How to read the numbers on electrical wiring to run within walls

Cable types, sizes, wire counts, and you

There are several designators you need to pay attention to when looking at wire/cable, and they aren't always in the same order, depending on whether you're looking at single wires or multi-conductor cables and cords.

Single wires

Single wires in North America have two designations: a gauge and an insulation type.

The wire gauge is given in AWG, and determines the size of the copper wire inside.  Smaller numbers are given to larger wires (this sounds backwards, but it's an artifact of how the scheme was originally developed) and larger numbers to smaller wires.  14AWG is used for 15A circuits and 12AWG goes with 20A circuits, if you're talking about copper, that is.  Larger sizes (such as 10AWG) are used for heavier circuits -- NEC table 310.15(B)(16) controls the ampacity of wires and cables in conjunction with several derate rules for special cases (such as wires in toasty places, or bundled together).

The insulation type is what determines where a wire can be used -- inside, outside, strung between poles, wherever.  Uninsulated (bare) wires are the simplest, but since you can poke their conducting bits with your finger, they're only suited for grounding, where it normally doesn't matter that you can do that.

The most common type of insulated wire in building use is THHN (Thermoplastic, High Heat resistant, Nylon jacket)/THWN-2 (Thermoplastic, Heat resistant, Water resistant, Nylon jacket).  This is a PVC insulated wire with nylon jacketing protecting the PVC from mechanical damage and providing low pulling friction.  It is flexible and inexpensive, but can be a bit misbehavior-prone when subject to high electrical or mechanical stress.  It's also available in a wide variety of gauges, from "lighting circuit" to "large feeder", and in solid or stranded wire -- the latter is easier to work with and more flexible, but is not compatible with some types of terminations (such as those silly backstabs).

Next up is RHH (thermoset Rubber, High Heat resistant)/RHW-2 (thermoset Rubber, Heat resistant, Water resistant)/USE (Underground Service Entrance) wire.  This is a thick, flexible thermoset elastomer commonly used for direct burial wires underground and for older service cabling -- its relative stiffness means it's not really useful much of anywhere else.

Now we come to the superstar of the bunch, XHHW-2 (X for crosslinked polymer, High Heat resistant, Water resistant) wire.  This is a crosslinked polyethylene insulating material (think PEX pipe) that has excellent mechanical and electrical properties and a pricetag to match.  It can withstand high temperatures, high voltages, and mechanical stresses far better than PVC without needing near as much of it as RHH/RHW, so it's used for heavy feeder and service wiring nowadays.

Riding the pine for the most part is a type of wire called TFFN (Thermoplastic, Flexible Fixture, Nylon jacket).  This is used for the wire inside light fixtures, ceiling fans, and suchnot -- it is available in smaller gauges than THHN, and is more flexible, but otherwise has mostly similar properties.

Avoid things like AWM (appliance wiring material) and Primary Wire (automotive wire, IOW) -- they aren't legal for use within buildings, as they are typically PVC-insulated without a nylon jacket to protect the PVC from the rigors of conduit pulls.

Multi-conductor cables and cords

A multi-conductor cable or cord in North America will have three or more designations: a gauge, one or more wire counts, and a cable construction.

The wire gauge is as before, only applying to all conductors within the cable (save for the ground conductor in a few oddball instances, but we won't go into detail on that).

The conductor count, of course, determines how many conductors are in the cable.  For building cables, this does not include the ground wire -- its presence is denoted by a separate W/G (with ground) designator that is often omitted due to its universal presence in this day and age.  However, cordage (the stuff extension and power cords are made from) does include the ground wire in the wire count.  Multiple wire counts are used to indicate a multi-circuit cable, such as a 14/2/2 NM cable or a 12/4/4 MC cable, that has more than one neutral wire in it -- otherwise, there's only one neutral (white/grey) and the rest of the wires can be used as hots, switched hots, messengers, or control wires.

The cable construction determines where the cable can be applied, just like with single wires.  However, cables are generally designed to be used on their own, not in conjunction with a raceway -- pulling cable through raceway is a hassle on a good day.

The most common cable indoors is NM (Non-Metallic sheathed cable), commonly called Romex™ after Southwire's trademark for the stuff.  It consists of two to four PVC insulated wires and a bare ground with a PVC jacket separated by a paper wrap; this makes it low-cost and relatively easy to work with.  It's widely available in all the common branch-circuit gauges (14-6AWG) although 10, 8, and 6AWG cables are typically not available in /4 or /2/2 constructions.

Since NM can only be used indoors, you need a different kind of cable for outdoor or wet locations, and that's called UF (Underground Feeder).  UF is similar to NM, but without the paper wrap and with more water and UV resistance in the jacket and insulation -- this allows it to survive being rained or shone on.  UF cables are not much more costly than NM, and come in a similar variety of gauges; however, you usually don't run into /4 UF.

Service drops are wired using what's called SE (Service Entrance) cable -- this is a multiplexed/twisted (Style R) or concentric parallel (Style U), jacketed construction, available in a variety of fat-wire sizes for use for feeders and services, inside and out.  It can also be used to wire jumbo branch circuits where NM or UF is no longer fat enough for the job.  It is somewhat costlier than NM or UF cable, and like UF, is not available in /4 as a general rule.

Next, we come to the metal-armored cable family, which has two members: type AC and type MC.  Type AC (Armored Cable) is the older of the two, harkening back to the days when "BX" was the new hotness. (It's still made according to UL 4, if that's any indication!)  It has metal armor protecting two to four paper-wrapped insulated wires of any typical branch-circuit gauge as well as a thin bare wire in contact with the armor that serves as a "bonding strip" that allows the armor to act as a ground.  It's reasonably common to see this in older homes and apartments, but can still be used in indoor work to this day, despite being quite limited compared to more modern MC cables.  Of course, the metal armor makes it more expensive than NM, as well as limiting its mechanical flexibility and causing handling difficulties.

The newer kid on the block is type MC (Metal Clad) cable.  In "traditional" MC cable, the armor is only provided to protect the conductors, and the grounding conductor is separate, with a plastic assembly tape used to keep the conductors together and from being messed up by the armor.  This has the downside that the armor, although grounded, is not a grounding means -- a green ground wire is provided instead.  Otherwise, it's similar in use to AC cable, albeit more versatile -- you can get versions in much larger gauges for feeder or service work, with 3 or more circuits' worth of wire in them, and with a PVC jacket for outdoor, wet-location, direct-bury, or even in-slab usage.  A newer variant called MCI-A (MCAP™ from Southwire, MC-Quik™ from AFC, or MC-SmartGround™ from Encore Wire) omits the insulated ground wire in favor of a bare ground wire in intimate contact with the armor -- this provides the best of both the AC and MC worlds.

Last but not least, we come to the various flavors of cordage -- this is the stuff extension and power cords are made from.  Parallel (flat) cords are designated SPT and are used for light-duty work, while jacketed cords are designated S or SJ with O and W suffixes for oil or water resistance -- the jacketed-type cordage is what "heavy duty" outdoor extension cords are made from.  Cordage is much more mechanically flexible than even NM cable, using finer stranded wires and a more flexible jacket; however, it lacks some of the robustness properties of NM, which is why it CANNOT be used for permanent wiring, save for a few exceptions (such as pendants to light fixtures).  Cordage typically comes in two-wire and three-wire versions, with the occasional four-wire cord present as well (think dryer or range cord in this day and age), and in a variety of specialized types for specialized uses such as range/dryer, heater, vacuum, or electric car use in addition to the general-purpose cordage types mentioned above.

Other types of cables exist, but are used for either low-voltage communications and control applications (such as types CM and CL2) or specialized work.


How to locate a line parallel to adjacent building for a new building


Lacking context, it's either a cleanout (normally at the bottom of a flue) or a disused thimble (place where a pipe used to connect to the flue) with a cover/plug in it (the half-rusted bit with the handle) - "cleanout cover" and "end cap" and "flue plug" are all possible names when searching. Add the diameter of the pipe/hole to narrow results towards ones that might actually fit.


Should you chamfer CPVC pipe before gluing?

About the only reason I could see to chamfer the end is that it would seat a mm or 2 deeper in the fitting. In that the glue is solvent welding the plastic, I doubt it makes a lot of difference in the strength of the joint. That said, I don't see that it would be a problem if it helps in joining unless you overdo it (like sharpen the end).

As far as I know, primer and sanding serve the same purpose - primer softens the surface and sanding gives more surface area.  Both of these improve the performance of the solvent.  Whether you need primer or not depends on the glue - there are single step glues that combine the primer and cement and there are two step glues that require priming then gluing.


How can I repair scratches in engineered hardwood floors?

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there is really no magic putty or filler for shallow scratches and gouges in hardwood flooring. Even though there are a lot of colored wood fillers on the market, they are not designed for high traffic flooring or nuclear dogs. If it was just a couple of scratches you might be able to sneak by with a filler, but not for a refinishing job in a larger area as you describe.  Most engineered flooring has 3/16" to 1/4" of hardwood veneer over a plywood base. If the scratches have not gone through the veneer, then you can sand the scratches smooth, stain to match, and refinish with 3 to 4 coats of urethane. I would recommend an oil based urethane. Apply 3 to 4 thin coats rather than 1 or 2 thick coats. Remember, the veneer is fairly thin and usually can only be sanded and refinished 2 or 3 times at best. Once the scratching penetrates the plywood base, your floor is unrepairable.

