100 amp service wire size from transformer to meter/panel

Voltage drop may be an issue, at this distance.
The Canadian Rule (don't permit more than 3% voltage drop at 80% of breaker trip, which is the max provisionable) requires a wire size "bump" around the 175' mark on distance.  This is not required in the United States, but it's a viable rule of thumb.   Under the Canadian Rule

for 100A breaker (80A computed) #1 will come in at 2.99% drop.
for 200A breaker (160A computed) #4/0 will come in at 2.88% drop.

And that's fine, because those are your minimum wire sizes anyway.
Wires carrying your whole service get a 17% discount
When you have wires carrying your entire service, you get to compute your mandatory wire sizes off 83% of service size.   So this leads us to #2Al for 100A, and #4/0Al for 200A.
A feeder wire never needs to be bigger than the service wire by this rule.
However, since you are seriously contemplating a 200A heavy-up, I do not recommend laying #2 because you'd only need to upgrade it later.
All other feeders need to calculate on full-boat
If a feeder doesn't benefit from the above exception, then it must calculate full-boat ampacity.  For the wire types offered in aluminum, that is
100A = #1 Al ...... 200A = 250 kcmil Al.
A 2-RV stands needs less than 100A.
The RV provisioning rules allow a "discount" for feeder size when the feeder serves multiple RV stands.  The discount means #2 aluminum wire (rated full-boat 90A) is acceptable to feed two 50A RV stands.
Run wires ONCE
The reason I'm arming you with all this data is because I want you to not have to replace wires later.  Run the wire you need and don't look back.
"But my 100A meter won't take 4/0 wire!"  That's OK -- get three Polaris connectors rated for 4/0.  Use those to pigtail down to #2 or #1 Al wire to land on the meter lugs.  Of course those Polaris couplers are about $20 a pop, so figure that into the cost.
On panels - think BIG
What's important with panels is the number of breaker spaces.  Spaces are dirt cheap, so never allow a future situation where  you want to add a circuit or feeder but can't because the panel is full.  Honestly, "help, my panel is full" is our #1 panel question here.  Just get ridiculous numbers of spaces.
Typically, 100A panels have only a few spaces... most panels of respectable size (24-space and larger) are 200A bussed.  If they are main-breaker, they typically have 200A main breakers.
That is fine -- you can go ahead and use it anyway.  If it is downstream of another breaker, then the local breaker doesn't matter - it's only there to be a disconnect switch.   E.G. if you use a 100A "meter-main" you can run to a 200A-main-breaker panel and that's fine - the 200A breaker serves merely as a disconnect so its size doesn't matter.
If this panel needs a 100A breaker, then you have 3 choices:

Buy a 200A main-breaker panel and swap out the main breaker for 100A
Buy a 200A main-breaker panel, disregard the 200A main, and install a 100A breaker in a normal breaker space and backfeed it, as the main. Label it as the main breaker.
Buy a 200A/225A convertible, main-lug panel, and buy a retrofit main breaker that is 100A.


The IC rating means that the entire can can come into contact with insulation.

For more information see http://www.superiorwirework.com/ic-rated-recessed-lighting.asp


You don't seem to have identified the type of connector you are asking about.

There are rated and approved splice kits suitable for splicing NM cable inside the wall without a junction box.

For example, look at this one: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Electronics-Romex-Splice-Kit-2-Wire-1-Clam-CPGI-1116377-2/202204326.

Note the strain relief on both sides of the splice, and the enclosed nature of the connection. But the real point is that it is legally approved for this use.


If it's an old York, that is your error code. Verify all limit switches, or find the reason they're tripping.


How can I prepare slightly uneven tiled floor for vinyl 'planks'?

I have used this product myself:
DAP floor leveling compound

It is thick enough that it does not actually seek self-level, but it can be used with a good straight scrim to get to "TRUE" which means "flat not necessarily level/plum".

This should be perfect for you.  Follow up with a 1/8" layer of plywood if you like.


You might consider a longer shower base - we found one about 1.2m long and 80 wide which meant we did not need a door at all as there was very little splash out.
And we had this with a sloped ceiling as well, the shower head had to be in the top corner as I am 6ft plus - for my (ex)wife that was not an issue.


How do I pour concrete in an existing garage?

Sometimes hiring pros is the best option.

There are various approaches to the problem. You can set screed guides/rails that you first use to get it flat, then pull and fill in the void they leave. Some are designed to be left in place as expansion joints.

You can use a dense foam insulation around the edge of the slab and use that to guide your screeding.

You can attach 2x4 to the walls above your desired surface and use a screed with an offset guide that rides on the raised 2x4.


Power connected to dishwasher isn't tied into breaker panel - now what?

Here are a couple of ideas. Usually there is a service panel on the outside of the house, this is where the main service line connects to the home. There should be a few breakers in there, but they are typically only for the bigger circuits. At my house for example, there are breakers in the outside panel for the range/oven, dryer, air conditioner, and one that goes to my main circuit panel inside. The inside breaker box is where all the breakers for lights and outlets inside are. Some homes get a second panel added inside when they run out of space on the primary panel. So I'd try to see if you have another circuit panel inside, or check in your outside panel to see if there is a circuit there that will shutoff the dishwasher circuit.


How to fish thermostat cable using an existing cable

That's a very labor intensive approach considering some of the latest technologies. Have you thought about converting to a Wireless Thermostat?
Take a look at the Honeywell YTH6320R1001.

You might also consider a cheaper option with the VentStar Add-A-Wire. This setup allows you to use your existing four wires and still be able to have a common wire. It's an ingenious idea that piggybacks unused wires and converts them into one common wire.


Dig out the area enough to cut out the tee and enough pipe such that a new tee and a coupling can be glued in. This will result in slight re-positioning of the sprinkler.

If maintaining the position exactly is important, cut back enough pipe on both sides of the tee and use two couplings.

You will need to be able to pull up, flex, or move the pipe a bit to facilitate the installation of new fittings. If this is not feasible, I have had good luck with repair couplings, which open like a clam shell or come in two pieces; so you do not need any pipe flex:


The pros used much to my surprise, bondo, at least the one I was watching. Then an air brush was used to "blend in" the color coat, an epoxy paint.

This was on Ebay for 18 bucks USD. quality looks questionable though. Just showing this one as an example


Older rental home with fake wood look floor- dull, how to shine/polish?

Use a liquid wax removing floor cleaner
rinse the floor completely clean with a mop
apply traditional liquid floor wax with an applicator or soft clean string mop

The floor will have a nice shine. This is how commercial floors in department stores look so nice and shiny. The drawback is that this has to be repeated every so often depending on traffic and abuse.


Can/should I install the breaker box in an annexed room?

(Punting to the US NEC since the OP mentioned Brazil doesn't have an electrical code, and the 2014 NEC is what I have handy.)

First off -- putting a panel in a half-bath is a bad idea, due to the hazards it poses to any electrician working inside it.  In the US, it'd be dinged by an inspector as a 240.24(E) violation:

  (E) Not Located in Bathrooms. In dwelling units, dormitories, and guest
  rooms or guest suites, overcurrent devices, other than supplementary overcurrent
  protection, shall not be located in bathrooms.

That said, is the workshop kept locked when not in use?  If so, I suspect putting breakers there would fail 240.24(B) in the US NEC (the exceptions are for multi-tenant buildings under 24/7 professional management and don't apply to single-family dwellings as a result):

  (B) Occupancy. Each occupant shall have ready access to all overcurrent
  devices protecting the conductors supplying that occupancy, unless otherwise
  permitted in 240.24(B)(1) and (B)(2).

This leaves the laundry room -- a properly placed panel in the laundry room should not be subject to moisture on a regular basis, but a NEMA 3R enclosure for the panelboard (i.e. an outdoor-rated panelboard) is a good insurance policy against a burst washer hose nonetheless.


No, not all US 240v receptacles are the same, and none may be right for that tanning bed.

The color of the wires on the terminal block indicates that this is probably is designed to operate on a European power system that operates one hot leg at ~230v to ground, and the other at 0v to ground. US style power systems operate with two hot opposing ~120v legs, totaling 240v to ground.

When an 240v appliance (tool, device, or fixture) is designed for European markets the design and safety engineers build their safety considerations into believing only one leg will be hot, and often disconnect switches will only disconnect the single hot leg. Appliances designed for the US market recognize that both legs have voltage potential, and switches will be used that disconnect both legs. So when using an appliance designed for 230v to ground on a US style power system the switch only shuts off half the power.

Why is this important? Let's say one of the bulbs burn out. Somebody turns off the power switch, the lights go out, and they proceed to change a tube. In the process they struggle a little, and a finger, piece of metal trim, or a reflector comes in contact with the lamp socket. If powered by a European 230v system no problem, the switch has turned off all power, but if powered by a US system those terminals at the socket could still be energized, and now the person changing the bulb has been energized. Or let's say heat has damaged a socket, it breaks, now you've got live wires hanging out even though the switch is off.

This is why we look for a Listing mark that is recognized for use in the US. Not all Listing marks are the same. For isntance simple UL with a circle around it and a file number is usually good for the US. Other added marks, letters or symbols (like whatever that symbol is below the "U" on the ballast) indicates tested for some other location or use, like maybe as a replacement component in a product that the finished product has been tested and listed as safe. There are other labs beside UL that are acceptable in the US, the CE mark is not one of them.

There also several configuration of plugs that supply various US 240v power, the configurations will all supply two hots, the first number will designate what additional wires the receptacles has, the second number indicates the amps of the overcurrent protection feeding the receptacle. That number needs to be large enough for the load, but not too high. Let's say you have an 24 lamp tanning bed, 100w per lamp, 2400 watts, at 240 that is 10 amps. You would need to have an outlet designed for at least 10 amps. No problem, the smallest configuration, NEMA 6-15 or NEMA 14-15 is 15 amps. So a dryer plug rated at being able to carry 30 amps should be no problem? What happens if some component becomes damaged and it starts to carry 4x the designed current. 30 amps on a 15 amp the circuit breaker should trip in less than a minute. If you have 40 amps flowing through a 30 amp breaker it could take 10 minutes to trip and still be withing the time curve a UL/NEMA circuit breaker. That could be the difference between smoke and fire.

