Use a high-performance 2-part wood filler. It's like automotive body filler but sets a little slower and is easy to plane/form/sand smooth after it sets. This is one brand that I like but there are many brands out there:

I use a "cheese grater" style plane (Surform) to get it flat, then sand smooth. Works great for repair work when replacement of damaged wood is impracticable.


How do I repaint a bathroom that was originally painted with oil (possible lead) then latex?

You should be able to test the paint for lead content using one of the lead-test kits you can pick up at Home Depot or Walmart. Especially if the oil-based sub-layer is exposed in places. If the first test proves negative it's worth scuffing the paint with some sandpaper and testing again, just to be sure.

If it's lead-free you're home free.

Depending on where you live, and how much area you are doing, there are homeowner lead-paint removal classes that show you how to do the job safely. Not all cities allow this however.


14g wire on 20amp circuits all over home

Did the "electrician" pull a building permit prior to doing the work you commissioned?  If not, then you have more than one problem here.  If he did, presumably it was inspected and signed-off by the building inspector and perhaps you are misinterpreting what is actually installed.  No professional electrician would install 20A breakers on a 14g circuit.  Doing so is not only dangerous but illegal and unethical.
I suggest you contact this electrician and ask him to explain the work that was done.
If indeed the work was done by an unlicensed person without a permit, you should get a qualified electrician in immediately to inspect and correct the issues.  Yes that might be expensive but a fire is going to be much more expensive.
But to address your root question, NO, this would not cause excess electricity usage.  An electrician should be able to help you find the cause there as well but I'd be looking at the usual high-powered culprits, space heating, water heating, cooking.


Can I safely leave male/female plugs exposed on a rooftop balcony?

Safe?  Well anything plugged in outside is going to a GFCI protected outlet right?  So that should provide some safety when everything is wet.  The open female ends might trip said GFCI if they get really wet, so it would be good to cover those up or just turn off the circuit when rain is expected.

The other issue is corrosion and... spiders.  Most of the metal that plugs are made from will corrode over time when they get wet.  You will start to get poor connections which can lead to sparking inside the plugs which leads to even worse connections, etc.  The other issue is tiny spiders and other bugs getting inside the plugs and making them dirty on top of the corrosion.

They make small water resistant cases for extension cord connections.  They pop up at home stores during the holidays (for outside light strings), but some places carry them year round.  Keeping a case on the female end will help.  Using some anti corrosion spray and cleaning the contacts regularly will also help.


Short term solution: use solid concrete blocks and polyurethane caulk (like you have between the sidewalk and house.) to build a dam in front of the window. Blocks ar available in various sizes and you could use some 8" ones on edge to build an 8" dam if you think it needs to be that tall.

Long term solution: remove part of the sidewalk and install a drain that diverts the water elsewhere.

Good luck!


How do I get vinyl tile off of plywood flooring?

Vinegar is not going to be effective at remove the tiles, but what is effective is a bigger tool.  Since you are looking to save money, you might be able to get away with using a cheap scraper.  It will look like a putty knife but a lot stiffer and have a wider blade.  Then using a hammer (wear gloves and glasses), just start tapping the scrapper under the tiles to get larger pieces up.

Once these tiles are up, you will need to get your sub floor (the cheap plywood) to be smooth.  If you got nail pops, rough areas from glue or gashes these will need to be leveled before you put the vinyl down.  Vinyl is not very forgiving in hiding defects.


How many concrete piers do I need to support a 10 x 10 wooden floor supporting a 1600 lb shed?

As with any advice you get here, keep in mind that you must stay within the bounds of IRC building codes adopted by your local municipality.  Obtain a building permit and a local inspector will give you guidelines on minimum requirements for posts, beam spans, joist spans, etc...
Your concrete piers must be a set depth to go below the frost line in your area.  You must set the posts on top of concrete with a post base to protect from rot.
When in doubt always make it stronger!  Increase to 12" piers with 6x6 posts.  Consider using 2x10 or 2x12 beams doubled or tripled on each row.  Make sure that each beam span is no longer than 7' if you are worried.  When you submit your plan for the permit then the inspector will point out any flaws or deficiencies that you need to address before you start.
NOTE: Any specific sizes I use are merely examples of how one can increase the strength of a structure.  Nobody can say for sure without more specifics about the shed design.

Do piers always need to be at the very end? Or can there be a small overhang of wood? Ideally I'd like to have the piers away from the edges of the perimeter so they're not as visible.

When the beam extends past the last post this is called a cantilever.  IRC building codes specify the maximum allowable length for live load for different types of lumber, and different sizes.


I used anchors similar to a "HILTI 3/8" X 3" HLC hex nut sleeve anchors" that I purchased from Home Depot when I finished my basement 10 years ago. The 3" size only went about 1-1/2" into the concrete and hold very well. I blew out the drilled hole and added a little silicone sealant just to be sure no water would come up the hole I drilled. Everything worked out well. If the PVC pipe is below where you will be drilling, that 1-1/2" to 2" deep hole should not come close to any drain pipe. This worked for me.


How can I waterproof a hole in my vinyl deck to fit a downspout?

I wonder if you could use a Low Profile Dryer Vent like this one?  (google that phrase for more options).

You might be able to seal it using the stuff they use to glue PVC pipes together but that might ruin your deck.   Probably caulk is the way to go.


C wire for Ecobee3 thermostat in 2 zone heating and A/C

Looks like there's an extra blue wire in each of the thermostat cables at the zone controller. Simply connect the blue wire from the thermostat cable, to the C terminal of each ZONE# T'STAT terminal block. Then connect the blue wire to the C terminal on the new thermostats. This should give you power to the thermostats.

However, since it looks like it's using the transformer from the air handler to power the zone controller. You'll likely have to also install a jumper from the C terminal on the 24VAC Transformer terminal block, to the C terminal on the System terminal block.

Depending on the transformer that's in the air handler, the additional load of the thermostats might be too much for it.  So make sure the secondary side of the transformer is fuse protected. If it is, and the fuse blows. Then you might have to upgrade the transformer, or use a second transformer to power the zone controller and dampers.

WARNING: If the transformer is NOT fuse protected, and you draw too much current. You will end up damaging the transformer.


What size wire for a 100 amp sub panel in a barn?

I have a very strong sense of already having answered this question.  If this is a dupe, I apologize.

For a 100A main breaker the smallest wire you can think of running is #1 aluminum.

If your breaker is 100A, your largest expected load ought to be 80A.

You do have a considerable distance there, and it's worth thinking about voltage drop.  Wire salesmen will tell you to compute voltage drop based on breaker trip and 3% drop.  You are much more correct to base it on actual expected loads and whatever drop will keep it less than 8% for all runs from main panel to final outlet. Since this will be the bulk of the run, we can give it 6% to play with, though less is nicer.

When we do a voltage drop calc on #1 aluminum, 80A (the largest expected load allowable on a 100A breaker), 240V and 170 feet, it computes out to 2.75%.  *Well, then. We certainly don't need to bump wire size here**.

#1 aluminum is the right stuff.


If allowed in your jurisdiction, I'd go with a class 320 service. You could power the shop and the house off the same meter base.   Both panels would be considered the "main panel" so no need for a 4 wire service.   I just did this with my sons house that I'm doing most of the wiring on.   I also have a class 320 (320 amps) to my 2 200 amp panels in my house.   It's a practical solution, depending upon the exact layout.

Here is a link to the meter base I bought for my sons house:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KM7LZM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Nail it. You will forever regret a decision to glue the casing if it ever comes to a need to do repairs or modifications.


What type of sand is under my flagstone pavers?

I took a sample to the local landscape supply store and they said it was most likely base rock topped with concrete sand that has decomposed over the years.  The reason it clumps is because soil is now mixed in with the rock (even though not visible).    A friend suggested it might be decomposed granite, but the supply store said DG wouldn't clump.


Bathroom Tile Removal - Underlayment and membrane coming up

You need to tile over a solid surface. Needless to say, this stuff doesn't count, so you'll need to remove it. With a wooden subfloor, the preferred tile base is cementboard. Screw it down, mortar the seams, and go to town with your tiles.


How can I prevent unpleasant smells and organisms in our water tank?

Besides the suggestions above some things you might try:

Oxygenation: a small pump set up in the tank pumping the water into the air gap above water float level you have or an air pump pumping air into the water might help with some of the issues. The pump can be placed on a timer to cut down the electrical expense.

Refreshing the water on a regular basis.  A tank I set up for a Solar off-the-grid type situation pumped continuously into the tank during the day, (but with solar powered pump, so pumping was free), and the tank had an overflow outlet near the top which could be tapped into drip irrigation system.  Water was exchanged continuously, keeping growth down.  An alternative to this would be flushing and refilling the tank on a regular maintenance schedule.

Lastly, and possibly the best solution, would be simply placing a filter canister with a taste/odor filter cartridge between your tank and rest of the home.


Fan blower motor of Bryant furnace keeps running after flame is off

Furnace blower fans will continue to run for a bit after the flame shuts off to strip the remaining heat from the heat exchanger and bring it into the rooms the furnace is heating.

Think of it this way - the gas valve (the flame) is controlled by the thermostat, but the blower is controlled by a sensor mounted in the heat exchanger. If the heat exchanger temperature falls within a certain range the blower will run to make use of that heat. You will also notice that the flame will run on its own upon startup without the blower for a short period until the heat exchanger warms up enough to justify running the blower over it and delivering heat.


Can a hot tub be placed over composite decking?

99%* of all composite decking would not only hold a hot tub just fine, it would be preferred over wood.   It is preferred because it will not fail long term due to water damage or termites and cause a collapse or tilt.
As for weight bearing I am not sure there is any calculators out there for composite, however when I have gotten architects involved they basically treat it as "better than PT pine".
The two biggest things to think about when adding a hot tub to a deck is:

Joist spacing which you have already thought about.   Yes 12" is preferred for heavy load.   Adding a 3 joists may be all you need for a hot tub - if you had joistx3 8" apart on each side and dead middle, well that's pretty good against deflection.

