Wrong heater
I don't know what possessed you to pick that one, but you can get far cheaper Cadet heaters.  A heater of that size should cost $50-100. All of them are 100% efficient - an electric heater that is less than 100% efficient is impossible.
That "cool feature" is actually 100% useless to the consumer.  You know your voltage so you can buy a much simpler single-voltage heater that has fewer failure points. That "feature" is only cool to contractors, who get to stock only 1 heater and simply pass the feature cost on to the customer.
So I think I just saved you about $400 :)  Now we can fund the circuit(s) needed to do the job.

This unit is 8.3 amps @ 120V.   Because it is a heater, we must provision for 125% of that ampacity, so we must provision at 10.4 amps per heater.   Welcome to 120V heating.
Not enough capacity on the circuits.
It must be hardwired. When a hardwired load is more than 50% of circuit ampacity, that circuit cannot have any receptacles.  Even one on the wall circuit will be >50% ampacity (10.4 amps) and will require removal of all receptacles.  Two just won't fit (20.8 amps).
So that means the bedroom lighting circuit can handle 1.  (but the lights better be LED).
Use of the bathroom receptacle circuit is out of the question.  That can only be used for bathroom receptacles OR loads inside one bathroom.
So we can't get there from here.
Since we have to run a new circuit anyway...
you can just run a 240V/20A circuit with #12 wire.  That will be 4800W on paper and will support up to 3840W of heaters.  (3840 x 125% = 4800).
Cadet baseboard heaters are laughably cheap.  These are dog simple and will last 40 years.
2000W baseboard -- $65 due to demand, normally $50.
1500W baseboard -- $57 ditto.
1250, 1000 and 750W also available.
Add up to 3 thermostats at $15 each.
If you really want fan units, here's 3000W in one unit ($181)  Or two 1500W fan units, $126 each.  Or 1000W unit same price.
See how that "feature" doesn't make any sense when you know your voltage?  It simply adds electronics that creates a failure point.


How do you insulate exposed crawl space?

You fill the joist bays with fiberglass or mineral wool batts, then you cover the underside of the joists and batts with a few inches of rigid foam or rigid mineral wool boards, and then you protect that layer by covering it up with plywood or OSB. One layer has to be your air barrier. If you use rigid foam, make that your air barrier and caulk and tape the seams. If you use rigid mineral wool, the plywood will be your air barrier so caulk and tape the seams. I think mice would be hard pressed to chew through plywood from the bottom while crawling up piers, but if they can, protect the piers themselves with downward-facing anti-mouse cones made of metal or something.


Careful, although you may want an air space, you do NOT want air circulation between your house air and anything on the other side of the vapour barrier.  My first thought would be to paint a vapour barrier, such as a shellac based sealer on to your existing ceiling.  If your existing ceiling needs re-sheeting, then put up poly, and then re-sheet with drywall.


How to support the side of concrete steps?

I can't give a definitive answer for most of this as I have no building experience, but the answer I would give to no 2 removal of the excess concrete on your foundation is a very loud 'don't do it'. it is as you say part of your house foundation.  I don't think many would recommend reducing your foundation structure. If you wish this to be part of a social area, can I suggest that you find a way to increase this lip. And to use this as a shelf for cups, glasses  etc. You may even like to have the odd small plant pot on there. This can be done by tiling up the wall against the existing concrete, and then tiling the shelf, or by boarding up the concrete and having a wooden shelf.  Just a thought.
How are you thinking about accessing your new patio area? Using the existing concrete steps may be awkward, and you may need to retain the soil pile and use this to have steps down to your patio, from the existing steps.


What is a minimally intrusive way to move a wire that is in a wall 3.5" to the left?

You could always pick up a 1-Gang low voltage old work bracket like this...

Cut the hole to install it, which should give you enough space to grab the wire from the previous hole. Then finish it off with a wall plate like this.

This is sort of an ugly wall plate (used for example only), they make nicer looking ones but I couldn't find one with a quick search.  They used to have some that also had a way to mount the speaker built in, but I'm not sure if they still make those.

One of these snap-in types might look better.


How do I fix a squeaky/whiny ceiling fan?

Seems to me that it would depend on where the squeak is coming from.

If it;s inside the mechanism, or somewhere where parts of the fan are rubbing tegether then some WD-40 would probably fix it right up, but if the whole mounting is wobbling and causing the mount to rub against the junction box then you might try tightening the mounting hardware or shimmiing it out with something to make the mounting tighter.


How do I remove the T shaped metal device that is holding my fluorescent ballast cover on?

Turn it 90 degrees and it will release same with the one at the other end if it has one.


Do I need to get an engineer for badly poured conctrete basement floor?

If it would ease your mind, hire an engineer to look into it. Of course, having built a house on top of it, it's a bit late to do over.

However - if this is a typical New England house, the floor (that looks horrible, yes) is not holding up your house. The footings and foundation walls, which are normally poured before the basement floor, are the support structure. The basement floor is just a floor.

Water and concrete have an interesting relationship. Excess water in the mix does make the concrete weaker. Once the initial set has taken place, there is no such thing as too much water - one method for making high quality concrete runways is to flood them for a month after they are poured. Wet-curing concrete makes it stronger.

In your case, I suspect what you have is a little bit excess water on the surface before the initial set was complete, and a lot of letting the concrete freeze before it's cured. The surface damage is called "spalling" if you want to look it up. That does not say very nice things about your general contractor or your concrete sub-contractor, in my opinion - they should either choose to work in a weather window, or be prepared to protect and heat the concrete for a proper cure if working in the winter. The document linked above from the Portland Cement association specifies that fresh concrete should be maintained at or above 50F until it is cured (and curing takes longer at that temperature than the "standard" 73F.) Unless you are planning to put a machine shop in your basement (a good thing to have, IMHO) a self-levelling top surface will probably be adequate for most normal household uses. But you almost certainly don't have the floor you should have.


help me understand this fridge auto-defrost circuit

It seems "DEF TERM" might mean "defrost terminator." If you can locate this component it may shed some light on what it does -- I wonder if it might be an auto-resetting thermal switch. It seems that a well-placed switch would experience temperature of 32F (or lower) until the moment when the ice surrounding it has turned to water, and then the temperature of the switch would rise. A control could use that behavior to terminate the defrost cycle at the right moment. A time-based defrost would run the risk of being inadequate by letting ice remain or inefficient by heating the freezer compartment excessively.
"D-SENS" might be an abbreviation for "defrost sense." If the guess about the terminator is correct, this sense line would provide a way for the controller to detect that the defrost terminator had activated. That could have been done by sensing the current flowing through the defrost heater, but maybe in their circuit design they decided a voltage-based sense was better than a current-based sense.
There's definitely some experimentation in your future. I'll guess you could use the NC relay to break the connection between the terminator and the heating element, leaving the sense connected to the heating element. That'll probably interrupt the power to the heater and hopefully still provide the sense feedback so the controller can decide to end the defrost cycle. But you may possibly upset the controller -- it could possibly do some kind of self-test to confirm the heating element is functional and this tampering may cause such a test to fail.


How can I shorten ABS pipe to move a drain trap?

Why do you need a coupler?
I would undo the u bend outlet, shorten and re tighten.


My 3 inch by 9 grade 316 stainless steel deck screws are breaking

For the screw that is stuck... The easiest way to deal with it is to chop it off and then to take a bigger bit and drill it down a good 1/8"+ so it doesn't ever stick out.   Sure you can spend a ton of time backing it out but I wouldn't bother with it.
I will give you two general pieces of advice when doing something like a deck...

Test out your screws with the materials you have.  I certainly wouldn't trust most stainless steel screws to go in that deep without a pilot - without breaking.   Self-tapping means you don't need a pilot/starter to get it to catch easy.   It by no purpose means you don't need a pilot hole.   I would test a couple of sizes of pilot holes and see how big you can go while keeping your screw really snug.

Back your screws out halfway once you get to 3/4 of the way down.   This helps clear the threads and it gives your screws a break from the amount of heat.   I do the same technique when doing any kind of wood join with screws.   It reduced breakage and stripping the heads by 5 fold.


faucet (grohe arden?) leak. how do i remove the handle, get to the O ring

The little dome shaped item on the top of the handle is a cover. You can carefully pry it off and there will be a screw in there. Remove the screw and the handle will come off.


You cannot avoid a divot when pulling nails out of concrete small divots I use epoxy filler larger or a large number I use a self leveling compound or hydraulic cement. Vinyl flooring will show divots so they need to be filled.


How can I wire two closets from one power source?

Yes, you have connected the two switches in series. Just move the black wire that runs to closet 2 from the switched side of switch 1 to the hot side of switch 1.

It is a violation of the National Electrical Code to switch the neutral.


How can I have an exhaust fan run if either of two switches is on?

This is the fundamental circuit you need. Use two double-pole switches. One pole of each switch controls one damper, and the other poles are connected to the fan in parallel.

If you need to control the fan and dampers with timers, humidity sensors, occupancy detectors, etc., which rarely come in double-pole versions, you will probably have to use relays in addition to the switches. The relays will, in turn, be activated by your single-pole detectors.

The physical wiring will depend upon the locations of your switches and loads, how you choose to run your cables, and where power enters the circuit.
Here is an example with power entering at one switch, the fan cable branching from the other switch, and no cables between the loads.

I have omitted the fault ground wires from both diagrams. They clutter the picture and make it harder to understand. Just connect all fault grounds together wherever you see them.
Many many other physical layouts are possible. I think any layout that implements the fundamental circuit and does not have any cable loops will be safe. Once you decide where your cable runs must be then you can ask for a specific diagram.
One other possibility is to use the dampers as relays. You will need a style of damper that incorporates a switch to indicate when it is open. If you can find (or safely make) such a thing, you can wire those switches in parallel to control the fan.


Why is the small white box near my fridge's compressor making an incessant clicking sound?