Then there's the cord. That NM-b cable is absolutely not designed for flexible, exposed, unprotected installations. Cords are rated for size, voltage, temperature, and environmental damage concerns. I'm guessing you need to use a cord that is listed a "sunlight resistant" due to the UV concerns presented by the lamps. I don't know what other concerns may be present, I would absolutely only connect with a cord type recommended by the manufacturer of the tanning bed.


Z-Wave outlet wiring - plugging in multiple black/white wires?

I can't quite tell from the documentation above whether the receptacle is listed to take 2 wires via clamp.  When it says "either side" does it imply "both"?  If not, why have 2 slots?  If listed, that is a fine solution.

Pigtailing is an elegant way to do that.  However a pigtail requires more box fill.  Aside from having to fit as a practical matter, it counts as an additional wire for the statutory rules on box fill.

I'm a big fan of stranded wire for its flexibility (i.e. in pigtails), and I'm irked that this receptacle is listed only for solid wire.   That would have to be pigtailed to solid wire if you were working THHN in conduit with stranded wire.


What is the proper method for rolling paint on a wall?

You can apply the paint initially anyway you like, but to "finish" it you should roll up and down, moving the brush towards the handle side as you roll.

The handle side gets the most pressure, so moving in the direction of the handle means that as you lap and overlap and overlap the paint moving along the wall, the lightest pressure is always the last pressure applied to the paint.

This helps reduce the creation of those "paint lines" - ridges in the paint you see left behind if you move the brush away from the roller.

The downside here is this will tend to pull the brush off the roller over time, so you'll need to push it back into place from time to time.


Best way to fix improperly fitted skirting board?

There should be a lower plate of the framing that you should be able to nail the skirting board to. See this picture:


Gas stove whines/hums - is this a safety concern?

My background is Industrial, Commercial, & Residential combustion & appliances.  I often also consult to Commercial & Residential Cooking Equipment OEMs.

The noise you are most likely hearing is a high-pitched hum, caused by turbulent flow in some pipe fitting.  Most frequently, the source is an undersized or too lengthy flexible pipe fitting.  If you notice, black iron pipes have straight smooth sides.  This does not guarantee laminar flow, but it does greatly reduce internal friction & turbulence (low pressure drops).  This results in quiet & efficient flow.

Many plumbers enjoy the speed & efficiency of flexible tubing to make the final 18" or so easier to pipe to the appliance.  Flex hoses are flexible by using overlapping corrugated sections.  They cause VERY turbulent flow...but are acceptable under certain conditions...and very quiet when sized and used properly.  There are very specific flow rates assigned to each individual flex line manufacturer's rating.  Exceeding those rates will always cause excessive pressure drop (lower firing rates to you) and usually an improper air-fuel ratio (although not necessarily in atmospheric-type burners)...but they will ALWAYS cause a whine or loud hum.

Increase the flex line size (less than $30 in parts), or try to decrease the length...substituting pipe.

Warning, a burst regulator diaphragm can cause a noise, but the gas odor (caused by the chemical mercaptin) will be evident as it leaks through the regulator vent.  Accumulations (natural gas floats in air) are explosive.  You would easily smell the gas.  LP gases have a 1.5sg (Air is 1 specific gravity) and will drop quickly in air...and also go down drains!  A gas company can easily check for leakage (and should)...however, their meters check in parts per million (ppm).  Gas is only combustible in very defined %.  A room at 100% gas will not support combustion...but do not open the door and introduce oxygen!  Accumulations build to %...and the danger...and exceed the flammibility limit and self-extinguish (not enough oxygen).  Competent gas appliance installers use a method of a soapy water spray (or a specific leak detection soap) brushed onto every joint.  They just look for the bubbles.  It is very accurate to show problems (many OEMs use this approved method to detect leaks).  Any joint can leak in ppm (some pipe dope will outgass and set detectors off), AND be safe AND in full compliance with all standards.  No fitting is leak-tight.

Bottom line, change the flex.  If it is not a code issue in your area...it is a 15-20 minute job by a normal plumber.  Best Wishes.


Heater fan causes fluorescent light to dim/flicker

This is indicative of overloaded circuits and/or improper wiring. Check the voltage at an outlet both with and without load. Recommended range for a nominal-120 VAC line is 110-124 VAC for Range A.

If the voltage drops below that, or if circuit breakers trip frequently, remove loads (especially a heater, which can draw 15 A) or rewire the house. Some older houses had aluminum wiring, which makes poor contact at connections with age.  Don't risk a fire caused by overheating circuits.


having to cycle switch to get fluorescent lights to come on

Fluorescent tubes should NOT be loosy-goosy in their sockets (lampholders aka "tombstones").

The "tombstones" use one of several pretty much standard designs.  1000bulbs.com sells them, the most common one at 60 cents each, many hardware stores have the common types as well.

If you see black bands on the ends of the fluorescent tubes, or you just know them to be very old, it may be the tubes.

If the ballast is a bulky, heavy thing, it's high time to replace it with a modern electronic ballast.  The electronic ballast will cure cold-start problems and eliminate all flicker.  It, plus the modern 90 CRI bulbs, make fluorescent rather wonderful lighting.  The fact that you can get reliable, top-tier versions of ballasts and tubes very cheaply, has encouraged me to keep fluorescent instead of crashing headlong into LED.

If each socket has 2 wires, then you want a rapid-start or programmed-start ballast that wires the same way.  If the ballast only sends 1 wire to each socket, then you are stuck with an instant-start ballast (unless you want to change all the tombstones; then you can convert to rapid-start).

They make ballasts that support up to 4 tubes. You can go with T8 or T12 ballast, as fits your preference for tubes; either tube type will fit your fixture, but the tube must match the ballast.  T12 is obsolete and that will impact tube variety and price in the future.

Most 4-tube fixtures will let you use 2 ballasts; that's nice when you want to have a bright/dim setting.  I like having 3 tubes on 1 ballast and 1 tube on the other, with a pull switch on the 3-tube ballast; that gives you high and low.  (light is logarithmic so cutting wattage by 75% feels like about half light).

If your lights are hardwired, fit a ballast disconnect plug on the hot and neutral wires from supply.  This is a Code requirement now.

You can also use LED "tubes" instead of actual fluorescent tubes.  If you do, you want ballast-bypass types that feed hot and neutral to opposite ends of the tube (because the ones that feed the same end won't work on 1-wire tombstones), and I don't want 120/230V on 2 pins that close together.   You use ballast-bypass, wiring hot and neutral to the tube sockets directly, so that you don't have to continue maintaining the ballast.


How should I use intumescents when passing pex through fire wall?

First, this is a fire separation, not a true firewall
California Residential Code R302.6 (and the IRC it is based on) is clear on this point (italics in original):

R302.6 Dwelling/garage and/or carport fire separation The garage and/or carport shall be separated as required by Table R302.6.  Openings in garage walls shall comply with Section R302.5.  Attachment of gypsum board shall comply with Table R702.3.5.  The wall separation provisions of Table R302.6 shall not apply to garage walls that are perpendicular to the adjacent dwelling unit wall.  A separation is not required between the dwelling unit and a carport, provided that the carport is entirely open on two or more sides and there are not enclosed areas above.

So, you don't need to go crazy on this
From there, we chase down the reference to R302.5.3 on "other penetrations":

R302.5.3 Other Penetrations  Penetrations through the separation required in Section R302.6 shall be protected as required by Section R302.11, Item 4.

Item 4 of R302.11, in turn, states:

Fireblocking shall be provided in wood-framed construction in the following locations:
...

At openings around vents, pipes, ducts, cables, and wires at ceiling and floor level, with an approved material to resist the free passage of flame and products of combustion.  The material filling this annular space shall not be required to meet the ASTM E136 requirements.

As a result of this, you don't need intumescent firestopping collars around these pipes at all, just something there (usually rockwool and a fire-resistive caulking) that will keep smoke and flames from slipping by around the pipe openings.
Since you're using intumescent collars, though, I'd use one collar/penetration per pipe -- since they work by expanding and pinching off the pipe, one-per-pipe is the only way to install them so that they'll work properly.


Attaching swing bolts to sistered 2x10’s

You could use a pair of large clamps close to and flanking the screwhole to prevent the screws from pushing the plies apart. Once the screw is in at full depth the clamp is removed. It might take four clamps--from both edges of the beam.

Also you might want to use wax or other appropriate lubricant on the screws and be careful to avoid making the "pilot" holes too small.

EDIT
If the pilot holes are properly sized (large enough), then there may be no significant separating force and so clamps may not be necessary. If you don't have clamps, try it without them and see what happens. If separation occurs you can always take the screw out and get some clamps.


can a vent stack be left inside a building and simply cut down

Say what now..... connected to other drains ... opens in your conservatory....

What are they thinking...

You will be subject to all kinds of gasses, and SMELLS, and possible the odd rodent returning up the pipe.

Even if there is some kind of trap down there that prevents backflow, the pipe will suck air from your conservatory and make noise.

Tell them to move it.


How To Replace Broken Light Junction Box in Ceiling

If you don't see any obvious screws that secure the junction box to the ceiling or side joist, you can do "dental work" to carefully demolish the old box, cutting it up with snips, nipper, vibrating tool or a Dremel.  Then you'll have a 4" round hole in the ceiling.  Then you can install an "old work" box to the joist or whatever attachment point is available, or simply to the drywall itself using certain types of "old work" boxes.  Use a lightweight, low profile fixture that you're not likely to bash into.


How to install a electrical outlet box in a workbench?

My suggestion is that you consider installing a ready made plug strip across the back of the work bench. These can be purchased from many suppliers and come with an already attached heavy duty power cord that you can attach to the home outlet. Here is an example of what I am suggesting:

Let me also make another suggestion (coming from an experienced electronics person myself) that you should consider the possibility to install the plug strip up under the upper shelf of your bench instead of at the rear as you have indicated. It is much better for real usage to be able to plug things in without having to reach behind all the junk that accumulates on a work bench.

Here is a picture showing the ideal location for the plug strip. Notice how it is not hidden behind all the equipment on the bench.


