Replacing an Intermatic EJ351 mechanical light switch timer with a wifi Smart Switch KS-602 timer in 1935 house

From your description, it sounds like the green wire is live, the black wire is connected to the entry light and the red wire is connected to the patio light. There is no ground or neutral coming to the box. The EJ351 timer switch is specifically advertised as not requiring a neutral connection.
Try turning on either light and then measuring the voltage on the black/red wires. These wires will now "appear" to be hot wires since they will be connected to live through the switch. When the lights are off the wires will "appear" as neutral since there is a (relatively) low-resistance path to neutral through the lights. They are the switched hot wires going to either light.
You cannot use your smart switch without a neutral wire.


As gasoline evaporates it leaves a gummy varnish in the carburetor

Gasoline sitting for three years in the float bowl of a carburetor will surely lead to some varnish.  The hydrocarbons evaporate from the fuel and oxygen acts as an oxidation catalyst changing the remaining components into other compounds leaving varnish in their wake.

Varnish will coat and clog the inside of the carburetor.  Float bowl, floats, needle and seat as well as any jets the were submerged in the gas.

Clean the inside of the carburetor

I would suggest at the very least you remove the carburetor and take the float bowl off.  Get some carb cleaner with the little red straw/hose that you can use to spray into jets and and orifices of the carburetor.  Let it sit, do it again and use a bowl to capture the runoff.  You can let the carb sit in the bowl for a bit if there are trouble spots.  Use a toothbrush.  Get a thin piece of copper wire you can stick into any jets to ensure they are not clogged.  Those are your real trouble areas.  Take your time.  Be thorough or you will have to do it again.

If you have some extra carb cleaner you can spray it around inside your fuel tank to clean that out a bit too.  Spending a little time on the gas tank will pay dividends.

Replace your fuel filter.  They are cheap.

If the engine runs with starter fluid, that means you have compression and spark.  The last piece is fuel delivery.  Focus on that and you will be victorious.

Best of luck.


What are these horizontal & diagonal 'studs' in the wall called?

This is bracing that is needed for a shear wall. This provides lateral support, which is needed in areas prone to hurricanes and earthquakes. Typically, the plywood sheathing and drywall is all that is needed to provide shear support low risk homes. This kind of bracing is often turned on its side and let into the stud framing (notching the studs) rather than being placed between the studs and further braced above and below. There are also newer versions that are T shaped pieces of metal (maybe 10' long but only 1" wide or so), where the base of the T is inserted into a small notch that is cut into the studs and the top of the T is nailed flat to the face of the stud.

Note that the other bit of blocking at the top of your photo appears to be for the knob and tube wiring, which I hope you're in the process of removing/replacing.

See also: What is a shear wall and what is it for?.

Wikipedia entry on shear walls.


Should I be concerned about fridge/freezer airflow?

You should check the specifications for your fridge and freezer, specifically the section that discusses required clearances.  If you provided enough clearance, then the heat is likely not an issue as the fridge/freezer is designed to dissipate heat given the specified clearances.

If your clearances are too small then there is a good chance the device will not be able to properly dissipate the heat it produces.  This could possibily cause a fire, but the most likely scenario is that the devices will fail early due to components overheating.

Adding ventilation is not necessarily going to help, certainly not from a warranty perspective, but ensuring the correct clearance will.

The other thing to consider is the impact of the heat on your cabinets.  Ventilation will help this.


How do I connect a switch and receptacle in the same box?

In this image the top outlet is controlled by the switch, while the bottom is always hot

Using a crimp cap (or other approved means), connect two bits of bare or green wire to the incoming bare/green wire. If this is a metal box, use three bits of wire, and attach one to the box using an approved grounding screw.
Attach one bare/green wire to each device.
Connect the incoming white (grounded "neutral") wire to one of the silver colored screws on the receptacle.
Break the tab on the side of the receptacle, between the brass colored screws.
Using a twist-on wire connector (or other approved method), connect two bits of black wire to the incoming black (ungrounded "hot") wire.
Connect one black wire from the bundle to the switch.
Connect the other black wire from the bundle to one of the brass colored screws on the receptacle.
Connect a bit of wire from the remaining screw on the switch, to the remaining brass screw on the receptacle.


Can a UL 1953 listed power distribution block be deployed in a panelboard cabinet?

Although this is more frequently done in commercial and industrial gear, I have never found anything against it in the NEC nor have I ever had a AHJ say they would be against it (I'm talking about true electrical inspectors in major municipalities). So long as you meet the requirements you mentioned above. The only problem would be if you would be required to submit the calcs that show they don't violate the fill capacity and you may have to make sure the connections were not exposed to incidental contact per NFPA 70E.

The only problem I would see would be with the how UL would label it. As you know you are allowed to assemble control and terminal cabinets so long as you use "UL listed for use" material. But I have found a mixed bag of opinions from AHJ as to whether or not they want to allow that type of equipment that is not "UL approved" in their jurisdiction and the only way that I know of to get it UL approved is to submit it to UL and get them to approved it. It's obvious this is too expensive for the normal residential installation. The only other way is to find a manufacturer that has already submitted their equipment to UL for this type of modification.

Personally I am for it. It looks cleaner and is looks more workmanlike. I have actually been a part of a group that we assemble "Main Termination Boxes". for commercial installations. Instead of a big junction box with a birds nest of wires and wire nuts and we never got any blowback from AHJ's. But in your situation I would talk to my inspectors in the area just to see how they felt before I tried it.

In conclusion your design would meet NEC and UL listed requirements but it would not meet UL approved requirements.


Can range hood venting ductwork be hidden behind crown molding?

Two issues here... duct work for a range hood normally follows the same restrictions as a dryer.  The air is expected to be hot, so you need a sealed metal tube for it to flow through.  You can't use plastic or wood or any other combustible or meltable materials.  In practice, the air probably isn't much hotter than the ambient temperature of the house, but you have to build it to assume the air could be very hot.

The second issue is that the blower on a hood is not meant to deal with much pressure in the duct.  That means the duct needs to be fairly large.  A small economy vent hood might get away with a 4" round duct, but they normally use 5" or much larger for a "professional" model.  Even large crown molding would only hold a 2" pipe, and even that is a maybe.


I'm trying to mount a TV into a brick wall covered by 2"-2.5" of drywall... is this doable?

I would bypass the drywall and long screws and flat mount 2x4 to the brick and then attach the TV mount to the studs with 1 1/2 wood screws.  You would cutaway enough drywall to achieve a flat mount.  You might have to add a 1x4 overtop to get the proper flush or slightly proud mounting.


What could cause frequent toilet clogs? It is not the usual suspects

Since you have already replaced the toilet, we know its not that. Just because the sinks and tub don't have a visible problem, doesn't mean it's not a vent issue. The water flow rate is significantly lower on those, so the potential to pull a vacuum because of POOR air flow through the vent is not there. But the big rush of water from a toilet flush needs a big slug of replacement air from the vent to avoid pulling a vacuum and if there is a bird or rat nest in the vent pipe that restricts that flow, but doesn't totally block it, that will only show up after the toilet flushes.


Maytag Bravos Quiet Series dryer belt size

Since the belt doesn't appear to be available separately at the right length, your best bet is probably to buy the kit that contains the correct length belt and the replacement  rollers.
Since you'll have new rollers, you may was well put the new ones on. You can keep the old, low mileage rollers as spares, just in case something goes wrong with one of these new ones.


Can I add a junction box in my attic to ease congestion in a ceiling box?

Assuming your attic is accessible via a persistent access panel, that's fine. There's no difference between that and, say, having a light and switch up there.
Just be sure to run the cables in such a way that they aren't prone to damage from foot traffic, and fasten (staple) to code (generally every four feet and within 12" of boxes).
That said, if your box is standard round and 2-1/8" deep you can have five cables coming in. You'd be at max with ten #14 wires, but with a little planning and careful laying-in it would fit.


Is there a name for thin (3/8") redwood/cedar boards for basketweave?

This is called bender board. Typically made of Redwood for rot resistance.

It is used as edging for gardening and lawns, forms for concrete walkways and base material for making lattice.

Available on the US West Coast either direct from Redwood products mills or from Lowe's or Home Depot in thicknesses from 1/4" to 3/8"


Simplified installation was indeed possible.  I just used some leftover mortar mix from another project.

When I bought the bluestone the supplier told me to butt them up next to each other.  That worked well.

It's best to place the stones with an assistant, with one person on either side.

The result looks very good.


The dryer has 2 thermistors, one near the heater element. One failure mode, if you have bad seals (they do wear out with age) on the blower or filter cover, such that colder air is sucked into the system, giving that thermistor a lower reading than actual, the control system will keep adding heat to bring up the temp. But, actual temp get hotter and blows the thermal fuse. Replace or repair blower and dryer filter cover seals.


What kind of paint and texture is this? And how do you patch this area?

it looks like an older product called rockote.  its basically a polymer modified brick mortar thats used as a non EIFS stucco finish.  i think they still sell it in australia, but you can ask at your local old school lumberyard.  the old guys there will know what it was and suggest a replacement.  if you can't find one, you can use dyna ceraflex 610, but not the 620


Assuming the dimmer is similar to the Lutron dimmer in this question:
The new dimmer can be used as a regular switch or a 3-way switch.
For a regular switch, which it sounds like the way your old dimmer was connected:

Black - Hot
Red - Switched Hot
Green - Ground
Red/White - Not used - cap with a wire nut

For a 3-way switch:

Black - Hot
Red - Switched Hot/Traveler 1
Red/White - Switched Hot/Traveler 2
Green - Ground

The second switch for a 3-way setup should be a regular switch, not another dimmer.
Wiring a 3-way switch can be a bit confusing. Search for other information on that (plenty on DIY StackExchange, or Google it) and then just treat the dimmer as one of the 3-way switches.


Combi boiler not producing enough hot water

I'd suspect the NTC (negative temp coefficient) thermistors as being faulty or not in good thermal contact with whatever they're supposef to be in contact with. That's a known cause of F25, and most other causes would indeed be related to heating circulation.  However circulation problems / pressure / air in the system could still cause this problem even on hot water.


