How should I wire multiple lights controlled by separate switches?

Your method is fine.
If your area has adopted the 2011 version of the National Electrical Code, this method allows you to wire the circuit using 2 wire cable instead of 3 wire cable. A change to the code now requires a grounded "neutral" conductor at all switch locations that control lighting loads.

National Electrical Code 2011
Chapter 4 Equipment for General Use
Article 404 Switches
I. Installation
404.2 Switch Connections.
(C) Switches Controlling Lighting Loads. Where switches control lighting loads supplied by a grounded general purpose branch circuit, a grounded circuit conductor shall be provided at the switch location.

So if you were to bring the feed to the light outlet first, you'd have to run a 3 wire cable to the switch location. Bringing the feed to the switch first, means there's a grounded "neutral" conductor at the switch, so the code is satisfied.


Hmmm...let me see if I have this correct. You’re using 14’ long joists with a 2’ overhang. So, that means your deck is 12’ wide and half that distance (6’) will be transferred back to the house and the other 6’ plus the overhang (2’) will bear on the steel beam.
So the total load is 6’ + 2’ = 8’ x 50 psf = 400 plf on the steel beam.
The smallest steel beam I have in my steel manual is a 10” x 4 3/8” I-Beam which will carry 19,500 lbs. per foot on a 20’ span.
As an option, you could use a 4x16, or a 6x14 SPF Select Structural grade wood beam spanning 20’.
Another option would be LVL beam that is 2 plies of 1 3/4” x 11 7/8” high will support 400 plf for a 20’ span.
The steel beam will weigh about 25.4 plf , a 4x16 cut timber will weigh about 14.8 plf , 6x14 will weigh about 19.6 plf and the LVL will weigh about 11.0 plf.
As you can see, the wood beam options will be lighter and easier to manipulate. Plus, there are ready made connectors for posts, etc.


Filling gap beneath hardwood floor (between floorboard and foundation)

That's a good solution if you can hammer the wood piece in tight enough and below the bottom of the flooring.
Also you could pour in a floor leveler to the same height as the existing floor. Once it's cured cut a strip of flooring so that there is a 3/8 inch gap between the piece and the fireplace apron. Glue it down with a construction adhesive.
You could also remove the trim pieces that frame the apron. Install wider trim pieces to cover the gap (leaving room for expansion). Apply colored caulking to fill expansion gap.


What would cause a kitchen sink to drain very slowly?

If you're positive that it's not the vent (though this sounds a lot like a vent issue) then you may have a drain that's not properly sloped downward. Without a proper slope, water will build up in the drain line until it reaches a low enough point, at which point gravity will take over and siphon the line.


Is it possible to restore teak furniture that has been stained dark to original finish?

Teak is one of my most favorite woods. It naturally has a high oil content that resists much penetration. While it can fade to a grey-ish look, light sanding can restore it easily.

In your case, a mild citrus stripper such as CitriStrip is environmentally  friendly and pretty effective.  Just experiment with applying it to parts, let it be for a while (like 30-60 minutes) and wash it off.  Learn as you go. A wire brush or steel wool are also good tools, but if you use steel wool, be sure to completely rinse and dry the area, steel wool can stain wood.

Let it dry for a while and then oil it.   It should be good as new.


How to tell if my smoke detector is hardwired or battery powered?

If it is hardwired then there will be a cable going to each smoke detector. It is usually pretty obvious. If you don't see anything then see if you can remove the smoke detector from the ceiling. If you can remove it easily (typically by twisting it slightly and then pulling away from screws and/or a mounting bracket) and it comes off (except possibly for a small mounting bracket) then it is battery powered. If you try to remove it and find it is hanging by a cable the it is hardwired.

If all that doesn't make sense, post a picture of it and we'll see what we can figure out.


Skillsaw 5150 - blade won't turn if blade stud tight but blade won't cut if any looser

Make sure that the spacer behind the blade is intact. If it is not then tightening the blade will cause it to bind/rub on the housing of the saw. Also my saw has spacers on both sides of the blade. You could "google" your saw to see what parts may be missing.


Can I hook up two baseboard heaters on a 30 amp double pole breaker with #12 wire?

No!  12/2 wire is NOT suitable for a 30 A circuit.

While there are other considerations, you will need to use a MINIMUM of 10 AWG Cu wire for a 30A circuit.

Beyond that, whether 30A is enough for your two heaters cannot be answered because that depends on the current requirements for the heaters.


Should I run the tap while dumping boiling water?

April 13, 2016

Purpose: There is some disagreement as to whether boiling water can be poured down a residential kitchen sink without damaging the drain pipe. It might be assumed that if the pipe drains quickly, the amount of time necessary to cause damage would be greater than the actual time that the boiling water would be present in any particular section of pipe. Assuming that this theory is correct, there is a rebuttal, that kitchen sinks can become clogged or partially clogged, or that a cumulative effect of dumping boiling water down a drain on a regular basis may (eventually) cause the pipe to fail, or collapse in areas where the pipe is buried. In fact, collapsed pipes are not uncommon in the plumbing industry; however, it is unknown to the author at the time of this writing, whether any published works exist which cite temperature as the cause of the collapsed pipe or whether exceeding the maximum temperature rating (140 °F) for PVC pipe has any significant, real-world consequences. This experiment was designed and conducted to measure the extent and rate of PVC warping when (a drain pipe is) filled with boiling water, and to measure the duration of time necessary for water to cool, to within the acceptable temperature range of PVC pipe.

Materials and Methods: A section of schedule 40 PVC of 1 1/4" nominal dimension was selected, which had been previously used as a kitchen sink drain. More specifically, this pipe was originally part of the plumbing of a sump pump based drain which had been eliminated. The brand name of the pipe is known but has been omitted from this report to avoid any possible disparagements that might be inferred by the reader. The pipe was constructed in a short U shape with 90° elbows on each end; it was selected from used scrap materials for this experiment because the shape could retain water, because it accurately represented residential sink drain material, and because it appeared to be free of any structural defects or deformations. The total length of pipe from the ends of each elbow was 50 inches. A ball valve was also included in the length of pipe centered at exactly 11 1/8" from the end of the elbow associated with the short arm. The long arm of the pipe was 16 3/4 inches tall, measured from the outside bottom of it's respective elbow; the short arm was 7 inches tall, measured from the outside bottom of it's respective elbow. The pipe was weighed and found to be 1558.5 grams. Because the pipe had extra 9 3/4" length in one arm and the other arm had one half of a union fitting this added an amount of weight to the overall pipe, which possibly makes the total measured weight irrelevant for the purpose of accurately calculating heat transfers.

The pipe was suspended at each end by resting the ends on two chairs of equal height, such that the pipe was level. Straps were not used to secure the pipe. The elevation of the pipe was 25" from the floor to the center of the pipe. No external forces were applied; the only forces known to be present were resultant from the weight of the water and pipe, and the strains produced from water at temperatures above, at, and around the maximum rating for PVC (140 °F). The volume of water used was predetermined by using tepid tap water to fill the pipe, and found to be approximatley 1300 ml. The volume inside the pipe was such that the water level was exactly 1" from the top of the short arm of the pipe (or 6 inches high from the outside-bottom of the elbow(s)). It is interesting to note here, that the weight of the water nearly matches the weight of the PVC which contained it (after accounting for the excess lengths of the arms).

A mark was made with indelible marker at the center of the pipe and a camera was used to periodically record and document the amount of sagging that occured over a total period of 30 minutes. A mercury thermometer was inserted into the short arm of the pipe to monitor the change in temperature over time. The experiment was concluded after the measured temperature fell below the maximum rating for the pipe. This was a one-time test, which was not replicated for statistical accuracy. The collected data is reported below.

At 3:36pm, a flask containing 1.4L of boiling tap water was used to transfer approximately 1.3L into the pipe. Boiling water was poured into the longer of the two arms. A thermometer was inserted into the the other, short arm, at the far end of the pipe.

At 0 minutes the mark was 25" above the floor Water Temp = 212 °F; room temperature, and (by default) the temperature of the pipe was 70 °F.
As the liquid was being transferred twisting and warping of the pipe was observed.

At ~1 minute after -0.15625" Temp = 182 °F

At 5 minutes after -0.25" Temp = 176 °F

At 10 minutes after -0.3125" Temp = 166 °F

At 15 minutes after -0.375" Temp = 157 °F

At 18 minutes after -0.40625" Temp = 153 °F

At 20 minutes after -0.375" Temp = 150 °F

At 25 minutes after -0.46875" Temp = 143 °F

At 29 minutes after -0.46875" Temp = 140 °F

At 30 minutes after -0.50" Temp = 138 °F

Results: After 29 minutes the temperature had fallen below 140 °F (the maximum rating for PVC). At 30 minutes the experiment was concluded by emptying the water into another container, in which it was weighed and found to be 1290.1g. Careful measurements were taken to determine that the pipe had twisted approximately 30° clockwise, from end to end (or approximately 7.5° per linear foot). The pipe began twisting and warping as the boiling water was being poured into the pipe. A measurement of the temperature of the water at the far end, at about one minute, shows that the pipe had already absorbed an incredible 30 °F from the (approximately) 1.3L of water. The total sagging was found to be 1/2" inch after 30 minutes.

The greatest amount of deflection was unexpectedly found at approximately 7 inches (toward the center of the pipe) from the center of the ball valve. The maximum deflection was measured to be 7/8 inch (lateral deflection) or a total curvature of about 2.5 inches measured at either end of the pipe. It is also notable that the long arm of the pipe (into which the boiling water was poured, but not where boiling water was present for more than a few seconds, had a deflection of about 3/16 of an inch; the total curvature was 3/4 of an inch as measured at the end of the arm. The depth of the water was measured to be 6 inches from the outside bottom of the elbow(s). With regards to the long arm, the greatest warpage was found above the water line, closer to where the boiling water first entered and made contact with the PVC. The measurements of sagging that were taken periodically, as part of the experiment, were simply vertical measurements of the mark made at the center of the length of pipe. Prior to conducting this experiment, it was expected that the greatest change would be found in the center of the pipe due to sagging; but the unexpected lateral deflection was 75% greater than the vertical sagging; and the actual maximum deflection per linear foot was found at the entrance, where the boiling water was poured into the pipe. A graphical representation of the measured sagging/changes (at the center of the pipe) is provided below.

