Is building your own house/addition documented step-by-step anywhere?

There isn't any easy advice for this.  I am sure there are books and resources that cover this but it is highly regional and highly dependent on the type of addition that you want to do.

For instance the most common things I have done is chop the roof on and add another level - works for ranch houses with no one living in them for 2 months - and the most common is convert garage to the house and add on another garage.

We can add a garage for 25K most of the time because of how cookie cutter the experience is.  There are several companies and my area that will drop off everything that you need to frame your garage with architect's drawings.

As for quotes I wouldn't even pay attention to people that quote per sq/ft.  What the hell does that mean?  $165 sq/ft - great I will take gold trim.  As a home owner before you go to a GC I would:

Have rough drawings of addition
How the addition's roofline will integrate with home
I do not suggest hitting an architect yet - unless the home in question is rather expensive or very architectual (I know that isn't a word but you know what I mean).
Get the list of things you need done.  Foundation, framing, roofline/trusses, intgration, housewrap, insulation, siding, whatever.   Have a complete list.
Take this to your local building inspector.  Make sure this jives.  You could even leave these as planning papers as you pull your permit.  The local inspector if helpful might give you pointers on foundation requirements, if the city will allow certain things, and so on.  This discovery phase will allow you to skip a lot of bullshit with the GC you hire.  Basically he can't bullshit you and you cannot ask him to do dumb stuff if this is done right.
When the inspector OK's the idea with caveat of proper plans/drawings then you go to your GC.  If your GCs don't have a "system" in place to handle your type of addition, then get another one or at the very least go to the architect and get drawings done before bids.  If your GCs have a system in place they might have prefabbed designs and maybe if you alter yours just a bit it can be the difference between 5-10k.
With the list of things you want done get a contract with the GC stating what and when things will be done with payment plan.  Also discuss if trades will be paid directly or by GC.  Same thing for materials providers.
Let me tell you something GC make the most money off of the finishing touches especially if they have a good crew.  I have 2 drywall guys that can drywall a 3 bedroom apartment (ceilings too) in one day and a half day to sand.  I could pay them $600 for that and charge you $1500 or more.  For big things like concrete work, foundation stuff, materials, roofing and so on there isn't as much room for a GC to make money.  Hence he will be working with reputable companies to do these things that you could also contract out (the cheap drywall guys that do a great job - you don't know them or they aren't allowed to work without GC involved).
So my advice is have a detailed list, drawings, and everything.  See what the GCs in your area want for the job.  Call some concrete/foundation companies, plumbers, electricians, and roofers and see what you think your costs will be.  Also be flexible on letting GC do finishing touches - just don't value those when negotiating.  If you say I don't want you to finish the job it might turn a lot of GC off.  But after they write a bid and you say that is too much, what can we leave out since I will be out of money?  Well they will react different to that.
With a GC you are paying someone for organization, person that has connections to the right people/trades, person to catch issues before they are problems, and a person to manage others that you may never trust.  If something goes wrong you blame him.  Now if you do it yourself know that you will be working from home a lot, you will be organizing a lot, and your project will probably come together slower - since you have to have a buffer for things to get done.  Also note that the smaller trades may not perform as well for you as they would GC as you are a one time deal and the GC will throw them more work.  So even if you have the same people, more managing to do.


Samsung induction stove not detecting cookware

Six weeks and 3 PCBs later...
You might want to know, was it worth it? For me, yes. It was not cheap (around $700, including repairman visit), and it took many hours. But I did save some money compared to paying for a new stove. And it gave me a feeling of satisfaction and closure, which also counts for something.
Edit, in response to comments asking for more information.
So there are multiple circuit boards, some symmetrically located left and right of center, and some in the middle (the common parts between left and right sets of burners). I started out by replacing the boards on the left side, and when it did not help, I continued with the boards in the middle. In the process, we found out that the part number from Samsung for one of the boards is wrong (we spent some time on the phone with the rep from the parts vendor to establish this fact). As a result, I got one extra board to try (which did not fix the problem) that I sent back to the vendor because it was not the part that I ordered.
In the photo, you are looking at a failed solder joint. Apparently the connection became intermittent and eventually failed completely. This is on the back side of the board, so it would not be possible to catch the problem without removing the board. Also, it took a very careful examination to spot the problem.
Can I offer any advice to folks with the same problem? Not really, just a general observation that this is a very crude way to troubleshoot which is not guaranteed to be successful. Maybe start out by removing all the boards one by one and looking at them very closely in the hopes of spotting a burned-out part or a failed solder joint. If that exercise yields nothing, then start ordering replacement boards one by one. Have patience, prepare to get frustrated, and have low expectations.


Is it OK for bushes to touch the house and fence?

It shows a lack of care for the home. Bushes against the home or a wood fence are an entrance point for pests (termites, ants, etc). It also adds more wear and tear from abrasion that you wouldn't have from just the sun and rain. And for a buyer, a bush growing against the home could be hiding a problem.

So if you want to make it look as if you've been caring for the home, I'd trim it back before the buyers see it. And for your next home, I'd recommend trimming them back as well, so you are actually taking care of your home and not just making it appear that way before the sale.


How should I install hardwood flooring around spindles?

I have a similar situation and I know that you are saying the spindles are attached to the floor. I would get some hardwood and cut out like the tooth pattern around the spindles - this will give you a clean edge to line up on.  Remember to make a template of the exact space, then cut out on your wood and slip in. Allow the complete depth of the spindle on the one piece of wood - then you just have to put a straight strip up against it.   In my case, to take down 60 some spindles is not an option. I will be using 6 to 8 foot length to cut these out in.  I am using heavy brown paper as my template or light cardboard (Bristol).


Lights and outlets on multiple circuits out but no circuits tripped. Power back to normal after several hours

Before trying anything else, switch all four of those breakers completely off and then on.  Many models of breakers do not visibly trip:  to reset them, they need to be shut off first.

If that doesn't work, take the panel cover off to see what is going on inside.  Be careful not to touch any exposed bare metal wires, especially near the main breakers.  Look for disconnected wires (especially on the dead circuits).  If they all seem connected, check for loose wires by gently wiggling each wire one at a time by grasping on the insulation near the connection.

Each circuit has a white wire which goes into a terminal strip which is the neutral and ground bus, like at both sides of the photo (from here).  Wiggle all those wires too.  If there are separate bus bars, they will be connected together with a wire (unless this is not the main service panel).  Carefully scrutinize all the connections into the bus bars.

It does not make sense that all four circuits failed and are clustered together in the panel like that.  If one phase of the 240 volt service failed, it would affect every other circuit, both left side and right sides.  Also, probably none of the 240 volt appliances would work right.

If all the connections are fine, obtain an AC voltmeter and check that there is 120 volts (±10%) between each breaker terminal and neutral.  If all four of those breakers are providing voltage but the circuits are dead, there is a break between that end of the wire and the outlets.  Maybe those wires go through a junction box which is disconnected?  It might be necessary to look inside every junction box, switch, and outlet box until the problem is found.


How can I determine what is causing a newly creaking ceiling?

Trusses used for roof support?  Peak wind can cause truss movement.

Look where wall plates intersect trusses.  May be a nail sliding.  Use a mending plate or hurricane tie to reconnect.


What makes breakers different from each other?

The way breakers fit, hook and lock onto the bus is unique for each panel type.  They must not be interchanged. This isn't about brand loyalty, it's about physical fit and safe performance.  If Eaton really wanted to, they could make breakers for QO panels. They would have to have UL test, list, and label them as for QO.  Often you can physically force type X to clip onto type Y's bus... but it will not perform reliably, and it's not allowed under 110.3.

Because of the need to have people not put CH breakers in QO panels, they get different names - CH and QO.  Sorry if saying that is a bit obvious.

When you're buying panels, that means price not only the panel but the breakers you'll need for the panel, especially the oddballs like AFCI, GFCI, double-stuff, etc.  (Though I hope anyone who graduates from the Tester-TPE-Harper School of Speccing Panels never has call for a double-stuff.)

So your general families are:

Eaton CH - commercial grade with 3/4" wide breakers.  CH is for Cutler-Hammer's original line.  Eaton acquired Cutler-Hammer.
Eaton BR - cheapie builder/home grade with 1" wide breakers.  BR is for BRyant, which Cutler Hammer acquired.  Of late, Eaton has been starting to use CH "guts" in BR breakers, which can only be good for quality.
Square D  QO, Square D's  line of commercial-grade breakers. These are 3/4" wide. QO is for "Quik-Open".  They also make a variation of QO where the breakers bolt down, a feature desired in industry.  This may be something you want for a generator-interlocked panel, since backfed breakers must be bolted down.
Square D Homeline - truth in advertising.  1" wide.
GE Qline - an industrial grade family of standard 1" panels. However they have a very strange take on "Double-stuff" breakers - certain busbars have an extra bit, and they sell 1/2" wide breakers that can clip onto that bit.  2-pole breakers are 1" wide and straddle 2 spaces.
Siemens Q -- an industrial grade, like QO they make variations that "snap in" or that "bolt down", again of interest for backfed breakers.
Siemens Murray - another quality line inherited by Siemens.

There are a few others, let me know in comments if I missed one, or just edit it in.  Now on to obsolete panels.

Pushmatic -- a slick system that is fine, just obsolete.  Pushmatic had 2 columns of square-ish breakers that bolt down. They had a simple bus-bar left and right (L1 and L2), and didn't bother with the comb-meshing of modern panels. A 2-pole breaker was double width instead of double-height. Breakers are right next to each other so handle-tying is easy.  Breakers are still made, even double-stuff, but GFCI/AFCI are nonexistent - use an external deadface.
Federal Pacific  (FPE) -- Canadian version okay, US VERSION UNSAFE. Kill it with fire before it kills you with fire.  Like VW, they cheated on their testing. While the breakers are defective, the panel's bus bars are also defective and cannot be made safe.  Eaton makes kits to completely replace the guts of a FPE panel, reusing only the shell, which means you don't have to pull all the cables out of it, that being the bulk of the labor in a panel change.
Zinsco has the same problem as FPE.