Low hot water pressure in one fixture after water heater replacement

Sounds like you need to replace the mixing valve. This is a simple part to replace. This usually involves removing the handle and possibly the trim, then removing a retaining clip, and the pulling out the cartridge. Buy a new one and reverse the process.

Here's a good set of instructions for Moen valves: http://www.moen.com/consumer-support/installation-help/tutorial?id=moen0133


Replacing lighting in a 3 way switched hallway with motion detected lights

Have you considered swapping out the 3 way switches with motion activated 3 way switches? Maybe you want to replace the fixtures bc they are ugly or outdated, but if not, this might be a viable alternative.   Some do not require a neutral so should work in most cases.


As commenters have suggested, there are 2 things unusual about your plan:

You're renting this place, and typically repairs on a rental are the duty of the landlord and not the tenant
As tenants, you're unable/unwilling to fully repair the cause of the crumbling plaster (moisture through the wall)

So this advice is for your particular situation, rather than generally advisable to anyone. Other readers will have much better luck and results getting their landlord to perform repairs, as this is their job.
You will quickly have mold problems with any repair unless you properly deal with moisture from the wall. The fastest way to do this is a moisture blocking "paint" such as Drylok. Note that this is not a permanent solution and mold is likely eventually, but these look like open spaces where you can monitor the surface.
Second and slightly better, you could apply sheets of rigid foam insulation directly to these walls and normal paint on that foam surface. The visible cracks and gaps may not be to your liking.
A more permanent and advisable way to cover these walls would be to clear any plaster remaining on the surface, then attach metal studs to the wall, insulate between with rigid foam (NOT fiberglass or cloth-based insulation which absorbs water) and then "drywall" with a paper-free non-nutrient wallboard (here we use Dens-Armor Plus) and then finish with paint.
The key is to not use components which absorb or interact with the continuous moisture you have, or mold will develop and you'll need to replace the surface again in short order.


It's generically called a screen, and they range from a wooden frame with a section of metal mesh on it that you shovel mixed material on, which sorts itself by gravity, on up to a mechanized thing on the back of a tractor trailer with a bunch of conveyor belts to take in mixed material, then sort and distribute the various sizes.

Depending on your workforce and budget, you might be looking at a version that's somewhat like the one you shovel through, but sized for a skid-steer loader or larger front-end loader. The mechanical wonders are nice, but expensive, and I doubt your job is large enough for someone to haul one in and set it up, at least economically.

The small stuff goes through, the big stuff goes off the lower end.

Picture found at aggman.com, though it's off on some blog platform with a different address.

After you sort out the rock and level the sand, put down geotextile fabric to prevent the sand and rock from mixing before you put the rock back on top.

Since your comment implies that you'll have at this with a shovel, rather than renting machines or hiring someone with them, I'd suggest dividing the site into a grid so you can do a manageable section and then move to the next section.

Here is a much smaller skid-steer loader and a screen suited to it, that could be easily moved if somone in your area has something like it and wants to work:

Images from www.omhproscreen.com


The type of motor control is where the efficiency is gained. Variable frequency drives (VFD) can reduce the speed when needed thus using only the amount of power needed so a multi port compressor can maintain a high efficiency with this type of control.


How to cut away portion of sub floor to inspect for leaks?

This is going to be complicated and expensive.

First, you need to determine if the leak is coming from the exterior or the interior. I'd check plumbing fixtures above the area and see if you can trace it down. It could be running down a wall and into the space under your subfloor.

Second, if it's coming in from the exterior, you need to know the extent of the damage. So, you will need to remove sections of the subfloor. (If you live on a slope, I'd start on the high side of the slope.) If you find a wet spot in one area, I'd move 8' -10' and remove another section. If it's wet you can assume it's wet between sections too. However, finding the point at which it's leaking into your basement is key. I'd assume the wetter the area, the more likely you're closer to the point of leak.

If it's coming from the exterior, Possible leaking points: 1) joint between concrete wall and concrete slab, 2) joint or crack in floor, we call this hydrostatic infiltration, (it gets pushed up from the sub-soil), 3) backfill against the outside wall that is placed too high on the wall. (Water could be coming in over the top of the concrete wall.)

There are other possible places where it could be leaking, (I.e.: roof flashing, downspout, stormdrain, expansion joint, etc.,) but I'd start with  the 3 listed above.

Repair will depend on where the leak is occurring, of course. I'd let your contractor guide you on that.

Hmmm...so...when you bought the house was this leak disclosed to you?  If not you probably have a claim back to the seller. I'm suspicious of the "new carpet" in the basement because I don't think most people refurbish their basement unless they're trying to cover up a past problem in hopes of a sale. So, be sure to document what you find, take lots of pictures, and get a written statement from your contractor on what he found and if it looked old or new. I've testified as an expert witness for buyers who found leaks, settlement, etc. covered up. A good professional can tell if a leak is new or old...usually.


PEX: Is it worth replacing crimps with push connections?

God no! I've had two leaks, out of literally tens of thousands crimp conections. Both leaks were installer error. One time my tool suddenly went out of calibration which I could feel in the action and quickly remedied. The other time I crimped it way crooked and I returned the next day with my compound offset crimper, cut out the bad connection and recrimped. Push conections tend to leak if there is a lot of lateral tension applied to them. They are crazy expensive and inferior to crimp under certain circumstances.

Edit

Here's a crimp calibration tool

www.zoro.com

It's used to calibrate the tool and to inspect crimped fittings after the fact. If you find an that the calibration tool doesn't fit over then you should re-crimp them.


None of what you're describing is particularly concerning, and is fairly typical of old, dry wood. Those cracks have probably been there almost as long as the joists have. The brackets you propose will not provide any useful benefit, as any movement would be due to compression of the joist, and brackets won't stop that. You'd need to sister the joists fully or in part, bonding the two members together adequately with construction adhesive and screws. I don't think that's necessary, though.

However, the water damage as indicated by the staining on multiple members raises flags. Softening of wood as it decays results in settling and structural damage. That should be your primary concern. If the cause hasn't been resolved, do some investigating. My guess is that there's an entry above that area with inadequate drainage.


Wiring question on replacing a 240 volt wall heater with a 120 volt heater

It looks like you have red , black, white & ground. You could connect a 120v unit to the black , white, and ground with the black, white and ground of the heater. This should be 120v if properly wired. The question would be  is this the only heater on this circuit? Also what is the wattage of the new heater. A 120v heater will draw 2x the amperage of the same sized 240v unit and the wiring may not be large enough. If the new heater is 1/2 the wattage of the old one using the black or red wire for the line voltage and then white for neutral and bare copper to the ground will work.


How to replace UFFI insulation in walls with no access from basement or attic?

In a word, no. That's one of the reasons it is no longer used. Once it begins to shrink away from the edges, there is no recourse to fix the problem short of removing the drywall and taking it out, then replacing it with like fiberglass batts.


Should I rent a trencher, or hire it out?

I have rented trenchers several times to dig long trenches. From the experience I can say several things that may help you bias your decision.

Using a trencher is surely the way to go over hand digging. Hands down easy decision.
If you have to trench near a tree be prepared for a major pain in the tush. Small roots are no problem but if you encounter major roots it can be time consuming and can even get treacherous. On medium sized roots the machine can get bound up and if you are not paying close attention could even overturn the unit. So use caution.
If you have to trench down an embankment be prepared for some dangerous work as you approach the bottom of the embankment as the ground levels out again. The controls and holding bar of the trencher can come right down to the ground.
Depending on access to the to space up near the buildings you may find that some hand digging will be necessary. I found it useful to dig out a hole at each end that was several feet in diameter and extending right up to the foundation so that the trencher bar never had a need to come real close to the building.
Good advice is to trench away from the building at each end and let the trenches meet out at come convenient crossing or merge point.

On one occasion I elected to hire out the trench job to a contractor because I did not have the equipment to hoist a trencher over into the back yard where there was no direct access. In the end it was a good thing because after the contractor came to do the job, that they had quoted assuming use of their trencher, they ended up having to dig the almost 200' trench by hand because their unit was way too big to even work along the side of my house even if they could have hoisted it in there.

So if you have a nice level terrain, no trees and good access on each end then renting may be a good idea. Do note that most rental yards will have the trencher on a trailer that you also rent. And if you do not have a suitable sized truck with a good hitch you will be required to rent one of their trucks to pull the trailer to your site. That will need to be figured into the cost comparison you make against contractor quotes that you get.

As for deciding if it is cheaper to do it yourself ... that answer can only come from you getting several contractor quotes and then checking prices at the rental yard. If it is your first time ever using a trencher do figure on extra hours of usage time to deal with learning and encountering unexpected things ... especially with not having the site prepared ahead of time.


How to connect 2 thermostats and baseboard heaters on one breaker?

In the first junction box with the first thermostat, connect with wire nut black wire from panel, black wire to next junction box, short pigtail wire to thermostat. Connect with another wire nut red wire from panel, red wire to next junction box, red wire to first heater. Connect black wire to heater to other connection on thermostat. Connect ground wire from panel to junction box then to wire nut, with ground wire to second junction box and to heater.

In the second junction box with the second thermostat, connect black wire from first junction box to thermostat. Connect red wire from first junction box to red wire to second heater. Connect black wire to heater to other connection on thermostat.  Connect ground wire from first junction box to second junction box then to wire nut with ground wire to second heater.


Won't work.  Either the point-of-use heater is big enough to heat the water, or it isn't.

If it is big enough, you don't need the main heater at all.
If it isn't big enough, the water will come out tepid for the first minute.

