installed. Note that the size of the ground rod(s) depends on soil conductivity -- check local conditions.


I have a flooded basement and have an electric cord plugged into an outlet. How can I unplug the cord without getting shocked?

Whatever you do, do not stand in water and try to unplug or use any electricity. This is one of the main causes of electrocution. You can kill all of the electrical or individual circuits at the panel then unplug all appliances. Then if possible leave all of the circuits in the basement turned off until professional remediation crews can come in and inspect, repair and replace all damaged devices and equipment.

Sorry for your loss. Good luck.


On a true 60 amp 240 volt circuit will each side of the breaker carry more than 30 amps if required?

No, that's not at all how it works.

This feeder will provide 60A @ 240V. That is 60A on each leg of the panel, NOT 30A on each.

The 60A is available, you use what you need up to roughly 60A, again, on each leg.

A residential panel will be hard pressed to be fully balanced, or greatly imbalanced, due to the transient nature of usage.


There are no clear cut rules on how an auger should work. They're designed to "screw" into the clog and either break it up so it flows down the drain or catch the clog so you can pull it out with the auger. Keep trying to remove bits of the litter like you said you have done. Chemical stuff probably won't work since the litter is compressed paper and has expanded. They have 25' augers at home stores that would be easier to work with than the 50'.

Without building information it would be hard to determine if the pipes will get larger as they go down. My experience is that the toilet drains are the largest installed, in residential.

Keep trying with the augers and flushing to clear this yourself. If that doesn't work you might try a 50' auger going down from the vent on your roof close to where the toilet is located. You might be able to rent one from your home store.  If all else fails, call a plumber. Good luck.


The supply line and your drain lines are likely teed behind the wall, above the cut-out section. My guess is the vent pipe runs vertical out of the tee with the drain, so it won't need to move. You might be able to simply cut the pipes coming out of the tees, add couplers, and run new connections straight out. Or you might need to replace the tees with ones rotated properly. Before starting, make sure you know exactly what your plan is, ensure the water is shut off from the source, and if you're not confident in your ability to make straight cuts and new plumbing connections, call a plumber or a general handyman.

For your second question, it just means your vanity is expecting a single-hole faucet. These still accept both supply lines, of course; they just screw into the mixer valve under the countertop. If your vanity didn't come with a faucet, you'll need to buy a new one as your old three-hole faucet won't work (unless you can drill new holes in the vanity).


I’ve never seen a hanger with those design requirements. I like the idea of using a hanger that allows the joists to “sit” in a hanger’s pocket rather than using straps to tie the joists up to the beam. However.....
However, installing such a hanger under joists without damaging the drywall, would be difficult.
I’d try a strap such as Simpson’s HTSQ twist strap.
https://www.strongtie.com/twiststraps_specialtystraps/htsq_strap/p/htsq.
If the joists span half the width of the building (16’) and only supports a ceiling load, then the load on each joists is:
Joists = 2 psf (per square foot)
Plaster = 8-10 psf (depending on type)
Total load = 12 psf x 16’ x 1.33 (to get to 16” oc)
For a total load on each joist = 255 lbs. / 2 (to get load at each end = 128 lbs.
As you can see, these straps are rated up to 720 lbs. depending on the species and grade for uplift. (Your resistance is the reverse of uplift, but is the same principle, but  upside down. )
Now, the shortest strap is 16” long, which means 8” should be on each member. However, your joists are 6” tall so they won’t have the intended “cover”. But, your load is so much smaller than the maximum the straps could support, that I’m sure they’ll be fine.
You also have one more issue: If your new beam deflects (sags) at all, then the joists will sag and the ceiling will crack. Plaster is notorious for cracking with minimal deflection.
I have not allowed weight for anything in the attic, (like insulation, light fixtures, etc.)


What wire do I need to power 10m of SK9822 LED strip

Look closely at the PCB traces on the LED strips and ask yourself "can I realistically expect this to carry 36A?"

Mind you, Electrical Code says a 36A load is too big even for 10AWG wire.   Go to a home improvement store and handle some 10AWG wire for yourself.  See what I mean? It's pretty big stuff.

Much worse, even though your distance isn't far, voltage drop is rather ouchey when you're starting with only 12V. So run your numbers through a voltage drop calculator just to make sure you're not dropping too much.

Feeder everywhere

Look at any trolley-bus system in Dayton, San Francisco, Philly, Vancouver, Toronto, Boston, or any former Eastern Bloc country.  You can do it on Google Earth, Hayes St. in San Francisco is a good example.    They have two #2/0 trolley wires feeding the bus.  But up on the electric poles is also a pair of Very Fat Wires, and every 3-4 poles a fat jumper wire from a trolley wire to one of the fat wires.  They are almost 2" diameter and solid aluminum.  They are feeder.  The 2/0 trolley wires simply can't carry enough current to supply a whole line full of trolley buses, so the feeder takes most of the line's current. Any bus is supplied via the trolley wire from both directions down to the nearest jumper to the feeder.

So you do the same thing.  You won't have more than 30A in either direction, so 10AWG feeder will probably suffice.  You run positive and negative (traditional colors red and black) parallel to the strips the entire length.  And you tie it to the LED strips proper everywhere you possibly can, such as all those breaks that you need anyway.

You could even feed each strip from both ends if you want to, in which case the feeder is paralleled to the internal bus in the strips.  That is fine, like the trolleybus, because it is DC.  Do not parallel AC wires.


Can i leave existing drywall alone when adding two small walls to a finished basement?

You could but why would you?

You are going to have to mud/tape your corners whether you take the drywall out or not.  It will take you no more than 10 mins to dremel or knife out those two tiny sections of drywall.

Why you should:

You can see things easier.
You aren't relying on drywall for wall structure.  I know this wall shouldn't be supporting anything but any weight at all will crush drywall.
Your nails or screws will not be binding to anything for 1/2-3/4 of an inch.
You will not be able to frame really tight unless you crush the drywall.

Points 3&4 could lead to a wobbly wall.  Think of taking a big couch down in this basement.  Corner of couch hit door frame hard.  You don't want the top moving.