I have the same problem. Brand new fridge (Frigidaire). The same sound coming from a white box attached with ABS stamped on it. I unplugged the fridge and removed the box to examine the components. It appears to be a thermostat of some sort? It also has a little red adjustment screw in the center of the component. I am making my best guess and thinking that it regulates when the pump kicks on according to the ambient temperature?

Best guess 2, some sort of power regulator, maybe for different types of electricity? But the housing is cylindrical and the red dial is dead center leading me to believe that it is a coil inside. The dial is to tighten or loosen the spring to optimize efficiency for different climates or elevations?

Either way, I left the box off and plugged the fridge back in to see if it would keep making the sound. The sound stopped. This tells me that it is a poor design, allowing vibrations to be amplified by the housing. A little cardboard between the housing and the metal cylinder and the sound is gone forever. I do not recommend doing this unless you have some basic knowledge in electricity, and insurance on your house..


Removal of a 2x4 with roof truss built on top

Cutting it flush is the right solution. It's typical that double plates of intersecting walls interlock like that. There's nothing apparent to indicate that the plate continues to be structurally necessary.


Why does my water pressure drop after using my water hose for a few minutes?

The part that jumped out at me is this: "4" well with a submerged pump and a pressure tank in the garage."

How big is your pressure tank? My guess is that the greater water draw of a 1/2 or 5/8 inch hose can drain the tank in 15 minutes. The washer or shower has a much lower flow rate in gallons per minute used than a hose.

When the pressure is low from the hose, do you also get low pressure inside the house?


How well do whole house humidifiers work?

Honeywell humidifiers are really good - with experience with one in last house.  Our heating costs went down by 15% and our house didn't have static everywhere in the winter.  Mine was a steam too and it cost me about $400 total after a couple of quick trips to Lowes.  Took me about 3 hours (counting the 2 trips) to install.

So let's say it takes a whole day for the pro to install (8 hours) - I am not an hvac pro.  Is it worth $300 an hour to get this done in your area?  Also maybe your unit costs more but the unit I got had great reviews and near top of line...

Also I think this should be installed on furnace not garage.  I don't know your whole setup so I don't want to call out the company.  It doesn't make sense to me that a line from humidifier to furnace would be run because that has to diminish the steam going in and may make the humidifier work constantly... But I do understand that you don't want plumbing to freeze - which I am guess it doesn't in your climate being that the water heater is in the garage....

So I would run a water line to furnace and install it there.


How to remove plastic retainer sleeve stuck in faucet handle threading?

Your shower faucet handle appears to be made of metal.  Heat the metal by soaking it in hot water for a while.  Then try unscrewing the sleeve.  The heated metal should expand making the threads looser.

Be careful to avoid buring yourself with hot metal.


Total Amperage and Electical Box Availability

That is very likely the "average running" current rating, not the peak inrush current when you first turn something on. However, you figure of 176A seems very high for an average home.  If that is really what you are currently using then your power charges will be quite high every month, AND you have NO EXTRA CAPACITY to add a very-high current device like a tankless water heater.

To really know how much current is being drawn from any branch circuit (breaker) or even from the total load (via the incoming service lines), you would use a "clamp on" AC ammeter.  You don't need great precision, so an inexpensive meter like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC would give you ACTUAL numbers to work with.

You did not reveal how much current your tankless water heater needs. But they are typically VERY HIGH current devices and demand heavy wiring and separate branch circuits.


How to support a partially demolished chimney

I would remove the remaining chimney. Having a massive chunk of heavy brick and mortar suspended from the upper part of the structure is not something I would want hanging over my head.

If you live in an area where there is any chance of an earthquake would put more than triple concerns and impetus to get it removed.

You do have real concern that the thing could come crashing down if you start trying to remove it so you would really need to devise some decent support under the thing to prevent it from crashing. Such support can be temporary. After proper support removal should be done from the top down a brick or two at a time.

I removed part of an old chimney this way and found it was easy to dismantle because the thing was originally made with sand/lime/horse hair for the mortar. It was a simple process of just unstacking the bricks.


water pressure drops when irrigation system is turned on

It sounds like your well is not able to provide the flow rate needed to supply your sprinkler system.
Let's say that your well/pump/plumbing are able to provide 5 gal./minute.  If you exceed that rate then the pressure will drop.  It's unlikely that low water level in the well is the source of your problem as in that case the pump would start sucking air and you would notice the air in the system as it "burps" out.
I'd start by checking your plumbing for suitable sizes of pipes and fittings and see if there are any obvious problems such as way too small pipes.  If that fails to reveal any issues you likely need to engage a well service professional who can evaluate your well and pump and make any recommendations that might correct your problem.
Keep in mind, especially if your well and pump are old, that fixing this may involve replacing the pump, drilling a new well, running a new pipe from the well to the home, etc.  In other words, it may be expensive.


Since you mentioned freezing in some comments, I recommend this:

This is a freeze-proof hose bib, complete with anti-siphon valve to prevent water running backwards from your yard into your supply plumbing should the pressure go off.


How can we measure the air quality index of our room?

Depending on you local codes and the type of work being done, the construction contractor might be required to monitor her project's environmental impact.
As already stated, testing equipment can be expensive to purchase for private use, but Code Enforcement or the contractor might be able to help you out with a loaner of some type, or even perform an IAC test for you.
Great question.  Please let us know how it turns out.


Safe to put tiles on top of two 3/4" fir board layers & Ditra-Heat?

if you install over wood, you will eventually have cracked tiles and/or grout.  it is not a stable substrate.

If height is an issue, I would take out the tongue and groove flooring, and install the cement board on top on the 3/4" subfloor.

For floor, i use 1/2" cement board.


Are these black marks near an electrical box signs of an electrical problem that I should be concerned about?

That does look as if it could be soot. The wires themselves don't look damaged (melted, charred).

So there may have been some kind of appliance or device plugged into an outlet there, which failed and caught on fire, which presumably also damaged the receptacle. Or the receptacle itself may have failed and started smoking. In either case, the receptacle was never replaced, possibly just because it wasn't convenient or the previous owner never got around to it, or didn't know how.

There wasn't necessarily an overcurrent condition. But if there was, it could have been due to all kinds of transient conditions.

However, there's also a chance that the overcurrent was due to something like a floating neutral in your panel, which can be really dangerous. As in appliances spontaneously catching on fire or blowing up, and so on.

Do you have any electrical problems anywhere else in the house?

The wires in this box are connected straight through, which indicates that you probably have healthy receptacles further "downstream," in which case there's no reason why this box should be a problem with a new receptacle in it.

For peace of mind, you may want to hire an electrician to check things out all the way back to your service panel, to make sure that all of the connections are tight and you don't have any intermittent failures (like a cracked wire that carries enough current 90% of the time, but then overheats and moves causing voltage fluctuations).

If you disconnect the wirenuts, only one of the black wires should be live, and it should only show current when connected to one of the white (grounded/neutral) wires, and it should also show current when connected to one of the ground wires. Those would be the three wires that lead back "upstream" to your service panel. The other wires carry current on to additional outlets. In both cases (grounded and grounding, or neutral and ground) the current should be a steady 120 volts give or take a few volts, with or without a load on the circuit.


How long ago was it replaced or touched? E.g., roof repair/replaced, or energy efficiency program teams, or a contractor/self replacing the fan or the piping or exhaust hood?  I ask because the length of time may warrant further inspection to address any long term water damage issues. It could require new plywood (especially if you are in a cold snowy climate). I'm not saying this is the case, just making sure you give it some thought and inspect the damage areas closely.

If there is no long term damage a few things can be amiss....

Incorrect installation
Flashing damaged/dried out
Vent fan hood damaged/worn out
uneven pressure in the home via some other exhaust/pressure source

In reverse order for 1-4:
If the home has positive pressure (e.g., a other vents vent, a window fan or other fan blowing IN, or even sealed so tight doors opening and closing), these things can blow the door open, allowing rainwater to blow in the vent.... gravity wins.

If the vent apparatus on the roof is damaged, ie... missing flap, bad spring, debris, bad seal, etc, it will allow water past the opening, and, again, gravity wins.

As Jasen noted, flashing that has dried out, or wasnt applied properly, or wind/debris damage bending the topper or surrounding tiles, even higher up the roof near the ridge, can allow water to travel (via gravity) to your vent opening. This can even happen with expose nail holes, screw holes, abandoned satellite dish holes, etc.

Lastly, installation - this can and is often the culprit, and the damage probaly has been happening all along (possibly). Make sure the vent tubing is the right size (not longer than needed) make sure it slopes properly to allow vapors out without giving a place for water to pool or get trapped. Make sure is it properly sealed/taped at each end, and insulated if in a colder climate. Use rigid pipe instead of plastic or aluminum ribbed ductwork (like most kits have). Also, make sure the direction of the topper makes sense, and ideally is not directly in the souternly path of wind/water.

Follow that list and you should nail it.


Attaching a pergola (or deck) to vinyl siding

You'll absolutely need to cut back the siding and attach directly to the home.  For the siding, you need two custom tools.  The first is a small hook for unhooking a piece of siding from the piece below.  Use this to remove all the pieces that are currently where you want to install the plate.  Get a role of tyvek tape to cover up all the holes left from removing the existing siding.  Then, snap a chalk line across the wall from screw to screw of the existing siding so that your reinstall will be perfectly straight.

And the second is a punch that is used to attach the siding to a special insert (undersill trim) that goes in the J-channel when you don't end at the exact top.  You cut the siding to the height you need (measure twice) and then the punch creates small tabs that stick out from the siding (only 3 sides of the small hole are punched).  The undersill trim goes inside the downward facing J-channel to receive this punched piece.

The top piece of J-channel (which is an inch or so long to line up with the side pieces of J-channel), you cut back an inch along creases to create a small tab that folds down into the J-channel on the sides.  This helps create a water path that hopefully doesn't go behind the siding.

The next tip, when cutting, you can either use tin snips or a circular saw.  We have a dedicated saw to siding on the job site and the blade is mounted in reverse.  I believe this results in less tearing of the siding giving you a nice smooth edge.