Conclusion: Obviously the lateral deflection was due to a strain at the joint of the ball valve; the measured values of sagging were likely affected by the twisting and lateral displacement of the pipe. Speculatively, the most probable cause of the lateral deflection was due to a difference in length of the pipe which was concealed by the fitting; in other words, the pipe was probably cut at an angle. It is known that when different materials or different lengths of material have been bonded together, the object will have significant stearic strains when heated, as the two materials will not expand evenly. Consider the following example: length A is 4ft, length B is 4.1ft.; when heated, each material expands 2% in length. So, length A will be 4.080ft and length B will be 4.182. The difference in the (heated) lengths is 0.002ft, which can cause significant "curling" or warping effects.

Further speculations with regard to the cause of observed lateral warping include a difference in temperature absorption at the joint due to an insulating effect, or possibly, latent forces existed from previous usage of the ball valve, which were finally expressed as the pipe became soft enough to allow potential forces to be released (an unwinding or relaxing effect). Speculations like these could be verified or ruled out by futher testing.

Obviously, boiling water can cause deflection in a 1 1/4" (nominal demension) pipe, which was the industry standard for sink drains for many years. It is also fair to assume that the temperature within the pipe is absorbed so rapidly that heating will almost certainly be uneven, resulting in areas that are quickly over heated and more susceptible to failure. Supposing that a pipe was clogged or slowly draining, or perhaps the existence of a cumulative effect of multiple exposures to boiling water, it is reasonable to conclude that pouring boiling water down a drain could cause failure. This would be especially true of pipes that are buried, as pressure from the weight of soil would be present.

In summary, it has been observed here that schedule 40 PVC pipe which has been exposed for less than one minute to temperatures exceeding the maximum temperature rating will deform. This is evidenced by the 3/4 inch warpage found at the area (the long arm) where the boiling water was poured into the pipe; in this area, boiling water only passed through, and did not remain through the duration of the test. The boiling water was only present in the long arm of the pipe for the amount of time necessary to transfer the water, which was approximately 15 to 20 seconds. Also, where pipes are exposed to temperatures above the maximum rating for an extended period of time, they will continue to deform until the temperature dissipates to below the maximum rating. It seems apparent from the graphical illustration above, that the rate or amount of warping nearly parallels the the instantaneous temperature or rate of temperature dissipation.

Discussion: It is important to consider that the amount of water used for this experiment was only about 1.3 liters (0.34 gallons). Often, larger volumes of water are used for cooking, which will necessarily require more time to drain and will likely transfer a proportionally greater amount of heat/energy to a pipe. Also, the length of time necessary for heat to dissipate could be several minutes, or possibly over an hour when larger volumes (like a gallon) of boiling water are poured into a drain, and/or where drain pipes are insulated. The opinion of the Author at this time, is that pouring a whole gallon of boiling water down a kitchen drain would logically have a greater potential for damaging PVC drain pipe than 0.34 gallons which in this experiment, did cause measurable, significant warping, twisting, and sagging. It is also necessary to bear in mind that for proper drainage to occur, drain pipes should have a gentle slope of about 1 inch per 10ft. Since warpage in this pipe was found to be greater than 1/2 inch per foot, it should be obvious that the cumulative effect of warping and sagging is such that boiling water will likely cause improper drainage, which would logically hasten the ultimate failure of PVC drain pipes, because the exposure time in improper/slowly draining pipes will necessarily be greater.

There were some obvious faults with this experiment. Perhaps the most significant difference with respect to a real-world test, is the fact that straps are used to secure drain pipes in residential construction, whereas, no straps were used in this experiment, which allowed the pipe to twist freely. Certainly, proper support would be beneficial for preventing drain failure. Whether the current construction methods, materials, and/or builing codes are sufficient to prevent failure in cases where the the temperature rating for PVC has been exceeded is not known to the Author at this time. Also, because this experiment did not test for a cumulative effect (repeated exposure of boiling water to the same pipe), it was not ascertained whether a cumulative effect actually exists, and more particularly, whether the pipe becomes sensitized or desensitized by repeated exposure. However, strong evidence has been presented here that there is real-world wisdom in avoiding damage potentially caused by overheating a drain pipe.


Create a scrap of the existing siding from somewhere where it won't be noticed by cutting a full length section from it.  (And then buy a new piece to replace it.)

Cut out the damaged section and replace it with the "scrap" from above.

There are step-by-step instructions here and a video (skip to 0:01:00 to miss the clothing advertisement) showing the relevant skills.


If I have a Zoned HVAC system, should there be more than one filter to change?

If the filter you know about is on a duct leading to "the furnace" in the attic, then there must be a filter associated with "the other furnace" in the basement. I've seen them in various locations on/behind/under the furnace itself, and I haven't even dealt with that many hot air furnaces (my area was boiler-centric for heating, and A/C was practically unknown.)
Figure out where the air goes towards the furnace and follow - gotta be there somewhere.
Likely a very understated edge-on view when you are looking for it.


Can I put a PV panel on my roof and run wires into a room to a power resistor to generate heat?

Works (while the sun is shining), but is a very expensive option and not overly efficient.

Solar PV panels of a remotely affordable price are about 10% efficient in terms of converting sunlight to electricity. Most of the rest of the sun's energy that hits them is converted to heat.

So, from a sun conversion point of view, direct solar thermal collection is more efficient.

However, for a grid-tied house, you might be better off (as relative prices of PV and thermal systems shift) putting up some grid-tied panels and using the grid they are tied to run a heat pump (depending on climate, a low-tmperature heat pump, which are relatively new on the scene and can operate in air temperatures below 0° F.)

200W is a tiny amount of heat in any case - about 600 BTU/hr.

PV panels tend to have two specified numbers that will be somewhat relevant for choosing a resistor - the open circuit voltage (no current, no power) and the short circuit current (no voltage, no power) - a sophisticated system tries to shoot for the "maximum power point" which is somewhere in the middle. If you are lucky that might also be specified. You are not trying to "match resistance" (whatever you mean by that) - rather you are looking for a resistor that will drop a voltage somewhat less than the open circuit voltage at a current somewhat less than the short circuit current.


How does the hone angle of a glass cutter affect glass being cut?

Glass Cutting

It's not uncommon for thicker glass be annealed, not tempered, for a table top.  This is due to the amount of force required to break it.

From what I've been told growing up around a glass shop and working in the industry for a number of years, the reason glass cutters work is that glass, stone, etc will always break at the greatest point of stress.

When you apply pressure to the surface of the glass with a glass cutter you are crushing the surface under the wheel which causes heat.  Oiling the wheel on your glass cutter will help maintain this heat evenly for a longer period of time.  You need to break the glass along your score before it cools in order to get the most reliable break.

Thick glass, 1/2" and greater is very difficult to cut even for the very experienced.  It also takes a much greater force to break after scored.  If this is your first attempt at cutting glass I would recommend getting a few scrap pieces of thinner material and practicing on those to get the feel for scoring and breaking the glass.  The thicker the glass the harder it becomes to cut off a small amount.  Even 3/8" can commonly break roughly and required a belt sander to polish the edge smooth.  Breaking 3" from a 1/2" thick piece of glass will be difficult and I would personally opt for a wet saw.

Also, any time you cut glass the edges will become sharp.  Be sure to use sandpaper to smooth the edges, called a seam, in order to help prevent cuts.

Glass Cutters

As far as cutter brands, I prefer Silberschnitt because the brass has a nice weight to it and I've grown accustomed to it.  Fletcher is probably the most common brand I've seen from shop to shop.  Someone that cuts glass daily is more likely to go with a cutter that is self oiling and is filled in the end.

The cheaper "hobby" cutters do the job just as well.  The most important thing is the wheel.  A carbide wheel will last you longer, but for limited usage a steel wheel will suffice.  If you opt for one of these types of cutters be sure to rub 3-in-1 oil on the wheel prior to scoring the glass.

A hone angle of 140° is the most common.  After enough experience 140° is easy enough to turn when needed, but broad enough to be effective for 1/4" or 3/8".  I've used it for glass with a thickness up to 3/8".  A hone angle of 154° is what is used more commonly for greater thicknesses.  This angle will give a broader score allowing for more surface stress distributed along the same line allowing for a more reliable break.  A 120° angle is more often used in artwork and difficult pattern cuts.  A more acute angle is easier to work with and what you want majority of the time.  The greater angle is more difficult to work with but necessary to control a break on thicker glass.


Minimum bedroom size - 7 foot in any horizontal direction

Whether you can make your space work or not, remember code requirements for a second exit besides the door- like an egress window, to get out in case of fire, etc. The Minimum escape area is 5'7" sq. ft.; with the  min. opening height is 24" high, and the width is 20". Also the sill has to be a maximum of 44" off the floor.
As far as the weird shape of the room, maybe you can go for a variance.


How do I replace weather strips on our outside doors?

Definitely would be helpful to see a picture, but something like this under-door weather stripping attaches directly underneath the door and I doubt your cat would be able to get to it.


It is a 4-way switch. 2 travelers from each direction but no hot or switched hot. You have a 3-way on each b end.You can have any number of 4-ways in between.
The reds are carrying switched hot from one end to the fixture at the other end.


Sanding, staining and varnishing wood, outside

Mario, I've been stripping paint off old doors, sanding, staining, and applying poly outside.  It's more convenient in dealing with the mess and smells and more enjoyable than being cooped-up indoors all the time.

However, be aware that applying poly outdoors is best done inside a screened-off enclosure as every insect or airborne speck of dust, dirt, or pollen will choose that moment to land on your work otherwise.  A single errant leaf or breeze-blown blade of grass can wreck havoc on a poly' job that's just become tacky to the touch.  Also note: too much of a breeze can dry-out stain (before one has a chance to wipe the excess) and poly too quickly for the job to be done well.