That is a contactor.  With the proper electrical signal to a coil underneath it magnetically draws the switching plate across the contact points and closed the circuit.  This type of unit is typically rated for 15 to 40-Amps.  It is an electrically operated switch for heavier loads.


Only the truss designer can say for sure whether they are required or not. A structural engineer might not be able to fully calculate the load transfers in the trusses, as they will only be able to estimate the joint strengths.

I'd hazard a guess that they are required or they'd not be there. From what I can tell from your photo (though it isn't quite clear), it looks like it could be one of the bracings that are required (in the UK at least) by the accepted standards for trusses (for an example, see here: NHBC pitched roof guide).

I'd be reluctant to remove it without first ensuring that you have sufficient equivalent bracing in place.


How to setup saw horse for cutting laminate floor?

I'm using someone else's picture here since I can't make my own at the moment.  I think you're best bet will be to build a small "platform" out of the 2x3's and then set that on top of your saw horses:

(Source blog)

The platform only needs to be big enough to comfortably hold one full plank of flooring, so the total size of 40cm x 150cm should be good.  Draw it out and make it a little larger if you have enough 2x3 lumber (or smaller if you don't have enough).  The cross pieces of the platform will provide more support to the planks and provide additional clamping area.

You will have to cut into the platform when making rip cuts, but just adjust the blade to barely cut through the planks (you're doing that already, right?) and it won't be a big deal.

For cross cuts, hang the edge to be cut off the side and clamp the long end securely to the platform.  For repeated cuts, you can even put pencil marks on the platform to line everything up quickly.

I just noticed that you have 6" clamps - you can modify the design of the platform as needed.  You may want to lay the boards down and attach to each other like a train track (with the cross pieces on top) for easier assembly and a narrower clamping surface.


I have always just had a "last mow of the year", where when I run the mower dry, and I've never had a problem.  Then you're not really "wasting" the gas.

Depending on your model (and it looks like the one you specified ought to manage this), you may be able to do option 2 if you have a really full gas tank.  Then, after emptying, you still ought to run it dry for what little remains.

I personally would not recommend siphoning it.  Unless you wanted to go to the trouble of buying extra equipment to do it (and think about that - how often are you going to be siphoning gasoline?  Enough to justify a special purchase?), that means a distinct risk of drinking a little bit of gasoline... not exactly a pleasant experience, nor good for you.

from this site:

  Many adverse health effects of gasoline are due to individual chemicals in gasoline, mainly BTEX, that are present in small amounts. Breathing small amounts of gasoline vapors can lead to nose and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion and breathing difficulties. Symptoms from swallowing small amounts of gasoline include mouth, throat and stomach irritation, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and headaches. Some effects of skin contact with gasoline include rashes, redness and swelling. Being exposed to large amounts of gasoline can lead to coma or death.

So, siphoning probably won't kill you, but I certainly wouldn't endorse it.


If I can smell my trash in my garage from the room above it, should I be concerned about other vapors?

Perhaps, maybe if you have a gas boiler installed in that space,as some people might, or your cars are inefficient. Consider installing Carbon Monoxide detectors, as CO poisoning can be a concern. Its odourless, and can damage by binding to haemoglobin.


The power output from normal generators is actually pretty noisy, it is not a regular sine wave like you get from the power company, and may have high frequency harmonics. According to one source I found, total harmonic distortion (THD) from a generator can be >15%, where normally acceptable THD is 5-6%.

Here's an animation from wikipedia, showing a normal sine wave, and then the effect harmonics have on the overall signal:

In an AC motor (simplified explanation) the sine wave directly runs the magnets in the motor, causing it to spin. The harmonics effectively reverse the polarity of the magnets mid-rotation - it's as if you're flicking back and forth between forward/reverse hundreds of times a second. I believe this is what causes the hum.

As for why your tower fan works, hard to say. The motor design may be less susceptible to the effects of harmonics, it may have electronics built into it, or they may be DC motors.

So the solutions:

Don't run your fans while on generator power
Use a power conditioner after the generator (which may or may not help, depending on the quality of the incoming power)
Get an "inverter generator". They are more expensive, but produce a pure sine wave output, and are more efficient because they are capable of lowering their speed to match the load


Identifying neutral and ground in breaker box

This is your main panel so having your grounded and grounding conductor on the same buss is the right thing to do here.
Grounded I’d the neutral , grounding is the bare copper or green. Note they could be on separate busses but the proper bonding jumper would be required.


See Lutron's list of compatible dimmable LEDs. Refer to pages 19-36 for the CL series dimmers.

I do not see any G7 bulbs listed. I would say either your bulbs aren't compatible with your dimmer, or you got a bad dimmer.

Try swapping out whichever is easiest (the bulbs or the dimmer) first, and if that doesn't work try swapping the other.


How should I jumper the transformer to use a thermostat with my heat pump?

I believe that I should a variable speed unit. The old motor should have had a whole mess of white wires connected to the control board along with a couple colored wires. I have never tried to retrofit one with a PSC motor, other parts of the system probably won’t work. At any rate you would at least need a relay since the blower is 240 volt and the thermostat is 24 volt. If this were a standard PSC motor originally just hook the common to one leg of the contractor and run the speed tap through the relay. Hook the common wire to one side of the coil and the fan wire to the other side of the coil.


Method for setting 6' wood fence posts in clay soil

It doesn't much matter.  The Simpson post base listed by @Dotes will work fine, but it's probably more expensive than just digging a hole and filling it with concrete.

Something like a Metpost just banged into the ground will probably be easiest to put up, but it is very hard to get the posts exactly vertical (by the time you have fitted the post, it is too late to adjust the angle of the spike).

A wooden post set in concrete will eventually rot, but it would last 20 years in the UK, and Ohio looks like it gets colder in the winter and dryer in the summer than the UK. I wouldn't worry about it.


Can I replace a portion of a furnace exhaust pipe by using two couplings?

You need to look at the markings on the white pipe. Standard DWV PVC should not be used for flue gases, but unfortunately it is used all the time. If the entire run is not rated for flue gases, then you should replace it.