One last tip, don't over-tighten the screws, the siding should be allowed to float right and left for expansion.  The rule of thumb is that your fingernail should be able to get under the screw.

If this is confusing, go out and look at how siding is installed around a window.

Here are some of the tools that I referred to (I don't think you'll need the nail hole punch):

And a good description could be found at this site.


3 wire cooktop (réduit black & grounds) to a 4 wire ourlet (red black wite & ground)

Connect red, black and green/bare (ground.) Put a wire nut on the unused white in the wall box, in case a different appliance is used later that needs it.
Or: If using a plug into a 4-wire receptacle, just don't connect to the neutral (white) blade of the plug.


Random theories:

smoke alarm
kids toy
a robot
cell phone
handheld video game
a bomb


How can I prevent water from pooling in the street in front of my house?

Most towns/cities will not be too happy with you, if you start cutting up their road. So you'll have to use a method that will be completely on your property.
Dump some dirt
The easiest solution would be to build up the area with a load of dirt.  Using a wheelbarrow and a shovel, grab some dirt from another location in your yard. If you can't find a place in your yard to take dirt from, you could always purchase some from a gardening/landscape/home improvement store.  Dump the dirt along the edge of the road until your hole becomes a hill, then feather it into the rest of the yard. Plant some grass, and grab one of @dbracey's margaritas and watch it grow.
French drain
A french drain would give the water a place to go.
Start by digging a trench right next to the road about 12" wide, and 12" deep (don't forget to call before you dig, so you don't damage any underground utilities). You want the water to drain away, so you'll want a drop of at least 1/8" for every 1' in length. For example. If the drain will be 20' long, the end of the drain will be 2 1/2" lower than the beginning. Next fill the trench with about 4" of crushed stone, and lay your drain pipe in the middle of the trench. You can use either rigid, or flexible pipe.

Fill the trench to about 2" from the top with more crushed stone, then finish filling the trench with topsoil. plant grass, and enjoy.
Concrete gutter
If you're familiar with working with concrete, and you like a more finished look. You could install a gutter, along the side of the road.

Just remember, you'll need the gutter to slope so water will run away.  It's probably a good idea to install a dry well or other drainage method at the end of the gutter, so the water has a place to go (unless you don't care if you simply move the puddle to your neighbors yard).


The mystery has been solved, and it was discovered to actually be a vintage aluminum iron stand. I had found many antique iron stands that were similarly shaped, but none had the blade like structure around it. I assume their purpose is to prevent the iron from falling off while allowing heat to escape.


How to prep wiring for new lights in basement ceiling?

As noted, this is not an entry level project. (And drywall is the enemy, but fear not.)

Safety notes: turn off circuits that you're messing with. Have a tester that tells you if a wire is hot. Don't assume that wire colors mean anything. If you think there's a chance that you'll hit plumbing/ gas/ other wires/ etc when drilling, then open up the drywall and fix it later. Read up on wiring best practices and safety.

My approach:

pick your cans (size will be important). Bigger diameter will probably be easier to work with. Smaller height is probably better.
lay out where you want the cans to ideally be
make holes at each location that are big enough to get your hand into (but smaller than the eventual can). After the first hole, you'll know if there's anything really wrong with the cans you've purchased.
feel around and see what obstructions are in your way. Adjust can locations accordingly.
cut can holes to full size
run wire between cans. Try to make small holes (3/4") in the middle of your joists. Open drywall as needed to enable drilling and passing wire. Watch out for other wires/plumbing/gas lines/etc while drilling.
now, you need to get power to one point on the string of cans. Lots of ways to skin the proverbial cat, but if you're lucky, you found a permanently hot wire in the ceiling that is on a circuit that can bear the additional load of lighting. (LEDs are good here, as they draw very little.) If you pick up power from an existing source, the junction box has to be accessible.
if you weren't lucky with that, you'll have to bring power from an outlet to a switch. Tear out the existing outlet box (without damaging any wires -- often easier said than done) and fish wire from the outlet to your new switch location. A long drill bit through the holes you're cutting for boxes will get you through the first stud, but you'll be making holes in the drywall to get past studs.
now you need to get wire from the switch to the lights. Construction varies, but getting wire from the wall cavity into the ceiling cavity will almost certainly involve cutting away drywall at the top of the wall and the edge of the ceiling. With those holes, you can see what you're dealing with.
if you want two switches controlling the same set of lights, run 3 conductor wire between the switches. Reference books will tell you how to hook up those wires.
when patching drywall, less is more. If you put too much mud on, you'll have to sand it off and clean it up later.
I'm sure I've missed something, but I hope this gives you a sense of what you're considering.


Under what circumstances is 5/8" drywall required?

International Residential Code (IRC) has a table for that.

Chapter 7 - Wall Covering
SECTION R702 INTERIOR COVERING
R702.3 Gypsum board.
R702.3.5 Application. Maximum spacing of supports and the size and spacing of fasteners used to attach gypsum board shall comply with
Table R702.3.5. Gypsum sheathing shall be attached to exterior walls
in accordance with Table R602.3(1). Gypsum board shall be applied at
right angles or parallel to framing members. All edges and ends of
gypsum board shall occur on the framing members, except those edges
and ends that are perpendicular to the framing members. Interior
gypsum board shall not be installed where it is directly exposed to
the weather or to water.

For SI: 1 inch = 25.4 mm.
a. For application without adhesive, a pair of nails spaced not less
than 2 inches apart or more than 21/2 inches apart may be used with
the pair of nails spaced 12 inches on center.
b. Screws shall be in accordance with Section R702.3.6. Screws for
attaching gypsum board to structural insulated panels shall penetrate
the wood structural panel facing not less than 7/16 inch.
c. Where cold-formed steel framing is used with a clinching design to
receive nails by two edges of metal, the nails shall be not less than
5/8 inch longer than the gypsum board thickness and shall have ringed
shanks. Where the cold-formed steel framing has a nailing groove
formed to receive the nails, the nails shall have barbed shanks or be
5d, 131/2 gage, 15/8 inches long, 15/64-inch head for 1/2-inch gypsum
board; and 6d, 13 gage, 17/8 inches long, 15/64-inch head for 5/8-inch
gypsum board.
d. Three-eighths-inch-thick single-ply gypsum board shall not be used
on a ceiling where a water-based textured finish is to be applied, or
where it will be required to support insulation above a ceiling. On
ceiling applications to receive a water-based texture material, either
hand or spray applied, the gypsum board shall be applied perpendicular
to framing. When applying a water-based texture material, the minimum
gypsum board thickness shall be increased from 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch
for 16-inch on center framing, and from 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch for
24-inch on center framing or 1/2-inch sag-resistant gypsum ceiling
board shall be used.
e. Type X gypsum board for garage ceilings beneath habitable rooms
shall be installed perpendicular to the ceiling framing and shall be
fastened at maximum 6 inches o.c. by minimum 17/8 inches 6d coated
nails or equivalent drywall screws.


Has anyone ever mixed fiberglas strands into drywall mud?

In a marine fiberglass-in-resin situation, the resin's surface tension pulls the fibers into the mass, with few protruding fibers. Plus, since the resin is of similar strength to the glass, sanding will remove both fiber and resin at the same rate, leaving a relatively smooth finish.

With strands in drywall mud, however, the mud is likely to leave strands protruding. Plus, if you try and sand it smooth, you'll find that the mud is much weaker than the glass fibers, and you'll inevitably remove more mud than fiber, leaving a "hairy" finish.

People use fiberglass tape or mesh to reinforce the mud, but that only works if, when you're finishing, you only remove some of the mud but never get down to the fiberglass.


How much water needed to test sump pump?

Hard to be sure from that picture, but yes, it's probably an enclosed/caged float switch of some sort, and it should definitely take more than an inch or two to turn it on. Why? only pumping an inch or two is bad for the lifetime of the pump, which does most of its "wearing out" in the first few seconds it's switched on, so you want enough water that it's worth pumping for a while. If you get above the top of the pump itself (black parts) and it fails to turn on, something might be wrong with it, though before that point you might want to start with checking the outlet for power.

If the pump IS broken, the water will, barring a water influx event, tend to go back down where it started within minutes to hours. Since the pump is not turning on and the pit is not overflowing, you don't appear to have such an event going on right now.


Having a split system will heat the home you do not need to have each room connected if you leave your doors open. In my area it is common to have 2 or 3 units in the large areas of the home like the dining room/ kitchen and one in the living room. And sometimes a small unit in the master bed/bath room. Your area gets colder than where I am at but it comes down to how uniform in tempature do you want the house, if you can live with doors open at night 2 inside units could do the job. If you want 1-2 degree range throughout then more small inside units would be needed.


I've seen a few amazing scenarios where the people turned it into a real plus:

Garage - They were 3' above flood level. Back basement wall restructured for 2-car garage door (for winter only), yard was graded down & toward the river, driveway & boat launch were installed, all windows were left open until winter, ceiling super insulated, vapor barrier, fire resistant fiberglass faced drywall covered with cement board & old garage torn down with slab remaining as new patio.

Indoor Pool - They were 15' above flood level, a lot of foundation work & then same ceiling treatment as the garage above.

Winter Boat Storage Rental - They were 6' above flood level. Took floor down to river flood level for ceiling height, foundation work, boat launch, connecting pavement, major sump pump system, security gates.

Summer Private Park Rental - They were about 3' above flood level. Tree & stump removal, picture taking large gazebo, volleyball nets, small baseball/kickball diamond with backstop, rolling picnic tables & large bathrooms in basement, party could rush into fully cemented, lighted & painted basement if weather happened since tables & all were out.

Outdoor Café & Boat-up Concession Stand - They were at flood level. Collapsible little buildings, bank hugging narrow floating dock, stair for walk-down bathrooms, bathrooms, electrical to river edge, gravel parking lot, outdoor lighting & signage.

I probably left out a few things, but some fabulous stuff along a fairly unappealing brown river.


How can I repair my two sloping concrete slabs?