Both of these scenarios are losers.  You're spending a lot of gas to heat water that'll just go down the drain, because nobody's going to step into that shower if the water is coming out 80F.
You are better off rearranging the furniture so that the 70,000 BTU water heater is adequate for that end of the house, and having it be the primary water heater.
Last time I did a calc like this, it was with a 13KW heater that would barely make a shower work with a 1.2-1.4 GPM flow on the shower head.  Let's convert your 70,000 BTU/hr into KW.
1000 watts provides 3400 BTU/hr.  So it looks like your 70,000 BTU/hr heater is equivalent to a 20.5 kilowatt (85 amps) electric heater.  That's doable; put a low-flow showerhead on there and you should have some operating margin.  Simply have that heater supply that end of the house (the closer to the shower, the better - for response time) and have the new heater serve the new wing.
Keep in mind that if you draw water at a faster rate than the heater can keep up with, the heater heats the water less.  That's when the water goes tepid and users go "WHAT THE HECK on-demand heaters!" and they wrongly conclude that on-demand's suck and get rid of em. That's the wrong move.  When the water goes tepid, reduce flow and it will heat up again.  Of course good luck teaching that to users; so I advise putting a gate valve on the inlet of the water heater, and adjust it to impede flow, to make out-drawing the heater impossible :)


How to minimize ceiling "backwash" of air circulation in an attic HVAC system

Here is a piece of the puzzle you may not have considered.  In air conditioning mode: The cooled air being expelled from the supply registers is far heavier than the room air being drawn into the return air.  As air is cooled be the A/C unit it condenses dramatically.  This cooler, heavier air will drop right to the floor and push the warmer room air up and into the return. The warmer lighter air will gravitate to the highest point in the room.  You have little or no concern of the conditioned air being drawn directly back into the return air.  Good Luck.


How to re-anchor banister to plaster wall?

Move the anchors to a stud and attach them with long screws. Use a stud finder (preferably with a deep scan capability since you mentioned plaster) to locate your studs. Or you can drill some small test holes since you already need to patch the wall.

Don't use drywall screws, you need something with more shear strength. I wouldn't use anything less than a 2" screw, particularly in the top two holes. You need it to have a good bite into the stud.

Then you just have to patch and paint the old location.


How do I mount TV through 3 layers of drywall and into studs?

the thickness of a single sheet of drywall

Did they happen to specify how thick that single sheet should be?  I bet that they didn't and are being over protective, because they sell drywall in varying thicknesses from 1/8" up to 5/8".

But I don't think they're being TOO over protective, because I think that's the exact same mount I used, and it mounts using lag bolts.  Lag bolts are very heavy duty bolts that are driven into the wood and bite into it to create a very strong anchor.

Their strength, however, is in the depth to which they sink in the underlying wood - the deeper they sink the more thread length is biting into the wood holding on tight.  So - if you get too shallow of an installation, you don't get the strength you might need.

  I read another answer where someone claimed they had a 50" TV mount just in drywall, no studs!

Not for long, I bet...

  The other option I considered (although am loathe to attempt) is to cut away the extra drywall, attach some more wood onto the stud (enough to make up why width of the drywall I removed) and attach the mount to that.

You could do that - I thought about doing the same thing - and the way I would do that is to use a multi-tool (below) to cut out the drywall in the same shape as the back plate of the mount, affix that to the studs very securely, mark the stud location on it and drill through the plate into the studs and mount the panel.

HOWEVER - I suspect there's an even simpler solution.

Get longer lags.

They come in a wide assortment of depths and diameters.  Just take the lag bolts they supplied with the mount, go to Lowes/Home Depot - and find one that's the same diameter as what they supplied and about 1" longer than what they gave you, and use those instead.


It's obvious you take your lighting seriously. You would be better off applying for and setting temporary power rather than trying to upgrade you existing service. It really doesn't matter how long you lighting stays on if it runs over two hours unless you are planning not to run anything else while the lights are on. Something like this could put a lot of strain on your service.

So what I would do is set a temporary service in an unobtrusive area and have the utility company activate it and deactivate it every year.

Good luck with your project and your neighbors complaints.


Can I caulk over cracked grout (shower floor) as a temporary fix?

I'd suggest you get a small tub of premixed grout, a float, a sponge, and spend an hour fixing the problem. Be sure to remove any loose grout. (Something as simple as a utility knife will work for this. Wear gloves to avoid skinned knuckles.) If you want an even more durable job, score all of the existing grout along the edge of the tile (so 2 cuts per grout line). You'll go through a few utility knife blades like this. Vacuum thoroughly afterwards. Grout is staggeringly easy. Caulk would take you way longer and be a pain to clean up later.


Husqvarna 125b Leaf Blower not running correctly

You said:

may have been stored for an extended time with fuel mix in it

These sorts of engines are VERY sensitive to storage with Ethanol-containing fuel in them.  Your carburetor is almost certainly damaged or clogged and needs to be replaced or cleaned and rebuilt.
Do not EVER store such equipment without draining the fuel first and I've found it helpful use use E0 fuel (i.e. 0% Ethanol content) at all times.  You can buy this at most home centers and hardware stores (See "TruFuel" or similar) brands or at gas retailers such as marinas and Farm Bureau Coops that sell E0 gasoline.


How to unscrew this vacuum cleaner's motor axis?

Heat is a common method to make threadlockers let go - some specifically require it. Odds are excellent that it's Loctite Green or a knock-off of that. That specifically mentions "heat and hand tools" implying that it should not need high impact to remove once you heat it up.


My house is flooding and I have things plugged into an extension cord that is getting wet what do I do

1. Grab a flashlight

2. Find the service panel

3. Cut the power on the main breaker (or the top 6, or all of them)

Now you'll need the flashlight.

OK, now look at the panel labeling, and see if there are obvious "lighting" circuits.  If there are, turn them back on, one at a time.  After each one, walk around and check to make sure this didn't also turn on any outlets you are concerned with.  If it does, switch it back off - better to be in the dark than shocked.

Cables across walkways

See in that photo, where you've got cables going across walkways, and they're taped down all neat?  If those are Ethernet or phone cables, I don't care.  I also don't care if they're coming off the low-voltage side of a wall-wart or power brick.  If it's any of those, skip this section, but do consult with Martha Stewart.

However, if those are mains AC power cables, then they have to frickin' go.  You can't do that! That is incredibly dangerous, and would multiply rather badly with your flood problem.

See, mains cables are not insulated well enough to endure foot traffic.  The foot traffic is surely fraying those wires. Meaning hot wires are becoming exposed.  When those get wet, now the entire puddle of water is hot.

If they are mains cables, you MUST replace them with some sort of surface conduit that goes up and over the doorway.  If they are data/low voltage cables, it'll greatly improve the aesthetics.

And then... we need to talk about these extension cords

The fact that you have taped the strip to the wall shows that you're using it "as a substitute for the permanent wiring in a structure". (prohibited in NEC 400.8).

There is nothing wrong with needing a lot of electrical sockets.  However, what you need to do is add more permanent sockets.

You should build additional sockets using either Legrand Wiremold tier surface conduit... and/or by building the power strip or receptacles into the furniture.

For wall power, use, like I say, Legrand Wiremold surface conduit, which is mains rated. Start off an existing receptacle with a "surface conduit starter box", then run it to wherever you need receptacles.  If you do have power cables traversing that doorway, then run Wiremold up the wall and over the doorways; for style points, start with proper door trim, then snug the Wiremold right up against the door trim and paint it so it looks like more trim.  It's also easy to surface-mount the cheaper EMT metal conduit, but Wiremold is more presentable.  If you're super handy, mill the door trim so it hides the EMT conduit :) Run individual THWN-2 wires inside either type of conduit.

On furniture (for instance a PC desk), just use cheap/common EMT conduit and metal junction boxes ($1) underneath/within the furniture, and attach a heavy duty power cord with a proper cable clamp/strain relief.  If you want surge suppression too, get any "whole house surge suppressor" ($30) that goes in a junction box knockout; that is vastly superior surge suppression than you'll ever get from a power strip.  (cheap power strip surge suppressors are dead after a year anyway).

If those cross-hallway cables are data or low-voltage cables, do not put them in the same conduit with mains wiring!! However that stuff can use a cheaper, plastic cable organizer/raceway and go up and over the doorway.

You wouldn't have had this problem if your wiring was up off the floor.


Why does my ceiling fan turn itself on at night?

If you live in an apartment, then the chance of your neighbor having the same fan is pretty high. Try setting the dip switches on the fan receiver and remote to a new setting. Just make sure they're the same.


If necessary any screw will secure the brackets to the door (in most cases). The reason to use sheet metal fasteners is to penetrate the metal door skin. Once the tip of  the screw is past the metal surface it grabs and drills into the wooden frame work. The wooden skeleton of the door is the 4 outside edges and the 4 sides of the window. Your best bet for successfully attaching to the wood frame is to remember the frame extends about an inch wider than the windows perimeter. Keep your brackets (if possible) under an inch past the windows edge. It's the wood framing that is supporting the brackets. So if you drill an opening in the metal skin any screw will suffice.


Can I split a 200v range circuit into two 110v circuits?

You cannot do that because of the following primary reason. The large gauge wire that feeds to that point is most certainly fed from a breaker in the breaker panel with a rating of 30A. If a short or failure occurred in your added wiring, added outlets or any thing plugged into those outlets there could be current flow well in excess of what the small 14AWG wire can safely carry. The wire would overheat, melt insulation and combust any adjacent materials. The result would be a serious fire, occupant safety concern and expensive property damage.

The proper way to do something like this is to run the appropriate sized wire back to the power panel and install the suitably sized breaker (15A for 14AWG or 20A for 12AWG).

You could possibly replace the existing 40A breaker with a 15A breaker so that the large gauge wire is current limited to 15A but before considering to do that check with your local code enforcement agency to see if that is allowed. As a bare minimum such replacement should always label the large wires at each end to indicate that it feeds a circuit with 14AWG wire.

There are a couple of other things to consider here too:

Check the microwave ratings carefully. Some units may very well require a 20A circuit with 12AWG wire.
If that existing 40A circuit was one that was installed some longer time in the past and terminated into a three prong outlet then there is unlikely to have been a safety ground wire in the cable back to the breaker box. You will not be able to connect outlets up to the old three wire power cable that does not have a safety ground as it is now required by code for any new added wiring and outlets to have a safety ground connection. This alone would require running new power cable with the safety ground back to the power panel.