My advise would be to protect the floors with area rugs, runners, etc or keep the dog's nails cut short, or better yet, train them to behave in the house.


How reliable are the following methods to treat hard water for home use?

Magnetic and electronic water softening devices do not reduce the level of calcium, magnesium, etc in your water. Don't waste your money on them.

Resin water softeners that require salt are the best way to continually soften all of your water.

Technically it's not the only way, a reverse osmosis membrane can also soften water, but typically not in the quantities needed without getting very expensive. A few gallons a day for drinking is usually the limit. I use RO water for the rinse cycle in my dishwasher, but I'd never be able to generate enough for laundry or showering.

A good rule of thumb is if the device used to soften the water never sends water to a drain, then it's very unlikely to actually reduce the level of water hardness. Even activated carbon water filters make a negligible difference in water hardness.


Is it safe to put pots and pans with hard plastic handles on the bottom rack of the dishwasher?


What type and thickness of glass to use for floor over stairs?

Not sure where you want to put the glass. Landing? Tread? What span is it between studs? 16"?
You are probably looking at a 3/4" laminated tempered glass.  Your best bet would be to call your local glass shop.  They will know what the best product at the best price would be.


You should check the voltage of the light, many times under cabinet lights are low-voltage (eg, 12V) and run by a transformer. If there's only one, I doubt someone would have gone through the effort, but it's possible.

You can't just close wires off inside the wall. You must terminate them properly in a junction box, and that box must be accessible. This means if you don't want the wires to power anything, you need to at least have a blank faceplate.

The junction box needs to be securely mounted, the wire needs to be connected into the box properly (how this is done depends on the box used), and it must be grounded, and the wires capped with wire nuts. If you are considering doing this job yourself, I highly recommend you make sure you 100% understood everything I just said, and also go buy a non-contact voltage detector.

If you hire an electrician to come in, no, you don't need to worry about inspectors - the electrician will do that, if required. Mostly, around here anyways, the inspectors only come and inspect something like 1 in 10 installs done by electricians they know (selected basically at random). Only if they find faults, will they start coming more often, and the reputation of the electrician/company will go down. Likely after a couple problems, the electrician is out of a job. It's in the electricians best interests to always do the job properly.


Should I remove old thinset to install backsplash in kitchen?

I installed subway tile with an accent strip around the top in a bathroom, and the drywall was severely damaged from removing the previous tile. I ended up doing a skim coat of drywall mud (there was not any thin set mortar left, just chunks and gouges out of the drywall from taking off the old tile with paper torn off everywhere) then painting it to seal the mud and finally sanding it a little to give the thinset a dull surface to adhere to instead of a glossy surface.

If you do try to scrape off the thin set, a bent angle painters' scraper that is used to remove wallpaper works great. If you are going to try a skim coat with mortar, you probably will have to bring the outlets out a little to compensate for the added thickness. Originally I was going to use glass tiles for the accent pieces on my wall, but the contractor I hired to set the tub told me that they are terrible to cut and they show wall imperfections behind them, so I don’t have any experience with working with those.


Central Vacuuming: Is it worth it, and how does it compare to normal vacuuming?

I've installed several systems in new construction projects up to about 6,000 s.f., one of which was a log home. (That was interesting.)

No, you don't necessarily get better performance. It's all about convenience and not having to deal with dusty bags or canisters except maybe once a year. A really good standalone unit will at least equal a central vac powerhead.

Each brand has a specific interface. Some may be compatible, but don't count on it. You could have the builder rough it in and add the boxes and covers later, if you're the patient and careful type.

It's true that central vacs expel less dust into the home in the sense that the collection can is usually outside, or at least exhausted to the exterior. They're often in the garage or under an exterior shelter. If yours stays inside, it all comes down to specific hardware.

Floor sweeps are great if you actually use a broom (or just want to kick a little debris in). If you're more of a hard-floor vacuumer anyway, they'd be somewhat pointless.

"Worth it" is subjective. You might look into doing the install yourself and save about 2/3 the cost. It's not difficult and isn't as critical as drain plumbing since a tiny leak won't destroy a portion of your home. With modern standalone vacuums as great as they are cough Shark Rocket cough, it's up in the air. So to speak.

Other thoughts:

Noise is a bit of a wash. You don't have the fan motor running at the point of use, but the air being pushed through the pipes can whoosh a bit in other rooms, and the powerhead brush motor (or pneumatic impeller) makes some noise. You also have a powerful fan unit coming on suddenly in your garage, which can startle the pants off the dog.
The powerhead and hose assembly is a bit cumbersome to use and store. Since the hose has to reach from the inlet port to the other side of a typical room, they're much longer than what you'd find on a traditional portable canister vacuum. Think laundry-basket sized bulk.
The inlets can leak slightly during use or snap shut a bit when the system is activated. Again, noise in rooms other than where the thing is actually being used.
Some folks end up buying multiple powerheads, one for each level of the home. Plan for that potential cost.


It has four different settings. Low,med-low,med,high?

The highest one applies for conductor and breaker sizing.


This depends on where you're located; you need to find out what your local codes are.

Generally, you will need to at least install an anti-tip bracket so there's no way the range could fall forward on someone -- a kid climbing on the lowered door, an adult falling on it, whatever. The usual design anchors one of the back feet of the range to the floor, not to the wall -- your range may be set up differently, or your region may have different concerns (earthquake, for example).

If you don't believe your inspector, check with the local building-permits office, who can probably tell you what code requires... or check with a local appliance store or repair shop.


In a conventional boiler setup, is hot water usually dispensed from the hot water tank quicker than it refills?

The tank fills at the same rate the water exits this is simple physics. However the tank starts heating water when some is removed. Since tanked water heaters are limited to about 5kw on average they have a limited ability to heat new fresh cold water. This is where tankless water heaters have an advantage they can supply hot water for long periods of time (I used to fill my 600 gallon hot tub at 103f every few months when I cleaned it. A 40 gallon tank well it has 40 gallons of much hotter water but in the US this is normally a 240v split phase circuit at 30 amps. The tankless electric can be 60, 90 or the largest I have installed 120a , this required a huge service upgrade to a true 400a service since the home was all electric and could supply 119 deg f water all day long where a tanked heater has ~20 minutes of hot water then the temp starts to drop because the heating elements only can supply 5Kw of heat but the pressure remains the same on a tanked system where a tankless system may reduce the flow to maintain the temperature.


Are AC-DC 5V power supply modules legal in USA if mounted inside an outlet box?

No, because of the source.

Generally anything you find on eBay or Amazon Marketplace is from the endless junkstream from Alibaba.  These things are firestarters.

There are two things you need.

Must have a UL listing (or other recognized testing lab; not CE)

Equipment used in mains wiring must meet basic quality standards.  That is called out on literally the first page of the National Electrical Code, in section 110.2.

In practical terms, that means approved by Underwriter's Laboratories, or a list of other "Nationally Recognized Testing Labs" seen to be of equal reliability: this list is maintained by OSHA.  These include CSA, ETL, Intertek, BSI, TUV and a few others.

Notably, the list does NOT include CE, CCC, FCC or ROHS; none of these things are testing labs. These marks are typically used when the Chinese maker can't qualify for an NRTL. They certainly try to make people think CE is a meaningful mark; it's not, except for one context for items shipped from the manufacturer within Europe.  Outside that, the mark is certainly fraudulent.

All this is because the device is interacting with mains voltage, and so has the possibility of starting a fire.

Must use according to instructions and labeling

This is in the NEC in the next section, at 110.3(b).  The reason is that the testing labs (UL etc.) only test the item for certain uses - those discussed in the instructions and labeling. Using it "off-label" means the item has not been tested for that use.

A related issue is "electronic components" vs "equipment/devices". Equipment makers have the option of using electronic components that have already been UL-certified, which speeds up certification of the equipment.  UL calls this component certification "RU" - we call this "Really Useless" (thanks ThreePhaseEel) because the component is simply not rated for direct use in building wiring.   And obviously, the labeling and instructions say nothing about using that way.

So your idea of using a module is fine; however you must use a module that is UL-listed for that purpose.


Is it safe to flush a high pressure toilet that hasn't been flushed in > 3 years?

All the ones I've work on have a canister with a diaphragm that compresses the canister when it's filled with water. Just flush it. If nothing happens, which is probably the case since the diaphragm has probably lost pressure, try it again and see if it recycles. When these unit would go bad, there weren't part to replace, just buying a new canister. What should you do first?? Have a towel handy. good luck and stay safe out there.


How to protect sumbersible pump ‘pumpsaver’ device

If you are using copper water line to the well just make sure the pipe is bonded to the well casing and your house electrical ground.
If it's plastic water line than you might want to bury a #6 bare copper bonding jumper and connect it to the house ground to equalize the potential between the two grounds.