If the slabs are stable and not moving (caused by poor compaction, sub surface drainage, or plate tectonics), commercial floor leveling (gypcrete is the most flexible and most economic in most areas) would quickly get you flat.

Some considerations will be:

Door clearances
Need to extend floor drains upwards
Stair rises affected
Need to clear out everything


HVAC supply vent noise: how to eliminate the whistling wind tunnel?

Forget any suggestions for restricting the airflow at the grille.  The proper way to control airflow in ductwork is with an in-line damper which is placed as far up line as possible in the trunk or branch without affecting any duct drops that don't need the airflow restricted.  The reason for this is efficiency and noise.  I'm writing this from my phone, but I'm going to attempt to include photos.


OK to reposition a 90 degree sweep of Schedule 40 conduit after it's been glued?

I would really try to avoid placing intentional stress on the PVC pipe to get it into position.

Instead you should find the part of the pipe that is relatively straight where a cut and rotation of the pipe on its center axis will correct for the misalignment at the end. Then cut open the pipe and glue in a coupler to allow for the rotation.

The rope should be no problem. Tie on some more rope at the existing end and then when you cut the pipe do so in a manner that you do not cut off the rope. Once the pipe is open pull the extra rope down toward your cut area and open the knot so you can thread on the new coupling fitting. Then rejoin the knot and pull the rope back through to the end. Re-glue the joint with the rope inside the fitting.


Despite what you might believe, those adjustment levers on most tools are not calibrated very well.  Even on my table saw I regularly use a simple plastic 90-degree triangle to ensure my blade is aligned to the table.  This is part of owning any tool and it's worth a few moments to verify everything is set up properly.  A more expensive tool will simply buy you more time between calibrations but all tools should be checked with regular use.


How to make a cut-out on an acrylic sheet?

As you have already found out, cutting P-glass is tricky. The plastic cutters you mentioned are very gimmicky and don't work that well. I would suggest the following procedure:

After marking out your cut on the plexi,  take a scrap piece of any firm material, plywood, an old board, anything, and cut a slightly oversuninstallized hole in it to act as a backer for your plexi.

With your plexi on top of the backer, Drill holes in two oposite corners of the marked hole you want to make.

Use a varible speed jig saw at a very low speed with a fine tooth wood  or course tooth metal blade to cut out the shape. Stay just barely inside of the waste side of the mark.

Finish the hole and smooth the edges with a fine bastard file and some 220 grit paper.

If you are really cleaver, you could make the hole smaller than the device cover so no plexi edges would be exposed. You may need longer screws to attach the cover plates, but you can get them at any electrical dept.


How can I install a stair skirt to fit the stairs instead of running alongside?

I think this may work for you:

This article, "Scribing Skirt Boards" by NORM YEAGER, provides a pretty good explanation of a technique to install a stair skirt "on top" of an existing stairway. You might want to do a couple of "practice runs" before you do the actual skirt...depending on your skill level and the steadiness of your nerves, etc. It isn't difficult, but it is one of those things that gets easier with a bit of practice.

What they're detailing here is laying a 1x12 across the top of the stairs and scribing the outline of the steps onto the board, for cutting out the profile of the steps and then installing it above the steps instead of between the staircase and the wall.

Personally, I think that I'd use a pencil instead of a sharpened brad to mark the cut lines, but both methods should work.

If there is an existing skirt, you could install your new skirt over the top of it to effectively make the two skirts into one thick enough to cover the gaps.

If there isn't an existing skirt, making one out of 1x12 might be thick enough to cover the gaps, but you may want to use a 2x12 to make the skirt so that you'd have the additional thickness to cover the gaps.

Depending on the surrounding woodwork, etc. you could augment the existing molding to match and blend in the additional thickness of the skirt.


Can I convert galvanized ducts to wood stove black ducts by coating it with high temp RustOleum paint?

24-gauge is 24-gauge.  However, the the silver type round pipe is coated with a rather inexpensive galvanizing coating.  This coating is to inhibit rust.  The galvanizing keeps oxygen and moisture away from the raw metal.These elements will discolor the metal, causing the metal to oxidize and rust, thus shortening the life of the metal.
Now for the down side of you situation.  When the galvanized coating gets too hot as in when used as a wood stove chimney vent the the galvanizing burns off and in the process produces a dangerous gas.  If this gas is inhaled the result will be sickness and even death.
Sorry you are going to have to put up the money for the black stuff.
Top coating this with paint no matter the quality is not enough to ensure protection against this off gassing.


Is Firewall required in North Florida 2005 single story home?

The only requirement for a firewall that I am aware of, between the garage and living space was a layer of 5/8" fire code sheetrock over the whole wall that separates the garage from the living space. If there is a living space above the garage, then the ceiling needed it too. Although I think the latter statement is state specific. I believe in WA state it is not needed on the ceiling, at least in a new home I was working on, but in Maryland it was required.

The door into the garage from the house needed to be rated to withstand a 20 minute fire exposure.


How do I disinfect a shopvac after possible contamination with hantavirus and other rodent diseases?

From the Illinois Department of Public Health

  The hantavirus is destroyed by detergents and readily available
  disinfectants such as diluted household bleach or products containing
  phenol (e.g., Lysol®). Choose an agent that is compatible with the
  item, object or area to be cleaned and disinfected.


Patio gate not at right angle to the house

you should angle the post that's by the house. It will increase the functionality of the gate hardware.

If you're worried about looks, you can always take a piece of fence plank and install it from the post corner over to the house wall.


Why won't hot water come after timer of recirculating pump is off?

Probably a failed/stuck/jammed check valve, if this was the typical (maketh me shudder) retrofit installation where the hot water recirculation line is the cold water line. That makes the proper operation utterly dependent on the check valve, or the cold water line can happily backfeed into the hot water.

The less-shudder-inducing system I prefer is a dedicated recirculation return line, but that can be hard to retrofit (and can have the same problem, if a bit less, since it normally returns to the cold side of the hot water heater.)


Refrigerator is not making ice or serving water

So turns out the water valve in the back of my fridge was bad. All rusted out. I broke down and called a technician (thankfully) and he said we were lucky it didn't burst, as it probably would have flooded the house. On top of that, the condenser fan motor was dead.

I suspect the former owner knew all of this, and just had his guy go behind the fridge and shut off the main water line to the fridge so they wouldn't have to deal with it before selling the house.


What gauge extension cord should I use for dehumidifier in basement?

Specifications shows 115V @ 4.8amp.  With that values it is likely he stated to get at least a 16gauge extension cord.
I prefer to get at least 14gauge cords as the price is usually very near those for the 16gauge cords.


Any issues wiring bathroom exhaust fan to low-voltage heated mirror?

You can have a removable access panel to mount the transformer in the wall if it is rated for being enclosed. Some transformers are not listed for being enclosed. Most transformers similar to this are mounted on a junction box with the 120v inside and the low voltage on the outside in this case a full wave bridge may be integrated in the transformer or connected to it and the 24vdc is taken to the mirror for the heat and light.
I make “picture frame” access panels I have always used Velcro to hold them in place. An inspector did recommend screws as they are allowed. Removable panels designed for access that do not damage the finish are code compliant.  So if the transformer is allowed in a stud bay you could create a “picture frame” attached to the Sheetrock but the frame covers the seam. Velcro or screws can be used to hold this in place.


How can I safely install drywall anchors around an electrical panel?

If your hollow walls do not have wooden studs, the studs are most likely steel (at least in the US).

You are right to be concerned about the extensive wiring near an electrical panel. Numerous wires may be exiting in virtually any direction. You could check out where wires exit by turning off the main power switch and then removing the panel face plate. You will be able to see the directions most of the wires follow. Caution! There is still live power coming into the main breaker, even when that breaker is off.

If the wiring is up to code, cables are supposed to be recessed from the front edge of the metal stud by at least 1.25 inches (NEC 303.4(D)). This leaves you some room to drill and install anchors in the drywall, although I would avoid drilling very close to the panel (as you suggest).

For extra safety, you may wish to turn off the power when you are drilling on that wall, take care not to allow the drill to penetrate much beyond the drywall and, if you seem to hit anything other than drywall, check to make sure it is not a cable before progressing.

You can mount things on steel studs, but you need special screws, not wood screws. Also, if mounting on steel studs, be sure the screws are not so long that they penetrate the steel more than about 1/2 inch at most (longer provide no additional holding power in steel studs).

While steel toggles and expanding anchors should not hit wiring if it has been properly spaced, consider the plastic expanding type if you want additional safety.

I would avoid the tubular type plastic anchors except for the lightest of loads. And do not use the steel hammer-in type anchors!

Note: If you think you might have hit a cable, be sure the power is off and call an electrician to check it out before proceeding!

 Images and links are illustrative only, not an endorsement of goods or sources.


How to prevent wall-mounted TV above fireplace from getting hot?

A shelf or mantle is what I've read is usually done for the purpose of protecting the TV.

Comment: TV above a fireplace is absolutely the worst place to put one. Not just for heat reasons but, ergonomically, it should be placed at eye level for most comfortable viewing.


Is it safe to run a Kinect 360 cable in drywall?

Most likely not code compliant, at least - the insulation fire rating is what matters there - if you can read off any codes on the side of the cable jacket it might be possible to be more certain.

I'd suggest two boxes and a short section of conduit, as much because it will make it easier to replace when some new thing comes along in a few years, as for improved code-compliance/safety.

Responding to comment: - an electrical junction box at each end, not just "an opening" - I'd probably use EMT (electrical metallic tubing - the lightweight and cheapest type of steel conduit)  in between the boxes - use a size generous enough to pass your connectors through. Other types of conduit are probably acceptable, that's just what I would prefer for cost and effectiveness. While it might be acceptable to use the orange plastic low-voltage boxes, I prefer to stick with steel boxes.


Anyone know what this 4 inch pipe on the outside of my house could be?

Quite possibly it was a pole for a clothes drying line that was cut off once no longer needed.


Why isn't my halogen floor lamp working with new bulb and new dimmer switch?

