How can house hot water pressure be kept stable if more than one hot tap is open?

There are several ways to fix this problem...

Increase the supply pressure of the incoming water feed.
Increase the diameter of the piping feeding to the shower.
Install flow restrictors in the shower head and the kitchen faucet so
that they share the available pressure and flow at lower levels and
thus less interaction for the existing piping and delivery pressure.


When installing hardwood floors, should I use rosin paper, roofing felt, or nothing underneath? Why?

OK here we go. First of all, the most common reasons for squeaky hardwood floors are age and installation over uneven subfloors, where any movement of wood on wood makes the sounds. Age becomes a factor when the subfloor ages, shrinks a bit making the nails holding the hardwood a bit loose. Adding either a layer of felt or rosin paper isolates the wood layers and helps to minimize squeaking  wood to wood. A lot of the squeaking on older floors are actually the nails moving in the subfloor, so today we use threaded nails, and for the most part and that solves that problem.  So in your case, it certainly can't hurt to use some paper.  Good luck.


Drilling smaller holes will not work, you won't be able to get the plugs in. And if you can, then your wall must be light weight blockwork and you'll need a plug suitable for lightweight blocks (or a resin type fastener).

Did you tap the plug a little ways into the wall (15mm or so)? If not, then it's likely that the hold point wasn't deep enough into the actual masonry blocks of the wall but rather holding in the weak plasterwork.

These fasteners are absolutely top notch and should hold up huge loads. If not, then the substrate must be too soft or the plasterwork too thick (dot and dab drywall maybe).


Bedroom 10 degrees colder than rest of floor!

Variation of the temperature from room to room that is different from the thermostat is a basic fact of operational behavior. you will have to get used to some variation!!

It is possible to even out the differences by changing how much of the heated air gets to each room. This is usually done by using vent controls on each room to permit more or less air into each space. Sometimes there are also vent pipe dampers or diverters that can be adjusted as well. A balancing exercise is usually an iterative process that takes time and patience.

A well balanced system will only stay that way if the same conditions apply as when the balancing was done. Some of these conditions would include outside air temperature, state of window coverings, whether doors are open, closed or partly ajar and if windows remain in the same state (closed or open).

Note that a system balanced for heating can take an entirely different set of adjustments to optimize for cooling during warmer parts of the year.

So as you can see you could try making small gradual changes in your setup. Try closing off more of the the vents that feed into the area where the thermostat is located and open those in the colder room a bit if not already fully open. Remember - iterative process.


Why is all this exterior trim rotting and how do I fix it?

The cause is simply nature.  You've got wood that's outside.  It gets wet, the wet stays in the wood, the wood rots.  This happens when wood is left outside in an area where water can get stuck and the wood wasn't properly installed (no caulk) and isn't properly maintained (not regularly painted/caulked).

Much of the rot seems to start near places where wood was penetrated (nails, etc) which would make sense as an initial entry point for water.

The fact that it's on a corner near a downspout is probably a contributing factor.  You should watch this area of the house during heavy rain to see if the gutters/spout are leaking.

To repair - replace the wood, replace it with new wood, seal the seams between wood pieces with paintable exterior caulk.  Properly prime and paint the wood with exterior paint.  Apply new paint regularly as per manufacturer (the paint that is) guidelines.  Also check caulk regularly for potential need to replace.


LED Replacement for T5 Fluorescent lights

There are three ways to go.

Fit T-5 LED retrofit "tubes" into your existing fixture.
Purchase a new fixture which has socketed light bulbs, and fit LED light bulbs in the sockets.
Purchase a new socketless fixture which has LEDs soldered down.  Socketing LEDs is ridiculous since the LED emitter will last longer than the socket! (not so high hopes for the electronic driver circuit; that's probably what will die actually, but quality varies dramatically on that.)

Most of us here will recommend #1, for sheer simplicity of installation.  In this case, you obtain LED retrofit "tubes" (they look like a T5 fluorescent tube, but are festooned with LEDs instead of filled with argon gas or whatever). You must be conscious of what you are buying, because there are two ways to go here:

Plug-and-play, which means they pop right in where the tube went for ease of upgrade, except they still require the old fluorescent ballast (an electronic module) to be present and maintained. If the ballast fails you must maintain it.  Upside; you can always roll back to actual fluorescent tubes.
Direct-wire aka ballast-bypass, in which you pop the ballast maintenance cover off the fixture, and rearrange the wires so the AC power feeds the lamp sockets directly. Then the fixture only works with LED "tubes".

The fourth (first, really) option is to replace the fluorescent tubes with new actual fluorescent tubes.  Do this if you see black  rings near the ends of the tubes, or other signs the tubes are worn out.  If the tubes look healthy, the ballast may have failed - and that means don't do plug-n-play LED!  T5 tubes are expensive enough that I wouldn't want to buy some just to find out.  In 1-2 bulb quantity, LED "tube" replacements are cheaper than plain tubes!


Why is this baseboard paint blistering and pulling away?

There are a variety of reasons that this could happen from humidity levels in the home to cheap paint to mixing a primer with an improper top coat.

However... what you are describing sounds like your windows are leaking.  I think that water is penetrating under your windows.  The crack is probably due to water sitting in the framing causing it to swell until it dries (if it does).

I would pop that whole run of baseboard off and take some pictures for us.  The paint on the baseboards plus the baseboards cracking where it meets wall plus the other stuff going on makes me think you will find mold behind or the start of mold.

From there we need to fix the root cause which might just be some caulking or an inherent issue with the window and you may need to redo a little drywall on the interior.  But I doubt this is just a paint issue.


Risk of insulation triggering mold growth?

The advice to remove water before it comes in is sound but if you run a dehumidifier and the rest of the house isn't extremely tight, it seems unlikely that insulating the attic is going to cause a major difference overall.

It really isn't a problem that your land is flat.  The grade required is very sight because the actual drainage will be to a pipe.  If you live on a street with a storm sewer, it will drain to that which will be below your yard regardless of how flat it is.

The biggest source of water is likely your roof, not the neighbors pool.  If you have old clay drainage, it's probably clogged and cracked and mostly non-functional.  And it's probably installed right up against the foundation.  This means water comes from the drain spouts, goes into the clay pipe and then (because it is porous) bleeds out around your foundation because it has no where else to go.

Contemporary drainage is completely different.  It takes the water direct from the downspout to non-porous PVC and takes it away from the house, typically to a storm sewer.  You can also add drains to other areas of the yard where water pools.  All of this may be subject to code.


Can I add two motion lights to an existing circuit?

Lazy Way

Most likely the answer will be yes. Most circuits have at least a little bit of head room on them and if you plan on removing the current receptacle you will be reducing the potential load.

You could also put in some compact florescent bulbs to reduce your overall power usage on that circuit, but I would still recommend making sure you have enough head room on your breaker even if someone puts in more powerful bulbs.

There is a good chance you will never have a problem, but if you want to make sure everything is fine, read on.

Proper Way

You would need to start out by figuring what else is on the breaker. The simplest way to do this is to flip on all of the lights in the house, then turn off the breaker. Walk around to see what turned off and make a note of what all turned off. You will also need to check the outlets. You can buy an outlet tester, or you can just take anything that plugs in, like a radio or a lamp, and walk around to every outlet to see which ones are no longer on. Count the number of outlets that you see.

Basically what you are looking to do is add up the max current that you expect the circuit would ever need. So for lights, look to see what the max wattage bulb you can place in the socket. You can find out the current it pulls by using current = power / voltage. Then for outlets think about what all could be running at once on it, vacuum? tv? etc. Add all of those up, then just make sure you are still under the current rating for your breaker.

This question, Is there an average number of outlets that are wired off of one circuit breaker? , talks a little bit about how many outlets you can reasonably place on a single circuit.


Options to Recess Google Home Within Wall

They make recessed junction boxes specifically for fitting receptacles where a "wall wart" will be plugging into them.

If there is not space to mount one in the recess flush, then you can build the recess deeper in the middle, and side-mount the junction box.


If the switch that you are depressing is in the same box as the connection (or switch for the fan), then perhaps your pushing is causing wires inside the switchbox to wiggle; if there is a bad connection or short for the fan in the box, the partial current to the fan could cause the motor to make a buzzing noise.

A good thing to do is, first turn off the breaker, and open the switch box. Check for signs of damage and check/tighten the connections.


Priming metal and plastic access point covers

Scuff it up with a green Scotchbrite sponge or pad, merely to knock the gloss off the paint.  That is paint.    Very important, this step!
Wipedown any dust or grease.
Prime it with a primer that reasonably matches the color of the proper you used on the adjacent walls.  This is a very important step.  First choice is an alkyd primer such as Rustoleum 7780 Clean Metal Primer (they recently changed the number) or Kilz will do in a pinch.  Second choice is a latex primer, but only use this if you are very sure about your work in steps 1 and 2.

Primer is important because paint cans lie. There is no such thing as primer-paint.  Background colors DO print through paint, especially the near-white pigments used on almost all architectural coatings.  If you want the topcoat to match, the underlying primer color must also match.  Primer's job is to provide a uniform surface that is the same in absorption, texture, chemical interaction, and color, so that topcoat comes out equal in all locations.

By applying a separate primer, you are able to force the surfaces to be equal by adding primer coats wherever a background color is still printing through the primer.  When the primer job is complete and even, that means the 1-2 coats of topcoat will print through, but they'll print through consistently.


Room easy to warm with heater. But difficult to cool with A/C. Is this not insulation related?

Meet solar load

When the sun beats on your house, it warms it up - winter or summer.  (more in the summer).  There's 1000 watts of solar heat per square meter that's square-on with the sun, and only a limited ability of your roof to shed that heat - eventually some of it pushes through the insulation.

This is a lot of heat, and you get the brunt of it being on the top floor.

Needless to say, this is your friend in the winter and your enemy in the summer.  And it's a big enemy in the summer.

Part of the value of solar panels is it essentially puts parts of your roof in shade, reducing/eliminating that solar load (depending on how well air circulates around the panels). Having the panels racked a foot or two off your roof helps with this.