What is the most durable way to paint a wood floor in a high traffic area?

The success of the paint job very much depends on the nature of the traffic.

If it is accessed with road shoes, the sand on the shoes will quickly sand down any kind of paint. In case, I would go for clear boat paint and put a mat over the traffic area. In case you want to go without a mat, go for a satin or matte finish paint. That way, the wear doesnt show as much.

If it is mostly accessed with clean (indoor) shoes, you can go for a number of good floor paints. I´ve had success both with a water based lacquer and a wax based open pore treatment.


Can standard receptacles be installed downstream of water-resistant GFCI receptacles?

There are two different issues involved here:

GFCI electrical protection required for outdoor receptacles
WR physical protection required for outdoor receptacles

The key is that the GFCI can be provided:

Breaker - protects entire circuit
Outdoor receptacle - protecting just that receptacle
Outdoor receptacle - protecting that receptacle and any following receptacles (whether indoor or outdoor)
Indoor receptacle - protecting that receptacle and any following receptacles (whether indoor or outdoor)

What is your actual sequence of receptacles, lights or other devices from breaker on out? Even though the "sequence" is technically a "tree", very often you have one string of cables connected (via pigtails or devices) - essentially one long sequence of devices.
There is a big advantage to putting the GFCI protection indoors.  While WR will help quite a bit, nothing beats "inside a temperature controlled dry environment".
If this is a new installation (as opposed to replacement/upgrade) then try and plan your wiring so that you have an indoor receptacle prior to the first outdoor receptacle. Fit a GFCI at the last indoor receptacle and wire the outdoor receptacle from the LOAD connections. This will also work if this is a replacement/upgrade situation and there happens to be an indoor receptacle prior to the first outdoor receptacle.
If there are no indoor receptacles then you can either add one - but that would be extra work, use a GFCI breaker (not always an option, depending on the existing breaker panel) or install a WR GFCI receptacle. If you install a WR GFCI receptacle and it is the only receptacle on the circuit that needs protection (i.e., the receptacles following it are indoors and not in laundry room, garage, etc.) then you can use LOAD for the following receptacles or you can pigtail the wires going to the following receptacles to the LINE side. That doesn't provide GFCI protection, which means that a GFCI trip on the outdoor receptacle won't affect the other receptacles.
The one thing you almost always do NOT want to do is to install additional GFCI receptacles in one circuit. That costs more without providing additional protection. Either use standard on LOAD (protected) or standard pigtailed to LINE (not protected, but perfectly code compliant for many locations).


It looks like you have been wrenching on the wrong piece (the stem). You need to unscrew the entire assembly at the valve body. The body is deeper in the wall, if you shine a flashlight in there you will see where you need to unscrew it. It takes a special deep socket made just for that purpose:

The picture shows the person using a rod to turn the socket; you may need to put a pipe wrench on the socket to get it to break free. Ensure the water is shut off before you do this.

Pictures shamelessly grabbed off of the internet.


Can I piggyback off a hard-wired dishwasher circuit for a disposal?

If the undersink cabinet has a door, you don't need GFCI as of 2017 in letter. That from the horse's mouth.  You also don't need it in spirit if the appliances are hardwired and grounded.

Here's what I see.

Dishwashers are a heavy draw because they heat water or dishes (to dry them). As such, the dishwasher takes more than 50% of circuit capacity and cannot be on the same circuit with any receptacles.

Further, the dishwasher and disposal require more than 20A of power to be provisioned to them, so they cannot share a 20A circuit.  Fortunately, the builder thoughtfully provided an MWBC.

Option 1 is a Code win; if GFCIs are required option 1A or 1B win. The rest have issues.

Don't sweat the lack of grounds; it's carried in the metal conduit*.  Also, don't sweat weird wire colors because Toto, we're not in cables anymore.  This is conduit where we get to use colors freely to distinguish circuits and functions.  Grounds are green, neutrals are white or grey, and everything else is hot. No remarking.

It is clear that your locality has high wiring standards. Note a) the EMT conduit (at far back of big-view image, b) armored conduit or wire whips to the dishwasher, c) swerving out of their way to place the box right there, and d) the expensive hoozit-we-don't-know-what-that-is.  (it's a disconnect switch and a fuse).  This indicates that local Code amendments set a high standard.  No answer should ignore or armwave this. Things are so well grounded that I don't honestly see a need for GFCI.  Ground > GFCI in hardwired stuff like this.

The right pipe goes to the dishwasher.  The left pipe comes from supply, and has 2 hot wires and 1 neutral.  Further, since this 4x4 box is surface mounted and we can see all the back-face knockouts are intact, so the purple wire definitely does not exit the box: it stops right here. Why?

Now it's exceedingly common to place both dishwasher and disposal on a Multi-wire branch circuit (MWBC).  That is 2 hots and a neutral on opposite poles, sharing a neutral. That provides effectively a dedicated circuit for each appliance.  Without a doubt, that is what we're looking at: the bog-standard MWBC for dishwasher/disposal. They threw the purple wire in the pipe because it was easy (another class act).

Normally dishwasher/disposal MWBCs are done with /3 cable. This being conduit, you could easily "un-MWBC it" simply by adding a gray neutral wire to the pipe so purple has its own neutral.

Since you seem to need a recep, I recommend you fast-forward to option 1, which I inserted in an edit.  Do not consider option 3: It violates Code.

Option 1: Use the MWBC to add a receptacle (optional: GFCI). Cost: $7 + $20 for GFCI

OK, so reading comments I gather you can't hardwire the disposal, because you have no plan for switching the disposal (seriously? The builder didn't conduit in the disposal switch? No blank plates next to the sink? Didja check them to see if there's a purple wire? I fully expected the purple wire to be switched.)  And you plan to use a wireless smart switch to switch the disposal.  Yeah, you're gonna need a recep for that, so you can yank it out when it malfunctions. But, you cannot disrupt the protective equipment which the dishwasher does require. So here's how we do that.

We get another box mounted just to the right of the existing box.  Same thing: 4" square steel box, 1-1/2" deep, and a short conduit nipple, at least 1/4" long (the boxes need that much room so the mud rings don't collide).   We knock out a 1/2" knockout on the existing box and a corresponding knockout on the new box, and fit up the conduit nipple, as we'll pass wires through it.

We pass through 2 wires: Purple (extending off the purple-as-is), and white (extending off the shared white).  If you don't have those colors, use black/white; I don't really care, just make sure neutral is white and hot isn't.

Now, we get a 1-gang mud ring, exactly like the mud ring on the existing box.  (if you plan a GFCI recep, use a taller mud ring - you'll thank me later, and don't use a domed cover!!)  Purple and white feed the new receptacle.

Here, the GFCI recep costs you $20. I checked and it is legal to have under a counter, and this location won't have the usual problem of having to pull out all the cleaning supplies to reset it.

Note that we have not disturbed the dishwasher hookup in any way, except to add our white to its bundle.

Now, back in the service panel, find the dishwasher breaker and also find the breaker that controls the purple wire.  If they're already handle-tied, you're all set.  Otherwise pop the service panel cover, and place them adjacent (they should be already) and add a listed handle-tie for that breaker type.  If you don't want to call up 6 electrical supply houses trying to find that handle-tie, then just put both on a 2-pole 240V breaker of the correct make for your panel.  15A if #14 wire, 15A or 20A if #12 wire.  This 2-pole breaker is not to be confused with a duplex; a 2-pole will have its handles tied.

You can also feel free to implement either the 2-pole GFCI as per option 2(A), or the separation of neutrals as per option 2(B). Whatever floats your boat.

Option 2: Use the MWBC to hardwire everything. Cost: $10-20. No GFCI needed, but $60-80 if you want that.

Knock another 1/2" side knockout off this box, and bring the garbage disposal power into this box hardwired.  Honestly, I would remove the disposal's flexible cord, and use an armored cable "wire whip" or MC conduit, because that seems to be Code in your town, and your town has a lot of weird Code, and it's "good" weird.  Either way, make sure the grounding is absolutely tip-top.

The garbage disposal takes hot off purple, neutral off the existing neutral bundle, and ground off a pigtail off the ground screw already in the box.  Leave the dishwasher wiring the heck alone, we don't know why it's that way, but it's probably a local Code requirement. Whatevs.

Now, finish up as per option 1's "back in  the panel".

Yeah, but I really want GFCI for some reason

You didn't ask about GFCI protection. Others are saying you need it.  I don't agree you need it if it's hardwired.  NFPA itself doesn't agree that you need it if cord-and-plug connected, since there's a cabinet door here (right?) But it can be added.  We'll need about $60 to do it this way.

Option 2 (a): GFCI at the breaker: $80. Feed this multi-wire branch circuit with an $80 GFCI breaker and yer done.   I see no need for AFCI on circuits entirely to metal appliances fed by metal conduit, so skip it unless the government holds a gun to your head.