@jms was right. The ribbed wire was mixed with the smooth wire at the bulb end. I switched them but it still didn't work. The voltage when on was about 0.7V. I tested with a straight connection like @DigitalNinja said and it did light up! So the brand new switch is bad!


Will I pass inspection/code if I install walls over carpet in a finished basement for a couple bedrooms?

There is no code or regulation that I know of that putting a piece of carpet between framing and the base (concrete).  However this is really poor workmanship and I could see your local inspector reacting with a raised eyebrow or he could just say he doesn't want it for whatever reason - it is his call.  Also doing something suspect like this would lead me (if I were an inspector) to really really take notice of everything else.

Why would you do it?  Your flooring still has to be retacked and stretched.  What possible benefit are you getting from the floor under the walls?  You could just slice the carpet right in the middle of the wall, roll it back each way and then create your wall.  You could probably get a carpet place to come out and fix the issues for less than $100 - and this could also be a DIY job.


installing electrical boxes for out door light fixtures

If you are wanting to install a wall sconce, you need to install one that is rated for outdoor use.

Note: The shape box you need to use will be dependent on what fixtures you would like to install. Some fixtures need round boxes while others require a rectangular box. My examples show round boxes, but this is not the only choice.

Aside from being constructed for outdoor (ab)use, outdoor rated fixtures typically include a foam/rubber gasket, a specially designed fixture base, or some other means for ensuring water resistance. Additionally, in many cases, you should use silicone caulk around any possible points of water incursion (if possible).

Some fixture bases come with extra holes for mounting flood lights. These extra holes should be plugged and then caulked around the seams.
Note the fixtures are installed in the side holes, and the hole in the middle that has been plugged.

It is also good practice to use wire nuts that contain silicone sealant, known as weatherproof wire nuts among other names, or to wrap normal wire nuts in electrical tape. This provides an extra layer of moisture defense for your electrical connections.


Can i use decrative tile board in my shower?

Yes you can.  This is normal for bathtubs.  However note that there are tons of different grades of tile board, ranging from touch it with a watch and it scratched to some commercial grade boards that are pretty resistant.  I have no idea what quality yours is so just note that the coating and material itself (what material and thickness) is way more important than how it looks in some picture on a website.


Will two given concrete mixtures with the same quantity of water but different cement have the same strength

No. Overwatering results in a much weaker mix. The water eventually leaves the concrete, resulting in a very porous structure. You also get more cure shrinkage, and the aggregate mix can settle.

Read more


How can I prevent my dehumidifier drain line from freezing?

You can wrap the drain line in electric pipe heating tape to prevent it from freezing:

You should be able to find it at your local home improvement store.


Why would ceiling fan reverse air flow without me changing directions?

Most ceiling fans have a reverse switch. In the summer, you want cool air blowing down in the center to give you the breeze. In the winter, you want the warm air from the ceiling to mix with the rest of the room, but without the breeze, so you reverse it and the warm air descends around the sides of the room where you're less likely to feel the draft.

If yours is reversed, then I'd suggest looking a little harder for the switch. It's often on the fan itself when they have the pull chain. However, with yours, I'm going to guess it's on a separate controller. If it's not a dedicated button, you might have to hold a button for a few seconds or some other trick (this is why I never throw out manuals).


The capacitor could be the culprit.
They tend to be rather cheap.
You might be able to remove it, take it to an HVAC store, present it to them, and they will find a match.

Bring your ac unit's serial/model number just in case.
But the sticker on the capacitor should be enough for them to figure it out.
The last one I had to buy cost me like $8.

Some voltmeters can read those capacitors and tell you what they read as, which you can then compare to the sticker.
But at the cheap price it usually cost for one of them, it is probably just as easy to replace it.

Keep in mind, usually, both the compressor and fan motors use the capacitor to start up. Considering you lost both of them, and they worked earlier with the push of the fan, I would think you are on the right path and it might indeed be the capacitor.

However, you could test the contactor too, by pulling out a volt meter, and turning on the system, or pressing the reset button if your contactor has one, and then measuring for voltage.

connect one test probe to a neutral or ground somewhere, and the other to the side of the contactor where the wires lead to your pump or motor etc.

If you are not getting power there either, contactors are also cheap (bought my last one for like $20), you could bring that with you to the HVAC store as well and have them sell you a new one.
Probably easy enough to do both, just to refresh some of the electrical components inside.

FYI, the thing in the left side of the pictures, that has writing on it but is upside down, (says Siemens on it), I believe that is your contactor.
one side says L1  - L2   , and the other side says T1  - T2

The T1 - T2 side of the contactor is where power should come out if the unit is turned on. The L1  - L2 side is usually always hot and comes from the breaker.

You should be able to touch a multimeter probe to the casing/ground, or neutral. and the other probe to the T1 or T2 connection on that contactor and get 120volts or something else.

If the thermostat is set to Cool and is "on" and there is no power at the contactor, but the thermostat seems to be working, I would think most likely your contactor went kaput as well.


An approved window for egress has the following requirements:

1st floor:
Clear opening width ≥ 20"
Clear opening height ≥ 24"
Minimum clear opening sq.ft. = 5.0 sq.ft.

So I believe this counts as approved egress.

As for an egress door, this site explains that code dictates that you only need one:

  This is a question that get asked quite often and many people are surprised to find out there is only one required exit door in a single family home per the IRC. However, there are requirements this door must meet. It must be a side hinged door, a minimum size of 3 feet wide and 6 feet 8 inches tall. So that sliding door, NOPE it doesn't meet building code for an exit door.

In summary, as long as you have one door per code (3' wide hinged door), you are set in terms of exterior doors. Your sliding door won't count as an egress door, but should count as a means of egress in terms of a window (if needed...such as part of a bedroom).


Yes you should be able to move it. If the screw pattern is regular you may be able to get away with a few extra holes and be able to reuse some of the original holes.

One warning - Do not use wood filler to patch holes. It will not adhere correctly to drywall and not look good. Use a premixed joint compound if you want ease of use. For example: this one

Use a suitable drywall anchor for the screws. Here is one that can hang 75lb each. Home Depot


Can i use 1 ground wire to ground 2 outlets?

If the water pipe is used as a grounding electrode for the electric service, AND the point to which you're attaching the ground wire is electrically continuous back to where the grounding electrode conductor attaches to the pipe, AND the grounding electrode conductor between the pipe and the service is properly sized.

Then yes, you can attach a properly sized grounding conductor to the water pipe. That grounding conductor can then be used as the grounding conductor for multiple outlets.

This is exactly what Harper said in their answer, on your other question. See NEC 250.130(C)(1).


Taco SR503 switching relay and common wire?

Use a separate transformer, across Rc and C on the Nest

What I'd do here is have the Rh and W terminals on the Nests connect to the zone R and W terminals on the Taco zone board, while the Rc and C terminals on the Nests are connected to a 24VAC transformer (a standard 40VA one should be ample to power 3 Nests) that is independent of the Taco board.  This way, the Nest will turn off its internal Rh/Rc bridge and should power itself from Rc and C at that point, while it switches Rh to W to turn on the heat zones.  It also avoids overloading the internal transformer on the Taco, and should eliminate the need for isolation relays from the system.


Is a backing stud on the lock side of a door against an intersecting wall necessary?

Even with a light weight hollow core door, there should be framing or something to keep the strike side stable while the door is closing against the jamb. Otherwise the slight vibration by using the door may cause the inside corners to crack. What I do is cut out a section of drywall from behind the area that is covered by the new wall. If the new drywall added to the new wall will have the inside corners taped and finished, it give a lot more room to work with, since the wall is getting mudded anyway.
The cutout section would be in the middle of the height of the wall, a slot cut out about 2' tall and in you case about 4" to 5" wide if you are finishing the corners. With the cutout made, insert 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood approx. 6 or 7" wide by slightly shorter than the height of your cutout. With the cutout in the middle of the wall, slip the first piece plywood in the hole so the bottom is in the middle of the hole, centered left to right over the cutout. Using screws that are long enough, secure the first piece in place through the drywall above the cutout, using a screw set into the face of the plywood to serve as a handle to hold the plywood firmly while the first few screws are set. The second piece of plywood will be set in the same way below the first one you set. By the way, you may need to set the 2nd piece in the hole first since the hole may be too small to go in after you set the first piece.
After the plywood is secure, you can reset the original drywall back in the hole and secure it place with a screw or 2 to act as filler since the long screws that will hold the studs in place will sandwich it all together anyway.
TIP:
When cutting drywall, only cut as deep as needed to make the cut all the way through. There is no way to know where wire or pipes that may be in the way of your cut path.
You may make a small "inspection hole" about 6" tall to get a literal feel what is inside the wall before cutting any farther.


Should an exterior surface-mounted outlet box on wood lap siding be flashed?

I don't think using a flashing will hurt anything; but I also don't think it is necessary if you properly install a weatherproof box.
You should consider potential cut/scrape hazard scenario as people (e.g.you) will be plugging things in and out, placing body parts near sharp sheet metal flashing. Also, make sure it will not interfere with the weatherproof box cover doors/flaps and/or any in-use covers you might use.
Also, I think that technically you need to feed the wire into the back of the box through a short conduit with a bushing (bushing to protect wire from damage where it enters the conduit), because of the wood siding...


The answer is most likely yes. The bar runs between the joists and the nut in the center of the box means it has overhead support. The main thing is that a lot of boxes were mounted only to one joist and could not support the weight of a heavy fixture like a fan.

The retrofit box you would install if it wasn't is simply to add that support arm.


I would sell this kit and go with another one that is compatible with LED lighting and your wiring scheme.  This one is not.  If you're not into that ...

Looking at the manual for this 45607 dimming 3-way...  each smart device needs always-hot (which I show as black here), neutral and ground, which is fairly typical of smart devices.  They need power (hot+nuetral) simply to function.