An arch (if engineered correctly) is self supporting. No need for a lintel at all.

From the looks of it, that arch is more than adequate to hold the brick above so I'd say that wooden piece is merely a filler--not a structural element.


How can I match the wall color after dent fixing?

Your best shot at that would have been to take a large enough chip from the damaged portion of the wall before it was repaired, take it to a paint store to have it computer color matched. There would have been only a chance it would been an exact match still.

Your next best bet if it is close enough, is to paint the wall corner to corner, at least it would not be the whole room.


That's fairly silly.  Of all the consumer electric products on earth, heaters are inherently the least expensive.  That is to say you can get cheap, good ones.

A 1500-watt cheap tossie is $12 and will last a year.
A quality oil-filled heater is $40 and will last 10-20 years.
A proper, fixed-installation 2000W baseboard heater is $50 and will last 20-30 years.

So it's silly to misuse a tool for not its intended purpose, when the right stuff is easily affordable.

Even the wiring will be inexpensive, and I hope you'll do it right rather than hork something together with cheapie extension cords which are not rated for 1500W loads.  That's how the recent Oakland fire started.


I had this problem for awhile with my recently installed hardwired detectors.  At first I started replacing the batteries figuring maybe the ones included in the box were old (who knows how long they were sitting on the shelf at the store?).  Then it kept happening even on some of the detectors that I had already replaced the battery with a fresh one so I stopped replacing the batteries but I would disconnect the hardwire, reset the alarm and re-attach it. That usually would stop it for awhile but a couple days later it kept happening, so I was repeating the procedure and I saw a little spider run across the inside of the alarm.  My theory is I have these little spiders were running around inside the alarm.  So now I just take them off the ceiling and blow real hard inside to try and get anything out that might be inside.


USA equivalent of European Lot 20 portable heater efficiency standard?

I'm not aware of any laws in regards to energy consumption of space heaters and Google couldn't quickly find any. I'm not sure about the EU but energy laws in the US are determined by federal, state and local governments so you'll need to make sure you do research for wherever your client is. The US does have a Energy Star program which rates products energy use so consumers know how much energy it uses and they can compare products. This is a voluntary program but I couldn't tell you the last time I bought a appliance and it didn't have a Energy Star label on it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Star


Finding electricity source for new Ceiling Fan install?

To answer your question are 3 way switched always hot? YES, there are a pair of travelers and a common what a 3 way switch does is flip the power from 1 traveler to the other, so if the breaker is on there will be power in that cable.
The other possibility is phantom voltage as others have mentioned.
I used to commonly wire hot to the switch location then run x3 wire, this is still allowed if both switches are in sight of each other code will allow only 1 to have the common for the 3 way.
If I am putting in a new circuit with only a light fixture I still feed the switch location and run x3 wire so a light and a fan can be installed later the wires are there. In this case only one of the hot wires are used red or black.
With the light on the other wire having been capped at both ends will indicate a live conductor with a non contact voltage detector or even a voltage meter (unless low Z meter or setting).
The only way to know for sure is to put a signal on the wire and trace it but as mentioned this could be a traveler on a 3 way.


There are two red wires in your blower.  Assuming the one I labelled below is the one from the thermostat, and the other three wires I labelled are also from the thermostat, you have this wired correctly.
Don't use the O terminals.  The thermostat's smart fan controls won't work that way.
Make sure the wires I've labelled in the picture below all come together into one cable and that is the right cable, that goes to your thermostat.  The one I labelled "NOT R" should be unrelated to the thermostat.

If that is the case, you might have a defective thermostat.   The Nest can run the fan without the cooler but not the other way around.
If you have a voltmeter and continuity tester you can check at the terminal block whether the thermostat is doing what it's meant to do. Using my labels:  R to B should always be 24V-AC.  When the system is off Y to B and G to B should both be 0, when it's on they should both be 24V.  In your phone app, with the system off, you can start up the fan by itself and you should see 24V on G to B.  You can test for broken wires by removing any pair of wires from the thermostat mount, twisting them together, removing them also at the blower and checking continuity between them.
NOTE: Turn your breaker off before delving into the blower circuitry.  The terminals on the other side of the metal wall to the transformer are at 240V and are not covered. There may be a power switch nearby that shuts down the blower but does not de-energize all the wires in there.
Edit adding diagnostic
Make careful note of where the thermostat wires are connected and disconnect them entirely from the blower.  Then use a spare piece of wire to jumper together power, cool, and fan signals at the unit, like this:

Turn on the power, and the system should come on.  The fan should come on right away, and the cooling within a few minutes.   Then disconnect your piece of wire from the middle of those three terminals and the cooling should stop but the fan should keep running.   If that all goes as it should, you know the system is ok and the problem is in the thermostat or its wiring.  Otherwise you know the system is the problem.


The easiest way to straighten he metal pipe is to heat it with a Mapp gas torch. Apply the flame to the crimped pipe end until it begins to glow orange.
Slowly and steadily push the free end back into position. You may have to push the pipe past it's final position so as to compensate for it springing back slighly.


One option would be "low-volume, high-velocity" ducted system (manufacturers include SpacePak and Unico) that uses a series of small 2" diameter ducts to distribute air. Depending on the size of your joists, 2" holes may be acceptable. As @Ecnerwal mentioned, mini-splits can be a good option too.


Building a Wire Mesh Basket for Under a Table

Here's what I see.  Wire grid from McMaster-Carr.  Brass rod, or steel if you can work with the material competently.  Bend the rod to desired shape on a jig.  Cut the wire grid appropriately then bend it likewise on a jig.  You may need to make the jigs. Then figure out where to put the holes in the rod to take the ends of the grids.  Your call whether to drill the holes not quite through or through and then metalwork the wire ends flush.
For each of the wire ends on the grid, rough it up with #60 sandpaper. We want some surface roughness.
Mix up very slow epoxy with high-density adhesive filler so it's peanut butter consistency, it needs to not leak out. Syringe it into the holes of one of the bars and then carefully fit all the wires into the holes. Make sure all the wires are seated all the way (weight as necessary).  If you drilled the holes all the way through, you can bend excess wire over to make sure it stays where it belongs and work that against spacers/wedges etc. Otherwise feel free to ty-wrap the grid to the bar so it stays put.  Make sure the holes are well packed with epoxy, you only get one shot.
Allow to cure.  At the "stiff enough to not flow but still cuttable with an exacto knife" stage of the curing phase, cut away any excess epoxy.  Don't let it hard cure or else you'll be all day with a Dremel removing it.
Flip it over and do the same to the other side.


Is it possible to detect and repair a refrigerant leak in my HVAC system?

Working on the refrigerant lines requires special tools and skills that most DIYers don't have. And you'll likely need a license to get additional refrigerant. Therefore, fixing the problem will require a professional.

I'm a bit surprised that you didn't say he made any attempt to locate the leak for you. I would start searching for the leak by applying some diluted dish soap over all the joints in the coolant lines. One other place to check are the caps on the valves. If you don't see any bubbling, then turn on the AC and see if any of the joints start to bubble. The vibration and pressure changes may set off a leak. Some of these joints may be within the inside and outside units, so if you don't feel comfortable disassembling these, you can get a professional to find the leak for you. Otherwise, be very careful working around the coils, the metal fins are very thin and easily damaged.

Since it was only low, I would wait for a year and have the system serviced before the next cooling season starts. They can check the levels and let you know if the levels dropped. If they find it dropped again, they should be willing to find and fix the leak for you. Since the first person didn't seem to want to do this, you may want to get a different company to service the unit next time.


Using a HRV/ERV Fan without mounting it on a wall/window?

The question is rather broad as asking mostly "is this feasible", and therefore maybe off topic, but it's an interesting question and here's what comes to mind...

I picture a panel, either hinged to the interior of the wall or to be mounted on shelf brackets or similar and with some sort of clamp to press it against the window casing. This panel would be a sandwich of plywood or other sheathing panel and extruded foam sheet. Your ERV unit would be mounted to it appropriately, and foam tape around the edge would provide an airtight seal.

Now, one has to consider the real-world ecological payoff of such a thing. Every component, down to the screws and adhesives, has an ecological cost associated with its manufacture, shipping, and implementation. Is that really worth doing? What's the payoff time when compared to the pollution and energy savings offered by the ERV? Are there other low-hanging fruits that would make more sense, such as reducing hot water consumption and sealing leaks in the building envelope?

I admit that I'm not the type to have an interest in detailed investigation of that question, but it's worth considering at a high level. Good luck.


Can I use a 20 amp breaker in the situation of having 15 amp wire connected to a 20 amp main wire?

No, in a situation like this absolutely not. The breaker in this case would need to be 15A.

Question is, WHY? Why use #14 wire when the circuit is already #12? Stick with what is there and keep the breaker 20A. In some cases, such as in a kitchen, laundry or bath, you'd be creating a violation doing it like you show in that diagram.

And don't be confused by the receptacles being "15A rated". They are FINE on a 20A circuit and are 20A feed-thru rated as well.


How can I add an outlet to a switch box?

It's likely that you have this scenario. You'd just connect the hot and neutral to the new outlet, and pigtail to the various switches. Blacks go out from the switches to the light or fan, and whites return to the neutral bundle.


What kind of wax to use on birch/pine wood?

Ok, so you need easy finishing options:

Let's start with wax since you mentioned that. Paste wax is probably the easiest option, although many waxes and wax/oil blends will work. You could also try beeswax, butcher's block wax, or even paraffin. For any wax that's too firm, try mixing with mineral spirits or mineral oil and applying some elbow grease. Wax and oil provide minimal protection and are easy to put on.
Oils are similar to waxes in that they are easy and nice looking, but don't provide much protection. Boiled linseed oil is a good choice if you don't mind the yellowish color. Both waxes and oils are easy to refresh if they ever lose their luster.
Another easy choice is a wiping varnish. If you like the look of wax, these may work too. You can buy one or make your own by mixing polyurethane (glossy) and mineral spirits (25%-50% mineral spirits). Wiping varnish is easy to apply. You wipe it on, let it soak in for a minute or two, then wipe off the excess. A cotton rag is best--paper towels will leave fibers behind. A couple of thin coats will give you a nice natural look and some protection. If you want a glossy look and more protection, add a few more coats, maybe 5 total. Do a quick rub-down with 600 grit sandpaper or super-extra-fine steel wool between coats.
other oil/varnish/solvent blends are also in the same ballpark as wiping varnish. Watco danish oil is an example of one that's basically a wiping varnish with some additional oil. It goes on just like a wiping varnish, but leaves a softer finish. This means it offers more protection than straight oil, and less than a straight varnish.