Option 2 (b): Split the neutrals: $60 by fishing a gray neutral THHN wire to be the purple's partner. (amusingly, purple/gray is my preferred wire color pair for GFCI-protected circuits).**  Place the purple/gray on a $40 GFCI breaker.  The disposal taps the purple gray instead of the white, obviously.

Option 2 (c): Dual GFCI receptacles here: $50+time, but the dishwasher stays hardwired.  The dishwasher GFCI is a deadfront, and is placed behind. This will require a conversation with the AHJ to figure out how to replace the functionality of that fuse/switch: if the breaker is 20A and the fuse is 15A, maybe it's as easy as change the breaker to 15A, wouldn't that be nice?  The switch functionality will be covered by the GFCI's "test" button.
Ready? Get about a 1-1/2" deep 2-gang mud ring/extension for this 4" steel box.  Do not use a domed cover. (better: change the box to 4-11/16" first). You need the cubic inches, as a practical matter because GFCIs are fat.  Make sure your two GFCIs will fit inside this mud ring extension (that'll be a tricky shop).
Dual GFCI receps (the dishwasher GFCI is a deadfront): on the LINE side, one hot to each GFCI. Neutral splits to both (pigtail it).  On the LOAD side, the dishwasher hot+neutral goes to the brown GFCI.  The disposal hot+neutral goes to the purple GFCI.
Get a right-sized steel 2-gang Decora cover plate (coz those grow on trees) and yer done.
This is NOT me going "nudge, wink, plug the disposal into a socket on the purple GFCI wink wink". Hrm, eh, why not. It's probably Code illegal here, but easy to correct, just slap in a wire whip. Anyway congrats, we saved $20 versus option 1(a), just took a parts bug-hunt and fitment nightmare!

Option 3: Hulk! Smash! The codebook.  Cost: $45 + consequences

Which we're considering because OP wants cord-and-plug connections, and everyone else (except NFPA) is saying GFCI.

Yank the dishwasher's wire whip out of the junction box, fill the hole with a 1/2" blanking plate (about 20 cents at the hardware store). Use some dark, unspeakable hillbilly magic (surely involving incantations like "To heck with NFPA" and setting a codebook on fire), to attach a plug to a wire whip with solid-core or few-stranded wires in it that no plug is UL-listed to accept.

Then implement dual GFCI receps, as discussed in option 1(c) but attach nothing to LOAD. Or if you are less ... dedicated..., you could just fit a GFCI breaker and plain receps in a common 2-gang mud ring or domed cover of any depth.  (plain receps work fine on domed covers; GFCIs do not).

Now, plug in the jank-ass dishwasher plug into the back recep (so it's less likely to be seen or touched), and the disposal into the front recep so it's on a separate circuit.

We're also ignoring whatever Code requirement put that thing-doo-hicker-we-don't-know-what-is there.

Oh, that last socket

Noting your additional pictures of a box, first, that box is missing a knockout, so you better go get a 1/2" (or is it 3/4?) knockout cover and bap it in there.  Grope around for any other missing KOs and fill them too.

It looks like red and orange are your two kitchen receptacle circuits.  You need those. Those are only for kitchen receps and a clock. Those are required by Code.  "oh, but my installation predates the requirement for 2 kitchen recep circuits", grandfathering is not a license to make things worse.  So adding a disposal to kitchen countertop circuits is no-go.

Also, that recep needs a ground screw.  Receps cannot ground through the mounting screws (switches can) and  they need a wired ground unless their yoke contacts the metal box hard, clean and flush.  Yours sits proud of the box, which is painted, and has those little squares capturing the screws, which also block good contact.   The back of the box should have a hole tapped #10-32, and they sell green ground screws (with or without pigtails) that are just for that.

I'm a little troubled to not see markings on the neutrals nor bundling of hot+neutral to show which goes with which, but this is from the pre-GFCI age when it did not matter, so people were slack on it.

* (whether that's legal or wise is off-topic for this answer, but the issue can be mooted as it's easy to pull a ground wire into conduit).

** If you want to stick with white THHN, then mark each white wire with brown or purple tape near each end.  (That does not convert it to a hot wire; that type of remarking is only allowed in premade cables).  Meanwhile in conduit, identifying partner wires is mandatory:  brown, purple, white-brown and white-purple in conduit is clearly providing the mandatory pair identification.


Summerhouse door hinge repair/replacement

You're looking at a screw in, lift off  barrel pin hinge.

The one shown above has a set screw to prevent unnecessary lift off, yours might not have it.

There are better hinges out there for door and windows that are more available so look around. These hinges are going to be hard to find at your regular home stores. You'll need a speciality store unless you can reuse the ones you have and just mount them in new holes.

Spray some liquid wrench in them and then work them out... you might have to get rough...


What type of paint and preparations would be appropriate for painting a mural on a rooftop?

As far as UV resistance, you're in luck. Multiple coatings stack, so the silver coating you'll be overtopping will still be 100% effective on whatever UV (if any) gets through your next layers.

As far as reflective insulation, you have one choice: White with a 90%+ albedo.  If your hope is to both have the roof reflect solar heat and also present multi-colored artwork to the eyes, light does not work that way. You are sacrificing one property to gain another.

There might be a paint formula that presents near 100% reflectivity in the UV and IR spectra, but desired reflectivity in the visible spectra.  I have never heard of it, and I would think it would be a top seller.

The closest you can do is put a platform above the roof surface high enough air can roll under it, thus effectively putting the roof in shade.  Shade is 100% albedo.  The air needs to roll under it so it can remove the heat of solar gain.

As far as paint durability, that cannot be better than your substrate.  Aluminum asphalt paint is not made to be walked on. Your best bet is an outdoor latex deck paint, which will at least flex with the aluminum asphalt (which epoxy won't do). Pigment durability is a question of pigment quality; old fashioned lead, chromium and cadmium mineral pigments are toxic and no longer allowed, which leaves a variety of organic pigments which do fade from UV.  Your friend shouldn't even think about squeezing pigments from artists' tubes, beacause many of them are still made with the nasty stuff.


How do I temporarily remove a Côr WiFi thermostat by Carrier to repair a plaster wall?

The thermostat is simply pressed onto the mounting bracket and "snaps" into place.

See the installation guide or Carrier's video; at ~2:20, it shows the thermostat being mounted.

Since there is no description for removal, I'd try prying gently along the four edges, between thermostat and wall.

BTW, the owner's manual omits mounting the device.


What can I do about mild water/moisture damage to laminate wooden flooring?

The most common approach to dealing with flooded surfaces is to blow air across them. The constantly changing air absorbs moisture. Commercial companies use very high volume fans, but any fan should help. If you can exhaust the air from the room, the moisture level in the air should drop and more water will be absorbed from the floor.

Use of a dehumidifier would also speed up the drying.

While it is temping to use heat, there is a risk that the heat or the steamy water it generates may compromise the finish on the floor.


Trying to convert battery powered sensors to hard-wired sensors. Code / safety concerns?

Low voltage wiring to devices that draw less than 55 watts has greatly relaxed rules, and is covered under a different section of (US) National Electrical Code  than mains wiring.

You can see the effect of those rules in how thermostat and doorbell wiring is done -- both of which are subject to Code.

Here, the very fact they can get 3 months runtime on two AAAs implies you have exceptionally low draw devices (in the microamps) that they are not using any more power than you might find on telephone or Ethernet cables (disregarding PoE).  So telephone style wiring is appropriate.

Of course, telephones have current limiting resistors at the far end of the circuit, even if you're right next to the central office, the telco won't give you enough current for a short to start a fire.

You should do the same: have current limiting resistors on the "head end" (power supply end) to remove the possibility of significant current flowing, e.g. A resistor calibrated so the devices normally receive sufficient current, but if the wires are dead shorted, only a few milliamps flows - would be about right.  So you might consider a 3V supply, skip the buck converter, and put a rightsize resistor on the head-end.

E=IR

E=3V, I=10ma (30mw not likely to ignite drywall paper), R=300 ohm.  Assuming your device normally draws <<1ma, it will see <<0.3V drop, you'd have to give it some trial and error to make sure the device isn't browning out at times of key activity such as transmitting, to find the right value of R.


What is the minimum height to a crawl space, and where did you get that information?

The Code requires a minimum of 18” clear from the bottom of wood floor framing to the ground. (See ICC Figure 403.1 (3).)

I remember seeing that the bottom of beams can’t be within 12” of the ground, but I can’t find that requirement...maybe that was in an older code.

Btw, don’t forget you need an 18”x24” crawl space access if you go through the floor and 16” x24” access if you go through the perimeter wall. (See ICC R408.3.)

Also, you need 1/150 area ventilation without a vapor barrier and 1/1500 area ventilation with a vapor barrier. (See ICC R408.1) There is an exception for eliminating crawl space vents on one side.


Some questions on framing a doorway in a hallway

Probably the hackery of just attaching to everything solid would work. (I'd throw a couple of substantial toggle bolts through the stud on the left, through the drywall, just for good measure.)