In this family, only the 45607 main actually switches the light, on a "switched hot" line (red here).  The remote merely sends a data signal to the effect that "the human requested on/off/dim", and even though these are supposed to be wireless devices, they have a data-signal wire between them to communicate (yellow here).  There can be an unlimited number of 45610 remotes -- anywhere they can get hot, ground and that yellow signal wire.  I assume they are misusing ground as neutral; Code actually requires you bring a neutral anywhere you bring power, so I drew it in.

And you can see where that fits pretty well with most 3-way wiring.  The black and white can be used for always-hot and neutral, and the red wire can be re-tasked as the yellow signal wire.  Usually.

It does raise some interesting questions about the 45610 remote.  Why couldn't it run on a couple of AA batteries?  Why can't it use wireless/radio to communicate with the 45607 main?  And in fact, the ZWave system has many manufacturers, another one may make a remote which does exactly that. That is worth looking into.

Now, in your setup, power feeds into the lamp itself.   This leaves you with a wire problem. Here it is.

See, you can hook up the 45607 no problem.  And it will control the light just fine.  But now you've used up all your wires between lamp and main.  So when it comes time to add the data-signal wire over to the 45610(s), you're out of wires.

Here's the thing.  The yellow wire is a data signal wire.  It's not a power wire.  Check with the manufacturer but you may be able to use intercom, doorbell or thermostat wiring for it, which has relaxed rules for installation.   You only need to get from the main to the lamp.  You can re-task the old red wire once you're there.

There's one last way to make this work, but it's crazy.  Put the 45607 main controller inside the fixture.  Use two 45610 remotes, one at each lamp position.  You'll have enough wires for that.


Repurpose unused 50 amp hot tub panel for 30 amp hvac?

You can reuse all the #6 wire and old conduit that you please to use.
There is no reason to rip out or change any wires (and some reason not to: future expansion.
ONE of the breakers needs to be 30A.
You need to change either the main-panel breaker to 30A, or the breaker in this mini-panel/disconnect switch.   No need to change both.   If you change the mini-panel breaker, then the run to the main panel needs to continue to be #6/8/whatever it is now.
That Challenger breaker must go.  The panel is a keeper.
Challenger had the same kind of "faulty breaker" problem that Federal Pacific did.  However unlike FPE, this panel bus design is tip-top, and in fact lives on today in the very popular Eaton BR line. Technically this busing requires a Type C breaker, but if you look at any BR breaker on the market, they are dual-listed Type BR  Type C.
If your main panel is also a Challenger, same deal. The old breakers must go; Eaton BR is a listed substitute.


You would (unfortunately) have to sand and stain the whole thing.  Stain color is very dependent on a whole bunch of varied factors, and so the final color is always a bit of a guess.  In your case, you could reapply stain to the areas you indicated, since they seem to be lighter in shade.  Reapplying will darken the color and maybe get it "close enough".  Also sand back away from the stained area, but not all the way to bare wood.  Just lighten it in a gradient towards the original stained color.  Then apply your stain in a similar gradient to get it to blend.  That won't perfectly match the color, but it would fade in and hopefully be not-very-noticeable.  Exact matching, however, is near impossible unless you sand the whole thing.


Can I have a tank fed water heater in line with a tankless water heater?

The problem is probably not the tankless these heat the water extremely fast, the real problem is probably the size and length of pipe to the point of use.  A tanked water heater will probably take a similar amount of time to get the water hot to 120 at the point of use, what I have done is installed a small tanked unit after the on-demand with 2 check valves and used a recirculation pump at the furthest location cycling the water through the loop with a timer. One check valve prevents reverse flow through the loop and 1 to protect the tankless. We did insulate the pipes were accessible and this worked once we got the cycle on off time adjusted, I added the check valve between the 2 to protect the tankless with the tankless kind of isolated from the small tanked heater there were no false turn on's on the tankless (recommended by the mfg). This method will increase your electric usage but the small water heater 7 gallons was enough to keep the hot supply on a ~3500 SF ranch home with 3/4" water lines. Recirculation systems are not bad when you have large lines that are long but because all the lines are kept warm it cost more but the good news is it can be done. On smaller homes I have installed 2 point of use electric units 30 amp. But with larger homes the combination of a large tankless and a small tanked system with a recirculation system is much much cheaper.


I suggest that you don't have the right to interfere with communal wiring and lighting, one because it is not part of your property (leased, rented or owned) and two, because you may not have the qualifications or insurance coverage to do that work.

However, If you want a light for your door controlled by a motion detector then there are LED lights with batteries available to do what you need.


How to fix a boiler that is not blowing enough air?

If the blower motor is actually a 1 HP motor it should be able to provide sufficient air delivery through the system. Do you know what speed the motor is utilizing, (most have 4 speeds).

The coil design and the resistance of each coil will play a major roll in air flow as will the size of the supply and return ductwork. A lot of contractors use a high resistance figure when sizing ductwork in order to save a few dollars.

This results in a lower delivered air flow, along with more air noise. With the information you have provided it will be very hard to offer any solutions. There are some pretty smart guys that monitor this site so more info is needed, such as the model number of the equipment including the heat coil specs, size of the supply and return duct work, type of filters used, etc.

By the way, if the water delivery temperature was 160 degrees at the boiler, that is not very hot when trying to raise the house temperature quickly. You also need to check the temperature drop across the coil, the in and out temperature of the water and the air temperature increase across the coil.

Raising the water temperature to say 180-200 degrees will greatly increase the output of the coil. The best answers would be provided by someone actually being at your location.

Hope this helps.


Unplugging vs running an empty refrigerator

I think unplugging the refrigerators will both save electricity and reduce wear on the compressors, although I agree with others that if possible you should measure the usage, in part to decide whether any (possibly small) savings is worth the effort.

Energy Savings

Empty refrigerators are less efficient, since the compressor needs to cycle on and off more frequently due to relatively low thermal mass. If you unplugged the fridge when you weren't using it, I suspect when you plugged it back in it would only take a few hours to cool down. Under normal usage a fridge will have its compressor running about 1/3 of the time, so this will be a meaningful savings. (The fridge uses the vast majority of its electricity running the compressor, so how long it's running for is a good proxy for electricity consumption.)

Wear on Refrigerator

Cycling of the fridge compressor on and off is a primary cause of wear, so unplugging the fridge should be a benefit in that respect. Plus there will be total fewer runtime hours. I don't see how unplugging the fridge for days at a time could possibly damage it. (If you were unplugging it twice a day and forcing it to warm up to room temperature and the cool down, that would be another story.)

Other Considerations

When the fridges are off you will need to make sure they don't get moldy or develop smells. The easiest thing would be to leave the doors open so any moisture can evaporate. Leaving a dry hand towel over the door can help ensure the door doesn't close accidentally.
If you have the means to measure the electricity savings, I would do so. You may find that the savings are small and not worth the effort.
Water jugs will not help you if you are unplugging the fridge, in fact they will make it worse. The purpose of the water is to retain cold and stabilize the temperature. If you let the water warm up to room temperature with the rest of the fridge you will just be creating more work for the compressor when you plug it back in. On the other hand, if you decide to keep the keep the fridge plugged in all the time, leaving jugs might help a bit (but only if you leave them in all the time... do not remove them).
Do you really need two fridges at all? Maybe a cooler and some cold packs could supplement any overflow those 2 days/week?
Old fridges can be big power hogs. I'm sure you could save a lot of electricity with a new model (maybe a single bigger one). Whether a new fridge could pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time depends on a number of factors, but it might be something to consider.


What does this device on my new furnace do?

That is a thermally fused switch.  There is a fuse in there that will cut off the power if the temperature in the room rises above a certain temperture.  The wheel is to replace the fuse when it blows.

There's one on this page, Beckett 12501, not sure if it's the same as yours:

http://www.beckettcorp.com/product2/productdetail.asp?detailid=66


Kitchen setup for US appliances in Europe/India

Yes, the most common solution is to sell your US appliances and buy new in India.

The difficulties and expense of getting transformers etc and making it impossible for others to connect the wrong things is not worth the time or expense. But your money your choice, I’m basing this on the decisions others have made...

And I do have a 230v to 110v transformer for 2500W that I use for certain things but not kitchen stuff.


Should I hang doors before or after drywall?

There's a huge amount of mess and potential for damage during the hanging, taping, and painting stages. You wouldn't want some of your most expensive and vulnerable woodwork hanging around through that.

Also, the hangers will likely use rotary cutters to zip around door openings. You make that much harder for them if even bare jambs are in place (and again increase the chance of saw or knife damage).

Then, there's a huge amount of moisture in the air during taping and painting. You don't really want your woodwork in the building at that time due to the chance of warpage and joint movement after installation.

Finally, you want to hang your doors with respect to the finished face of the walls. Sometimes slight misalignment of framing, heavy tape joints, and other variance means that you'd shift the jamb slightly from center of the wall for a better outcome.

Hang the doors after painting, after hard flooring, and before carpeting. There are no pros to hanging doors before drywall.


Do I need water protection over tile grout in my bathtub?

After a good cleaning, (Tris-odium Phosphate and a stiff brush), Apply generic furniture lemon oil. Wipe off excess. I have been setting tile for years and this works wonders.


Why is there a metal piece in the wall itself?

If its a concrete block home it could be the rebar used to tie the roof to the foundation or a tie strap. Then again I have dropped an entire saw into a wall and had to leave it because I couldn't get it out. Someone could have also run a ground or bonding strap depending on the construction. It up to you on whether or not to cut it without looking at the entire construction.


How can I install a washing machine in the kitchen?

A friend of mine recently purchased a portable washer that hooks up to the sink. Are you sure this won't work for you, instead? It would avoid having to tear out cabinets, etc. to put an appliance never designed to be put in a kitchen, where it shouldn't be. It might be somewhat in the way when in use, but avoids taking up cabinet space when not in use, as it can be wheeled out into another room when not needed.

She purchased the kit that made a small washer portable (wheels, drain line that goes into the sink, and the hoses that connect to the faucet.)

Also, these units are typically of very small capacity, which might be a consideration. Is there no other area where a compact washer/dryer unit for condos would fit?


