The danger of connecting the green wire to a ground that doesn't go all the way back to the panel is that if the fan has a ground fault, the ground wire will not carry the fault back to the safety of the panel, and instead will distribute the ground fault to everywhere on that island of grounds.  So all the grounds will suddenly become hot.

I would leave it disconnected.

I would also assure that this section of the circuit is protected by GFCI.

I would also see that the entire circuit is protected by an AFCI breaker back at the panel.

These have totally different jobs; the AFCI protects from arcing overheat loads caused by failing wires.  The GFCI protects humans from shock due to lack of grounding.


Avoid glare on facade/architectural lighting

I have devised a solution that doesn't involve creating a "snout" that is attached to the light source themselves: the issue will always be that any attached plate will reflect light at the angle of incidence , and that light will mostly be reflected in the direction the second plate tries to block, and this is a suboptimal solution.

What I realized, however, is that a plate that is disconnected from the light source itself, either via metal rods or attached to the ground some other place, can be positioned as a direct barrier in the path of the unwanted light, and any reflection will be back towards the light itself.


Can you tell me where the some of the plumbing runs would be going to?

I disagree that you see the main cutoff anywhere here. Keep looking - all those pipes originate from some other inlet to the house.

My guess about the red-handle valve is it's there to allow water flow when the softener tank is "offline". That valve should be closed under normal operation.

I see two "T" joints after the green valve. One has the blue-handle valve on it.  So, to trace a bit, do this:
1) turn the red handle off.
2) Do whatever is needed so water can't pass thru the softener assembly.
3) turn the blue handle off.

Now any outlet/tap/ fixture which still gets water flow probably comes from the T-line on the left.  Once you've identified those, open the blue-handle valve and see what additional items have water flow.   Everything that doesn't have flow at this point probably goes thru the softener leg.


How to repair after drilling through an electrical cable

Now what do I do?

I would suggest shutting off power to the building, double checking that the damaged cable is not live then tracing it to see where it goes.

It probably means cutting out the damaged portion and splicing in a section of new cable using joins that are approved by your local code for use in inaccessible places (that is, not in a junction box with a cover plate on a wall surface).

If your local code doesn't allow this you'd probably have to remove all the damaged cable between accessible junction boxes.

See Can cable splice devices be concealed?


How can I connect a 120V washer to a 240V circuit?

You're going to have to either get a washer that accepts 240V, or change the circuit.
New Washer
Getting a new washer will depend on the manufacturer, dealer, and other factors that are off topic here.
Change the circuit
Modifying the circuit will require knowledge of electrical safety practices, and general electrical wiring principles/standards/codes. If you lack this knowledge, or are not comfortable working with electricity, please contact a local licensed Electrician.
If you decide to tackle this project yourself, here is an overview of what needs to be done. You'll be going from a configuration with two ungrounded (hot) conductors, and one grounding conductor (NEMA 6-20). To a configuration with one ungrounded (hot) conductor, one grounded (neutral) conductor, and one grounding conductor (NEMA 5-20).  To do this you'll have to swap out the double pole breaker for a single pole breaker, and repurpose one of the conductors.
At the Panel

Before you begin, you'll need to purchase a 20A single pole circuit breaker that is compatible with your service panel, and a blank panel cover insert.
Start by turning the power off by flipping the main breaker to the OFF position, then verifying that power is off using a non-contact voltage tester.
Remove the service panel cover (be careful working in the open panel, the main lugs are still energized even when the main breaker is in the OFF position).
Locate the breaker for the washer.
Remove the wires connected to the breaker (should be either black & red, or black & white).
Remove the breaker from the panel.
Install the new single pole breaker in one of the slots where the old double pole breaker was.
Install the blank panel cover insert in the panel cover, so that is covers the empty space left.
Connect the black wire that you removed from the breaker in step 5, to the new breaker.
If the other wire from step 5 is white, connect it to the grounded (neutral) bus bar. If the wire is red, mark the wire with a bit of white tape, or a white marker, then attach it to the bus bar.
Reinstall the panel cover.

At the receptacle

Before you begin, you'll have to purchase a 125V 20A receptacle.
Uninstall the old receptacle.
Connect the black wire to the brass screw terminal on the new receptacle.
If the other wire is white, attach it to the silver screw terminal on the new receptacle. If the other wire is red, mark it with white tape or a white marker, and attach it to the silver screw terminal on the new receptacle.
Attach the bare or green grounding wire to the green grounding screw on the new receptacle.
Mount the receptacle in the box, and install the cover plate.

Once everything is finished, you can flip the main breaker, and the new breaker to the ON position.
WARNING:
This answer is only applicable in the US, and possibly Canada.


It's difficult to tell from a brief description. However, that model of light lists that it uses push-in wire connectors, and it's possible those aren't making a solid connection. If you have access to this light, test the voltage.


Getting a countertop dishwasher to work in a convenient manner

I have the same issu than you. I'm expecting to put a divider and to connect the brita on one end and the dishwasher quick connect on the other end. I could also use an elbow adaptor if I wish both faucet to face down. By now, it's the better option I found. I also try to find another quick connect to connect to the brita and switch on the brita and the dishwasher when I need it (as suggest by the other comment) but I didn't find any wet.


How can I deal with non square walls when installing a countertop with backsplash?

If you are installing a tile backsplash, just sort the issue out on the tile substrate. Depending where you want the tile surface, either overlay backerboard and shim to correct the gaps, or rip out the current wall surface and replace with backerboard, shimmed to correct the gap once the tile is installed (which may mean an even gap before the tile is installed, again depending how you intend for it to look.)

It's a small area, should not be too difficult/lengthy a process.

Counter looks a wee bit high going by the window opening...if that's an egress window you may fail inspection for partially blocking it.


System to charge 24V lead-acid battery from a 12V lead-acid battery

It seems like it should be possible to set up a charging system that converts from 12V DC straight to 24V DC.

yes,  "possible".  You would do it with a DC-DC boost converter.  you can look up types of dc converters on the web.  At this level you basically take 12v @ 10 amps and turn it into 24v @ 5 amps, then you would just need some higher vdc than your battery to make current flow into the battery to effectively charge it (until you overcharge, cook, and ruin the battery).

  Ideally I'd like the 24V system to be some sort of intelligent charging system

with that you are likely going to look for a smart charger sold that will output 24vdc.  The typical smart chargers I think everyone is aware of are for 12vdc.  And for 12v it is not 12.0 vdc that the typical lead acid battery is, at 100% charge is about 12.65vdc and varies with temperature.  The battery at 12.20 volts is around 50% discharged, and at 12.0 volts is actually dead (not enough power left in it to be useful).  That would correlate with a 24vdc battery however the math goes, something like 2.1 volts per cell in the battery, and some differences between lead-acid vs AGM vs gel battery types.  The "smart" charger usually takes care of all that.

  converting the nominal 12V DC to 240V AC then back to (approximately) 24V DC to charge the scooter battery – seems grossly inefficient to me

yes from a strictly power usage perspective.  There will be however much inefficiency of the inverter from 12vdc to 120vac, and however from 120vdc to 24vdc smart charging.  But in terms of cost and availability of equipment to accomplish this based on having only solar panel output, it is not "grossly" inefficient.  And if you did the math for how much KWHr's are used in charging vs what is wasted from inefficiency it would be pennies on your power bill.

Any smart charger you would be buying is going to plug into 120vac.  I seriously doubt someone is making a smart charger that runs off 12vdc (solar panel output?) then smart charges a 24vdc battery.  If u asked this in the electrical engineering section someone would probably tell you what IC's to solder together to accomplish a simplistic regulated battery charging device.


What is this type of fixing? (similar to cam/dowel)

After more reasearch, it appears to be flat pack furniture assembly cam and dowel, more common on newer Ikea furniture. Try calling Ikea or checking online with them about replacement parts or extra parts. Or perhaps contact the manufacturer of the connector.

https://www.engineering.com/AdvancedManufacturing/ArticleID/11459/Better-Connectors-The-Future-of-Flatpack-Furniture.aspx

https://www.glaserbolt.com/torpedo/products


I determined it was a faulty gfci. I exchanged and reinstalled and it checked out correctly, reading "open ground". Then ran a ground wire from some conduit about 12" above the outlet. Everything checked out correctly with the testers. Voltage checked out correct H-N at 118V, N-G at 0V. And it tripped the gfci when I did H-G.

When I returned the first one to ace hardware, the cashier said I was the second person that returned a gfci the same day for the same reason, so they must've gotten a bad batch that somehow had reverse polarity.


Should I use a vapor barrier when repairing a portion of the wall?

This is a really interesting question.  Given that you are only doing some of the wall I would say NO.

First I could see the point of doing it.  You put up a vapor barrier and if water gets in the wall it leaves via condensation and doesn't hit the back of the drywall.  Given that you have proper airflow in the wall cavity.  This would certainly be a pro.

The con is that if you get water from above and it trickles down, it will get trapped between the vapor barrier and drywall.  This would cause issues with even a small amount of moisture.  So here I think the con wins.  Also if I have moisture in my walls I would rather just see it faster, not become a bigger issue.  Replacing 2.5 feet of drywall is the optimal issue to have right?


How Do Houses Prevent a Water Buildup in the Flooring?

How does this standard design allow this excess water to be shed by the house?

You are correct in seeing the flaw in a plastic vapor barrier. It doesn't allow the house to breathe. I personally don't like the idea.

The only way to shed the water is by evaporation through ventilation. Some of the water could drain to the ground since vapor barriers are not necessarily water tight but the tighter you make the house envelope the harder it gets to allow it to breathe.


What alternatives are there to a retaining wall?