Zinsco panels have a neat feature that can really getcha when you convert.  Each breaker fits over both bars, and you can flip the clip so it grabs either bar. On their double-stuff 1-pole breakers, you could grab 1 of each pole.  That's perfect for MWBCs.  Trouble is, if you move it "just like that" over to a modern double-stuff, both MWBC hots will be on the same pole - overloading the neutral, as this guy did in this video.  (of course he's using a GE Qline, so all he has to do is move the breaker up 1/2 space).

Classified breakers

Now, there is a legal process by which brand X can make breakers specifically for Brand Y panels. This is called a UL-classified breaker.  (I suppose other NRTLs could classify breakers, but all eyes look toward UL on this subject).  Square D refuses to have anything to do with this, and rejects the very concept of classified breakers.

Eaton CHQ is classified for Square D "QO" panels.
Siemens QD and MSQ are also classified for Square D "QO" panels.
The Eaton CL line (which is NOT CH or BR) works in a variety of panels, including Siemens Q and Murray; GE, Square D Homeline, and several obsolescent types such as Crouse-Hinds and T&B. CL does not fit Eaton or Challenger panels.
The Eaton CL line includes some neat breakers that don't really exist natively, such as their remote control breakers, and AFCI or GFCI for the obsolete panels they fit.
The Eaton BR line is actually UL-listed as dual Type BR and C, meaning it is natively listed (not classified) for Challenger panels.  BR is not CL and should not be put in any other panel.

Note that classified breakers by Brand X do not fit any Brand X panels. For instance Eaton CL is not Eaton BR.  Do not put a CL breaker where a BR belongs.


In climates where you’re heating more than cooling during the year, yes, it’s advisable to add attic insulation, but: 1) you must maintain CONTINUOUS ventilation, and 2) you must maintain a minimum of 1” air space between the insulation and the roof structure.

1) You want “cross ventilation”. Your soffit vents and ridge vents are doing that now. Just make sure EACH JOIST SPACE has a soffit vent AND a ridge vent after you install the attic insulation between the joists.

2) Make sure there is a minimum of 1” air space between the insulation and the roof structure, especially at the soffit vents. Insulation tends to “fall down” and block the soffit vents, so they often use cardboard baffles to maintain a clear vented opening.


How do I restore the original finish of a reglazed plastic tub?

I seriously doubt you will be able to return the original finish. The glaze you refer to was probably not applied properly or was cheap plastic paint.  In order to refinish a fiberglass tub unit, it will have to be stripped, sanded and properly sprayed out with a multi-stage epoxy refinishing product. this is a very difficult job and not one that comes out well when done by an inexperienced installer. The average cost in this area to do what you want is around $500 for a good refinish job. A half decent new tub and surround is about the same price without install costs. I have used a lot of Kohler 4 piece units, and been very satisfied.


Will unpainted plaster become water damaged?

They will not suffer from water damage unless water gets back there. Normally, that shouldn't happen and there are millions of installations with no paint behind toilet tanks and sinks with no deterioration. But it's still up top you if you want to make absolutely sure.


Porcelain isn't terribly difficult to cut with the right abrasive tools, but you'd be left with a much more fragile base. Any bump by a rigid object is likely to crack it badly without that lateral support.

I'd definitely cut out only what's needed for your pipes and leave a substantial crossbeam at the rear.


vent fan blowing into attic. Good or bad?

Bathroom fans move a trivial amount of air.  It's enough to exhaust some of the highly humid (or "aromatic") air from a tiny room like a bathroom, and it's low enough for the air to be replaced through general air leakage (and you typically don't run the fan for long).  If all you're trying to do is turn over the room air a little so it doesn't seem stuffy, you will probably want to size it equivalent to what a bathroom fan does in a bathroom.

The general guideline for that sizing is to replace the room air at a rate of 8 times per hour.  For an 8 ft. ceiling, that's 1 CFM per square foot of room.  That's length x width x height / 8 = minimum fan CFM rating.

There are a couple of considerations for condensation.  It isn't a summer issue, but if you put this in, you should design around the possibility that it could be used in the winter.

In the winter, the normal inside air is likely to be a lot more humid than the outside air in Montreal, so excess humidity may condense.  Hopefully, any condensation will be in the form of a cloud, like the moisture from your breath outside, and the air current will dissipate it and/or exhaust it through the roof vents before it collects.

I assume you aren't in a position to install a dedicated roof vent. I would still duct it to the general vicinity of the close-by roof vent, and just secure the end of the duct so that it exhausts near the vent.

The other consideration is something I ran into with my own house in Virginia, and our winter temperatures aren't anywhere as low as Montreal's.  In an unusually cold period, humidity from a bathroom fan condensed at the roof vent (which is metal).  It collected as water, flowed back down the duct, and dripped out of the bathroom fan (a form of Chinese water torture for anyone sitting on the throne).  If you use an insulated duct, you aren't likely to run into that.


An example of a relocatable busbar power system for domestic use is Mainline

https://www.mainlinepower.com/us/home/

Most lighting track systems are for use overhead and aren't touch safe.


As I look at the pics, it appears s if there is pitting and corrosion.  Maybe it is time for a new faucet.  To use the current one, I would saturate it with a corrosion cutter, repeat about every 30 minutes.  There is a clip in the top picture that needs to be removed.  A screwdriver will generally remove it.  This will allow the stem to be removed.  I would soak the nut again, and use an adjustable wrench, an open end wrench or a box wrench.  Then go primate on it.  I suspect once it gives you will be on your butt wishing you only went half primate.  Good luck, hope this helps.
I bought a plastic faucet at Lowe's 20 years ago for less than $10 for an apartment that I owned.  It still works, never have had a repair done to it!


Bathroom window block joints getting green

The mortar /grout between the blocks needs to be cleaned and sealed, I use a 3% hydrogen peroxide and water solution to take care of mold.
Once cleaned I would recommend a sealer be applied any quality tile/grout sealer will keep this from happening or reduce it for several years.

What’s happening, the rough surface catches dust, soap and fine debris, being in a moist or damp area mold starts growing. There are many products on the market at your grocery store that will help with mold removal but cleaning and sealing is the first step.

The next step is to make sure during/ after showering the exhaust fan is running this will reduce the moisture in the bathroom. In my area a 15 minute timer for the extractor fan in the bathroom has been required for a few years. When the lights are turned on the fan starts and keep running for 15 minutes after the lights go out. With new tightly built homes this significantly reduces the possibility of mold growth in the Pacific Northwest and will help anywhere.


Try unplugging your appliances and see if you can get the GFCIs to reset.

From there, if you can't get them to reset, possibly one of them is defective.

If the GFCIs do reset, possibly one of the appliances is broken.

Good luck!


Above 60%, mold spores multiply and people with respiratory issues become uncomfortable. It should go back down soon with no major issues other than a slight permanent increase in the amount of musty smells in the house when all the windows are closed due to the new mold spores. Don't let it stay above 80% for extended periods of time, though. If you're bothered, run your AC or use a dehumidifier.


Does cutting into a joist too close to the top ruin it?

I was under the impression that one does not cut a hole this close to the edge of a joist

In the UK, holes must be on the centre-line of the joist. In the US, holes may not be closer than 2" to the edge of a joist.

  especially not one this big!

In the UK, hole diameters must not exceed 1/4 the height of the joist (1/3 in the US I think?). The hole in your photo looks like 1/3.

  Should I be worried about this joist?

It no longer meets safety standards in the US, UK and probably many other countries.

Because the hole is so close to the top edge it is effectively a notch.

So far as I know, the depth of a notch cannot exceed 1/6th (US) or 1/8th (UK) of the height of the joist. The bottom edge of the hole in your joist looks about a third of the way down the joist.

  how would I go about repairing it?

I've seen UK advice to use steel strapping across the damaged section and a foot beyond on each side. They use two-part epoxy to ensure the load is spread across the whole length of the steel reinforcement. The steel needs to be substantial since it has to cope with compressive load.

Others suggest nailing (or screwing or bolting) and gluing reinforcing timber or ply (3/4") to both sides of the damaged section. Extending at least 12" beyond the damaged area. Nails are generally better under shear loading than are screws.

I don't know what is acceptable in the US.


Do I need to upgrade my branch circuits to CAFCI/GFCI if I move my electrical panel?

Depends if by moving the panel requires replacing any wires.

For example, if you're simply moving the panel up a foot without having to replace wires then no, no GFCI or Arc fault protection required.

On the other hand, any time a wire is replaced it generally is required to be brought up to code.  This is common rule for not only electrical but all forms of construction.


Answering my own question, but I did eventually get the doors to behave themselves. The way I ended up doing it was this: The rollers that I got with the hardware kit and adjustable. They have one fixed screw hole and two more that are curved slots letting you not adjust the angle. I got the door in by removing the rollers from the door, placing the rollers in the track and then screwing them into the door while they were hanging from the rails. They ended up very slightly angled, but it looks fine and, more importantly, they can open and close. I had to adjust them again slightly because the door was dragging on the floor guide at the end of it's run.

It wasn't easy - an assistant would have been a great help. But I did manage to get them in and have them hanging in a way that I could move them without them falling off again. I used some shims to lift up the bottom of the door while I screwed it back in since it would be impossible to hold the door off the floor and turn the screws at the same time. Again, an assistant would have made it easier.


How easy this project is, will depend on the underlying framing.  There's two ways these corners could have been framed.
Side walls to the end
This will make what you want to do fairly easy.

Top down view of the framing
End walls to the side
This is the more likely of the two. Which means you'll either have to build out the corner, or lose 3 1/2" (+drywall thickness) in closet depth. Though I guess you're not really losing anything, from the interior dimensions of the original closet.