As a renter, you have basically zero options to deal with this, unless you can sway the landlord somehow.


How important is the weather stripping on the inside of a Velux skylight?

Nothing on the inside like that would have any purpose related to water entry; if the water got that far in, there would already be damage. That is, at best, just draft and heat loss, but most likely it's just cosmetic. I would just glue it back in place.


It is your vapor barrier I would patch it where you can.


Indoor fuel tank removed - How to eliminate lingering smell

I wouldn't do a "controlled burn". If the oil penetrated deep into the wall structure. You could create more problems than you have already.

If you want to plaster the walls and protect the new plaster from the oil on the walls, for belt and braces I would use an oil based paint and cover the affected areas in the paint. If you are not sure how much of the wall is affected, paint the whole wall.

Don't immediately plaster over the dry paint though as the paint here needs additional time to set.

Once the paint has had enough additional time to set, you can jump right in and start applying the priming PVA which will help the plaster adhere firmly to the wall.

It is also advised that you select the correct plaster undercoat for painted walls, for example, see Table 1a (Plaster  selection - PDF page 7) in https://www.british-gypsum.com/~/media/Files/British-Gypsum/White-Book/White-Book-C07-S02-Linings-Plaster-systems.pdf?la=en


What size drywall is required for commercial establishments. 1/2" or 5/8"?

It has to do with fire rating requirements.

For NON-FIRE RATED requirements: Walls: 1/2” for 16” and 24” oc stud (wood or metal) spacing. Ceiling: 5/8” for 16” and 24” oc spacing.

For 1- hour FIRE RATED requirements: Walls: 5/8” for 16” oc stud spacing. Ceilings: 5/8” for 16” oc spacing. If you have wider spacings, there are other options. Fastener sizes and spacing are based on the type of occupancy (use).

Doors and door frames need to be 1-hour fire rated in those walls too. Also, ducts passing through a fire rated wall must have a fire rated damper installed in the wall too.

Fire rated construction can be required: 1) throughout the building, or 2) just on the corridor walls and ceiling, or 3) on party walls. You’ll need to ask the local Building Department when you get your Building Permit. You are getting a Building Permit...right?


A fair amount of the heat loss from a window is through the frame and mullions.  If you are going to replace windows, normally you would replace the frames too.  This not only gives you better performance overall, but it's usually easier.

When you make a custom window at the factory you have a whole set of jigs that you can use to cut, hold pieces, etc.  It's a fairly fast operation, although the machinery doesn't come in crackerjack boxes.

If the windows are traditional wood, you could remove the putty, remove the old glazing, replace each each a bare sealed unit, and re-putty them in.  This isn't affordable to hire trades people for, but if you are accurate with a tape measure, and have more time than money you can get somewhere around half or 3/4 of the performance increase using your existing frames.

Also try a search for "Building your own windows and doors"

In passing:  Right now energy is cheap.  The return on investment on new windows is often negative -- they never pay for themselves.  I have a 35 year old house.  We've replaced 2 sets of windows.  One set when a bird flew into it and shattered the outer pane.  The windows were custom shapes, one a pentagon, and two trapezoids, and on the second floor.  Since all had broken seals and were grungy inside, we opted to replace all 3 while the lift was here.

The second set was to replace all the aluminum sliders in the house.  These were more than radiation leaks.  An aluminum slider in a cold climate is a continuous source of drafts and moisture.  (Water condenses on the cold aluminum, then drips onto the wall/into the framing.

The new windows that replaced the sliders were made to be slightly smaller than the rough openings.  They were able to remove the brick mold from the outside without damaging our vinyl siding.  The replacement windows had a molding build in, slightly wider than standard brick molding.  This covered the joint.  From the inside, foam insulation was sprayed into the space to seal it.

So it may well be possible to replace the windows without having any stucco repair.


How can I add two bathroom receptacles behind and above a vanity?

I see a couple of issues.  The first is that your three bathrooms are not wired properly, and you should take this opportunity to fix them!  You should not have outlets in three different bathrooms all on one circuit.  Each bathroom should have its own 20 amp circuit.  The reason for this is that hair dryers, curling irons, etc. use a lot of juice.

Your second issue is going to be the ability to "T" off of an existing cable at some point below the existing outlet.  Assuming that the cable actually does run down the wall below that outlet, I would imagine it runs in a fairly straight line without a bunch of slack, right?  Unfortunately, in order to "T" off of it, you would have to cut that cable and then have enough slack to pull 6 inches or so from each side of the cut into a new box, where you would join those two ends with your new cable.  It's highly unlikely that your wire has a foot of slack in it that you could use for this purpose.  If it did have a foot of slack, then you would be better off just pulling it through the actual hole for the new outlet and connecting the two ends (from the top and bottom of the cut) to the screws on your new outlet - no need for a new cable or a secondary hole anywhere.

All that said, here's how I would go about accomplishing what you want to do without cutting any unnecessary drywall:

Turn off the power and remove that outlet in the picture from the box.
Put a crowbar or something against the inside of the box, and hit it with a hammer a couple of times - just enough to make the box start to lean away from the stud it's attached to so you can see the sides of the nails.
Slide in the blade of a reciprocating saw and cut off the nails.
Trace the old cable from the outlet back to the outlet that was feeding it power.
Disconnect the cable from there and pull it out of the wall if possible.  If it's fastened inside the wall, just cut it off and leave it in place.
Run a new 12-2 cable from your breaker box to the new hole you cut in your drywall for the outlet under your vanity.  Run another 12-2 cable from that location to the hole your old outlet box came out of.
Get a pair of "old work" single gang boxes.  These are designed to slide into the small rectangular hole in your drywall and clamp onto it from the back with no need to cut giant holes that will require taping and repair.
Pull the cables into those boxes and fasten the boxes to the wall.
Install a new GFCI outlet under the sink using the directions in the package.
Install a new 15 amp outlet where the old one was located above the sink.


What kind of curtain rod should I buy for these brackets?

Those brackets are for a 'pull down blind' aka 'roller shade', not for curtains. You would pull down the opaque blind and it would internally catch. A short tug to release it and it would recoil itself. You can see these in cartoons when they abruptly spin up and fwap-fwap-fwap at the top position. Roller Shade bracket

            Outside Mount Roller Shade Bracket

If you are determined to put curtains on the door(s) then chip off the many layers of paint covering the screws and cut through the paint around the base before attempting removal. A heat gun or powerful hair dryer will speed this process up but be careful about overuse unless you plan to ultimately strip the door down to bare wood and refinish.

The curtain rod you purchase may or may not come with a pair of appropriate curtain rod brackets. There are a wide variety available for different applications. For a small curtain rod meant to accommodate the window in a door, there's a good chance the existing mounting screw holes will be reusable.


What is the consequence of using lag bolts without pilot holes?

Pilot holes are done for two reasons. One is to help prevent the stud from splitting and the second is to make the lag bolt or screw easier to install. The ease of installation is important because the head of a lag bolt can shear off when excessive torque is applied.
As long as your lag bolts are firmly holding the TV in place with no wobble in the mounting bracket you should be fine.


3-Wire Dryer Connection Works with Dryer at Home, But Not At Other House--socket tests ok though

You have a lost neutral
... and the chassis of the dryer was electrified.  You're lucky you didn't meet your maker.
That third wire is neutral, not ground. There is no ground.
Perhaps you are accustomed to welders, compressors, etc.   On those, the three wires are hot, hot and safety ground.
However, in a dryer, the three wires are hot, hot and neutral. Several parts of the dryer are 120V equipment and require the neutral to function.  This connection type does not have ground, which is why it's been outlawed for 30 years.
Your neutral wire is inoperative. So the timer, controls, thermostat and tumble motor cannot turn on, therefore the dryer can't run.
Even worse, the load sitting there, connected, between a phase and neutral, is sitting there like a low value resistor, "pulling the neutral over to hot voltage".  That is why neutral reads 0V from one hot and 240V from the other.
And it's trying to kill you.
So what do they do to "ground the chassis" on these obsolete 3-wire connections?  They bond the chassis to neutral, doing the very thing that is called "bootlegging" when it's done anywhere else.
The logic is that neutral wires rarely fail.
So, since neutral is the same voltage as a hot wire... and chassis is bootlegged to neutral... that means the dryer's chassis is also at the voltage of a hot wire. It's been sitting there waiting for you to touch the chassis and also something grounded!
And maybe you've felt some little bites - 99% of the time you'll get lucky.  It's the 1% that will turn you into an obituary.   And when they write it, they'll say the dryer circuit was miswired -- no, it was not.  It was wired completely correctly (for 1989).  Simply, the neutral wire broke or has a poor contact.   That's all it takes for the setup to turn lethal... and that's why it's outlawed.
Convert the connections to 4-wire.
You can either  retrofit a ground wire ... or, you can use the 4-wire socket without a ground wire, and drive it from a GFCI breaker in the panel.  Label the outlet "GFCI Protected / No Equipment Ground".
Note that if your wiring is 3-wire black-WHITE-bare, that wiring was never legal and is not grandfathered and must be taken out of service.  It can be re-tasked to drive a 120V circuit, such as the mandatory 20A/120V circuit laundry rooms are now required to have.


Does spacing of screws matter for the holding strength?

Most likely it does not matter, which is why they give you multiple holes, so you have some wiggle room with centering on a wall etc.
But the only way to know for sure is to look at the instruction for your specific TV mount.


Low water pressure in bathroom in the first floor

Increasing the pipe size from 25mm to 50mm will definitely reduce the pressure loss along the pipeline, making more pressure available; however, 25mm is already a pretty good size for a residential water pipe and the pressure loss may already be very small.  So the difference may not be noticeable.  Unfortunately, the problem is likely just the lack of vertical head from the tank to the bathroom.
In some places they make tanks with a bladder or spring inside which are pressurized as they are filled to provide more pressure than gravity alone can.


What tools would I need to have/borrow/buy to build a table?

It depends in no small part on how you wish to construct the table.  For instance, if you wish to do a simple screw or nail construction, it's a different set of end tools than if you wanted to do dove-tail joints, or biscuit joints, or mortice and tenant joints...