One half of my mobile home electrical won't work

Many times when breakers trip they are hard to visually see since the handle may not move much. Make sure you shut all the breakers all the way off and then turn them back on. Don't forget the main.

You may have blown a fuse in the main disconnect seeing the mobile home and now you are only getting have the transformer or one leg of it. That would be the thing to check after resetting all the breakers.


Why am I getting nuisance trips with my GFCI breaker?

Either the breaker is faulty, or you wired it wrong.  Check the documentation for the breaker to determine the correct wiring.

Typically you connect the ungrounded (hot), and grounded (neutral) branch circuit conductors to the appropriate breaker terminals. Then you connect the breakers grounded (neutral) pigtail to the neutral bus bar.


You only have one choice here

Your generator has a bonded neutral, according to the manual I was able to find for it online, and I also could not find any instructions for removing that internal neutral-ground bond.  The bonded neutral is all well and good, and in fact the way it must be configured for standalone use, but this means that if you are using it to power up a structure, you will need to separate neutrals and grounds within the structure's panel, as if it were a subpanel.

As a result of this, you must go to a supply house or hardware store, get a Square-D PK7GTA ground bar kit, and fit it to your panel, as well as pulling the green bonding screw out of the panel in your shed.  You will then wire up the inlet as a four-wire connection with neutral to the neutral bar and ground to the ground bar; likewise, all ground wires that are currently terminated on the neutral bar will need to be moved to the ground bar.


What alternatives to Stab-Lok breakers are there?

UBI is a 'replacement' stab-lok sold under various names.  Chinese based company.
2/3 failed to trip below the 135% rated current.

Siemens/Murray looks about 2/3 passed at or very closely above.

Eaton, Square D and GE had no test failures.

This is NOT a huge test.

Second image is from testing 3000 breakers that were removed when renovations were done.  Breakers had not been abused. (Wet, building hit by lightning, etc) and were all in service at the time of removal.

Based on this, I will go with a Square D sub panel and breakers.

Images is from the article: https://inspectapedia.com/electric/Circuit_Breaker_Failures.php


Why is water collecting in the base of my furnace?

It is indeed condensate water, high efficiency furnaces wring water all year long (more so during heating, but A/C in summer too).

What has happened is the condensate collection point (on the inside of where the external PVC drain runs) has cracked.  It is a very brittle and cheap plastic, just saw this on another customers furnace.  It acts like a little trap, holding water until it overflows into the PVC to drain.

Possibly the PVC got kicked and the force made its way back to the box (good luck getting a show of hands for this one)..

In any case, your furnace vendor will likely have one in stock.


How do I connect both my dishwasher and washing machine waste pipe to the same sink?

The part you have is for connecting to the top of a standpipe trap. Not for adapting a existing single-spigot P trap. The hole at the top is for air admittance I think.

  What part should I buy?

I would buy a "Washing Machine Trap with Double Spigot"

Example: McAlpine WM11 £10 ish.

Since your waste connection is quite high this might mean adjusting the other plumbing.


First off -- nice wiring diagram!

To answer your actual question, though:

Putting the dimmer in box A and the remote in box B is indeed your best plan -- it's possible to do it the other way around, although that is slightly outside the scope of this answer.  To do that, you'll need to make the following connections (with the breaker off, of course!):

Dimmer BK pigtailed to the junction of 14 and 18
Dimmer YL/RD connected to 13
Wire 12 connected to the 11/17/15 junction, and dimmer WH pigtailed to that same junction (you may need to upsize the wire nut a bit here)
Dimmer RD pigtailed to 10 and 16 (which are joined together now)
Dimmer GND (green) pigtailed to all other grounds in box A -- if there aren't any bare or green wires in the box, do not connect anything to this terminal
Remote BK connected to 3
Remote YL/RD connected to 1
Remote WH connected to 2
Remote GND (greeen) pigtailed to all other grounds in box B -- if there aren't any bare or green wires in the box, do not connect anything to this terminal
The existing 5/6/8 junction must remain intact here (the 12 to 2 white wire provides neutral to the dimmer remote itself to avoid a NEC 300.3(B)/310.10(H) violation due to wayward neutral current from the remote)
7 and 9 are nutted together to power the lamps on B side from the dimmer feed coming from the A side (the Leviton smart-dimmers need to be on the load side of a multi-way setup)
Finally, make sure 4 is capped off with a wirenut as we have no clue where it leads.  Connecting it to the hot in box B would be a 300.3(B)/310.10(H) violation due to its power coming into the box on the 14 to 3 wire and its neutral returning back from the box on the wire that connects to 11 in box A, which is either 6 or 8.  Connecting it to the dimmed hot in box B would also risk a Code violation if it leads to anything that's not a light fixture, as 404.14 prohibits connecting a dimmer to any load, other than a permanently installed incandescent fixture, that it's not rated for, and 406.15 prohibits dimming standard receptacles.


How do I get a lawnmower in and out of an old barn?

I would lean towards constructing an elevated platform inside the doorway. It would only need to be large enough to park and safely mount/dismount the mower. You could construct it like a backyard deck, perhaps adding steps down into the main floor area.

This would be relatively easy to construct and inexpensive, especially compared to anything messing with the existing foundation.

There are car garages in existence with wood floors and framing so I doubt the weight of a mower would be a concern.


sound absorption material for home cinema

I was just told recently by someone who took a class on something involving building sound absorption panels, that recycled denim material makes an excellent sound deadener.

He said to wrap the bats of denim in speaker material and hang them an inch or so away from the wall to kill echo or noise from another room.

Good luck with your home theater.


Preventing mold with minor carpet water damage

Honestly that seems fine to me. For added peace of mind, you can spray it with bleach. If you live in a particularly dry and sunny climate, you could also leave it out in the sun on some concrete. I live in the desert and this works great; the sun dries and disinfects anything in hours.

What you should be more worried about is your drywall. Poke it with something hard. If it's mushy, you'll need to replace the bottom sections. There's also the issue of termites. They're attracted to water; you don't want to find that they're eating your studs. This also depends on where you live, of course.


Buzzing noise coming from metal conduit when circuit under load

This gets a little tricky. First NEC Table 310.15 (B) (3) (a) says 4-6 conductors in a conduit need to be adjusted to 80% of their normal current carrying capacity. So 30*.8 = 24A which is the continuous load of your charger. In NEC speak the definition of continuous is a load lasting over 2 hours. If that is true then you have to add 25% load to your charge for conductor sizing. If all of what I just stated is true, then your #10 conductors are under sized and this might be why your conductors are buzzing.

Buzzing is caused by the conductors emf (electromotive force) opposing each conductor and causing it to vibrate at 60 hertz per second. This causes two things to happen first they generate heat, which we know heat + electricity = bad, and second your conductors are moving causing splices and connection points to loosen up (also not good). Start up buzzing is common in industrial sites and sometimes allowed, but these sites have skilled maintenance crews who are supposed to have scheduled routines to maintain these circuits. In a dwelling this is not so common.

It might be a good idea for you to invest in an infrared thermometer which are fairly inexpensive nowadays, so you can scan your entire circuit while you are charging to see if it is heating up above average room temperature. It might turn out you will need to either up grade your conductor size or downsize your charger.

Remember our main concern is to prevent a burn or shock hazard so stay safe.


Are there octagonal box extenders that are slimmer than 1 1/2" deep?

This appears to be a 1/2 inch extender that fits octagonal boxes:


Why do we screw doors into the doorframe rather than the studs?

Properly installed, at least some of the screws should go thru frame and into studs. The short screws are mostly there to keep everything aligned while a pre-hung door-and-frame set is assembled and shipped. Once it has been hung and shimmed properly, those screws can be replaced with better ones... but aren't always.


Depending on what is behind your backer you need long roofing nails.  I use HB 30-40 times a year and and I use the HB screws and long roofing nails.  For shower walls that are a little tough I will double predrill for my backer screws.  I will use a small bit for the hole then I will through each hole and use a larger bit.  The larger bit I just give a tap into the board - about a 1/16th of an inch.  This will allow the head to sink in well and also keep my backer from breaking on the corners.  It might seem like a lot of work to double predrill but when you need to end up with flat right angles... well you will spend more time screwing and unscrewing - and backer screws are really good at pulling your board out 1/8" to drive you nuts.

Another note on the roofing nails.  I strategically use them.  They are fine to use, they are easy, they are faster... until you need to take the board out or add a shim.  Then you are screwed.


Single pole light switch with live wire not terminating

There's more stuff on this circuit

The black wire you see running off to the top of the box is an always-hot that simply powers more things on the circuit, such as receptacles or other lights, while the red wire going up is the switched-hot to the light fixture this switch controls.

Cut and splice the white wire to the neutral from the smart-switch -- you'll have 3 white wires under this nut.  Splice both black wires to the always-hot going into the smart switch.  Splice the switched-hot from the smart switch to the red wire.  Leave any 3-way or traveller terminals on the smart-switch capped-off or taped over.

As to the switch not fitting -- you'll have to finagle a single gang box extender (or a surface raceway starter box) into place and screw it to the box, then screw the switch to the extension.  If the extender or starter box is nonmetallic, then you'll have to pigtail the ground on the switch to a ground screw on the back of the box, as well.


What is the flooring going on top of the subfloor?
To eliminate squeaks with the joists add more screws to the bottom layer into the joists.
The reason to keep them separated and not screwed into the joists is to allow independent movement of the layers due to expansion/contraction, especially for install of tile which is most susceptible to deflection and seasonal shifts.


What is this metal bar in my 1950s electrical box?

Those are the nails that fasten the box to the framing. I'd slide them free with a locking pliers, remove the box, and install modern "remodeler" boxes with flyout mounting tabs. If you trim your plaster/drywall very carefully you'll never know it was done.

You may also be able to find more compact GFCI outlets that are designed for such boxes.