Top down view of the framing
Aside from that. As long as the closet is not bearing, it shouldn't be too much work.


kitchen falcet over pressurized when you turn on

This is a symptom of over pressurization from a closed system (check valve somewhere in the line) and a hot water heater. The check valve could have been introduced by the municipality as part of a water meter replacement, or it could be located near the water main shutoff. These prevent water from flowing back into the municipal supply should there ever be a drop in pressure.

When the system is closed like that, using the hot water causes the tank to fill with cold water. Then when the faucets are closed, the heating of the water causes the pressure to rise. This will happen on both the hot and cold sides since the water heater is connected to both.

The standard solution is an expansion tank. These tanks are a couple gallons in size and attach anywhere in the system to give water somewhere to go. They contain a bladder that can rupture over time, and they need to be pressurized to match the water pressure in your home. If the bladder ruptures, then there is no longer space for water to expand and you'll experience the same symptoms you're seeing. Other symptoms include leaking toilets and a leaking TPR valve on your hot water tank.


To use the knock out in the middle of the box you Need to use a lock nut type clamp.
You remove the lock ring from the clamp and pass the threaded part of the body through the knockout from the outside and then place the lock nut on the threads from the inside of the box And tighten.
Then you can thread your NM Cable (Romex) through the clamp and tighten down the clamp screws.

This  article will explain it.


Device to switch between two light with a single wall switch

There probably is a switch out there that can do it - with three states - Off, A, B. Wire A to one light, B to the other lights. But I think a far simpler solution - or at least far more common in terms of inexpensive parts is to use two switches. The first switch would function as On/Off. The second switch would function as A/B. The second switch would be (in US terminology) a 3-way switch, but instead of using it as a 3-way switch, which typically lets you use 2 separate switches to turn a single light On/Off from either location, you would use it to switch two different lights (or groups of lights). In addition, you can get two switches in one box, like this:

You wire the first 3-way as a single switch with one output ("traveler") going to the second switch and the second output not connected at all. You wire the second 3-way switch so that one output goes to one light ("A") and the other output goes to the other light ("B"). Whenever you turn the first switch on, the light status (A or B) will be the same as it was the last time you used it.

No batteries. No relays. No "smart" switches. Just a pair of ordinary switches.


How to stop self closing doors from slamming

Beware of UK fire codes before replacing that closer -- which you probably don't need to do.

Almost all of the closers of that type are adjustable, see below.
Rubber door bumpers are very cheap, can help a lot (but aren't as good as a well-adjusted, top-line, hydraulic closer), and come in a variety of sizes and styles.  Here's some at Amazon that should work well.

Most of those chain tensioners are adjustable.  Turn the anchor plate widdershins to lower the tension. Just use CAUTION as the chain exerts considerable force. See below.

General procedure (defer to manufacturer's instructions if possible):

Open the door fully and block it in place.
Clip or pin the chain to keep it from retracting.  All closers come with a clip for this purpose, but sometimes you can get a small nail though the chain.  Vicegrips might work in a pinch. USE CAUTION.
Move the door slightly towards closed; the chain should go slack.
Unscrew the anchor plate from the door.  If it looks like the chain will retract, STOP!
Turn the anchor plate counter-clockwise to decrease the tension.  One half-turn at a time.
Refasten the anchor plate and unpin the chain.
Make sure the door closes as required by your local regulations.
Repeat as necessary.
If the anchor plate should become fully retracted while it is loose, it can be pulled back out using a claw hammer.


Can I install a new dishwasher with no ground conductor?

The dishwasher does not know if you have a ground or not. The ground wiring on the inside of the machine (the dishwasher in this case) is tied to everything that will conduct electricity easily and could come into contact with the user; typically anything metal.

A ground wire can be thought of as simply a backup neutral. So if a hot wire ever touches some part of a metal system, the current will have this backup wire to run the current back to the breaker box. The breaker will detect this increase in current (unimpeded path) and trip which will cut off power to the device. If this wire weren't here, the metallic object would be energized, but it would not trip a breaker. It would simply be waiting for something (a person) to come along and touch it to give it a better path to ground.

So, as long as a hot never comes loose, you wouldn't need the ground. But if it ever were to, this wire could save a life (or prevent a really strong tingling sensation).

To shorten things off and end this; you don't need the ground for the dishwasher to function. It will work perfectly fine without one and you just wouldn't connect the ground wire on the other end. You then run the risk of a wire coming loose though.

But, what should be done regardless and will also provide grounding functionality is to use a GFCI breaker. The breaker would replace the existing breaker feeding the dishwasher and include a pigtail to the neutral. This breaker detects the current that is feeding into the circuit and out of the circuit. As long as everything is running like normal, it will work like a normal breaker. However, if a hot ever comes loose, the GFCI would detect that current is going in, but not as much is coming out and the breaker would trip itself.


Does this electric panel meet code and does the wiring from it meet NEC standards

There's a concept called grandfathering which says If the work was legal on the day it was installed, then when Code changes later, it's still legal. You're not required to  tear out a bunch of wiring every 3 years when Code is revised.
This gets into a lot of lawyering about when the work was done and what was legal then.  However we can safely pass judgment on things that were never legal.
There are at least 3 panels in this building.   If you look on the "main lugs" above the breakers, you see 2 wires tapped onto those lugs.

One set comes from another location containing a main breaker or main panel, which presumably limits current on these wires to 100A.
Then you have this panel, of course.
Then the other set of wires goes onward to yet another panel.

Those wires are not service wires.  A service is what comes in straight off the meter.  Once it's past the main breaker, it is feeder.   And both panels - this and the next - share that 100A of feeder.  Daisy chaining panels like this is legal, except for...

The most obvious code violation is the double-tapping of those main lugs.  Can't do it. Those 2 wires need to go into a 3-void Polaris connector, then a same-size pigtail needs to come down to the lugs so there is only 1 wire per lug.
Your subpanel doesn't have any ground bar, but that's not unusual when you have a panel that is connected entirely with metal conduit or armored cable, since that metal shell covers the need for grounds.  I do see one ground wire that some epsilon-minus put on the neutral bar; that's not OK and must be dealt with.

To your questions:
#1. Does it meet current Code standards?  It doesn't have to.  It's grandfathered.
#2. Can I simply change a nonconforming panel? You wouldn't need to change the panel; unless you smuggled it in from a third world country, surely the panel is legal stock.  You might have to correct defects, like the double-tapped lugs.
#3. Does NEC limit number of rooms per breaker?  Not as you'd think.  NEC 2020 has requirements for a number of dedicated circuits.  2 dedicated kitchen receptacle circuits.  Dishwasher. Disposal. Built-in microwave.  1 dedicated bathroom recep circuit. 1 dedicated laundry room circuit.   Almost all of them are GFCI or AFCI, and the AFCI must be done at the breaker, unless the route to the first receptacle is in metal conduit.
I don't understand why you're saying that the work has to come up to modern Code.  It doesn't.  The only exception is if the work was done illegally (i.e. without a permit), at which point the city is at liberty to make you tear out all the illegal work (even if there is nothing wrong with it) and then make you pull a permit to re-do the work properly.  Since the permit would be this year, this year's Code would apply.
Lastly, as you have been cautioned, a landlord cannot DIY electrical on a rental unit.  All work must be done by a licensed electrician. It really doesn't matter what your financial situation is; you just can't do it.   That law is to prevent landlords from doing inferior work that puts others' lives in danger.  The logic is an owner-occupant has incentive to do the job properly: a landlord only has incentive to do the work as cheaply as possible.


Why does my water hammer arrestor ask for 5psi less than house pressure and not 10 psi or 20 psi?

The airspace in the arrester is creating a shock absorber just like on your car but I will use a bicycle tire to bring it to the kid level.
With the pressure a few psi below the actual the piston can move and absorb the shock of the water hammer.
If the pressure is above the water pressure the piston will be locked in place and not absorb the water hammer it would be like riding a bike with 120 psi air in the tires - you feel every grain of sand or rock you ride over.
If the pressure is too low in the arrester it’s not going to respond on the opposite side of too full - kind of like riding a bike with a flat tire the tire rolling around on the rim and not absorbing the shock
With the air just right at 5 below the arrester absorbs the shock of the water hammer like a bike tire rolling over a stone - you barely notice it.


How can I seal the lids on water collection barrels?

I would fill the top 2 first as a pair then the overflow from those fills the bottom pair, then excess can be dealt with.

Of course one issue, if there is to be only one outlet is how to connect the top and bottom without a manual changeover. That can be done with a oneway valve so the top ones don’t drain into the bottom ones.

Edit: to deal with air being sucked in consider a second oneway valve above the outlet as shown, once the upper tanks no longer have water then the valve will close.

Once the top pair are full the fill to lower tanks takes the excess until the lower tanks are full then the overflow bottom left controls the final level.

The outlet is fed from the top tanks until empty, then the oneway valve allows water out to the outlet from the lower tanks. If you don't have the oneway valve the top tanks will just empty into the lower tanks.

This has the advantage that the lids are now just dustcovers and are easy to remove / replace for cleaning.


Effective method for waterproofing a tube through a hole drilled in the side of a bucket?

What you want is called a bulkhead fitting.

This has a gasket to make a seal against the container, and threads to connect to whatever fittings you need. Some have outside threads on only one side, or you can get them with inside and outside threads on both sides, and they cone in all sorts of different sizes and materials.

You can screw in a 6mm push-fit connector, for example:


Wiring a ceiling fan to the house wiring

I assume you have separate light and fan switches on the wall. Just substitute the red wire from your new unit to the connections the blue wire used to go to. Do everything else exactly as it was.  The blue is light on your old unit, so same function as red on your new one.


That is not a standard garden hose fitting. Instead it looks to be part of a anti-siphon adapter where the other part was unscrewed to reveal the inner section of the unit. The regular hose thread coupling would have been on the down stream part of the missing part.

It will be unlikely that you can find just half of a anti-siphon adapter that would screw on there unless you got rather lucky and happened to find an identical new one and were able to cannibalize it for the missing part.