If planned well you would be trying to place the hot tub above a load point (or multiple).   This isn't viable for all decks - smaller decks may only have load points at the perimeter but that also means on smaller decks you should be able to install hot tub on perimeter.   Obviously installing something super heavy in the middle of a deck is dumb and will lead to sagging.   For what its worth I have seen houses sag after installing 1500 pound safes in the wrong spot (closet in middle of joist span).

"*" the asterisk for the 1% is because I have seen and replaced hollow plastic decking - just in case someone confuses that for composite.


How much vent fan throughput do I need for my bathroom?

Calculating Cubic Feet
The first step in determining what size exhaust fan is needed, is to calculate the volume of the room. To do this, you'll simply multiply the length of the room times the width of the room time the height of the room.

Length = 10 ft.
Width = 8 ft.
Height = 8 ft.

10 ft. * 8 ft. * 8 ft. = 640 ft.3

Calculate Equivalent Duct Length (EDL)
The next step is to measure the length of the duct run, and then apply some additional factors to determine the equivalent duct length of the run. For example, if we had this situation.

Duct type = Insulated Flex.
Duct length = 15'.
Duct diameter = 4".
Number of elbows = 2.
Number of wall caps = 1.

We'll use these numbers, and the chart below to determine the EDL.

So the example above would look like this.

15' of 4" insulated flex duct x 1.5 = 22.5'
4" elbow adds 15' x 2 = 52.5'
1 4" roof cap adds 30' = 82.5'

Which means in our example, the EDL is 82.5'.
Determine Required CFM
Exhaust fans are sized using Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM), so you'll have to use the two values calculated above to determine the size of the required fan.  To do this, you'll use the chart below (you'll always round up).

Using our example numbers, we'll place our left finger on 640 cu. ft.. Then place our right finger on 90 ft. (because we have to round up).  When we slide our left finger to the right, and our right finger down. we'll see that we need a fan rated for at least 150 cubic feet per minute.
Running The Fan Long Enough
Selecting an appropriately sized fan, is not the only thing to worry about. You also want to make sure that the fan runs for long enough, so that the moisture can be completely exhausted.  It's often recommended to run the fan for between 20 - 30 minutes, after a shower. This is often made easier by installing an in wall timer to control the fan.

When selecting a timer, make sure it's rated for motor (inductive) loads and does not say "Incandescent only".
Everybody Wants It Quiet
In my opinion, getting the hot moist air out of the building is the highest concern.  Though it would seem, some tend to like it quiet while the air is cleared.
You'll find that exhaust fan loudness is measured in Sone, where the lower the value the quieter the fan. If quiet is important to you, you'll want a fan at or below 1-2 sone.  Here is a chart from Panasonic, that might help put sones into perspective.


You might have luck using two brazing torches, like these. My concerns usually aren't about making a mess; it's getting it to work without burning holes in it and physically getting it back together after a de-solder. I'd start over, but it's worth a shot on a $20 fitting. I'd say my re-solder success rate is 50\50 without doing more work than just using new, clean fittings. I've never done 3" and I wouldn't without a wrap-around torch head for an acetylene kit.

These brazing heads really are nice and make quick work out of plan old soldering.

Source: refrigerationbest.blogspot.com


Is my toilet flange too high off the ground?

It looks like it is close to 1 inch two high. The easiest option would be to cut it below the floor and put a coupling in then you can keep shaving it down until it is perfect.


What is the function of the metal mesh in the rubber grommet for the showerhead?

Yes, you are correct. The mesh is there to collect the larger sediment. I would still use it as the pipes could still have sediment and build up and possibly rust, that could pass onto the shower, even in a filtered water system. Extra precautions!!! It doesn't hurt to use it. The rubber part also acts as a gasket/seal. No water leak...or less of one!


Used 12/2WG NMB wire for internal recessed LED lights, is that bad?

Putting 12/2 on a 15A circuit is no big deal -- the only problems with using a bigger wire than required by ampacity are the physical difficulty of working with it, and the potential for overstuffing boxes.  (If it's too big to fit the terminals on your devices, that's no sweat -- just wire-nut or Wago on some pigtails of the fattest wire the device can take.)

In fact, sometimes putting bigger wire on a long circuit is practically required (it's merely a recommendation in the NEC, but some sensitive equipment hates brownouts....) to keep the voltage drop from becoming excessive. (NEC recommends 5% max over the whole circuit -- it's usually kept to under 3% to allow for extension cords and whatnot.)


How to convert this outdoor lamp box to GFCI receptacle?

Surface mount a weatherproof 4/O box extension over the top of your existing box and feed the wires through the back. Seal around the box where it meets the wall so water cannot get behind it.

Then install a weatherproof conversion cover, they are fairly new and I have only seen them on the internet. Then install a weatherproof receptacle cover and you are done!


How do I determine if a slow toilet leak is due to an actual leak, or due to sweating?

Easiest way is to not use it for a while (equalize with room temperature) dry throughly, and check in a few more hours of not using it.

Teflon tape (or pipe dope) only helps on tapered pipe thread fittings. Flare and compression fittings seal in other ways, but it's not uncommon to see them taped up by folks that don't notice that.


Can I use a transfer panel with something other than a generator?

You can but that takes some work, re-routing wires.  I don't know how many breakers you are talking about, but if it's just 2 or 4 you can and you have room in your panel you can use a breaker interlock switch.

The silver bar mounted on the breaker handles does not allow both breakers to be on at the same time.

To answer your question, yes, you can use a transfer switch.  But from the picture you can see the advantages of using the interlock.  No extra wiring, no subpanel to install.  No more breakers to buy.  Not many electrical distributors will stock this, and the brand does matter.  These usually don't work with breakers / panels from different brands.  They are not permanent so they can be removed easily.

EDIT - This is why all information would be great to have. A xfer switch is made to move power from 1 panel to another panel.  You can't switch some of the breakers of the panel.  So basically the way I see it is that you will need two sub panels, 1 for one task and another for another task.  Probably a couple of j-boxes to do some of the wire make-up because some of the wires won't be long enough.  Lets say that totals to 30 or 50 amps (just guessing because you have not told anyone that.)  Then instead of buying the more expensive xfer switch you can use the interlock, switching the breakers feeding each sub panel.

It really would help if you gave more info, like how many circuits (poles and amps) for one task and the same for the second task.

There are other items you can use for simple things, like breaker handle locks that screw on;

or breaker lock outs.

Either can be used to lock on or off.  The breaker will still trip even when locked.  I would prefer the one without the padlock.

You should also check local code to make sure there is no problem having the receptacles out of use, even if it is for part time.


If the paint has a sheen to it then unprimed patchwork will show up more (internet search the term hold-out factor), especially when lit from an oblique angle or viewed from an angle. If it is flat paint I would not worry about it too much unless perfection is desired (you said "eggshell color" but the term "eggshell" can also be used to describe a "satin" or "semi-gloss" sheen so we don't really know what you have).

An important consideration is that differing textures can also affect the appearance, making the wall look "patchy". So if your patchwork is smooth but the surrounding wall is textured in any way (even just the stippled texture from a paint roller) it will show, especially with glossy paint.


it this case, it is not a home improvement project. Since it is a commercial building, you really need to have an engineer design a fix.  the liability is to great in rental or commercial property not to have it endorsed. Don't take a cheap fix, it will bite you. The safety of a lot of people depend on how you fix the problem.


240 volt biphasic to 240 volt monophasic

The two 120V legs of household wiring are 180 degfees out of phase with each other, which is how we get 240V for stoves and workshops and the like. Yor really (REALLY!) should have a proper 240V outlet installed for that tool to plug into, preferably with a 240V GFCI since you will presumably be working outside.

Remember that an electric chainsaw is just as dangerous as a gas chainsaw, plus the risk of cutting the power cord. Proper safety equipment and training is essential.


You are making this much more complicated than it needs to be. A coupler with two or four set screws is all that is needed.

If the thickness of the coupler is too much then use a thinner tubing and just drill two holes all the way through the tubing and the ends of the two shafts. Then insert a small diameter pin through the holes. The pin can be held in place by using a center punch on each end of the pin to expand it slightly so that it rivets itself into the hole in the tubing.

For really light duty work the tubing could even be brass and use a pin that can be simply soldered to the tubing.

All these ideas can be implemented with the most basic tools.


Why did my garage door opener stop working?

the most common issue with a garage door that just suddenly stops working is the motor capacitor. Its an easy and cheap replacement part. a usual symptom if a capacitor going bad, is a garage door that starts to get slower to open. sometimes this gradual slowing happens at such a slow rate that most people don't start to notice until it finally stops working.
 The best place to find a capacitor for you particular opener is inline or at your local Garage door repair shop. I can bet the repair shop will charge you FULL RETAIL price. I can't promise you that's whats going on with your particular situation, but I can say that most our issues with a sudden stop of an opener has been the capacitor.
 I hope this helps. Good luck to you


Use a junction box anyway

The goal is to make the splices in dry space so they don't fail later.  The primary water-keeping-out strategy is to have the wires enter the bottom. Trying to watertight electrical boxes "like a boat" is generally a lost cause.

Go to a real electrical supply house.  Get

an outdoor junction box with 2 entries on one side, ideally 4" x4" so you have extra room to work.
A blank cover for the box
Two strain reliefs of the correct size  for the cables. They should not be watertight strain reliefs.  And
A few small (blue) wire nuts, ideally Ideal.  Don't over-buy the nuts, they have little use outside thermostat, doorbell and rewiring fluorescent lights.

The reason to use a proper electrical supply house is the lid will fit the box, and the strain reliefs will be the correct size and type.  Also it will take 3 minutes instead of an hour. And will be cheaper. And won't involve bad advice!

On the bench, plug and seal any holes not on the bottom with the supplied plugs and silicone. Strip wire ends.  Mount the box, fish the wires in with the strain reliefs, and make your splices.  Cover on, done!