If you're applying this to an assembled piece like you mentioned, something too viscous may be annoying to get into the crevices. The simplest solution to this is more thinner (mineral spirits), and fewer coats. If you're using mineral spirits, take precautions to keep the fumes out of your lungs (mask, ventilation).

There are other good choices too, like water-base or spray-can-laquer, but the ones I have listed are probably the best combination of nice looking and easy to apply for a beginner. If the heat is not extreme, I think any of these will hold up OK. I didn't mention stains or dyes because you didn't mention wanting to color the wood.

For a deep dive into this topic, I have found "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner to be an invaluable resource. That book, plus experience, accounts for most of what I know about finishing.


Can't get threaded connector all the way into shower faucet. Do they need to go all the way?

It may not be necessary to see all the threads "disappear" for the two ends to be fully engaged and tightened.

You could measure each end (male and female) to determine if they are substantially different to determine if the shorter of the two is fully engaged.

After you cover the male end threads with a couple winds of Teflon tape and thread them together very snug, (be careful not to over tighten) the important thing is that the connection does not leak.  If you don't leak, you are all set, regardless if any threads on one side (feed line or faucet) are showing.


Two hots, one shared neutral, can it work with plug on neutral GFCI/AFCI breakers?

Three separate, but related, issues here:
MWBC
An MWBC must have at a minimum a handle tie for common maintenance shutoff. But the usual thing is to just use a double-breaker. Either one accomplishes two things:

Makes sure that if you turn off one half of the circuit for maintenance, the other half is off too. Otherwise you could end up with some dangerous situations on the shared neutral.
Makes sure that the two circuits are on different poles (i.e., 240V between them). Otherwise you could easily end up with an overloaded neutral.

GFCI
GFCI can be provided effectively at either the breaker panel or at the first device in each chain that needs to be protected. Two combination GFCI/receptacle devices often costs less than a GFCI/double-breaker and has the advantage of putting the GFCI reset button closer to point of use. On the other hand, a GFCI/double-breaker has the big advantage of simplicity. Once you get the breaker installed correctly, everything else is "normal" - no concern about LINE vs. LOAD.
AFCI
Unlike GFCI, AFCI is most useful either as a breaker (in this case, a double-breaker) or as a deadfront installed close to the panel. That is because AFCI protects against problems with receptacles, fixtures and other devices and also protects against wiring problems, so putting AFCI close to the start of the wiring run makes the most sense.
Note that code does not require GFCI or AFCI "everywhere". But assuming that you are required (or want to do so for any reason), the typical installation would be a GFCI/AFCI double-breaker. However, as far as I can tell, but one of the people who actually really knows this stuff can tell us for sure, Square D does not make QO double-pole AFCI + GFCI breakers. Which means that either you have to give up one of the functions, or get the AFCI protection in a double-breaker and push the GFCI protection to either a deadfront or replace the first receptacle in each of the two halves of the MWBC with a GFCI/receptacle device.


Combi boiler doesn't realise it's already lit

I believe it is fairly normal for the igniter to continue to fire for several seconds after ignition, I guess this is because it takes a while for the flame sensor to heat up - and probably also for performance/safety reasons.

Boilers have a flame-sensor, it sounds like your has failed. You can buy replacements.

I think this is a job most people leave to a boiler service technician, you need special tools (e.g. multimeter with microamp range) to check those sensors.

Gas appliance repair is safety critical, probably best left to those with training and experience.

19 = "detection electrode"
20 = ignition electrodes.
See manual

A07 = flame detector.
A09 = flame detection circuit.
A10 = flame indicator LED - I'd check this is "on" after 5 seconds of successful ignition.

Don't rule out other causes, boilers shut themselves down for lots of reasons, maybe the flue is iced up or the water pump isn't operating.

The manual contains a troubleshooting flowchart and a parts list that includes the flame sensor.


Looking for color profile and tint information - Falu Red

Sherwin Williams SW 2914 Vermilion is as close to Falu Red as I have been able to find.  On a computer screen they are nearly indistinguishable.  My local Home Depot was able to make me a Behr Premium Plus Deep Base PP103 color sample of SW 2914.  Its a LOT cheaper than Sherwin Williams!


Can a receptacle be added to a lamppost?

There is no reason you could not, if you followed the standard requirements for outdoor recepticles, such as

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)
sealed box
properly protected cable

However, this is likely to be a bulky add on.

Cutting a hole in the post presents a problem becasue you need to install a sealable box and sealable cable connections.

Finding a post that already has a UL listed outlet is probably a safer, easier and maybe cheaper alternative. (See comment by @The Evil Greebo) A manufacturer can design an integrated housing for the outlet and get it UL rated, whereas you need to rely on off-the-shelf parts (read not custom fit) to get the same safety and performance.

Also, on the posts you have seen so far, it might be easier to remove the decorative items and plug them with small caps or finials than adding a safe outlet.


Does my refrigerator's water line require a shutoff valve behind the refrigerator?

Yes.  Sort of.  It doesn't require it to be behind the fridge, but it does require one on the supply.

Uniform Plumbing Code
606.0 Valves
606.5 Control Valves. A control valve shall be installed ahead of each water-supplied appliance and immediately ahead of each slip joint or appliance supply.

Unless your county has amended the code.


How to remove flaking concrete sealer/paint

Not saying I'm an expert, but I did just finish scraping up about the same square footage of old mastic (asbestos-free!) from my basement. Obviously the real answer is to try various things to see what works best, but in my case, I found a long-handled razor scraper and a lot of elbow grease managed to get up the majority of my problem. Because the mastic was really tough in spots, I ended up using progressively shorter blades in the razor scraper handle (from 8" all the way down to 2" utility razor blades).

The stuff that couldn't get removed by the razor scraper came up nicely using the same wire wheel that bib mentioned. I used a two-handled corded hammer drill which was easy to control. However, I would not recommend trying to do the whole floor with that tool - it was really powerful but had a really small contact patch, so you'd be on your hands and knees for days trying to do the whole thing. If a power drill is your thing, though, you may find success with one of the larger rotary wire brushes.

Lastly, I looked briefly to find a floor refinisher that I could rent, and Home Depot apparently had some options. However, I decided that the rental hassle (my car is rather small) wasn't worth the small floor area. If you think a big machine is what you want, check with your local HD or tool rental shop.

Also, if you are doing anything that breaks the surface of the concrete (as I was) don't skimp, and get a respirator that provides P100 protection. The power tools especially can kick up some pretty fierce concrete dust.


Where should I position a recessed contact sensor in a door?

Honestly, there is no right or wrong here. The preferred location is either the top of the door or on the side (either hinges-side or the opposite of). You will want to place the sensor so it is easier for you to wire it to the control panel. For example, if this is the basement door and the control panel is on the top floor; you may want to install the sensor on top of the door so you can directly wire it up.


How can I make tongue and groove cuts with only a radial arm saw?

I've tried it in a pinch and, yes, it's rather dangerous and stupid. It's just the wrong tool for the job.

Table saws can be found fairly affordably, though. Most big boxes will sell one for around $150. It's not a GREAT saw, but should work for getting some tongues and grooves created.


Extension boxes stack

You can use multiple extension boxes in this situation -- I'd go back to the hardware store and get an extra extension box as well as a couple of mud rings of different depths if I were in your shoes.  You may need to move the box to get enough wire length sticking out, though -- you need a minimum of 6" of slack with 3" of that sticking out the face of the box.


Nut &bolt or nail for railing construction

You always want railings to be very strong. Folks seem to have a natural trust of railing, and you don't want to break that trust. When somebody leans against your railing, you don't want the railing to give way and allow the person to fall.

Depending on the design of the railing, you'll want to use bolts and/or screws wherever possible. Nails will pull out far more easily than either screws or bolts.


AC Capacitor Or Another Problem? (And What Type Of Capacitor?)

You are probably correct on it being the capacitor.  Most time the compressor and ODM (outdoor fan motor) capacitor are combined into one.  If you can get that capacitor out (looks like a small tin can with 3 prongs coming out the top) and it looks puffy, most likely bad.  You can easily check this if you have a decent multi meter like a Fluke.  Otherwise just take this one with you to your closest AC supply house and get a new one.  If nothing else, you will have eliminated this very common issue.  I've replaced mine even though they haven't failed but were showing some signs of puffiness.


implicit is also the fact that using the manifold results in less hidden fittings. That is, it's a straight run ("homerun") from the manifold to the point of use - no hidden tees, etc. There are advantages and disadvantages. The following document is a great overview of options for installing pex:

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/pex_design_guide.pdf


Where to put my doorbell transformer for new wired doorbell in old house?

Generally, you are controlled by where the existing wiring is located.
Mounting a new transformer has to follow Code and its labeling and instructions, particularly where the AC mains side of the transformer is concerned.  The 24V low-voltage wiring can follow the relaxed rules for low-voltage power, and be installed like thermostat wire.  Here are 2 popular form-factors for 24V transformers:

Mounts to a knockout on the side of a metal box.  AC mains wiring is inside the box, 24V is outside.  Obviously this requires a metal box somewhere whose sides are exposed.
Mounts on the face of a 4x4 metal box, replacing the normal lid.  Again AC mains is on one side, low voltage on the other.

Obviously both of these mounting types require unfinished "utility space" in your home where such things are not an aesthetic misfit.  It's all the rage these days to destroy all utility space in homes in a mad quest for more listable square footage to puff up resale value. Unfortunately those people have painted themselves into a corner, tough luck for them.
You can also simply grab 24 VAC from the furnace transformer, from its R and C terminals (also available at the thermostat sometimes).  It is usually oversized enough it doesn't mind a watt or two for a Ring camera.  Transformers are very tolerant of short term overloads, their limiting factor being internal heat, so the short load of a doorbell chiming won't bother it at all.