What is causing the clothes washer GFCI to trip?

This happened to me:
Modern HE front loading washers draw a large inrush current in the pre-wash cycle as they hit peak torque when starting to spin a full and slightly wet load of clothes clumped at the bottom.

This can and does fake out certain brands of GFCI outlet, and is a well-known problem.  Because the problem isn't related to wattage, but to inrush current, high wattage resistive devices like hair dryers or small motors spinning quickly like vacuum cleaners don't trigger it.

Historically, GFCI outlets were not required or installed in laundry rooms, but in 2005 or 2007, the code changed, and they were judged to be 'wet' locations, and thus to require GFCI protection.

My solution was to replace the GFCI outlet with a non-GFCI outlet, and the washer has been working perfectly for 3 1/2 years.  But you may be able to find a less sensitive GFCI outlet, or just put a normal outlet in there and use your GFCI adapter.


Any thoughts on how to remove this faucet / handle

It may be a Kohler or at least have the same design. Try this :

  1  Hold on to the handle while turning the handle base counterclockwise by hand or with a strap wrench, taking care to protect the finish.

  2  Remove any remaining components to expose the valve. Set all parts aside for re-use.

  3  The valve can now be replaced or other repairs made.

  4  Reassemble handle parts in reverse order.

https://support.kohler.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002095334-Remove-the-Handles-for-the-Finial-Bathroom-or-Kitchen-Faucet


What can I do to differentiate the switched receptacle from the unswitched receptacle on a duplex receptacle?

Lutron makes this outlet

That works with this plug

So you can tell which one is which, plus no accidentall plug-ins.


How can I determine why my GE water dispenser is very slow?


What's the standard height for an outlet?

The direct answer to your question is "There is no standard". Outlets can be installed at whatever height is comfortable for the intended use.  The only NEC requirement is that you must be within 6 feet of an outlet along any wall (12' between outlets, A unbroken wall space of 2 feet or more including space measured around a corner requires an outlet. ref. NEC 210.52.A.2. A common height for a wall outlet is between 12 to 16 inches to the bottom of the device. In rare instances, outlets are still installed in baseboards and in the floor with proper box/covers.


Is my dimmable LED tape compatible with any 12V/2A driver?

When you say “any” driver I would be cautious but it will probably work.  A while back I had some led retrofit lights fail I figured out the needed voltage and it was 58v I thought what the heck I wonder if I put 2 in series and fed it with a simple full wave bridge that cost under a dollar if they would work (had a dozen of these cheap lights and all the drivers failed) I hooked them up on my work bench and except for the wire breaking off 1 time they have been running on rectified line voltage for over 6 months making my work bench quite bright.

The trick with leds is not to provide two much voltage, in the old days all the junctions were 1.2-1.7v and most burned up over 30-50 ma  today the voltage range depends so your driver requires the proper voltage then to fully drive at max brightness the driver needs to be able to provide enough current.

Two low of a voltage and there will be no light no matter how much current the driver can provide.

Two high a voltage may fry the junction even if the current is below the max value so you get 1 flash.

If the voltage is right but the current is below the required value they may glow but not be bright.

Once you have the proper voltage a driver that can provide more power won’t be a problem as my example of the 2 lamps in series.  However if I have a voltage spike on the line my lights will go up in smoke as I have no regulation just rectification. But they have been working for 1/2 a year 24/7 at a mill I did not expect them to last as I have up to 1200 hp motor and many +100 hp motors starting and stopping throughout the day.

So if your new driver has the correct voltage the amperage can be higher but peak life is achieved with the correct voltage and constant current.


Can anyone identify what brand this faucet is?

The only company's it similar to is Pegasus, Cascade, and Peerless. Very nice faucet whoever the manufacturer is. Maybe Grohe?


How are grade-level garage slabs typically connected to a basement wall?

Be careful. You are about to change the "structural dynamics" of the basement wall.

When concrete walls are poured, reinforcing steel is placed on the TENSION side of the wall. In your case, the concrete wall is designed as a retaining wall. That is to say, the concrete wall is NOT restrained at the top. Therefore, the reinforcing steel is placed in the outer one-third of the wall, (soil-side of the wall).   (By the way, the floor joists sitting on the wall, parallel or perpendicular, do not count as restraint the top of the wall. The wood will shrink over time and the wall will be a retaining wall.)

If you restrain (connect) the top of the wall to the garage slab, you've changed the wall from a retaining wall to a beam. Now the tension side (and reinforcing steel) is on the inner (room-side) one-third of the wall.

If you connect the garage slab to the top of the wall, you'll have failure (cracks and possibly crumbling) depending on how "wet" your soil is...

Go see an architect or a STRUCTURAL engineer, not a CIVIL engineer.


Why doesn't my shower work when it's below below 0?

Since it's unlikely that the plumbing is in the attic, checking the insulation there is rather like checking the tire pressure when the oil light goes on in your car - unrelated, but you don't have to open the hood. Appears from afar to be a hack response by a contractor who doesn't care to get into the expense of actually correcting a problem that was almost certainly caused by poor construction practices (possibly exacerbated by poor design), especially for a 2012 build.

The problem will be where the pipes serving the area that stops working are. It will probably be something simple that was done wrong, such as running them on the outside of an insulated cavity (though arguably, in the experience of people from cold regions, running any plumbing in the outside walls is poor design, no matter where in the wall it is.) Fixing it properly will involve tearing walls open and putting them back together again, unless you are OK with plumbing that does not work when it's cold.


How much weight can lagbolts hold, or how can I support this piece of slate on a wall?

Shear strength of the hardware isn't going to be a real concern. A single 1/4" Grade 5 lag bolt, in a configuration like this, will fail at roughly 13,000 lbs. Even 1/8" lag screws (well down into "numbered" screw sizes) will have a shear strength of over 3,000 pounds. Your piece of slate, if its density and dimensions are fairly regular for the species of stone, will weigh about 65 lbs with the measurements you gave, so a single 1/4" bolt will withstand 200 times the load that you intend to apply across three of them.

What's more important is the cantilever load of the mount and the resulting force trying to rip the bolt straight out of the wood. As BrownRedHawk says, a typical rule of thumb for screw-in-stud mountings is about 300 pounds per bolt to rip the mount straight out of the studs. This isn't much of a concern with your design either, as the mount will hold the slate flush to the wall and so the amount of cantilever force is minimal. If you were trying to hold the slate out from the wall a certain distance, that would make the bottom corner of the mount into a lever arm applying the torque of the slate bearing down on the extended mount, which would be considerable at just a few inches of offset from the wall.

Just use graded hardware, so you know it'll stand up to a minimum load. Also, use screws, not nails, in the upper mount. The tear-out strength for a nail, even a helical-threaded one, is much, much lower than a screw, and short of a full tear-out load they're more likely to work themselves out over time. You're right, the yield strength of these screws are highly unlikely to be tested, but you might as well use the same hardware as for the lower mount for a uniform look.


Do rainwater drain pipes have to bend at the bottom

yes it stops the water from pooling at the base of the wall and seeping into the foundation

if you can ensure all water goes into the drain there will be no danger though


Fill the hole with concrete.  Concrete doesn't expand in the cold -- you're probably thinking of frost heave, which is where moisture in the soil freezes and expands, disturbing whatever's above it.  If your sidewalk hasn't heaved by now, then the addition of new concrete below it isn't going to change anything.

Filling the hole with dirt or sand may in fact cause the heaving you're concerned about though -- I can imagine a situation where you're unable to properly compact the dirt underneath the sidewalk, creating a nice loosely-filled pocket for water to sit in and freeze.


Angle Stop Valve Behind Toilet Coming Apart When Trying to Unscrew The Nut Connected To It

You are correct that trying to repair the stop-valve is a bad idea, and should be replaced.
A reason why your condo shut-off valve is spinning is the thread on the stem has being stripped.  That the part that connects the handle to the stem.  When you turn the handle, you will see that the stem is not turning.
 In my picture, where the Nut is shown,  It could be a nut or screw there to attached the handle to the stem.  You could try and remove the handle to expose more of the stem.  If you can get a clamping plier on the stem, try to and turn slowly clockwise to turn the water off. The stem should be moving in.  This would be a temporary fix to cut the water off.
You will still need a plumber to repair this if the threads are stripped.
If you are able to turn off the water to your condo, then it would be a simple matter of replacing the broken toilet stop-valve with a new valve with the proper fitting, 3/8" outlet, that matches your tee.


How do I silence or muffle creaky floorboards?

There are a number of products marketed for this purpose which basically drive headless screws through the floor to fix the boards in place so they can't move. Haven't tried them, but reportedly they work.

The other solution is to learn to ignore the creak. It's amazing what sounds we can learn to filter out once we accept that they're just part of the environment -- traffic noise in the city, screaming hordes of crickets in the country, my grandfather clock, ...


What can I do to seal up these openings between our cabinets?

That isn't "unfinished work". Cabinet makers almost never fill that gap because 1) its size and shape may change when the cabinets are installed, and 2) no one ever sees it (unless they have kittens).

In your shoes I'd get some heavy card stock or rolled sheet metal and cut it to fit. Use carpet tacks, a stapler, or maybe hot glue to mount it to the underside of the cabinet frames. Keep the front edges back 1/4" from the front face of the cabinet to keep it hidden.

I'd guess that kittens won't try as hard as mice would to get in there, so card stock should work and will be easier to handle.


Toilet not flushing after clearing a clog

First, insure you're using the correct plunger: a rubber one, not the newfangled fluted plastic ones. And go absolutely nuts with it. The important part is the pull-back, to dislodge the clog (you don't just push on it). If it doesn't fight you pulling back, you didn't achieve suction; change your angle.

(source)

  Your ideal sink plunger, on the left, & toilet plunger, on the right.

(source)

My preference is the simple one on the left, it does everything. The 'flute' on the right always just ends up inside itself. Either of these are better than that first one though.

After that comes using a real sewer rodder. For which you might want to pull the toilet to avoid scratching or damaging it, assuming there's no other clean-outs to provide access.