How can I get stains out of a pine table?

Some background, there are two types of wood water stains. White rings and black marks. White rings form when the water has only made it into the finish, this is the "best" kind of stain to have. Black marks occur when the water has penetrated into the wood itself. This is slightly harder to fix and will ultimately require either sanding or covering it with a richer, darker stain, although sanding is the only sure-fire method.
There are some options that involve staining or not, I'll start with the least invasive.

White ring removal

Place a dry, clean white lint free shirt or bed sheet over the water stain and rub with an iron at medium setting for a few seconds, then lift the cloth and repeat until the stain is gone. You want to be rather brief in the application of the iron as not to further damage the table. You can use a hair drier too. This works very well on antiques with delicate finishes that you can't replace.
Apply lemon oil to fine steel wool, make sure it's fine, and gently buff the rings out.

Black mark removal

Stain the wood with a suitable, darker stain. This is a judgement call, if the black mark is very pronounced or covers a large area you are better off sanding. You can test this out because if this doesn't work, you are sanding anyway.
Sand the table down to the wood and begin bleaching. Use a brush and apply bleach to the black marks as best you can, let it sit for a few hours and reapply until the stain is gone. If normal bleach doesn't work get some commercial wood bleach. Follow the instructions but you should have two bottles as part of a kit. After application it should start bubbling. Before finishing and project and restaining, you MUST apply a mixture of 2 parts water and 1 part vinegar to the area you bleached to neutralize the bleach, then rinse with normal H20. This is to ensure a good surface to re-stain.


Can I use EP 80W/90 oil instead of EP90 oil in a Belle MiniMix 150 gearbox?

I just got this response from Belle.

  Yes you would be able to use EP80/90.   We recommend to change the oil
  every 6/12 months but this is dependant on use.


Adding a "C" wire for a wireless theromstat

Yes, you can definitely add a C wire.  How you do it, and how difficult it is completely depends on your equipment.


Why is my light connected between two red wires on a circuit with two switches?

It looks like a standard "power on the end, lamp in the middle" 3-way arrangement.  However (for whatever reason) they chose to make the travelers black and white on both segments.

Travelers can be quite a dog's breakfast, I've seen 3-way circuits where the travelers change colors on every segment.  Choosing the same colors thru makes some sense -- however white should not be one of the chosen colors.  though the far, far better way is to pick a colored tape color such as yellow, and mark both travelers yellow (they are interchangeable, they can be the same color).

That's because white is special in Code rules.  Colored wires (hots) cannot be remarked to be neutral.  But white wires can be remarked to be a hot wire. The last guy should've made red and black the travelers and tagged white with colored tape in the segment where it served as switched-hot.  That would've been reasonable.


Is TXV required when an appropriate piston/orifice is used?

I believe he used an orifice, the correct size orifice will function fine in the system but the txv may be able to increase the efficiency. An orifice just meters the flow of refrigerant, the txv actually regulates the flow or throttles the refrigerant to maintain a constant temp in the evaporator. Yes a larger evaporator is quite common you would never want a smaller one but larger will be fine as long as it is not icing up. I have done both and had both.
orifice controlled less possible failures as 1 less active component,
TXV slightly lower cost to run but usually cost more up front.
If you wanted the txv in the system we would recover the refrigerant into a tank that’s a bit bigger than any bags I have seen, remove the orifice install the txv place the control bulb on the return side of the evaporator solder back up pump down and recharge the system with the refrigerant that was removed. It can take the better part of a day and I usually use the orifice on low seer machines (below18) and would in this case because your coil is larger you may not recoup the extra cost.


Stove burner on indicator light still on?

Those lights are driven by thermostat switches in the glass top surface. Sometimes there is only one, sometimes there is one for each burner. You'll need to open the stove to figure out what kind you have, and then disconnect them one by one to figure out which one is stick. From there you should be able to order a replacement.


Why does water randomly come out of the kitchen tap every now and then

The seal in your faucet is failing, and water is building up very slowly. Surface tension keeps it in a shallow bubble until it finally flows out the horizontal faucet segment in a burst.

Disassemble your faucet and check for mineral deposits and other debris. Clean or replace the ceramic or rubber seals, and lubricate rubber seals with white grease.


Best way to install light switch inside the bathroom which is currently outside

I doubt your fan and light are on two separate breakers.  It's more likely you meant to say they're on two separate switches.

If they really are on two breakers, they must be controlled by two separate switches, or you might re-wire it to feed one of them from the others switch, which would essentially be moving that load to the other breaker, and may negate the need for one of those breakers.

As for how to do the work?

If the wall is clear and unobstructed on the opposite side of the wall where the current switch is, you may be able to remove the switch and protect the wiring, then very carefully destroy the box piece by piece, around the wiring using a drill and sawzall.

Then cut a hole on the opposite side of the wall lining up with where the original box was, and install an 'old work' box there, threading the wiring into it.

Then patch the hole where the switch used to be.

Reinstall the switch or switches that were in the box, and enjoy.


How do i run electrical cord or extension across my sidewalk

I can think of three options...

For a temporary solution, you could use a cord protector (those little plastic/rubber ramp things you see at carnivals and other outdoor events). Just put it on the sidewalk, and route you cables through it.

For a semi-permanent solution, you could install a conduit sleeve under the sidewalk.  Just make sure it's large enough to fit the cord ends through.

If you're looking for something more permanent.  You could install a permanent electrical circuit out to where you need it.  This will require trenching, conduit or underground feeder cable, weatherproof boxes, and GFCI protection.


How large an area is needed to make a paint sprayer worth it?

This is one of those questions that really doesn't have a good answer.  I will comment on a couple of aspects.

A good quality airless sprayer is expensive. Even a basic model can cost $300 or more. A good pro model is $500 plus.

The small paint in the head types are iffy at best and don't do a good job if tilted at any severe angle, like when doing ceilings.  They are also very loud, vibrate a lot in your hand and are fatiguing to use. They typically only hold a pint to a quart of paint.

A good high pressure airless sprayer takes paint directly from the can 1 or 5 gal, and has hoses, 25ft to 50ft to the spray head. They also have interchangeable nozzles for different types of paints and stains and to control spray width.

If you are only doing a few rooms, I doubt it would be worth the investment to purchase one.  You may consider renting if the job is large enough.

Keep in mind, even though you can spray out a room or even do a whole house very fast with a sprayer, you still should over brush or roll to get a good finish. It does take some practice to get the feel of using a sprayer. I use one often and absolutely love it. I always have a second person to over roll immediately while the paint or primer is wet. It is extremely effective shooting PVA primer on new sheetrock before trim and floor coverings are are installed.


How do I remove this type of screw/nail (Cadet Heater FWC wall can)

It is more than likely that those are large nails into the framing lumber to the side of the heater housing.

There would be a number of ways to remove those.

Use a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel to cut the head off the nail. Then you can use a nail set or punch to drive the remaining body of the nail further into the side stud to allow the housing to be removed.

Use a pry bar that has a nail puller slot. Pound that in under the nail head to get it to start coming out. It may be necessary to use a hammer and pound the metal near the nail head toward the side to free up just a little space under the nail head to let the pry bar get a bite.

A small to medium cold chisel and a sledge hammer can be used to chop the head off the nail. It is possible that the cold chisel may start to draw the nail out just enough that you could then remove it with the pry bar.

I am not promoting any particular brand of tools here. Just ones I've had good luck with working on this type of problem.


How often do septic tanks typically need to be pumped?

The pumping question depends on your local codes.  In our area, a brand new tank is good for 5 years before it needs to be pumped.  A non-new tank must be pumped every 3 years.  This is pretty typical.

I would say that tank monitoring will vary depending on your system.  A septic tank is a pretty simple system.  You have a primary tank (some call it a settling tank) that settles any solids out of the wastewater, and where most of your breakdown occurs (a well operating system will have natural occurring bacteria that do a good job of breaking down "solid" waste).  As an aside, this settled goo is the majority of what is pumped out when the pump guy comes.

Usually, there is a second tank that is gravity fed, where the now "grey water" flows.  From here, the grey water sits for a while (more breakdown occurs here) and it either feeds by gravity to a drain field, where it filters through the ground, or, it is pumped to a mound/elevated drain field.

In a simple non-pump system, you want to watch out for clogging in the outlets to the secondary tank and to the drain field.  This can be done pretty easily- when you have the manhole covers replaced, ask the guy doing the work for you to tell you how for down from the top of the manhole, the drain is.  Now, as often as you want, put a stick down the manhole, and see how deep the water is.  If the water is above the drain, you have a blockage, and it should be serviced.

If you have a system with a pump, I'd highly recommend getting an alarm if one isn't installed already.  The alarms will alert you if the level of the water goes above a specified height, which indicates a clogged pump or filter.

My recommendation would be to do your own monitoring (checking water level) as often as makes you comfortable, and have a scheduled service every 2-3 years.

More important than monitoring however, is making sure you are diligent with prevention.  Use as little toilet paper as is practical, and stay away from quilted TP.  Additionally, nothing but toilet waste, water, and TP should EVER go down your drains (the exception to this is if you have a food disposer, but even then, I'd use the disposal sparingly).  Also, try not to use too harsh of chemicals when doing cleaning of your sinks/toilets/showers, and NEVER use draino.. there are cleaning products that are septic friendly, and septic friendly drain de-cloggers.  Use them.  This keeps the bacterial ecosystem breaking down your waste, nice and happy, which is a good thing.


First of all, yes the condition is dangerous.  You have compromised the integrity of a part designed to protect you from smoke and toxic gasses that are released by combustion.  Released into a relatively confined spaces these bad gasses can accumulate and pose health hazards.  Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are your primary concerns here.

But you haven't put the people below you in any danger.  You've put yourself in danger.  The gasses will be releasing into your unit, not theirs.