Also it looks to me that the way that remaining part is corroded that you would not want to keep that part anyway and would likely want to replace with a new one where the anti-siphon feature would actually work correctly.

It would be great if you could provide an additional picture from the side of the valve. Some additional advice may be possible to offer after seeing that. The reason I say that is because I see a knurled portion of the remaining part that looks a lot like a anti-siphon adapter shown in this picture.

This type of adapter is designed to thread onto the regular hose nib of the valve and then the hose attaches to the hose threads shown on the left side of the picture. You may be able to remove the part of the adapter that is still remaining threaded onto your valve.

Do be aware though that some valves are designed with the anti-siphon feature integrated right into the fundamental part of the valve. A side picture would help to identify the situation. I suspect that in your case it is not integrated because I see from your picture there is a rusty hole where the locking set screw from the original part must have been attached. Hopefully the valve itself is a brass valve. An iron one may have rusted so bad that it may be very difficult to remove/replace the defunct anti-siphon adapter.

In case you are wondering...the set screw on the pictured adapter is used to secure the anti-siphon adapter onto the valve threads and keep it from turning when attaching or removing the hose from the opposite end of the adapter.


Ungrounded outlets, what are my options?

This is a good question which can have a variety of answers depending on the exact case. I would open up the breaker panel and see if there is a ground running to it. It is very possible that the breaker panel is grounded and that the neutral is grounded but the outlets and lights aren't. If you don't know how to tell if the panel is grounded, you could take a picture of the panel and post it here and I'll edit my answer.  Many surge protectors don't work at all if they aren't properly grounded, and those that do are much less effective. When you moved in, were the outlets two prong outlets or three prong outlets? If they were two prong outlets then you can't upgrade them to three prong without making sure the whole system is grounded properly. If they were three prong outlets when you got there then you Landlord is liable and he must get it fixed. Ungrounded three prong outlets are a real hazard.

In any case, I would try to find out what is really going on and then approach your Landlord. Since you don't own the house, it is neither your responsibility nor your right to do anything major without approval from the landlord and in this case since it could is a safety issue, and it is definitely an upgrade on his house, your landlord should pay for it... or at least pitch in.

No, a GFCI will not fix the problem. A GFCI does meet code [210-7(d)(3)] and is better than nothing but it is a last resort.  It is my belief that it only satisfies the NEC because they knew that some people would not do it right and they figured that the GFCI outlet was better than nothing.

Edit after Your Uptdate

You may want to make sure that they didn't use any "bootleg grounds." Those testers are easily tricked by these false grounds but these "tricks" are not safe.


Materials needed to weld stainless steel to galvanized steel?

Well.. stainless steel pretty much welds just like regular steel (in so much as its a pretty simple welding procedure)

Galvanised steel, (which is regular steel coated in a Zinc like covering) is the monster when you are welding.

so, the answer is, that really its pretty easy to weld the two, you could use regular metal filler rods to weld the two, and it would bond pretty well.

the problem comes when you think about your application (why are you welding the components)  -- both stainless and galvanised are rust proof/resistant when they are not damaged (by welding)  -- when you weld galvanised metal, you need to prepare the weld area by grinding off the zinc surface and exposing the raw metal, only then can you weld...  -- now that area is not protected by the zinc and will rust  --so if you wanted a rust free application, you have messed up the surface at the area of the join.

Stainless steel, can be welded with a stainless steel rod/filler, which will not rust, however.. when it gets too hot, or blends at the weld surface to the regular metal, it too will start to rust at the weld site (very slightly).

You also mention welding machine... well, this also depends on thickness of material and frequency of task, you can use MIG, TIG, and ARC welding to do this task... and they will be proper welds (the mig and tig would handle thinner material welds)  and they will be proper welds..  As mentioned, the only thing that is not proper, its that the site will now rust.

NOTE:  the response is a DIY level response, if you are performing engineering grade welds for high stress scenarios.. you would not really use these two materials together in the first place... But when you have the metal or the need.. one makes a plan.


How to run wires through a wall with existing wall wiring? (Tight Spaces)

their are times I will cut a hole for an old work box, drill from the attic down or from the crawl space up (attic down is easier as you can see the 2x4) drop a string with a small 2oz fishing weight,  hook wire on and pull up, then do the same at the location of your sound system , install an old work box in each location these are the boxes that have wings that pull them tight to the sheetrock, or a low voltage ring that snaps in place and you fold the metal tabs around the sheetrock, then put a coax cover plate and it looks very profesional.


can this antique douglas fir floor be saved?

It is totally feasible to do this. Just a lot of hard work.

We redid a laundry room that had a worn painted outdoor porch floor (the house is from 1869 and has been organically growing for 150 years). Tongue in groove. Fir, we think. We pulled up the boards carefully, removed the nails, hand scraped the edges, (which had been coated with paint and would prevent close reassembly), put in a subfloor and then reassembled the porch floor over it. We then sanded it down (no drum sander -- too small an area and too hard to control). It is finished with a good satin poly, three coats. We left it a bit rustic.

You do need a subfloor for strength, to prevent flex and to minimize airflow from below.

You are likely to have a few damaged boards, so you may need to rearrange the pieces to compensate. This will leave you short several board feet, so you may need to use a border of new wood around the edges to fill in. Small holes can be left open or filled, depending on your taste.


I had to put salt in the water. After 10 minutes it started making a little steam and after 30 minutes it was making enough steam to actually notice a difference.


How can I repair a big gash in my kitchen floor?

You cannot "fix" it without replacing the floorboard, but you can patch it to look close.

That looks like IKEA's pressboard laminate - that's not wood you're seeing, that's paper.  You can check their stock for some extra boards if there's one near by - sometimes they might have some extras in returns.

So - get yourself some dark stained wood filler and a 2" putty knife, and a small "wood stain marker" that matches the color more exactly.  You can find all of these in among the paint aisles in any big box hardware store.  You'll also want some 100 grit and 220 grit sandpaper.

Fill the hole with filler and smooth with the knife.  Let it dry and sand smooth first with the 100 grit then the 220 grit.

Finally, stain the filler to match, and let dry.


The sensors are a safety requirement. Excess sunlight may be saturating them to the point they cannot pickup the signal from the other one. I would suggest adding some kind of shade or hood around which one is picking up light from the other. An empty toilet paper cardboard roll might work, depending on how the sensor is placed around the door track.


Halogen to LED conversion on multi-light fixture not working

The problem is likely a mix of old and new technology: the power supply for the old halogen incandescent lamps is a newer electronic converter, rather than a transformer. Some of these converters have a minimum current for operation, which the LED's don't meet.

You have a few options:

Replace the existing power supply with one designed for LED lighting (This is a generic example; choose one that meets your needs).
Run with two of each type. You'll save some energy over all-incandescent, but not as much. In addition, the difference in color temperature may be an advantage -- a more complete spectrum, or a disadvantage -- noticeable mismatch in color.
Try a different brand of MR16 LED lamp... but there's no guarantee it would work better unless the lamp is specified to work with the particular model supply in your fixture.


Looking for a dual thermostat for a combination furnace

The simplest, and likely the most flexible is what you have already, is a two separate thermostat solution. The main reason is that you can locate the thermostats in two separate locations so that different factors in the dwelling can be taken into account for controlling the furnace unit.

Getting back to your specific question about a dual thermostat it would seem that a two zone thermostat may be what you want. These, and there a plethora of various types available, are normally used to control temperatures to different rooms or floors of a multi zone heating system. They should be able to control your dual fuel furnace as well just by not using the part of the system that controls zone valves or zone baffles.


Call the Plumber back in. Your symptom is indicative of an Anti-Scald Valve problem, since it's just that fixture. It could be that the new fixture wasn't flushed out of manufacturing debris & that ruined the fixture. Maybe this valve just needs adjusting or wasn't set at the factory. Or, maybe it's just plain defective or on recall & must have the cartridge replaced.


What does R0/R1/R2/R3 stand for when referring to Robertson square screwdriver?

Look at Table 1 in this reference, it gives the minimum and maximum dimensions for the square based on the screw sizes.  The maximum allowed dimensions of the square are as follows (including my conversion to mm):

Drive      Max dimension

0   -    0.0710 in     1.8 mm

1   -    0.0910 in     2.31 mm

2   -    0.1126 in     2.86 mm

3   -    0.1330 in     3.38 mm

4   -    0.1910 in     4.85 mm


How do I repair a warped sliding glass door track?

We had this issue on the kitchen sliding glass door at work. A hand truck had been run fully loaded over the threshold several times in its life and the Channel Lock treatment given to attempt putting the track back in line.

Our local glass shop repaired it without removing the frame as the door was a custom piece with no readily available replacement and would have been prohibitively expensive to do so.

Basically, you take a rivet buster chisel and die grinder and remove the track. You then use a die grinder burr to smooth the surface. There are replacement tracks (has to match the old one) that will now lay in the slot. Finish out by fixing in place with self tapping screws, replace the rollers on the screen door and adjust the rollers to proper height.

It now rolls just like new.

Ok, here's one manufacturer (no affiliation with any). Prime-Line Products has a cap strip like Mike was considering and they also have an actual track replacement extrusion which is what I have experience with. You'll find both repair products listed under Exterior Door Hardware for Residential Sliding Patio Doors. They also carry rollers and assemblies.

Another manufacturer that makes both cap strips and track extrusions is Swisco


Carrier Weathermaker 9200 Humidifier Ecobee blows 3amp fuse

The solenoid went bad and was blowing the fuse. Replaced solenoid and humidifier works now.


How to describe the size of this garden faucet fixture?

That is a bog-standard boiler drain valve. 1/2" Male Pipe Threads (which are larger than 1/2", as 1/2" is the size of the hole in the pipe) on the inlet and Garden Hose Threads on the outlet.

You can also get a "frost free hose bibb" also called a sillcock which has a much longer body so that the actual valve and male pipe thread is inside the building while the hose thread and handle are on the outside of the building, but that would presumably require changing the pipes it's connected to.