This tool is used for spreading tile adhesive (or a mortar base).  The large teeth are  for  floor  tile and the  small  teeth are  for  wall  tile.  If kept clean, it will  last a  lifetime!


Can I use an air gap faucet as a standard faucet?

I think the air gap in an air gap faucet is separate, mechanically speaking, from the actual faucet. It's just in the same mechanism because both need to be in a similar physical location. Leaving both the drain and waste lines disconnected should be appropriate, and shouldn't give you any surprises.

To expand on that:

The air gap in a RO system exists because it needs to flush itself with water to clean up every so often. That water is waste water, and is not drinking quality. So, it goes down the drain. The air gap has the same purpose as on a dishwasher; to ensure that any blockages result in water overflowing into the sink instead of backing up or damaging any equipment. (Note the overflow hole in the faucet.) Because this mechanism relies on gravity, it needs to be placed above the level of the drain. None of this interacts with the actual faucet, but the faucet also goes next to the sink, so you might as well reuse the hole. You could have a dishwasher-style air gap and a regular faucet, and that would also work.


Multiple Occupancy Sensors to control hot water return pump

I am assuming the sensors in the bathrooms are low voltage, say 24V, and rated OK for parallel operation.  Also assuming that the relay that runs the pump is the same low voltage.  Generally the sensors will have three wires, positive in, negative / common in, and switched out.  Let's say it's black, white, and red.

In the basement, you'd connect the all the blacks from the occupancy sensors to 24V+, all the whites to common, and all the reds to run them in parallel.

Then to run in series with the temperature sensor, you'd tie the reds to the black of the temperature sensor, the white of the temperature sensor to the other whites, and the red of the temperature sensor to the coil / primaray + terminal of the relay that runs the pump.

The white of the coil of the relay that runs the pump would tie to all the other whites.  The secondary / contacts of the relay would switch power form the pump.


Electrical code - Cable coming through wall terminating at outlet immediately on the other side

It's not prohibited, just not the wisest thing in the world

While entering a NM cable into a box mounted on the outside of a wall via the back of the box is permitted by Code, it's not a particularly wise move since the paper filler in NM can wick water that gets into the box up the cable, causing a difficult-to-troubleshoot issue down the road.  Using a length of UF of the same gauge from the last indoor box on the circuit into the outdoor box avoids this problem in a relatively inexpensive way.


A deadbolt doesn't need a strike plate, because the gate is swung with the bolt retracted, and then using the key the bolt is advanced into the hole.
You can use the strike plate if you want and screw or weld it in position over the hole.
For the double gate consider organising the ground pin so that it interferes with the deadlock pin or the other leaf of the gate so that it can't be withdrawn until the gate is unlocked


Does a thermostat need to be connected to the fuse box? My builder says no?

There are two very different issues here:
Power to the Thermostat

I flipped off all the circuits in the fuse box, and the thermostat on the first floor powered off. However, the thermostat on the second floor still had power.

A thermostat is typically powered primarily by a transformer. However, many thermostats include battery backup. There are a variety of reasons, among them that unless a thermostat is wired up a particular way (see all the messages about Nest and C wire), it may only have power when the furnace or air conditioner is running. That is fine for an old mercury dial, but doesn't work for modern thermostats. Therefore, batteries. However, even with battery backup, a thermostat designed to always have power from the transformer will appear "off" when power goes out, using the battery just to save settings, clock, etc. A thermostat that is not designed to always have power will continue just fine when the power goes out - and even if pulled off the wall, using the battery to power everything.
Low Voltage Wiring/Devices

the electrician is claiming because it is low voltage, it does not need to go through the fuse box.

The electrician is correct about this, in a way. The great thing about most thermostats (there are some line-powered thermostats which are exceptions) is that they use low voltage and are therefore very safe to work with. While they indirectly go through the main electrical panel (by way of the transformer) the wiring actually present at the thermostat is considered separate from the electrical wiring at the main panel (the other side of the thermostat). That means it is reasonably safe to mess around with that wiring without the same level of precautions needed for 120V or 240V AC. The same is true for telephone and network wiring.


Changing 3 way switch to a half 3-way switch half outlet, missing a neutral

Most three-way switch circuits from homes of the 20th century will not have a neutral at the switch box.

The white wire should be reidentified as blue or another color. It is either the hot feed to the 3-way circuit or the switched leg to the lights.

The only way to have a receptacle at this location is to add another 2 wire cable from a source having an actual neutral.

Good luck!


Is it possible to use ABS cement to glue together THREADED ABS union fitting on P-trap for permanent connection?

Don't ever glue a fitting that is designed for threaded pressure fit.
The threaded fittment allows the piping to be lined up then tightened for a leak free connection. Nobody but an expert could possibly line up hard glued piping under a sink. The standard fittings sealed by plastic seals, held by threaded connections, has a range of adjustment in translation and rotation about multiple axes to give leak free connections.
Sweated copper drains can be lined up because they can be adjusted to fit and then all the joints sweated at the end without disturbing the fit. This cannot be done with glue joints. AFIK it is not possible to dry fit glue joints and then squirt glue into the joint.
What often happens is the plumbing under the kitchen sink gets bashed in the course of using the undersink space for storage or for a trash can leading to a leak. Hence some people try to make solid connections, but this cannot be done without special expertise.


light stays on even after disconnecting switch

Sounds like you have a short (hot to switched) that is providing power directly to the light, bypassing the switches. Start with checking any junction boxes or splices, and any exposed wiring that might have been gnawed on by animals. Or if you have had carpenters/construction (amateur or professional) when the problem started, suspect a nail through a cable.


Halogen vs. Incandescent - is one 'better' than the other for an oven light?

A halogen bulb is a subspecies of incandescent:  Incandescent bulbs produce light by heating up a conductive filament made of tungsten to a high temperature.

Halogen bulbs do the same thing, but add some iodine or bromine to the enclosure to efficiently redeposit evaporated tungsten back onto the filament.  For that to work, the bulb interior is smaller and uses a higher gas pressure than a conventional bulb to keep the glass hot enough to sustain the halogen cycle.  Halogens run hotter by design, but it also produces higher efficiency light with a whiter spectrum.

For an oven bulb which directly or indirectly experiences oven temperatures, you probably want an "appliance bulb".  They are designed for direct exposure to extreme household temperatures and are suitable for being inside freezers and ovens, even self-cleaning ovens.

As far as I can tell, all appliance bulbs use ordinary incandescent technology, so they aren't as efficient as could be.  But really—how much time does an oven light spend on?  In my home, it is less than an hour a year.


No. Those "sleek" lights also must mount to a junction box of some kind.   However, their box is installed flush to the wall, by embedding the box in the wall.  Same as any outlet in your home, for instance.

In this case, either someone installed a wedge spacer box for no conceivable reason, or this junction box is tearing out of the wall and needs to be reinstalled properly or replaced.  If that were done, this light would also look a lot better.


Does manual operation of a Taco 570 series zone valve operate the boiler?

After speaking to a service tech, I've confirmed that the design of the Taco valves is that the boiler contact is not energized when in manual override.     However, he also stated that he's seen cases where they failed with the contact energized, so I'm planning to disconnect that wire if I have a similar situation in the future.


Any way to see if it's made of galvanized steel?

Galvanised steel has a distinctive "spangled" appearance. The crystalline structure of the Zinc is visible.

There are two main types

hot-dip galvanised
electrogalvanised (electroplated zinc)

You can often tell if something has been hot-dip galvanised. It looks like a thicker coating is present. This is better.


You are correct.

There are several points in Article 725 that are not going to allow that to happen.  This would give you no viable plan to rigidly separate mains from low voltage wiring, and that won't do.

Further, it would violate NEC 110.2 and 110.3(B) because you'd be defeating the UL-approved enclosure design, and using the transformer contrary to instructions and labeling.


What is the best way to semi-permanently seal and waterproof a pipe containing two cables?

fit a tee to the pipe so that each cable can be separately sealed,

Ideally use the parts designed to do this job, conduit and waterproof cable glands, not "pipe" and "stoppers"

fitting a downward facing tee part way along the conduit will prevent any drips that get through the seal from reaching the electrical box.


The “J” bolt is required. The size and spacing is determined on where you are located (seismic zone, wind loading requirements, etc.).

This problem is caused by carelessness. That is to say, the anchor bolt was placed too close to the edge of the foundation wall, (and the wall seems to step back which was not accounted for in the placement of the bolt.)

Depending on the load on the bolt, you’ll need a minimum of 2” of concrete cover over the bolt.

Anchor bolts are sized based on unusual and extreme loads...not normal loading. That bolt may be just fine until you have an earthquake or a wind storm. I’d have an architect or structural engineer (not a civil engineer) review it.


removing electrical sockets from bathroom

Why not just remove the receptacle and add a blank plate?  That would seem to at least comply with the intent of the regulation.


Hanging drywall on taller than 8-foot walls

Firstly, you may be able to source 54" drywall. Two sheets oriented in the usual horizontal way will cover a wall height up to 108" (9 ft) with one tape joint between them. The extra cost may be worth the effort savings.
If your framing is laid out accurately on 16" or 24" centers, 10' sheets would stand up (vertically) nicely. All tape joints would be vertical - none horizontal. The waste won't cost much.
Otherwise, it really comes down to where you want to work. The outcome will be the same regardless, since a well-done tape joint is more or less as strong as the sheet itself.
Normally you work top-down, so you'd have that joint near the floor. One benefit is that you have flat drywall where you'll install base trim instead of a tapered edge. The drawback is that you're taping a joint hunched over.
Pros will sometimes do narrow strips in the middle so they can tape both joints almost as a single joint, skimming it all out together. The drawback to that is that you're taping a flat (butt) joint, since one edge of the strip won't have a taper. That means a slightly thicker bulge in the wall. If it's done well it won't matter, though.


Jerry rig a common wire from another zone?