Since this is an apartment you should first notify your landlord of the issue.  You will be responsible for the repairs, so you can offer to fix it yourself, but your landlord has the right to know of the damage and risk and you have a legal and ethical obligation to inform him.

For repairs, you'll need to open up the wall to get access to the flue.  Then you can patch the small hole with metal (MUST BE METAL) tape - this is available at most box stores and is specifically designed for sealing metal ductwork.


You could use remote controllabe switches, such as UPB, Insteon, or Z-Wave. (Check out: What are the pros and cons of different types of smart switches (that are on the US market) ? )

You can install one keypad in place of all 3 of those switches. The keypads can generally control one local load (although Simply Automated makes one that controls two loads). Since the other two are already 3-way switches, you can use the keypad to control those remotely.

The other two 3-way switches (that are not located in this box) get converted to single load smart switches, and are what actually control the load. By linking up the keypad to control the other two remote switches, you effectively get all three.

Examples using Simply Automated products:

At the two remote 3-way switches, replace each with a US11-40-W:

Replace your 3 switches with two blank faceplates:

and a single US2-40 with one of the many faceplate options, such as the ZS23:

You can also go much fancier, and have scene buttons that preset all 3 lights to various levels (or turn them all off), and so you could do something like the ZS260:

Using Insteon products, you replace the remote 3-way switches with 2477D:

and then put in a keypad 2487S:

I personally have Insteon stuff in my house now (including both products here) but I'm not a huge fan. It's very easy to program (you just hold down buttons on the keypads) but it's also very limiting in some cases, such as not being able to have a scene that turns some lights on, but others off (you can have it turn different lights on to different levels, but 0% doesn't work).

I have not yet used SimplyAutomated's stuff (other than trying out the PC-based programming app) but it looks much much more powerful. They have better keypad hardware/options, WAY more control options (such as what happens on one press vs double-press vs triple-press vs hold), but it also looks a bit more complicated to set up, and requires a PC and PC<->UPB interface.


You really want to hire an expert. A house is probably the most expensive thing you will ever own; don't risk it if there is any doubt.

Usually, walls which run perpendicular to floor joists are assumed to be  load bearing until proven otherwise. That doesn't mean walls along floor joists are  not load bearing, but it's much less likely.

In older houses, walls may be carrying structural load even when they were not originally intended to, due to subsidence or past modifications.

Note that even load bearing walls can be opened up, by putting in a beam to take up the load and columns to transfer that load to adequate supporting points. Did that in my place, opening a 10-foot-wide passageway.  But that really calls for an engineer to determine what will have to replace the wall, and involves building a temporary wall alongside it to take the weight during this process.... In my case the final result needed a double Paralam beam across the opening (equivalent to a hardwood 12x4 beam?), similar manufactured-lumber columns from that down to foundation and joist, and we had to sister that joist with a steel C-beam in the basement to help transfer load to the foundation and main beam. Definitely not something to attempt without expert on-site advice.


Why would a microwave make sounds like this?

That's a plasma arc sound.
Clean the interior of the oven thoroughly
Remove the cardboard, paper or mica cover over the hole that the microwaves pass into the oven, and clean in there too. Clean that little cover itself.
Turn the over on and look for light sources inside, other than the lightbulb. Those are likely balls of glowing plasma. Clean around them til the sound and light goes away.
If you can't find the source, it's best to buy a new oven. You're not getting the wattage the oven is rated for anymore, and balls of microwave plasma are capable of melting steel.

A good, thorough cleaning can often fix this problem.


Electrically, you can go either way

Attaching to the push connector or attaching to the backstabs or screws is 3 of one, half dozen of the other.

I mean, backstabs (and push connectors) are known to be unreliable, so you take your chances of having an hours-long, frustrating bug hunt.  Screws are more reliable, but you must torque them adequately.

A better option might be to switch to a screw-and-clamp type receptacle, which can support 4 wires in special grooves under its screws (2 per screw).  Assuming Code allows this; the choice of push connector for 2 wires is an odd one since there are already 2 receptacle backstabs.  I suspect there may be a local amendment that requires the push connectors and pigtailing.

Cablewise is a different problem

This appears to be modern construction using steel sheathed AC cable instead of non-metallic.  Note how there are no grounds in the box; those are on the AC cable and secured by the AC cable's clamps.

Nobody uses AC cable instead of Romex for no reason.  This is certainly due to a local amendment requiring it.  This means you also need to use AC cable or proper EMT conduit.

The problem is your cable needs to go upward.  The two upward holes in the junction box are already occupied.  This means you will have to come into the bottom and go upward, or relocate one of the existing cables to side or bottom if possible.


How do I wire a modern wall sconce to a power source with 6 wires?

If the previous light was functioning properly and the new light is wired exactly the same and functioning properly, there should be no issues here.

Smells hot could be any number of things or absolutely nothing at all. Usually feels hot is where problems occur (and not feels-hot because of heat generated by the light bulb(s)).

Black/red/white wired in this manner sounds like a multiwire branch circuit in which they have wired your sconce lighting from one of the hot legs (the red). Assuming the proper breaker is being used, this is a completely safe wiring method.


Is gravel and sand a suitable base for concrete pavers?

3"-4" of compacted base rock, then an inch of compacted and screened concrete sand on top of that and your good to go. Brush in some polymeric sand in the joints when y9ur done


I have 5 regular receptacles outside with one GFCIS on same circuit is this legal?

Is there a sticker at each of the outside outlets saying GFCI Protected?

If not, this is a code violation.  Raise an objection to the builder / seller / warranty company.  They need to put the stickers on if they are protected, or fit a GFCI device somewhere if they are not.

Hopefully the GFCI device will be sited indoors - it will last a lot longer there.


Can I run a bathroom fan and a bathroom light off 14 amp twin and earth

Yes a fan is usually a very light load there is nothing wrong with them being on the same switch.

My jurisdiction requires the fan to run after the light is turned off (or motion ceases) for up to 15 minutes. But prior to this it was quite common to have them on the same switch.


Issues with removing a cartridge from a faucet

That chrome piece with the hex shape on top is definitely a retainer cap which needs to be unscrewed to access the valve/cartridge unit under it. You will need a bigger/better wrench perhaps. I always start by soaking stuck parts with penetrating lube/oil for a while (I use Liquid Wrench but there are a bunch of products out there.
There are specialized plumbing sockets that might allow you to get more leverage on that thin hexed part, like this:


Will removing supporting cabinets cause table top to fall?

No way to tell if the top would fall without knowing how it was fastened to the wall. You're right that if you add the vinyl and then try to slide the cabinets back in, assuming the top didn't fall, they won't fit. If you tried to force them in, you'd damage the vinyl. You could get a belt sander and remove some material from the bottom of the cabinet.
Personally, I think your best bet would be to remove the tops and take your time and do the job. Reinstall the cabinets on the vinyl and then install the top, secure and caulk the sides. good luck and stay safe out there.


running a non-potable exterior water line

My immediate thought is PVC expands quite a bit. If it is exposed to the sun check to make sure it has room to expand without binding.

Also the UV from the sun will damage the pipe over the years. You may want to paint it or somehow protect it.


Drilling a 1-1/8" hole in plastic with a Dremel

While this can be done with a Dremel (I've done it), you'll get a much better result picking up a paddle bit or hole saw and a hand drill. If the exactness of 1.125" is not particularly required, you can go with the dremel, but if you need exactly that hole size (say, you're trying to minimize possible air leaks in something) I'd say you need a drill.

Edit: I just realized you're using a dremel on plastic -- This will lead to bits of high static plastic everywhere. In addition to that, whatever you cut will not have clean cuts, there will be melted plastic all the way around the edge. I won't say this isn't an irreparable situation, but getting a drill probably is your best bet.

Aside from that, almost any home based project will be 100x easier with a drill. It's one of the few tools even the least DIY people should have around the house.


When GFCI trips, metal enclosure becomes energized

It appears that your metal box isn't grounded and you have a bad connection hitting the box. Boxes aren't grounded to outlets, outlets are connected to grounded boxes. Also, GFCI's don't need a ground to test and reset. Remove the outlet and verify that the box, is in fact, grounded, then check your connections.


Does the protected device connect to top, or bottom of the MCB?

Either way around

If the circuit breaker is not marked otherwise, it should be suitable for installation in either configuration -- AFAICT without access to the IEC standards, IEC breakers (MCBs) are just like their UL compatriots in this regard.


Check that the cooling coils are clean and dust free. vacuum if needed. If the coils are dirty and unable to release heat it may make the compressor over heat. Or if it has a reset switch the power will be cut out before it reaches critical temperature.


Paint will not fill the depression or smooth out the transition. I recommend filling the depression with joint compound, no tape needed. It may take a few passes to fill it nicely, but with thin layers it will not take too long before you can apply additional coats of compound. You probably do not need to fill the entire depression, just feather the transition out. Stop when it looks good to you.
Sanding the paint edge lightly first will help you blend the two together. If you find the paint edge is flaking off the wall, scrape upward with a putty knife until you reach an area that is secure. Otherwise it may just separate on you later, undoing your repair job.
Finally, you may want to prime over the joint compound before repainting, especially if you want to try to get the match with the old area good in one coat.


Are "terminal block" style junction boxes allowed in the US?

I'm pretty darn sure the answer is "no"

Non-metallic boxes, as well as oddly shaped/sized metal boxes, in the US are required to be permanently marked (labeled) with their "official" volume in cubic inches so that the correct box fill calculations can be run for them.  This is Codified in NEC 314.16(A)(2):

  (2) Other Boxes. Boxes 1650 cm³ (100 in.³) or less, other
  than those described in Table 314.16(A), and nonmetallic
  boxes shall be durably and legibly marked by the manufacturer
  with their volume(s). Boxes described in Table 314.16(A) that
  have a volume larger than is designated in the table shall be
  permitted to have their volume marked as required by this
  section.