However, since a portion of the "left" wall is going to be covered up, this gives an opportunity to cut a 4-1/2" wide slit in the drywall and add a couple of studs nailed together into a post without too much trouble. (Well, the 'trouble' is laying it out perfectly, but you'd start from the left and work your way right.) If you were really keen, you'd figure out a way to put some blocking between the old studs and your new post to further solidify it.

Be particularly choosy when buying lumber for this project. Anything less than almost perfect will make your life harder.


I would add another framed wall, adjacent to the one that's there, that's just 3'0" high (except for where the drain pipe runs to the ceiling).  This would create an in-shower ledge that's 4" deep...great place to put shampoo bottles, etc.  One could also create a between-stud nooks above the in-shower ledge.  This idea, of course, would have me bring the shower forward to retain dimensions.


Is it a problem if the frame of my house extends 1 - 2" from the slab?

If I were a buyer I would beware.

Why is the house frame not firmly on the foundation?
2" off the slab is more than half the width of the 2x4 base of a wall.


Does pumping a septic system disrupt the tank's ecology?

It is recommended that septic tanks be pumped every 3-5 years, having said that it is not always necessary depending on the usage of the tank. You could simply check the sludge level in the tank to see if it requires a pump out. Leaving the tank without checking it is not a good idea as even though it may seem to be working it may be allowing solids/suspended solids to enter the distribution field, which in turn will case it to fail prematurely.

In regard to your other question yes it does disrupt the ecology of the tank when it is pumped if the whole tank is emptied but this will right itself and if you abstain from using harsh chemicals that drain to the septic this time frame will be reduced.

Pdf on septic care


Quarter turn connection for plastic tubes -- Design idea request

To rephrase:

  Is there a way to make two pipes join together in an removable way
  that would be no more than 10mm thick with nothing inside or outside
  the extended planes of the existing pipes in a way that is water tight?

No.

BTW- the image in the link provided is for a key lock for desk drawers and the like.


A picture postcard example of "wrong breaker type"

Note the alien breaker in position 27, a GE, an obvious misfit. If that one is still working, it's only because it hasn't been put under heavy load as this one was.

People who think "if it snaps in, it's good" fail to notice that the snap-in pressure is all wrong compared to proper breakers.  That's because even though breakers often roughly fit, each manufacturer's busbar is a different shape. The correct breaker gets surface contact.  The wrong breaker gets edge or corner contact - works for a few lights but when you load it, it starts arcing.  Since this is on the supply side of the breaker, nothing stops this.  Anyway it's a series arc, current won't be more than the load's draw.

Siemens makes correct breakers for ITE panels.

The contact isn't corroded.  It is destroyed.  The arcing removed metal from the contact. The metal is gone, and cannot be restored.   That slot is done for and you will not be fitting breakers there anymore.

Your best bet is to plug the hole with something.  Your choices are a panel hole cover UL listed for that panel, though those can be hokey and hard to find; or a spare Siemens/ITE breaker, labeled "Unused", under $5.


Should this elevated door have trim/casing at the bottom?

I tend to agree that this door would look better if there was a threshold in the bottom of the door opening that included a projection nose out just a smidgen beyond the side casings both in overall side to side length and beyond the surface of said casings.

A door opening like this is a bit of a safety hazard and really should have a "landing" on the low side so that when you are concentrating on getting through the door that you do not get a surprise step up or step down at the same time.


Can I plug my new LG-LW2217IVSM A/C nema 6-15P into a 6-20R with a 20A-240V CB?

The basic answer is: You should be OK.

You are looking at the numbers "backwards". A 20A receptacle/breaker/etc. (assuming everything is installed correctly) can safely supply up to 20A total, and up to 16A continuous load. A 15A receptacle/breaker/etc. can safely supply up to 15A total, and up to 12A continuous load.

While generally speaking an appliance and the circuit should be carefully matched, there is an exception for 15A & 20A circuits. This is actually in two ways:

A 20A circuit can have 15A receptacles. That's plural - you can't have a 20A circuit that has exactly one 15A receptacle. This allows you to have multiple devices on the circuit that together pull more than 15A (or more than 12A continuous) without having nuisance trips, while still providing protection at a reasonable level - if there is a current draw > 20A.
20A receptacles are designed to accept both 15A and 20A plugs. This allows you to install, for example, 20A receptacles on a 20A circuit in a workshop in order to use heavy-duty power tools that actually need 20A circuits and use the same receptacles for much smaller devices (15A tools on down to < 1A cell phone chargers, etc.)

These issues are far more common with 120V circuits, but apply to 240V circuits (your situation) as well.

This is all by design. End result: a 15A device can be plugged in to a 20A receptacle. In normal usage it will not overload the circuit - in fact it will be well under the capacity of the circuit, which is perfectly fine. If there is a real overload situation, it will likely be far greater than 20A and will trip the breaker. No different from plugging a cell phone charger that uses a small fraction of 1A into a 15A circuit - the device (unless there is a failure) will use only the electricity it needs.

This is not the case with larger - e.g., 30A, 40A, 50A circuits. Each of those has a particular receptacle designed to match exactly (there are some small exceptions, but not like the "universal" 15A/20A rules).


What do you think of this recent (unfinished) bathroom tiling work?

The work is shoddy.

Toilet should have been lifted and tiled under.
2 x 4's for molding.
Inset opening - no Bull nose tiles on the inset.
Bad molding.
poor fit.
Plenty of other things here .

Directly to your questions and concerns ..

In your contract you paid 2K up front.
Look at your contract READ it.

You should with hold

The 2nd half of the payment $2700 upon completion.

It says upon Completion. Hope you paid the first half with a Credit
   Card.

The job is not complete - it is not properly or satisfactorily performed.
Get Free advice from an Attorney or spend $200 to discuss it with an Attorney. $200 is cheaper than $2700 and a bad tile job.

Disclaimer:

I am not an attorney and this does not constitute legal advice and is not a substitute for legal advice.

For those who decide to do this kind of selection of a contractor to perform work:

Get references,
Talk to those references.
View the results if possible (not pictures unless the references are providing them.
Pay with a Credit Card if you can as there is more recourse to get the issue resolved or your money back in the event you have an issue.


While vacationing, is it worth augmenting AC with a dehumifier?

No, a separate dehumidifier is not better. It simply does not have the airflow of the AC. Running the central AC at 72 for an hour or two in the morning is a good idea to remove the moisture from the air.


Why would my gas heater have blow back, but not every time?

As Harper says, I think you have an atmospheric problem.  Some times just lengthening the vent line 3 or 4 feet will fix this.  Sometimes you need a power booster to overcome the down draft. P.


I would go with your 2nd option. Columns E and F in the spread sheet. and i would use a bull nose edged tile. I. E. a tile that is designed to have the edge exposed. Other wise you will see the unfinished edge.

This is more aesthetically pleasing and will not put a grout line at the edge that would collect water and not let it flow over the edge of the tile.


Should I remove, or work around dividing basement walls?

You might as well just remove the stud and small section of plate that contacts the wall. this will allow you to completely insulate the wall and the stud can be re-installed outside the insulation and screwed into the upper and lower plates if you cut them correctly. This will also come in handy when you go to put walls against the insulated concrete. The existing stud will be here you can corner to it with extra sheathing studs and make a proper corner. Canadian codes are very strict, so do it right the first time.


Cutting a 4.5m long 2x6 in half with a circular saw

My normal way to deal with this is to put 3 scraps of 2x4 on the floor.  One is on the longer board near the cut point. One is at the end of the longer board, or at least halfway.  The third is not quit halfway down the short end. This gives you 1.5" clearance.

When you make the cut, the short piece is trying to pivot upward at the saw, but the sole plate keeps it down.  If you support it at the end, it will try to drop instead, and the back end of the cut will twist.  No big deal with dimesion lumber, but can be a problem with 4x8 sheet goods.

So example:  You are cutting a 16 foot board at 11 feet.  Make your mark.  One 2x4 goes on the 11 foot side of the mark.  No terrible accuracy required.  Leave an inch or so of clearance.

One 2x4 goes anywhere between 2 and 6 feet from the far end of the 11 foot section.

On 2x4 goes about 2 feet from the cut on the 5 foot section.

You make your cut with the bulk of the saw on the 11 foot section.

If you cut a board to length with too heavy and unsupported end, you will usually get a triangular splinter coming off the supported board as you finish the cut.  For structural purposes this doesn't matter.  If you are making something that shows, you will care.

A chop saw often is on a support with entendible supports.  The supports don't have to be at the ends.


You use plasticiser when you need to improve the workability of concrete.

Concrete's workability improves as you add increasing amounts of water. Increasing the amount of water in the mix beyond the optimum leads to weaker concrete. Insufficient water also makes concrete weaker, as it is harder to compact it to remove air voids.

For a normal floor slab, I wouldn't expect to need plasticiser to get the concrete sufficiently workable.


Grounding short section of metallic conduit or raceway used solely for protecting NM from physical damage without junction?

You don't have to bond the conduit if it's only there to "provide support or protection of cable assemblies from physical damage", according to 250.86 ex. 2.