When tub/shower is on in bathroom #1 a shower other side of house turns on in bathroom #2

Washerless faucets are known to have this problem.
When the pressure drops the weight of the handle can pull the valve on.
Opening the valve and making the springs tighter has worked for some.
Heavier springs are required in the worst cases.
I believe we had 1 person that had it fixed until they opened the garden hose (large flow).
Increasing the pressure may help if you have a pressure reducing valve or well pump increasing the pressure for cut in and off.
But heavier springs or a lighter weight handle may be needed to really fix the problem.


Should I remove the drywall before building new walls against existing walls?

I would do it your way (the right way).   You will never have to worry in the future, in comparison with the other approach.

Have you asked the 2 contractors "what they would do if this was their home"....maybe their answer would differ.


What's the easiest way to trace out existing HVAC ductwork without cutting into the walls

A thermal camera may be helpful if there are significant duct leaks, but if things are sealed up well, the wall/floor/ceiling surface temperatures shouldn't reveal the duct locations.

Inductive reasoning will carry you far. Think about how the structure is built. Because air ducts are usually large they seldom cross inside floor joists or wall studs. The ducts run parallel to these in the spaces between. Homes are often rectangles and floor joists normally run parallel to the short side of the rectangle. You can confirm with a stud finder or by looking for the nails and screws that hold the drywall on the ceiling (visually by looking at reflected light at a sharp angle if the taping job wasn't top-notch, or use magnets to find the nail and screw heads).

Where ducts must cross floor joists there is almost always a dropped-down ceiling. Look for a room or hall whose ceiling is lower than surrounding ceilings, look for a drywall soffit/box at the ceiling along one wall of a room, etc.

Duct trunks between floors won't fit into a 2x4 wall. Look for missing floor area in the core of the building -- a closet that isn't as wide as the space that surrounds it may have vertical ducts running along one side, for instance.

Rigid ducts could be probed with a semi-rigid tool like an electrical fish tape or push rod/fish rod/glow rod. Remove the register at a duct outlet and feed the rod in until it stops. That's the location of the first sharp bend (unless it's hung up at a joint in the duct -- attach a ping-pong ball, big wad of tape, etc to help the end hop over obstructions like this). Mark the rod and pull it out; use it as a measuring stick to help mark the position. Often this will be the location where a branch meets the trunk.

Finally, you can go for an inside view. There are very small USB and wireless borescopes or endoscopes available at the usual online markets. I have a USB model with a 30 foot cable. I view the camera with an app on my phone while feeding the camera into a space using push rods. You won't be able to get around the bend to follow trunk lines, but you can measure the length of a branch back to an elbow or trunk and visualize bends or turns along the way.


Meter and service panel separate from house

This is a question that only your AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction, aka local inspector) can answer for you. There is no specific NATIONAL code violation in doing so, but there could very well be local codes prohibiting this kind of setup, having to do with life / safety issues, fire fighter access, maybe even utility requirements.

If it IS permitted, you would NOT install a new set of ground rods at the house, you would run the EGC (Electrical Grounding Conductor) from your service entrance ground connection back to any local "sub panel" that you install at the house. Likewise with your Neutral conductor, and in this case, because the main is where the Neutral is ALREADY bonded, you would NOT bond the neutral again at the house.


What kind and size of AC do I need for an enclosed garage workshop?

Lots of variable to consider:  1)  Climate in your area, 2) insulation level of building, number of servers and their size, 3) occasional use or 24/7 (BTC mining? or?) 4) occupied or not.   Google lets their server rooms run as hot a 95 degrees F.    https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2012/03/23/too-hot-for-humans-but-google-servers-keep-humming So while that's way to hot for ppl, it's OK for servers, at least the kind they use.  Here is a link to a calculator for heat load.        https://www.enviromon.net/advanced-server-btu-calculator/

Depending upon your climate, you might get by with just moving a lot of air from outside to cool the room. Google runs the Belgium server farm with no chillers.


Light fixture box has 3 sets of wires and I’m confused

So your box has only 3 cables. That means it's most likely wired up like this

Incoming cable from the previous fixture or circuit breaker
Outgoing cable to the next fixture
Cable to the light switch (looks like this might be the blue cable)

It looks like you nutted the wires all together. So somewhere in there you have a hot and a switched hot. When you flip your switch, you're creating a bridge between the hot and neutral, and thus your circuit breaker trips because you hit that max amperage instantly.

The good news here is that you can see the cables and where they go. What you need to do is follow the cables and label them. Then we're going to modify the box as such

Connect all the bare ground wires together and nut them off. Add your fixture ground into this.
Connect the incoming and outgoing white wires together with the white wire from your fixture and nut them off (very important the white wire to your switch is not in here)
Connect the incoming and outgoing black wires AND the white wire from your switch. Use a black sharpie to mark that white wire so it's clear that it is a hot wire. Nut them off
Connect the black wire from your switch (last wire left) to your fixture's black wire. Nut them off.

This will correct the problem of your breaker popping when you flip the switch


What size wire for a 60 AMP panel 400 feet away?

Do we care about money here?
An oddity of wire economics is that 2-2-2-4 "MH Feeder" (90A; 100A if service) is about the same cost as 10-3 UF-B cable (30A).  The difference is aluminum, which is absolutely fine for large feeders of #2 size.  (not so good for #10, but not our problem).
Big big problem: your loads are 120V
Given your application, the power usage is 120V and wildly lop-sided onto one leg.  This means you really need to do your voltage drop calculations on 120V not 240V.   Which really throws a wrench into it, unfortunately.
The 120V load is probably at least 10A (since it's demanding a 20A dedicated circuit) but should not be more than 16A continuous as that's too much for a 20A circuit.
And when we consider voltage drop at 120V, that's a very grim picture.  The minimum legal size is #10 copper, but that's right out, giving 11% voltage drop at 16A.  We have to go clear up to #6 just to get 4.71% drop, but that makes more sense since it's much more expensive than the MH feeder I mentioned earlier.
If we go with the 2-2-2-4 MH feeder, we're at 3.13% which is completely acceptable anywhere but maybe Canada, and even there it's within the margin of error, for Pete's sake.
The aluminum feeder will work fine since we are going panel-to-panel, so we're running between lugs that are either made for aluminum, or are aluminum.