You really have two primary options--slope or no (minimal) slope.

With the no-slope option you need either a single retaining wall or multiple tiers of landscaping. You could use small boulders to create two or three individual levels and fill between with gardens of various sorts.

With the sloped option you need to prevent erosion, so sod or a stable covering is needed. Crushed rock or paving stones might work.


What size transformer do I need to power a ¾" 24VAC solenoid valve?

3/4" solenoid valves use around 20 to 30 VA. to open. Look on the name plate and it should say what the  VA. or watts is. You can buy a ( 120/208/240) input X 24 volt output transformer Rated at 60 va.for about $50.00. I saw on  Amazon  a Siemens MTO100C 120/208/240volt X 24 volt, 100VA. for about the same price.


How do I roughly cut linoleum to room width?

Instead of trying to work with the flooring in a cramped space, I use  a roll of craft paper and sticky tape to make a template of the room.  Start in the center of the room, lightly stick a strip to the ground, and cut it at the edges of the room.  You get a cleaner edge by going a little past the edge, then folding the cut edge back and sticking it down with the tape.  Keep sticking more strips to the template until you cover the entire room.

While you're doing that, lay the flooring out somewhere that you do have the space to work.  When it's ready, put the template on top of it, and cut around the edges.  Regular scissors work well for vinyl flooring, and I know I've installed real linoleum, but can't recall if scissors were OK or if I had to use something more heavy duty like tin snips.  Now that it's cut to size, you can easily carry it to where you need it and unroll it.


What type of door can be used for a utility room?

Based on your utility room and what is in there there needs to either be a certain amount of square feet or a certain amount of vented wall space.   This door would account for vented door/wall space.
If the door is needed for air intake - to meet minimum requirements - if you replaced it with a solid door you would have to add wall grills to that room.   This might defeat the purpose of trying to keep utility room air out of the basement.
The bigger issue probably isn't this door, it is why is your utility room that cold?    With working equipment - heater, water heater, whatever... and given your utility room is not conditioned (most aren't), it really shouldn't be much cooler than the rest of your house in the winter.   I would guess that the main issue you are having isn't that door, it is probably the air gaps and lack of insulation in the utility room.   You could probably fix your basement cold issue with $40 worth of insulation.


They stopped making that type of switch some time in the 1940s I believe. I personally would not replace it with something found on auction sites or antique sellers unless there was some good reason to maintain period authenticity, i.e. a museum display. Otherwise, anything you can buy is going to be just as old and prone to failure. Just replace it with a modern switch and modern wiring methods done to current safety codes.


Maintainability of natural stone vs porcelain floor tile?

The guy at the store is correct. If the marble is not taking on any water now it is because they are sealed, it is a maintenance item, that will need to be resealed every 5 years at the least with heavy traffic, 7-10 years with light traffic with a penetrating sealer. A kitchen floor is definitely heavy traffic.

The porcelain tile is non porous, just the grout will need to be sealed as a maintenance item, according to the same guidelines as mentioned above.

FWIW, both will chip or crack if something heavy enough drops on it.


That is quite wrong for small 6-40A branch circuit wiring:

Anywhere in the world, grounds can only be green, yellow/green stripe, or bare wire.    And the reverse applies: wires of those colors can only be grounds.

Anywhere in North America, neutrals can only be white or gray. The reverse isn't true in multiconductor cables - whites can be re-tasked to be hots if neutral isn't needed.

Hot is any other color.

While using a black for a ground isn't a red-alert safety problem, the question is, what's he using for a hot!!!??  Using a bare ground wire for hot or neutral is downright unsafe.

Map the wiring, find both ends of a cable, and reallocate its wires to the correct usage by changing it on both ends.

Beware: sometimes color changes like that are done as a workaround when a wire breaks.

As Ed Beal points out, none of this applies to large 50+A circuits or to feeders and service entrances.


What is this green paste on cold water outlet

The green stuff is cupric chloride, a byproduct of corrosion of the valve body. It's typical of water leakage where the water is of low pH. It's usually found on copper pipes. Your pipes have been painted so it's not forming on them but you do have untreated copper going into the valve. Make sure all the connection are tight.


Sounds like either your replacement fuse is bad or perhaps it is not fully screwed in.  First thing, try another new fuse.

While you are replacing it, visually inspect the connection.  You are looking for burns or other debris.

The other possibility is that he overloaded the circuit to the point where a connection or wire failed somewhere.  If you have a non-contact voltage tester handy, I would verify that there is voltage being detected on the wire directly outside of the panel for that circuit. If there is power here but not at the outlet further downstream then you will need to find out where the failure point is by tracing the circuit and testing it at several locations.  If there is no power being detected immediately after the panel then the bad/failed connection might be in the panel itself.

Your best bet might be to call an electrician to help you out. This type of scenario can be dangerous and indicate poorly terminated wires or incorrectly sized wires.


This is not about grounding, or perhaps it is...

Lets start with your connectors: Do you have AC-connectors at your devices with or without grounding pin? Laptop psu may have a protective earth connection, a phone charger won't have one. I've never seen a phone charger with protective earth connection.

Both PSUs are doubly insulated, I'm pretty sure, which means primary side is galvanically separated from secondary side, which includes everything which can be touched with bare hands.

How does this sensation of 50 Hz AC come over to touchable parts? There's something calle Y-Capacitor between primary and secondary side in these PSUs. It is used to provides a stable potential for the regulating circuitry of the PSU, i.e. it prevents the secondary side from "floating". It can be described by two small capacitors in series between neutral lead and live lead on primary side with the middle node connected to the ground of the secondary side. Hence, on a 230V system, the secondary side gets a level of 115 V AC. The capacitor is designed to permit a maximum current of 0,35 mA to flow, if shorted to ground. This is a current you can sense, but which cannot harm you or your equipment.

If something with earthing in your mansion was wrong, it would not change this effect in my opinion.

In the rare case, your PSUs really have a protective earth connector you should not be able to sense that voltage as it was conducted away. In this rare case you should get an electrician soon, because if you touch your oven or washing machine there is no such limiting capacitor to protect you in case of an failure.

I have a different theory why you feel somthing you do not know at home. On canary islands it is rather warm and carpets are rare while most homes have tiled floor. If you live somewhere cold the rest of the year you probably have carpets or wooden floor which reduce capacitive coupling by orders of magnitude. You just may not feel the phenomenon while it is there, too.

Update

Relating to your updates: Now you do have a problem.
When you feel a tickling sensation when touching devices like a washing machine there is one possible conclusion: the potential of protective earth connected with the housing of your devices differs from the potential of your house. Which can mean different things.

You have only 2-wire conduits in your house. The neutral and protective earth in your wall outlets are connected to one common wire (usually blue in EU). Some connections in your house have too high ohmic resistance. When under heavy load, voltage on N and PE rises, hence you can feel the influenced voltage.
Protective Earth is somewhere broken, effectively. This is really bad, as all Class 1 equipment relies on working PE and a short to housing, which especially water bearing devices are prone to, will put the full voltage to touchable parts of the defective devices.
And if PE is interrupted at the equipotential bus bar it gets even worse. Not only a faulty potential from one defective device will propagate through your complete building and be present on every Schuko (PE contact), but will also be induced by assymetric load in the 3-phase-network between the next transformer station and your house. Which means, even if all devices in your house are depowered properly, PE-conductors may conduct harmful voltages.

For the last two options, your life is at risk. You should get an electrician to prove me wrong. The first possibility can be verified by opening a wall outlet (of course after opening the circuit breaker, securing it against reconnecting, verifying all pins in the outlet are deenergised and so on). If there are two wires only and one of them connects to N and PE you have a “bootleg ground”, which renders even ground fault interruptors partially useless.


If our Panasonic microwave shuts off after 2 seconds, is it likely a door latch or magnetron issue?

This is indeed a door latch issue; however, you're best off referring this to a microwave oven technician (they exist, although much of their business comes from foodservice not residential).  Microwave ovens contain a dangerous HV transformer and capacitor: the transformer will supply several kilovolts at several hundred mA, and the capacitor is well over a microfarad.  Furthermore, the door latch interlock is a critical safety system on a microwave oven -- if it fails or is bypassed, you can get into a situation where the microwave tries to start cooking you as well as whatever food you put inside!


How do I fill holes around a newly fitted ceiling light socket?

You could use something like this. They come in various sizes and styles, can be painted and are usually held in place with a little glue or drywall screws.

Something like this is much more decorative.


Is it sane to use a normal router to cut drywall, approximating a spiral saw?

It's not sane.  All you need is a utility knife.  Even a curve cut is really easy with a sharp knife.

But if it makes you feel good then go for whatever saw you want.  I do a lot of things that are a little more fun but not always the best choice.


There is no easy way to cur concrete I am afraid. I always dreaded and tried avoiding at all costs cutting concrete in any form.. but when you have to then I always used a large grinder..

The problem is (and why i dread cutting concrete) is the discs take a massive hammering and they dissipate while cutting the concrete. I found using disc for cutting masonry very good because they are not too thick (2mm to 3mm are good but need to be reinforced! unlike like stone cutting discs which are 5mm to 7mm) which help cut through faster.

You need to prepare yourself for this.

Large amounts of dust! it will get in your hair, in your nose blow all over the place.

So I advise wearing a dust mask and wide glasses that cover the entire area of your eyes! Make sure you are far away from valuable objects like cars(some stones might fly out the grinder damages nearby objects) far away from your washing . Keep other people and pets  far away.