National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection
Article 250 Grounding and Bonding
250.86 Other Conductor Enclosures and Raceways. Except as permitted by 250.112(I), metal enclosures and raceways for other than service conductors shall be connected to the equipment grounding conductor.
Exception No. 2: Short sections of metal enclosures or raceways used to provide support or protection of cable assemblies from physical damage shall not be required to be connected to the equipment grounding conductor.


You can, but it's not all to the good...

Normally, most household plumbing fixtures (especially toilet valves) prefer a pressure of no more than 80 PSI. Your pipes are nearly always not the limiting factor. Most well pump controllers have a fixed 20PSI swing from on to off, but many can be adjusted so they can swing 40-60, 50-70, 60-80, 30-50, 23.5-43.5 etc.

The volume of water stored in your pressure tanks becomes less as the pressure is raised - a captive air tank swinging from 40 to 20 PSI stores far more water than one swinging from 80 to 60 PSI. This matters because more pump starts is one of the factors that leads eventually to pump death and replacement, always a fun time. So if you raise the system pressure, you should probably also increase your storage tank volume to prevent having lots of very short pump cycles. Switching over to a "constant pressure" (or "nearly constant pressure") system is another alternative, though it can be costly.

If you change system pressure, you need to change  precharge air pressure in captive air tanks (typically about 2-3 PSI less than the lower cut-in pressure - ie, 58 lb for an 80-60 setting.)

You should observe system pressure as water is used - a properly functioning 40-60 PSI system should drop to about 40, switch on the pump and raise to 60, switch off the pump and drop to 40 as water is used. When no water is used the system pressure should hold steady. If you turn off all other water use and measure exactly how much water is needed to drop from 60 to 40 you can gauge the health and current storage capacity of your pressure tanks. If you measure the time it takes to refill from 40-60 (without drawing any more water) you will know your pumping rate (and if it takes less than a minute, conventional wisdom is that you already need more storage capacity.)


How long will Douglas fir planks last if left untreated outside, not directly exposed to weather, but some moisture occaisionally

Plywood is actually stronger inch per inch because of the cross grain used in the core. However it will delaminates with repeated moisture as you have found.
I have resided a couple of old homes 20’s& 30’s era that had fur sub siding that on occasion did get wet and it was still good this was back in the 90’s so a 20-30 year life span as a sub siding is realistic for sub siding and being solid wood you don’t have to worry about delaminating.
The only thing I could think of off the top of my head is the fur planks may be a slightly different thickness but that will probably be true with modern plywood compared 60’s thickness but the siding over the top will probably hide the small difference.
You might consider a quick brush on  copper naphthalene treatment on the exterior to stop decay for longer.


Are electrical outlets usually positioned on studs?

Yes, in general electrical outlets are installed directly next to a stud.

However, apartments may have some different things going on:

There may be metal studs. These are much harder to find by knocking.
Outside walls especially, may be a sheet of drywall on thin strapping with concrete behind, or even the drywall right on the concrete. These walls can still have outlets (they usually install them prior to pouring), and so to hang something up, you need a hammer drill with concrete bits, and a wall plug. I'd be cautious about even using a tapcon, because you don't really know what the concrete is like underneath (poured or block - and if it's block, you may be right on a mortar joint). With a wall plug, it's mostly the drywall that will hold it up.

Do you actually need a stud? How heavy is this lamp? Certainly a stud is better, but you can always use a wall plug. Put a screw in where you suspect you have a stud and want to mount the light, and if you get it wrong, put in a plug.

If it's light enough, as you suggest, some of the adhesive-based hooks are probably good enough (assuming the light can be hung that way).


I have paint over unsanded drywall compound. What is the best way to fix it?

1 - Sand down the spot.

2 - Prime the spot.

3 - Paint the spot with a fine brush. (Brush strokes make it easier to blend the paint with the surrounding walls)

(After drying the paint should look like the surrounding wall, if the paint looks lighter add a second coat)

As for your painter, you probably should have told him you wanted a smooth wall. Painters usually just wipe the wall down before painting, they don't sand the walls unless asked.


If I run CAT5/6 cables parallel to electrical cables, is it possible to shield the cables with copper tubes to stop interference?

You're hunting a snark.

People are constantly forgetting (or never learning) that network signals on Cat5e or Cat6 are differential twisted pair signals, which means that they are composed of a difference in voltage applied to one end of a pair of wires that are twisted together and received by looking at ONLY the difference in voltage on the receiving end. If an interfering voltage couples to the wires, it couples to both of them, resulting in a "common mode voltage" and has very little effect on the voltage difference between them. The twists also tend to make outside voltages nullify themselves when they try to couple. It actually works, quite well.

As such, while it is good practice to maintain separation, it is very rare to have any significant impact from 50 or 60 Hz powerlines on 100+ MHz network signals. I say that as a person who had miles of network cable (in 100 meter or less chunks) attached to switches that reported error rates. Many of those cables were, due to the realities of  installing new-fangled network into old buildings without ripping the old buildings to shreds, parallel to power wiring for long distances. Short of actual damage to a cable, the error counts were typically zero.

Given the opportunity in new construction, sure, put it in the next stud bay, (i.e. 16-24" separation) but foolishness like running it in copper pipe is foolishness (you can get foil-shielded cable instead of unshielded cable [FTP .vs. UTP cables,] or just run plain steel EMT conduit if you want to go there at all, and you don't NEED to, at least for "interference from powerlines") - I'm a big fan of EMT to prevent "interference from rodents" but that's a different issue.


Should I add a mound of concrete on top of existing concrete to direct water away from fence posts?

I do dome the concrete depending where it is at I may make it above ground level , in a small back yard for example I may make the top of the dome at ground level but in a field above ground level because that is easy , I have seen many that were dished holding the water and making a tasty meal for carpenter ants & termites & rot.


How do I seal the bottom plate along my foundation?

The framing should have been installed with foam known as sill seal. If it wasn't, you could use any caulk such as silicone to seal against air and insect intrusion.

I'm a bit confused why I see drywall directly against masonry like that. Normally you have energy walls built inside the foundation, and the framing laps past on to the upper wall, such that the entire wall is adequately insulated and a vapor barrier is applied. The combination of all these things usually results in a completely sealed wall.


how do I switch on the water supply to my dishwasher?

That is a standard type of valve used in the UK for connecting a water supply to appliances like dishwashers. It is sometimes called an "appliance valve".

Usually the appliance is supplied with a cold-fill water hose that looks like this

Though they vary and sometimes the other end of the hose is permanently attached inside the appliance.

The blue lever will turn through 90 degrees in one direction only. In your case it isn't clear from the picture whether there is enough room - the wooden partition or the flexible hose "nut" may interfere.

You can actually open the valve by forcing the lever the wrong way. It will break part of the lever but this isn't catastrophic - the valve will still work.

In the worst case you can undo the screw and remove the blue plastic lever. This will expose a  square metal end that you can turn using an appropriate tool (ideally the right sized spanner or socket but mole-grips will work).

If you remove the plastic lever it should be obvious which way it should turn - there will be a protusion in the metal casting that blocks the movement of the plastic lever in one direction.


Batteries are not as simple as they used to be. This isn't like swapping a C-cell for a D-cell with some wire to make up for the different size.

Voltage

Based on the names, it sounds like you are mixing 18 V and 20 V batteries/tools. That may be close enough to be OK, or it may not.

Discharge rate

Different battery technologies can handle different rates of discharge. If you have a battery that can't output high current as well as the original then you may find performance problems or serious overheating problems.

Charging

All batteries used to charge pretty much the same (except the alkaline batteries that should never be recharged) - essentially push current into the battery "backwards" and keep going until the battery output voltage shows that it is fully charged.

But the circuits are now a bit more sophisticated and will typically perform some tests of the battery to determine the current charge level and then charge accordingly. In order for this to work properly, the basic technology (chemistry) needs to be the same and there is often electronics within the battery pack to monitor charging and protect from overcharging, overloads (during usage) and other problems.

Bottom line: Unless you can really determine that the batteries are "compatible except for physical form factor", this is probably not a good idea.


how to vent an electric dryer when outdoors isn't option

The proper answer for this, and certainly the one the building was built for, is to use a condensing dryer. This is a special dryer with a dehumidifier built in, which then overboards the recovered moisture into the drain  intended for the washer.

I suppose you could do the same thing with an actual dehumdifier.  If you can find a way to install it above the washer drain, almost any model will let you  route a hose from its output,  so the bucket never fills up.   Some dehumidifiers also have a water pump to push the drain water uphill if needed.


Can I legally run wiring through a window or its frame?

First, does the window open, and is it required by fire codes for emergency egress?

If so, you could remove the window and install a shorter or narrower window, that still meets code, and then use the margin to pass through your utilities.  I would use fairly tough metal conduit for electrical to make it resistant to damage.

I already see a wood margin that might suffice.

Otherwise you'd want to permanently remove the window from service as a window, by doing a surface treatment on both sides that renders it not a window.   Either remove the window entirely or panel it over on both sides so it is entirely buried, remove a pane, put the service through, and fill the voids with insulation.