(source)

If you're sure there's no other take-offs between the toilet and the clog, you can try a Drain Cleaning Water Bladder that uses a garden hose. But if there are other take-offs however, you're going to shoot water out of the sink drain. Generally, these are only used on the main line and only if it's a soft clog. It's not going to help you if you have a kid's toy stuck in there.


Sounds like you've hit one of the refrigerant lines, and let the magic juice out. This is a very common cause of refrigerator failure. Unfortunately, if it's even possible to repair the damage, it'll likely cost more for the repair than for a new fridge.  Of course that completely depends on the make and model of the unit, and how accessible the damaged section of tubing is.

Next time you want to defrost the freezer, follow the manufacturer's defrost procedure. Stabbing at the ice with pointy bits, is never a good idea.


Can I use a UPS as a Voltage Stabilizer?

An "online" UPS is what you need. These have circuitry that converts the line voltage (which is probably bad in your case) to DC, and then recreates the AC at its output. Without this, your UPS will often switch to battery power, allowing its batteries to discharge during use. This switching of non-online UPS will also create blips in the power output that can damage the motors in the fridge.

You also need to make sure that the UPS creates a good-quality sine wave output. Cheaper UPS will create a square wave, or a very unsmooth AC waveform. Not having a smooth sine wave output will cause damage to the motors in the fridge.

The amount of power you need is a minimum of the volts multiplied by the current of your fridge, 230 times the current that it draws. Your UPS is rated in Volt-Amps (VA), which is a slightly different quantity. It has to do with the apparent power used by your load. Modern devices will have an apparent power very close to their real power, though older devices (especially motors) will require much more apparent power than their "real power", so I'd suggest over-sizing your UPS by 20-30% for this.

In addition, motors often will have a large "in-rush" current when they first start up. This can easily be double the power required once the motor is up and running.  Perhaps the 1 A already factors in this inrush current, since 90 W is less than 0.5 A at 220V.

With your UPS providing 600 VA, and your fridge needing (1.0*220)=220 W, your UPS can likely supply sufficient power. The concern are if it will damage your fridge's motors, and   if the battery has enough capacity to last out the voltage swings.


Operation of two 3-way occupancy switches

The occupancy sensors that are commercially available, are not designed to work in this situation.

You could install the sensor in a location that covers both the door, and the rest of the basement.  This way the sensor would "see" you the whole time you're in the basement.

The other option is to roll your own solution, which would likely include multiple sensors and some form of central processor. Maybe some motion sensors and an arduino or raspberry pi.


How can I temporarily soundproof my apartment ceiling?

Ridged foam insulation might work here.  It comes in large pieces and is lightweight enough that it won't take many fasteners to hold it up (so you'll have less nail holes to fill when you leave).  The downside of course is that it isn't very pretty.


Is there a building material that can be cut and glued, can be used outside, and provides good insulation?

I've built some dog houses using SIPs (structural insulated panels). They usually have about 6 inches of foam on the bottom and 2 inches sides and top. All of the materials are salvaged (except the electric floor warmer). I like to keep the bottom off the ground so that snow melt can't get things wet.

SIPs are a sandwich of plywood-foam-plywood (or OSB). Making custom SIPs for a dog house takes some basic carpentry skills, and a of couple week-ends.

One of the most common mistakes, in my opinion, is making the shelter to large for the animal. Another is inadequate insulation and/or water proofing, especially the roof and floor.

Good small dog or cat shelters can be made from old insulated Coleman type picnic coolers. Line the interior with carpet and cut an entrance hole in one end. Even the very best pet shelters need to be monitored for temp and moisture. I am glad to share detailed thoughts with anyone interested in the topic of pet shelters.


First call tech line about the situation with Dewalt.  Also look for overload reset button.  That motor should be protected from just such situations.


What drainage should I install under concrete slab in garage?

You can install an interior weeping system similar to what you would normally do on the outside, but without the waterproofing.

Start by jackhammering out about two feet of floor around the edges of your garage, as close to the walls as you can get. Dig down until you reach dirt, and if that's not at least two feet down, keep going. Now, put down a couple inches of 3/4" crushed gravel, and then install weeping tile (it's not tile anymore; it's 4-6" corrugated plastic drain pipe with a nylon mesh sock over it). Make sure the sock is continuous across any joins you make in the weeping tile for corners etc. This is a good time to direct those drain holes down into this trench, where the water they drain will flow into the weeping tile. You'll also need a sump, or a connection to a downhill storm sewer; direct the weeping tile to this sump pit or the storm drain. While you're doing all this a center drain can't hurt too much; you can tie it into the weeper wherever it's convenient, just make sure the garage floor and the drain flange are level, or that the garage floor slopes slightly to the drain.

Now, you can install waterproof sheathing on the interior walls contacting the concrete. Normally this product is designed to go outside the foundation walls, but in cases where that's infeasible it can work this way too. The idea is to trap moisture that weeps through the wall behind the sheathing, where it will then be directed down the wall and under the slab to the weeper. So, you'll install the sheathing, which should have an air space between wall and most of the layer, and make sure the end is down in the trench by the weeper.

Backfill the rest of the trench with 3/4" crushed gravel up to the slab footing, then patch the slab with new concrete. Your garage should stay much drier.


How can I adjust the operational tension of a Delta shower faucet?

The cartridge for that shower model contains all the moving pieces internally:

It isn't like some cartridges that rotate inside the faucet body.  Since the moving parts are inside the sealed unit, there's not much you can do to make it tighter.

It's possible that a low-cost replacement cartridge was used instead of a genuine OEM part.  My suggestion would be to get a name-brand Delta replacement cartridge and install that.  Since it was recently repaired, it should be an easy fix (cartridge shouldn't be stuck or anything), but you will need to turn off the water to do it.


Looking for drill bit tapered to match pencil sharpener

You may have seen a taper reamer, there are a few different tapers. They are made to cut steel so wood is easy.

They would need a 1/16 to 1/8 pilot hole as they do not cut in the center. I have a few from when I worked in a bit factory. I expect they are very expensive to buy.

However, I would drill a regular hole and use a dowel.


Are T12 fluorescent lamps still available?

There's probably no such thing as a F32T12, but I could be wrong.
You might check with a local electrical distributor / wholesaler.  Where I work we still stock the F34T12CW-SS (super saver) and still buy them from our chosen lamp manufacturer.
The main reason is you would have to buy an electronic ballast instead of the old magnetic (core and coil) ballast.  When you match an F34T12 with an electronic ballast with an F32T8 electronic ballast, the wimpy F32T8 wins on lumen output 2735 vs. 2235.  Also less energy is used.  Color is also better with T8's but still not as good as incandescent or LED's in warmer tone.
The big DIY box stores probably don't mess with them because they would rather have you buying more energy efficient lamps and ballast.
Also effective July 14, 2012 the US Government will make lamp manufacturers to discontinue T12 lamps so if you just have to have T12 lamps you better buy a couple of cases.

On July 14, 2012, recently enacted DOE regulations will take effect that will also eliminate the T12 lamps that the ballasts operate.
The new DOE rules expand on efficiency rules established by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 by strengthening standards for covered lamps types while also covering 8-ft. T8 lamps, 4-ft. T5 lamps and more wattages of 4-ft. T8 and T12 lamps. The net result, with few exceptions, is a majority of 4-ft. linear and 2-ft. U-shaped T12 lamps, many 8-ft. T12 and T12HO, and some low-color-rendering 4-ft. T8 lamps will be eliminated. While no longer popular in new construction, an estimated 30 percent of fluorescent 4-ft. lamps sold every year are T12, according to NEMA market data.

Above info from here

Fluorescent Lamp Ballasts — two regulations: (1) a DOE energy conservation standard that becomes applicable to full wattage new ballasts in 2005–2006, and retrofit ballasts in 2010 (65FR 56740) and (2) legislative standards for energy saver ballasts (e.g., F34T12) that become effective 2009–2010 from the Energy Policy Act of 2005.  Both these regulatory measures shift the market from T12 (medium CRI) to T8 (high CRI) fluorescent lamps.
General Service Incandescent Lamps — passed as part of EISA 2007, this standard will essentially phase out the most common, least efficient incandescent lamps by 2012–2014. It also establishes a minimum threshold efficacy of 45 lm/W starting in 2020, which is modeled as a shift to lamps that have a very high CRI and an efficacy of 45 lm/W. See Section 321 of EISA 2007.
Fluorescent Lamps — a DOE energy conservation standard that applies to fluorescent lamps manufactured after July 14, 2012, adopting an efficacy standard that shifts the fluorescent market to T8 lamps (74 FR 34080).
Incandescent Reflector Lamps — a DOE energy conservation standard that applies to lamps manufactured after July 14, 2012, adopting an efficacy that requires premium halogen technologies (74 FR 34080).
Metal Halide Lamp Fixtures — passed as part of EISA 2007, this standard sets minimum efficiency  requirements on ballasts that operate metal halide lamp fixtures. See Section 324 of EISA 2007.

Above info from PDF here, just search for F34T12
According to one of my co-workers, this is all moot because of December 21, 2012... ;)


How can I add an ammeter and/or voltmeter to my home breaker panel?

You're going to careen headlong into

NEC 110.2. All equipment must be approved.

You want a conductive ammeter.  OK, because of the exigencies, that's going to be a large enclosure that will need to mount past your main breaker.  You can't insert that between your main breaker and buses in your panel, because your panel isn't listed for that.   That means changing to a meter-main outside the house, connected to the conductive ammeter equipment which is UL listed for this use, connected to your former main panel, which will need neutrals and grounds separated.

"But you only need an ammeter shunt"  all of the above applies to the shunt housing.

The ammeter equipment won't be cheap, because it'll be low production rate equipment made for industry.  I would expect it to be a triple ammeter intended for 480V, which is fine; use the third meter for neutral.  Are you sure inductive meters won't suffice?

Nothing wrong with induction-based ammeters for measuring the current of a known frequency.

Which is to say, there is no reason to doubt ammeter readings merely because they clamp on.

As such, a variety of consumer products provide exactly what you are looking for. The units are UL listed, obviously; they sit inside the service panel with clamps on the supply and also on some number of branch circuits.  The only thing that sticks outside the panel in a knockout, is a WiFi antenna.  Which elegantly solves another code problem, keeping mains and low voltage systems rigidly separated.