Is there a low temperature thermostat that is simulatneous switching for two electric garage heaters?

This is a hard problem

Heaters of the 10,000 watt size use a variety of ways to support external thermostats.  Most of them use internal contactors, but most of them assume they are the only heater under external control.  Their control methods are dangerously incompatible with paralleling.

The control is simple enough - they provide two wires and you shunt them together to call for heat - but each heater needs its own "switch".

Worse, they are 240V and your selection of 240v thermostats is already quite limited.  The selection of true multi-pole 'stats is far narrower, as most "2-pole" stats actually only switch thermostatically on one leg, the other is just an on/off switch.  Your fairly specific requirements will make for hard shopping.

There may also be heaters with no thermostatic control at all, and need to be hard switched by a contactor.  The actual load is 41.7 amps, plus a fan, pushing it near 48 amps.

So my goal here is to come up with an affordable, off the shelf, legal control method that will work wih a variety of heaters and 'stats, and be understandable to any HVAC technician.

My answer is 24V control voltage just like household HVAC uses.  It's easy to wire with inexpensive off the shelf components.  Transformers are $13, you can use almost any thermostat from a $15 Honeywell to a a Nest, and it's easy to wire under the low-voltage rules.  Don't haul line voltage any farther than you have to.

Paradoxically, low voltage is the only way to switch this much current.

The basic setup is a 24V transformer typically 40 VA (watt), readily available for about $13, that mounts in a junction box lid.   Designate the two 24V wires R and C.  Then to the thermostat of your choice, which takes wires called R and W (and C if a smart stat). Then on to each furnace location, and designate the two wires going to the furnace W and C.   Here is how you hook up each type of furnace.

A furnace with onboard contactor

Generally these types of furnace support an external thermostat by providing one pair of wires.  These are to be shunted (shorted) together to call for heat.   Some of them only need to operate their internal  contactor itself (less than 1 amp) and others operate the fan also (less than 7 amps).

You use any common relay with a 24V coil.  The coil goes to R and W from your thermostat wiring.   The contacts go to the two wires the furnace provides.c. Appropriate relays are kinds that mount in a junction box "knockout" (the furnace will surely provide several of these) such as RiB or Aube relays.  An internal relay could also be mounted, such as a $12 air conditioning contactor would more than suffice.

Contactors

This is the word for a "big relay".  If you are controlling a heater that does not have its own internal contactor, (such as paralleled Cadet heaters) you will need to provide your own contactor.

And the place to look for sanely priced 50A-tier contactors is air conditioning supply, as larger air conditioners have 40-50A rated motors.  These contactors are actually made to work from thermostats.

Heat pump, ideally ground sourced

At typical electric rates, it will cost you $2.40/hour to run these heaters.  If they are on 20% of the time, that is almost $400/month.   I don't know who pays for your power or if you have a special rate plan. But the payback time for a ground-sourced heat pump would only be a few years. At which point the cost of opeation would be nearly nil compared to this.

A heat-pump does not require fat air ducts running everywhere, the units can use separate "registers" connected by Freon lines - this is called a "mini-split".

The reason to consider ground-sourcing is that if the heat pump air-sources, it will become too cold to operate some days of the year, and will "fall back" on emergency heat, which is resistive electric heating exactly like this here. In fact, with the contactors discussed, these very heaters would suffice as emergency heat.

Any heat-pump solution also provides air conditioning.


Is it safe to keep using this 30amp safety breaker for water heater?

In North America, we have a service panel containing a main breaker which protects the whole panel and a row of circuit breakers which clip into buses and protect individual circuits.  Europe has the same function, with breakers all in one location -- but they use random components mounted on "DIN rail" and hand wire all interconnections (no buses).

My guess is your C50 is your "main breaker" which feeds all the others, and then the 10 and 20 amp breakers protect individual circuits, presumably including the water heater circuit.  I see 1-2 empty holes in your panel, so you have spare spaces.  Let us try a hypothesis, that the water heater was not breaker protected at all: if so, why would they not simply use one of the spare spaces in your panel and an ordinary breaker?  Therefore I suspect your water heater is protected by one of these breakers.

Therefore it is protected by 3 breakers: the 50A main, the 10 or 20A branch circuit breaker, and the 30A standalone switch-breaker.  You should really study/follow the wires to make sure of that assumption.  Or you could turn off the 10/20A breakers one at a time to see if any of them power the water heater.

It really doesn't do any harm to have redundant overcurrent protection.  But it doesn't do any good, either.  The protection will be the breaker of smallest capacity rating.

It is also possible that this switch-breaker does something special, like provide GFCI/RCD protection.  Though I would expect the package to mention that.

Your electrician may have been thinking about your future. 1500W is a very small water heater that will be slow to recover.  I can't speak for the rest of the world, but North American practice is to use a higher capacity water heater in the 5500W / 23A range.  As Ken discusses, we derate by 125%, so 23A becomes 28.75A, fitting just inside the 30A we typically allocate for water heaters.

However in your house with a 50A main, a 30A water heater is too much.  Was your electrician aware of any future plan to upgrade service?


Glue could fail and/or look ugly. Other options cost money. When you remove the inside knob, you will see a connecting rod protruding from the latch mechanism that engages the lock button. Cut this off so it no longer engages the lock button. Do not cut the semi circular shaft that engages the main lever! Ensure the remaining stub is turned to the unlock position and reassemble the knob. The lock button will now turn freely, but it's impossible to lock the knob without a key or disassembling the knob.


How to remove WD-40 from kitchen surfaces?

The with several lubricants and solvents part of the question nails it, in my opinion: move it to the workshop.

A solvent is designed to dissolve stuff. It is quite possible that those products, or trace elements in them affected your plastic. There's no way you can be sure your board is still safe for food.


What kind of wooden fence is this and how do I go about staining it?

Blast it clean with a garden hose to remove surface dirt, then use a high quality exterior semi-transparent stain of the color of your choice. Use a good quality brush, a nice wide one, and know that you should use a back-brush technique; that is, you will apply the stain in both and up and down brushing motion, due to the rough-sawn nature of the wood. No sanding necessary.

The pressure-treated posts and the fence boards will not look exactly the same because they are different types of wood, but it will not detract from the beauty of your fence.


Can I use a 70 amp panel for a 30 amp service feed?

Yes you can. It is quite typical to have a sub-panel (non-service panel) rated higher than the feeder that feeds it. The rating of the panel is just the maximum it can be fed with.


How can I disconnect this leaking sprayer hose?

You will need to know the brand and model of the faucet to ascertain whether that is a connection that is designed to be disassembled. Also, any repair parts like washers/gaskets will most assuredly be proprietary and must be sourced from the maker.

Long gone are the days when faucet components were standardized in any way.


How can I fix paint with orange peel texture?

Since you put a layer of emulsion down you basically have to start over with priming and then painting the top coat.  Depending on the thickness of the coat of emulsion I have had to put two coats of primer on.  I would go with the old Killz here (oil based) just to get it done faster.


Could Velcro be use to install secondary glazing rather than magnets?

The magnetic strips will, imho, separate easier compared to velcro, so subsequent removal for cleaning etc is easier.

Once you get magnets sufficiently far apart, then the force becomes much lower.


Cinderblocks, as you call them, are also known as concrete masonry units (CMU). The “wall” thickness of CMU’s is 1 1/4”, so it’s probably not CMU’s if you think it’s 1/2” - 3/4” thick.

Could be plaster...it’s about 3/4” - 7/8” thick. Or, it could be thin coat plaster over wallboard. Usually the wallboard is 1/2” thick and very hard (dense) plaster about 1/16” thick is applied directly to the wallboard.

Plaster, thin coat plaster, wallboard, etc. are not structural and would not be suitable to support your TV.

I’d look for another stud and follow the manufacturer’s recommendation about connecting into studs. (Do they give an alternate installation layout using a piece of plywood that spans from two studs?)


How cold can it be when painting exterior?

Primer dries fast, so 50's will probally be OK, especially if it gets some direct sunshine. Give it some time however, before painting. I have used exterior paints as low as the 40's as long as night time temps are not going much lower, or paint/primer at least 4 hours before temps drop a bit. Some paints do give a temperature range.  There are low temperature paints that will cure down to upper 30's with no problem.  The main problem with priming or painting in cooler temps, is that you must let it cure enough before applying the next coat. That may take a couple of moderate temp days as it will not cure in the colder nights, dew or excessive moisture, as that will delay the curing process or discolor the finish.


The manufacturer recommends sand paper. Solvents are ineffective. Perhaps in a sealed enviroment solvents might work, but everything evaporates too quickly. I have gotten the stuff off and here is how.

Sand with 36 grit paper on a belt sander.

Patches may remain if the tub does not have a flat bottom. If so, use large grit paper by hand to sand off patches.

36 grit paper WILL leave the surface dull, and over sanding can cause series damage. A razor proves effective when submerged in goof off. But only for small patches. You will need to refinish the surface no matter what. ESPECIALLY if you use a razor.

If your unlucky enough to need to do this, I am truly sorry. There is no easy way. Give up hope.


There are so many mistakes here that I'm very concerned about the fact-finding process which led to them (or lack thereof).  Because "writing a book" is not the SE format here, I'll be lightly touching on each.

But speaking of "books", and going back to that fact-finding process, I'd strongly advise hitting the library for some reasonably current books on electrical, and read them through - the goal being to get a well-rounded primer on the subject.  Google gives you swiss-cheese knowledge because it only asks questions, and without a primer you don't know which questions to ask.  Home-improvement store clerks know worse than nothing.

Anyway on to it.

Voltage drop - the first question on a 180' run.  Here I deviate from stock advice, which is keep rigidly <3% of breaker trip.  Actually, 3% isn't in Code anywhere, and it's a very coarse rule of thumb - 5% isn't wrong.  And you should be computing voltage drop based on practical loads, i.e. what you expect to be actually pulling on a regular basis.