I hate to remove a classic window like that made of solid material and well installed, so I would go for the remove-a-pane option.


Can I use a magnetic air seal on an exterior door?

Magnetic weatherstripping for doors is quite common. It attaches around the door in a grove that's part of the door trim. Inside the gasket is a magnet that pulls it tight to the door to form an airtight seal.

That is a cross section view. The fishbone shape on the bottom goes into the door trim for a tight seal. The magnet is the dark part on top and is inside of the weatherstripping so that it pulls the vinyl or rubber tight against the door. Click through the photo for a sample Amazon product.


How can I protect a hose and wire in a high-traffic area?

In the military, we used to make cable protectors out of 2X4's and scrapes of plywood. Simply lay the 2X4's down a few inches apart and attach small squares of plywood every few feet to keep the 2X4's spaced and parallel. run the hose and wires between the 2X4's. You could also run the narrow strip of plywood or a board the full length of the 2X4's and recess the whole thing 1 1/2 inches into the ground so it is flush, not sticking up above the ground grade. Cheap and easy.


Those are rivets and you normally have to drill or grind them out. You can probably get in there with a rotary tool like a Dremel with a grinding wheel on it. If not, get a hack saw and just cut the bracket on each side to remove the internal parts and leave the rivets there. Is there a particular reason you want to remove it?


You may be helped out by getting a bit extension, it sounds like you have standard tools, I currently live in a 30’ farm house, drilling to put a new sub in took close to 18” I had a son make measurements and thought 12 would be more than enough, ended up adding a set screw bit extension as I had to drill down in this case inside a cabinet . We got the feeder in but it took longer drill bits than any new home could even imagine, so find an extension if drilling straight and this is important straight down, because a slight angle you can punch into a room, not hard to fix but easier if centered and plumb.


It sounds to me like you're using a (Southwire?) non contact voltage detector (NCVD), and it's sounding off when the switch has the wire energized, but it's not when it's not.  That would be normal - some of the NCVDs that will pick up low voltages will pick up 120VAC through the wall.


2 switches and 2 lights, how to separate?

You could replace both switches with home automation smart switches, wire the lights "always on", but then put micro relay controllers or even micro dimmers in the lights' individual junction boxes.  Then program the physical switches to control the lights you want.

No new wiring needed.  And you can grow the system down the road with remote controllers, motion, etc.


That gap is to small. Push really hard with the float to completely fill it with grout, giving it one more shot; next time caulk it. Caulked tub surrounds are one of my pet peeves; I'm the one who gets to scrape that mess out.

Whether grout or caulk, I like Some Guy's advice: prestress the tub by filling it with water as you work.


How to fish low voltage wire from finished attic dormer through heavy framing?

It's probably reasonable to assume the wall board has equal thickness above the ledge and below the ledge. Then you can measure the depth of the ledge at the yellow arrow, which is front-face to front-face of the wall board. Bring that measurement into the crawl space and measure off the back side of the lower wall -- this tells you where the back side of the upper wall is at. Add another inch and you've got a position that is comfortably inside the upper part of the wall.
If you'll still prefer to drill down rather than up, consider a long drill bit (sometimes called a bellhanger drill bit). You could use it to pierce the interior drywall and continue on through the lower framing. Yet another approach is to remove the right-hand piece of window casing. There should be a gap between the window and the rough opening. You can drill down in that space, again with the bellhanger bit, and afterward reinstall or replace the wood casing instead of repairing a hole in the wall.


House shakes violently at least once a day

The Maryland Geological Survey, a division of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, operates the Maryland Seismic Network in cooperation with several colleges or universities. The tremors you're feeling are unlikely to be natural earthquakes. However, if they're strong enough to be detected by seismology stations, there's a good chance the operators of the network may have already identified the origin of the tremors so that they can remove or ignore that data in their sensor readings. Try calling the Survey or the seismology department at the schools and find out what they know. If they haven't already identified the origin or didn't know about the tremors you might pique their interest or at least get some semi-local tips to assist your sleuthing.


If those refinished stair treads are a common type type of hardwood such as oak, maple or beech you can get 1/4 inch thick plywood with an hardwood veneer on one or both sides. Looks like one sheet of the material would be more than enough to to make your riser skins.

Precut the pieces to fit without fastening right away. When you cut them you will want the grain direction of the veneer to be horizontal for best look. Mark each piece on the back as to which step it corresponds to and the which side is up.

Also cut yourself several small pieces of the plywood to be used for color and finish samples. Experiment with these pieces till you get an idea of the finish that looks correct against the re-finished treads.

Once you like your finish samples you would be ready to pre-finish the riser skim pieces on the good veneer face side. Doing so works well because you can work in a flat place where it is much easier to do a nice job.

When all the pieces are dry it is time to install the riser skin pieces. If I was doing it I would use a light coating of construction adhesive to glue them in place. You will want to select an adhesive that is compatible with the left over residue from the carpet. Even so you will want to remove as much of that old adhesive as possible. A tool like shown below should work well to scape it off.

Take note that the blade will dull so be prepared with spare ones or cleaning up and re-sharpening them. With a good scraper and a bit of elbow grease you can most likely remove all the old adhesive down to bare wood. This would simplify the selection of construction adhesive for gluing in the riser skins.

It may take some clever fixturing or clamping to hold the risers in place for a few hours while the adhesive sets up. Alternatively you could use some colored hard steel "paneling nails" to tack them in place. With careful selection of where you place the nails they may very well not be distracting. Using a nail gun may mar the surface of the riser skin and make a more noticeable scar than using the type of nails that I suggested.

It is my belief that if you fit the riser skins carefully there should be no need to add moldings along either the top edge or the bottom edge of the riser skin. You can favor the fit to lower edge skin even using a small plane to get a perfect fit. Then tip the piece into position under the nose of the next tread above. Even if you have a 1/16 inch gap along the top edge no one will be looking intensely under there anyway.


Moving it up a foot doesn't violate any codes to my knowledge.  Sure it is in a awkward location but as long as it is grounded correctly and is using a tamper resistant receptacle, there should NOT be any concerns for shock.

As another option, with builtin cabinets the wall outlet requirement is omitted so if possible you could disconnect the circuit from where it is being fed from as long as it does not feed other outlets, or even blank it off with a decorative blank cover.


Trying to identify gray crumbly filler material

Looks like concrete fill (a gypsum fiberglass product).  As Ecnerwal stated you can't really be sure without sending it to the lab.  Usually affordable ~$50 to test a sample.  Bag it, drop it off and wait for the results for piece of mind.


Recommendations for staining a deck that lives in the sun all year long?

Pretreating the wood with a UV absorber (like bis(Biphenyl)triazine or a benzotriazole) will be helpful. UV Boost or other UV protectants will help with whatever stain or sealant you use. You can also mix light inhibitors with stain or sealant.


If I turn off the breaker to the Gas furnace will the pilot light go out?

Gas appliances tend to use a thermocouple (which is a self-powering device) to keep the gas valve to the pilot light open.  This means that the light will not go out when you turn off the breaker.  Thermocouples are pretty interesting - learn more on Wikipedia here.


Do I really need 10 AWG wire for a AC condenser that says 15 AMP max?

It says specifically that you must use a 15A breaker max.  Max means not 20.

It also says you must use a HACR breaker.   All new breakers are HACR.

You are required to comply with a component's labeling and instructions. NEC 110.3.   You cannot go "la la la, I think I'll do something else because reasons".  Unless you can convince your AHJ of the reasons.  (AHJ is your local government which issues permits and does inspections.)

Why is the wire 10 AWG? Being Future-proof.  The cost of wire ($5) is next to nothing compared to the cost of tearing out 12 AWG wire to replace it with 10 AWG (hundred$). The last guy installed the heavier wire so you'd be "good to go".   You do still need to change the breaker to correct size, but that's cheap.


How do I wire a new fan that I'm replacing

The bare wire coming from the ceiling is the grounding conductor, and should be connected as described in the manufacturers installation instructions that came with the fan.

The green wire is also a grounding conductor, and should be connected in a similar fashion as the bare wire.

The white wire is the grounded (neutral) conductor, and should be connected to the white wire on the fan using a twist-on wire connector (or other approved means).

The black wire is a switched ungrounded (hot) conductor, and will be energized when one of the switches is closed (on).  This should be connected to either the black (fan) or blue (lights) wire on the fan, depending on which function you want this switch to control.

The red wire is a switched ungrounded (hot) conductor, and will be energized when one of the switches is closed (on).  This should be connected to either the black (fan) or blue (lights) wire on the fan, depending on which function you want this switch to control.

WARNING: Since I'm not there, I can't be 100% sure this answer is correct. I'm basing this on common installations, but there are no guarantees this is wired in a common way.

One foolproof method, is to connect the new fan exactly as the old fan was connected.


Turn the water off, and remove it. Those things are rubbish, and always leak eventually.

If you need a valve there, cut out the damaged section of pipe, and install a proper tee and valve. If you don't need it, cut out the damaged section of pipe and install a coupling.