That is the way to go.  The existence of these products will deter anyone else from offering plain old hardwired ammeters at a consumer price.


Do I need to replace a shower tile that has been scratched?

Grout lines are never waterproof and a tiled surface should not be considered waterproof unless it has a rubber membrane underneath it as is the case with shower floor pans. If you can live with the scratch you will be just fine.


What is this type of roof covering called

It's basically a portico or bay window awning.


What would cause air bubbles in the toilet when I'm showering?

Sounds like the main drain for the bathroom may be restricted.

As you shower the water doesn't drain away fast enough, and the plumbing begins to fill with water.  As the pipes fill, air may be forced out through the toilet trap causing "bubbles".  Since the tub is the lowest drain, the water backs up there first. If you continued to shower, you'd eventually see the toilet overflow as well (if the tub edge is higher than the toilet rim). If the tub was deep enough, you'd eventually see the sink overflow too.

If you look at this crude representation of your bathroom, you'll be able to see what I mean.

Now, if we add in a clog we can start to see what happens when you shower.

As you shower the water cannot pass through the clog fast enough, and the pipes begin to fill.

At this point, any air trapped in the line between the drain and the toilet trap will be forced out and bubble up trough the trap.

As you continue to shower, the tub is the first to back up.

Eventually, if you shower long enough the toilet could also overflow.

Depending on the height of the sink, quite a bit of the bathroom would have to fill before it overflowed.

The first thing I'd try is to clear the drain using a Plumber's snake. A hand auger would likely work, and can be purchased at a local hardware store fairly cheaply. Drill powered augers are also available for a bit higher price, but require a bit more of a gentle touch (and obviously a drill).

Another option is that the vent for the bathroom is clogged, or not sized appropriately. If vent stacks are not covered properly, leaves and other debris can become lodged in the pipe and prevent air flow. A clogged vent will cause the fixtures it's venting to drain slowly, and the results can be similar to a clog as described above.

As with the clog, the solution to clear the blocked vent is a Plumber's snake.


How to lay laminate flooring against an exterior threshold

What you could do is get a good flexible and durable caulk that can expand and retract with the flooring and use that to fill the gap between the flooring and the threshold.

Alternatively I think I've heard of people using wood filler instead but if you choose this route make sure it can expand and retract with the flooring.


AC Blower Motor not working during night

You may have a run capacitor for the blower fan that is going bad.


Outside sub panel between meter and breaker box

From the description, not a sub-panel, but a main disconnect switch.

Unclear why you are having trouble switching it off - if having trouble switching it ON, you might have a problem causing it to trip (they are almost always circuit breakers, not "merely switches")

It probably will take considerable force to switch off, but you should not need (nor use) a prybar or hammer on it. ;-) A forceful and determined motion of the hand towards the "off" direction should suffice.


Is it safe to split a NEMA 10-50 receptacle?

The grounding/GFCI scheme sounds plausible. However, you still have a big problem that the 15A receptacles will be on a 50A breaker. They must be on 15A or 20A breakers. Anything larger and you risk a problem of an appliance fault that doesn't cause a ground fault but results in 2X overcurrent (i.e., 30A or possibly more) never tripping a breaker and instead causing a fire from overheated wiring.

In addition, there are code issues with removing and/or piggybacking on the range circuit. But ignoring that (e.g., if you simply unplugged the range and heated everything in the microwave) you still have the true safety issue of 15A/20A receptacles on a 50A circuit breaker.


Do I need a pressure tank for my irrigation system?

The key is the pressure regulator. Are you hoping to get a specific pressure of water to the irrigation system, with the regulator turning on and off as necessary? For example, might this pump supply a hose bibb that you can turn off? If so, then you will have to have some storage (a pressure tank) in the pressurized system or the pump will rapidly turn on and off as the pressure oscillates up and down.

If instead you can have the pump turn on and stay on for the duration, with the irrigation system set up so that it accepts whatever the pump gives it, then you need neither the regulator nor the pressure tank. You may actually want to disable the pressure regulator, because if the irrigation system stops accepting water (e.g. you turn off that bibb) and the pressure goes high enough to turn the pump off you'll get that rapid on/off/on/off again.

An alternative would be a pressure relief valve that would allow any excess water to dump back into the source tank. If you did have a relief valve, then you could still have a hose bibb, and turning off the bibb while the pump was on would merely waste some electricity.


Connecting polypropylene to straight pipe (without inside bevel)

Polypropylene to copper drain with male thread

You should use a rubber 1 1/2" slip-joint gasket for this connection.

Polypropylene to Oatey Sure-Vent

What you have should work fine, as long as the tapered edge of the slip-joint washer fits into the ID of the fitting (as opposed to butting up against it...)


Removing a wallpaper border which has been painted over

I had a similar issue and though it sounds like a lot of work and hard for a diy'er to do ( *I found a lot of sites that simply said call in a professional. )
However,  for me that just wasn't an option due to finances. I too am told by many that I am too much of a perfectionist agree. I will say it has both advantages and disadvantages. Give yourself credit and confidence first.

There are a few ways to handle this in my personal experience, I will share first the one I think has the nicest outcome. Which is...brace yourself and have an open mind, YOU CAN DO THIS!  ( "this" is re-skimming the wall. )

Ok make a list of the NEEDS to do then head on down to your local home improvement store to purchase needed supplies. These supplies will be in two categories, 1st is tools. Tools do make all the difference in the outcome of the task at hand. You don't have to trust me, but if you don't you will soon learn!

Needs:

A dry wall taping knife, at LEAST a 10," I used a 14"  ( do to me being a 5' 100 lb 50+ girl in hind sight a 12" would have been easier for me I think ).

Drywall mud pan/tray, one that is the size of the knife you choose.

A pole sanding tool, ( looks close to a swifer floor duster ) That's optional, their are many ways and tools to sand the wall. I used the pole sander and also a 3' pc of 1x4 smooth board. I did try my electric palm sander for about 2 mins lol, it made sooooo much dust fly everywhere!! Again remember Im a diy'er and will NOT be doing this for anyone just in my own home. So with that it said I found it too costly to purchase anything more than this pole sanding tool.

Drywall sanding paper, (looks like a screen) to fit your pole. not real sure what grit it was tiny little squares a tad smaller than what graph paper look like. I also got a pack of regular sand paper idk 8x10 like a sheet of paper I got grit of 220. (hence perfectionist)

Drywall Mud, MANY OPTIONS HERE! I tried a few and what I found to work best for me was the premixed white bucket with a blue lid. All purpose drywall "compound" the blue lid is "Plus  3"

Drywall sealer/primer, Again many options I choose the zinsser bulls eye 1 2 3  all purpose primer, water clean up.

Paint, and the tools for painting, ( I won't go into this will save for another category lol )

That is all you need to skim wall. I did 10 walls in my parents house do to a dishwasher house flood that  insurance did not cover. :( errr ) The walls came out GREAT they even impressed ME! After painting one wall I was fortunate my father  went and bought a graco  airless paint sprayer, Not the litte handheld thing , well first he did but had to refill cup way to much to make it worth while in my opinon returned that and got the jamb up one that has a hose to go into a 5 gallon bucket,  yeah!! I will NEVER ROLLER and BRUSH AGAIN!! Ahhh I love good tools!

Ok. now you have all you need. Now just do IT! Gitt'er done! Time frame for me was I did one coat a day x 3 days !

Opps forgot one item sorry! I got a big mixing thing that went onto my drill to mix this the drywall mud up. I don't think I got the RIGHT type mine looked like a mixer beater, the caged in type it worked though. I gave it a little whip not a lot just a bit, so it was like a creamy smooth peanut butter or a thick heavy cake frosting. Now with mud in pan, knife in hand skim a light layer on the wall I did top to bottom, bottom to top. Scooted over to next path of which I over lapped a bit on each. Do this and wait for the next day and repeat ( no need to sand but you many want to run a putty knife to knock down any lines you created before you Repeat! Oh yeah on the repeat I went side to side meaning not up and down vertical, but horizontal )

Day 3.  Now on this coat I went vertical but I thinned down the "mud/compound" not too much just a little, made it creamier, I will say like tub type cool whip! This is the final coat so before I put it on I ran my knife and really looked to see areas where I may need to pay more attention to. I am a touchy/feely person and with my eyes closed I ran my hand all over the wall.  I could  feel waves & dips and the like so I knew where and what I needed to do to get the smoothness I wanted. ok I put it on!

Now day 4, sanding time! Put the screen on your pole and hit! NOT ALOT don't use to much pressure, let the tool do the work for you or you may just  have to give this ANOTHER coat, ( NOOOOOO hahah ! ) just run it up and down and then side to side. Now the wall is MOST LIKELY READY TO seal\prime . Well you have to get a damp cloth and I do mean EVER SO SLIGHTLY DAMP, like really not even but damp. This is to clean all the dust off the wall so that the primer/sealer will stick! Vacuum too, get all the dust outta there!

But before the dusting, I have to be me, so I took the board I previously mentioned and I wrapped it in the 220 regular sand paper, held it on tight with a few staples on the back where I held it. I took this as a sanding straight edge and ran it up and down my corners and ceiling edge then I slid it all around the wall in every direction in circles too like an orbiting tool. Then I was pretty satisfied.

I sealed and painted and WOW the walls look amazing..... They look better than ever, this even took out the slight hump that the original builders left at the seams! You too can do this I am positive. Just don't over work the mud, do it in layers. Each layer makes it better. No the walls, to ME, did not FEEL perfect when I sealed them either! I was gonna give them another layer of compound mud, but my father insisted enough! I was like well IF YOU SAY SO BUT....... Hind sight it is true here.... FATHER KNOWS BEST!

The walls simply look GREAT and REALLY this is NOT HARD work JUST time and self confidence, leave negative thoughts somewhere far from you! You I am sure will gain another notch in self accomplishments.

Other options: re drywall, cover with any other kind of material, just try to fill in the strip with mud, get the texture in a can..... Im not for any of those really that's my personal opinion.
You can create a whole new kind of texture with the mud/compound too many cool ideas out there, google it.