These are fine..

but these are very good

Strain and friction on the disc could cause the disc to rupture

That is why buying reinforced discs is very important! Many times during cutting discs have failed sometimes right at the start sometimes midway. Make sure the grinder guard is protecting you and the exit path is between your legs. stand quite wide apart but also sturdy. This is also why its dangerous to stand anywhere near it as when a disc ruptures it can fly sideways.

This type of rupture is very rare and years of building I only saw this once.

Usually you might experience the disc splitting layers and small parts will break off.

Noise

These grinders on their own are loud and cutting into concrete is just unbearable. You might want ear plugs and also warn any neighbours or something. Also because you cannot hear any thing I would suggest having somebody in a safe area that can turn the main power off in case he needs to tell you something or warn you. Do not do this on your own.

Doing 1 or 2 poles is ok but if you have many..

Make sure to rest inbetween several as vibrations and feedback take a massive toll on your arm muscles. You always need to hold the grinder sturdy in case it mis behaves and jumps upwards or something else.

Secure your items

Make sure the item you are cutting are secured properly. They should not move at all. If friction changes like you hit a rebar within the the concrete (grinding some metal with a masonry disc is fine! it only eats the disc slightly faster and makes loads of sparks) then its better the grinder vibrates rathen then the item flying and hitting you in the legs.

You can rent grinders for pretty cheap.

Good luck.

And remember to keep safe.


"Professional" termination of mains wires

I see those ferrules all the time on the lights I get from those friendly east Asian purveyors of sensibly priced goods. They are supplied in brown/hot and blue/neutral, which are Europe and UK color standards.

European use screw terminal blocks to terminate wires, so those ferrules work rather well with them. They also increase the effective wire size somewhat. You would particularly expect to see them on products with fine-stranded wires such as used in cordage.  They are basically unheard of in the United States because they don't play well with our wire-nuts.

It doesn't surprise me if UK DIY shops (like our Home Depot) don't sell them. They are kind of a specialty item.  You'd have better luck with a proper electrical supply.

I would expect those ferrules to take a special crimp tool.


Should water reach inside my window sash before draining out?

Blocked drainage. Try poking the holes were the water is filling up inside the frame the holes i am talking about is the long slots about 20mm long. Try a plastic straw .to unblock the obstruction. Then pour some water in the holes to see if the water drains outside onto the cill.


Where can I install a C-Wire for Weil-McLain gas boiler? (EGH 115, 4 Series, Natural gas)

What are the safety issues here?
You have several issues that worry me:

your lack of experience with both electrical and steam boilers
the lack of a circuit diagram or a reasonable ability to create one from the spaghetti in that junction box.  A link was provided in one of the comments but there is no certainty your system followed the diagram in that document.
your boiler is wired terribly (see below) so the chances of your making a mistake are higher than they could or should be.

@ThreePhaseEel highlighted one big concern.  Briefly: your thermostat is wired along with several safety devices any one of which can turn off the boiler.  It is possible to wire the boiler so the thermostat alone can turn it on, bypassing the safety devices.  That would be very bad.
I’m highlighting a different safety issue: The purpose of that metal pipe (top right) and  of the two metal boxes is to isolate and contain the high voltage wiring.   The entire point of that metal plate that the transformer is mounted on is to provide and ensure that the high voltage wiring is on one side of the plate, inside the box, and the low voltage wiring is on the outside of the box.    The thermostat wiring should be outside that conduit.  The thermostat wire can be cable-tied to the outside of the conduit if it happens to be heading in the same direction.
What you have is the low voltage wiring from the transformer wrapped around the edge of the metal plate, wedged between the plate and the sharp edge of the box and re-entering the very box that is literally designed keep it out.   You have the thermostat running through the conduit with high voltage wiring, then you have all the high and low voltage wires mixed up in a spaghetti junction inside the box.
The main dangers are:

Difficult to inspect and maintain correct wiring and function of the safety devices
Faults or errors in wiring can cause high voltage to be applied to your low-voltage devices including the thermostat.  That could start a fire and/or shock people who come in contact.
Unintentional wiring errors such as installing a new thermostat could bypass safety controls.  It's almost impossible with this mess to see, understand, or attempt to do things correctly.

I strongly suggest you have all this corrected by someone who is knowledgeable and who has some pride in their work.   I'm pretty sure you can easily provide a C wire to your new thermostat, in fact I think it may already have on in the green wire but don't make any changes without cleaning this up.


What type of drywall do I use around a zero clearance fireplace?

You can use whatever materials you would normally use.  A "zero clearance" fireplace means wood and other burnable materials can be safely adjacent and touching the fireplace.  The fireplace internally isolates the heat box from the casing with free flowing air to keep the outer casing cool.

If there was sheetrock there before and the rest of the room uses that, sheetrock is probably the simplest and least expensive.


These pictures seem to be programmer baseplates,programmer plugs into,if so the new base plate connections will differ.It has to be assertained by careful circuit comparison that all switching is observed,connection will be dependant on   the control devices ,lettering of connections is normally used to assist following the instructions.You have taken on a tricky job,with instructions it is possible to get it right,experts sometimes have trouble.Check to see if the new programmer will plug into the old baseplate.Careful not to damage it,hope this helps Steve uk engineer.


How do I deaden the sound of water dripping on metal?

If the drip is that noisy, it's probably hitting a flat horizontal spot on your unit. If you can add something to the top of your unit that is at a steep angle that the drip lands on, the drip shouldn't be as noticable.

You might be able to put a flower pot with just sand in it, or even an actual plant with soil on it on top of your unit?


Potted plants inside the house with soil that is not allowed to dry can be a source of small flies. Take all your houseplants outside and let them sit where they get some sun for a day or two, to dry out.

I have seen nasty maggots and flies in old sewer drains that are plugged or partially plugged, or that are left unused for long periods. Check all your drains; run hot water down through them. Check your basement if you have one.

Are your window screens and screen doors in good order? Flies will come into your house from outside during hot weather.


How does my refrigerator water line connect to the valve?

Sorry to have wasted people's time, but I did learn a lot. The technician came, and the answer was that the valve was defective. The inner parts should have been clamped tightly around the lip during the manufacturing process.


AC Condensate not draining from newish HVAC

If the drain works with water poured in it it is clear and his professional opinion sounds correct. If the water did not drain or there was water damage there would be a problem. My guess at this point is the new system is a higher efficiency unit with a better balanced evaporator so it may not produce as much water as a less efficient model. The big difference in newer units is the evaporator is not having the extremes of cold that creates more condensation due to the larger temp extremes of older units but creates the same btu's per hour by managing the Freon usually with a temperature controlled throttle valve where many older systems used a simple orifice. The throttle valve is a better way to keep the evaporator at a constant temp where the orifice has no feedback ant the evaporator temp gets colder while the compressor is running. This may be the reason you do not see the amount of water due to the tighter control.


Is stainless steel water piping more durable than copper?

In general, yes, stainless steel is more corrosion resistant than copper. It forms a tightly bonded oxide coating which tends to prevent further corrosion.

If replumbing a house where copper pipes corroded (this is more prone to happen in some areas than others due to water chemistry differences) my first instinct at this point would be to use PEX plastic tubing, but for metallic piping I would choose stainless steel over copper even if the price was the same.

If on a water supply that is treated with chlorine, or which has salts, there is a slight possibility of a stainless-steel specific problem (chloride corrosion). Certain grades of stainless (316, 316L) are more resistant to this form of corrosion than other grades of stainless, so precisely which stainless piping you are being offered will matter.

Still, I'd choose PEX by preference - should cost less, and it's not going to corrode.


Is a "painting pad / sponge square" indeed the way to get a smooth wood surface after applying polyurethane?

That sounds like water based polyurethane. Water based polyurethane is more difficult than oil based poly. You can recoat water-based poly with oil-based.

If that sound like something you want to do, then the first thing to do is let your shelves cure for 2 months. Then use fine (150 then 220 grit) sand paper. Clean the shelves thoroughly; dust with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits.

Ventilate the area well and wear a respirator rated for organic fumes (follow the label warnings on the polyurethane can) when applying the finish.

Sponges and brushes are just different. Either one takes getting used to. Personally, I often use a lint free cloth over a sponge and I replace the cloth often. I am not saying that my way is any easier than another. Only practice makes perfect.


Why is the water pressure so high from my overhead water tank?

You may need an aerator.  If it needs replacing, then the water may spatter a lot.  The aerator is the piece that screws into the end of the spigot.  It limits the flow of water to between 1.5 and 2.5 gallons per minute and entrains air into the water stream to prevent splashing.  From what you describe, it may even be missing.  You can pick one up at any hardware store.


50's poured foundation without exterior form?

It seems unlikely. Concrete is expensive, and has always been.
Formwork is reusable, and you don't waste twice as much concrete pouring the foundation if you use formwork. In most areas, the dirt will not stay put well enough to pour a wall directly against dirt.
It's possible, but does not seem terribly likely. Then again, most egress windows are not all that low in the wall, so if it was "the first pour" (footing, which is below floor level) it should have no interaction with your window - at which point I'd be thinking "hmm, is this contractor setting me up for an upcharge?"


Does corroded copper wiring have a reduced current capacity?

Copper oxidizes when exposed to oxygen in the air.
This is normal.
Your wiring is still able to carry 100% of its rated current.

The end of your question makes me believe that you're confusing voltage (related to insulation breakdown) with current (related to 'ampacity').
Even if the wiring had corroded to the degree where it's current-carrying capacity ('ampacity') was reduced, this would have no direct effect on the insulation on the wires still being able to prevent arcing & short-circuits (breakdown).


What is this green pipe with an open end sticking out of the ground?

Try picking it up.

No, really, are you sure it's actually connected from something? It looks like a leftover piece of material that was leaning against the structure until it got kind of stuck in the ground.