How do I take door hinges that have a pivot ending with two flat cylinders apart?

If you cannot get them apart, try spraying the hinge pivot with dry silicone spray. Do not use oil based products such as WD40 or PB Blaster, as they will stain and turn black with collected dirt.  Spray with silicone, work the hinge and repeat. Hopefully it will work it's way into the pin and quiet your hinge.  Good Luck


How to prepare wall with peeling paint for painting

If you're using an electric sander then you want to keep that moving all of the time & not linger in any areas. Lingering will heat up the paint & cause it to release. If the paint is peeling off in strips you may also have a poor paint job where Priming before Painting wasn't practiced. But, you won't make that mistake.

You can hand or pole sand with the sandpaper or sanding screen to avoid so much heat & it will also demonstrate how much heat sanding creates. Additionally, you can Wet-Sand with nothing but a Wet household Sponge. This doesn't create heat or even dust. But, definitely remove any loose paint edges as best you can.

If the paint keeps pulling off where you haven't sanded & you have plenty of Joint Compound or Spackle to feather the edge where you finally find sound paint, then rip off as much as possible...This part assumes you have plenty of Primer & Paint to tackle the larger area(s), once with Primer & twice or with 2-coats of Paint.


How to remove a ceiling light when nut turns but doesn't unscrew and globe doesnt turn?

Pull down hard and then turn the nut (perhaps use locking pliers)

what has probably happened is that a different nut at the top has loosened and is spinning freely along with the shaft, while the bottom nut has frozen up.

pulling down will increase friction with the nut and hopefully allow it to unscrew.


Re-wire Cat5e RJ11 jacks to RJ45 ethernet

I'm no pro, but I'd say you can do as you wish with low voltage cable
I'd guess the daisy chaining was a poor mans way of propagating the phone cable without running it back to the closet.
Yeah, see the last answer
I'd remove the phone jacks and short out two of the pairs with clip leads.  Then use a continuity tester to map out the cables.
Does the grey one lead to the attic somewhere?

I'd say you can terminate the cables you need with wall plates in the rooms, RJ45 jacks in the closet and if you need additional service to one of the daisy chained rooms, you can add a switch where needed to continue the chain.  Mount the switch to the wall close to the wall jacks to get it out of the way.


The upper knob is logically the flue control. You really don't want to close off the flue with a roaring fire going. The exhaust gasses need to go somewhere. If not up the flue, then...

The lower knob is logically air intake. It might be from inside the house, or if the insert is externally vented (best) then the air for the fire comes from outside. In either case, shutting that down will dampen the fire, but it will do so gradually as the oxygen in the cavity is depleted. And I don't know if it is designed to completely shut down the incoming air at all.

Personally, if I were the previous owner who installed it, I would have kept the instructions for the insert around. And then when I sold the house, I would have passed on (to the new owner) a whole pile of instruction manuals for every item in the home. Read the manual.


Wet sanding using 1200 grit on my brown table has created a white/dust-like cover

I suspect the reason for the different outcomes is a result of using two different types of paint. The different properties and composition probably means their surface will respond differently to being sanded.
Many glossy surfaces will be dulled by sanding, even at 1200 grit. You were fortunate with the white table. Perhaps it doesn’t show the effect up as much because it is already white.
Sanding is an appropriate method to remove brush marks from a painted surface, but not as a final finish. It should be used as a preparation step before repainting.
Whatever the cause, you’ve not ruined your table, you just need to sand it correctly and repaint using a better technique.
The paint on your white table might now have an ‘open’ surface with micro abrasions from the 1200 grit. This could make it more susceptible to dirt or stains and it might need refinishing at some point.
For your brown table, you can prepare the surface ready for repainting and try again.

Dry sand with something like 120 to remove any remaining brush strokes and unevenness, followed by 180 to remove any scratches from the 120. Either way you need to rough up the surface a little because 1200 is too slick for the new paint to bond to properly. You could sand back to the original wood, or just stop when you get a nice even surface to repaint.
You could repaint using aerosol spray paint, which should give an even finish. Follow the instructions carefully especially about ambient temperature, distance, using several light coats and don’t put too much on at once so it runs.
You could try again with an oil based paint, but apply with a mini roller and a disposable short pile sleeve, followed by very light laying off with the tips of good quality brush to remove the roller stipples. Work quickly before the paint starts to skin over.
You could try again with a good quality brush. Work quickly and don’t overbrush the paint.

Personally I found that oil based gloss was easiest to paint to a flawless finish, followed by oil based satin and then water based needing the most skill.
Some tips here on getting a good finish: https://traditionalpainter.com/flawless-paint-finish


Why is the amperage lower for higher wattage devices?

You likely answere your own question -- wattage is Voltage times Amperage.  What you might not know is that in higher wattage situations, they'll typically run a higher voltage (eg. 220V) circuit, so it's possible that the 30Amp circuit is actually getting more total power than the 45Amp circuit.

But those aren't your only considerations when sizing the breakers -- motors tend to draw about 50% over whatever their rating is when they first kick on.  You can either place them on a high-rated circuit, or you can put them on a 'slow trip' fuse (or circuit breaker) that won't trip the instant it sees a surge; naturally, this is not something you want to install in a wet area where you'll need a GFI breaker.  Because of this, particularly if they're going to be installed in wet area (where you don't want to use a slow-trip), you'll see higher than expected breakers for anything with a compressor, pump, or other motor.


Should I attempt to repair a leak in my radon mitigation system's pipework?

Since it's low-volume and outside I wouldn't worry about it, but Ed's right that there's some indication of blockage. There should be very little back-pressure on that pipe.

However, I've never seen downspout used for radon systems. I'm not sure how you'd reliably seal that (and it may not be legal where mitigation is required by code). My guess is that it was never completely airtight. I'd be replacing it all with welded PVC or ABS and replacing that mangled no-hub coupler.


Are there any rules of thumb for whether a concrete pad needs metal re-inforcement and if so, how much?

A simple rule of thumb for whether to include rebar or not is based on a 45 degree rule. In simple terms if the foundation is more than twice as wide as it is deep then you will probably need reinforcement, if it is not then you may be able to get away without because there will be little bending, and therefore tension in the concrete.

There are of course a number of complications to this for example you might need to make sure that if the foundation does settle, it settles evenly. In this instance the foundation may need to provide some strength and so will need reinforcement. You will also need to be careful of large plastic cracks forming in the concrete at early age if you don't put reinforcement in it.


What are those metal discs at the base of some walls?

Plumbing pipe cleanout cover. You can remove the silver coverplate and you’ll have access to the sanitary drain pipe.


Trying to identify these wires on a switch

Someone else will probably post a more complete answer soon, but you need to figure out which of the black wires on your old switch is always-hot, and which is hot only with the switch on.  Always-hot connects to live on your new switch, and switched-hot connects to SW1.  Neutral gets added to the white wire bundle in the back of the box, and ground connects to a screw into the metal chassis (because the conduit is your ground here).


How do I know if my power drill needs to rotate clockwise or counter clockwise to drill forward?

Think back to your high school physics class and use the Right Hand Rule.

Lay the drill bit across your palm, with the point towards your thumb.  If the fingers curl around the bit (or screw) in the direction of the threads, then it's a right handed bit.  That means you turn clockwise to drill (from the perspective of looking down on the work).

This rule is also extremely helpful when you are working upside down and backwards trying to tighten something.  Point your right thumb in the direction you want the screw or nut to travel, and turn the object in the direction your fingers curl to tighten.

When in action, Clockwise/Forward looks like this.


Oh dear.  This is a foogly mess.

First, you did the right thing by punching that main panel breaker down onto a single.  The problem is with the subpanel; it is very badly misconfigured by a guy who cut a lot of shortcuts.

First, it is illegal to double-tap neutral bar screws like that, unless the panel's labeling or instructions say they are intended for that, and these aren't.  A few panels will allow 3 grounds on a screw, but always one neutral.

Second, I see no cable clamps on the Romex cables entering this panel.  Run down to the electrical supply house and grab a handful.

Separate neutrals and grounds

This sub panel has neutrals and grounds on the same bar. That is improper in a subpanel.  Those neutrals and grounds need to be separated, and the grounds need to be attached to the subpanel chassis/frame.  The ideal way to do this is to install an accessory  ground bar for the panel - however the last guy didn't leave you much length to reach it.

Option 1: The panel may have factory drilled/tapped screw holes for accessory grounding bars. Fit them and buy a Square D brand grounding bar that lines up on those holes.  Extend the ground wires down to it with wire nuts.  There is a green grounding screw that connects the neutral bar to the box chassis; it appears to already be removed. Remove it.

Option 2: Squeeze a ground bar above the neutral bar, but it must be physically screwed down to the panel, it can't flop around.  To bolt it down, either a) use any old metal screws to physically mount it, then run an actual #10++ (#8 would be great) ground wire to a suitable place on the chassis.  Or b) mount the ground bar with fine-thread machine screws (bolts) of -32 or finer pitch, and then you can ground the bar through the screws.

Option 3: Convert the neutral bar to a ground bar only. You'll never find that green grounding screw, so just run a jumper wire from this bar to the panel chassis. Remove all the neutrals, and use wire nuts and a pigtail chain to attach supply neutral to the other neutrals. Inelegant, but effective.

Supplying the two hot terminals

The black hot wire coming in needs to be split to supply both hot terminals.  (the last guy did a very ugly cheat he should not have done).  For this, get about 2 feet of #8 copper wire, black will do, and make 2 pigtails off the solitary hot wire.  One goes to where the black wire now is.  The other goes to where the ground wire now is.  Ideal's big blue wire nut is about right to join three #8s, crank it down HARD.

This converts the panel to a 120V panel. It is not legal to power this subpanel in 120/240V mode, with only 3 wires, as it was before - that would create a very dangerous situation, where if the neutral wire had a problem, everything that is supposed to be grounded would energize at 120V.