I seriously doubt that IEC-style splicing boxes would carry such a volume marking, rendering them unusable in the US then and there. Furthermore, the size of that box is similar to a North American pancake box, which lacks the volume needed for tapping even a 14AWG NM cable, by Code. (At most, you can splice two 14/2 cables together in a pancake box, or use that style of box in its normal habitat, namely hosting a dead-end light fixture.)

As a result of this, I seriously doubt these are at all usable in the US, and that's before you get to the fact that the one you've linked is likely cheap Cheese-pipeline garbage that's not even suitable for use in a UK installation.


Is it possible to use Double pole 30amp breaker switch as a single pole 30amp breaker

Yes. A double pole is just 2 breakers together so that it should never be switched on only one side, but if you connect your wire to just 1 side then only 1 line is being controlled by the breaker.


Fixture Pan for 3/8 drywall - do they exist?

If it's a non-loadbearing wall, you can safely drill 1/4 inch deeper into the stud and then chisel out in-between.

Pancake boxes are already at a minimum size for connections, a 3/8 box couldn't be rated for connections by the NEC.  Each connection needs 2 cubic inches of volume ( 1 cu-in per wire), so the 4inch diameter by 1/2 inch pancake box is rated at 6 cu-in, just enough for one 14/2 wire.  12/2 or a splice would not be permitted in that box.


What kind of connector is this and where do I find it?

Those look to me like male "flag" terminals, so maybe one just uses single wires with female flag terminals.  For example:

http://www.allelectronics.com/item/6225/1/4-fully-insulated-female-blue/1.html


Option one - toss enough mortar or hydrualic cement in the hole to fill up the core. Tedious, and annoying, but it works.
However, option 2 also works and takes a lot less material. Cut 4 strips of wire mesh or stiff screen about as wide as the widest part of the hole but longer than the hole. Tie long wires to the middle of these in pairs, arranged so that when pulled tight each pair of strips is at angles to each other. i.e. they make an X
Slack off the wires so the strips can be stacked on top of each other and slid through the hole while holding the wires. Once the strips are all the way in, pull the wires tight and tie to something outside the wall. Pack in some hydraulic cement or mortar and wait. Once that has set, you can cut off the wires and finish patching the hole. Do this from both sides (which is why you made 4 strips in sets of 2 - one set for each side.)


At what temperature will it be better to close the windows than to open them (if you want to keep your home cool in the heat)?

Whenever it's cooler outside than it is inside.  But you have to factor into the equation the humidity, breeze, impact of sunlight since you can't keep the blinds down, etc.  And if you open the windows, the humidity that enters the home takes time to be removed by the AC.

Personally, I wait until the outside high temp is about 5F above my target temp, and the lows are much lower.  Then I open the windows at night, and close the windows and blinds during the afternoon if it's getting hot out.  I also only bother opening a handful of windows, on each side of the house for the breeze, and high and low for the chimney effect.


Tiling over latex paint that has water proofing membrane

I have applied thinset over paint many many times.  I mean they have waterproofing paint (redgard) now and you thinset over that.   Now the question is did the paint cure and does it have a good bond to the surface?  If you don't know that then mix a little thinset, put up one tile (where you will eventually want it), and test it out.  If it is solid the next day then you are good to go.


Where to get anti slip treads for walkways?

Try:

DW Dots
dwdots.com

uline.com

Armor-Tile Tactile Systems
armor-tile.com

I'm not sure if they are considered "slip resistant ". I think they're primarily used for ADA tactile surface for the blind.


Replace a dimmer switch with a regular light switch

Why would you replace a single pole dimmer with a 3-way switch?? I pity the next person who tries to figure out what the heck is going on with this.

Correct replacement would have been - leave the wires that are connected to each other connected to each other. Remove dimmer with one in, one out - replace with switch with one in, one out, connecting wall wires just as they were connected to the dimmer.


How messed up are these window installs and do I need to fix them?

There are a lot of problems with that install.  But I do know that you do NOT want to nail the window frame to the rough opening on the sides.  The flanges that are nailed to the sheathing provide all of the support.  Usually there are shims underneath the window at the bottom to 1) bring the window up to the right height in the opening and 2) ensure that the bottom of the window is horizontal.  I used these windows myself.
Note that most of the movement you noticed would be prevented when the inside trim is installed, which would tie the inside of the window to the walls.
EDIT 1 - Other Shortcomings
A header, of the appropriate size for the opening, is definitely needed if the the wall is load bearing,  Even if that's not the case, I would frame the window with a minimum header just to strengthen the opening.  I notice that there is a header of sorts - two 2x4s laid on their sides. I have to defer to those with more experience as to whether this meets my "minimum header" need.
I would also have done the standard king-jack stub framing for the window.
There definitely should be flashing at the bottom of the rough opening, the sides, and the top of the outside of the window.  The Anderson installation instructions provide details on this, and there are lots of on-line resources you can consult also.
Finally, 20 years is not a very long time for a window.  I still have 65 year old original windows in parts of my house, and many historic structures have windows going back hundreds of years.
EDIT 2 - Added picture
Here's a picture with the low-expansion rate foam used.


wall outlet when bottom is tiled and top is drywall

There are only three options:

Move the light switch.
Install the tile differently.
Live with it.

The first and second options require additional tile work and possibly work to the gypsum board and the electrical system.


Use a sump pump for a low spot on driveway during El Nino?

A sump pump normally runs only when there's enough water to lift a float switch, meaning at least several inches. The sump is then allowed to fill until it hits that depth again, at which point the cycle repeats.

If the low area is only 2 inches deep, a better solution might be to fill it in. Or fill in enough that you can walk past it and not worry about the rest.


So in the breaker box, you have black, red and ground but in the outlet box you have black, white and ground.

Odds are that you have a junction box somewhere where the red wire is connected to the white wire. Since you capped the red wire in the breaker box, the white wire is not connected, just floating.

I’m also assuming you checked the voltages with a digital voltmeter. In this case, you’re seeing a phantom voltage, induced from other wires. The voltmeter provides very little load.

To test this, plug an outlet tester into the outlet, it should show “open neutral”. You can also measure the voltage with the tester plugged in. You should now see 120 volts (or nearly that) on the white, conducted through the tester.

Assuming all of that proves true, you need to land the red wire onto the neutral bus in the breaker box. I’d also suggest marking the end of the red wire as white, either with paint or tape.


In a cool damp climate, should I use hardwood or synthetic decking material for a deck that will be near a large tree?

EDIT

IPE is very very nice and really good material. As to your concern of slipping then using an anti slip decking oil will be most effective.   Be sure to look at DD5/DD6 Anti-slip specially designed for this use.
And protects from mould and algae

Sealed IPE

Please take a look at this post, maybe it could help you too.

How can I improve traction on an outdoor plywood ramp?

It is a bit of a shame putting anti slip strips that could ruin the look- but maybe wisely choosing areas for some strips is a good idea.

There are other solutions specially made for decks.

You can get these fancy strips that will plug into these pre made deck planks

You can also get various sizes and colours of antislip tack strips that you attach to any sort of decking plank

Also you can take a look at this alternative. It could be difficult to clean though. But if you deck has enough space for leaves and bit to fall through it- it might be goood

http://www.tacttiles.com/anti-slip/f3


Better way to fit wires in electrical boxes?

You can ever so gently stuff them in, but there really isn't all too much that you can do - about the same with any wiring.

The 'technique' that I learned is to push one side in first, getting the majority of it in there, and then roll the device onto/into the box to push the rest in.

Just tighten the screws good enough and you'll have no problems.


Inspection cameras often incorporate a transmitter which allows you to pinpoint the camera's position with a separate sensor. The typical use case would be locating a defect under a slab or in the ground so you know where to excavate, but there's nothing to prevent you from running the camera down the waste pipe and locating it in the wall that way.

Of course you can often save the rental cost by measuring from known points, educated guesses based on the structure, or listening for a snake banging around in the pipe.


Need help choosing correct wire to a detached garage

In the current era, for a garage you had better plan a feed that can support EV charging, at least, even if you don't currently plan to do that. You've provided no load information, so picking a wire size is speculative at best.

4 wire is required, barring some exceptions that are unlikely to come into play economically at this distance (such as using transformers for longer distances, but they would not be cost-effective at this distance .vs. larger wire.)

Use conduit (trenches are expensive, conduit is cheap) and put in at least one spare conduit for communications circuits, since (trenches are expensive, conduit is cheap.)

Use a large panel with many spaces - the amp rating of the panel is mostly irrelevant (you can have a 200A main breaker panel and feed it with a 50A breaker - the 200A main is just serving as the required switch in that case.)


Grinding wheels and buffing/polishing wheels you buy at the home improvement store have different max Surface Feet Per Minute needs.   For buffing you generally need to get it up to 7500 SFPM otherwise you are going to be standing there all day long.  Grinding wheels on the other hand generally require a lot slower speeds for many applications.  For example if all you are doing is knocking a burr off a bolt you can use a coarse wheel at the highest speed no problem.  If however you are using a fine grained grinding wheel to surface finish and add luster then you want to run it a lot slower.  Wire wheeling (generally used for rust removal) is also safer at slower speeds as cheap wire wheels tend to throw wires at higher speeds.
Buffing and wire brushing also often requires the entire wheel to be exposed while it is dangerous to fully expose grinding wheels and stand in the plane of the wheel since if the wheel fragments at high speed you may be seriously injured.
I have noticed for example the trend at the Cheap Chinese Tool sellers to reduce inventory and stock of larger grinders in favor of smaller lower priced grinders.  This is because the average casual tool user sees the RPM figure on the small grinder and thinks that's all that matters  The CCT on the other hand is more worried about an idiot buying a big hefty motor and attaching a large abrasive wheel to it and having it frag him.   These smaller grinders the CCT's sell are generally terribly slow and inefficient to use due to their safer and lower SFPM speeds but it's very difficult to exceed maximum safe SFPM speeds with them by the backyard mekanik crowd (who probably isn't even wearing safety glasses much less a face shield...)