What ballast should I use for a 90W low pressure sodium lamp?

If I were you I'd be looking for a 90-watt low-pressure-sodium ballast.
That's pretty much the google phrase, though "SOX90 ballast" may also yield some fruit.  Apparently SOX is the slang for this type of tube.
You know, you can get LEDs that emit a single color.  In fact, LEDs were single-color for most of their existence. You'll have trouble beating SOX for efficiency, but LEDs will certainly be better for availability.  The easiest way to get single-color LEDs in a vaguely consumer-buildable form-factor is in 12V LED strips.


How can I repair leaks in metal wrapped wood gutters?

Hardness is a good way to check wood for damage without pulling it apart.  Take a nail and press it into the wood where you know the siding is in good shape.  Then, do the same where you suspect damage.  If the wood is softer, then you can assume it has some amount of water damage.  If you want a more direct, verifiable method your best bet is to yank a shingle or two off and check behind them.  (From the pictures it looks like you have shake but its hard to tell.)

Also, as Steven commented...remove those "gutters" as soon as is humanly possible and replace them with actual gutters.  Each year you wait things will get exponentially worse.  If there is not currently water damage (which I doubt, sorry) there will be very soon.


Don't make your life harder than it needs to be!

First off, shucking NM of its jacket is no good, because the wires inside NM cable aren't marked properly for individual use.  Second, pulling NM through outdoor conduit is unacceptable because NM is no good in wet areas due to the paper separator layer between the jacket and the wires (which wicks moisture up the cable, leading to hard-to-troubleshoot failures later), and all outdoor conduit is considered a wet location by NEC 300.9:

  300.9 Raceways in Wet Locations Abovegrade. Where raceways are installed in wet locations abovegrade, the interior of these raceways shall be considered to be a wet location. Insulated conductors and cables installed in raceways in wet locations abovegrade shall comply with 310.10(C).

Third, there's absolutely no reason to make your life this hard: pulling 4 6AWG THHN wires through your conduit (hot, hot, neutral, ground) will be far easier than trying to jam a cable through there.  So, I would simply get an appropriate amount of 6AWG THHN (black, white, green is fine) and use that instead.


Why are both wires white and black hot at the outlet, light switch and even at light in the ceiling. I replaced the outlets and switches and lights

In the case of a light switch, it is normal if the switch is setup as follows:

[elec ]B=========#==============+
[panel]W--------+ +X---------X+ |
                | |           | |
                (~)           [-]
               light         switch

The white wire is carrying power back to the light, and convention dictates there should be a piece of black tape (X) around the white wire to indicate it is a live return.

It's important that the switch must go against the live lead not the neutral.

-- Minor edit to diagram.  The wire from the panel usually ends in the ceiling.  A new wire runs to the switch, black to black with a nut, and white (switched hot) back to the fixture. # indicates this nut.


Repair an ceramic sink / enamel, and have perfect color match

I am very dubious of the possibility of "a perfect repair in terms of color". Perhaps you should be simply asking "How could I tint this epoxy repair paste?".

You can use regular paint pigments to tint 2-part epoxies. Using a flat board as a pallette, stir up some dabs of paste and start adding small amounts of various pigments to each dab. When cured, compare each dab to the surface to be repaired until a close match is found. Keep careful track of dab size and pigment used so you can duplicate for the actual repair.

This is an art, not a science. You might get close right away, or you might go through 20 "test" packages of epoxy and 100 (1000?) dabs of paste before you get it right.


Grounding TV Antenna and Metal Porch, And Resolving Ground Rod Issues

Two many questions so I will tackle a few code issues. The water pipe is required to be bonded to your electrical system so go ahead and use it as a second electrode. In truth that water pipe is normally a much better electrode than a standard 8’ ground rod.

I might drop a 2nd 8’ at 6’ or more away from your existing unknown rod.   Many people here probably have not heard of a 5’ communications ground rod but it is normally allowed when the service panel and grounding electrode system is further than 20’  NEC 800.100.a.3  &  800.100.B.3.2

Section 800 is a stand alone section and is not subject to all the rules of chapters 1-7 as specified in 90.3


Without pictures it will be hard to offer anything but very general advice.

Here are things to consider:

There should be shut off valves under the sink for the hot and cold water. You will want to keep those in place and turned OFF before you start removing anything. If it is necessary to replace these valves you will have to shut off the water to the whole property for the duration of when you take out the old valves and install the new ones.
The water lines will have fittings or compression nuts that can be unscrewed to remove the lines from the shut off valves to the sink faucet.
The sink faucet may come out directly with the sink or need to be removed separately. It will depend if the faucet mounted to the sink itself or to the counter top.
The drain line pipes and the p-trap are removed by unscrewing a series of large diameter fittings that will find at the various joints in the piping.
Once the drain is removed all the way up to the pipe that sticks out of the wall you will want to make sure to temporarily seal off that pipe to prevent sewer gas from coming into the room. One way this can be done is to stretch several layers of plastic bag over the end of the pipe and secure in place with a heavy rubber band looped a couple of times over the end of the pipe.
Sinks generally mount either by hanging through a hole from the top of the counter top or up from underneath. In most cases there will some type of clamping brackets under the counter top around the periphery of the sink that hold the sink in place. Remove these to allow the sink to come out. The type of clamps used (if any) varies greatly.
Some sinks will have been sealed to the counter top with some type of caulk or silicon sealer. This may have to be broken loose to remove the sink. In some cases it may be easier to just cut the counter top around the old sink to remove the thing - depending upon the material used for the counter top.


Need help finding the right replacement screws

Some of the screws appear to have threads for wood (or plastic). The actual thread pitch isn't terribly important, so just buy screws of the correct size and with suitable heads.
Screw E is obviously a machine screw. 4mm screws typically have a standard thread pitch (0.70mm), so what you find should work. If there are multiple options, buy both and try them.
In case some of the 5mm screws are actually machine thread, common pitch is 0.80mm. Again, trial and error. They aren't usually expensive, and if you're careful with the packaging you can return leftovers.


How can I fix a small slightly damp area in my basement wall?

Water IS getting to it. There IS water there. You cannot fix it by covering the wet. You must fix it by stopping the water from getting to that point.

Check your gutters. Do they tend to get clogged? Are the downspouts set so the water is directed away from that area?

Check the grading in that area.

If all of this checks out, then the water is getting through the wall. There may be a crack. You may need to dig down and apply water proofing in that area, or repair the crack.


Why are my ceiling fan light bulbs burning out quickly?

Does your ceiling fan wobble? Shaking a light bulb can break the filament. See How do I balance a ceiling fan?

Is your line voltage reliable? An electrician told me once that he swears by 130V-rated bulbs. If voltage surges a little, the 130V bulb will tolerate it better than lower-rated bulbs. The rating is printed on the top of the bulb. However, if this was the problem, you'd probably see it in other fixtures, too.

Line voltage varies because keeping voltage steady under varying load is very, very hard.


In this case, i would read the manual carefully; usually the housing provides a buffer for heat dissipation, but some heaters may specify no flammable materials within x inches, or nothing on top.  And make sure the air intake is unobstructed or the heater may pull insulation fragments in to the housing.


This is not a problem at all! If there is a bunch of water it will at best wash all the debris down the system. As far as a problem NO WAY!
You may be able to over fill a system with water but once the flow is reduced it will recover and there will be NO damage.
I have installed many systems, the only one ones that failed took years when met code.
Yes you can cause problems with a full flow of water but after a day or so everything will be fine if your system passed perc testing or whatever your state requires.


How do I pull up sheets of plywood from the floor?

You should be able to pull them up with a 12" long prybar and possibly a crowbar (3' to 4' long), if it is stubborn.  Most that I have seen are put in with nails only.  You may also need to have a circular saw handy in case some of the subfloor runs underneath a wall (in this case, you would want to make a clean cut of the subfloor piece, so you can remove the part that you need and leave the part under the wall intact).

As for reattaching the sheets, you should use 3" screws.


+24VDC to 5v converter - does the positive make a difference?

"COM" is short for "common".  It means ground, or, in this case, negative.


Installing Moen Flo with SharkBite. Is this bent copper, soft copper?

It's soft copper tubing. I have used it when replacing old pipes in two story building where access was extremely limited. I have seen SharkBite connectors used on soft copper but it has to be perfectly round... which is sometimes difficult. I'd be switching to hard copper before using SharkBites. Personally, I wouldn't be using SharkBites at all.


Washing Machine super loud noise at the start

It sounds like the pump stalling because it has a sock stuck in it.
IF you feel competent to look up 'how to remove back from xyz appliance' and do it, you can.
The worst that happens is water on the floor and you started the job for the tech.
Remember to unplug before you start.
If you're not mechanically able then don't use it and wait for the tech.
Loud noises mean something is hitting/impinging where it shouldn't.
This is 'homeowner experience' not 'repair tech knowledge,' FWIW


Do big-box stores sell inferior versions of plumbing fixtures?

I phoned Kohler to ask them this exact question. The answer, at least for Kohler, is that if the part number is exactly the same, the product is exactly the same. However, some parts, sold only at the Home Depot and Lowe's, have an "R" prefix on the part number. This stands for "retail" and can signify that cheaper parts have been used to reduce cost; for example some metal parts may have been replaced with plastic parts.


Tiling kitchen spashback with gap between worktop and wall

I like option three.

Put down painters tape first then slide the ruler to the wall and tape it down securely along the edge away from the wall. This gives you straight edge to work on.( assuming your counter is straight )

Once your tile is set ( 24 hours ) you can pull the tape, gently slide out the ruler and remove the other tape.

If you still have a small gap the  caulk between the countertop and the tile should cover it.


Are paving bricks differently sized for sand bedding vs mortar bedding?

You can use the smaller brick with no stability problems.
The only issue you will have is if you chose a "basket weave" pattern when the brick are laid tight. The width of 2 bricks will not add up to the length of a brick side since these are sized with a mortar joint in mind.