My dads boy is a girl! hahaha cuz that's me! ... I want the world to know I sure love my daddyO!
Hope this helps at least one.   Peace my friends :)


That hex nut is the packing nut, which you may need to loosen in order to actually turn the valve off with the gear-looking part of it (the valve stem), and then tighten the hex nut back down or it'll leak from there now too.

Seeing as you don't have a handle anymore anyway, and that it's being difficult, replacement of the entire valve (with a quarter turn valve) should be considered.

If you can't get the valve stem to turn, and you can't get the packing nut to loosen enough to do so with an adjustable wrench, then it's about time for a new valve, so go ahead and try it. Use a quick, snapping motion to break it lose. Do it too slow, even with a well fitted wrench, and it might deform anyway.

Turning off your main valve comes with its own set of problems, so I'll leave that choice up to you, but before you begin, you should at least know where it is.

If you're really trying to not have to replace the valve, this is the procedure you'll have to use to open or close it in the future:

Loosen packing nut.
Turn valve.
Re-tighten packing nut.

Use a quick, almost snapping motion to break it lose with an adjustable wrench. Use a pipe wrench with a rag wrapped over the valve body to 'back it up' or you risk unthreading the entire valve from the wall. Put the pipe wrench where the tee is, to stabilize the valve, and apply torque in the opposite direction of your other wrench.

Sometimes you have to tighten threaded connections a little bit, that you're trying to take lose.


Winterizing new wet-treated pressure treated pine deck

Leave it exposed to the elements. You're not doing it any favors by sealing it with plastic. In fact, you'll run the risk of staining it by trapping moisture and/or fostering mildew and other grossness. It's better to let it dry out gradually over the winter and have it seasoned and ready for sealing in the spring.

It may fade or gray out slightly, but the product you apply should bring it back to beautiful with no problems.


What kind of electrical shock can that be?

First you should look at your grounding electrode system.

Then you should look out for lost neutrals, which can cause voltage to rise as high as 400V on 230V-nominal legs on a 400V "wye".

Finding none of those, you should look at the quality of the equipment - an awful lot of PC equipment is cheaply made foreign garbage with frequent failure rates, especially in the developing world. It is possible the failures have nothing to do with power quality. Going out of your way to get well-regarded power supplies can help a lot.

Finally, look at localized surge protection at the equipment.


how can I access the electrical panel box

Yes, you can use sides, bottom, back, or even make your own hole (within reason).
All of them have knockouts (though the back tends to be fairly sparse).
If you come through a joist, you may have trouble attaching a cable clamp.  I would install a metal box (say: 6x6) on the other side of the joist, use a Rigid short pipe (conduit nipple) through the joist with about 1/2" of thread exposed on both sides, and clamp it down hard with conduit nuts. Then I'd bring a ground wire through to ground the metal box, and bring my cables into that box. Tie the grounds to the box, and tie the hot-neutral to THHN wires to extend into the panel.


Half-hot outlet connected to dimmer switch

Some things have a dim view of being dimmed

Things other than lamps, such as motors and some electronic loads, often take a rather dim view of being connected to a dimmed receptacle.  This may range from merely "not working" to "overheating and catching on fire", something you (and the NFPA) would rather not have happen.  So, the 2014 NEC prohibits your current configuration in 406.15:

  406.15 Dimmer-Controlled Receptacles. A receptacle supplying lighting loads shall not be connected to a dimmer
  unless the plug/receptacle combination is a nonstandard
  configuration type that is specifically listed and identified
  for each such unique combination.

This leaves you with two options -- either you can swap the culprit dimmer out for a switch, or you can use a special receptacle and plug to prevent non-lamps from being plugged in to the dimmed outlet.

Going Dimmerless

Swapping a dimmer for a switch is a relatively easy task, at least as far as single pole configurations are concerned:

Turn the power to the circuit off at the breaker
Remove the old dimmer + faceplate from the box and undo the terminal screws
Connect the new switch's brass screws to the two wires that went to the dimmer's brass screws (they may be any color but green or bare).  Which wire goes to which brass terminal doesn't matter, either.
Connect any bare or green wire present to the new switch's green grounding screw.
Put the switch back in the box and put the faceplate back on
Turn the circuit back on

Keeping pesky non-lamps at bay

Lutron makes a plug and receptacle combination for this job -- the receptacle you need is a Lutron HDTR, and you'll have to put the matching plug on whatever lamp you plug into the dimmed receptacle, as well.

This is the costlier and slightly trickier option of the two, but may be needed if the dimmer serves other lights as well as the half-dimmed receptacle or otherwise can't be removed.


Home Depot is one of many sources for a larger plug that can be attached to existing wiring.

As noted in the photo, this is a three conductor type plug. Most vacuum cleaners are only two conductor. You can ignore the third connection if your machine is that type.

I did not search specifically for this larger plug in two conductor form for that reason. You may find that the store you select will have that type on the shelf.

These plugs are quite easy to grip. I've repaired two extension cords with these connectors and it's been working quite well.


Should my toilet flange sit on top of the backer board or the tile of the floor?

The toilet flange needs to be on top of the finished floor. Meaning the bottom edge of the flange needs to be on the same plane as the toilet. So if your toilet sits on the tile, the flange needs to be on top of the tile too. The spacing of the toilet exit "horn" and sealing surface is designed for this height.

almost all plumbers agree, here are some sources:

http://www.terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?51976-Toilet-flange-height

if you have it lower than the finished floor you risk leaking toilet water (the water is the best part) into the floor or worse, in-between the tile, sub-floor, backer board. This is because the wax ring was designed only to take up the air gap, not to provide a "tunnel" or extension of the pipe/flange/toilet horn.


The best way to handle this situation is to span two studs at the end of the closet with a smallish plank, screwing it into both studs. Then you can screw the rod end mount to that plank and rest assured that it's as sturdy as you can get it.

The "far" end of that plank will very probably screw to the stud at the far rear corner of the closet's end wall, which is kind of nice because that hides almost the entire plank.

An alternative, but one that's only suitable if you're definitely never going to hang a lot of clothing from that rod (clothing weight accumulates shockingly quickly), would be to use drywall anchors to attach the rod end mount to the drywall.


Samsung dryer starts spinning after a few seconds with accompanying noise

Most dryers have a drive belt that runs from the drum to the motor to a tension pulley. It your belt is worn, at start up, the motor would spin and then grab the belt and spin the drum. Check the belt. you can usually access it by removing the back panel of the dryer. Good luck.


I am repairing a wood deck and what to know why you would use cleats instead of wood screws?

What is the difference?

Nails are stronger in shear than screws. Screws are harder but more brittle.

I expect most people use decking screws since they are designed for fixing the planks to a frame.

I believe cleats, as in a piece of wood used to fix two other pieces together, are mostly used where you need to hide the fixings or where it would otherwise be difficult to fix the parts together. Cleats can be nailed, screwed or joined in almost any fashion depending on the circumstances.

  how do I know what will work for me?

The easiest way is to follow established convention. Some DIY shops provide leaflets describing how to construct a deck. To fix an existing deck I'd just do whatever the builder of that deck did - unless you have reason to suspect it was poorly built.

More generally, I'd work out what direction the forces were in the finished structure and aim to have those forces transmitted across wood on wood joins running perpendicular to the force.

This

        _o_
         |
        / \
.------------------------
|
+------------------------
|      |
|      |

not this

.-----+------------------
|     |
|     +------------------
|     |


Can I use a switch to toggle the neutral bonding on a generator?

You have two choices.

1) Remove the jumper on the generator, and connect it to the transfer switch as you had planned. But have to put the jumper back on if you ever want to use the generator separately. You also have to hard wire the neutral through the transfer switch.

or

2) You can leave the jumper on the generator, drive a separate ground rod for the generator or connect it to a newarby ground rod with a suitably sized grounding electrode conductor, and change the transfer switch to a 3 pole that switches both phase conductors and the neutral.

Short version is, if you switch the neutral you need a ground rod and a system bonding jumper and if you hard-wire the neutral you need to remove the system jumper on the generator. I agree with Ed Beal putting a switch on the jumper would make it too easy to leave in one position or the other. But then if you leave the jumper on for separate use you may forget to take it off for the transfer switch if you go that way.

Your best course might be to leave it on and use method 2 with a 3 pole transfer switch.

Refer to Article 250.30 for the proper grounding of separately derived systems.

Happy Tuesday!


How can I repair the end of joists sitting in brick pockets?

Your approach does not seem safe or sane. Since this is a structural problem, if I were you, I would consult a structural engineer and not make a DIY job out of it. Consequences for doing this sort of job incorrectly include the collapse of the building and potential death of yourself or anyone else in it or in the vicinity.

The general approach for this sort of thing is to fasten a new load-bearing wall or column to the joist and chop off the rotten part at the brick face with a chainsaw. Needless to say, the details are heavily dependent on site conditions.


Is it acceptable to remove some of the metal box enclosure for the electrical breakers?

The National Electrical Code is the reference in most of North America.  It's a reference but let's read it front-to-back anyway.
Let's skip the formalities: Cover... disclaimers... index... credits...  Article 90 is about applicability (it applies to you)... Article 100 definitions... Ah. The meat starts at Article 110..
We immediately hit all this in the first half-page.

ARTICLE 110   --  Requirements for Electrical Installations
110.2 Approval. The conductors and equipment required or permitted by this Code shall be acceptable only if approved.
110.3(B) Installation and Use.  Listed or labeled equipment shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions included in the listing or labeling.