The basics (screw construction)

Measuring tape
Pencils
A straight edge (usually part of a related
tool)
A saw
A drill (for pre drilling screw holes)
A screwdriver or driver bit for your drill - for installing the screws
Several grits of sand paper from coarse (60 grit) to ultra fine (220 grit)
A sanding block (flat surface used to keep your sand paper flat)


Name for a T-shaped piece of hardware with a screw hole in a "shaft"

There is no common name for what you describe; it is not a standard type of hardware.

Product and equipment manufacturers custom make all types of unique and specific parts, not all of them have common names. That's why the supplier in your link used a self-describing name ("T Shaped Shelf Support Holder Bracket") instead of some common term.


High humidity in an unused, air-conditioned, finished basement; dehumidifier?

I have read and re-read all the questions and answers every one put forth and here is another try at helping you resolve your A/C problem. You said that the temperature drop is about 10 degrees. You need to buy a pen style thermometer similar to a road pro RPCO 841 (amazon $11.00), and check the temperature drop at the furnace, close to the coil. If the temperature drop is actually 10-12 degrees, that is too low. A low temp. drop could be a worn out A/C unit, a dirty outside coil, low refrigerant charge, too much air flow at the furnace, a mismatched restrictor or thermostatic valve at the coil inlet, etc. I would check out as many as you can yourself, since I rarely trust any service tech. (I was one for 40 years). For the outdoor coil, turn off the A/C unit, look at the outdoor coil closely for blockage of dirt, hair (dog hair), etc. If it is dirty it will need to be cleaned, or just have someone clean the coil. You need someone that knows what they are doing so the do not ruin the coil or get shocked by the electricity.   Do you know how old the unit is? To answer Harpers question Of May 19 -- yes high humidity and it's removal does greatly reduce the capacity of your A/C unit.  The single large return in the basement is the "new normal" way to run returns in a house.  I hate that installation because it is the CHEAP way to do a return. Returns for the top floor should be located at the ceiling and in every room, although this can't always be done. Another question I have is "how much insulation is in the walls if any and how much is in the ceiling". What type construction is your house. Measure the outside dimensions of the top floor, add a best-guess for the conditioned basement space. Trying to figure out what is wrong is hard for anyone on this site since they are not there. Lastly, use the psychrometer to check the basement humidity. I should use paragraphs in my writing but I was a service tech and not that good at writing.  You may have gotten good advice from the A/C companies you have contacted or you may need to may still need to find that good one. Hope this helps


Can I drain two clothes washers into a shared two-inch pipe?

See the attached diagram.  It doesn't sound that you can meet these requirements.


How should I connect my new ceiling light to this wiring?

It looks like you have a switch leg possibly improperly wired and possibly 2 lights or a light and power going someplace else like an outlet (possibly a spare)  You will need to figure out which one is the switch then it will be easy, your main is labeled.
When you find the switch cable it is probably the one with black tape on the white wire swap that black and white so the white is always hot and the black is now the switched hot.  Then the light fixture can be hooked up to the black switches hot and the white from the main. If everything works the other cable may be a spare, if you find another outlet or light that doesn’t work the one that is not connected needs to be connected to the Main cable white and black. It would be good to put a wirenut or crimp sleeve on the grounds and attach them to the box as it is a metal box the ground should be connected to the box , this may also be done with the new fixture green wire.


Where did all the 80 gallon water heaters go?

What you heard at the plumbing supply house is correct -- single conventional electric water heaters are no longer being made in sizes larger than 55 gallons for energy-efficiency reasons.  However, you do have options here.

Shrink the tank, boost the first hour recovery

One option would be to look for a tank in the 50-55 gallon class that has very high first hour recovery capability (equal to or better than the first hour recovery of your current heater).  This would probably pull more peak power than your existing State, but could easily match or beat it for total energy consumption by way of being better insulated than the old heater.  However, finding high first hour recovery electric water heaters may be difficult unless you look at commercial units, and your circuit may not be large enough for this.

Go with a heat pump water heater

Over-55-gallon electric tanks are being replaced with clever little devices called heat pump water heaters.  As their name implies, most of them use an air-to-water heat pump to heat the water using heat from their surroundings (this is called a unitary configuration), instead of an electric heating element.  This is your best option provided you have a waste heat source in the room; otherwise, the heat pump water heater may drive your heat bill up/struggle to produce hot water during the heating season.  Some heat pump water heaters are known as "hybrid" heaters and have electric elements that supplement the heat pump in high demand situations.

If a unitary HPWH is unsuitable, even with outside air ducted in for supply and return, one other option that can be explored in this space is what is called a split system heat-pump water heater.  Instead of having a small heat pump atop the tank that draws heat from ambient air in the space the unit is installed in, these units use a mini-split-ish outdoor unit that heats water in much the same fashion as a tankless heater, then pumps it into a tank for storage, with cold water being drawn off the bottom of the tank for reheating.  While expensive to buy and install, they provide excellent first hour recovery performance for their tank sizes, while both being highly efficient and capable of operation in a wide variety of climates.

Use two smaller heaters

You can connect two smaller tank-type heaters in series or parallel (either works, although both configurations have advantages and disadvantages) to meet your hot water needs.  This allows you to use standard tanks to fit the bill, but requires two circuits.  You can also use a tankless heater as a booster feeding a tank-type heater, but electric tankless heaters have extremely high instantaneous power needs, so it's generally better to use two tank-type heaters instead unless you are dealing with extreme hot water loads that exceed the first hour recovery capability of any other configuration.

Going tankless

A fully tankless setup can be used as well; however, electric tankless heaters are monsters when it comes to peak power consumption, pulling over 100A compared to the 30A draw of a standard-issue residental tank.  As a result, electric tankless heaters are probably not the best choice unless you have a large electric service (upwards of 200A) and are not going to get dinged by your utility with peak charges, either.


Advise on proper placement of floor threshold

Okay but, you still owe her a dinner & flowers you know. Any gloating will blacklist your butt & mine for years. I have to agree with your red line. As a normal & accepted by family, friends & neighbors practice. The transition should happen only at the room's opening, not some horribly disfigured hallway.

The vinyl is the oddball & is surrounded by parquet, so sorry but the parquet wins 3 to 1, literally. Now, the green isn't bad. But for me, it's in the wrong place. I would've possibly gone for the green if it were pulled back to the other end of the living room's passage way, where the hall & each room had a full threshold surrounding the vinyl. But really, it still wouldn't make sense & the vinyl would be just plain grotesque.


Rule # 1 - When making a replacement, don't touch anything else.
In this case, that means you only use the wires connected to the old fixture - white (neutral) and red (switched hot). Ignore the other white wires and the black wires.
Rule # 2 - In the US, Hot/Switched Hot can be ANY color except white (neutral), gray (neutral), green (ground), bare wire (ground).
In this case, that means red == black.
Rule # 3 - All grounds go together and can include metal boxes & conduit.
This one is a little tricky. If there are no ground wires then that should mean that your metal junction box is connected to metal conduit all the way back to the panel. If that's the case then you can ground the new fixture using a grounding screw.
The big question, of course, is whether or not the metal box is truly grounded. If you see metal conduit "everywhere" then that is a very good sign. If not, there are ways to test (essentially, if everything is wired correctly then "ground" == "metal box" to "hot" should read ~ 120V and "ground" == "metal box" to "neutral" should be almost no resistance).
End result:

White (new fixture) => white (ceiling)
Black (new fixture) => red (ceiling)
Bare ground (new fixture) => green/bare ground or metal box (ceiling)


Cost effective way to finish this shower?

IMO, not really (someone screwed the pooch with that mirror). TL;DR: it's curtains for you, or bust ($$$).

If I had to guess, any type of custom shower door is going to cost $1~2k installed. So, you should get some estimates and see where you're at. If they all want 2.5k for glazed doors, why not go all the way and get what you want? Perhaps one of them will do some sort of financing?

Take some really good measurements; you might be able to squeeze a complete door set behind that half wall, to make this a feasible DiY project (but that will probably lead to a mold problem).

ATM, my town is in "construction season" (summer); wait for winter to come around and everyone's prices should drop. Use a curtain in the meantime, or at least until you can secure a reasonable bid.

As I understand it, cutting tempered glass is basically out of the question. So this is either going to be full-on custom, or ad-hoc schlock. You've literally backed yourself into a corner here. (who put that mirror in?)

DiY - cut tempered glass, "Step 2 - Anneal the Glass"

Good luck with that!... I sincerely doubt you have a 6' oven.

There are several different types of corner shower doors that come as kits. Using 2 out of the three panels (and a small filler strip of 'C' channel if necessary) might do the trick, but you'd better measure everything extremely well...

Good luck in your search, these days "adjustable" means it can be ever so slightly out of plumb, and still hang frameless doors. To the best of my knowledge, no one sells a glass door with actually 'adjustable' (non-glass) side panels but someone might.

I have seen accordion style (folding) plastic (PVC) shower doors; the hard part is going to be finding one that has a track that will fit your angled base, and then you would 'simply' cut it to size. Or just get a straight one and modify it.


I think they are called latch clamps:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=latch+clamp&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Alatch+clamp


Strapping to level ceiling before putting up rock——code?

Not a full answer, exactly, but enough additional comments to the answer by @Ack that I thought I could get away with it.

Just to reiterate, you don't need fire rating, unless the kitchen ceiling happened to abut a different unit within the house. Then I'm not sure.

1/8" - 1/4" out of level is pretty subtle. It would be noticeable if there was crown against the ceiling, or if your upper cabs were close. It would also be noticeable if it was 1/4" inside a couple of joist bays. If you didn't strap the ceiling, you could fix the cabinet/crown problem with mud.

Here's an answer I wrote a while ago about strapping ceilings. (Paradoxically, it wasn't the right answer to the question, but it fits your application.) SE answer on strapping ceilings. Strongly suggest you lay hands on a laser... I'm not going to go back and edit my old answer, but at this juncture, I'm not sure how I'd do this efficiently with a level. And definitely use 1x4s. They won't cost much more and give a lot more wiggle room for seams.