If you use a stack bond, running bond or even herringbone, you can lay them tight with no issues at all.


Vinyl tile installation over a concrete basement floor with moisture

One product I know of that is meant for this type of scenario is Dricore. It provides a moisture barrier from the floor.

  DRIcore has an integrate high density polyethylene membrane bonded to the underside of the panel which provides an excellent moisture barrier

I've never used it personally though it seems pretty popular in my neck of the woods.

I'd still recommend trying to rectify the root moisture problem before putting anything down.


Your appliance is really three hob-pairs, each of which runs off of 230VAC 50/60Hz 1 phase, pulling 16A.  This means that your proposed wiring scheme will work out from an electrical standpoint, which is the good news.

The bad news, though, is that for most cord types, carrying 48A requires the flexible cord to have 6AWG conductors as per Table 400.5(A)(1) in the NEC.  Considering it looks as if the terminals on your stove will accept neither 6AWG conductors nor spade- or ring-type terminals (most range cords terminate in the latter to fit the terminal blocks on US electric ranges), finding a cord that you can use for this is quite hard -- in fact, no premade cords for this job exist!  This leaves you with two options -- make a custom cord that terminates in a standard NEMA 6-50P and use jumpers in the appliance's terminal box to configure it for single phase operation, or use a customized power cord to route the 3 individual hots back to the plug and jumper all three hots together in the receptacle's junction box.  I'd recommend the latter as the parts for it are going to be much easier to find -- 10-3 W or G cords generally don't turn up!  (Certainly, the orange and blue borgs don't have 'em, nor do your typical industrial suppliers...)  Of course, you can always see if your hob will accept a hardware-store range cord -- you will need to jumper in the wirebox as your electrician suggests, and leave the cord's neutral unconnected (cutting off the spade terminal, if present, and using heat-shrink or a wirenut to insulate it would be wise in this case).

Using a three-phase cord and receptacle

You will need a NEMA L22-20P plug and a NEMA L22-20R receptacle, as well as some 10AWG THHN for jumpering in the stove outlet junction box, and the correct wire nuts for connecting the existing 8AWG branch circuit wires to the 10AWG jumpers.

First, cut the existing plug off the cord and wire the L22-20P in its place (if the existing cord cannot be reused for some reason, you will need a length of 10/5 flexible cord to replace it with)).  You will need to jumper the appliance for a Y (Wye) power configuration.

Then, take each HOT terminal on the receptacle and wire a 10AWG pigtail to it.  Twist all the HOT pigtails together and wirenut them with one of the special wirenuts to the black wire on the branch circuit.  Then connect the red wire on the branch circuit to the receptacle neutral and the bare wire on the branch circuit to the receptacle ground.  Finally, cap the white wire from the branch circuit off with a wirenut before installing the receptacle.

Making your own cord for a 6-50 plug/receptacle

Making your own cord for this application will require a length of 10/3, 75°C type W flexible cord (a 10/3 type SC or type G cord can be substituted, as these types use the table 400.5(A)(2) ampacities instead of table 400.5(A)(1)) and a NEMA 6-50P plug.  You will need to install a NEMA 6-50R receptacle as well -- neither the NEMA 10-50 nor the NEMA 14-50 is apropos for this application, although the latter can be used in in conjunction with a NEMA 14-50P to NEMA 6-50R adapter rated for 50A.


The LG split unit I installed had a micro switch in the cover that stops the fan motor while the cover is open, make sure the filters are seated and the covers closed. If the fan still won't start you will need to check the control board for error codes. It's been a few years but I remember that switch was a pain.  Added from memory there are a couple of things that will stop the unit from working, dirty filters high liquid level (drain plugged) filters not seated door not fully closing. I am sure there were more there should be an owners manual it has a troubleshooting guide with quite a few pages of problems and solutions in the back but it has been a while.


I would say it's a little more than what's normally considered OK, but it isn't going to make the shed collapse or anything like that.  It's going to make for gaps in the corners, trim might not fit quite right, stuff like that, but probably not an issue for a home built shed.

I would weigh the aggravation of fixing it against the aggravation of working around it, and correct it if I could without major surgery.


Is 3/4" OSB a better soundproofing material than 5/8" drywall?

3/4” OSB board is better than 5/8” gypsum board.

Sound control is measured in STC ratings (sound transmission coefficient).

Here’s a website that tests various materials:  https://www.ecopacificinsulators.com/uploads/4/7/1/6/4716609/sound_transmission_stc_rating.pdf

Gypsum board is not as good as OSB board. 1/2” OSB board equals 5/8” gypsum board.

As you can see, 3/4” OSB board is not listed, but OSB board increases by +1 for each 1/8” thickness. Therefore, you could surmise that 3/4” OSB board would be +6, and 5/8” gypsum board is +4 and fire rated gypsum board is only +5.


Can I use a 4x6 as a top plate for a stud wall?

I am confused as to the purpose of a 4X6 to support the roof overhang. Are you using rafters and collar ties? The rafter tails are usually what an overhang is created from.

You should consider the conventional way of using  a double 2X4 top plate. The second or top 2X4 plate overlaps corners to lock adjacent the walls. A top plate of 4X6 would be very difficult to nail or screw to your studs without metal plates. I see no advantage to using an oversize plate.

Maybe I'm missing the point of the question however.


That silver block with two screw terminals is probably a doorbell transformer, which converts (I'm guessing) 120VAC line voltage to the 24VAC that the doorbell needs.

With that in mind, you cannot wall off boxes that contain line voltages; the contents must be accessible. If a box only contains low voltages, then you can wall it off. However, the doorbell transformer input probably must be accessible, and it looks like you have line voltages in the top box as well, which would mean both must be accessible.


Single phase vs three phase commercial air-conditioning

3-phase is slightly more efficient, but not nearly that much for units like this.

3 ton is a very small unit for central air. It is HIGHLY doubtful you (or a tenant) will see any noticeable difference in their bills.

Considering the dramatic difference in cost ($700 less), it's a no-brainer to go with the single phase units.


How do I replace a condenser fan motor in a central air unit?

First off, I vote for a new unit if you can swing it, but $100 is a lot cheaper and you are not likely to offset the cost of a new unit with the savings from a newer, more efficient unit for many years.

The condenser fan motor isn't that hard to change, you just need basic hand tools and a gear puller. It would also be a good time to replace the fan start capacitor as well.


How can I improve my hot water heater's performance?

I had this problem once.  Is the water flow in your shower controlled by a single knob?  If so, then there is an adjustment thingy inside the faucet knob that controls the ratio of hot to cold water.  Take the knob off by prying lose the center plastic cap and removing the screw that holds it on.  There will be a plastic piece underneath that you can pull out, rotate a little bit toward the hot side, and then push back in.  You may have to experiment a little bit to get it where you want it.

Now, it's been a little while since I did this, and I'm pretty sure I didn't have to turn off the water to tear down the faucet to that point, but I just can't remember for sure, so I guess you should turn off the hot and cold water supplying the shower before you take it apart.  You can probably find an exploded diagram of your particular faucet online if you can still read the manufacturer's name on it.

This may not fix your problem, but it's a good first step to check before you get too involved with water heaters and pipes just on the principle that it's a 5 minute job and it's free.


How can I stop veggie garbage from coming out of my basement storm drain?

It is obvious to me that the main sewer line is restricted somewhere between the house and town line. In areas that allow storm drains to be coupled to sewer lines, it is important that these lines run freely.  If yours is backing up with kitchen waste, there is only one solution.  You need to have the line checked with a camera. you could have a simple  clog, a root growing through the line in the yard, a rust blockage if it is black pipe, etc. You won't know until it is looked at. At that point I'm sure you will need a rotary bit cleaning or a new liner installed. The longer you wait, the worse it will get.  There is no DIY cure for this type of problem.


If I understand you right, you’re using a light and TV on a dimmer switch controlled Plug (outlet)

If so that is a extremely bad idea as this is totally unsuited for TVs, Stereos, Computers, and other equipment. Equipment of this type will likely kill the electronic switch (triac) inside the dimmer switch and will put the attached appliances into a condition where they are likely to be destroyed when the dimmer is set at anything less than 100% on.

Solutions:

Put TV on different non controlled outlet (You will still have to replace the defective Dimmer switch)
You can if you want to keep the on off switch, remove the dimmer and put a regular light wall switch
The best would be to remove the Dimmer/light switch all together (After shutting power off from Breaker) and connect the switching wires together(NOT THE GROUNG)and cap, Then put a blank wall plate on.


Installing Outlet for Welder; Possible Dual Use for RV

I appreciate your effort to try and combine outlets and wiring but it's usually pretty hard to do. Your welder will need a 40 Amp breaker, two hots and a ground. Your future RV would probably need at least a 20 Amp breaker, one hot, a neutral and a ground. Weather proof, water tight outlets and cover plates can run into a lot of money so I'd think about installing your welder outlet in the garage. Put a longer cord on your welder or get longer ground and electrode cables so you can weld outside. If and when you get your RV, then deal with the outside outlet. If you run 3/4" conduit and THHN for the welder circuit, you could add the new RV circuit in the conduit and extend it outside with your weatherproof/watertight fittings. If you're planning on running cable, you'd need two separate runs.
As far as testing your welder, A Megger test would be the best for verifying the insulation is good. You could also remove the access panels and clean everything up and check all the connections. Plug it in and strike a small arc at each setting.


How to fix toilet jets clogged with chlorine tablet chunks

Bleach and chlorine can get nasty very fast if you try to put other chemicals in the tank to help the tablet dissolve.  I think the safest bet is to fill your tank with warm water and use that for several flushes.  Don't use water that is too hot because that could start to cause issues with the wax seal on the toilet if that gets too warm.  Just warm, touchable water should help dissolve it much faster than normal cold tank water.