How to fix ceiling which squeaks when door is opened

I have never had or heard of this happening before, but it sounds like the framing needs to be tightened up somewhere. The squeak will need to be isolated, as in pinpointed to the actual joint or where 2 pieces of wood come together, is squeaking, then with some care, screw the framing together so it draws the joint where the framing meets is tight again.


That looks like paint to me. Anyway, I don't ow why you wouldn't be able to strip that off. I've done very similar jobs with great results. Get some of your favorite stripper and try a small section. I think you'll be surprised at the results.


Honeywell thermostat oozing yellow and programing not working

That appears to be dielectric grease. It keeps the pins from corroding. I wouldn't have expected to see it on an interior thermostat, but it's not a concern. (It was probably there when you installed the thermostat.)

You can wipe some of it up, but try to leave a thin film on each pin.


How to improve the look of skirting board in tenement flat?

You're renting, so...
Get it in writing from the landlord that it's OK to make permanent changes like this. Otherwise you risk losing your damage deposit. Yeah, even though you're making it better, some may get picky. Better safe than sorry. Oh, did I mention get it in writing?

To spiff up the existing trim:

Use some sandpaper on a sanding block (a fancy store-bought one, or just a block of wood) to sand down the lumps & bumps.
Use the sandpaper free-hand to sand the paint off the surface of the dips. You may need to dig into some dips with the paper wrapped around your finger tip. You'll want to get as much paint off as possible for the next step.
Fill in the dips with some wood putty, then sand the surface flush and smooth when it's dry.

Apply the molding:

That pine molding is called "quarter round" and this is a perfect application for it!
The nice straight quarter round may show dips and bumps in the floor or wall. If it does, and you want to go to the extra effort, cut back the quarter round to go around the bumps and to fill in the dips
Use small diameter finishing nails (they have a very small head) to nail the quarter round in place. You'll want the nails to be about twice as long as the quarter round is deep. If you want to do a really good job, get a nail set and some wood filler.
Use the nail set to drive the head of the nail just below the surface of the wood.
Use a dab of putty to fill in the resulting hole.
Sand the putty smooth once it's dry.

Paint it:

You should be able to use any latex paint to cover the whole thing up.
If you're getting fancy, you could scrape up a chip of paint and your local paint store should be able to computer match the color exactly.
Sand the edges of any paint chips, filled dips, etc so there is a nice smooth feather from the painted to unpainted wood. Any edge will be magnified when you're done painting.
Put a line of masking tape on the floor next to the quarter round. Put another line of tape against that one, holding down some newspaper/drop cloth/whatever to protect the floor from accidental drips.


replaced recessed light w/ceiling fan, it seems I have to turn on at least one light to complete circuit

If the recessed light you replaced turned on/off with the switch, then the ceiling fan is also going to turn on/off with the switch. If removing a bulb from the socket causes the fan to turn off, you've done something seriously wrong.

You should contact an Electrician to install the fan properly.


I ended up just leaving it for now with the double insulated filter. But I did put a GFCI circuit breaker, and GFCI receptacle. Passed inspection fine.


Should I run an extension cord or a new outlet for a fridge in my garage?

To be correct, I'll just about guarantee that using an extension cord would be a violation of the refrigerator instructions, and violating the instructions for a device is a code violation.
Running surface mount EMT is a pretty simple job.


The bulb will just unscrew.

That's currently an R30 CFL bulb.  Probably about a 65w watt equivalent.

You should have no problem replacing with LED.


How do you shut off this water softener bypass valve?

I don't know if you found an answer elsewhere, but I found a Youtube video addressing this issue.  The trick is that there are holes in the knobs where you can insert a screwdriver to give you more torque.  No need to pull out the knob or remove the clips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKVvOCaGQJc


In a much, much slower way, with more dust and noise and shorter depth of cut, yes.

Your multitool will also not work well on steel.


The consensus of opinion on the Ultimate Handyman forum seems to be to use an old brush and throw it away after use.

A couple of alternatives are suggested:

  Ordianry cellulose thinners will also work.

So presumably the Hammerite product is cellulose thinners based.

and

  I wrap mine very tightly in plastic and stick them in my brushmate, as long as i use them every couple of months they stay reasonably soft, even if they go a little stiff a drop of hammerite thiners brings them back to life.

Which is something I do overnight (or a couple of days at most) when using gloss paint. It does keep the bristles soft for a while so saves on white spirit and having to find a clean brush for the next coat.


Will Galvanized Steel React with this Ductwork?

Yes. What you have there is also galvanized steel. The older galvanization process resulted in a larger color pattern than modern electroplating sometimes does, but it's the same beast. Patch away.


Why are both elements on in my new water heater?

It is unusual for both elements to be on at the same time in a residential water heater. The upper thermostat starts heating the water and when it gets to the set temperature it switches power to the lower thermostat. The upper thermostat has a single pole double throw switch to the lower one so both elements can't be on at the same time. If it's happening, then the upper thermostat is either wired wrong or it's somehow defective.

If the water heater's wired correctly, #10 wire and a 30 amp breaker, two 4500W elements on at the same time would draw 37.5 amps +- and would trip the breaker.

Check again with the vendor and also check the nameplate info.


What I do about mouse droppings in basement ceiling where I can't reach?

According to http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/cleaning/ and http://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/technical/hps/faq.html hantavirus stays infectious for only a few days.

Let the droppings sit for a while (and thoroughly dry out), then vacuum them.


What can I do about 100-year-old stairs that are pulling away from wall

Call the installer, builder or manufacturer for any warranty type of repair...I'm kidding. Your best bet is to get a Carpenter or Stair Builder that uses glues, screws & bolts behind or even upon the finished surfaces...finish screws are wonderful.

Nails, spikes & staples are the norm & they can't & won't last, they're held by friction alone. Glue Coated nails are only good for a decade at the most, glue only lasts if its hold can't flex or break loose. A stair is a moving part, if given the chance, & will only continue to loosen until another object retains it.