Maybe it's a random piece of junk stuck into the ground by another bidder, to trick the current holder into accepting a lower price. If this proves to be the case then you should draw cracks on the windows and bid even lower.


How can I fix a garbage disposal with crushed glass in it?

The easy way: remove the large shards with tongs.  If you're having a hard time, cut up an old kitchen sponge, make sure it's soft (moist) and put it in the tongs as a bait for all the glass shards.  They'll stick in the sponge just like they would your hand.  Then, just hope that the small pieces will go down the drain with time.

The hard way: unhook the disposal (turn off the power first), take it outside, turn it upside down, and really work on it with a garden hose.  Wear gloves and verify by operating it via the screw on the base to make sure you got everything before you take it back in.  Don't do this anywhere someone would go barefoot.


Cutting extruded aluminium with a circular saw

For blade selection the higher tooth count makes for smaller chips which is a good thing as each chip cut is an impulse against the work and the tool, and smaller impulses are better.
Circular saw blades tend to grab in aluminium I wouldn't risk it hand-held:
when using a drop saw a slow feed rate is essential else you stall the blade or distort the work. A hand-held circular saw is likely to be uncontrollable.
If you're persistent a hacksaw will work.


Tips to find where sump pump is discharging

Standard septic tracing dyes are non-toxic (important becasue you are dumping them into wherever your sump discharges) and typically fluorescent and fairly concentrated. Green and red are common. Blue seems to be less common, but available. In your case it likely does not matter, just pick a color, put it in, and go hunting - also see if it "comes back" with the late-draining pipe inflow.


If it were my stairs and I had the budget for it, I would remove the handrail and balusters, pop the 2X treads and replace them with oak treads. The would eliminate the need to scrape off all the paint at the skirt board area and the clear coat around the balusters. It is a trade off on where the work is done, but in my opinion, it will give a better product once done.

Some of the treads appear to be open on one side, new treads can be purchased with the returns already added, simplifying the install. The new treads can be stained before install, making the finishing easier. The skirtboard at the wall will need to be touched up where the original 2X treads were because the new treads ill be 1/2" thinner. This will also affect the balusters when they go back in, since the handrail should be lowered 1/2" to keep the balusters in the original position. You could simply move them forward, but I feel that would put them too close to the nose of the new treads.

I would also use a 1/4" paint grade plywood to reface the risers as mentioned in another post, and return that with a "stair riser bracket". This would help disguise the end grain of the plywood riser better, by mitering the riser bracket to the new riser covering.

Here is a few pics of a staircase that was carpeted where I replaced the old treads with prefinished treads

I could only find example of stair riser brackets that did not show what i wanted without copyright infringement but a Google search will fill in that part, so I hope.

10-29 edit

This link is for a scraper that will remove the paint along the edges of the skirt boards and in between the balusters. The pros use a still smaller version of this, about an 1 1/2" wide, this is 2" and should still get in the tight places. The wider the scraper the better for a newbie, it will be more stable and not as prone to gouging out on the edges, but still may. A little care at first will help you get past the learning curve. The blade in this one is carbide and is not resharpenable unless you have a diamond stone and that takes time too. You will want to get a pack of replacement blades to get you through the whole task. You could get another type with a tool steel blade that is resharpenable with a file, that is the kind I seen the pros use, then you need to learn how to sharpen them. The replaceable blades are the best choice, unless you know how to sharpen the tool steel type already.

After the edges and around the balusters are done, a random orbit sander will get the rest in the middle. Start with 80G to get the rest of the paint off, then remove these scratches with 120G and make a final pass with 180 or 220G for staining. I would still use the 1/4" plywood for the riser with the return done with a stair riser, a simple one, could even be a piece of lattice to cap the end of the plywood.


Install Bath Fan 1st floor with parallel joist to exterior wall

I have done several different things here. In several houses I have mounted the fan directly on the wall close to the roof with the exhaust going through the side.
I have also mounted the fan in the first 16” and punched a 4” hole through the joist is sitting on the wall so it’s not a structural problem.
The 3rd and hardest but best looking was to build a small plenum with intakes mounted horizontally at the top with the exhaust through the wall, I also incorporated some lights in the plenum so it looked very nice.
The fan on the wall direct exit was the easiest but did not look that great to me. I have used this on homes we flipped where cost and speed matter.

With the fan in the ceiling close to the wall it looked ok but it was closer to the wall than I thought looked good I have used this method many times on new construction it can be done in a remodel but drilling through the sheathing and siding is a bit tougher on a remodel but can be done, if pulling some Sheetrock down it is much easier.

In my own home I have the plenum it really looks nice and is the quietest but close to 3x the cost of just a fan and a exterior jack with a damper.  we used this method on ~half a dozen spec homes and I like it the best.


If it’s corroded, you need to replace the tailpiece.  If it was me, I’d find a plain tailpiece and a popup drain.  Those rods are often problematic.


Washers are supposed to drain into a vertical standpipe 18-30 inches in height above a trap. The trap arm must then be vented before waste water can be discharged into waste piping. I don't believe there are lesser requirements allowed for greywater discharge. By the time this all is installed, the washer must pump up to within 6 inches of the ceiling. How high the washer can pump is dependent on the model. Once this height is determined, you can calculate how high the machine must be to meet all requirements.


If you are extending your service entrance and need to use splices, you would also need to use an appropriately sized junction box so the splices are accessible. Without that, you cannot splice them. If it is, indeed, your service entrance, you might be well served to get the assistance of a qualified electrician; it's a place where you do not want to have any occasion to say "oops! I shouldda done that better."


Can I use an aluminium heatsink in a inox chimney?

Most metal stacks are only rated for 5-600 degrees. Yes you can get them glowing red but we used to provide a magnet that had a temp gauge on it when we installed wood stoves.

I have seen fins added to the pipes but would urge caution if you make a cool spot on the pipe creosote will build up in that location, in the 70's we tried all kinds of things that did provide extra heat to the house, I know of 1 house that had copper tubing around the stack on the single wall section, where the copper was in contact the creosote built up in less than a year. Because of the spiral it created a "turbo torch" like fire that melted the stack and really smoke damaged a large section of the home including destroying the family room.

Back then we used a lot of "steam" bladders in the fire box, these were great for heating if the proper safeties were in place but required the plumbing to enter and exit the fire box usually through the refractory cement bottom. We put quite a few in to heat hot tubs back then but wood heat is not as popular so you don't see much of this today.

Use caution and know that the stack, if over heated, can melt aluminum, tin, etc, You may get more heat but watch out for creosote buildup.


Why do you have to bond the neutral and the ground wire in the main panel?

The reason the neutral and ground are separate other than at the main panel is to prevent a parallel ground path.
The power received from the power company (in the US is 240VAC)
This is derived from a step down transformer close to you home. At this point the center tap of the transformer is grounded providing 240 v across the transformer or 120v from each end to the center tap. At the house there is another ground usually a #4 or #6 copper wire coming from local grounding electrodes the grounding electrode(s) or the grounding electrodes system is there to provide a path for ground faults not as a neutral. This also provides a ground reference for the center tapped neutral to prevent the system voltage floating above ground and creating an unsafe condition if the supply from the transformer grounding point fails, it may be several hundred feet away from the home where the service grounding electrode system is very close to the service panel.
So the grounding electrode(s) are there to help clear a fault and provide a true ground reference.


Are there any good ways to manage all the different chargers?

One thing I love about the DeWalt batteries is that they maintained compatibility across a wide range of battery/charger combinations.  I standardized my own collection on them after my last set of power tools died and replacement batteries weren't available.

As for your challenge, many of these chargers should be wall mountable.  We've got a piece of OSB on the site with a dozen chargers and a couple of power strips all mounted which is mounted on the wall above a workbench.  When we didn't have the trailer hooked up to power, the OSB was unscrewed from the wall and the entire charging station moved indoors.  The nice thing about the power strips is that a flip of the switch turns off all the transformers that leach power even when they aren't charging anything.

In a workshop itself, a ceiling mounted extension cord is handy for powering various tools.  And they also have extra long (6 foot long) power strips that have outlets spaced apart that would be perfect for mounting on the wall behind the workbench.


Best strategy for video security, package or separate DVR?

I purchased all of my cameras and DVR a la carte and found it to be a bit cheaper and you get what you wany. Ebay is your friend for finding the parts and components necessary.

There are many options available for DVR systems now. In this day and age you will definitely want something that is HD capable. There are a lot of systems out there called hybrid DVRs that can record both analog and IP video. This would allow you to have some cameras that are lower resolution in areas you don't require quality and also the capability to use HD (720p, 1080p) cams in others. These could even be wireless cameras.

AliExpress, SecurityCamera2000 are also good sources for equipment.

I purchased some cheap (400TVL) dome cameras off ebay, and replaced the sensors with 2MP (720p) Sony IP cameras and saved a bundle. Since you are tech savvy, I think you would enjoy tinkering with different cameras and camera technologies. Searching for "Board Cameras" on ebay, ali, or securitycamera2000 will yield many results that will enable you to customize your system to you specific needs.

Just keep in mind, most of this stuff comes directly from china so it may be hit and miss on quality and take 3-30 days to arrived, but I have yet to be burned...

Good Luck!


What is the right way to connect 7 conductors in an electrical box?

Add pigtails between wire nuts. You might need 3 or 4 chained together for your situation, depending on the size of wire nut you use.


Pergola attached to house and load capacity for 6x6 post

The 6x6 and the double 2x12 are sufficient in themselves for your swing.  But the 2x12s may not be attached securely enough to the 6x6 posts, and/or the pergola may not be attached securely enough to the house.