The panel will only able to supply 40A for all circuits added together, somewhat less than the 2 poles of 40 A that had been cheated in here.  So you are at somewhat higher risk of tripping the supply breaker, but it probably won't be an issue.

Is it conduit? Add the 4th wire

If the route of the wire between subpanel and main panel is all conduit, a red wire of the same size should be added to the pipe.  Then it can be hooked up like a normal panel.

While you're at this, maybe replace this panel.

Thinking about all the work needed here - ground bars, cable clamps, etc. - and the fact that this panel is already full - and that you may want to replace with a 4-wire cable which you might as well upsize too for more power...

-- well, given that, I'm thinking this might be a good time to just replace the whole panel with a much larger one.

For instance a 20 space would be a step in the right direction (ThreePhaseEel and myself would certainly go 30+, because spaces are cheap, and being out of space is expensive).  By "space" I mean actual knockout, ignore that "20 space/40 circuit" baloney, that is a lie since nowadays most breakers must be GFCI or AFCI, and those require a full space each.   (this requirement won't affect you since  you are grandfathered; merely replacing a panel does not trigger the obligation to retrofit AFCI/GFCI).

If you want to keep the "sunk costs" you already have in those six breakers (we're talking $27 here) then you could stay in Square D Homeline - which is exactly what it says on the tin, a builder-grade cheapie (not unsafe, just not excellent).  The way panels are marketed, there's hardly a price difference to get up into the industrial grade units like Square D's QO line, Eaton CH, GE or Siemens. Also, QO and CH are physically smaller.

So you might shop for a panel  that will fit, has plenty of extra spaces, and where the neutral and ground wires will reach the bar without extending (we already must split the hot wire). Any type will do; a main breaker is unnecessary here.  Some panels come with "bonus breakers".


It's a patch - you don't need a special screwgun, you don't need ANY screwgun.

Use screws - nailing drywall is an art form and takes a special hammer. Screwing is easy and takes a Phillips screwdriver. If you use a "not special drywall screwgun" stop before the screws are all the way in and use a screwdriver to finish. The head of the screw should end up just below the surface, but not so far that the paper breaks. Practice a couple on scrap - start with going too far and then you know what not to do - get a couple just right before you start on non-scrap. Backing up after you go too far does not work - the strength is gone when the paper breaks. If your shortest knife run across the surface does not hit the screwhead, it's deep enough.

You don't really need 3 knives/trowels (knife, ala puttyknife, is more common in this context) for a patch, either, though they are nice to have when doing a whole room (same applies to the screwguns, which can be rented when you have a whole room to do.) A big one (12") and a small one (3-4") should be sufficient, but if you want to be over-equipped for this job or equipped for the next one, add an 8". Try a yardsale if you can find one, if cost is an object.

Mud lingo - don't get too concerned, it's a patch, you want standard mud that you can get in a small (4 lb or so) tub. There's rarely a choice in that size. Since you don't say what mud lingo you don't get, I'll go into a few - hot mud is dry powder you mix with water that sets quickly (the number of minutes it's supposed to be workable are usually in the name.) Standard mud comes as a paste in a tub or bucket, and dries rather than sets. Lightweight mud is like standard mud, but lighter (almost foamy.) All "mud" is actually labelled as "joint compound" but pretty much universally referred to as "mud"

The secret to mudding is to get it on good enough and stop, let it dry, and then put on the next coat. Trying to make the first coat "perfect" usually makes it worse than if you stopped 20 minutes earlier. It will shrink when it dries anyway - the multiple coats of mud serve to fill smaller and smaller defects, so there's less fresh mud, so it shrinks less each time.


Added a celing fan in bedroom, need to wire for switch

I would suggest a universal ceiling fan remote control that uses a battery for power. It comes with a sender and a controller you connect to the fan. The sender works just like a hand held remote except you mount it in the wall. So all you really have to do is to leave the wiring the way it is, use a cut-in box to mount the sender and connect the receiver to the fan. I don't have a link to a site but they are in all of your big box hardware stores.

Good luck


How long can I wait before staining a new deck?

It'll be fine.  You should always wait at least one year anyways to make sure the wood is fully dried.  I think I waited almost 3 years before I stained parts of my deck, with no detrimental effects.


Best way to cover main water supply valve into house

I would use a plastic valve box (with lid) of the appropriate size. Cut a slot in one end to slip over the horizontal run of PVC that goes into the brick wall. This will protect the pipe from string trimmer, mower, and other damage of that type. These boxes are usually an unobtrusive color and will cover the white pipe.

Inside the box would put foam tubing insulation around the pipe and cram that into the hole in the brick wall surrounding the pipe. I would put flexible sheet insulation around the inside of the box above ground and also under the top, but maybe not along the wall next to the brick wall to allow heat to flow from the ground and from the brick wall.

EDIT
Plastic valve box


A/C freezing damaged air handler blower?

Yeah, I am also agree with Ed Beal. how can your AC technician suggest you a new blower! a regular servicing of your unit may be the good solution for you, just clean your ac properly and you will be experience better cooling...


The type of "garage motion light" that most people are familiar with has a motion detector and two floodlights built into one package.  This is what the Ring is trying to duplicate.  However, there is a more... architectural option.  You put only the motion detection pod where its needed, and it controls other lights that are mounted separately.

I believe this second case is what we are talking about, and in this method, the motion switch just acts like a light switch and doesn't have power going to it.  If there are only two wires in the motion detector box, then this is acting like a switch loop and you can't install a Ring light there as it sits.

If conduit is running to the box, you may be able to pull an additional wire, but there is another option.  If you don't want to switch the existing lights any more (they would be dead) and instead want only the ring light to work, you can turn the switch loop into a normal hot and neutral wire.

To do that, you would want to open up the boxes for the switched lights on the garage and see where the white and grey wire to the motion detector end up.  Once you find the other end of the white and grey, you can then rewire them to provide power to the Ring.  If you need more help with that, it would be a new question with pictures, but that's the basic idea.


Home climbing wall - does this design look structurally sound?

the bottom wall needs a diagonal brace to its top from the bottom of the middle stud.
I'd put the top blue bearer as close to the top as practical, and use a double one there.
I'd put something across between the bottom plates to stop them from splaying, could just be another 2x6 and it could go in the bottom corner if it's well attached (glue and screw).
Attaching the tops of the verticals, end nail or screw from above is easiest.
2x4" for the joists seems undersized.
treating it as a floor it wants 2x6 but 7 of them would be enough.
The slope helps as the plywood will be able to carry half of the load.
so maybe the 2x4 is actually strong enough (at what I assume is intended to be 16" spacing in your drawing)
The top plates sloped green ones) should probably be double or you could notch the studs (vertical green ones) and install the top 2x6 with the narrow side up, that would simplift fixing at the top as you can just screw or nail straight through the side.
by notching you get the option to run the studs past the top plate to connect to the joists, this will help strengthen the sides against splaying apart.
you probably need more studs (vertical green bits) one for every two joists at-least.
This should go under the plywood. (so the plywood goes between the green and the blue)


Any way to monitor load on a power outlet and receive notifications of usage?

It looks like the Watts Up? .net would work. I don't see the notification listed explicitly but the data is there so creating some threshold to notify you shouldn't be impossible. It may have monthly fees to use depending on what you want to do.


You could try gently warming up the plastic film with a hair dryer. Sometimes the adhesive attraction between the plastic and the smooth surface of the tile will begin to let go as heat is applied making it easier to peel. Use care not to get it so hot that you melt the plastic film.


Kill baseboard pests without killing dog

Do not use poison if you care about your dog. The modern version of Warfarin is deadly to dogs. Even if the dog does not get to the poison baits, it could prey on a mouse or rat which is slowed from being poisoned. In addition wild predators and scavengers can be poisoned by consuming poisoned rodents.

Use snap traps put inside enclosure boxes designed for that purpose. I use these JT Eaton No. 401 snap trap station and I use the TomCat rat snap traps. In Dallas TX we don't have mice, but do have rats. Juvenile rats are small and could be mistaken for mice, but mice are much smaller. My brother in rural MA has mice.

I have very successfully used these devices on rats outside around the perimeter of the house and under bird feeders in the yard. But right now I have a rat roaming the house at night and I have not been able to entice it into a trap in two weeks of trying.

EDIT SUCCESS got up at 2:30 am (30 Jan 2017) to let our elderly dog out into the backyard found an adult rat (140 g brown rat aka Norway rat Rattus norvegicus) dead in the Tomcat black plastic snap trap inside the Eaton box. These traps are much easier to set than the old Victor traps.

But two days ago, frustrated and exasperated with finding rat feces every morning in the den,  I bought two of the old Victor traps and put them in another box placed adjacent to the box that had been there for a least two weeks.

I thought maybe the rat wouldn't recognize the Victor trap. These are very hard to set--I guess one has to get the procedure down. Decades ago I knew how to do it, but in handling them I failed to recognize that I had set one and was handling it set thinking it was not. It did not trip, but could have with consequences to me. If you are distracted handing an old Victor trap you can get nailed. I am sure it could break a finger. I don't want to think about what it would do to a dog's muzzle or to a child's hand.

One critical factor is to deprive an indoor rat of all food sources except what is in the traps. Before catching this rat I unloaded and pulled back a bookshelf with a recess under it. A rat had stashed a pile of dog food there. I cleaned it up and we made sure we had no dog food left in an accessible bowl overnight.


You can do it but you'll need to re-mark one of the neutrals as a "hot".   Use one of the blacks as the heater, and its partner neutral as the proper neutral for all devices.   Use the hot and re-marked neutral in the other bundle for fan and light.

The issue, anytime the neutral does not down the same cable as the hot, is the cables need to be run very tightly together. Anywhere there is distance between them, the gap becomes the core of a transformer and suffers inductive heating in proportion to the current flowed.  Since the heater takes the lion's share of current, I suggest running its hot with the shared neutral.

This issue would have been solved if you had used 12/4 or 12/2/2 wire.    You would need to go to a proper electrical supply house for that, but that's a good idea anyway since their prices on everything are often cheaper.