Start out by removing the 3-way you want to eliminate. Connect the wire from the black screw terminal or common to one of the two travelers that were connected to the 3-way; wire nut the other traveler. Now remove the 4-way switch and connect the two travelers from the 3-way you're keeping to the new 3-way you'll be installing there. You don't want to keep the 4-way there. Mark the two travelers with yellow tape. Take the wire you previously connected to the wire from the common terminal of the eliminated 3-way to the new 3-way black screw or common. Wire nut the other old traveler.

The vacated switch box will still have power if the common that was there was hot. If it's not, then the other original 3-way will have the hot and you can eliminate that 3-way if it works for you by following the same procedure

Again, this is how to do it but you have to make sure you're not in violation of code.


How are you setting the circular saw when cutting? If you are clamping your straightedge so only the narrow part of the saw baseplate (1-1/2" or so away form the cut line) is on the wood, the saw is prone to wobble much moreso than when the wide part of the saw base is referenced (4-5" away from the cut.)

The other likely cause is that the surface profile of the face of the door (the raised panel section) is affecting the position of the blade as the baseplate rides along it - solve THAT by using a sawing straightedge that supports the saw above/on top of the door surface - something like a 1/2" piece of plywood 5-6 inches wide, with a straight board (or metal angle) screwed to the edge, using the saw to trim the edge of that plywood when the baseplate is run along the straightedge, and then you clamp the whole thing to the door with the cut edge aligned on your desired cut.

Something like this link, which I did not steal the idea from (it's  common idea) but which illustrates it tolerably well (they use an absurdly wide straightedge, I think) and I don't feel like taking the time to make my own illustrations, nor do I wish to steal theirs. http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/making-straight-cuts-with-a-circular-saw/

Then again, an even wider base might be easier to clamp down without getting in the way of the saw - several of their pictures seem like they have it clamped in such a way that they could not have started or won't be able to end the cut without running into the clamps.


How do I repair this tile without removing it

You don't repair it, you patch it, and don't use the toothpaste. I have seen repairs done with a small bead of caulk. You can rub it in good and then clean up the tile. This looks like hell. You could also use some white or clear acrylic nail polish and carefully go over the cracks. The problem is someone probably cracked that tile by kicking it and it could crack again. The tile might not be supported properly.
I know you said you didn't have any spare tiles but this is a pretty common tile so take some measurements and head out to a tile warehouse and look for a match and fix this right. Also, the grout is missing on the lower left corner and I would think there should be a caulk bead between the wall and floor.


Can I add a light switch that overrides a set of existing switches?

Your best case scenario is that you have one hot wire that comes into your switch box and is chained to one screw of all three dimmers.  Maybe the wire comes in and is spliced into three wires that each go to a switch, or a clever person has just stripped insulation from the middle of the wire and chained it from switch to switch.  The other wire going to each dimmer would then go out to each row of lights.

image from https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/wiring-two-outlets-one-box.html

In this picture, the source coming in from the bottom is what I'm referring to. You would have three switches and lights, but the diagram only shows two. If you put a new switch on the incoming hot wire before it goes to the other dimmers (before the black wire nut in the bottom left), you will be able to cut power to everything with that one switch.

Of course that is just one way to wire the lights.  You could also have a switch loop that comes from each row, or a combination of switch loops which would make this a more complicated endeavor.


If you tie the red and green together the fan should come on assuming the transformer wires are getting power (and it sounds like they are).  That's the only thing the thermostat does when you put it in "On" mode.  There shouldn't be and switches in the way.

The fan motor could have a start capacitor to kick it off, and those do go bad.  That's be what I would check next.  Also, the 24v current from the thermostat causes a relay to close which switches power to the fan.  Those relays can also go bad.  When the thermostat is turned to "On" mode, can you hear a click when you are right next to the blower (need a helper)?  All things to check...


Can I add receptacles on the same circuit as the garage door opener in my garage?

These outlets will need to be GFCI protected if the garage door opener outlet isn't already that way, but yes -- there isn't a limit on how many receptacles can go on a general receptacle circuit.

Do double check to make sure that your circuit doesn't serve something else funky though.


What are the uses of the various schedules of PVC pipe?

The schedule is the wall thickness of the pipe (essentially how much pressure it can withstand).  Wikipedia has a Nominal Pipe Size Table (and the article goes into the description of the size and the why behind them).

From this article http://www.ehow.com/facts_5575151_difference-between-schedule-schedule-pipe.html:

  For a relatively constant pipe outside
  diameter, the wall thickness varies
  from Schedule 10 (light) to Schedule
  40 (standard weight) to Schedule 80
  (extra strong) to Schedule 160 (double
  extra strong).

  Schedule 40 pipe is typically used in
  construction. However, if a stronger
  pipe is needed, then Schedule 80 can
  be used. An example where Schedule 80
  should be considered is if the pipe is
  exposed during construction. The
  stronger pipe is more resistant to
  incidental bumping by workers or
  equipment.

In my house the line that runs out to my irrigation system and the sewer pipe are all schedule 40 (the schedule is usually printed on the pipe).


Mounting something to stud-less plaster exterior wall

There are probably king/jack studs on each side of the window plus a sill and a header. Your magnetic stud finder might not be strong enough to go through the plaster. They're good for finding drywall screws covered by joint compound but that's about it. So you either buy a more expensive stud finder or start drilling really small holes hoping to find the studs.

Will the cabinet only be supported by the screws into the wall or will it also have legs? You can always use toggle bolts through the cabinet and through your wall.


Do wooden storm windows need weep holes?

You will see weep holes in aluminum storm windows when the frame is projecting from the exterior wall and has a "lipped" edge. The weep holes allow drainage that otherwise would not occur because of the lipped frame edge. Wooden storm windows are usually hinged and set flush with the frame. The frame bottom is normally beveled so as to shed water away from the interior. If you have weather-stripping installed on the storm windows that creates a good seal it may be wise to modify it if you see water entering past the storm window.


There is a way to create such a composite timber. Actually, all other things being equal (the species, cut and quality of the wood), a built up sandwich is actually stronger than a solid piece of wood.