Edit, to your additional question, "how out of level is acceptable to not be visible?"... If you have crown up against the ceiling, or upper cabinets within 1", I'd say you want to be within 1/8" for the whole ceiling. If you don't have that situation, I'd shoot for 1/8" within any given 3' span. (It really isn't hard or time consuming to get a ceiling dead flat...)


Re-wiring an old Slater 3 way switch with new Leviton

Common is the black screw. Travelers are the brass screws.
And position does not matter at all on a 3-way switch.  You can buy 6 different brands of 3-way switch out of the bins at Home Depot and find 6 different positionings of those screws.
3-way switches have 3 screws + ground
A switch with 4 screws + ground is the wrong switch.
If it is a "4-way switch" (2 brass 2 black), by good fortune, you can wire it exactly the same way - 2 travelers on brass and third wire on one of the black screws.  Normally these things matter, but it happens to work out with 4-ways that it doesn't matter which black screw.  However, only use a 4-way for a 3-way if you enjoy paying $10 for a switch instead of $2.
If it's a "smart switch", lighted, motion sensor etc., then it's more complicated.  You need to study your 3-way layout carefully and figure out where in the circuit it's possible for it to go.  At that point we'd need photos of the wires in the backs of the boxes, without anything disconnected (photos of a bunch of loose wires splayed out in every direction are worse than useless, and destroy the necessary information of "how it was connected before").


Requirements for electrical wiring project for a house

I think you're over-engineering it.

Nobody really bothers specifying cable locations that precisely for electrical wiring.   There are rules to protect electrical wires from damage, but they don't involve precise mechanical drawings of the build.

Further, you aren't going to be able to find anyone to install it to your diagram.  Electrical engineers don't do house wiring, and electricians who do house wiring don't follow diagrams precisely like that, they just throw it in quick-and-dirty.  Wiring is protected from damage, but using different techniques - for instance in North America there's a rule that you can go in 1-5/8" (40mm) without concern because wires and pipes are either guaranteed to be deeper than that, or will be guarded by a metal warning plate.

However, since you are aiming for top quality and easy maintainability, there is definitely something you should think about: Metal conduit.  This is where you lay a type of pipe designed for electrical service (and some of it pipe-fits quite easily) and then you run the circuits in the pipe using individual wires (i.e. Not with multi-conductor cables).  The piping does several things for you.

It physically protects the wiring from subsequent mechanical work, similar to metal guard plates.
Wiring grounds is often unnecessary - the pipe is it - so 30% of your wires just go away.
It allows easy wiring generally - conduit wire is much easier to work with.
It allows multiple circuits per conduit (to a limit) - allowing economy of conduit.
You can expand or customize it later.
If wire damage or splice failure occurs, does a good job of protecting you and preventing fire or shock - it nearly serves the function of American style AFCI breakers.
It is the highest quality installation you can get.

Generally, data cables are not allowed in mains electrical conduit or junction boxes, due to the risk of a wire melt putting mains voltage on equipment not rated for it.  (Fiber-optic is OK).  However you can lay parallel conduit for telecomm, and that conduit can be plastic.

Suffice it to say, designing a good conduit system is a very good outlet for  the high standards you are setting.


You do not need to move your electrical boxes out.
Just use these plastic extension fillers.

You might want to remove the receptacles as they can get stuck behind the cabinets if the "ears" on the receptacles are not removed.
Ears are the thin pieces of removable metal tabs on the top and bottom of the receptacle.  They have cut lines on them and can be removed using a pair of needle nose pliers.


How should I fix this hole at the top of my sink?

If you go to amazon.com and search for "sink hole cover", you will find something that's acceptable.


What is long-term impact of decorative boulders near a house foundation wall?

As requested:
That far away I cant see any problem. Your soil had to be stable enough to put the basement in. I would not even worry about a monolith that far away.


Is connecting a 5 A PLUG into a 10/20 A socket for electronics pose a problem

There shouldn't be, as a rule of thumb you'd normally want them to match, but you aren't likely to run into too many problems.

The only real big problem I can see is that if one of your 5amp devices were to short out completely, the 15/20amp breaker/fuse may not trip so your device would just sit there frying the poor 5amp socket which could cause a fire.

So, assuming you put in a lower rated fuse on the wire as well (or buy a socket with a fuse built in) it shouldn't be an issue, but I'd definitely refer to your local building codes for advice.

Hopefully someone more versed in practical electronics can help you, I've always been more of a low-power guy myself.

EDIT**
Adding a few sources as I find more. First is this manual from OSHA in America, read pages 13-15 for the relevant information.


Have you checked the faucet shut-off valves? Aerator screens? Is there an in-line water filter? Do any of your fixtures have low-flow inserts? I would first check these things. Inconsistent pressure throughout the house at a given time makes me think you have problems beyond the pressurization system.

Pressure gauges and pressure switches both are mechanical devices prone to failure. If you notice an inconsistency between the pressure you see at an outlet and what the gauge says, you have a suspect gauge. If you have a secondary pump (one that pressurizes the tank from outside the well) then it's easy to see if the pump comes on at a consistent pressure on the gauge, but also consistent at a faucet. If not consistent, then the pressure switch is suspect. If the pump won't keep up with normal demand then the pump or motor is suspect. If your tank is pressurized from a submersible pump suspended in your well, it becomes more difficult to diagnose and much more expensive. Lastly, don't be afraid to contact a well company.


How to figure out how far back a kitchen sink goes when the underside is not exposed?

A guideline is at most 4 inches from the lip of the counter to the front of the sink. This has to do with sink access for little people.
The back does not have to equal the front, but you need to keep space for your faucets of course. The issue is mostly the clearance required by the faucet, underneath. Usually that's another 3 inches or more, but read the specs.
The drain underneath can generally easily be moved to reach further back or front, or sideways as needed, to meet the above requirements.


Should I keep this surge suppressor in my main load center?

They are intended to be mounted outside the box...
You are correct that they are intended to be mounted to a KO (usually on the breaker box), instead of being left inside, all flop-a-dop, as yours was.  You can use this unit still, although you will probably want to leave some space around it, as its further lifespan is unknown.  (All MOV-based suppressors have a finite life; a MOV that's seen too much will break down under normal mains voltage, which on good suppressors will cause a thermal fuse to blow and take it out of the picture.)
...and not double-tapped either
While you're in there, you'll want to clean up the "double tap" on your main breaker's lugs and move the surge suppressor wiring to its own two-pole breaker of an appropriate ampere rating, or use wirenuts and appropriate-gauge pigtails to add it to an existing 240V circuit of a suitable ampere rating.  Note that Siemens breakers (unlike Square-D QO and HOM and Eaton CH) are not rated for two wires under a branch breaker lug, by the way.


Assuming your new fan has a pull chain control and your house wiring is wired conventionally, and you want the same function as before, your assessment of connections is correct. The fan's green ground connects to the green wire at the outlet that is bonded to the hanger plate. Use a crimp-on ring connector and connect the fan to the bonding screw of the plate.


Two appliances with connection cords sharing power outlet

Many of these cords are made this way to reduce the stress on the wires inside caused by having the appliances then shoved up against them. There are many cords available which are not made with the 90 degree angle. You just have to go to your store and find them.

Here's an example of one from Amazon:

They have dishwasher cords similar to this too. Keep in mind that dishwashers need to have GFCI protection so you might want to add a two gang box and have two outlets, which would allow you to use the cords you originally wanted to. Good luck.


Eliminating moth flies (and larvea) of unknown origin found mostly in kitchen

Really if it is like that you can do two things:

As Dandavis suggested - water+murphy's oil takes care of it fast.   It works, I have used it multiple times.

You need to do a thorough cleaning.   This is emptying under the sink, moving oven out and cleaning under, same with fridge, trash can (I had an insert in my last trash can and in between the insert and the bottom was food and it was a nightmare - so perfectly clean kitchen and one clump of food hidden), take out all bottom drawers and make sure nothing is under them, all cabinets, pantry, and on top of cabinets.

There is always a chance that you could have a dead animal in the wall but it usually isn't the case.


Most lint filters on dryers have some type of gasket to reduce air bypassing the screen. There may be a gasket on the removable filter itself or there may be one incorporated into the filter receptacle/slot. I have seen these gaskets come unglued and bent/crumple into the slot that the filter goes into. Check for obstructions.


Think of the highest point at which your child would let go or jump from then figure the padding needed. 6" should be acceptable and the rubber is used and will have some carcinogens organic materials will decompose and rot. I'd go with rubber but that's just me.


Why does my circuit breaker keep tripping for a lighting circuit?

A tripping breaker is either faulty, undersized for the load, or trying to save your life.

If it's faulty, then you can replace it with a new one and the problem will go away. If you're unfamiliar working inside of a breaker panel, then I recommend getting a professional for this.
If it's undersized, you need to move some load onto a different (possibly new) circuit. The breaker is sized the the wires in the wall, so you can't upgrade the breaker without replacing the wiring. With only 4 70 watt bulbs, that's under 3 amps, well within capacity of a 20 amp breaker, so unlikely to be your problem.
And if it's trying to save your life, there's a fault in the circuit and you should stop resetting the breaker. The fix is to correct the fault. From the sounds of it, you could have a short in the circuit, perhaps water getting into the lines or a bad junction. Either way, electricity in that situation is dangerous and needs to be corrected.


If low stretch is your objective, a good choice is Spectra™ brand material. It is frequently used with an over-braid cover material to reduce abrasion and contact damage. Spectra™ is used inside support lines for paraglider canopies, as a bit of stretch creates inaccurate lofting of the canopy and control complications. That Spectra™ is typically 1 mm in diameter with an extremely high breaking strength.

You can find 3/16" diameter Spectra™ online and in many local marine or climbing shops. It comes in various colors of over-braid, allowing for better visibility than the natural (whitish) color of the raw material.

The level of stretch is minimal and once tensioned, is likely to stay taut. It is not affected by moisture, but can be damaged by sunlight and UV and may change tension slightly with extreme temperature changes.