It is also a bad design because any water that gets in there pools.  For that reason I would "glue" it on with a basic latex caulk.  When you need to service the tap you'll have to cut out the caulk.


Can I mix waterbase Behr wall paint with waterbase deck stain/sealer?

First, are the products chemically compatible?  The mere fact that they're water-based does not make it so.  The best place to ask is the factory.

However, there's a bigger problem.  Even if they're compatible, a colored paint diluted (what, 2:1?) with a clear coating will have very poor coverage.  If it's going to take 6 coats to get decent coverage on the deck, then why not just paint 4 coats of clear stain, and 2 coats of paint?

The third problem is that floor paint is a very tough service.  I don't have confidence in any water-based product, but you certainly don't want to use wall paint! For best use of the materials, you might try 1 coat of sealer (to actually seal), 2 coats of wall paint (to color), then more coats of sealer (to provide a durable coating over the color).   That's a stupid amount of work, and I still wouldn't have high hopes.

If it goes wrong, you may have to remove the failed paint.  That will be far more tedious and expensive than any savings you might have had on paint.

Believe me, I get it.  Nobody wants to waste paint.  I have tens of gallons of paint I have no use for (I am a fastidious color matcher, and I buy a lot of quarts just for color tests).  But my problem is, everything I might paint is too valuable to risk a failed paint job and the huge amount of work to recover from that.

There's one more problem with newer water-based paints.  The paint industry has done their level best to reduce VOCs, especially toxic VOCs.  The result is nothing poisons the paint from growing microbes or mold.  There have been many cases of people finding paint that's stinkier than normal, painting their walls, and finding the stink won't go away. Covering it with fresh paint doesn't work, their only option is to peel off all the layers of paint down to the failed coat. This is a staggering amount of work that can go into hundreds of hours.  That makes me very reluctant to use old paint at all.  Again, most of my projects are too important for that kind of risk, so I find myself just buying new to avoid any chance of a big problem.


gas furnace pilot light is lit,,won't produce heat, making a clicking sound,,,

Without knowing the exact make/model of furnace, it's impossible to give a specific answer.
Flame Sensor
It sounds like the furnace may not be detecting the pilot. The furnace uses some type of flame sensor to determine when the pilot is lit. Often times these devices can become covered in soot, and have a difficult time detecting the flame.
Furnaces often have an electronic device that is used to light the pilot, rather than having a pilot constantly burning.  One type uses electricity to make the tip of the device heat up enough to ignite the gas, while another uses a spark to ignite the gas. If you have the spark type, that could be the clicking you're hearing. It would be a steady click--click--click. If the furnace is not detecting the pilot, it will continue to send the signal to the ignitor to light the pilot. This may be why you are hearing the constant clicking.
The first step to solving this issue, would be to locate the flame sensor in your furnace.  It will be a device with wires leading to it, and it will be in very close proximity to the pilot flame (as in, the tip of it should be in the flame).
Once you've located the sensor, you can clean the tip using fine steel wool (#00, #000). Gently rub the sensor with the steel wool, removing any black soot from the sensor.
WARNING: Make sure the power to the furnace is off; using either the breaker or servicemans switch, before performing any maintenance on the furnace.


Well, since you already know all about tabs, I don't need to give the usual "what is a tab" orientation.    You were on guard, and didn't make the usual mistake.

Except you did this time.   This receptacle you just changed was split, with its tab broken off.  You need to do that on the new one.

Or instead, you can simply disconnect and cap whichever hot (always or switched) you do not want, but you've already done that so you know the drill.


Should I turn the hot water tank off or turn it down on extended vacation?

If you have good access to the pipes and can be completely sure that they're empty down to the service entry, then you can get away with turning off the hot water heater and draining the lines/tank.  If it's a newer model, though, they're generally extremely efficient, and won't cost you much to leave on for peace of mind.

If you can't verify empty lines, then no, you probably shouldn't turn off the hot water heater.


I did a bad job pouring a cement walkway, how can I fix it?

A number of the low aggregate rapid set cements are good for applications down to  a 1/2 inch.  The patch is best made when the old cement is still fresh, and for good measure use some concrete bonding adhesive.


Can I safely wire a generator switch to two electrical panels

Lucky you

Your panels are set up very advantageously to put in a generator transfer switch.  All the loads you want to switch (but one) are already in a subpanel.  This makes this super easy.   It's almost like somebody planned it... Except the guy who put the pump circuit in the main panel did not get the memo.

You need to put a different transfer switch in between the two boxes.   There are a couple ways to do this.

One is fit the subpanel with a manual interlock switch.  This is a listed (offically tested) modification to the subpanel where it puts two breakers opposite from each other with a sliding plate so they can't both be on.   Simple and cheap, and you may even be able to retrofit your existing panel.  Must be thrown manually.

The other way is to pick a spot along the cable between the panels (or elsewhere if you don't mind rerouting cable), cut the cable, and insert the transfer switch inline.   This will work with any kind of transfer switch, including automatic.  You'll need to cut the cable on one side with enough slack to work, and the other side will be too short so you will have to replace that "half" of the run.  So choose location and cut point very carefully to your advantage.

That one breaker in the wrong panel

The stuff you are imagining, you cannot do anything like that.  In that approach, the options are break the law, backfeed the grid and kill linemen; or spend a king's ransom on more heavy cables than the underside of an NYC subway car, in a veritable Gordian knot of transfer switch wiring that nobody will be able to figure out after the fact. And the power company and inspector will absolutely hate it.

The right way is easy, if annoying: move the circuit to the subpanel.   Extend the pump circuit, all wires, to the subpanel and land it on a double breaker, ground bar, and neutral if used.  Do not continue to use the ground in the main panel, in fact if you make this splice inside the main panel, tape the ground wire with green tape to insulate it from the main panel.  It's not the end of the world if it grounds accidentally, but grounds must go to the same panel the hots do.

I know that's a pain, but it's way less of a pain than anything else you could do legally.

Not room in the subpanel?

This happens a lot, some guy drove back from the subpanel store slapping himself on the back for saving $30... by buying barely enough spaces.  Don't be that guy.   You're going to need 6 right off the bat - 4 for the transfer switch and 2 for the well pump.

Worst case you may need to replace the subpanel, and fortujately that is DIY-possible because you can entirely shut off the panel at the main breaker. Also a great time to be looking for transfer switch friendly panels if you want to go that way.  Don't scrimp - slap yourself on the back for buying twice as many spaces as you need today.  The bigger panels often come with "bonus breakers" which save you some money too.


I need to screw into my wall but halfway in, it hits something hard

Sometimes a concrete wall will not have full-depth studs on it.  Instead it will have thin (sometimes only 3/4") firing strips attached to the concrete and the wallboard or paneling gets attached to those strips.  If you are using long screws, chances are good that you are just hitting the concrete.

One way to test this would be to drill a small hole where there is not a stud and probe the wall with the bit to see how deep it is.  If the wall is shallow and you have thin firing strips, hanging heavy objects on the wall can be a challenge because you will have to use special anchors and partially drill into the concrete or brick.  You have to know a little more about how the wall is built to know that drilling the concrete will be safe.


Y Plan Sundial - 150V on orange wire, boiler stays on in heating only mode

According to V4073A FAQ:

  When this Heating demand is satisfied, during a Heating ON period, 50V to 150V (voltage can vary
  according to the supply) will remain on the orange wire...

So the voltage you've found is there by design. Unfortunately, it's enough voltage to trigger the boiler's relay when it's supposed to be off.

(As the programmer is in HEATING only mode, the grey wire will be live which keep the central heating/A port open.)

You have two options:

Use a relay - Wire in a strict 230V relay (Such as http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/4334076/) between the boiler switched live and pin 8 on the wiring centre
Use the official "RC" device - The RC device (Worcester part 87161092750) pulls the voltage down below the tolerance of the boiler's relay. Only when a full 230V is present will the boiler fire. The RC device is wired between Neutral and the L/R (switched live) terminal. There's no polarity, so use either wire for each. In a wiring centre, it would be installed into terminals 2 + 8

I chose the RC device so that it was supportable and maintainable by others in the future.

Edit:

The official RC (resistor–capacitor) device is actually a Roxburgh XEB 1201 noise suppressor. I guess the resistance of this (120Ω) causes the voltage on pin 8 to now read 21V.
It comes in a Farnell bag, so pretty confident it's resold without modification. Buying direct would have saved me £20!


What are the different ways to dry the winding of a water-logged pump?

You face two challenges here: silt and moisture.  Silt could gum up brushings (if present) or bearings.

Assuming the pump is full of clean water the usual drying techniques apply:

Disassemble to the greatest degree reasonable.
Rinse with clean water (no need to be shy for a pump).
Use compressed air to blow water out.  A bike pump works in a pinch.
Use a heat gun/hair dryer to accelerate drying.
Place the pump in a desiccant (e.g. bowl of rice works great).
Ensure the pump is very dry before attempting to energize.


You can have both circuits in the same box, as long as they're not from different systems, and there isn't more than a 300 volt difference between the circiuts. Even then, I think you just need a divider.

You'll also have to consider box fill, but that's typically not a problem.

Just make sure you keep the neutrals for each circuit separated.


Can you just fill it with sand and level it? Yes, I suppose so, though it is not a good idea. This would probably be viewed as a problem when you decide to sell this house. It would be a tripping point, so dangerous. It might also be an avenue for radon gas to get into your basement.

Do you need to have rebar into the sides? I doubt that. There is no load being carried here. No real need for serious strength.

Just pick up a few bags of cement from the home store, mix it up as indicated in a wheelbarrow, and trowel it in. Make it reasonably flat, but you need not be a perfectionist if this is simply a storage area. Just try to minimize any trip points.


Projector ceiling mounting using 2 screws instead of 4: risky?

I would think the way you mentioned would be fine.
Just use good size screws.

But would be safer an better if you climb up there and add more support. By screwing in beams where you need them.


What is the proper order of layers for bathroom walls?