Interior wall construction - Is it possible for this to be load bearing?

You're right that the 1x12 board can't possibly be load bearing in any meaningful way.  They almost certainly just put it there to have something to attach the dining room ceiling to.  I'm not a pro, but based on my experience having done this several times I would have zero concern about removing that wall after seeing the pictures and diagram you posted.


Mysterious cord running from wall. Safe?

That is a wired telephone junction block. The wire coming through the wall may very well be where the original land line entered the house from outside. The other wire is probably going off to some phone jack in another part of the house.


Can I Connect RGBW LED Strips With LAN Cable?

Past few weeks I have really come to appreciate the benefits of cable pull string. A nylon string used to help pull cables. You can drill the holes in the walls, cover them up and then when you get your cable, tie and tape it on one end, then pull from the other. Just make sure you make the holes big enough to pass the flat ribbon RGBW cable through along with the knots.

If you don't have cable pull string, you can get it at most hardware stores and the big box stores. You can also just use any strong string or twine you have. If you have UTP cable you can put that in temporarily then use it as a pull cord but it's not as strong as the pull string. That shouldn't be a problem for a small run like you're describing if it doesn't have a lot of sharp bends.

The problem with running UTP is that it's normally 24 gauge and even though it might just be a temporary fix, temporary can sometimes be a very long time as long as everything appears to be working and you have other things to do. So it's thinner than the usually 22 gauge RGBW cable conductors. According to this table on wire properties 22 gauge wire can handle up to 0.92 amps for power transmission and 24 gauge wire only 0.577 amps. If you know how many amps your light setup will use then you can make a safe decision.

When you have to use a different wire it's better to go with a larger size than a smaller size. You can get 5 conductor thermostat wire most places and that's generally 18 gauge. 18 gauge wire can handle up to 2.9 amps for power transmission so it's the safer choice.

I would personally just make the holes, pass some string, leaving plenty on each end to tie and grab, then install the cable when you get it.


How to fix a pinhole leak in water main inside my house?

Iron or copper pipe?

Corrosion inside metal pipes forms craters that eventually open a pinhole and as the metal erodes due to corrosion compromise and water flow, they get larger.

From experience, if you have one pinhole, you have several incipient corrosion craters that will eventually leak elsewhere in the segment. You can patch them one at a time for expedience, but eventually you're going to redo the whole length.


How to use a 100 amp sub panel for a 50 amp input

Just wire it up.  There is no problem using a sub panel that can take more current than you will ever feed it.

Points to note:

The cable to your hot tub will be rated for 50A (not 100A); therefore you must not upgrade the breaker in your main panel to 100A.
It would be sensible to add a note near the main panel that the cable is only rated for 50A, so not to change the breaker (so you, or a future purchaser, remembers in a year's time).
If you connect four 20A 240V devices to the sub-panel in your shed (and run them all at once) the sub-panel will be entirely happy with this, but the 50A breaker in the main panel won't be and it will throw - so don't do that then.

PS.  This is not directly related to your question, but still. 50A is a substantial current.  Do remember to torque the connection to the panel correctly.


Where should I run the plumbing, under or through the base cabinets?

I'll always vote for accessible plumbing, with or without splices.

If, in the future, something goes wrong (murphy's law!), then (1) you'll see it before it becomes a huge problem and (2) you'll save a fortune not ripping your cabinets apart.

If you have (or can engineer) easily removable toe kicks, then that would meet my standard for accessible.


That is not a problem and quite common. I would put a tape measure in the photo and take a photo then check it in a year, no change no big deal. Large change then con aging the builder may be a good idea. Also keep an eye on the earth below if the ground is going away (sink hole or settling) their may be a larger issue but small cracks are quite common.


How do cedar and pine compare as decking materials?

Definitely Cedar & 1-1/2" thick, if possible. Thicker stuff won't cup & if you had any bounce or flex between joists before due to thinner stock, that will be gone.

The best & most natural finish I've found is One-Time Wood Protector. Though, it must be Sun or UV cured to work.

But, with Cedar you want to let it season for 6-months before you coat it with anything. You lumber supplier can tell you everything you ever wanted to know & may have other & even better options.


Is a California corner as strong as 3 or 4 stud corner?

Wind damage to the house is not likely to result from bending of the wall studs, even at the corners. Wind-induced damage will occur at the joints between the studs and the soles or caps.

The exterior sheathing is what will provide stiffness and stability to the entire structure. Use the design that will allow the maximum area of attachment between the corners and the sheathing. The "four stud" corner provides the maximum nailing area on both outside surfaces.

The "California" corner requires that the sheathing on one of the walls be nailed to the 1.5" narrow edge of a stud. Many framers will not build two-stud or three-stud corners, not because they are more likely to bend, but because they provide insufficient nailing surface.


How can I close up a gap in the corner of the shower?

IF this is your only issue with this shower then you will have to borrow from the cheap hotel maintenance mandate of fixing shower corners.
That would be placing a strip of plastic (pvc) or glass along that whole corner.
This is how it works.

you get a 3" by "1/4" piece of glass or pvc that runs up the entire corner (high enough where water shouldn't be entering the top)
epoxy/glue that to the back wall
caulk each side and the top

The only weak point after doing this will be the very very bottom.   You just have to recaulk that frequently - every 6 months or so.
In my teen years I did this for a hotel chain using very flimsy shower pvc.   It would generally give the showers another 1-2 years which in the hotel world is like gold.


Can I trim the plastic sticking up from edges of my basement wall?

You're mostly right. The plastic is actually to catch wall water. But, if the wall is solid & tight to the floor, you'd be fine in trimming it, not removing it. If there are any weep holes behind the plastic, you need to keep those trimmed to their height & double their width so any weeping doesn't find it's way onto the floor.

If the wall's not tight to the floor & especially looks like a fairly even gap, then that needs to stay plastic covered as well. Use scissors though instead of a utility knife so you can't accidentally remove it. Since, you still need to leave about 1/4" above the tight floor to wall seam & above any openings.


Is it safe if the neutral lead is exposed and disconnected?

No.  In this condition, the exposed plug blade will be deadly.

Every load connects hot to neutral.  It does so through some level of impedance, but that impedance is not enough to protect you from shock.

If you have a GFCI/RCD device somewhere protecting this load, that will intervene to prevent injury in this case.

One detail: Current wants to return to source, not ground. For man-made mains current, source is the supply transformer, and hot power is seeking neutral.   It will be happy with ground, because back in the main service panel there is a neutral-ground equipotential bond connecting them, so it will go via ground to get back to neutral.


How do I wrap the pre-filter around the HEPA filter in this air purifier?


A guest pushed in my shower wall tile. How can I fix it?

So you have two options here

Whistle past the graveyard and caulk it up good. It will fail at some point, but maybe not today? (I don't really suggest doing this)
Rip it down and fix it. Because you should never be able to do this to shower tile. You have serious issues. My bet is they didn't put the backer board up correctly (or support it with, say wood behind it) and just tiled straight to back board as a quick fix. 1/4" backer board would break this easily AND in the way you show.


Why do screw thread diameters vary from their nominal values?

Metric screw diameters are always below nominal.
The nominal size is as if the thread came to a sharp point, and it doesn't.  For the exact amount see Wikipedia, from where I lifted this drawing (thanks to user Inductiveload).

Note the P/8 (i.e pitch/8) flat on the outside (top) of the external thread.  This means the outside diameter (roughly doing the trigonometry) is about 0.2×pitch less than nominal.  Taking your M4, with  a pitch of 0.7, you'd expect an OD of 4-0.2*0.7=3.86, an almost perfect match to your 3.88.  Similarly for you M2.5.
So your 3.38mm OD screw isn't M3.  The diameter is good for M3.5, but that has a 0.6mm pitch.  I don't know how you measured the pitch, but that's a fairly easy error.  Without a thread gauge I'd measure the length of 10 (or more) turns, and divide to get the pitch.
M3.5 is rare, but common in British and some European electrical hardware, usually slotted (e.g. it holds our sockets and light switches to the back boxes).  I have seen socket head M3.5 on a metric version of an American product, where a UK engineer would have used M4


How can I keep my paint from freezing in an unheated garage?

Make an insulated, heated enclosure for the paint. Since the paint is already on a wire rack, just insulate the floor and enclose the bottom shelf of the rack. Use a lizard heater and a thermo-cube.

Cut and notch OSB, rigid foam insulation and some scrap pegboard to fit on the floor below the shelf. Use scrap vinyl to make a serpentine channel on the pegboard, then lay the heater in the channel, so:

When you put another piece of pegboard on top of this, you'll have a heated, insulated floor that's safe to drag heavy buckets around on.

Position a shelf above the bottom shelf, cut and notch OSB to fit above that shelf and insulation to fit below it. Secure the insulation from the OSB side with coarse-thread drywall screws.

Cut a back panel from OSB and put two rectangles of insulation on it to fit between the shelves. Secure it to the legs of the wire rack with cable ties.

Do the same for side panels. Put some paint in there to see how good it looks.

Add another side panel and a front door that matches the back panel. Secure everything with cable ties, except on the front door, where a pair of hook latches lets you open the door.

Hook the iguana heater up to the thermo cube and you're done.


I think your staggered-joint idea is a good one. From the look of it you'll have a solid enough base to get another decade or two from that tail.

I'd cut back just enough to get solid wood at the center, then notch the sides back to wherever you can comfortably fit the saw. Something like so:

|        |
|__    __|
|  |  |  |
|  |  |  |
|  |  |  |
|  |  |  |
|  |--|  |
|  |  |  |
|__|__|__|

Fasten the cedar or pressure-treated repair pieces with good exterior-grade adhesive and trim screws. (You can even fasten the most conspicuous side from the inside to keep the surface smooth.) Caulk against the wall, and stain or paint to seal the new wood.


A. You will need to calculate your Energy consumption estimations. Let say, for 5 hours a day of average laptop consumption (70W) you will need to produce 450-550w a day (that is 350w plus energy losses on conversion of voltage and losses of battery).