Which wire do I attach to what when installing a light fixture?

One hot yellow wire

Your wiring is likely in conduit, hence the yellow hot wire.  Turn the circuit off at the breaker, then connect yellow to both blacks, white to both whites, and green to the bare ground.  Button things back up, turn the breaker back on, and enjoy your new light fixture!


Water heater pilot light always goes out during the night

The problem ended up being my gas supply. I was sure the thermocouple was installed properly and the whole assembly was cleaned properly as well. The other thing being that the pilot would always go out in the morning and would be fine during the day was another reason.

I called my gas distributor and they sent out some guys to pump the water and condensation out of the gas pipe entering my property. Unfortunately, I live in an area where they still use low-pressure gas which are susceptible to condensation. A lot of pipes are also very old, and have small leaks and cracks, enabling water to enter.

After the water was pumped out, my pilots have been rock solid ever since. They are going to upgrade our area to high pressure soon, so hopefully this should not be a problem for long.


Can a dryer receptacle be wired without a neutral?

Here is a highlighted image of a random electric dryer schematic.

Click for larger view
Notice that all the control circuits are 120V components, and that basically only the heater is 240V.  Extending this image further, we can see how the dryer connects to a 120/240V split-phase system using a 3 wire cord.

Click for larger view
Due to the nature of the 120/240V split-phase system, the grounded (neutral) and grounding conductors in a dedicated single appliance circuit are basically the same. The dryer will work just fine whether the N terminal is connected to a grounded (neutral) conductor, or a grounding conductor.  However, connecting a NEMA 14-30R device in this way is nonstandard, and a code violation.

NEMA 14-30R
In the case of a three wire circuit, a NEMA 10-30R device should be installed.

NEMA 10-30R
When the wiring is connected to the proper device, the third wire in the cable becomes a grounded (neutral) conductor, and the code may be satisfied.
If you read point number three of the exception to section 250.140 of the National Electrical Code, you'll find that the neutral must be either insulated, or part of a Type SE cable.  If this is not the case, your installation may still be a code violation.
An uninsulated, normally current carrying conductor running through your walls is typically a bad thing.  Which is why this code exception is only valid, if the conductor is insulated.

tl;dr
Connecting a dryer in this way will work, but is a potentially dangerous code violation (according to the National Electrical Code).
If the receptacle is not of the self-contained variety, and is not in a box. That is defiantly a code violation (NEC 2011 406.5).

Extra Information:
If a proper 4 wire cable existed, the schematic from above would look something like this...

Click for larger view

If I've missed anything, or haven't explained something properly. Feel free to ask additional questions, or point out mistakes in the comments below.


The main water line will go in the house far enough to get a good spot to tie in a water conditioner. I had mine in the crawlspace, it was 3' tall and I dug it into the dirt to get the height needed to fill and maintain it, also to protect it from freezing (Maryland at the time). Since I did not want it in the living space taking up room, that is why the crawlspace. Most conditioners are placed in the living space perhaps the laundry room, or at least the garage, depending where the water main is accessible. Any competent installer can run the pipe where it is needed to install the system.

My suggestion is to get or try another installer. Always good to get more than one estimate. My conditioner was for the whole house, not for just the cold or hot. I did not have the outside hose bibs tied to it, no need for that.


What is the best tool/method for vine removal?

In addition to the normal tools like pruners, hedge shears, etc., my tools for controlling unruly vegetation include:

pruning saw (look for one that cuts on both push and pull strokes):

bypass lopper (much more leverage than a regular pruner):

tree pruner (no more climbing on a ladder to get at high branches!):

In your situation, I would start by using these tools to cut back all the vines close to the ground.  Dig as much of the roots out as possible, then keep an eye on the area for new shoots and dig them out (or spray them with weedkiller) as they pop up.  Eventually you'll get rid of them, though it may take persistence on your part.


Does water based polyurethane affect the color of paint?

You should give those last two coats of paint a good long while to see if it will get less tacky and "cure".

If it stays tacky I would not try to fix it by trying to plaster an incompatible product like polyurethane on top of the latex paint. This would be an especially big issue if the base paint was not fully cured and dried. In this case the best order of business is probably to buy a gallon or two of paint stripper and remove all the paint on that item and start over with the color that you want.

Note: Also be aware that when you had the paint store remix your paint color it is possible that the amount of colorant that was added exceeded the manufacturer recommended amount of colorant volume per gallon and that changed the characteristics of your paint.


How can I stop my doors from leaking at each corner?

Usually†, an external door has a weatherboard with a drip-channel and a sealing system. I'd check that this is intact. On a badly fitted door, the door can sag and cause the flexible sealing strips to be torn off.

There's usually also a sealing strip in the frame at sides and top, but this is mostly for draughtproofing.

If water is pooling outside during heavy rain, I'd install better drainage. Normal doors are not an effective flood barrier.

† in the UK. Doors differ elsewhere.


How do I wire a switch/receptacle combination?

Yes, that is correct.

Another alternative is to disconnect the existing supply, and run a new line to the switch/receptacle. It really just depends on which line is easier to run.

(Note, I just copied the original image, but didn't erase the ground. The ground should be connected to the box and the ground nut on the receptacle, and switch if it has one. At no point here should the ground be connected to neutral, or anything but a box or a ground screw. Thanks @Skaperen)

You should disconnect the other wire though, at both ends, and connect the conductors together so if anyone mistakenly energizes that line in the future, it will blow the breaker.


You could put a few layers of cement board on the back side of the plywood.

I would use two layers of 1/2 inch cement backer board and use outdoor grade construction adhesive in conjunction with screws.

Start with one layer and see how it sounds.


What can cause a sink's pivot rod connector to leak water?

what might the cause be?

The connector isn't tight, so the pivot assembly is loose, so water can work past the seals.
It was assembled with dirt in the seals
A seal has failed or is damaged
Something else.

  Can water still be reaching the pivot rod itself?

Yes.

I would disassemble, clean and inspect. replace any worn or damaged parts - especially rubber/plastic seals around or in the pivot assembly. Reassemble and test.

Example from Grohe:

8.4 45265 Nut and bushings


How do I use a Stanley IntelliSensor to locate the joists/crosspieces in my ceiling?

From the Stanley IntelliSensor™ Stud Sensor instruction manual.

  Calibration:

  Hold the IntelliSensor™ Stud Sensor flat against the surface, making firm contact.
  Locate the activation switch on the right-hand side of the unit – press and hold in. The red LEDs will briefly flash and the green LED “Power” light will go on and remain on. Keep holding the activation switch during all of the following procedures.

  Note: While calibrating, the IntelliSensor™ Stud Sensor must not be placed directly over a stud, dense material such as metal, or over a wet or newly painted area, or it will not properly calibrate. Move to a different location and try again

  Usage:

  Slide the IntelliSensor™ unit slowly across the surface in a straight line.
  As it moves  closer to the stud, red LEDs will go on. When it detects the stud edge, the top LED will go on and an audio tone will sound.

  Use the handy pencil hole marker on the IntelliSensor™ unit to mark the stud edge.
  Double check stud location by coming from  the opposite direction. Make additional markings.  The midpoint of the two marks indicates the stud center.

  Cautions on Operating:

  The proximity of electrical wiring or pipes to the surface of the wall may cause the IntelliSensor™ unit to detect them as studs. You should always use caution when nailing, cutting or drilling in walls, ceilings and floors that may contain these items. Always remember that studs or joists are normally spaced 16 inches or 24 inches apart  and are 1-1/2 inches in width. To avoid surprises  be aware that anything closer together or of a  different width may not be a stud, joist or fire break.

  Surface Differences

  Wallpaper

  There will be no difference in the function of the IntelliSensor™ Stud Sensor on  surfaces covered with wallpaper or fabric unless the coverings used contain metallic foil or fibers.

  Plaster and Lath

  Unless lath and plaster  construction is excessively thick, there will  be no problem with proper functioning of the IntelliSensor™ unit.

  Ceilings

  When dealing with a rough surface such as a sprayed ceiling, utilize a piece  of cardboard when scanning the surface.  Run through the calibration technique described earlier with the piece of cardboard too, to assure best performance of the unit. Also, it is particularly important in this application to remember to keep your free hand away from the unit.

  Specifications

  Utilizing the procedure of scanning and marking from two sides, the IntelliSensor™ unit will find  the stud center within 1/8" accuracy for wood and 1/4" accuracy for metal.

  When measuring a wood stud under 3/4" drywall, it is recommended the IntelliSensorTM to be used at 35-55% relative humidity.


What is the best way to paint an asbestos tile floor?

Having worked on quite a few older homes after the asbestos information came to the surface we used slightly thinned oil base paint to encapsulate it that was recommended so the paint would soak in and seal it better, when latex was later approved to tell the truth I did not think it covered as well thinned or not but it will cover and encapsulate the tiles. The issue is if the tiles get skuffed some asbestos fibers can be released. I am not sure if anything other than a hard epoxy paint on a floor can really seal it to prevent any problems, next think of all the employees that worked in the many industries that produced asbestos products that are just fine or passed from natural causes. I would never put my family at risk but think anything that encapsulates the tiles will work, if that coating is eroded from use a new coating will be needed to be 100% safe. I believe there is a bit of hype but why take a chance. Use a good quality oil based or latex floor paint and sleep well.


Can I funnel the output of a portable air conditioner to direct it?

The manufacturer would clearly say no! His blower is designed to deliver air into an unobstructed space. The squirrel cage blower wheel in the standard furnace is designed altogether differently. It is designed to push against back pressure. The blower in this type of unit is not designed to do that.

Additionally, you will knock all of the design parameters out of wack.  You could dramatically shorten the life of the compressor. You will definitely loose all of your warrantee coverage.

An accepted solution would be a through-the-wall fan to move the cooling to another room, preferably placed lower on the wall. Or use a breeze box set in the discharge path of this unit, not too close, to augment air flow to the immediate area.