You just can't get what you want...
Unfortunately, each zone relay has its own independent 24VAC transformer, so trying to "poach" a C wire connection from another zone's relay simply won't work at all.  No sense continuing down that dead end!
However, you just might be able to get what you need
The good news is that there is a way out of your situation, since the Ecobee model you have supports two-transformer systems.  You'll need:

a faceplate mount or knockout mount 24VAC Class 2 transformer (if you're using the latter, you'll need a suitable faceplate for the box)
a few feet of 18/2 thermostat wire
a few feet of 12/2 armored cable with matching bushings ("redheads") and cable clamps
Crimp spade lugs suitable for 12AWG wire
Wirenuts
Mounting screws
A suitable tool for crimping the spade lugs on
And a 4" square metal junction box

We first start by turning the HVAC system breaker off and mounting our 4" square box somewhere convenient near the existing zone relays, then running the 12/2 armored cable over to said 4" square box from the top of the leftmost zone relay using the "redhead" anti-short bushings and cableclamps.  Once that's done, we can wirenut the transformer's 120V leads to the black and white wires on the armored cable, then mount the transformer.  At the other end of the AC run, we crimp spade lugs onto the white and black wires then land them on the appropriate terminal screws on the zone relay board.  Once those terminal screws are retightened, then we can move onto the secondary side of the transformer.  The 18/2 cable attaches to the two terminal screws on the transformer at one end, and gets wirenutted to the green and blue wires on Zone 1's thermostat cable at the other end.
Now that we're done at the zone relays, we can tackle installing the new thermostat for zone 1.  Green and blue go to Rc and C respectively, while red and white go to Rh and W/W1.  This way, the Ecobee will draw power from the 24VAC transformer you just installed, while controlling the heat by connecting Rh to W to activate the zone relay by bridging the T-T terminals on said relay.


If the blade is a flat panel, no surface contour, you could either duplicate it yourself or find a wood shop or makerspace with members who might assist. It would be a simple matter to drop a panel into a laser cutter, cnc router, jig saw, band saw, so many options if you can identify the material from which it is constructed. Jasen's suggestion of replacing all three is a good one, as well. 3 mm or 6 mm plywood would be quite strong for this application and not particularly heavy. Our fans have veneer over particle board, cheap and heavier than ply.


Has the DPC (damp proof course) failed if moisture is showing above paint?

DPC is a water-impermeable horizontal layer, typically a type of plastic sheet, that you would find between two courses of masonry at the foot of a wall above outside ground level (e.g. one or two bricks above outside ground level). Its job is to prevent water rising by capillary action through the masonry etc from the wet ground below.

Obviously if the DPC is damaged or defective, it is usually not feasible to demolish the wall to rectify the DPC, so there are treatments which inject waterproofing material into the wall.

I am surprised that a vertical section of the wall corner has been treated - but I've not had this problem so can't be sure that is abnormal.

If that is an external corner, I would go outside and check that there is nothing outside bridging the DPC - like a heap of earth against the wall.

I would buy a damp test meter to determine if the discolouration is due to damp.

If it is the damp expert's treatment leaching through - and he didn't warn you this was likely - I'd consider asking them for advice and/or to rectify the problem.


At minimum, you have to let the paint cure before you can really compare it.  It will blend in over time for the reasons bib mentioned.

It might also help to wipe down your walls - smoking, cooking, dirt and grime will discolor them, sometimes noticeably.

Find out how the new paint was applied.  If the original paint was applied with a roller, and the patch with a brush, there will always be a noticeable texture difference.

If the patch was not primed before it was painted then this might cause a color difference too.

Really the only way to get a perfectly blended wall is the repaint it.


How can I combine nine holiday light cords into one?

My wife has a large holiday village also, these are fairly low wattage so combining them on a power strip is ok.
The advantage that she likes is everything can be turned off with 1 switch she actually has 3 power strips connected to power all the buildings and street lights, I measured the current and with everything running it was drawing almost 8 amps. This is well below what the circuit and power strips are rated for, I am glad she finally ran out of room to set up any more.


That is not a transformer. It is a simple junction box with 3 cables.

This is what a doorbell transformer looks like. Notice the brown cable on the right. That is the type of cable you should be looking for to locate your transformer.


At what temperatures do pipe sleeves protect pipes from freezing?

There is a time aspect not just r-value.  No matter what r-value something has it doesn't keep something warmer for an infinite amount of time.  If there is no temperature coming from inside the pipe (pipes just laying there), then the pipes will very soon be the same temperature as outside.

What you are relying on is the temperature inside the housing to provide this section of pipe with warmer air.  Which depends on the temperature inside and the amount of water flow through this section.  Really no way to answer the question accurately because there are a ton of variables.  You are going to get way more warm (inside) air dispersed on the pipe by keeping the water running  than by putting a sleeve on it for example.


The best way to fix this would be to drill the existing holes through the door out the front. Then get some bolts, washers and nuts. Put the bolts and washers from the outside in through the door. Mount the arm to the bolts, then washers and finish off with nuts. Tighten and you're good to go. Oh, and disable the sliding lock. Good luck and stay safe out there.


How can I remove pencil marks from a painted wall ...?

You can actually just use an eraser as long as you use it gently. Even a simple pencil eraser can handle the problem, but you can use art gum erasers or suede stones as well. If you want to go a little further, baking soda or toothpaste dabbed onto the end of a soft cloth has also been known to work.


Why would furnace not come on immediately?

That is normal, many furnaces are designed to avoid a condition called a "short cycle".  That's where they quit, and restart again shortly after.

It's not quite as big a problem with furnaces, but it's a huge problem for A/C units (and heat pumps!) and can damage the unit.  If the furnace is designed to work with A/C, the anti-short cycle logic may be the same for both heat and A/C.

Unbeknownst to you, the furnace had just quit before you walked in the door.   It waited the requisite timeout period to avoid a short-cycle, then started up normally.


How to identify a fixture/outlet and wiring to breaker as knob and tube?

K&T could be at any point in the run, the circuit could start romex, then switch over to K&T and then switch back over to romex (potentially with a ground pulled from another circuit).

The only way to be completely sure no K&T wiring is in use is to find and trace all of the circuits and visually make sure.


Why does my gas oven trip the GFCI when turned on after the clean cycle?

I'd suspect a small, varying current leakage to the metal frame.  Depending on how your kitchen is wired you might could replace all counter top outlets to GFCI protection, then remove the GFCI protection from the oven granted it is behind the oven amd not readily accessible.  However, doing so may allow a potential shock hazard.

The best option is to have the oven checked out or replaced.

Also, I'd recommend putting the GFCI in the panel if possible or another readily accessible location if the one for the oven is not.


Does a 20 amp GFCI outlet on a 15 amp circuit pose an inherent danger?

First off, connecting a 20 Amp load to a 15 Amp circuit will overload the circuit but shouldn't cause a fire because the 15 Amp breaker will trip.
A 20 amp GFCI doesn't pose any threat just by being there. The threat comes from people thinking it's on a 20 amp circuit and loading it as such.... which will trip a 15 Amp breaker.


Should I have continuity between hot lug (at service in) and neutral bus with main breaker off?

Since you are not connected to the grid yet, the wires from your mast a probably just hanging or coiled up, and the ends are touching. Check those wires.


Why is my water softener hammering during recharge?

Water hammer occurs when water travels along long straight plumbing pipes and comes to an abrupt stop. When the water flow stops instantly the forward momentum slams into (most likely) some 90° pipe fitting at the end of the long run.  Others may have different suggestions, but to my knowledge the only way to stop the water hammer is either add pipe elbows to the long straight pipe run, or add a water hammer arrestor near the end of the long straight run.  In any case, it should be addressed because water hammer can cause stress fractures in your plumbing leading to a failure and water damage.


why river stones needed close to foundation

Rock instead of plants or mulch keeps the foundation dry (or better so than plants or mulch than soak up the water and retain it)
Prevents grass and weeds from growing by a wall, if used with a barrier underneath, to make it easier for trimming without hitting the wall.
Prevents splashing up of dirt or mulch onto walls. I have a garden out by a shed that would splash up mud onto the wall of the shed during a storm, so I added a row of rock like this which stops it.
Similar to the first item, it overall allows better drainage so that water does not build up by the wall.

I'm not sure what this practice would be called, but it does have useful purposes and can look really nice when done right with nice rock.


Can I use an LED bulb in a 3-Way fixture?

Unless you have a 3-way LED bulb (and a quick search indicates that they don't exist yet), it will light, but at the brightest light level.

A three-way incandescent light has two filaments: dim and medium.  Each filament has a separate contact on the bulb's base.  The brightest light level is provided by energizing both simultaneously.  When energized, each filament is driven at the mains voltage, so applying that voltage to a standard LED bulb will cause it to produce its rated light output.

You'll probably find that (because the bulb's base is missing a contact), you'll have an "on, off, on, off" pattern as you rotate the switch, instead of "dim, medium, bright, off" like with a 3-way bulb.


How can I separate a light switch to power two different devices?

This is a reasonable project if you have some experience with electrical wiring. You will have to take a look at the existing wiring, get the appropriate new parts, and replace the existing box and switches.

First, I'll assume that your current configuration is as such: supply power comes into your switch box. Wires leading to both your fan/light and your exterior light also run to this switch box. In your switch box there are 3 grounds (bare wire, all connected, and also connected to the switch and to the box if the box is metal), 3 neutrals (white, all connected) and 3 hots (black; supply is on one end of the switch, light/fan and exterior light blacks are on the other end).

That's the most likely configuration, but you should shut off power and check out the wiring situation before you do anything else. If that's right, you'll want to do the following:

Get a 2-gang box to replace your existing 1-gang box.
Get a new switch.
Remove your existing box and install the 2-gang box in its place.
Run your supply hot wire to both switches.
Connect the light/fan hot wire to one switch and the exterior light to the other.
Join all neutrals and ground wires.

You also mentioned wanting to add a fan control. For this you will need: a fan control dimmer, a 3-gang box, and a second hot conductor out to your fan/light fixture. If this were new wiring, you'd run a 14/3 with ground cable, which will have a white, black, and a red wire (and bare ground wire). In the switch box, you'd run the supply black wire to a switch (for the light) and to your fan dimmer (for the fan). Then you'd wire black to the light switch and red to the fan switch. On the fan/light fixture end, you'd wire black to supply the light and red to supply the fan.