B. For this You will need:
1. Some kind of solar panels
2. A solar charger
3. A battery
4. An inverter

The specification of those element is depend on the strategy that you're planning to apply.

C. There are two basic strategies for planing this system:

You can use a 24V system and then get a DC-DC inverter (24v to 19v), OR you can use...
Mine preferred way, because the computer is a gentle electronic device, is to go through the transformer of the computer it self (that is, 220/110v AC to 19DC), as you can count on it to be accurate and stable for the computer and the internal battery system: use a 24/12v system with a inverter to normal appliance voltage in your region (220/110v) and plug the original transformer of the computer to the inverter.

You've a lot more to learn before i would recommend you to start spending money on materials.

You can read more here (cost 20$) - and I'm not getting paid for this. i don't even know the writer... i really do recommend this e-book, i have used it myself.
and here you can find an full and detailed article i wrote about how to build a solar pv electric system, but it in Hebrew, so maybe try to Google-translate it.

And here two more good pieces of content, from "Instructables":

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Solar-Setup/
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Home-Solar-Planning-a-Solar-Array-Beginners/

Hope you'll find this answer useful.


how to install track lighting on preexisting ceiling fan?

That would be "altering the fan". Fans aren't standardized.

What you've done is disassemble the portion of the ceiling fan where the lamp(s) hang down from below the blades.   Those parts of a ceiling fan are not standardized and are totally proprietary to that fan's make and possibly its model.   Nothing will bolt to that, except spare parts for that fan, or other fixtures made by that fan's manufacturer which they have sent to Underwriter's Laboratories to have tested and listed for retrofit.

The reason testing/listing is important, and you shouldn't just jack-rig any old thing, is that fans vibrate.  A lot. The new thing would need to be tested not only to not fall apart itself from the vibration, but also for its attachment point to be durable.  The Ikea item is not tested or listed for that extreme use, and so, you'd have liability problems if your hack was discovered to be at fault for fire or injury.

Generally the more an item extends out from the fan hub, the more the vibration will affect it, so track lighting is a worst case scenario.

The "standard" attachment point is the one the fan is attached to.  So you would have to remove and dispose of the fan, and use the Ikea kit instead.

There are proper ways to extend wiring off a ceiling junction without altering the ceiling itself. But the fan adds a big wrinkle: any such kit involves shifting the fan downward an inch or two.  You must assure it properly supports the dynamic weight of the fan, with vibration factored in.


As far as I know, all the switching for these is done at the control box. Rather than a centrifugal switch, I believe the relay is simply a fixed time-delay contact.

But I consider them archaic these days - For single-phase supply, I buy 2-wire pumps, and would replace any 3 wire pump with a 2-wire pump when the 3-wire pump stopped working. The arguments in favor of 3-wire have become much like arguments in favor of a buggy-whip to make your automobile go faster...

If 3-phase supply is available that's a whole different animal, but it's uncommon for residential applications where I live.


Plumbing and septic: bubbling and backing up

Simple answer: yes, it could be any and all of those. In my experience, clogged main pipes is the most likely cause. (See below for more detail.) If you cannot use a motorized snake yourself to clean out the system, hire a professional. There is also a chance the septic system needs to be serviced.

Recommendation

Hire a professional plumber who can use a motorized drain snake ASAP. We had a similar issue, neglected it for a year, and during a visit from the in-law, the toilet decided it was done and overflowed. The HVAC system was also a victim (in-floor registers). By waiting until two days after the overflow, we saved a few hundred dollars over an emergency call, but we could have saved more by addressing it quickly.

The individual who does the "snaking" should be able to snake the entire system, from all clean-out locations (our system had multiple). Also, if the system has vents which can be compromised (squirrels or other pests with nuts etc.), consider having those cleaned if the price isn't prohibitive. The company who provided the service to us charged by the hour a much reduced rate after the first hour had elapsed. If we had the option, I would have preferred this. (In our case, the service personnel had two more calls to make after finishing our property after 5 pm. I was told that if anything wasn't completely working properly, the servicer would return on their dime, and I wasn't about to keep someone from their family around the holidays.)

Update

I can now say from definitive personal experience: hire a quality professional to minimally snake and clean the system - but preferably have them do an inspection as well. A

Do it right, right away.


These are actually called side cutting pliers. The gap at the top is supposed to be there to allow the cutting edges to do their job. I have a pair of Kleins with the exact same gap.... except for a 5/32" hole in the cutters from cutting a live wire.... in my younger years.


Electrical tester says its hot but nothing is working

You are not using a "tester". You are using a voltage sensor. Big difference.
You are getting a voltage reading but it's not working? This is almost certainly an open neutral on this circuit. A circuit needs both hot and neutral to work.
Get yourself a real tester and test from hot to neutral and hot to ground anywhere possible.
Find the open neutral and you'll find your problem.

My real advice is to call an electrician. This would be the safest bet.


Flat roof ponding near drain - should roof be raised?

2" deep puddles on a flat roof are a definite problem, and imply at least 16 feet of problem if the minimum 1/8" slope to drain is to be restored/preserved/maintained. And if that makes new puddles, even more area needs to be fixed.

I'm not clear on your (non-described) process, but this mess seems ripe for building up a proper surface with rigid foam and a new membrane, rather than jacking the roof boards from underneath, if that's what you have been doing.

Regardless of process, the entire roof surface needs to slope at least 1/8" per foot towards the drains. No part of the roof should actually be "flat".


detect whether something is metal by touching it

The only meter that I know of that could detect leakage from a small hole in insulation would be a megger and it would have to be used by a trained operator not to make things worse. You might try and put the circuit on a GFIC breaker and see if you get a trip from some small voltage leakage.

Good luck.


Where is "C" wire on Honeywell 8043F1036

According to the wiring diagram I found, typical wiring is as follows.

1 END SWITCH (To circulator or another valve)
2 END SWITCH (To circulator or another valve)
3 TH/TR (Thermostat and Transformer)
4 TH (Thermostat)
5 TR (Transformer)

You'll have to verify this is how your valve is wired, but it looks just like the diagram to me. If this is how it's wired, you should be able to connect the c wire to the TR (5 in your image) terminal on the valve.


Can tile glue for wall tiles contain asbestos?

Yes you are definitely limiting your exposure by removing the drywall and NOT SCRAPING.

Even removing the Drywall - asbestos dust can fly around.

Get a disposable suit so that you don't get any fibers on your clothing.
Get a good respirator suitable for asbestos protection.

I am not affiliated in any way with the below link but providing as an example

Or buy the Kit not expensive at all - reasonably priced:
https://www.pksafety.com/lead-asbestos-removal-pro-kit.html


Why does my toilet make a loud rumbling noise when flushed?

Turns out the loud noise was caused by water rushing from other fixtures.  The house had galvanized steel pipe as the main feed line (off the meter) which had become restricted, so when the toilet could not pull enough water from the main line it sucked it from other lines.

Replacing the galvanized pipe fixed the issue (as well as increased the pressure to the entire house).


I'm copying the OP's comment which described the resolution as an answer:

I looked at everything and saw one of the jumpers on the relay box
that feeds the heater wire was a little loose and had some burnt
plastic on the wire connector so I made a new jumper with new
connectors with proper gauge wire and VIOLA the heater is working.
Unbelievable that's all it was hopefully. It was hidden and hard see
with it being so close to the other jumpers. I did order new
thermistors because they are cheap and have never been replaced since
new in 2000.
Donnie Sharpless Sep 14 '17 at 22:19


Sounds like you want to use contact cement.  Make sure both surfaces are clean, apply contact cement, let it set up, and then put the rubber onto the wood.


Is pre-mixed ethanol-free fuel better than mixing yourself?

Nothing is guaranteed but I think the odds of you messing up the fuel/oil mixture yourself are greater than getting a bad batch from the factory. So I would say yes, the pre-mixed fuel is a safer bet. Also if you buy pre-mixed fuel there is less risk of water/dirt getting into your gas cans.

However I personally think it's not worth it. Buying pre-mixed fuel removes one possible source of problems but it does not guarantee trouble-free use year after year. You will still want to perform basic small-engine maintenance like emptying the fuel tank at the end of the season, checking the air filter periodically, etc.

You could do some back-of-the-envelope math to see how much it would cost you to use the pre-mixed stuff and then compare that to the cost of a new trimmer if this one does bite the dust. At a cost of $20-30/gallon it could really add up if you use the trimmer regularly.


Why does my ceiling fan light turn off by itself?

I bought 2 Hunter Exeter model fans and was running into the problem of the lights cutting in and out after about 10-15 minutes of steady light output.  Both fans were having the same problem. The fans are controlled by radio frequency remote controls - which the instructions say are "paired" with the fan when they arrive.  BUT, you can re-pair them and doing so solved my intermittent light problem.  I only re-paired one of the fans and now both fan lights work properly.  My guess is there was some interference between the remotes for the two fans, and re-pairing one eliminated that interference.


Well water pressure drops after very little use time

After trying everything I could, attaching a hose to the farthest water line in the house to a hose and flushing water back out to check for blockages. Changing or cleaning all the filters. Bypassing every part of the system I could. I finally took the step of replacing the pressure tank and entire T assembly, and that fixed it.

I have no idea what was wrong with the pressure tank though. I checked for water in the air compartment, and there was none. The pressure gauge always seemed to be working, and showed normal pressure drop with usage and increase when the switch turned on. There were no blockages in the T or pressure tank that I could find.

So I never found the actual problem, but it has to be something with the pressure tank. It looks like the answer to my issue was to just replace the pressure tank.


Not sure how to vent our bathroom - trying to avoid the attic

There are wall mounted bathroom vent fans like this. I don't think going down through the basement would work as well as the wall unit.


How can I replace broken CFL bulb in a recessed light fixture?

That type of bulb just snaps in and out with a little pressure. It probably broke because the UV light had weakened the plastic, or because it force was applied in a sideways direction.

To remove it, turn off the light via the switch or circuit breaker. Grab the remaining plastic with a needle-nose plier and pull it straight outward. Do not twist or tilt or you risk damage to the socket.