Is it just a shower or is it a shower / tub?

The water drains back out of a shower / tub combo stand pipe. So it would not need to be pitched for drainage.

A shower-only stand pipe will hold the water all the way up to first 90° even if it is pitched. You could add a drain valve / foot washing valve down below but you will always have to remember to drain the stand pipe after each use.

An alternative is to install a rain head shower that is entirely contained within the shower.

On the down side, these normally need the hot and cold feeds to be roughed in exactly the right distance apart and then they are surface mounted. So you would need to tear off the front wall of the shower to re do the feed pipes.

On the plus side, you would not have to go up into the attic to work and will never have to worry about it freezing.

Good luck!


Since the shower head is above the top of the tub, while the tub spout is below the top of the tub, it makes sense that a leak between the surround wall and bathtub only happens when the shower is running and not when the tub is filling.

It sounds like the caulk in that area is either failing or has failed completely. You'll probably want to remove the tub surround and pull out the damaged drywall again. It's also possible that there is a crack in the tub surround itself, so while you've got that pulled out, you may want to inspect that for damage and replace it as necessary - I'm not sure that you could effect a good repair on it, though someone may offer some tips for doing so.

When you reinstall, use cement backer board (one description) instead of standard drywall as this is designed for wet areas. It may not be fun, but I'd suggest replacing all the drywall behind the surround with cement board instead of just the one little spot. In the long run, this will be a better option and future you will thank current you for saving future time.

Once the cement board is up, reinstall the surround then caulk with a good quality, waterproof caulk. Make sure you do a good job of it, not leaving any gaps and doing everything you can to avoid leaving voids where water could puddle.


Your light switches are electrically upside down and backwards

Whoever wired your house clearly hadn't read, or decided to utterly ignore, NEC 404.2(B):

  (B) Grounded Conductors. Switches or circuit breakers shall
  not disconnect the grounded conductor of a circuit.

As a result, you (or a friendly electrician, if you don't feel comfortable taking on a job this repetitive/long-winded yourself) need to switch things around so that the switches in your house have one screw pigtailed to the incoming always-hot black wire and the other screw connected to an outgoing black wire, with the white neutral wires all nutted together in the box, and the grounds all nutted together and pigtailed to all the switches. (If you run into a switch with more than 2 non-bare wires hooked to it, or with a white and a non-white/non-bare wire connected to it, stop and either consult an electrician or post a further question here, as that's a sign you either have a multi-way switch or a switch loop in play, which complicates things.)

What are the consequences?

While switching the neutral seems to work, as you have noticed by the fact all your lights seem to work fine, it's prohibited by the NEC due to the hazard it poses to clumsy lightbulb changers.  You see, on an Edison (screw) base lamp socket, the "button" in the base is connected to the hot, and the screw-shell is connected to the neutral.  This way, you won't get "bit" if you are trying to unscrew a bulb and accidentally make contact with the threaded metal part as you are doing so.  However, it's possible for a bulb to bottom out in the socket with threads still exposed, so if you grab the bulb and get a finger on the threaded metal part, it's possible to get zapped through the bulb.  Normally, this is only a hazard if the switch is on, and changing lightbulbs with the light switch on is a problem for several reasons, so it's normal common sense that one turns the light off before changing the bulb, no?

Well....bzzt!  The wiring error in your house, with the neutrals to your lights switched, defeats that precaution, leaving the lightbulb and socket "live" and capable of shocking you, despite the switch being off!  This is why switching the neutral has been prohibited by NEC 404.2(A) and (B) since the 1920s(!): it poses a clear shock hazard to anyone trying to use the switch as a disconnecting means to safely service a light fixture, or worse yet, a wired-in switched appliance!

How to figure out which wire is hot (for future reference)

The way a box like the first one can be decoded is using a multimeter; find whichever cable feeds the most switches with one of its wires, then take voltage measurements across all the wires in the cable.  In a /2 cable like the OP's, one wire will measure ~120VAC to the other wires: this is the hot.  We can then presume that the bare/green wire is a ground, and assume the other insulated wire is the neutral; checking to see if a ground actually is grounded is harder to do, though.


What is the difference between EU and US radiators?

Honeywell does not provide a ton of info, but from the installation manual it would appear that evoHome is assuming each room has its own feed and return pipe, and in addition has its own local valve.  You're unlikely to find such a system in the USA -- and in fact I'm kind of amazed that UK homes commonly have such a layout.  USA systems typically have one to 3 or 4 zones in the house, and all zone valves are near the boiler.  A given zone will heat a few rooms with a single pipe loop, so you can't control on a by-room basis.

My impression is that this system is much more useful in a multi-office business space, as it allows centralized control of the existing valves in each office space.


How to remove glass from old door and replace it with wood?

What is the best way to remove the glass?

It looks like the glass is held in by 1/4-round wood molding, so I would do this:

score the paint around the molding with a knife, both where it meets the glass and where it meets the door rabbet/rebate
use a variety of small tools (e.g. small prybar, cat's paw, hammer, putty knife, etc.) to remove all molding around the glass
carefully look for and pull any glass retaining clips (if any) around the perimeter of the glass, and any glazing putty that may be there (typically the glass pane would be bedded in putty prior to installation of the molding)
remove glass pane carefully
thoroughly clean and prep the rabbet/rebate to prepare it for wood panel install

how should i replace the holes with wood?

cut a piece of "A" grade exterior 3/8" plywood to size
install in a similar fashion to how the glass was installed but no putty required and use brand new paint-grade 1/4-round molding that fits the reveal left after the plywood is inserted


What timber to use for formwork or shuttering concrete base

Pine, sawn untreated.

Pine - most typical for structure civil works, doesn't need to have some better grades or something. It's just for formwork after all...

Sawn untreated - concrete doesn't care, so You shouldn't also. These planks will serve as another formwork or to feed some furnace.


Can Smart Switches work with Smart Bulbs?

You still have to comply with Building Codes

The Building Codes are crystal clear: There must be a physical switch, in a quasi-standard location (you can walk into any room anywhere and your hand knows the 2-3 places to grope for a switch).  The switch must be accessible by people who aren't you, and the switch must operate a light that works.  That includes guests and first responders.

Of late, the recent trend is for people to get so excited about these smart dingbats that they forget to make their house accessible to anyone else.   You can do that to your heart's content with auxiliary lighting; and you can make this auxiliary lighting your personal primary lighting. However the actual primary light - the one on the obvious switch - has to work everytime.  Not turn it on and find somebody's set it to 5% brightness on their phone.
Nothing says you need to use this primary lighting, ever; in my family we never use it. As long as the primary light works for a visitor.

I'm sure you've also gone into restaurant bathrooms to find the room pitch black, and to find some sort of smart device on the wall that you have to futz with, typically a defunct motion sensor with a hard on/off button as backup. That's another example of what not to do.

In the family

So, this narrows you to combinations of smart bulbs and smart switches that are "in the family": that can talk to each other.  The smart switch needs to be able to override whatever you did with your phone, and make the light white and bright based on ignorant groping by an inexperienced user with gloved hand, as you would expect from a fireman trying to see if the room is evacuated.

Now, obviously there's a stupid way to hook up a smart switch with a smart bulb. If the smart switch severs power to the smart bulb, then the bulb becomes uncontrollable because it has no power. Only one device can actually control a bulb; all other devices must ask its permission.  This is why the switch needs to be able to talk to the bulb.  You might rewire the switch so the bulb is on 24x7 and the switch taps the power it needs to be online.


The air piston on the closer has an adjustment screw on the end of it.

If you tighten it (or turn it clockwise) the door closes slower. Loosening the screw causes it to close faster.

Also, check to make sure the prop clip on the rod is slid back as far as it will go.

Good,luck!


How can I get a stain to match on two different species of wood?

The finish color is dependent on two things...the stain, and the substrate (well, and some other variables as well...such as application method, length of time before you wipe it, how many coats, etc.). You can't use one stain on two substrates and expect a match anymore than you would expect finding a match with two different stains on one piece of wood.

So, I think the best you can do is stain one using the stain you want, then get scrap wood of the other material and start a trial-and-error process looking for a stain that will result in the match you want.

Alternatively, use the same species of wood for both parts, or consider going for a purposeful contrast between the two woods.


How should I cover an empty space between a fence post and a garage wall?

Rip a 45 degree notch down the center of a post (4 x 4 x hgt of gate) and install into a post anchor bracket and than afix to the brick mortar joints with TapCon screws. Or TapCon a 2 x 4 to one edge of the corner and cap the edge with another 2 x 4 on the other corner edge. If you can dig a hole sink a metal or wooden post and attach a fence board to it. Pour a cement footing and build a brick pillar with those left over half bricks. Attach a dog-eared fence board to the edge of the gate. Or install 2 angle brackets, bent to 22.5 degrees, to the mortar joints of the brick wall (with TapCons) and attach fence board to the bracket. Or pour a footing and install concrete block on edge, wrap extruded metal lathing around it, and trowel on a stucco finish.


What do the letters mean in sandpaper grading?

According to this site:

  The weight of the backing is usually designated by a letter. For paper backings, the weight ratings range from "A" to "F," with A designating the lightest and F the heaviest. Letter nomenclature follows a different system for cloth backings, with the weight of the backing rated J, X, Y , T, and M, from lightest to heaviest.


You disconnected wires that were hot, wrapped them with electrical tape, and buried them in the wall after removing the junction box. You're not allowed to do that.

You can't terminate live wires anywhere but a box.

So you have 3 choices.

Follow the cable to wherever it goes, positively identify that it that same cable, and remove it from there also, pulling the entire cable out of the wall (or at least, as much as it's possible to remove).  That permanently removes the cable from service.
Route the cable to a place where you can put a junction box, bring them into the box nice-n-legal with appropriate cable clamps, secure them, and then put a blank junction box cover on it.  Or a recep if you want.
Use a Tyco style in-wall splice to extend the cable to somewhere you actually do want a receptacle, fit a box there, and fit a recep there.  This may help with the next part.