This is done by laminating the three boards together. A generous layer of wood glue, such as Titebond II, is spread over one face of one of the boards. The next board is placed over this and a second spread of glue is placed on the face of board 2. Finally board three is placed on top.

The boards are aligned and clamped in numerous places along their length. If you are able to clamp them to a very firm perfectly flat surface (such as the platform of a table saw) even better.  You need to make sure that there is no bow or twist in the clamped boards.

Once the glue dries (at least 24 hours) you can then trim the ends.

The newel post on the stair rail shown in this question and answer is made up from 3 1x3 oak boards laminated in the manner described.

Unless the table will bear an extremely heavy load or the taper is very extreme (or the wood you are using is balsa), a laminated 2.5 inch leg should be more than sufficient.


Using Forstner bits instead of hole saws

I'm not sure why someone told you that you can't drill all the way though with a Forstner bit, but in my opinion, they are incorrect.  These bits excel at creating a flat-bottomed hole but will also drill completely through the material just fine.  I regularly use mine in a drill press but they can also be used in a handheld drill.

I find that they splinter the material much less than a spade-type bit does although they are significantly more expensive.

Here is what Rockler says about them:

Rockler

  What's so special about Forstner bits?

  Unlike the standard twist bit, Forstner bits are optimized for
  woodworking applications and cut exceptionally precise, clean-edged
  holes in wood. Because they're designed to produce a minimum amount of
  tear-out when exiting the material, Forstner bits are the best bit for
  drilling through holes. Forstner bits drill a flat-bottomed hole,
  making them a necessary tool for many hardware installations where a
  precise depth of mortise is required. Forstner bits are guided by the
  wide outside rim of the bit, unlike most drill bits, which are guided
  by the tip. Because of that, they can be used along with a drill press
  to drill angled holes, holes that partially overlap, and holes on the
  edge of the material.


How do I position roof trusses without using a string line?

How do you make sure you have a perfect rectangle - corner to corner will always be equal - make your measurement the third angle of a triangle.

So for all intents and purposes your question asks how to do this with out a string line and your concern is because of the wind.

A perfect rectangle will have equal length from one corner to corner measurement (South-East to North-West) as it will from the other corner to corner (South-West to North-East ). Because basically it is two right triangles joined together.

So if you start at placement with your first truss - you make one measure on one side after that it is simple. See my example picture - black lines are trusses , orange lines are wall supports and the light blue is a measurement you make - whether you want to use a single pre-measured string or tape measure - you are not doing this by dragging a line across the roof .. and this is easy enough with a laser line as well (maybe easier).

You can place the first truss and measure where to put the second truss and cut a line at that point - or use the Pythagorean Equation A² + B² = C².

A² = Truss length.
B² = center on center truss to truss.
C² = my little blue lines distance corner to corner.

A laser will work fine and you will not have any huge setup time - this is easier than you think.

[If the math is too much use the scientific calculator on your computer.]


What is this black material in my attic?

That material is most likely grit that came off the shingles of the roof. It could have gotten there during a roof replacement when old shingles were removed and roof sheathing was also replaced.

If the material is localized in just one area it is possible it got there even from the original construction if shingles were piled and opened on the roof before all the sheathing was installed.


What could be causing wall cracks through the middle of our house

If your cracks are getting worse you have a serious problem, most likely subsidence, and that's bad. Get a professional, unbiased assessment and soon. Do not leave this problem any longer, deal with it right away! Get help!


If you are screwing to every stud and they are spaced at 16" and you're not hanging anything incredibly heavy and not climbing, doing chin-ups or doing anything else involving supporting people or repeatedly pulling on the cleats, ONE 2.5" screw per stud is plenty. I expect the weak point will be the top edge of the plywood where you shape it to hang the fixtures. If that's the case, multiple screws per stud or lag bolts will add nothing. Wouldn't be a bad idea to do a regression test on one piece attached to 3 studs. Just pile on weight slowly til something breaks, then you'll know what not do do but you may find that no reasonable amount of weight will break anything if you take reasonable steps like hanging larger shelves from two places as in this photo.


100A main breaker trips when using 60A heater

The fact that the 100-Amp main is tripping, supplying a load of about 45-Amps through a 60 & 50-Amp breakers doesn't really say anything other than the 100-Amp breaker has failed and conceivably needs to be change.  However, given that you have a 45-Amp load on a heater, which we consider to be a continuous load, you are very smart to upgrade to 200-Amp capacity.  This higher capacity needs to go all the way to the weather head.


Is there a way to mark/label a special use switch?

Use a timer switch for the switched receptacle. You can get a two gang face plate that has one standard 15A switch opening next to a decora (square) opening. That's a very common configuration for a powder room, where you usually see one single pole switch next to a GFCI receptacle.

The switch I linked to is just an example. You can get one that has typical on/off functionality as well as timer functionality.

This adds convenience, as you don't have to remember to turn it on (and off) manually, and makes it obvious that the second switch controls something else. You can then label it too, if you like.

I believe Leviton makes a nice programmable timer that has a button on the bottom for an override (always on / off), which is probably what you want. Any local DIY supply house or electrical supply shop will have several.


Do you know of this thing called YouTube ?
Here are just some of the many tutorials i found.
Vinyl strap video 1
Vinyl strap video
Cross strap
Webbing You could adapt it to a metal chair and pan head screws.
rbhat, i am available for hire, you can buy me a ticket to your tropical paradise and put me on retainer. I have excellent handyman and research skills.


Adding whole home water filter to the main water line line

I would have to question your reasoning for filtering all the water you use in your house. Filtering can get expensive when you start having to replace filter cartridges, especially those rated to take most of the nasty things out of the water. It really is a waste in most cases to be using filtered water to flush toilets, wash cloths, shower and wash dishes.

It is a lot more cost effective to install a filter at one location, such as at the kitchen sink, where water is filtered to a separate valve for drinking, cooking and to feed the ice maker in the refrigerator.

If your reasoning is based upon hard water that has a lot of dissolved minerals or iron in it then there may be better choices to use a water softener rather than a filter.