Aluminum wire - you didn't mention aluminum but you should be using it for large feeder >=4AWG.  That means a size bump from copper.  I often see people take dangerous shortcuts to save $30 on a project only to spend $800 more than they needed to because they're afraid of aluminum. Aluminum didn't work for small wires like #12 using alloys made for high tension lines.  Feeders were always reliable in that alloy, and they've improved the alloy too.

The service panel.  Everybody does it the first time.  First get a huge panel - when you're buying a panel, spaces are cheap.  Regrets, however, are expensive - and believe me when the power is there, you'll want to use it. 240V heaters, on-demand hot water (30A/240V is fine), electric car, prosumer shop tools that are 240V, these things chomp up breaker spaces 2 at a time. A 30-space breaker is only 15 loads.  A 42-space is not uncalled for.

Honestly a 70A subpanel that's only 2 spaces makes no sense as a product.  It could only serve as a shutoff switch for one single 30-70A machine.  It is wholly inappropriate to power a variety of circuits, as it sounds like you want in this shop.

Second, you need a "main breaker" because that's your shutoff switch/disconnect (5). The most economical way to buy a disconnect is simply select a panel with a main breaker.  Amp rating? Nobody cares, it's a disconnect.  So feel free to get a subpanel with a 150/200A main breaker if that'll give you a sensible number of spaces.

For aesthetic reasons, I strongly prefer panels with an obvious, separate main breaker/disconnect, not one where the main is in the rows of regular breakers and only found with a "main" label. I want a visitor to be able to find the shutoff in a hurry, in half-light, in smoke.

Separate Ground bar - correct.  Neutral-ground isolated - correct.

Ground rod (1) - unless you've done the arcane wizard measurement to affirm <25 ohms on the ground rod, you need two rods some distance (10'?) apart, unless your local code says otherwise.  Code often has local amendments based on local conditions.

Ground wire - the only conflicting information there is "All the Codes say this is required" conflicting with "I don't want (you) to pay for it" (because I want to quote you a better price than my competitor, who is following the law).  You need a wired ground wire back to the house.  Period.  Dirt doesn't conduct electricity well enough to serve as a substitute, if it did, we would just put THHN insulation jackets on dirt.

Ground size bump vs. voltage-drop size bump (3).  When you make wires bigger for voltage drop, you must make the ground wire bigger in proportion to cross-section. That math sounds hard, until you realize wire gauge already works that way.  So if you do a +2 AWG size bump for voltage drop, simply do a +2 AWG size bump for the ground also.

THHN wires inside conduit (2) - correct. You use THWN-2 wires inside conduit. (almost all THHN wire is dual-rated THWN-2, so people don't bother distinguishing them).

Don't push the limits of conduit fill. (4)  Those limits are intended for pro electricians with experience, special pulling hardware, lube, and a winch on their truck.  As a novice doing your own pull, be generous with conduit size, or else you could find yourself boxed into a corner and having to bring out an electrician to finish.  In this economy electricians are not hungry, and won't return your calls unless you give them most of the job (and let them bill for that). Also if there are any defects in your work so far, they won't touch the job with a 10 foot pole unless you hire them to fix it all. So pencil in $1000+ for that.

No need for  GFCIs downline of GFCIs (6) unless you want to play a "Yo Dawg" joke on yourself.  There's no penalty for doing so; it's just wasteful.


How to use an older Sears Craftsman pad sander

When rotated, that lever should lift the bar it is mounted to. You then slip the edge of the sandpaper under the bar and rotate the lever back, the bar will pinch the paper under it. Pull the paper taut and repeat on the other side of the sander to secure.


buy a cheap set of holesaws. This one is only $8 if you use a 20% off coupon.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-in-2-12-in-carbon-steel-hole-saw-set-11-pc-68114.html

buy a set that has the correct diameter holesaw.  create a template by drilling the correct diameter into a scrap of 3/4" plywood. attach the plywood template to the door using clamps or screws.  go ahead and drill the new hole in the door.

if it is the large hole on the face of the door, you can prevent splintering by drilling in two steps.  drill the new hole only halfway deep. remount the template on the other side and drill the remainder.

if it is the small hole on the edge of the door, clamp a scraps of 2x4 to door, one to the front and one to the back, then mount the  plywood template by screwing it into the 2x4 scraps.


Multiple breakers controlling the same lights - how can this be?

Call the power company and tell them you lost a phase

This will explain all your symptoms.  I almost posted this answer before hearing your reply, but your reply confirms it.

The power company should come out and do this for free on a Sunday - they did for me.

This is what is happening.  Your supply wire to pole L1 (or the other, but let's say L1) is broken.  The 240V loads are connected between L1 and L2.  Some 120V loads are connected between L1 and neutral.

When a 240V appliance (pump, water heater, A/C, range, dryer) cycles on, it effectively connects L1 to L2 through its low resistance motor or heater.  This energizes L1 at L2’s voltage.

This in turn allows 120V appliances wired between L1 and neutral to power up.  This current flow also allows the 240V load to function somewhat; the large load(s) and the 120V load(s) on L1 are in series, running on 120V total.

This is far from ideal, but it's enough that for instance water heaters will warm enough to cycle off again, and the pump may do the same (though I certainly would not push my luck with a pump in a most inconvenient location).  Hence the lights cycling on and off "randomly".    When all 240V loads are cycled off, the whole 120V leg will be dead.


Where should my furnace filter go in a Lennox G40UH24A045 series furnace (Merit)?

Usually the filter is placed in the duct just ahead of the coils. Look for a “wingnut” that can be removed for access to the interior of the duct.


What are the NEC requirements for a temporary power pole?

In this state the power pole is regulated by the requirements on the utility company, but must be inspected and approved by the AHJ. The most important thing to remember about any temporary power set up is that all power must be GFCI protected. There are some questions about breakers that serve feeders other than standard power outlets being GFCI protected. I have found, in this area, it varies between each jurisdiction.

Here is a standard Temporary Power Pole assembly issued by the utility company that always seems to work if you follow it to the letter.

A standard temp pole only has two 20A 120V circuits GFCI protected, and one standard 20A 2P 240V circuit connected to a suitable receptacle, but non GFCI protected. Like I said some jurisdiction say its ok and some make you remove and blank out the breaker. Sometimes Jurisdictions will allow you to install what is called a spider box with extra receptacle outlets on it, but they also must meet NEC and jurisdictional codes. If you take a good look at note 4 on the image you will see that most temp power poles are 40 or 60 amp feeders. I generally will go with a 60A feeder.

In conclusion what I am saying is that there are pre qualified types of power pole directions that cover all of the NEC requirements without having to go through the entire code to get it right, and is perfect for a DIY party to construct. If you take a good look at the image I posted. How many code sections would you have to address just to build a temporary power and hope you got it right? As for myself I would just go with what they say will work and move on.

Hope this helps and good luck.


Nail instead of drilling pilot hole in wood

The idea of a true pilot hole is to physically remove the material from the wood so the body (aka 'minor diameter') of the screw doesn't have to expand the wood to make room for itself, possibly causing the wood to split.

Click for larger image. Image courtesy of Home Stratosphere

Using a nail to form a 'pilot hole' is simply going to expand, not remove, the same material around the nail. While driving the nail in then waiting and finally removing it might allow some time for the wood to uniformly compress around the distortion and stresses, it never removes the material so you are still in danger of splitting the wood; particularly in dry wood.

If you need a pilot hole that still needs to provide purchase for the threads to tighten upon then drill a hole the size of the minor diameter. If the pilot hole is intended so that the screw pass through unimpeded then drill a hole at the size of the shank (aka 'major diameter') or slightly larger for clearance.


2 unknown pipes in garage, one dripping/leaking

Agree with the comments that it's assuredly a connection point for a water softener that's since been removed.  The top plastic handle provides a bypass for the softener (either when it's broken, or in this case removed).  I would anticipate that if you turn the shutoff valve off, you'll turn off water to a significant part of your house, or possibly all of it if this is on the incoming water line to your building.  Sometimes there will be a separate cold water feed to the kitchen (so you don't cook/drink with softened water) or to outside faucets, but that's not universal..
If you have plans to install a water softener, then keep it there.  If not, then have a qualified person replace that leaky plastic with new permanent copper piping of some sort.


extra thermostat, electric dampers and 1 furnace

If the main thermostat doesn't live in one of the bedrooms (probably doesn't), you'll lose the feedback loop that makes the thermostat work.  In other words, the thermostat will stay cold, and keep calling for heat, while the bedrooms are broiling.

If the problem is that the bedrooms are always cold (assuming winter), and you want them warmer, another shot at balancing the system is probably in order.  Get aggressive (I have one vent in my family room where I blocked the entire thing with a sheet of cardboard with one 2" hole).  Try blocking 50% of the area of the register with cardboard behind the grate.  Do this on the vents in the warm part of the house, and make sure the bedroom vents are open all the way.  This is a weekend project.  You'll put some baffles in, wait an hour or so, make some adjustments, wait, rinse, repeat.  Buy a couple cheap thermometers and leave them in different parts of the house so you can check on them.

Just be careful not to block too much airflow.  You should take the temperature of the air coming out of the vent closest to the furnace before you start.  If it rises notably after you're done, you might want to undo some.

Also, if there's not a decent gap under the bedroom doors for airflow, leave the doors open, trim them, or install a through-door vent.  If you sleep with the door closed and there's no way for the air to circulate out of the room, it won't get enough airflow, and the room will get cold.


Changing a Regular Outlet with Two Neutrals and One Hot to a GFCI Outlet (no ground existing)

The first rule of GFCIs is, if you don't really know how LOAD works, don't use it.

On a plain receptacle, the extra screws are spare terminals (unless the tab(s) are broken, then different deal).  Not on a GFCI.

This sounds like a picture postcard case of "don't use LOAD". (I know exactly what it does and I wouldn't use it either).   Either pigtail the 2 wires to the 1 LINE screw, or most GFCIs provide a method for back-wiring 2 wires onto 1 screw, in which you insert the back-wire and tighten the screw (a lot) to clamp them.