Confirming we are talking about your bathroom, not the shower/tub area.

In honesty it doesn't matter.  Purple, green, regular drywall will all eventually act the same given moisture.  Does it taking more time really help?  Most building codes require purple/green drywall.  So put that up to pass inspection.  If you want to not have to worry about mold issues then you need to create a barrier.

Two heavy handed oil based primer coats are the most effective way to do this (Killz for example - tons of brands that can do this).  This is why you see 100 year old bathrooms in great shape.  The oil based paint creates a moisture barrier.  Paint whatever you want over top of it.  Depending on size of bathroom (smaller ones I do this for sure) I will either go oil based everywhere and for sure on all ceilings.

So to answer your question the steps are - insulation, drywall, oil primer, paint.  You don't put a plastic barrier behind drywall unless you are worried about moisture from the other side.


Rebar doesn't cause kickback with a concrete saw, but it does slow things down. What causes most kickback is binding, which will be somewhat difficult to avoid when cutting horizontally. My shoulders ache just thinking about it.

I'd probably stripe it vertically and cut off the bars at appropriate sizes to minimize horizontal cutting. You'll go though quite a bit of diamond blade, though. Consider renting a small backhoe with a jackhammer attachment.


How can I paint a wooden desk with a rubberised feel?

I would prime the desk and then coat it with Redgard.   Sand after your prime.  Put the Redgard down in thin coats with a foam roller and it will turn out very smooth.  After 2 days it stiffens and will become very durable (and waterproof).


I need a multiple-switch light switch which can't all be turned off at once

This is possible with a simple guard. The guard should have a notch for each switch that is approximately 4x the width of the switch, except the plastic should not be notched in one of those four positions for each switch. For example, switch 1 should not be notched in position 1, but should be notched in positions 2, 3 and 4.

The guard also needs 4 horizontal slots that correspond to the switchplate screws. The screws hold the guard against the switchplate and the horizontal slots allow the guard to move left and right.

Here's a crude drawing. The red box represents that footprint of the entire switch, the tall black rectangle is the switch lever, and the large black thing with the 4 horizontal slots is the guard. The guard is shown in each of the 4 possible positions.

As you can see, each switch has exactly one position where it can not be turned off. In the first drawing, switch 1 is blocked from being turned off. In the second drawing, switch 2 is blocked from being turned off. And so on.

Let's set up an example:

the guard is in the first position
switch 1 is on
switches 2-4 are off
you want only switch 2 to be on

To move the guard to allow switch 1 to turn off, you must first turn on switch 2 to allow the guard to move. Then you slide the guard one position to the left. Finally, you turn off switch 1.

This could easily be made using snips and a scrap piece of sheet metal or plastic.


How to choose the correct all purpose screw driver or drill

Most low voltage drills are targeted toward hobbiests than anyone else, and a 7.2V drill is likely not going to be much use for driving screws.  It will likely do fine for drilling holes, but there is generally a pretty strong relationship between voltage and torque.

If this is something you'll be doing enough to justify the purchase, I'd look for something 14V and higher from a reputable manufacturer (Bosch, Dewalt, Makita, and Milwaukee spring to mind). Avoid the cheap store brands or cheap imports (I'm looking at you, Harbor Freight), and read some reviews from websites or magazines that are aimed at contractors (I usually start at FineHomebuilding - they do a ton of tool reviews).

Finally, keep in mind that the majority of what you are paying for are the battery packs.  This means that you can generally get better deals on tool combo sets than individual tools because they'll share batteries.

BTW, on your protruding screws you'll want to back them out about a quarter inch before setting them the rest of the way - it's easier if the driver isn't at full torque when you start.


How do I run a wire underground to an outdoor post lamp?

According to NEC table 300.5, for using a branch circuit of 120V and not more than 20A, with GFCI protection:

If it's under 2" thick concrete or equivalent, then depth = 6" and you can use direct burial-rated -- i.e. type UF -- cable, or run in a conduit
Under a driveway (for 1-2 family homes), depth = 12"
Under lawns (and anywhere except streets, buildings, parking lots), depth = 12" for direct burial-rated cable, or 6" in a metallic conduit


Two GFCI outlets on the same circuit, just for code?

Just connect the cable from the second outlet to the "line" side of the first GFCI (or wire-nut and pigtail the first GFCI. Then install the 2nd GFCI normally.

Alternatively, most GFCI outlets come with little stickers to put on the cover plates of downstream protected outlets.   If you choose that route, you would wire the cable to the 2nd outlet to the "load" side of the first outlet.


What do I do with receptacles behind built-ins?

Since all electrical junctions must be accessible, you have a few options.

Completely remove this section of the circuit.

To do this you will have to remove the wire feeding the receptacle, which means you will have to locate the source of the wires. The cable may come from another receptacle, or directly from the service panel. Either way you'll have to remove the receptacle, and all the wire feeding the box (I think you can leave the empty box in the wall, but you may want to remove it anyway since you no longer need it).
If the receptacle feeds another receptacle, you'll have to rewire the circuit to compensate for the removed section.

Terminate the circuit.

Since the junction will still have to be accessible, you'll have to cut a hole in the built-ins to allow access (if they have a back).  Once that is done, remove the receptacle, cap the wires with wire nuts and tape, and install a blank cover plate on the receptacle box. If this will be inside a cabinet, check your local codes to make sure this is allowed.
In this case if the receptacle feeds another receptacle, you can just connect the wires together (junction), and close it up with a blank cover plate.

Integrate the receptacle into the built-ins

This approach is similar to terminating the circuit, and you'll have to cut a hole in the built-ins (if it has a back). Again if the receptacle will be inside a cabinet check local codes to make sure this is allowed.
This might not be the best idea in the case of shelving units, since it could easily lead to a fire or electrocution hazard.

As B Mitch points out. Moving the receptacle to the other side of the wall may also be an option.

In this case simply cut an access hole on the other side of the wall, flip the box around to the other side, and install the receptacle on the other wall.

If it was me, I would remove the receptacle completely.  I'm not so keen on having live wires just hanging out, and receptacles in enclosed spaces (cabinets for example) makes me nervous.

I'm not sure what you mean when comparing dry/wet locations, the issue here is accessibility.  The only difference between a wet location versus a dry one, is if you integrate the receptacle into the built-in in a "wet" location (a bar for example) you would have to switch to a GFCI receptacle.


Should I wait for Spring to have my backyard deck painted?

There is nothing wrong with painting the deck this fall.  It typically has dry days with low humidity depending where you are in NY.  Just make sure the humidity is low so that the paint can dry properly.  This will get the wood protected for winter.  Just check the weather and plan well.


How do I clean an oxidized steel terminal before attaching a wire to it?

As long as you make sure that the terminals are not live then fine emery cloth should remove the patina.


Presumably the black and red wires are the hot and switched, corresponding to your current switch. If the box is gounded, that one's good. The issue (depending how the box is wired) may be that the timer needs a neutral connection, and if the box only has "switch loops" run to it it may not currently HAVE a neutral wire - in which case you need to get one there.

Now, when you say that there are 5 cables in the box, do you mean 5 multi-wire cables (black-white-bare/green) except one of them is red-black-white-bare/green and there are a lot of white wires connected to each other? If so, it's your lucky day, as one of those white wires will provide your neutral connection. Avoid white wires that are connected to switches, as those probably are NOT neutrals.

A picture would help a lot, but that's my educated guess, if you are using "cable" in the usual sense, as opposed to confusing it with "wire."


You have an intermittent earth fault, probably triggered by expanding metal pinching something

From the symptoms described, this sounds like there is some piece of earthed metal that is heating up and pinching/damaging a wire when it does so, causing an intermittent earth fault.  The heat source can be either environmental or internal, which makes this hard to troubleshoot.

I would recommend a thorough checkout of the circuit's always-hot cabling, with all devices unplugged and all light switches removed, using an insulation resistance tester from both H-G and N-G at the distribution board.  (Your local electrician should have access to one.)  From there, the circuit can be divided into sections by way of the junctions in it for further troubleshooting.


Best way to flash an EPDM rubber roof on a concrete roof deck?

Is the 2" diameter pipe (connected to the downspout) the only means for water to flow off the roof?

If yes, does this current system allow the roof to drain correctly? ie Does water flow off the roof in a reasonable manner or does it build up (puddling) or does it overflow else where off the roof?

  I'll then fasten the overhang to the vertical edge using a termination bar (basically a strip of aluminum with screw holes every 6" or so) along with some EPDM caulk.

  This use of termination bars seems like it should be really reliable, but possibly overkill -- they're designed to help seal the EPDM on its way up a wall, and this is down.

Also the above has me a little confused, is the EPDM being terminated via being dressed vertically up a wall or is it being bent down a wall (a photo of the existing would greatly help)?


Cleaning indoor concrete floor without damaging it

Use a solvent degreaser for concrete floors, following manufacturer's instructions, on the oily areas. Then mop with warm water mixed with a bit of liquid laundry detergent and let it dry.

If the treated area looks different due to alteration of the "waxy finish", use a hard floor wax remover on the entire floor, again follow instructions.

If you wish to restore the "waxy finish", apply a coat of hard floor wax finish. The cost of all the supplies needed should be less than $35.


Can white bread be used to temporarily plug pipes for repair?

Yes, us old-timers have used this trick for decades. My father showed it to me in the 1980s. I did just a few months ago when swapping a water heater. The idea is that you plug the pipe with a gob of bread, do your repair as the bread blocks and absorbs the trickle of water, and later it softens and dissolves, flowing down the pipe.  You want to use just the inner part of plain white bread--no crust, seeds, etc. that can cause clogs elsewhere.
Just take into consideration where the bread muck will end up. If you're upstream of delicate equipment, such as a reverse osmosis system, it may not be a good idea. If you can flush it out fully later, have at it.
I'll add that I consider this a last-resort strategy. It can be difficult to make it work, especially with vertical pipes. Try fully venting the system and using a wet-dry vac first.