Can I use the old and not used anymore furnace chimney to vent out my basement?

Yes you can. You don't have to clean it & seal the fireplace up or was non-existent. Meaning, the chimney was just for a basement gas appliance or fixture. Natural convection will do it's thing, but a little fan won't hurt, small bath sized exhaust fan 50CFM.


How to seal a pipe pass-through in a basement wall

I would remove all the foam you can from the outside of the metal sleeve pipe, then coat the pipe with epoxy, then fill the rest of the material with any suitable concrete patching material.  You can easily find epoxies that bond to metal and concrete, and bond when wet - many will even cure underwater.  So you know it will bond to both the pipe and the patch material.
You could use all epoxy as long as it can be mixed thick enough to work on a vertical surface but if there's a lot of material to fill in, it might get expensive.
If you're concerned about the rust on the metal sleeve pipe, you could treat it with a rust stabilizer product.  These products turn rust to a black oxide and work OK, depending on how deep the rust goes.  I don't know if you could determine for sure the epoxy will bond to the black oxide although I suspect it would.  It may not be that important since the sleeve is not structural and the epoxy will hold things together to some extent.
Gorilla glue or other polyurethane glue is popular (great, great marketing) and performs pretty well for its intended uses but it's one of the most overrated products around.  It's not as versatile as people want it to be.  It is pretty close to expanding foam, in fact it foams up to fill gaps.  I would not try using it for anything here.


Simple solution.

Materials:

Plywood sheet.
Quilt batting, Upholstery foam, or similar.
Fabric.
Fabric glue.
[Optional] Buttons and heavy thread.

Procedure:

Cut a sheet of plywood to the proper size.  You'll want it to start below where it will bolt to the bed frame (about an inch or so), and extend to your desired height above the bed. and you'll want it the width of the bed.
Round off the top corners (the size of the arc is up to you), for this a jig saw works well.
Drill holes in the plywood to match the bolt pattern of the bed frame.
Cut your batting to the same shape as the plywood (Note: the batting does not have to extend below the top of the mattress (but it can it you like), so it might be shorter than the plywood), a utility knife should work just fine for this.
Attach the batting to the plywood using spray fabric glue.
Wrap the whole thing in fabric, use a stable gun to fasten the fabric to the back of the plywood (make sure you pull the fabric tight, starting from one corner and working your way around).
[Optional: For buttons] If you want to add buttons to the headboard to make 'dimples', it's easier to figure out where you want them before hand and pre-drill two small holes for each button in the plywood before you apply the batting, you can drill the holes after wrapping the fabric but you have to be careful.
[Optional: For buttons] Using a large needle and heavy thread / string, push the needle through one hole in the plywood until it comes out through the face of the headboard (fabric side), loop the thread/string through the button and then feed the needle back through the other small hole in the plywood.
[Optional: For buttons] Pull the thread tight to create the desired 'dimple' depth, and tie it off to hold it.  Repeat this procedure for each button.
Attach the headboard to the frame, and enjoy.


Leveling things would be first.
I am a big guy so I like a thick floor it is fine to add but remember you will need to trim molding at doors.
When you lay the new layer make sure to offset the seams, this will make a much better floor. Offsetting is making sure the seams are not on top of each other. If full sheets are used it can be as simple as cutting the first sheet in half.


What should we look for when buying a fixer-upper house?

Danny, I respect your enthusiasm. I am a certified home inspector and general contractor in Maine. There's some great advice in the answers here, and I won't repeat the obvious.

I will warn you, however, learn realtor language. "Fixer-upper" means a train wreck about to happen! Get a real good inspector that has building experience. DO NOT take a recommendation from your realtor for an inspector. Find a qualified builder/inspector. I have always felt inspectors that often work for realtors do not have the buyer's best interest in mind as problems found nix sales and rrealtors don't like that. I personally only work for buyers, never for realtors.

With all that said, renovations can add up fast.  Roof $5,000-7,000, electrical or plumbing $85/hour, bathroom $6,000,  kitchen $15,000-20,000, electrical service upgrade $2,500, windows $300 each, structural repairs, mold, insects, water damage, septic/sewer...

Unless you learn what to look for and are able to calculate the costs of repair or renovation before you buy, you are headed for stormy waters. The joy of home ownership will quickly turn into an unbearable nightmare.

You mentioned you didn't want to spend $30,000 on a house that you already spent that much on. Where in the world are you going to find a livable house for $30,000? If there is really such a thing, I will buy 10 of them tomorrow and rehab them myself and make a mint, even in this housing market.

I apologize for sounding a bit negative here, but rather be bluntly honest with you considering you admitted you have minimal skills and resources.


Old switch has four wires and no discernable ground

I think I see what is happening.  Many devices (switches, outlets) allow you to connect via either the screw terminals or the "backstabs" as we call them (with some contempt because they tend to fail a lot).

You're supposed to use only screws or backstabs.  But the screw is connected to the backstab internally, so this is a possible way to use both, which splices the  two wires and also connects to the device.

It's just a lazy cheatey way to splice both those wires to the same screw without using a wire nut and pigtail.

Now, I think this is a 3-way switch, but you didn't mention it being controlled in a second location, and the wiring doesn't make sense for a 3-way, so I think this is being used as a 1-way switch simply by not using one of the brass screws.

The two yellow wires are definitely using the "use the switch as a splice" trick.  Both those wires should go to a wirenut, with a third short pigtail going to that same switch's screw.  Since your lights are in three locations, my guess is the two yellows are both switched-hot running in different directions out to the lamps.

I can't quite tell if the black wires are on the same "screw", but it looks that way. Note how the

It's a little harder to tell whether the blacks are on the same "screw"... But you see the stabbed black is a pigtail to a wire-nut. That is surely supply hot being distributed to several switches. Which would make the screw trick simply extending that hot further. If so, the wire on the screw now should go into that wire-nut, and the pigtailed wire should use the screw.

If it works out as I describe, now you have 2 wires going to that switch: the black is supply/always-hot/line, the yellow is switched-hot/load.  If your smart switch needs neutral, you can add a white pigtail to that bundle of neutrals in the back of the box.  (which you should not otherwise be messing with!)