Also, once the temporary diagonal cross braces on the 6x6 shown in the photo are removed, there may not be enough lateral stability. If you were to convert the pergola into a roof, and sheathed the roof with plywood, then there would be enough lateral stability assuming the framing is attached securely enough to the house.


My house was hit by lightning. What should I do?

Lightning strikes can cause damage to many items in a house. The most suspectable items are GFI outlets, any electronic machines ( TV, computers, audio equipment etc.), dimmers, switches and elements of an electric range/oven, and yes, garage door openers.

Another area to check is to unplug any device plugged into a receptacle and inspect the metal plug prongs for any signs of burns. If you find dark pits, any melted metal etc, then the plug and outlet should be replaced.

Using an inexpensive outlet checker, check all outlets for malfunctions such as open grounds, neutrals etc. Open the circuit breaker box and do a visual check for any signs of arcing or burned wires.

If you are not comfortable doing these inspections yourself, ask your electrician to do a quick once over on the items I mentioned above. This should take less than an hour to complete and give you peace of mind.

Just a side note. Lightning rod systems are somewhat effective for direct hits, however in the large percentage of lightning damage cases, the surge of ultra high voltage enters the home via the grounding system of the house. Lightning strikes a tree, a transformer or the ground close to the house and energizes the entire ground and neutral system and conductors. The instantaneous voltage spike can easily exceed 50,000 volts. there is little you can do to defend your property from such a strike. Common surge protectors will fail most of the time. Computers connected to a UPS usually survive because they are isolated from the primary power source even though the UPS may be damaged.


Is is possible to retrofit a wood-burning stove into an existing gas central heating system?

Up the creek. What you are looking for is not that uncommon here in Maine. Wood fired furnaces and aux wood fired systems are getting more popular. Many are run together with another system such as you are looking to do. I am no expert on these things, but have two good friends that have put in external wood furnaces and had them plumbed into the domestic hot water and forced hot water heating system.  The key to the system is using a wood stove/furnace with a properly designed heat exchanger that easily works with your existing system. The theory is simple, wood preheats water going into your boiler. The hotter the preheated water is, the less your gas furnace has to work.

I saw several different systems at a home show last spring. If you don't have any HVAC experience, I'd really suggest checking out ready made systems at your local dealers. Creating something like this from scratch looks pretty difficult to me. A good dealer can show you what you will need and what options would work with your situation. Safety is always your first priority, so get some good advice, good equipment and you should be on the way to saving a lot of money in the long run.  Good luck...


How do you know when you need a new water heater?

For starters, check for leaks. A hot water heater that can't consistently heat water is likely either a) leaking or b) has a faulty heating element.

Hot water heaters typically have a 10 year lifespan. There should be a date somewhere on the tank. If you're handy with electrical (or gas) and plumbing, it's not a big deal to swap out. If you're not, you'll want to bring in a plumber.

If you do want to bring in a plumber, then hire one BEFORE the heater springs a major leak. Emergency rates for a plumber are not fun. ;)

Note that all hot water heaters have something called a 'sacrificial anode' that you can replace regularly to extend the life of the tank. It's a rod of metal that will corrode saving the tank, itself. That said, very few replace them...even people like me, that know I should. ;) But it is a relatively cheap way to extend the life of the tank.


Direct buried service wire from house to shop

Actual load is needed to calculate voltage drop, but at a full 240v 60A load #2 aluminum should be adequate to only experience 3% voltage drop, which is the maximum voltage drop recommended by the NEC for a feeder.
There is some small risk of load imbalance causing a larger voltage loss. If by chance you randomly more than 30A of loads to just one leg your voltage drop could exceed 3%.
You do need 4 wires, two hots, a neutral, and a separate ground for a 120/240v feeder.


How should I go about fire proofing my garage?

For the Access to the Crawlspace and Attic you can use a Fire Rated Access Hatch. We used one in our Garage. I can't seem to find the Make/Model, though its something like this. They come in all sizes.

You also want to have Any Wall Penetrations with Fireproofing. If you have Plumbing (water heater, Vent Stack, Electrical, etc that is not behind the sheetrock you need a fireproof barrier. They make several things to do this


Can tankless & conventional water heaters join forces?

I see a couple problems there.

First, having a tanked heater operate at less than 140°F (60°C) is problematic.  The reason is our science has advanced on the Legionella bacteria which causes Legionnaires Disease, and it turns out a "warm" water heater is a breeding ground for it and other bacteria.  140°F (60°C) is scalding, and that necessitates the modern style of mixing valve that automatically mixes hot and cold (It will not allow stream output to be near 140°F (60°C)).

Second, using a tanked heater to "ease the load on" a tankless isn't much use, because the tankless doesn't need the help. It means the tankless will be barely working for the first 30-ish gallons (110 L-ish) of draw, the tanked heater is now useless and can't help.  The tankless will be working very hard.  If you did manage to overload this big tankless, everyone would go painfully tepid at once.

The reverse connection makes more sense.  The tankless uses its full strength to warm the entering-the-tank water. Even at too much flow for the tankless, it's still giving a 40-60 °F (22–33 °C) boost.  Which dramatically improves the tanked heater's recovery time.   At flow rates the tankless can keep up with, you never run out of hot (at least warm) water.  At rates too much for the tankless, the tanked heater's recovery time (to a showerable 110°F (43°C)) drops from 30 minutes to 5.

However, I am honestly not a fan of either one.  I don't like the tanked heater existing, due to its considerable parasitic load.  I would just go all-in on the tankless, and school people in "don't run everything at once".


Pinched a wire, is this an electical danger?

If you damaged the wire then it is possible it is no longer capable of safely operating under the load that is called for.  This is a potential fire hazard since it may result in the wire overheating.

You should replace the damaged part of the wire.  Depending on circumstances of the wire (which you haven't fully detailed) you may be able to cut out the damaged section and splice the resulting free ends together (or splice a replacement section in to the gap).  You should use proper splice hardware for the task, which could well be a simple wire nut (though this depends on the type and gauge of the wire as well as the service conditions - eg, wet or dry, exposed to oil, gas, etc).

If you are certain that the insulation and only the insulation was damaged (ie, the damage is no worse than would have been incurred had you been stripping the insulation from the wire with the appropriate tool), electrical tape may be a sufficient repair - again, considering service conditions.

It's hard to say whether the damage to the circuit board will result in dangerous conditions or not.  Chances are, everything on the board is sufficiently low power that there is no danger - but with the information available here, we can't say for sure.


Could my power strip have killed all my AFCI's?

I have a newer home, and was having some electrical problems.  The problems were scattered all over the house, with tripping AFCI's as well as tripping GFCI's.

It turns out that all of the AFCI's as well as ALL of the GFCI's were cheap chinese knock-offs.  As I removed the first GFCI for replacement, I noticed it had no brand name on it, so I looked up the UL number to see who made it...  Turns out the number was fake, the unit was a cheap chinese knock off...  Later when I pulled the AFCI, I noticed it had the same UL number, along with no name brand on the UL stamp, even though it had a square D logo printed on the front.  When I went to look at a square D AFCI at the supply store, I saw it had a completely different UL imprint on it, with the manufacturer name.

The point is that I discovered that the electrical contractor that built my house used many non-certified Chinese knock-offs that resemble name brand devices.

The point is simple, you may also have non-functional chinese knock-offs in your home, and they may trip in non-standard ways.

In my case, they seemed to trip too easily.  But it could just as easily go the other way and simply not trip.  Federal went out of business because they sold breakers that simply stopped tripping with age...  Lots of people died as a result.

Regardless, if I see components like this fail, my instinct is to replace them all.  Even if they were good name brands when they were made, they can be bad a few years later.  Once electrical starts to act flakey, it is time to consider updating everything.  Even outlets need replacement with age.  When electricity does something bad, people can die...  there are good reasons to update electrical safety components from time to time... say every 10 to 15 years... sooner if they show issues.

Federal went out of business when it was found that 60% of the components they made did not comply with UL listings, despite having UL certifications on everything.  They weren't the only company breaking the rules, they just are the one that got caught.


Ceiling Fan with new light kit stopped spinning

Alright, figured it out thanks to the help of an electrician and about $50.

TL;DR on the solution - one fan had the forward/reverse switch in the middle, the other fan had a blown cap and a loose ground wire.

My main error was an incorrect assumption I made. Once both fans were wired up and both not working, I assumed that they must have both had the same problem. Upon making that assumption, I designated one fan to be my "tester fan" where I would diagnose the problem.

Turns out, the non-tester fan had a very simple fix which I had seen online and tested on the tester fan: make sure the forward/reverse blade direction switch is not in the middle. Needless to say, I felt pretty dumb when the electrician came in and flipped the switch and had my fan working in a matter of seconds after I had assumed it hadn't been working for 2 weeks.

The other fan's problem at least validated my trials a little bit. It turned out it needed a new capacitor for the motor and that there was a loose ground wire in the light kit assembly. In all likelihood, testing some voltages across the cap or in the light kit probably would have revealed the problem, but doing that proved a little more difficult than I thought as there weren't many exposed wires to test the voltages there.

Long story short, I learned:

Don't assume that if two things are broken they are broken for the same reason
Check your wire connections
Doing a lot of prep and having things disassembled for the electrician will save you some cash on their hourly rate

Thanks again for all the help and suggestions here!


What to do about bathroom ceiling peeling

In all likelihood, you put a modern water based paint over an older oil based paint.