As shown on one web site, the breaking strength of 3/16" double braided Spectra™ is 1956 pounds/884 kilograms, certainly strong enough to contain unruly crowds.

It is also relatively attractive if your color selection is done carefully.


Maytag MLG2000AWW sporadically trips the GFCI when setting the dryer timer.

Have the dryer serviced or replaced

Your dryer probably has a ground fault (my bet: the timer motor).  A skilled electrician or appliance technician armed with an insulation resistance tester could probably find it given a bit of time, or if you don't want to take any chances with the ability of a tech to fix it, replacement is always an option.


Is my CL dimmer compatible with my light switch fixture?

This will work, or at least you can connect it.

Right now we will trust that it is the right dimmer for the lamps.

You have all you need, and if you have made it this far, you will be fine.

Adding to the confusion in this project is that the dimmer can be used for either a single pole switch, or a 3 way switch. (Kinda clever for sales, but frustrating where the directions are concerned.

Your switch has 2 wires, one to the light and one to power. 2 wires are the sign of a single pole switch. 3 wires are a sign of a 3 way switch.

The White wires, twisted together and tucked off to the left side in the pictures stay as they are, you will not do anything with them.

The Black wire, that right now goes to the lighting fixture, this is the wire that goes into the metal cable and is not connected to anything else.

This will get twisted together, clockwise ﬁwith the Red/White stripe wire, that came with the blue wire nut on it.

This gives you 2 wires twisted together under a blue wire nut. The Red/White stripe dimmer wire, and the Black wire that goes into the wall.

The other Black wire, the one that currently goes to the power/hot wires, these are the 4 Black wires that are twisted together under the red wire nut.

This will be combined with the Black wire, and the Red wire from the dimmer switch.

Remove the red wire nut from the black wires.

Untwist and remove the Black wire from the switch. This leaves 3 Black wires twisted together. The short piece of Black wire that you removed will not be used. It is now trash.

Twist the Black and Red wires, come from the dimmer together.

Take the wires you just twisted together, from the dimmer with the 3 Black wires, that are already twisted together. This does not have to hold together well, they can sit beside each other.

Take the red wire nut, that you removed earlier, and twist together the 5 wires.  2 from the dimmer and 3 that were already twisted together. The important things, the bare wires all touch, and you can not see any bare wire outside of the wire nut.

You now have 5 wires, 4 Black and 1 Red, connected under the wire nut.

There is 1 wire left not connected.

The green wire on the dimmer is ground. The switch box you are showing has, 'bx' type wire, it is metal and sprials around the copper wires. I am sure someone will kick my ass for saying this but here goes.

Bend the bare end of the green wire into a hook. Loosen up the screw at the top of the box that holds the metal cables in place. The put the ground wire hook around it, clockwise, so the end of the wire will be on your right. And tighten the screw back, keeping all the fiddly bits that were also being held down, as they were.

1 Green wire, connected to the metal box.

You have:

4 White wires, topped with a red wire nut that you have not touched.

A Blue wire nut, with 1 Black and 1 Red/White stripe wire.

A Red wire nut, connecting 4 Black and one Red wire.

A Green wire screwed under a metal clamp, in the metal box.

A short bit of Black wire, that you removed and trashed.

Turn the power on - try your dimmer and please let me know what happens.

Thanks

Great job on the posting, nice pictures, lots of details, makes it easy to answer :)


Need a wiring diagram for 4 way switch with source in centre and light on end

Making the connection in the attic saves you

Here's what you can do with existing cables in wall.

The black-red grouped pairs are messengers.  On 3-way switches, "C" marks the common.

Smart switches

That's the sure way to do this thing, but it's a little complicated.  In this case you re-task red as a signal line (as needed by the smart switches).


HVAC Furnace - Adding C Wire to Older Wiring Style

You already have a C wire, it's just not called by that name

From a close examination of your furnace's wiring diagram, the fat brown wire it supplies in the thermostat wiring compartment is the C-wire feed from the transformer.  The way your system is wired connects the brown wire in the outdoor-unit cable and the brown wire in the thermostat cable to that brown C-wire feed, so the brown wire that connects to the X terminal on your thermostat is your C wire!  As a result of this, just hook that brown wire up to the C terminal on your new thermostat and call it a day.  (If you're wondering what terminal the blue wire goes to on the new thermostat, it went to the B terminal on the old thermostat, so it goes to the O/B terminal on the new thermostat, by the way.)


Are track lighting systems standardized/universal?

No.  First as you have mentioned there is line and low voltage.  If you are not sure what to choose from pick line voltage - you can always put it on a dimmer to get what you need.  The low voltage tracks in my opinion are junk because they only allow a certain amount of light, and the transformers go out or hummmm after a while.  That is just my opinion on this - people will say you can find more selection of light bulbs with low voltage and there are special circumstances where this is right but you can order a lot of stuff easy on the internet now.

OK back to your main question.  No again.  In the US there are three main types.  See the picture below.

Get a ladder and take a look at your track or take a picture on your phone.  The Juno tracks I have seen have been j-style but you need to look because they are a huge maker and I am sure they have made each style.


How to change halogen bulbs at 18 feet height ceiling?


Is this normal? Cabinet/Backsplash install

So many issues it’s hard to know where to start: 1) cabinets installed on concrete prior to wall finish, 2) cabinets installed on floor finish, 3) wall tiled without removing electrical wall plate, 4) countertop installed prior to wall oven/microwave cabinet, 5) base trim on island cabinet not flush with cabinet (1/8” gap at top of base trim), 6) countertop installed prior to wall finish, 7) cabinets and base installed prior to grout.

Yuck!


Well, removing the switch is the easy part. All you have to do is:
1) turn off power to the box
2) you will see two black wires going to different poles of the switch. Unscrew/remove the wires and tie them together using a wire nut
3) turn on the power
Now the circuit will behave identically to the case when the switch is 'ON'
They will still be on the same circuit.

If you want each unit to be controlled by its own switch you have to run the cabling to the switch box:
1) cut out an opening where you want the switch to be and install an electrical box (plastic or metal)
2) run 12-2 (for 20A circuit) or 14-2 (15A circuit) romex from your switch box to the device box (e.g. light)
3) find the black wire of the original cable going into your device and tie it to the black wire going to your switch box using a wire nut
4) in the device box tie the white wire to where the black wire used to be. Tie the other end of the white wire in the switch box to the other terminal of the switch. Wrap a small piece of electric tape on both sides of the white wire to indicate that it is 'hot' (normally white is 'neutral')
5) repeat for every unit.


Cutting stud in load bearing wall to create vent opening for cooktop hood

The correct way is to frame the opening with a header, jack studs(aka trimmers) and king studs in the same manner that window and door openings are framed. See image below for reference.

The header is typically made of two pieces of 2x lumber face nailed together, sometimes with a piece of 1/2” plywood between the two to make the depth of the header match the depth of the studs. You can probably use 2x6’s for such a short span.

You can locate the trimmers and king studs to hang the vent hood on, while the cripples below the sill of the opening should be located 16” on center (or whatever the existing stud spacing currently is) in relation to all other studs in the wall.

Of course, all of that wiring makes doing it the correct way difficult... What you are suggesting will work, but it is technically incorrect.


Why does a shower valve make a buzzing noise when water is run elsewhere in my house?

Thermostatic shower faucets are known for this problem.
Normally they are the only valves with direct connection between the cold and warm water tubing.
In contrast to non-thermostatic valves, these shower valves mix the water upstream of the flow control valve.
A kitchen valve mixes the water downstream of the open/close valve.
If the trim of the thermostatic faucet is removed, most likely access is possible to the 2 built-in backflow preventer and to the 2 separate built-in shut -off valves (e.g., a Grohe thermostatic shower valve has normally 3 valves).
In this case here, at least 1 of the back flow preventers inside the shower faucet is defect. This could be confirmed by closing the built-in shut-off valve(s).
If another valve (non-thermostatic) in the kitchen is opened for the  hottest possible  water, i.e. only the warm water side is opened, there will be a huge  pressure difference between this open hence low pressure warm water side and the non-opened cold water side, which is under higher pressure.
If the back flow preventer in the thermostatic shower valve is failing, cold water will flow to the warm water tubing.


Connecting a Washing Machine with Aquastop

You'll want to put the extension between the Aquastop and the machine, so that the Aquastop can stop the water supply even if there's a leak in the extension hose.


Is dish washing liquid safe for cleaning an oven?

Considering the kinds of caustic chemicals in commercial oven cleaners (lye, KOH), I would have no fear of using dish soap.  Theoretically soap bubbles can trap flammable gas, so it's good that you rinsed thoroughly, but it's certainly less dangerous than a pool of grease.

My experience has been that vinegar and baking soda are fairly effective for cleaning ovens, you might try those next time.


Door handle not opening fully (not retracting door latch)

Just wanted to close this question. Ultimately, I ended up replacing the door handles. Trying to fix the components was just too time consuming for me, personally.


Is the toilet bowl's coating the secret to a clean flush?

It is true that the smoothness of the porcelain is a factor; a newer bowl or a higher quality one will have less of a problem.

Many brands of washlet will spray water on the inside of the bowl before you start, which does wonders for this problem.


How do I build a firewall around my furnace/water heater?

As best I know, a fire rated utility room isn't required by any code for a single family structure. And for multi-family (e.g. condos), this requirement is to isolate each residence from each other and from common/utility areas. So the below advice is completely overkill.

For the room itself, you can use fire rated drywall. This is usually 5/8" thick, and contains fiberglass within the wall to keep its structure during a fire. Use this on all walls and ceiling. Around any protrusions, (HVAC vents, water pipes, etc), you can fill the gaps with fire rated expanding foam (e.g. Great Stuff). This is usually pink/red in color instead of the normal yellow. For HVAC vents, you can get spring loaded dampers that automatically shut in the event of a fire to prevent it from spreading via the ducts. You can get a fire rated solid door, but to do so, you also need to get an outside air source into this room.