In your existing situation, you'd need to add a wire to supply the fan separately from the the light. The typical ways to do this would be either replace the existing run of 14/2 cable with 14/3, or add a new length of 14/2 dedicated to the fan and keep the existing for light only. This choice is mainly one of doing whatever is practical given your construction options and materials on hand; either is OK.

Whatever you do, keep safe. Use a non-contact voltage test to make sure nothing you touch is live, and if you're uncertain, get a friend with more experience or hire an electrician to check your work.


Can I buy or make an adapter to hook 2 generators together to run a 220 volt welder?

No way. If you connect two ordinary generators together, they won't generate the exact same voltage, and even more importantly will be out of phase with each other. The result will be they'll spend all their energy fighting each other. Hopefully this would throw a breaker, but if not it could easily cause a fire.
There are generators that are designed with the ability to be paralleled (e.g. these Honda units, but that's unusual.


Nope, your carpets weren't installed correctly. I'm not sure if code dictates that tack strips need to be replaced, but at the minimum, your contractor should have checked if any tacks were poking through or would otherwise pose a needle hazard. Those things hurt.

Shedding seems to be normal. We recently had some carpet installed on our basement stairs, and some corners (and manually-cut straight edges) do have the little plastic strings hanging loose, and several nylon curlicues roaming around. I really wish all installers would properly vacuum their junk up, but most of them don't.

Carpet on the steps does not necessarily have to be a single piece, simply because you can start a new piece (and stop the old strip) where a tread and riser meet. As long as the edges are butted together with no gaps, you should be fine.

Also, simply vacuuming should not lift carpet edge off (anywhere, specifically not stairs!)... that alone should require that they come back and fix it, or pay for a professional to re-do the effort.


Do I really need to use primer when painting an unfinished concrete floor?

Probably yes.  And probably an oil based primer unless the can says otherwise.  On top of that a concrete primer if they exist.  If you don't prime then you run the risk of the paint peeling, especially since garage floors are so smooth.  Plus you might run through way more paint than you think and need to get more since concrete is so porous, it will soak it up like  a sponge. You don't have to of course, but how much is the paint vs primer? If paint is more get the primer as well.  And get an extension pole for the roller and everything will go fast.


Can I use a brighter bulb in a Harbor Breeze Caratuk fixture?

Pretty low wattage for a lamp socket. I have never seen one listing that low. This would mean LED only. But, if this is the case, you could potentially choose a higher temperature range to get "brighter" light. If you have warm white, change to cool white. Try to find a bulb in the 5000k-6000k range.

I looked up the fan on https://www.lowes.com/pd/Harbor-Breeze-Caratuk-River-52-in-Bronze-Indoor-Downrod-Or-Close-Mount-Ceiling-Fan-with-Light-Kit/50354992 , and it states a max wattage of 60. So you could get a 100 watt equivalent LED and install that. Incandescent, CFL and LED are all different. At 60 watts, you are limited to a 60 watt incandescent, a 60 watt CFL is equivalent to a 225-276 watt incandescent, and a 60-watt LED is roughly equivalent to a 276-450 watt incandescent. Those are all estimates.


Safe, sensible to turn off BRANCH circuit breaker for range, every day when house is empty?

I can’t quite make out the brand of breaker or the age. If you are using the circuit breaker like a switch it should be switch rated “SWD”  stamped on the breaker or the breaker is listed for switch duty. Many modern breakers are listed for switch duty but not stamped.
The one advantage you have is the oven s not on when you throw the breaker off or on, this helps but constantly flipping the breaker not rated for switch duty damages the hammers and can cause early failure.


There is a provision in the National Electrical Code that will allow a 3-wire installation, in situations where there is existing wiring (250.140 exception). You should be fine to install a three prong receptacle, and use a three prong range cord.

There should be special instructions in the manufacturer's installation instructions that are included with the range, that will specify exactly how to attach the 3-wire cord.

If you're really concerned about it, or want to update to follow modern code. You could install a new 3-wire with ground cable, and use 4-prong receptacle and cord.

  National Electrical Code 2014

  Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection

  Article 250 Grounding and Bonding

  250.140 Frames of Ranges and Clothes Dryers. Frames
  of electric ranges, wall-mounted ovens, counter-mounted
  cooking units, clothes dryers, and outlet or junction boxes
  that are part of the circuit for these appliances shall be
  connected to the equipment grounding conductor in the
  manner specified by 250.134 or 250.138.

  Exception: For existing branch-circuit installations only
  where an equipment grounding conductor is not present in
  the outlet or junction box, the frames of electric ranges,
  wall-mounted ovens, counter-mounted cooking units,
  clothes dryers, and outlet or junction boxes that are part of
  the circuit for these appliances shall be permitted to be
  connected to the grounded circuit conductor if all the following
  conditions are met.

  (1) The supply circuit is 120/240-volt, single-phase,
  3-wire; or 208Y/120-volt derived from a 3-phase,
  4-wire, wye-connected system.

  (2) The grounded conductor is not smaller than 10 AWG
  copper or 8 AWG aluminum.

  (3) The grounded conductor is insulated, or the grounded
  conductor is uninsulated and part of a Type SE serviceentrance
  cable and the branch circuit originates at the
  service equipment.

  (4) Grounding contacts of receptacles furnished as part of
  the equipment are bonded to the equipment.


Running a new kitchen light circuit from a receptacle with a "traveller."

Before you terminate and dead end the red wire in the box there a couple of things to consider. Since there are obviously two hots providing power to a split outlet (i.e. tab removed) it does NOT necessarily mean that half the outlet is switched. It could just be that two separate circuits supply power from two circuit breakers. The red wire may come from one breaker. It is a possibility that all of the kitchen outlets may have been split and two circuits provide good capacity to the kitchen.

On the other hand the black wire you have may already be daisy chained to other outlets and the red specifically routed to half of this outlet for a single point dedicated load.

Another thing to consider, from your comment that you are discontinuing this outlet completely, is that it is rare that you have too many outlets in a kitchen. Do not put yourself in a situation a few years from now wishing you still had that outlet.

Lastly if you do succumb to the drive to eliminate the outlet completely do be aware that you cannot cover up and how the now unused junction box. The cover has to be fairly accessible and not like walled over or hidden behind permanently installed fixtures.


Forget it!!!!  Trying to measure an untrue room for prefabrication of parts is nearly impossible.  Your carpenter will have to come in, establish a center line in both axis and divide the differences on the edges. This application is no different than doing a suspended ceiling, and must be done on site. There will be a bit of adjustment in all directions, I'm sure.


What screw length for screwing down stair treads into stringers?

Drill pilot holes (with a slightly smaller diameter than the screws' root diameter).  Use screws that are between 2 and 4 inches long.  Deck screws are available in this size range, and are used for this purpose on deck stairs.

Drilling pilot holes will help prevent splitting the wood of the stringers.

Stringers are often made of dimensional lumber, so they are often only about 4" thick at their thinnest points.


Any structural issues when creating an 11" diameter hole in brick wall?

Not if you cut it round - using a diamond hole saw so that the edges are all clean. Done properly the mortar joints won't be disturbed and the bricks around the hole will support themselves.

If, however, you just "hack" a rough opening with a chisel and sledge then you will crack all the mortar joints around and it could easily be or become unstable.


Will this shower trim work with my existing setup?

Unlikely.

The new one has a square ferrule, yours is circular (hexagonal?).

You would need to get the escutcheon cylinder off of the new one and it would have to fit the old (or reuse).

If I had to guess, the new one pivots and rotates, where as yours just rotates. The action on the new lever seems to me like it would be un-ergonomic, if so.

Swapping out just the cartage might work, but I've no idea how to do that even if it's possible (and you'd be one lucky sob if you found them easily interchangeable). I've never tried to repair one with non OEM parts.

I also see no means of attaching the new escutcheon plate. Caulk is supposed to hold it, eh? More things I don't like: square handles and plastic ferrules. Whatever you do, Do Not discard your old parts, or you might be sorry.


Tub only leaks when filled and plug removed

There's no pressure/overflow inside the walls that would explain this. There is a tub overflow that connects to these same drain lines, and due to their position, they could be partially related to the actual problem.

This indicates the drain lines have a leak, likely a bad glue joint on the top of the drain line near the trap. If there's any partial blockage further down the drain that would worsen this issue. The tub overflow is also connected on the top side of these drain lines, and if it's improperly connected, that would be another example of a bad joint on the top of the drain line.

You'll need to open up the wall or the ceiling below to find and correct this bad drain line.


The initial picture showing that I connected into the other blue nut was correct.  The unit had a button that had to be pressed in to ensure that the cover was on.  DOH!!!!


Have a look underneath.  There are several failure modes which could cause strong shaking:

A cutting blade is broken, missing, or bent
A rock, scrap metal, lead weight, or other miscellany is attached to the blade
The crankshaft is bent
The crankshaft bearing or housing is cracked

A close look should be able to rule out and identify the problem, the last being the most difficult.

  How do I tell if the crankshaft is bent?

Using your hand, turn the blade at least one half rotation and watch to see if its path is level.  Be sure the engine cannot start by disconnecting the spark plug and having the throttle at its full stop position.


How do you replace a section of cast iron drain pipe?

You're going to have to cut out the pipe, and replace it with PVC drain pipe.  You can get rubber connectors (fernco) for the transition.

Here's a youtube how-to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFaJyIzyiYA


What is the best method for short-term repair of composite wood siding?

First I would determine how old the siding is.  If made in the last 20 years it's probably covered by manufacturer warranty and replacing it with vinyl would be a step backwards.

Also lap siding isn't supposed to seal on the bottom.  It's supposed to allow any moisture or condensation that happens to get under the boards to drain downwards.  So you should not try to seal the bottom edge of the boards, at least not with anything that is impermeable to moisture.