This item was tested by Underwriter's Laboratories (UL).  The manufacturer submitted instructions for how the equipment is to be used, and UL safety-tested it in those conditions only.  They tested it for fire safety, performance and product safety.  As such, uses beyond the instructions are illegal.
That's the answer. You cannot alter an electrical panel unless the instructions tell you to.
There's another rule that says you can't cover up electrical junction boxes, by the way -- that's another specialty of interior designers incompetent in their craft.
The real problem here
The incompetent designer is nothing but the symptom of a core problem today.
The latest fad is to eradicate all utility space.  Utility spaces are seen as dirty or undesired, as if it's shameful to admit that your house actually does run on electricity.
These utility spaces are for your house to work.  That "unsightly" unfinished basement is what makes it possible for you (via your electrician or plumber) to fix a problem in an hour instead of spending a day busting up drywall and praying you're not busting up the wrong stuff for no reason, then having to re-drywall and repaint (and the paint aged so it no longer matches, so now you have to repaint the whole room).
Paying an electrician to patch drywall is like paying a lawyer to cut hair.
I lived in old Victorians.  There, hard plumbing to the tub was an afterthought.  The Victorians didn't trust it, so they made a "hatch" for easy access to the spigot and valves (later, mixer and diverter).  The hatch is tastefully trimmed in the Victorian way.  This makes changing the entire spigot/mixer/diverter a 30 minute job.  Now, some interior designer, eager to come up with easy ways to justify his fee, would say "get rid of that useless cabinet-to-nowhere". Sure. And now changing the spigot is so hard that you can't do it prophylactically anymore as a $50 "test fix".
Were the Victorians opposed to "gussying up"?  One guess.

I gotta fever, and the only prescription is more gingerbread!
The Victorians had panache, and still respected the value of utility space. You should hire a designer who can too.


Not age so much as settling in the footing. You'd see the same thing in a new wall in similar circumstances.
You have two options:

Replace the entire wall section, say 15 feet out from the corner both ways, including the footing, to try and be sure that it won't move further. You'll examine the soil under the current footing and possibly improve it, making sure to compact thoroughly. This is obviously a substantial job and would take several days.

Remove and repair just the broken block, hoping that all settling that will occur has occurred, and that the footings are in their final resting place, so to speak. A good mason or bricklayer can do that job in a few hours. A mortar hack like me would take the wall apart such that it's a stair-step all the way up  (to avoid tuck-pointing) and might take a day.


Is super insulating exterior walls with rigid foam board insulation possible?

Yes, Rigid foam (XPS and ISO) boards are frequently used in exterior applications, and can be a great option for improving efficiency. There are a couple of issues with your proposed approach, though:

Vapor barrier location. The vapor barrier should be on the warm side (probably inside, unless you live in a very hot & humid climate). Ideally, this is immediately behind your interior drywall. You also do not usually need an extra vapor barrier layer adjacent to rigid foam sheets, they are typically highly resistant to moisture.
Attachment. You cannot rely on glue to support foam and siding panels. These need to be mechanically fastened.

On a wood frame house, you'd want to use this order:

interior drywall
possibly a vapor barrier (e.g. poly sheeting), though the wisdom of this is debatable (see the comment from iLikeDirt below)
wall studs (optionally with batt or cellulose insulation in between)
exterior sheathing
rigid foam
wooden strapping for attaching siding, screwed to studs through foam. This provides support for the siding and also allows air circulation behind the siding, so any moisture that gets behind the siding can dry out.
siding panels, nailed to strapping

Here's a visual from Fine Homebuilding, which has a couple of good articles on this:

Note that adding foam on the exterior of your house complicates some things. You will likely need to redo the trim on your windows and doors, which will become more in-set. These inset areas will need to be flashed properly or you will have leaks, which have more potential to do damage when you've got multi-layered, thick walls that could trap moisture. If done well, you can get very good insulation. But make sure to work with someone who knows what they're doing!


You are typically going to have a sediment trap required by code that has a nipple which could probably serve both purposes.  The sediment trap is required by code.

http://www.inspect2code.com/residential-code-requirement-for-sediment-trap/

In order to pressurize your gas lines you'd need to disconnect from your gas meter so having the nipple outlet after your house is hooked to the gas meter doesn't seem like something that would be a requirement.  If after you've hooked to your gas line and modifications are made and you need to pressure test again you'd probably just disconnect from the meter and mount the pressure testing device at that location but again you'd have to go to each of your gas appliances and ensure everything is capped/shut off.

Plumbing works the same way, you pressurize your water supply pipes with air or water before any is connected up to fixtures but there is no requirement to keep some kind of access area where you could do this after it has passed this stage of testing.


Tips for repairing a large, shallow drywall scratch?

All you've done is "Knock the Mud Off". The thin layer of joint compound on the wall.
I would use Spackling and a flat bladed putty knife.
Spackling
Putty Knife
There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to do it.


How to fill the cavity in a recessed door panel

Something to keep in mind with this dumb waiter door is that because of the vertical shaft and what terrible things vertical shafts can do with fire;  that is why the metal door is installed there, to forestall the spread of fire.

You could over-lay this door with good quality 1/8" or 3/16" plywood, say Baltic Birch or Mahogany.  Install ribs in the void to fill; or you could use a filler panel the right size.  No need for bondo, the plywood can easily span an inch.
Use the proper adhesive compatible with the substrates. Weight the whole thing for 24-hours for the glue to set.  You will need to adjust your hinges slightly to accommodate the difference in depth.  Then paint to you hearts content.


What kind of wire should I use to pigtail an outlet?

Depends.

If  you're using "screw-to-clamp" type receptacles

Then your "go-to" is #12 stranded THWN-2. These are sold as individual wires.  Also #12 solid bare or green ground wire.  (ground wires need to be pigtailed regardless, so you may already have this.)

The stranded wire is much easier to work with (push the pigtails into the back of the box and the receptacle will slide in like a dream), but its downside is it's difficult to attach to screw terminals without a lot of practice, and catastrophically dangerous to use on backstabs. I actually saw this fail once.
Stranded wire wire-nuts just fine to solid wire.  No pre-twisting, just line them up evenly and twist like the dickens.
#12 is the "universal donor" that will work on both 15A and 20A circuits. It's a little stiffer -- oh wait, it's stranded!

If you're using screw terminal type receptacles

In that case, ditto ditto ditto solid wire.   Which will be stiffer, but cake to put on screws.

However, if you want to buy all of them in one single SKU, buy "#12 Romex" aka NM-B type cable.  Buy 2' lengths at a time and cut into three 8" long sections (or four 6" sections), then carefully exacto-knife off the sheath by cutting directly down the ground wire (so you don't nick the insulation on hot or neutral).  Voilá, pigtails.

The disadvantage of NM-B is it's not legal outdoors.  For that, slicing up UF cable is challenging, so I'd go back to THWN-2 wires.
The individual wires are not marked, so you cannot use them for conduit runs.

Don't ever buy #14 for pigtails, because at best  you have an "orphan" you can only use on 15A circuits, and at worst you accidentally use one on a 20A circuit and have a problem.

If you're using backstabs

Stop.  They are unreliable and cause most dead-circuit problems.


Why is our new water heater makeing a ticking sound?

Those ticking noises are likely just the sounds of your "heat traps", one way valves that are used to save energy by not allowing heat from your water to migrate into the pipes, cool off and sink back down to require heating again. Heat traps are often installed as nipples on the cold and hot water lines, so you may not even realize that's what they are. The sound is perfectly normal.
The first image is actually kind of exaggerated, they often look like normal nipples. as in the 2nd image.


It's not likely to delaminate further, but you could color it with stain or marker and lay in some clear epoxy or urethane varnish to seal it up. You could press in some grain texture when the material is semi-hard.


Placing stove in center of island or on an edge

It is a question I deal with all the time as when I tear down walls between a kitchen and dining room I often add an island.  The answer is really simple for this.  The stove goes in the middle.  You need to find 12 inch cabinets.

There are two issues here.  First the sides of ovens look crappy.  Makers don't spend time on the sides so you don't want it showing.  Second is if you hide the side with a wall then how do you construct this, what sort of countertop goes on top of the wall... it is just odd.

First I have run across almost your exact use case before but I generally would tend to not try to put a stove on an island that small.  But you can still do it and it can look really nice.  You will need to buy a slide in oven.  Run the countertop full length with the over cut out - so you should have counter behind oven.  Let the counter overhang on the sides a couple inches to provide prep space - 15" is a good amount of space.

For your 12" cabinets get a drawer one cabinet combo and put in full width shelving that pulls out all the way.  The right pull-out shelving can make a 12" cabinet very functional.


The starting point here is that your building does not have a Grounding Electrode System.

Every outbuilding is required to have one.
Your wiring has been done in the style of a separate service, even though it's more of a split service with the house.  Not only does a service need a GES, it also needs a Neutral-Ground equipotential bond to peg neutral to earth potential. Yours has none of that.

So you need to drive 2 ground rods 8' long, at least 6' apart and preferably on opposite corners of the building.  Then run some, let's say #6 bare copper wire from the ground rods to the panel. Must be continuous, no splicing.   At that point I would obtain an accessory ground bar for your panel and land them on that accessory bar, then also add a #6 strap from the accessory ground bar to the neutral bar.  This assures you have a neutral-ground equipotential bond.  There's no harm in having more than one as long as it's in the main panel, however, having only one allows a neat diagnostic trick.

That will bring your "main panel" up to Code.

I would also move all my grounds to the new ground bar (or to a ground bar tied to chassis). This is not a Code requirement for a main panel (it is for a subpanel), but it allows a neat diagnostic trick.  Now that all grounds are on the ground bar, look for any neutral-ground screws (green) or straps that are on the neutral bar.  You want to isolate neutral from chassis/ground  (except for that #6 strap you installed).  Now, you can put a clamp ammeter around that strap.  It better say 0 amps.  If it does not, you have a ground fault.  Chase that by shutting off breakers until it goes  away, then divide the faulty circuit until you find the particular problem.


A smaller (non-oversized, might be another way to put it) air conditioner can in fact be much better at removing humidity than an oversized unit that runs for short periods and shuts off. That is, in fact, one of the problems of "going big" on an air conditioner - it keeps up on the hottest days, but most of the time it means you're danker than with a right-sized unit.
As noted already in comments, the roof (and perhaps gutters, if?)  or the climate may also be helping to reduce the moisture immediately outside the basement.


Will supported 2x8s or unsupported 2x12s added to existing joists result in higher rigidity?

Side answer - beam stiffness goes as depth cubed, width directly.

12 cubed is 1726, 8 cubed is 512

So 2x12 is 1726 .vs. 2x(512) for 2 2x8. roughly 1.7 times stiffer, that is.