All of the fire rated products are to slow the spread of fire, not to stop it completely. The goal is to get you out of the home safely, before it spreads and you're trapped. Therefore, I'd recommend installing a fire alarm that is connected to the other alarms in the house, ensuring that if a fire starts in this room, you'd know about while there's plenty of time to escape. A standard fire alarm in an enclosed room could easily go unnoticed, or allow you to sleep through it.


Fireplace sensor that is not a thermocouple or a thermopile

That's a fairly typical flame sensor. A common remedy is to polish it up a bit with steel wool. They develop a carbon coating that inhibits sensitivity. Yours looks a bit grungy, and judging by your symptoms I'd guess that cleaning or replacing it will resolve the issue.

  A flame sensor "senses" a weak DC signal from the AC power sent to the ignitor which via the phenomenon of flame rectification in which the polarity of power sent through a flame is rectified to DC, flame is a poor conductor so the signal is mere micro amps .3 to .5 usually and the flame sensor is nothing more than a rod insulated [b]y a ceramic base so it is not in contact with anything....

https://www.quora.com/How-does-a-flame-sensor-work


OLD UK Lighting Live wire in neutral, how is this working? is it safe?

It'll still work - a light bulb doesn't care which terminal is live and which is neutral - it's just a dumb resistor. Generally speaking however, the socket in which you put the light bulb should be designed such that the live terminal is harder to reach / harder to accidentally touch, than the neutral terminal. Since you have the ceiling rose open already, you might as well swap them to the correct configuration (your second picture).


If the liner is good you don't need to go down more, though if you replace with the same size tile it may crack in the same place if there's a (evidently) structural issue there.

I'd be inclined to fill the hole with an "accent stripe" of 1" tile so the crack (when it re-cracks, as seems likely) can follow a grout line rather than crack the face of a tile.


How can I paint walls properly without sanding due to possiblity of lead based paint?

If the walls are in good condition then why would you even have to anticipate sanding?

Prepare the surfaces by cleaning them well using a bucket of hot water and TSP (trisodium phosphate) cleaner. Make sure to wear protective rubber gloves. This will get years of dirt and gunk off the walls to make it a good place for new paint to adhere. The TSP will even help to dull glossy surfaces.

I have also found that the cleaner "409" will also help to dull especially glossy paint surfaces but they do also produce products especially for the purpose.


Garage Door Opener, Power to Motor Will Not Turn Off

Replace it, so you don't have to explain to somebody why you didn't replace it
I would replace this geezer of a GDO if I were in your shoes.  It did quite well to make it to 32, but outlived its welcome as it most likely lacks the auto-reverse safeties of newer openers (namely, stall-reverse/inherent protection and photoeyes/photosensors), rendering it hazardous to operate in the way one would treat a newer opener.
This would also be a good time to inspect the door itself for proper manual functionality and adjustment.


Best way to remove all-metal staples from NM wire?

Options abound, but I like side cutters or tile nippers (similar to 'end cutting pliers'). With either, grab the leg of the staple where it enters the wood and pry it up. Don't ever pry against the cable.


HELP: Supporting Vaulted Ceiling Mid-Beam

I suspect the loading on the new “flush beam” is more than the 2700 lbs. outlined in the question. I calculated 2800 lbs. and that’s without the weight of the upper wall resting on the new beam. (However, I think that would be about 250 lbs. per linear foot on the new beam.)
Depending on the species and grade, a new 4x10 beam 20’ long can support about 2800 lbs. mounted in the middle of the span AND a 4x12 beam 20’ long can support about 3100 lbs. mounted in the middle of the span. (I used a SPF species with a higher than normal grade... like “select structural”.
In addition to holding everything up, you’ll need to hold everything down too, if you live in a high wind area. I’d use Simpson steel connectors between the existing beam and new beam.
Remember, the support posts (and footing) at each end will need to support about 1400 lbs. minimum.
If you’re located in a seismically active area or high wind area, you’ll need to check for shear walls, etc. too.


Where do I measure a building's height on uneven ground (for UK Planning restrictions)?

Edit to answer new question:

It appears that currently you'd measure the height from "the highest part of the
adjoining land.", which would mean that you'd measure from the up side of the slope. Source.

So your building; as planned, is in compliance.

  ‘Height’ - references to height (for example, the heights of the eaves on a house
  extension) is the height measured from ground level.
   Ground level is the surface of
  the ground immediately adjacent to the building in question. Where ground level is
  not uniform (e.g. if the ground is sloping), then the ground level is the highest part of
  the surface of the ground next to the building. Source

Original answer:

The verbiage of the laws is very important.  After some research, I think I've found what you're referring to.

  Outbuildings are considered to be permitted development, not needing planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:

  Outbuildings and garages to be single storey with maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of four metres with a dual pitched roof or three metres for any other roof.

Which means for a flat roof shed, you can have an overall height of 3m, with an eaves height of 2.5m.

Furthermore:

  If you want to put up small detached buildings such as a garden shed or summerhouse in your garden, building regulations will not normally apply if the floor area of the building is less than 15 square metres and contains NO sleeping accommodation.

  If the floor area of the building is between 15 square metres and 30 square metres, you will not normally be required to apply for building regulations approval providing that the building contains NO sleeping accommodation and is either at least one metre from any boundary or it is constructed of substantially non-combustible materials.

  Building a detached garage of less than 30 square metres floor area would not normally need building regulations approval if:

  the floor area of the detached garage is less than 15 square metres.
  the floor area of the garage is between 15 square metres and 30  square metres, provided the garage is at least one metre from any boundary, or it is constructed from substantially non-combustible materials.

Quoted text comes from the Outbuildings section, of the Planning Portal.

NOTE: Check with the appropriate government agencies before starting this, or any other project.


My drill can't cut a circular hole in wood - do I need a more powerful drill?

Cordless drill "handed down from your father" - odds are the battery is toast. They don't last forever. At some point a whole new cordless drill makes more sense than pricy batteries for an older drill. Not knowing what yours is or when it's from, I can't say for sure. My last one I replaced the original two batteries with two new batteries when they crapped out, and when those were toast it was clearly new drill time, given the price of things and the moving on of battery technology.

It would probably be fine (you didn't mention what size hole, or what type of bit) for the job if it was fully functional, but old cordless drills are often not fully functional with their original batteries.


Couple things come to mind.

That is a Fluke pen, they are pretty sensitive. I would measure the voltage by sticking it into the slot on terminal screw, not the top of the breaker itself
The front cover on that (what appears to be a sub panel) panel is entirely irrelevant for whether or not the circuits are hot. If you want to make sure it is off, you need to go to the main panel and disconnect it there since there doesn't seem to be a main disconnect (or input breaker) for that panel in the picture


How much solar can I get, and when/why would it require digging up the street?

You have 125A busses, so you don't need to replace your meter-main just to fit solar
As your loadcenter's labeling states, the busbars in the loadcenter are rated for 125A.  Applying the 120% rule from NEC 705.12(B)(3)(d) to your situation as your meter-main uses center-fed bussing instead of the normal end-fed configuration, we can feed 150A of power into the bus from both sources.  Given that you have a 100A main breaker to go with your 100A service from SCE, you have room for 80% of 50A, aka 40A or 9.6kW of solar, without having to make major hardware changes.
All the solar installer needs to do in your case, then, is replace the existing oven breaker with a BQC240250, landing the oven wires on the two outer poles and the solar feed-in on the two inner poles.
There are other things that you might wish to have done while someone's working in there
However, there are a few things that would be good to get out of the way while you have someone working in your panel.   Mostly, this consists of swapping the existing Challenger breakers for their Eaton BR counterparts (Challenger was tangled in several messes involving substandard electrical hardware, which leads people to cast aspersions on anything with their name on it, but the type C busbars are fine since they're a clone of the Bryant/Westinghouse design).
However, there is one more subtle swap I'd do, simply due to the congestion evident in your panel.  There is a BD1520 (Garage Front Lights/Outdoor Outlet Below Panel) and a BR120 (Laundry) near the top of your panel, and with a bit of swapping and consolidation, we can get a quadruplex breaker in there instead as well to provide a place to attach a future subpanel for more loads.  In particular, we'd need to replace one of the two A1515s (either Garage/F.A.U. or Plugs+Lights/Alarm) with a BD1520, swapping the Laundry circuit down to the new 20A pole in place of one of the 15A circuits.  Then, a wirenut and pigtail can be used to combine the serviceperson's receptacle at the panel with the Garage Front Lights circuit, putting them on one of the 15A poles of a BQC2502115 that replaces the BD1520 and BR120 near the top; the other 15A pole gets used for the 15A circuit that was displaced when we replaced one of the A1515s with the BD1520.
That way, you can have another 50A spare for a future feeder to a subpanel.  (You could do more, but you'd have to move circuits to the new subpanel to make room for the feeder breaker.  Barring that, you'd need to replace the existing local A/C disconnect with a 50A spa disconnect in order to preserve GFCI protection at the A/C as per the 2020 NEC, then remove the GFCI from the main panel, move the A/C feed to the 50A poles on the new quadruplex, and put a bigger feeder breaker in the hole the GFCI breaker left behind.  Anyone see why too-small panels are such a pain in the rear end?)


new 4-wire GE single-wall oven jts5000snss going into grandfathered 3-wire wall junction

SOLVED: GREEN & WHITE FROM THE OVEN WENT TO THE BARE SILVER BLACK WENT TO NEUTRAL BLACK RED WENT TO HOT BLACK OVEN WORKS

Not Exactly...
First issue is nomenclature: You said "BLACK WENT TO NEUTRAL". No, black (oven) went to WHITE (house wiring). With a 3-wire oven connection, white is a hot wire. 240V (US) uses 2 hots, neutral and ground. In certain situations, it can be either 2 hots + ground (240V appliance that doesn't need 120V) or 2 hots + neutral with no separate ground (your situation). In either of those cases, if one of the hot wires is black - which will almost always be the case if the wires are in a cable - then it is still hot and not neutral.
The bigger issue is safety. In the olden days, the setup you have was routine - two hots + neutral. Plus the neutral could be, under certain circumstances, bare wire instead of insulated. There was no separate ground wire.
The ideal setup is 4 wires to match your new oven - two hots (typically black & red), neutral (almost always white) and ground (green or bare). The catch is that doing so requires one of two things:

Retrofit ground: You can add a separate ground wire and connect it to the green wire and  connect your new oven white to only the silver wire. The catch is that the ground needs to be as large as it would be if it were a new installation. My guess is that would need to be 10 AWG or 8 AWG. The usual convenient other grounds are from other kitchen circuits, which are likely to only be 12 AWG. But this may still be easier than running a new cable.
New cable: Depending on your setup, that may be very simple (e.g., my kitchen is above the unfinished area of my basement with the main panel) or may be very hard/expensive (kitchen on a different floor from main panel at the other end of the house with finished basement and no conduit).