Every point on a wall must be within 6' of a recep

(that means following the wall and rounding corners, but not crossing thresholds; presuming the person will lay the appliance cord along the wall perimeter.  Standard cords are 6' long).   So what can happen when you remove a recep higgledy-piggledy, is now you leave a significant part of your wall inaccessible to any receptacle.  That's a code violation.

It is even a code violation if your site is grandfathered to before that was a requirement: you're not allowed to make things worse.

As far as the other circuits breaking

I think there's more to this story.  I think there were more wires than the ones you have mentioned.


Pendant lamp holder or Pendant socket (or perhaps Pendant lamp socket, you never can tell what mixture of words will work best when there's a choice.) That's a very typical stock design with the large threads to hold the shade. As Ed says, you replace the whole thing.

If you can't find one with threads on the back end (since pendant can mean "hanging by a cord" as well as just "designed to hang down", drop the "pendant" but then you have to sort out the ones with the large threads to hold the shade.

Here's an example in black:

And one in white that looks similar to yours:


Your idea for a large battery backed up UPS that is charged by the power company would be the best solution (most ups systems do provide lightning protection). The size of the inverter would need to be based on your peak load plus a safety factor to prolong the system life. The battery system really would need to be 2-3x to prevent damaging the batteries during discharge I have seen large forklift batteries used in a similar case but longer discharge cycles were needed. In some cases changing the size/ type of main panel can reduce load based flickering, installing a bolt to bus panel where the breakers are bolted directly to the bus reducing some of the voltage drops in the system. The last part would be to request upsized conductors from your service point and possibly change from a conventional meter to CT meter. CT meters take a field reading off of full size bolted conductors where standard meters are like big outlets that the meter plugs into and cause voltage drops, these conversions to bolted connections may help quite a bit I have seen it reduce problems in a medium sized load center on a commercial service.


L6-30 is Hot Hot EarthGround.  So no Neutral involved.

You're in luck. You shouldn't need to run a seperate neutral line.

You have two options if you want to add gfci protection to this outlet.

1) Replace the breaker that feeds it from the main panel with one that has GFCI protection.  This is probably the best choice, because the protection would extend the entire distance of the buried? cable.  It's the least amount of work and least expense.  But it means if that GFCI trips you have to walk back to the house and go to the basement? to reset it.

2) Replace the outlet with a "GFCI Spa disconnect", and move the outlet slightly so that it's powered by the spa disconnect.  It's rare to find a spa disconnect that comes with a 30 Amp breaker though.  Most are larger.

Because you  must not discard your pre-existing 30A breaker in the main panel, it would be safe to use a 60A GFCI Spa Disconnect.  The GFCI capability would work regardless.  Code permits the larger breaker downstream.  But it might be confusing for those who come along later, so leave a note in/on the box if your spa disconnect is a higher amperage.

So If you take this option, I recommend finding a GFCI Spa Disconnect panel that does not come with a breaker, and additionally purchasing a 30A breaker for it.  (Make sure its listed as compatible.)

3) Possible third option, do both options above.  This protects the wiring between structures, as well as keeps you from walking all the way back to your basement if the fault was only local to the equipment in the Garage.

4) You may also be able to find or construct an "inline GFCI" that plugs into the L6-30 outlet and provides an L6-30 outlet.  But they're going to be rare and not protect the buried cable.

GFCI breakers do not require access to a neutral to work.  Only if the load requires a neutral does a GFCI also need access to neutral.  If you don't intend to use a GCI breaker's neutral output lug, connect its neutral input pigtail to its neutral output lug so its obvious to anyone later that neutral is not used.

To provide Ground Fault Circuit Interruption (GFCI), all conductors intended to carry current must pass through and be disconnectable by the GFCI device.

The only reason many GFCI devices have a neutral is because 120v loads send current across neutral.

Most residential circuits are 120v only.
Most residential 240v-capable outlets are actually 120/240 and have a neutral to provide the 120v service.
But your L6-30 (Or any 6- for that matter) is not capable of providing for 120v devices, and this means your load doesn't use neutral.  So its GFCI protector doesn't need access to neutral either.


Can I charge my Electric Car from two 120v home circuits?

No one is focusing on the code we should be saying we need to be referencing the national electric code.
NEC 625.40  electric vehicle branch circuit . Each outlet shall be a dedicated circuit and have no other outlets.
So simply stated the answer is NO it cannot be done the way you want. This reason and about 20 other different reasons as others have indicated.


With brackets 16" apart your lap joint would not need to be super strong.
You could just use a good quality wood glue.
Do all your cuts first and then glue the boards together and place on the brackets.
Use an appropriate length screw from the underside of the bracket to secure the shelf to the bracket to keep if from moving around.


Is there a way to fix a small water leak in a PVC pipe from inside the pipe?

I ended up pouring  some very liquid mix of waterproof cement down the pipe and catching it again at the exit, it seems that is filled the little cracks inside the pipe. It's been a few weeks of testing by pouring water down and I don't see any leaks anymore. I have to specify that the pipe was horizontal and the cracks on the bottom part of it, that allowed the cement to fill the cracks.


My first comment is old lamps if correct may have leaked and allowed atmosphere in and the filament burned up, lamps over 300w are quite rare and most have been replaced by HID over the last 40 years.
More realistic HID ( metal halide or sodium vapor ok with a ballast)   Are you sure you don’t have a ballast in there somewhere?
Open circuit voltage for a sodium s55 could be there but when the starter strikes in a few seconds it’s high voltage pulse would blow a incandescent filament.
I think this may be what is happening if not old stock.
the original lamp could have been a 500w equivalent sodium  at 150 actual watts because hid’s usually are 400w the next size is 1000w that is actual watts but equivalent is Close to 150w so now you know why most changed years back
a 500w lamp will have a mogul base and only produce 10k lumens . A 150w high pressure sodium may have been classed as a 500w equivalent the open voltage would be in the range you measured Or close 110+ I did not discuss metal halide because their open circuit voltage is 2x what you measured and HPS has a much higher strike value.
So we have old stock incandescent mogul base or a possible HID lamp that has a ballast and starter , I can caution you if your meter is not rated do not try and test the strike voltage most meters are only good to 1kv for the test leads up to 5kv but some HPS have strike voltages from 12-20kv , I learned this with a fluke 87 many years ago.
For well under 100$ you can get a LED flood almost any brand will put out 500w equivalent and consume 75w with higher end ones only drawing ~60w
And they will last 50000 hours compared to 2000 of an incandescent.


No t5 bulbs are 54w or t5ho are, T8 have a lower wattage 32w for example.
The lamp may start but the ballast life and the lamp will be greatly reduced if it strikes (starts).
Ballast are designed to limit the current to the lamp. They strike or ignight the gas in the tube , once the lamp starts the resistance starts dropping, the ballast limits the current and creates the strike voltage both of these are different when comparing t5 & t8 lamps, so although it may work for a short time the lamp will not provide the rated light output, and the higher strike voltage needed for the longer T8 lamps may actually dammage the shorter t5 lamp. This is why the lamps and ballast need to be matched.


Why is my cottage wall bulging outwards?

Disclaimer: Consulting with an engineer is highly advisable.
The roof is slowly pushing the wall outwards. If you have not purchased this cottage yet then either walk away or low-ball them. I foresee that subcontracting a proper fix easily reaching $10k.
You need to do two things:

Straighten the wall out
Prevent the wall from bowing out in the future

To straighten the wall out I imagine you would need to attach a bunch of steel cables on the inside of the cottage and tension them enough to pull the walls inward.
For preventing future bowing you have two options really:

Brace the roof from the outside
Tie the roof together from the inside

Whether or not this is a project you can take on is up to you.

Option 1:
The red lines are extensions of the roof line; you can use pressure treated wood or preferably steel beams. The white circles are concrete footers.

Option 2:
The red line is a bracing inside the house which should prevent further separation and bulging. There should be several of these running throughout the house.

I'm not sure why the inspector suggested a concrete pilaster since your foundation does not need bracing but rather the exterior wall but then again I'm not an expert.
Good luck to you!


Is huge gaps between wall and baseboard normal after reinstall them?

If the new hardwood floor was about 3/4" thick, there may be no way to nail the baseboard trim to the 2X4 plate. That new height of the finished floor raised the trim above that 2X4 plate. You may need to locate the studs and use them as your nail surface. This is common when you add a second floor on top of another floor. You could also try nailing near the bottom of the trim, on a downward angle to try and "grab some wood" near the bottom of the trim boards. A nail gun may help in this process.


Are rubber couplings allowed for drain stack in Ontario?

To learn whether a no-hub coupler is allowed, call your local inspection office. A quick description of the project should make the application fairly clear and you'll have your answer.
It may be a moot question, though. I'd be doing something like this:

Cut below the tee and above the existing coupler above the tee and the reducer. Also cut off the small pipe that comes off the tee below its coupler. It's wise to eliminate joints you don't need for reliability, etc.
Slide a repair coupling onto the small upper stub.
Rebuild your intersection as you like, fitting the mate to the upper stub closely to it. You may be able to flex the upper stub aside to get the rest together. If not, see below.
Mark equal distances above and below the stub joint so you can visually center the repair coupling.
Apply cement and spin the repair coupling down into place with at least a full turn once on the cement.

Dry-fit everything first. If you find that you really can't flex the  upper stub to the side enough to make this plan work, put two repair couplings in that run, with a short pipe between. The last step will be to drop in that short pipe and cement the repair couplings.
Look, Ma! No rubber parts!


Normally, in the absence of a laundry sink to route your drain to, a standpipe is used. There are pre-made standpipes available for purchase but I prefer to fashion my own out of larger diameter plastic pipe (PVC or ABS).

The standpipe is designed to hold the large volume of discharged water until it can drain down through the trap. Although there are devices you can buy to seal them up, I do not recommend it as drain siphon issues can come into play.