Peel off the paint, Put on a mask and go over the old paint with a random orbit sander just to rough it up a bit.  Wipe off the dust with a damp rag, and let it dry.  This would be a good time to go to your favourite orange or blue store to get some primer.  I happen to like Kilz, particularly for bathrooms.   Prime the ceiling, and let it dry thoroughly.

Now paint, letting it dry completely between coats, and avoid using the shower for a couple of days.


Gas line tape overlap to cover all threads?

I wrap so that I taper the tape thickness down towards the starting threads.
Also I wrap so that the tape is not unwound by the screwing in of the threads into the hole.


What do you think this odd layer under wall paper may be?

It is likely wall liner. It is a heavy plain paper that is applied prior to the outer wall paper. You could think of it as a thick coat of primer that will hide a multitude of problems. I have seen it applied over dark patterned paper so a lighter pattern can be applied with stripping the walls. I have also seen it used over the scratch coat or when the wall has a lot of repairs to give the wall a smoother appearance.


This is a common problem when gutters are installed at a later date  after the roof and drip edge are finished.
Ideally, the shingles would be extended over to the gutter but that wasn't done here in anticipation of future gutters.  One solution is to run some caulking between the top edge of the cutter and the drip edge. Another solution, and a better one which I have done, is to get some flashing from your home store and slide it under your bottom row of shingles and overlap the back edge of the gutter. These are solutions that could have been worked out when the gutters were installed if you knew what to look for or if the installer was looking out for you.


Any idea what parts were replaced on my water softener?

Appears to be the Brine Valve Housing and the Drive Gear, looking at the manual.

Hague WaterMax 60 Series Owners Manual - Hague Quality Water  -- Page 34, parts 4 and 11


What should I do about this load bearing wall that is only supported by a joist floor?

If it is indeed a load-bearing wall, you either build another wall or place a beam and posts under the wall.

The only problem is you need to add footings under any load-bearing posts or walls you put in.

Good luck.


Can I replace round ducts with rectangular ducts in a basement renovation?

7" round: 38.5 square inches
3-1/4 x 12: 39 square inches

You have a little more area in the rectangular duct, so you should have no problem.


The home I have also failed , we bleached the well heavily followed by a heavy flush, the new numbers came back ok but I also added a UV & filter system, the filter is a simple string filter that I change every 6 months. The UV lamp module I have changed 3 times. The UV lamps are kind of spendy so if you can  check on replacement lamps not just the price. In the last 5 years we have not had a positive test and have not had to bleach the well again. The UV system was suggested by my well guy (he is a friend) and I trust his advice is the reason I installed the UV system.


Sounds like an anti-siphon reaction to me, full water pressure in the hose going to your roof, and the house water pressure temporarily drops from the large demand from those two zones until the sprinklers are fully charged. You can try adding an anti-siphon or backflow prevention valve on the faucet to verify (they make valves that screw on between the faucet and hose). If the leaking stops or significantly reduces, then you know that's the cause.

As for why it's leaking out the stem, I'm not sure, but it's possible that's by design. The cap on top should be a vacuum breaker, allowing air in the lines after the water is shutoff and pressure drops.


What is a good adjustable ring hook for attaching resistance bands?

You are looking for an E track tie down system that is commonly used in box trucks and trailers.

Example : E tracks and assorted tie downs


How can we get the temperature balanced in a dual zone house?

Is the house drafty? We had a similar issue with the first floor, the heat always turned on and off. I first replaced the old thermostats for new ones, but still no affect.
What it came down to was our old windows created a lot of drafts and the door to the outside was right next to the thermostat, so every time we opened the door to go outside and cold air entered it turned back on.

I would check the locations of the thermostats, and potential influences to cause the temperature around them to be effected.

Also try adjusting your thermostat to reflect the overall temperatures of each floor.
With our home upstairs is always 4 degrees hotter, and so if we set the 2nd floor to 65 we set the 1rst floor to 61.


Is it normal to not have an OL between ground and neutral?

Neutral and ground systems must be completely separate, that's true.  However, that's done for some purposes.  First, it's desired to keep hot and neutral wires reasonably near ground potential (i.e. within 120V of it).   Second, since hots have circuit breakers and neutrals do not, we want it so that if a wire shorts to ground, a neutral-ground short will be fairly harmless and a hot-ground short will trip the breaker.

Both of these require neutral be fairly near ground potential - though a couple volts difference would be fine.  Well, "a couple volts difference" would require some sort of transformer there or something; a copper strap is a lot cheaper.

So, neutral is forced to be near ground potential by installing a neutral-ground equipotential bond, and in exactly one location.  As near the service as possible, in the main panel and right where the grounding rods attach. If there were two, then ground would be used as an alternate current path for neutral, imbalancing current, and a neutral-ground break could actually electrify all the grounds beyond the break!

It's easy to see that and think "neutral and ground are the same thing, I'll just shortcut that where I care to".  But that means if the system fails in a trivial way - broken neutral for instance - all the grounded things are now hot things.  Neutral is for normal return currents only, and ground is for fault currents only.

Nothing should ever return current on ground.  UL did approve a few smart switches which return less than a milliamp on ground and had some internal controls to ensure that this could never be enough current to shock someone.  But NFPA told them to stop approving those.

You will see a fraction of a volt of voltage difference between neutral and ground.  Since normal currents flow on neutral, it's subject to voltage drop : Vdrop = Current x Wire Resistance.   However current doesn't flow on ground, so it suffers no voltage drop.


Leviton Triplex unavailable/discontinued. Alternatives?

New box (either add, or replace smaller with larger), pair of duplex, 4 outlets.

Sure, you want not to do that, but it works, and always has worked.

If you can handle it being 15 amp rather than 20 and a large pricetag, Legrand adorne makes what's claimed to be a 1-gang triplex pop-up outlet. Never seen one in person, and I'd wonder about long-term reliability with it having moving parts.


Night Light Clip In Cord Incandescent to LED & Safety

Yes it's safe.

I've done the same thing with several decorative accessories that use C7 night light bulbs.  Our items are turned on 24/7, the bulbs have been burning 3 years now.


Is the blue conduit connected to my sub-panel suitable for a 50A branch circuit?

Smurf tube.  The name its mom uses to yell at it is "Electric Non-metallic Tubing" or ENT.

You will need to run a separate ground wire since it is not metallic.

You have to watch out for conduit fill, there are fill calculators on the web.

If you plan 4 or more circuits in that conduit, come back and ask us about derating, but you probably won't have space for that.

DIYers must be careful when designing conduit pulls.  Too difficult a pull requires an electrician's truck full of pulling tools, and the owner of that truck typically will only agree to do the whole job.

Most people go straight for multiconductor cable because that's what they know.  Meet THWN-2: it is an individual wire with a special jacket made for pulling. It is typically stranded and much more flexible than cable. Conduit pulling is much easier. But it lacks the armor of cable so it cannot be used outside conduit.

So you have 3 choices: a) cable all the way including through the conduit, b) extend the conduit (using any conduit type) to your destination and use THWN-2 wires, or c) THWN-2 through conduit to a junction box, there splice to a cable. Any of these are a compromise on difficulty.

I would extend the conduit just because that's my better skill.


How do I convert a ceiling fan with 2 separate wall switches to a separate fan & light switch?

First off, what room is this in? If this is a bathroom what I am saying DOES NOT apply.

OK, so you have a fan with two separate switches, and you want to convert this into a "dual" fan control? This is easy, just remove the two switches and wire the fan control according to the instructions.
Then you can take the feed wire from the left over switch, and a pigtailed neutral, and a ground of course, and install a receptacle there.

Sorry, I don't draw diagrams for people, but this is not a difficult install, and besides, to draw a diagram we would need to know exactly what wires are in the switch box.

Here is an example of the control I mean: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lutron-Skylark-300-Watt-Single-Pole-Dual-Fan-Control-and-Dimmer-Light-Almond-S2-LFSQH-LA/202247983


Electrical (3way switch and wire but single pole)

You are calling it 3-way switch wiring.  Actually, it is simply 3-wire wiring and has nothing to do with 3-way switches.  This type of wire is used in all cases 3 conductors +ground are needed.

3-way switches just happen to be one of them.

In this case, the cable is carrying 3 wires besides ground:

Neutral, white  (needed by supply, fan and onward circuits)
Always-hot (needed by supply, switch and onward circuits)
Switched-hot (needed by switch and fan)

The preferred color code, where available, is black for always-hot and red for switched-hot.

I prefer to re-mark wires with tape to color code them.  By luck, all the cables already have the preferred colors. If it were me, I would remark the hot wire on the fan with red tape, then fit a red and black pigtail on the two switch terminals.  Then it becomes a simple matter of matching up color to color!

Pigtailing the red on the switch may seem a little silly, but it's easy to grasp.

One more thing.  Since 2011, anytime you wire a switch where the power comes into the lamp, you must use that 3-wire cable.  Red and black for the switch. White is reserved for neutral for future smart switches.


Depending on "how much space you need" and budget, purchasing "Plain Sleeve Bearings" might be the easiest way to get this done well if you lack tools to make your own. Such bearings are inexpensive, widely available, and come in many lengths and outer diameters with a bore that fits your shaft well.
Closest (larger) common thing I find is 3/4 PEX at 0.681 but that may not be "tough enough" - alternatively a steel tubing supplier (metal shop) may have more size choice in "not hardware store/home center" product.


How to permanently remedy a patch of mold on a ceiling from a water leak above?

There will be the potential for the mould to reappear as (as you have correctly surmised) there might be still some water in the ceiling space.

If you can, lift the floorboards in the upstairs room. This will allow you to see the extent of any damage and also get the air into help dry the patch out. If the area affected is not too wet then leaving the boards up for a while will help. If it is really wet then you might have to cut away the damaged board and repair the ceiling.