If the house's sheathing isn't wrapped in something like Tyvek then significant gaps at the bottom of lap boards could give an opening for pests.  If you're having pest problems you might just address those.


The hot and cold water enters what amounts to a mixing manifold inside the washing machine. When cold water flows into the manifold, the pressure inside the manifold is necessarily higher than ambient pressure. Since both the hot water electromagnetic valve as well as the feed hose are now open, they allow water to flow out of the manifold. You should remove the hose from the washing machine and plug the hose attachment nipple using a flat screw-on plug cap with a sealing washer inside. It's possibly cheaper than butchering a hose to fashion a plug.


In my humble opinion, 8mm rods are way to big for 16 gauge mild steel. You'd need about 250 Amp for that size rod and you'd melt your stock. I wouldn't use a rod any bigger than 1/8". You'd need 50 to 90 Amps for that size rod. A 6013 welding rod should work fine and it's good for ac and dc welders.

Since you're a beginning welder, practice on a few pieces of scrap stock just to get the feel of a smaller rod.


Cable required for pulling 3 phase power outdoors

If you run conduit ("pipe" intended for electrical wire protection) you generally use individual wires, NOT cable (several wires bundled in an outer jacket) - they pull easier than a cable, and the conduit is all the outer jacket required, and a better one than a cable has.
Your local standards are undoubtedly in line with most others worldwide in considering any exterior conduit to be full of water all the time. As such, wiring for use in such conduit is "wet-rated" and works perfectly well in water. Your local electrical supplier will have such wire.
If the conduit is to be buried, there are likely standards for minimum burial depth (which may vary with what type of conduit it is) and how it is to be marked. If it is above ground, but below ~2.5m height there are likely standards for what type of conduit is considered sturdy enough for use exposed to damage. I am familiar with those standards in my local area but not in the Netherlands (location per your other question) - however, I'm tolerably certain that such standards will exist locally.


preventing water from entering my no-step entry

You're good to go for now and maybe forever. The only water issue I see you ever having again is adding another French Drain trough next to the first one you did to handle those extremely rare flash flooding downpours. But, you did the right and most perfect thing to start with.

As far as the joists go, do a Screwdriver Stab Test...ugly doesn't mean shot. If the screwdriver just dents the wood you're solid and can simply clean and paint...the brick and brick's mortar are sound. If the screwdriver goes in or through or makes a hollow sound as it hits, it needs replacing.

You can bolt-on new sandwich scabs to replace the ones the previous owners did. Or, treat those joists like stairs and head them off to put their majority load out to further joists and put in entryway retainers or supports. Or, you could remove the bridging between joists and sister-on new joists that run the length of the basement. There's no reason to mess with floor space or moving ducts.


If you go to apply for a permit for work you already did, you might get one of any number of reactions, ranging from, "just pay us our fee and go away" to "an inspector will be out next Thursday to make sure everything visible looks fine (and just pay us our fee)" to "you need to rip out all the finish materials so our inspector can look at the plumbing and electrical work, and then hire a licensed professional to do the repairs (and also, just pay us our fee)".

If you decide not to go this route and just enjoy your new bathroom without telling anybody (oops too late, now it's on the internet), then the consequences will be that you'll have to disclose the un-permitted work if and when you sell your house, and your homeowner's insurance may not pay to fix any damage cause by your work that you file a claim about, should such a situation arise. Otherwise, relax and enjoy your new bathroom--assuming it was done well and to your satisfaction!

The meta-answer is that this is a DIY site, and probably 90% or more of what people ask about here requires a permit that is never obtained. Virtually every house has or will have major un-permitted work done on it during some state of its lifecycle. Don't let it keep you up at night.


When powered Ring Pro won’t stop chiming.

sounds like it's not wired correctly or it uses too much power. When the button is pressed, the line voltage drops, which is why the light on the button goes out. electrically, there are conductors and insulators, and a button switches between the two, whereas your ring is somewhere between a conductor and insulator (a load). Yopu old-fashioned bell is confused by this new electrical gray-area.

If your wiring is correct, and it's still "stuck", you have a few options.

a bigger doorbell transformer. Many are very weak, especally ones made after real buzzers and bells were phased out by chimes and speakers (80s?). Make sure the transformer has enough "watts", "VA", or "ma" (labels vary) to power the Ring.
thicker doorbell wire: lower guage wire drops fewer volts over distance, so it might make up the difference to the ringer enough to avoid the low-voltage triggering state continuously.
disconnect the ringer and rely on your phone to notify you of visitors.


Mesh tape is all I've used for this century and I've never had a failure. Tape is nothing but a scab. Strength means nothing and to depend upon tape to do any other work means that your other work is flawed garbage.
The ONLY thing you MUST INSIST, is that ANY and ALL installers and/or finishers locate butt joints only over studs or equally sized blocking. If you install drywall right, then it quite literally doesn't matter what tape or mud is used. FACT.


How do I seal a basement cinder block wall behind a shower?

The cinderblock walls are fine. Its the 2 other walls you need to worry about with sealing the wall to floor.  I always talk my customers into shower pans so i dont have to deal with that.


Bottom stair riser on top of new flooring or gap with trim to cover?

Remember, the maximum difference between risers is 3/8” from smallest to largest by Code. (See ICC R311.5.3.1)


After doing some more research, I answered my own question. Fluidmaster is very deceptive in its claim that their 400A valve "fits" both 1-piece and 2 piece toilets. Yes, it "fits" BUT IT DOES NOT WORK THE WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO! One piece, low-profile toilets have the tank water level below the rim of the bowl and require a special diverter valve that initially directs water to the rim when the flapper is open and then switches to filling the bowl when it is closed. If anyone is interested, I just ordered one (the LASCO 04-4165 Coast 1B1X) for $22.50 from Amazon.


One switch control two light (one light or both light ON)

Changing the switch itself involves changing the wiring, and depending on how the room is setup and wired (which you may not fully know until you start opening walls) could be quite a fair amount of work. It's also a bit strange to have multiple switches controlling multiple plugs, so it's not really something that would appeal to future owners (and in fact, may be looked at as a negative).

I'd instead skip all that, and go with "smart" bulbs. There are a number of products on the market (specific product recommendations are something we don't do here) depending on what you're looking for.

Some are simple on/off, some can control bulb color/brightness, and some have "scene" capability (where you press a single button to set all lights to a preset brightness and/or color).

Bluetooth / Smartphone controlled

There are many that are smartphone-controlled. Personally I think this is of very limited use -- touching a switch on the wall as I leave/enter the room is more convenient than getting my phone out of my pocket, unlocking it, finding the light control app, waiting for it to load, then adjusting the light.

The benefit is they're very cheap -- there are 100's of "brands" of a couple dozen distinct models available from China.

I do have some of these in my office at work. I use the app to adjust the color every now and then, but mostly I just use the switch on the lamp they're in to turn them on or off (and it's only me that uses them).

Wireless control

There are a lot of bulbs that are controllable via wireless. Some are IR (with a remote that needs line-of-sight), others are RF (no line-of-sight), and you can also get Wifi and Wifi/RF hybrids.

Nice thing about these is you can get a remote switch that can be mounted to the wall, and have multiple switches if you want. You can leave the existing switch in the room controlling overall on/off (though if turned off, you can't turn lights on from the remote), just not use it at all, or replace it with a blank faceplate.

Plug-in systems

There are also a number of ways to remotely control power to the lamps, so you use the existing bulbs.

"Smart home" systems

These can range from wireless remote-based products (some of which also have smartphone controls), to actually replacing your existing switch with a keypad. Some of these product lines are quite extensive, offering a mix of plug-in modules, bulbs, controllable outlets, replacement switches/dimmers (which can be controlled remotely as well as control other devices), wall-mount keypads, handheld remotes, motion sensors and smart-phone interfaces.

These types of systems can be a bit overkill for a single room, but if you ever want to get into full-house automation/control it is a good starting point.


That's sometimes called a "drill-saw" bit used for drilling a hole and then enlarging the hole into a slot (or other shape) by applying sideways pressure.

I have a couple of cheap ones and didn't find them very effective in softwood. To make a long slot (1ft or 300mm) I had to drill lots of adjacent holes conventionally and then used this type of bit to join the holes. If I had to do it again, I'd consider buying a cheap router for the job. A hand jab-saw/pad-saw/keyhole-saw might be quicker and might be a similar amount of effort.


Use powdered dishwasher soap its all it really is from the store.


Looks like a KWC (Swiss), possibly of the Domo or Systema lines. Here's a replacement sprayer (for reference only). Judging by the poor web presence it's probably from before or around the turn of the century.


The Code requires a height of 6’-4” from the standing surface of the shower to the ceiling of the shower. (See ICC R305.1, exception #1.) Also, the shower shall be a minimum of 24” x 30” and have a non-previous surface up 6’ from shower floor surface.

Minimum room heights are 7’-0”, unless the ceiling slopes, then it’s complicated, except bathrooms shall have a minimum ceiling height of 6’-8”, unless it slopes. (See ICC R305.1.)


If trying to join the lines from above the 3" line will cause issues with slope of the 2" line then the thing to do is to do the coupling more from the side of the 3" line. You could cut the 3" line and install a wye fitting with the branch positioned horizontal instead of pointing up. It may be that the branch can even be rotated up a bit from the horizontal side to gain the best fit.

You could then use a size adapter to 2" right off the 3" branch. Then a series of 2" street elbows (22.5 degree elbow) can be used to adapt the direction of the branch to the incoming 2" line.

Using this technique you should be able to get up to about four more inches of slope on the 2" line.


What kind of damage is in this attic wall?

Looks like, but may not be,  water staining on concrete which in and of itself is not damage per-say.

But it raises the question of  how and why did water get to it and what water damage may or may not be in the non-concrete construction part of the house above it.

I would guess a roof leak around where this concrete exits the roof or compromise in the concrete itself above the roof line.

No way to know about the cost of repairs until one knows the extent of damage, if any, to the rest of the house.