You can "haunch" the ends of the 2x12 to 8 inches - it should be done as a taper, not as a notch - 45 degrees, not 90 degrees - it's actually stronger that way, which is a bit counter-intuitive).

Joist hangers may offer other options to retain full depth to the ends.


The 12/3 and 20A is perfectly fine. This is a Multi-Wire Branch Circuit or MWBC. The basic idea is that by having two breakers on opposite legs (240V between them), you get 2 x 120V using 3 wires (hot/hot/neutral) instead of 4 wires (hot/hot/neutral/neutral). The catch is that the circuits have to turn off together at the breaker (your double breaker takes care of that).
From a safety standpoint, a disposal and dishwasher on 2 x 20A is really the same as if they shared a single 20A circuit. If one of the devices overloaded then the breaker would trip at the same 20A that it would trip if they were on the same circuit if the other device wasn't running at the same time. In reality, most overloads are going to be way over (short circuit or just a massive overload) and 15A vs. 20A just wouldn't make a difference anyway.
It also happens to be right now that you could put the two devices together on a single 20A circuit (sum < 16A) but if you replaced one of them (e.g., installed a more powerful disposal) you could end up with a problem. 2 x 20A = guaranteed no problem.
As a general rule, you can't mix and match circuit breaker sizes, wire sizes and devices. For example, you can't put a 15A receptacle on a 30A circuit. However, 15A and 20A are a special situation in the NEC. The end result is that, generally speaking, most devices that go on a 15A circuit (15A receptacles, a lot of built-in appliances except for ovens & cooktops) can just as easily go on a 20A circuit.
Just to be sure, I spot-checked a major US manufacturer dishwasher selected at random and the installation guide clearly states that it can be installed on a 15A or 20A circuit and plug-in or hardwired. Local codes may have specific requirements.
In this case, the one big catch is GFCI. You may or may not need GFCI on this circuit. If you do, then it gets a bit more complicated - either a GFCI double-breaker (expensive) or 2 separate GFCI receptacles instead of a duplex receptacle. Assuming GFCI is not needed, then depending on the instructions for your dishwasher and disposal, you can do one of the following:
Hardwired

12/3 from breaker to a junction box.
Short 12/3 to switch box above counter. Black hot to incoming black, red switched hot to disposal black hot, white neutral to incoming neutral and disposal neutral and dishwasher neutral.
Dishwasher black hot to incoming red, dishwasher white neutral to incoming neutral and disposal neutral and dishwasher neutral.

Receptacles

Use a 20A duplex. Normally a 15A duplex is OK on a 20A circuit, but that is when you are thereby getting 2 15A receptacles on one 20A breaker. In this case, each 1/2 has 20A, so I suspect (can't say 100%) that you must use duplex 20A. And nothing is lost by doing that (cost is same or perhaps 50 cents different).
12/3 from breaker to a junction box.
Short 12/3 to switch box above counter. Black hot to incoming black, red switched hot to top receptacle hot, white neutral to incoming neutral and receptacle neutral.
Incoming red to bottom receptacle hot.
Remove the hot-side tab from the duplex receptacle. Do not remove the neutral-side tab.
Plug disposal in top and dishwasher in bottom.

It is also possible to have one device hardwired and the other plug-in.


Can I install a heat-recovery ventilator (HRV) in a garage?

Technically, yes, but you can't feed it back inside the house. The penetrations required would violate the firewall.


A humidity measurement is the first line of defense. The relative humidity should be appropriate for the local climate, say 40-50%. If it's higher, find out whether a dehumidifier can be used (with a floor drain, ideally).

If you have an unfinished section of floor, duct tape a square of poly sheeting for a few days and see how much moisture accumulates. This doesn't give you an absolute answer, but it tells you how hard you'll have to work to keep the air humidity down.

Otherwise, look for visual cues. Dark concrete. Staining. Mildew. Of course, you could also ask the owner.


How can I fix a squeaky hardwood floor in a small hallway?

I'm going to skip over the likelihood of this parallel joist situation actually being true (I have a deep mis-trust of stud finders), and attempt to just answer your question.

Answer part 1 - can any of this floor (+ subfloor) come up without causing damage/serious inconvenience to you or the property?  If so, then I would strongly suggest pulling up a couple of boards and having a look around.  I (unfortunately) had to do this in an old bathroom because we needed to move a sink, and after tearing up some plywood subfloor and 3 floorboards found a half-disintegrated joist holding up one end of the room.

I don't think your situation will be the same (water damage less likely in a hallway), but if it isn't obvious where to screw in to stop the squeaking this should help you out.

Answer part 2 - you aren't likely to get much long-term improvement from just screwing through to the subloor.  A long term fix will require knowing where those joists are (parallel or otherwise!)

Addendum
In an older property of mine, we regularly encountered the situation where a joist would be located directly underneath an internal wall, making affixing the boards to them pretty difficult.  If you can't find recognizable joists close to the walls - this could be why.  We solved that one by sistering another joist to it to give us something to screw into.


2nd floor bath remodel. Concrete under tile. What do I have to remove?

Sounds like a standard old school "float" job: plywood, then (usually) tar paper, then expanded metal mesh (sometimes), then dry-pack concrete, then tile adhered with thin-set mortar. This was the standard way to get a strong flat substrate for tile before cement-board was common.
If you can get the tiles off with the cement still relatively flat and smooth (or if the cement can be made relatively flat and smooth) then it is perfectly fine to put new tile down on it... but it's a big if.


It was the glue outgassing a normal part of the process, the pvc was probably for a condensate drain (normal).  If you would left it running it may have out gassed faster but yes it is safe to use now.


What is this strange coiled wire and should everything be redone?

This should definitely be redone with a standard 14/3 NM-B cable

Whoever installed this lightswitch used the first thing they could get their hands on, apparently SPT-2 parallel cordage of some sort, instead of NM cable.  As a result, there is no ground in this box at the moment, nor is their a neutral, which is now a requirement to provide at switch locations to accommodate smart switches and such.

As a result, the entire cable that connects this switch to the fixture it controls needs to be replaced with a 14/3 NM cable -- black goes to always-hot in the vent-fan box, red goes to the vent fan hot, white goes in with the neutral bundle that the fan connects to, and bare goes to the ground bundle.  In the switch box, bare goes to the green ground screw on the switch, black goes to one switch terminal, red goes to the other switch terminal, and white simply gets capped off with a wirenut as it's not used for a "dumb" mechanical switch that simply sits in the circuit hot and breaks it.

This is also a sign of further trouble lurking

This sort of sloppy work in one place means one thing: that there's probably more trouble lurking where you cannot see.  Do not be surprised if you see more flagrant Code violations during further work.  If you have a friendly electrician at hand, you may wish to call them in and go on a Code-violation scavenger hunt through your house with them, even.


Cracked Cleanout Cover - What to replace it with?

Get an Abs or PVC (better) Cap of a pipe bigger than your 5 inches to drill two holes through and use high-quality silicone to create a seal on the old metal. Clean the old metal surface with a wire brush (Dremel). Get new washers and nuts and you are in business.


How do I cut 1968 cast iron rough sewage pipe?

Usually, the easiest way to cut cast iron pipe is with a snap cutter, but I don't think you could cut it completely flush with one. A sawzall with a long diamond tip blade might work for you. A diamond wheel in an angle grinder is another possibility. Alternatively, you could frame a wood floor to the height of your pipes.


New Whirlpool washing machine has locked door and non responsive buttons

Double-check that you followed all the installation instructions in the manual, no matter how trivial they seem. If it still doesn't work after that, call the manufacturer; that's what warranties are for.

Re checking the pump: That is NOT a normal maintenance action. You should never need to do so, certainly not while it's still under warranty. If you have to ask, don't.


Is it ever safe to have 14 gauge wire anywhere on a circuit protected by a 30 amp breaker?

If the #14 or #12 wire is a branch going to specific loads, then it is "safe" with respect to that load.  It won't overload that wiring regardless of the breaker capacity use (or even if the breaker is bypassed entirely).  However, this is unsafe in the context of changes in usage.  The electrical code focuses on safety and rightly prohibits this.  The circuit breaker is required to be sized to protect all wiring in the branch circuit it feeds to (and the receptacles, too).  This is because someone could overload the circuit (for example plugging in a 12 amp appliance in one outlet and another 12 amp appliance in another outlet on the same circuit, which should trip a 20 amp breaker and would not trip a 30 amp breaker).

In USA, all 15 amp receptacles are actually rated at 20 amps (just not configured to accept a 20 amp plug).  So if you have 20 amp wire (usually #12 if the special cases requiring derating do not come into play), you can use a 20 amp breaker (one more exception in the code is if the branch circuit has a single dedicated outlet, it must be protected at the outlet designated amperage).

Since the normal type of outlets don't have a 30 amp capacity, you can't use a 30 amp breaker on them even if you have 30 amp wiring (usually #10), and meet the electrical code.  The receptacles can overheat, too.  You may need to split circuits if this branch is pulling too much current.


What is the strongest way to join a deck joist to a corner joint?

I guess I'm curious why you wouldn't simplify the layout like this:

Yellow = deck joists

Green = support beams

Your decking would run diagonally over the joists.  If you use 2x boards for decking, that should be fine if the joists are 16" on center.  If you want to use 5/4 decking, you should probably put the joists 12" on center so that the diagonal run is closer to 16".


Need Help Wiring Replacement Ceiling Fan

Thanks to the comments from JACK and Ray, I was able to use an electrical tester to try the circuits. After ruling on any problems there, I went ahead and swapped the switches for the ceiling fan and light (keeping the wiring as is), and lo and behold, the fan was running constant (only working with the pull chain) and the light switch was now working as expected, so ultimately the issue I was having was indeed with a faulty switch. I swapped it out with a new one, and everything is back up and running. Thanks all!


I would believe your gutter downspout pipes are in that location(s)  if not well sealed or if perf pipe was used without being packed in gravel the dirt gets washed away and creates a hole. I would look for this being the cause as I have seen this when solid pipe was used and cracked later washing the dirt away. Look in the hole if you see a drain you probably have found the reason.