There are other questions here on how to patch a hole in the ceiling.


Problems with common lead bad connection at meter

CALL YOUR ELECTRIC UTILITY NOW ON THEIR EMERGENCY NUMBER

You have a bona fide electrical emergency right now due to that failing neutral, and since it's in the meter pan, it's the utility's job to fix.  Call them up on their emergency number (same number that you'd use to report a power outage) and tell them that the neutral in your meter pan is failing as well as giving your address.  Until then, keep loads to an absolute bare minimum as the voltage at your outlets is going to be all over the map.


New GFCI’s indicator light is green but outlets have no power

I have found many new models require the test and then reset buttons need to be pressed to activate the outlet and taped terminals. I would try pressing the test button then the reset sometimes these can be stiff but give that a try , if it doesn’t work provide the model # and brand.

Added after update, your radio works that helps, when you plug in the water heater the radio quits but you have power indicated with a non contact tester, this points to a loose neutral some place in the circuit.

A radio may only take a few milliamperes of current so it works, but add a large load and now nothing is working but you have a voltage but there is no return path to complete the circuit with a heavy load, check that any pigtails on the neutral all the wires are tight pull on each one (one might pull out) verify at any other junctions , other outlets for the same but it will be on the neutral because you have voltage with a load.


To do what you ask:

Disconnect the supply for the fan switch - wire-nut and tape it (it will be going no-where.)

If it's a jumper from the light switch supply, just remove the jumper. If the light switch is supplied by a jumper from the fan, remove the jumper and move the supply to the light switch.

Put a pigtail on the light switch switched hot, and connect the light (which was connected to the switched hot), and the supply for the fan switch to that pigtail.

... but my comment is probably a better approach to take.


Dual heat zones strongly connected vs setback thermostats

Convection in a stairway, in a reasonably tight house, is way overrated.

Given the square footage of wall and ceiling space - I do not see how the stairway makes much difference.

I run a fan 24/7 at the bottom of my stairs, adjust vents to the seasons, and still can not seem to get my system to play nice. I do have a single zone forced air, so it is not a direct comparison, I realize.

Heat loss is proportional to the difference in temperature. And it is nowhere near linear, turning off/down will always be the most energy-efficient.

It is likely to not the same as comfortable for certain, but is true in the case of BTUs


I know this is not the answer you are looking for, for this wall is ready for plastering as it is. It will need a scrubbing  or power washing to remove all or most of the dust left over from the original plaster.

To get the wall flat like you ask Will require at least scraping with a tool like this. (image courtesy Razorback)

This will be very time consuming and if the mortar is very strong, it may not do what you want. The most reliable way to flatten the wall is with a right angle grinder and a blade (disk) (Images courtesy Amazon) made for cleaning the surface. It will be a very, very, dusty job. You will need to wear a protective dust mask and face sheild.

The art of plastering will require a build up coat and a final layer, if you are planning on true plaster. There are newer versions of plaster look a likes out there, but most start with a base layer to prepare the wall for the finish coat. This eliminates the need for getting the wall perfectly flat.


You have correctly identified supply, and ground.

Now look closely at the legend (labeling) on the switch handle.  See where it says "off" and if you flip it, "on"? No, you don't see that? That's because

It's a 3-way switch

The dead giveaway is the black screw on the supply being unlike the brass screw also in sight.

The other two wires (the brass screws) are travelers. When you throw the switch, it alternates which one is connected. As such, they are interchangeable, and I like to mark them both with the same color of tape, e.g. Yellow.  In my world, two wires in a switch circuit, taped the same odd color, are always 3-way travelers.

There will be another 3-way switch somewhere, also with those same two wire colors going to its traveler terminals.

3-ways are complicated to add dimmers.  In some locations Code requires both locations can turn on the light for safety reasons, and that fails if the dimmer at the far location is set to "very dim".

We would need to know more about your circuit and location to give further advice.  This won't be the drop-in you were hoping for.


Using a dimmer on a light plugged in to a receptacle

No, you can't do that. It sounds great until the first time you are short a receptacle and plug in something else - perhaps a vacuum cleaner. And have big problems. Or to give a really bad scenario - your regular receptacle circuits in the kitchen are out but the lighting circuit is working so you move your refrigerator to the "oops, still dimmed" ceiling receptacle on an extension cord until the electrician can get to you...by which time your food has spoiled and your refrigerator ruined.

According to this reference there is a way to do it. But I don't recommend it.

It is usually not that hard to rewire the switch so that it controls a direct (hardwired) lighting fixture instead of a receptacle and change the receptacle to be always on. That is the first step for many people when they buy a house and find that all the light switches control receptacles instead of ceiling fixtures.

It is also very easy (no new wiring involved) to convert a ceiling receptacle to a hardwired light fixture, which would work well for your situation.

But the bigger question is: Why are you switching from fluorescent to incandescent?

You should be switching to LEDs. A LED bulb roughly equivalent to a 40W incandescent (and much brighter than a 25W incandescent) will use around 6W. Plus you'll be replacing incandescent bulbs on a regular basis while the LEDs will last for years. Just make sure you get dimmable LEDs - not all of them are dimmable.

You should also make sure you get enough light. Your 2 48" fluorescent bulbs (if you actually have 2 bulbs in each fixture then the numbers here all get doubled, but I'd actually agree that's more light than you need for a typical kitchen, so I'll stick with the 2 48" bulb scenario) are producing about 2400 lumens each for a total of 4800 lumens. Each 40W incandescent or 6W LED will produce about 450 lumens for a total of 2700 lumens - a little more than half the light. While you may think the current light is too bright, a lot of light is a good thing in a kitchen and the dimmer can give you less light but it can't (obviously) give you more. If you're stuck on screw-in bulbs in a light bar, then something like 12.5W, 75W equivalent, 1100 lumens will do quite nicely. 6 x 1100 = 6600 (more than you have now), total power at full brightness = 6 x 12.5 = 75W (that's less than 2 of your incandescent bulbs) and dimmable so you can lower the light when you want to.

Based on comments, the issue here is more than just making the lights dimmable. There are issues of light quality. Traditional fluorescent "work lights" are relatively poor quality and bother many people due to:

flickering
brightness
color temperature

The flickering can be solved very easily with most other lighting technologies, including incandescent, halogen, LED and even more modern fluorescent fixtures.

The brightness problem can be solved, obviously, with a dimmer. I do recommend a dimmer for this situation as it allows for dim light for those who need it and bright light for more typical users. Working in a relatively dark kitchen is fine when you're pouring a cup of coffee. But if you're working on a Thanksgiving feast with chopping & mixing & cooking & baking & 3 people running around, a bit of extra light is very helpful.

Color temperature, CRI and other qualitative factors of a lighting technology have also been dramatically improved with the latest fluorescent and LED bulbs.

Recommendation:

Convert the plug-in fixture to a hardwired multi-bulb (Edison base) fixture

For the average user, I would pick a reasonable-looking LED fixture (i.e., not screw-in bulbs). In your situation since you have serious concerns about light quality, screw-in bulbs provide total flexibility.

Install a LED-compatible dimmer switch. Even if you don't end up using LED bulbs now (but please try - some of them are really good!), that will allow flexibility for any future user. Check the specs carefully - most LED-compatible dimmers are also compatible with a reasonable load of incandescent lighting as well.
Go to a lighting store or a big box store with a decent lighting department and compare light color/quality of the available options.


When the thermostat calls for heat, it should energize the 'W' terminal in the stat. (As long as the 'R' terminal has full time 24-volts) That terminal in turn should have a white wire connected to it.  This wire should be connected to the heaters of the sequencers in the furnace.  This will start the heat.


How to make a receptacle box flush with wall after it has been installed?

That is an adjustable box.

Along the right vertical side you see that screw? That screw will adjust the box in and out. But since someone painted/caulked it in you will need to free it up all around the drywall edge.

I have to say though, whoever installed it in the first place did a really shitty job. It should sit even all the way around.


Should a furnace condensate pump do double duty for basement dehumidifier?

It seems both sources of water are low-flow resulting from condensation (one incidental, one deliberate) so you shouldn't challenge the condensate pump.  I'd do it.


How can/should I repair this roof damage caused by a fallen tree limb?

All the shingles you have pictured need to be replaced. It is a matter of easing up the shingles far enough to gain access to the nails, pull them out without ripping the shingle(s) up, it will also require easing up the shingles above the damaged ones and pull THOSE nail out of the way too since they are going through the top of the next course down. Eventually the shingle will practically fall out and you can replace the shingle in reverse order.

If you are fortunate, the roof has not gotten hot enough to bond the shingles together. On 3 tab shingles the asphalt dabs that come with the shingle to bond the tabs of one row to another are easy to separate. The architectural shingles I replaced my 3 tab shingles with, the asphalt dabs were a different story. The three tab shingles popped up best while the roof was cool, while the architectural shingles needed a heat gun set to get the shingles really hot, but not so hot to melt them (the shingles), but enough to get the bond to release. I hope you do not have to go that route.

I use a ripping bar to ease the shingles up, I have not had any luck with any other style bar, unless I sharpened the edge a bit.


This sounds like your diverter is the issue. It may not be turning completely. To test, turn o,my hot on then switch the diverter back and forth. Still no shower, then the diverter is not turning completely. Or it could be blocked. Either way, pull the diverter out and take a look.


Why don't people use rigid or spray foam insulation in attics?

Short answer : money.

Longer answer:

Inquiring at Google Contracting Services and doing some back of the envelope math, I came up with the following price ranges for the mentioned insulation types.