The good news is that in most areas the old 3-wire connection is grandfathered, so that you are likely legal connecting 4-wire to 3-wire, though it is not as safe as a 4-wire connection.
Wire Size!
However, there is one big factor that may make all the difference and require a new cable: Wire size. If your old cable is 10 AWG and the new oven requires 8 AWG (or 8 AWG and 6 AWG) then you must replace it, and once you are replacing it, you definitely need to bring it up to the modern 4-wire standard.
Check the specs for the oven and see what it says. If it does not specify wire size (AWG) then see what breaker size it specifies, as breakers determine the smallest wire you can use. If you already know you need to replace your breaker (or already did!) then that's pretty much a guarantee that you need larger wires == new wires == 4-wire.


How do I replace a non-standard (oversize) closet doors?

I had basically the same situation in my 70's-built house, the closet doors went all the way to the roof, and were horrible looking bi-folds.

Basically what I did is framed in a header to bring the opening to 81" (remember to account for 1/2" drywall while framing):

Then some drywall and paint (note I didn't yet repaint the ceiling in this picture):

I had 4 closets like this. One by the front door got sliding mirror doors, the rest got frosted-glass sliding doors. The right picture below is actually the "after" shot of the first one in this answer.

The width is going to be challenging for stock stuff. If it was a bit wider, you could probably split the door into two by putting a small column in the middle, but that would leave you with a couple 3.5' doors, which are pretty small. If you went to bi-folds, you might be able to do a 4' and a 2' door, though that might look a bit strange.

A quick search turns up some custom closet door manufacturers, which might be an option to get multi-panel sliding doors, like this:

If you do this you can probably also get them 8' high, but honestly, even without the doors on, just making the opening 81" really updated the look of the house.

Yet another option is that you could shrink the width down to 72" (basically just extend the wall/framing on one side by 9"), and along with making the height 81", you're into a standard size where you can get both sliding or bi-fold doors off the shelf from any box store.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out


The "traditional" way to do it is, as you have suggested, to cut the bricks out by hand (and refit the cut bricks once you've done to give a tidy edge). It can be a time consuming job.

The more usual way to do it once the lintels are in place would be to use a disc cutter - usually a petrol driven one - (aka a rotary cutter or Stihl saw, after the common brand) with a diamond-tipped blade to cut through the bricks. This will make a lot of dust. You can get a water pack to reduce the dust (and cool the disc, reducing the wear on it), but it can still make for a messy operation, as the water will make the dust into a slurry that the disc will spray about.

You can hire the saws from pretty much any plant hire outlet, who will also hire the diamond tipped blades, charging you per milimetre (or half milimetre) of wear. That can be expensive though, so if you've a lot to do, it might be cheaper to buy the diamond-tipped disc from an independant supplier.

I've also seen what is basically a chainsaw with a diamond tipped chain for cutting through walls, etc, but I've not actually seen one used to comment as to how effective they are.

Don't forget that you should use eye, ear, and dust protection if you're doing work like this.


I helped a friend of mine renovate his basement. We installed these raised floor tiles with carpet and pad over them. This made the floor much warmer, especially when going barefoot.

We also put up 2"x4" wall frames around the perimter wall (along with some interior walls) and insulated them. Then we drywalled over them. This reduced the floor area slightly, but it was worth it.

The basement is now typically warmer than the main floor. However, all moisture issues need to be reolved correctly first, or you'll have issues with the wall system.


Verify existing torque on tightened bolt using a torque wrench

This is deceptively hard to test.

When torque is specified for a fastener, it's really the torque that should be applied when the fastener is installed.

Your test, which I believe is called a "first movement test" - creeping up on the torque until the fastener moves - tests how much torque it takes to make it tighter right now.  You might naturally assume that it will first move when you first exceed the torque applied when it was installed.  However that's not generally true for a number of reasons - the deformation of the parts upon installation, adhesion developing on the threads (corrosion or otherwise), the effect of static versus dynamic friction, etc. etc.


Additional Subfloor Layer - Glue or Red Rosin Paper

If you truly want to add another layer of subfloor to the existing layer, you will only need to add another layer of 3/8" plywood, or OSB, (I am not a big fan of OSB) glued and screwed. THEN add the 5 lb. flooring paper, and your oak flooring. Otherwise I would go directly over the existing 1/2" subfloor with the flooring paper and oak floor. I suggest the lightweight tarpaper because it reduces moisture from rising into the floor from below, as in a crawl space. Red rosin paper, which I have used also for under wood floors but will no longer, holds moisture. It has been used under many floors over the years, I have demo'ed many floors that had it in place.

My reason for the littlest possible rise in the floor is it affects stairs, which become a safety issue,  doors need to be cut, and other things that need to be cut or adjusted from the additional height all the layers produce.


Ceiling fan wiring blue/white/black vs. 3 black/3 white/red

It sounds like the original configuration was for a switched light and now you want to install a combination fan/light. It is hard to say for sure without knowing the existing wiring. One possibility for the existing wiring is:

3 cables

Black/White - incoming black hot & white neutral
Black/White - outgoing black hot & white neutral to next device on the circuit
Black/White/Red - black hot & white neutral to switch and red switched hot coming from the switch

In this situation, the light fixture connected to red & white. The problem is that the fan/light needs two switched hots - one for the fan and one for the light. That requires an additional wire in the cable. That leaves you with four options:

Connect blue & black on the fan to red. Then the switch will operate the fan & light simultaneously.
Run a new cable with 4 conductors (hot, neutral, 2 switched hot) + ground. Fan and light will each connect to a different switched hot and you will need to install a double-switch for the fan & light.
Use a /3 cable like I think you already have "the old way". Before neutral was required in every switch box, the normal way to connect a fan/light was with a /3 cable, as I think you already have. But instead of connecting white to neutral, white would become one of the switched hots. So you could connect black to black bundle, white and red to black and blue on the fan/light, fan/light white to white bundle and then install a double-switch with black to hot and white & red to switched hots. However, I suspect it is not code compliant to take a switch box that already has neutral and remove the neutral.
Use a smart fan control switch as described here


How do I remove mortar from bricks so I can re-use them?

There's two ways off hand that I've used in the past -- knock it off with a chipping hammer, or grind it off using an angle grinder and disk. The chipping hammer is actually easiest because you don't spend time fighting the tool or securing the work piece. Have a stiff wire brush on hand to remove the final bits and pieces that the chipping hammer doesn't get.


What material should I use for a platform that holds 300-500 lbs?

300-500 lbs is not really THAT much, spread over 4 square feet. That's the weight of about 2 people. Your question is a little vague since you don't say whether this is for indoors or outdoors, whether this is a raised wood platform like a deck, or a concrete pad, or what.

If you want to use wood, you could definitely just use 2x's like for a deck. If it's not that high, you could put it on 4x4 posts and that would be plenty strong enough. You could attach your leveling feet under the posts.

To reduce vibration you could use rubber, although whatever you do you should make sure that the fan is properly secured. You can get round rubber cups that go under washing machines to reduce vibrations: that might be one way to go.


I would doubt it that you will find the exact replacement.

All doorbells that I am aware of, are wired pretty much the same, 2 wires, doesn't matter which screw it goes to. You will be able to find a doorbell that may fit the same drilled holes, that chance is better than finding the exact same doorbell.

Any big box store, or local hardware store will have a selection in stock.


I would suggest using a hardwood like "teak" as it is commonly used in environments where it is exposed to water such as on boats and for outdoor furniture.


It's not hype, but it's not a commercial viability for home insulation at this time.

I was just looking at the prices for aerogel and it's really expensive. It seems that the current use in house insulation is as a wrap. And from the prices I saw, it was $26 per square foot for 2mm thick material. Premium fiberglass is about $0.50 per square foot (2"x6" walls) and premium house wrap is about $0.14 per square foot.

Some interesting related reads:
Insulated living room
Some retail products
Price drop?


Stain, poly, cut… What order should I use when installing window trim?

I usually stain & poly the pieces, cut to size, stain the exposed end-grain, install, putty, then one more coat of poly.

So...
Stain -> Poly -> Cut -> Stain -> Install -> Putty -> Poly

Staining & poly before you cut makes sense when you're doing alot of trim - you can fit alot more material on your saw horses when its in 10' pieces.  But if you're just doing one window it probably doesn't matter.  Staining the ends again after the cut helps them to not stand out if your joints aren't perfect.  And the final coat of poly after everything is done helps the putty and other dings, imperfections, etc. that may accumulate during the install to not stand out so much.

And as Chris C points out - lots of sanding.


Ground neutral bond screw on a PON main panel

On a main panel, you always bond the neutral and ground. Just because it's a PON panel doesn't change that. The reason they don't have it "factory bonded" is because sometimes they get used as a sub-panel. This is becoming the case more often.  If the panel is covered by a separate disconnect, which is becoming required, then the main panel gets treated like a sub-panel.


How do I reattach a shelf to the wall when it ripped out of the wall?

It was installed incorrectly.

It appears what you have in the picture is a knotting anchor. Near the tip of the plastic sleeve is a threaded section. Properly installed, tightening the screw should pull the far end of the sleeve up against the wall, making a thick "knot" that prevents the anchor from pulling through the wall. Since your failed anchor looks smooth and undeformed, this evidently did not happen.

Here's an example from NPA:

You say there are wooden studs where the anchors were installed. Perhaps you drilled a hole large enough for the anchor then pushed it into the hole in the stud. Since the body of the anchor was then constrained by the surrounding wood rather than in the empty space behind the wall it was unable to expand. Possibly you also did not tighten the screws with sufficient force.