I had the oven tested by a professional and the cause was the function control switch[1], which the knob is connected to. Looks like a connection inside of it had broken due to wear and tear. It's been replaced and the oven is now functioning as normal

[1] http://www.partmaster.co.uk/cooker-oven/ae6bfs-5400157560/oven-function-selector-switch/product.pl?pid=3262627&shop=bush&path=592111&refine=function+selector+switch&model_ref=2595974


Solid vs stranded

A lot of people who work 99% in Romex find themselves gravitating toward solid wire because "it's the devil they know", they have no idea the difference, and they fret about terminations.

I work 99% in conduit and stranded is the only way to go.  When you have a solid wire in the bundle (I'm cheap, I reuse wire). you know it and it's a fighter.  As far as terminations, they're a little more finicky sometimes, but it's not a big deal.  If one is out of your comfort zone,  pigtail a bit of solid wire (wire nut splices solid-stranded are just fine).   You want to be in stranded.  Seriously.

#10 is the breakover above which all wire must be stranded.  As such, #10 solid is a black swan - nobody who does conduit for a living wants to pull it, and so it is relegated to a specialty item.  What's more, every termination meant to take #10 (eg NEMA x-30 receptacles) is designed for stranded wire.

We generally advise  people to underfill conduit to keep the effort of pulling easy.  That's why we'd tell you to use 2" conduit for three #2’s.  Otherwise you could run out of swear words and have to call the guy with a truck full of pulling tools, and he probably won't want to come in for just the pull.  Since you are near conduit fill limits, you should expect a challenging pull.  If you attempt this with solid wire, you should expect a very, very challenging pull.

You may be tempted to dismantle the conduit and reassemble it around the pulled wire.  That is not allowed, and will work particularly badly with solid wire.

Conduit fill

RME describes the gory details and the source material.  I just google "conduit fill calculator" and pick one I like.  One that lets me state # of wires of each size, and does the lookups for me.

For conduit fill (NOT derate), neutrals and grounds count, as do for instance fiber optic lines or Class II wiring, since they all take space.

Solid vs stranded doesn't matter, the slightly larger size of stranded is a "gimme".  There are a lot of gimme's in fill calcs, wait til you get into junction boxes!

You're fine, but you are also essentially full.

Conduit wire derate

This won't affect you because you are full.

Too many wires in one conduit will get too hot (you're a long way from this problem).  In residential/split phase, each circuit can only have 2 conductors because like I said, neutrals and grounds don't count.  But even if you were doing something odd (lopsided hot/neutral on 3rd circuit? Two 3-phase delta circuits?) it matters not: 4-6 wires have the same derate.  310.15(b)(7).

Look up any wire ampacity chart [called 310.15(b)(16)] and note the top row, which calls out which wires each column applies to.  THHN and THWN-2 use the 90C column.  If you happen to have an odd duck called THWN (obsoleted by THWN-2), that uses the 75C column.  Follow those down to your wire size.  That is the point we derate from: example is 40A for #10 copper THHN.

With 4-6 wires we derate 80%. So #10 THHN derates to 32A.  #12 THHN derates to 24A.  That puts you in the clear with both wire sizes, since you are already capped at 30A and 20A respectively due to other Codes (240.4).

Generally you can have 3 single/split phase circuits in 15, 20 or 30A without even thinking about it, and 4 if they are all 15-20A.  Larger than that, you have to break out the sharp pencil, as above.


Gfci supplies a dock keeps tripping and can't be reset only replaced

I have found that GFIs installed outdoors do not last nearly as long as indoors. Your issue is likely the constant proximity to water.

My suggestion is to install the GFI at a point in the circuit inside the house, or even install a GFI breaker.


There are contracting outfits that specialize specifically in doing garages. I used one to build me a 28x36 foot garage that had the capabilities to do all the work of preparing the site, making the foundation and floor structure and building the garage itself which they were happy to customize a bit as to where I wanted windows and service doors. When the garage was finished they were there to lay down a huge new driveway.


Epoxy to bond smooth aluminium to chipboard?

Glue doesn't work by "being absorbed into the wood" as you say.  It forms a bond to the wood surface.
The problem here is your choice of material, chipboard.  This s simply a compressed mass of wood chips held together with some glue.  As you have discovered, those particles are not held together all that strongly.
It's not clear why you can't use some other means of fastening to this board but perhaps you might consider changing to something that has more going for it than chipboard.
If you must use the chipboard, you should consider using some thru-bolts with washers to spread out the load on the chipboard side.  Alternatively some screws which are designed to hold well in such materials.
Particle Board Screws


What could be causing this strange behavior of a branch circuit?

Sounds like there's a break in the neutral wire between the panel and the first receptacle, or possibly a bad neutral connection at the panel.

Power is going out on the ungrounded (hot) conductor, passing through a load somewhere on the circuit and returning on the grounded (neutral). However, since the neutral is not continuous back to the panel, the circuit is not complete.  When you put the lamp between the grounded (neutral) conductor and the grounding conductor, you completed the circuit through the lamp.

If you measure with a digital multimeter, you should measure 0 volts between the ungrounded (hot) conductor and the grounded (neutral) conductor. You'll measure a voltage (1 - 125 volts) between the grounding conductor, and either the grounded or ungrounded conductor.

If you disconnect the grounded (neutral) conductor from the receptacle,  and measure continuity between it and the grounding conductor.  You'll get an open (or infinite) reading,  because the neutral is not continuous back to the panel.

Fix the break or loose connection, and your problem will be solved.


My sewer pipe makes a huge noise when flushed. Can that damage the pipe?

It's unlikely to damage your pipe, but the problem could be air in the system. You may have an old pipe underground that has a break in it.


This looks right to me as long as you have a two transformer system; separate power supplied for both heating and cooling.  The common for this system must use the common from the cooling transformer.  You clearly have the brown wire connected to the B terminal and the blue to the C.  This is correct.  The C terminal supplies power for the operation of the thermostat.  The brown wire will be used to carry the signal in the event that the changeover valve is energized in the heating mode and the orange if in the cooling mode.