Spray foam is about $0.15-0.21/square foot/R

Fibreglass batts are about $0.03-0.07/square foot/R

Rigid foam panels are about $0.10-0.15/square foot/R

As we can see, in terms of insulation value for your money, the batts take a bat to all challengers.

Now someone will look at an insulation value chart and says "But foam has a higher R-value per inch, so it's better insulation since you have non-infinite space to put it in".

Comparing insulation value per thickness, they are correct as shown below:

Spray foam - ~R-6.3-7/inch

Fibreglass batts - ~R-3.1-3.3/inch

Rigid foam - ~R-5-6/inch

Both of the more expensive options achieve more with less thickness, so those options would allow more insulation value to be packed into the same volume.

But, you're going to bang your head into a point of diminishing returns where you'd achieve more energy savings putting the money towards improving things somewhere else, and you'll hit that point sooner than you think, given the way R-values work*, so that increased insulation density doesn't really get you much gain.

Additionally, installing batts (and rigid foam, for that matter) is a pretty simple DIY job and requires minimal PPE (gloves, goggles, dust mask).  Spraying in foam indoors means you're going to need a full-body suit, gloves, goggles, respirator, etc. which makes DIYing it outside the skill/comfort level of many, meaning needing to hire a professional to do it for you (and the hassle/expense/loss-of-pride that entails), leading people to just go with the simpler batts.

*expanding, R-value basically means that 1/Rth of the heat (or cold, as the case may be) will escape compared to no insulation.  R-6 means 16.6% of the heat is getting out.  adding R-24 of insulation and going to R-30 results in only 3.3% getting out, a saving of 13.3%.  But add another 24 to get to R-54 only gets us down to 1.85%, a saving of 1.45% for the same investment, and as I said above, you can likely find somewhere else to improve things that will get you more than that small savings for the same money, or at an endpoint, that money will buy you more gas/electricity than the extra insulation will save you over any realistic timeframe.


This looks like the “Pergo” brand I installed in my place. They used to make filler that matched really well.
You clean the area and trowel the filler in and let it sit until dry. Don’t buy more than needed because the stuff I bought
dried out in an unopened tube after ~2 years. The patch has held up for +8 years and will look better than another brand.
Have you tried their web site to find it?


240 volt not supplying 120 over one leg and the neutral

Time for a nightlight test

Hit a dollar store and get two 2-prong extension cords and two incandescent nightlights (incandescent, without light sensor, straight switch-only).

On the extension cords, lop off the plugs (pointy end) and throw the plugs away, we are not making a suicide cord today*.

On the cut ends, split the two wires for about 1 foot (300mm).   Then strip about 1/2" (12mm) of insulation off each wire end.  The ribbed side of the cord is neutral, the smooth side is hot, if possible mark them white and black respectively.

Test the nightlights, then plug them into an extension cord socket.   Now you have a test cable.

With the main breaker off, land both extension-cord neutrals on the GFCI-breaker neutral (or the neutral bar if testing with a plain breaker).    Then land one extension cord "hot" on hot L1, and the other cord "hot" on pole L2.

Power up and see what happens to your voltages

Make sure both nightlights are on (or should be on).  I have a feeling one might not light up, that's why you test them first.

Now go back and do your voltage tests again.   I bet whichever 120V supply was "slightly lesser" in voltage now goes completely away.

That would be phantom voltage, which is picked up by capacitive coupling from adjacent 'hot' wires to a 'disconnected' wire.  There's no appreciable current behind it, and it can't do any useful work**. It is almost "static electricity" and is very easily neutralized by the slightest load (our nightlights).***

So now, I think the symptoms will be much clearer and easier to troubleshoot.

The trouble may be in the main panel.

* If you have an actual use for a cord-with-plug, then buy an extension cord long enough for both that and this, and cut at the appropriate point.

** unless tuning AM radio frequencies into a crystal earpiece is of interest to you.

*** I prefer nightlights to 22k ohm resistors because Radio Shacks are getting hard to find; plus nightlight cords have dozens of other uses in electrical troubleshooting.


Things to keep all manner of bugs away from home?

I have a horse farm so there are always some flies under the covered areas on hot days even when using bugs that eat fly larva and fly traps (both helped reduce the number of flies) however the best solution we have found is a large fan set at the lowest level blowing across the area, the flies go other places. We have wasps & hornets but they don't tend to stay where the air is moving.


Main Breaker Panel in Garage w/o Garage Doors

It is a indoor location, the finish work is not required to be complete to get your final.
If the panel is a 3R type it could even be outside (the only difference is the cover and how it sheds rain) but as long as the panel is not getting rained on or if you have Sheetrock walls around the panel it will normally pass even without doors.
If the inspector has questions answer them. As long as the wiring is covered and the area is not subject to rain, I would be asking for a final on the electrical because that’s when I get paid.
Note all the live connections are in boxes the panel covers are on this is what the second part is discussing  no lock needed as I said it could be outside (not locked) and be ok.


What kind of roof flashing is this and is it up to code?

I can tell you it is inappropriate and must have been installed by someone that doesn’t understand flashing and counter flashing principles.

The Code is clear, “The exterior walls shall provide a weather resistant wall envelope, ...including flashing.” (See ICC R703.1)

The flashing should have been “step flashing”, as specified by the Code: “Approved corrosion resistant flashing shall be installed SHINGLE FASHION in a manner to prevent entry of water...” (ICC R703.4) That is a continuous flashing not step flashing in a shingle fashion. If they don’t understand how it’s done, they can see an illustration at Figure R703.4.1.

In addition, the step flashing should have a “kickout” as shown in Figure R703.4.1

That flashing creates a  space for water to get trapped and could backup into the wall/roof. It needs to be removed and replaced with step flashing.


Apparently on contacting the manufacturer you are supposed to bridge the L1s and L2s.


Should I be concerned about the size of a hole and notch in my joist?

Fortunately, the abused floor joist still looks straight. If it happens to be sitting on a foundation/basement wall, it shouldn't be an issue. If it is not supported underneath, it would be a good idea to place a post under it. I wouldn't let the same electrician work on the house anymore.


I need to drive a 7/16" nut but am unsure how to use the socket I bought for my screwdriver

You need two things.... 1/4" drive 7/16" socket

...and a 1/4" hex shank socket adapter...

That adapter kit will allow you to use multiple drives of sockets for hundreds of future uses. You probably already have some sockets. There are some one piece cheapos on the market that do work, but you have to buy all new kits when either the shank or socket portion wears down or breaks.


The datasheet clearly says "Supply Voltage 230 V, 50/60 Hz", so I would connect a 230 V "Hot' wire to the "L" terminal, and the neutral wire to the "N" terminal.  The timer would connect terminal 1 or 3 to L, depending on the state of the timer, so you would connect your 230 volt load between either 1 or 3 and N.

It appears that you can connect a switch between L and Ext to start/stop the timer.

With luck, there should be a more detailed user manual included with the timer.


How To Fix Severed Sprinkler Solenoid Wire?

The solenoid coil assembly of many sprinkler valves is replaceable. This allows repair to occur without having to remove/replace the plumbing part of the valve assembly.

If you have a similar type spare valve unit you could also consider swapping the solenoid coil off of it to replace the one with the damaged wire.

You could try repairing the broken wire if there is a short stub of the metallic conductor still sticking out of the molded casing of the solenoid coil. This would require careful cleaning and preparation of the stub and the wire end and include the use of a good electrical soldering flux to enable the solder to stick to the wires which may very well be rather corroded at the present time. If you do solder it will be required that you securely anchor the rest of the wire pigtail to the coil body to make sure there is no stress on the solder joint. This could be one or two zip ties around the coil to hold the wire against the body. After soldering clean up the area around the joint with flux remover and degunk the coil body too. Then apply some non-conductive epoxy over the joint and over on to the coil body to seal up the joint to the weather. Do not use common silicon sealer to cover the wire joint because it has a weak acid in it that can cause the wire and solder joint to become corroded under the sealer. (I warn of the sealer type that has a vague vinegar odor before the stuff has set up).


I am going to guess this picture is taken looking down onto the top of the lower sash of a double hung window? The wood I see at the bottom of the picture is the wood flooring a number of feet lower? If so you can drill out the pop rivets on both halves of the sash lock and replace both halves with a new unit that resembles yours as close a possible. They are available at a hardware store. You will need a pop rivet gun to reset the locks in the same way, but you may need to drill new mounting holes too if the new lock has a different spacing for the mounting holes.


Is it possible to connect an inline filter to a hot water dispenser?

You want to get an activated carbon filter (see this answer for an overview of how it works).

You'll probably want to look at a standard 10" filter housing and a matching carbon filter, both of which are readily available online and in retail everywhere, including the big box stores.

This can go under your sink or elsewhere upstream. There are clear models available, though these are really only useful for a sediment filter, and even then monitoring the pressure drop across the filter(s) is a better way.

Be sure to install an upstream shut-off nearby (if there's not one already) so you can turn it off to change the filter. And pro-tip: if you're installing under the sink or other confined location, dry fit it and ensure you'll have enough room to replace the cartridge.

For activated carbon, all you can really do is monitor for taste, and/or change it on a schedule (off the top of my head, at least every 6 months seems reasonable, but check what the manufacturer recommends). The filters are actually rated based on flow rate and the total volume they can handle.

You can also put the filter upstream of more than just the hot water dispenser (eg, include your kitchen sink cold water as well), and depending on your plumbing and space this might be easier or make more sense. Just be aware of the flow rate (gpm) rating, and total volume. I'd guess for most uses serving the kitchen cold tap only, a 10" filter would still be fine for this but you do have the option to go to 20" if you need more volume/flow and have the space.