When mounting something where there is a wooden stud, the proper procedure is to not use an anchor at all, but just run a wood screw into the stud. The holding power of a wood screw in wood is a lot more than any hollow wall anchor.


You may be trying to do something that could lead to a major failure by overloading the roof structure with the weight of the standing water if the pump does not operate properly AND violates the Building Code by allowing too much standing water to accumulate on the roof.
There are many circumstances where a pump could fail, but is even more dangerous with an automatically controlled pump.
In addition, the Building Code does not allow more than 2” standing water on a roof before it can self drain through a roof scupper. (See ICC R903.4.1)
Standing water is not a good design idea. If the roofing develops a pinhole leak, the entire roof will drain through that hole. It’s better to change the design of the “flat” roof to a sloping roof.
I’d spend my time and money eliminating the low spot and forget finding an automatic pump.


How can I move a 500 lb wooden table top into my basement down a flight of stairs?

That is a big piece of wood.  There are three obvious approaches:

Get some professionals to do it.  A grand piano weighs more than that (and is more awkwardly shaped).  Professionals will have the experience and equipment to do it safely, and the indemnity insurance to pay if anything gets damaged.
Slide it gently down the stairs (possibly manufacturing a slideway out of a plank or two, or just cover the steps with blankets).  Use ropes looped around the table to restrain it, and possibly a block and tackle to reduce the load until it is manageable.  (With the block and tackle, you can probably arrange not to have anyone standing below the table as it goes down - which strikes me as desirable).
Don't try and move the top as a single element.  There is no way it can be made of a single lump of solid wood, so buy the elements separately, and assemble them at the bottom of the stairs.


What is the cloth around my dishwasher and do I need it?

It's called an insulation blanket and its main purpose is to muffle the noise made during operation. Since it's usually made of fiberglass, it provides some heat insulation too.

You don't need it, but you'll probably find the extra noise to be annoying. Try the dishwasher without it, and if you can't live with the noise, replace it.


I'm not sure what kind of thermostat I can use -- two wires, red/beige? and a millivolt thermostat

The Honeywell TS812A-1007 is a heating only, 24 volt thermostat, not a millivolt thermostat. The millivolt one is a different part number. If you have a volt meter, turn the thermostat all the way down and check the voltage across the 2 wire connections; you should get 24 volts. If you don't have a volt meter, look at the gas valve on the furnace. It should tell you the voltage required for that valve. If you need to change the wires to upgrade the thermostat it is not that hard, but you may be better off getting an HVAC guy in since they snake wires all the time.


Rewiring house and replacing breaker panel. Wiring layout and breaker selections

That Federal Pacific panel has to go as they are dangerous.  As far as concerns about your skill, you sound like that particular kind of newbie who is well capable of learning to do it all safely and well; however my hunch is you are still thinking too much, and need to read a little more.  It's OK, we all start there.

Normally, just replacing a sub panel is a straightforward thing.  Change panel, reattach wires, done.  However, this is only part of a project with a much larger scope.  You must contemplate (i.e. ask your permitting authority) whether you have crossed the legal threshold of a remodel.  If you have, everything in-scope must be done to all current codes.  Even ADA!

The 2-circuit requirement for kitchen outlets is not intended to mean "1 circuit for this wall, 1 circuit for the other wall".  I'd encourage some more research but if it was me, I'd interleave the outlets, every other outlet on a different circuit.  Also there's nothing wrong with more than 2 outlet circuits in a kitchen, the whole point is to prevent trips when the chef is madly at work, so the chef isn't hobbled with limitations like having to put the toaster here and the George Foreman over there, and avert ugly workarounds like extension cords draped across sinks or stoves, etc.

I see you plan to go 12 AWG wire for almost everything (that's what 20A breakers mean) - that's awesome.  Feel free to kick the refrigerator and smoke detector up to 12AWG also - that way you don't have to buy any 14AWG wire.  I don't own any!  If you have some other reason to use a 15A breaker you are welcome to use that on a circuit wired in 12AWG.

You may want to run the water heater circuit in 10/2 or even 8/2.  That will allow you to easily upgrade to an electric water heater in the future.  Still use a 15A or 20A breaker because the outlet is still only good for 20A.   There is a trick to fitting 8+ AWG wire on a 15-20A outlet, just ask.

I would go with a much larger panel. You have either -1 or 3 circuits left, and that's too little headroom for my comfort.  Getting a larger panel is dirt cheap compared to the cost of replacing perfectly good breakers with duplex breakers (I call them double-stuff) merely to shoehorn everything in.   Also, larger panels in combo-packs come with more breakers and that is far-and-away the cheapest way to buy breakers.  Another reason to avoid duplex breakers is if you ever need AFCI, GFCI or whatever future thing comes out - those are much more expensive in duplex breakers because of the miniaturization required.  Don't think you must use a 100A panel - you can use a larger panel (200A), you just can't use a smaller one (70A).

Remember each sub-panel must have its neutral bus bar separate and isolated from its ground bar.  That means removing bond straps, magic green screws, neutral bar kits, whatever the panel requires to do that.  You might consider a panel with a neutral and ground bar on each side of the panel.  That's a convenient feature so wires don't have to cross over the panel.

Keep in mind how your house got a dangerous Federal Pacific panel.  The last guy bought cheap.  Feel free to research the good-better-best that each manufacturer offers, the price differential for "best" is quite small compared to the overall cost of a remodel.  You may find better selection and better prices at a real electrical supply house.

There is nothing wrong with more ground rods.  Go nuts.  The key is that all the grounds are connected to each other by wire - and they are not connected to neutral anywhere except one place - the main service panel.


In general, paints like this do indeed stick to the rust just fine and encapsulate it by linking together and forming a hard surface. This is good if you want something to look good, but it doesn't do much to stop the rusting process. Eventually, the metal below the paint will rust further, and in the process expand. This will cause a crack in the paint, and eventually it will chip off. If the steel angle in question isn't structurally important, that might be fine. Depending on your climate, painting over it might buy you a few months or a few years. If failure of the steel would be a big problem, then you should sandblast or otherwise get to white metal, and pick a coating system designed for rust prevention.


CanI use existing 110v conduit for adding new 220v outlet in basement?

The conduit fill and how many current carrying conductors would be the issue.
If there is less than 4 current carrying conductors for this conduit adding 2 more will not be a problem with derating standard 75 degree wire and components.
If the fill will allow this could be code compliant.
more than 6 and the derating schedule or fill may be at the limit.
It is ok to run 240v circuits in the same pipe with 120. A 120v circuit has 2 current carrying conductors hot and neutral, a 240v circuit has 2 carrying conductors hot and hot.


Absolutely do not try to remove this yourself. You have no way of safely disconnecting the power or being 100% sure you have protected yourself from electrocution or arc flash.   The power company is typically responsible for the wire from the pole to your house. I would contact them about having it removed. I am sure they would rather remove the stick than have to replace the cable in the event it came down.


How long screws for attaching sill plate to concrete foundation?

Anchor bolts are used to: 1) keep your house from sliding along the concrete foundation, 2) resisting the house from being peeled away from the foundation (like a zipper), or 3) keeping the house tight to the foundation so the house doesn’t float away.

Your house has shear walls that need to be fastened to the foundation. I live in a high wind area so our requirement is 5/8” bolts at 24” on center. Depending on your wind loads, you’ll need sufficient anchor bolts of sufficient diameter to resist winds in your area.

Shear walls keep the house square and upright, but the shear “box” could be tipped over if the corners are not anchored down. In fact, where I live 3” square washers are required to keep the plate from pulling through the head of the anchor bolt. If you live in a seismically active area like Santa Barbara, CA then theses anchors are designed to keep your house anchored to the foundation (and your foundation is designed to resist such seismic forces.)

In high flood areas the wood house could float away without sufficient anchors.

All of these loads (stresses) need to be calculated or you need to use the standard Building Code requirements.
I doubt your “screws” would satisfy any of these stresses. I’d use anchor bolts.


Protect screws in joint and make it look nicer?

Is that a hand rail of some sort? I would not want PT wood on a hand rail, the chemicals used to treat it are dangerous for human skin contact. If it is a hand rail, I would get a better untreated wood that can cover over the entire arrangement, then use a safe stain or sealant on that new wood. Offset the joints so that they don't line up with these joints and you kill two birds with one stone.


What differences does a drywall thickness do? Differnet Drywall types?

Insulation (biggest one).
soundproofing.
Moisture permeability.
Fire Rating

A material by material comparison would be beyond the scope of this forum.


What's the best option for cutting cement siding?

There is a link to a complete installation guide for this type of fiber cement board at the supplier link in your posting.

From that guide it says:

Always cut the material outdoors.

  Never cut the material indoors.

  Never dry sweep accumulated dust - Use wet suppression or HEPA Vacuum.

  For the outdoor application:

  Position the cutting station so that the wind will blow dust away from user and others in the working area.
  Cut with one of the following methods:

  a. Best:

  Score and snap
  Shears (Pneumatic or Handheld)

  b. Better: Dust reducing circular saw equipped with a HardiBlade saw
  blade and HEPA vacuum extraction.

  c. Good: Dust reducing circular saw with a HardiBlade saw blade (only
  use for low to moderate cutting).

  NIOSH-approved respirators are recommended for workers when using the
  above recommended cutting practices to further reduce dust exposures.

This is what a cement board cutting shear looks like (click through for amazon link):

This is what a HardiBlade looks like:


Purchase an appliance cord, at least 6' long. Route the power cable from the house for the dishwasher into the the under sink space.  Install a electrical box and conventional receptacle on this power line.  Fix it to the back wall of the sink base.  Route the cord from the dish washer into the sink base together with the water lines. Plug this cord into the new receptacle. P.


Connecting new Pex water line to 20 yr old Pex

The life span of Pex can be as much as 40 years. When you make the connection to the old tubing, I would use a Sharkbite fitting at that point instead of crimping. You won't use near the pressure and they hold really well.