If you're not an expert solderer, They make push-fit fittings (SharkBite® is the well known brand) that are easy to work with. These fittings are more expensive than typical fittings, but ease of use and not having to buy soldering supplies might make them comparable.


Hard wiring Undercabinet kitchen lights made to plug in

You're correct that running an extension cord through the wall would be against code. Some undercabinet lights are convertible between hardwired and plug-in use, but it doesn't look like yours are. The best options would be to replace them with units designed to be hardwired. Otherwise, you'll have to keep the plugs, but you can take some simple steps to hide the cord such as:

Attach the cord to your cabinets using surface-mount raceway so it does not hang down.
Reposition the lights so there's less slack in the cords.
If it helps reduce cord clutter, interlink multiple lights rather than plugging them into separate switched receptacles.
Move the electrical outlet they're plugged into to a spot where the wiring will be hidden (perhaps including placing it inside a cabinet).


Replacing socket, only one hot wire, two neutrals from different places

Thanks to Harper's comment on my question, and his comment on a deleted answer, I came up with a solution.

Both to play it safe (i don't know why, but I don't like the idea of using a socket as a wire nut) and because I did not have enough length left on the original hotwire, I went with the following:

I tied the two original neutrals as well as a new neutral together with a wire nut. The new neutral goes to the top neutral side of the socket.

I tied a new hot wire to the original with a wire nut, running the new hotwire to the bottom hot side of the socket.

No tabs broken on the socket.

This seems to work fine.


Ceiling drywall - options for dealing with joists slightly higher than beam?

Easiest is to pack down each joist as you say with a furring strip.
It's slightly complicated if you say the gap varies, especially if it's from one end of the joist to the other, i.e. tapers. Then it's tight string line time between the beams and measure each furring strip and cut each to size.
But since it's a garage, you might get away with a 1/2" strip everywhere if a slightly lower standard of absolute flatness is acceptable.


how to connect led string light to pergola in backyard

There are 12V edison bulbs for boats and RVs. In my backyard, I have incandescent bulbs connected to a landscape transformer. I will change them to LEDs eventually. For an LED bulb, you need to be sure it will work with AC. This bulb says it will work with landscape transformers.

https://www.amazon.com/Voltage-Bulbs-Equivalent-Battery-Lighting/dp/B0854Q9TCR


Is it possible to get a magnetic mount to attach to my aluminum tablesaw base?

I'd suggest clamping a piece of steel in place temporarily -- or using a meter which references from one of the miter gauge slots -- or combining the two by getting a piece of steel made to fit comfortably in the miter gauge slot.

(I have a plastic fitting which lets me use a micrometer that way. I think I paid $10 for it at a woodworking supply shop.)


How can I restore the waterproofing behind a shower/bath mixer/diverter?

At the very least you need to remove the two broken tiles and clean up the edges of the hole so that they are square.

Then, assuming that you don't want to remove any more of the existing wall your best bet would be to stick some batten to the edges of the hole from the back and then you can fix a new piece of waterproof platerboard to that. Seal the gaps and replace the tiles:

The battens don't have to be very big - they don't have to hold that much weight. The faceplate for the shower controls will help keep the new board in place too.

If you can, take the tiles off first and leave a border of plasterboard so that the join between pieces of board doesn't line up with the edges of the tiles. I know this will be difficult, but it will help ensure that the join is water proof.


How to diminish the appearance of a stain on hardwood floor?

I would carefully try some oxygen bleach. By carefully, I mean not very long. Its not that caustic. If it looks like its going in the right direction, go a little longer. The kind I use is called StainSolver. The manufacturer recommends it for decks. You can find it with Google.


What we ended up doing is grinding down the "lip" of the highest edge with an angle grinder cement grinding wheel

.

Then we filled the hole with "self leveling" concrete sealant.  Sikaflex for instance.  Over fill a bit, then after it dries, came back and scraped off any sealant that was poking up with a 4" big blade scraper.


Extra vents required for Direct-vent furnace?

To my knowledge there is no code requirement that the room be vented with high efficiency direct vent appliances. As you said, both systems provide their own combustion air from outside the building envelope.

However, it's likely that a tightly enclosed room will get quite warm at times. You may want to provide a means for heat escape.


Where do I place drywall screws when fixing nail pops?

Considering that this occurred on the ceiling beneath a roof space I wonder whether you're seeing the effects of a phenomenon called truss uplift. It's a very normal occurrence. In a nutshell, varying temperature and moisture content in the wood members of a roof truss can cause the lower chord to lift upward; it then floats above interior walls. When the truss moves up in this way one (or both) of two things happens: the drywall stays down with the wall and the nails back out from the truss, or the drywall moves with the truss, tears the joint tape, and a crack appears. If the nails back out from the wood when the truss lifts up then when the season changes the truss chord will relax downward and push the nail through the finish.

The solution is this: don't fasten drywall to the truss within 12-16 inches of an interior wall. One could drive the nails back in but they'll pop again. One could use screws that won't back out but it'll fail in some other, possibly worse way.

If you have access to the roof space above this place you could attach wood blocking to the top of the wall between the trusses. Remove those nails that popped (and don't replace them) and instead fasten the drywall to the new blocking.

If you don't have access to the roof space then just remove those nails and patch the texture.

Here are a few nice articles on truss uplift: Trim-Tex Drywall Products, Building Science, and Pro Builder.


A search for this motor type and/or chiller type may show photos of the wiring of the capacitor. Most likely, that motor or chiller is produced under various names, but technically identical.


What specifications should I look at when choosing an exterior door?

All doors will come with a rated R-value or U-factor (sometimes called U-value).  The higher the R-value the better the insulation.  The lower the U-factor the better the insulation.  Even doors that qualify for Energy Star certification come in a wide range of insulative capacity.  I would simply go to your local lumber yard and speak there to a window/door salesperson.  He or she will be willing to work with you to find a door or doors that fit your budget, aesthetic sensibilities, and desire for better insulated doors.

One thing to note - it doesn't matter how good the R-value of the slab if the door isn't installed properly with effective weatherstripping.  Also note that at some point there will always be a compromise between the tightness of the fit and operability.

Here's a website that explains more about doors and insulation: http://www.green3dhome.com/YourHouse/Exterior/Doors.aspx


How to excavate hole when only 30% of perimeter is accessible to tractor?

Not sure why this is a problem. You drive in and dig the farthest part first, with a lot of trips back & forth to bring each bucket of dirt all the way out. Then you work out a couple of feet at a time. Exactly the same thing you would do if you were shoveling by hand and putting the dirt in wheelbarrows.
Mark the entire circle at the beginning. The biggest issue I see is making sure you don't dig too much. Unlike Kindergarten drawings, you must stay inside the lines.
Really not that much different from a much more common problem - how to paint the floor of a room. Start at the farthest spot from the door and work your way backwards to the door so you don't literally paint yourself into a corner.


You'll want to turn off the breaker. You should be alright but if the internals of the outlet are damaged or broken, you don't want to come in contact with them when you pull out the ground plug. You might even want to replace the outlet since the grounding terminal shouldn't just break off under normal use, unless the extension cord was really damaged.


Can a main breaker box be bonded at the meter box?

Yes, the neutral can be bonded at the meter.  National Electrical Code 250.24(A)(1).

Here's a YouTube video where Mike Holt discusses this topic.


Is it possible that two apartments' electricity could be unknowingly linked? How to lower unknown electrical increases?

Your first step is labeling your breakers correctly.

So you need to go through the entire house and identify every outlet (either a socket or a hardwired load) and make a spreadsheet.  Plug something into every receptacle (you can usually, but not always, assume both sockets in a dual receptacle are on the same circuit).  Then move through the house, turning off everything and turning on one breaker at a time, and seeing what works with that breaker on.

If you are good at game theory, there are more efficient ways to identify all the circuits.

Now if you want to have some fun, you can label each breaker by a codename, like Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge, Apu, etc. and then mark each outlet the same way.

During this testing, I'd aim for turning them all off as long as possible, only switching on the one in test.  That is to lengthen the amount of time circuits are off, to increase the chance of a neighbor complaining about his power going out. That'd be your power poacher right there.

While you're switching breakers, keep an eye on the spin rate of your analog power meter, or the instantaneous use number on your smart meter, for any abrupt changes.

Now, get a "Kill-a-Watt" and measure power of each pluggable device

You're looking for average watts over a long time.   This is to look for devices which may surprise you, like that "perfectly ordinary" PC that turns out to be a power hog.

For your fixed loads, particularly your electric heaters, figure out what their energy draw is.  Almost all of them will have a "nameplate" power rating that can be found on a nameplate, or in the documentation.  If they are "Cadet style" electric baseboard heaters, typically an 8' unit is 2000W, a 6' unit 1500W, and a 4' 1000W.

You may also find "Watts" labeled as "VA" (volt-amps). There are subtle differences between W and VA, that's why there are 2 different terms.  If you can only find "Amps", look also for volts (120 or 240) and multiply amps x volts.   V * A = VA =~ W.

Over those 2 weeks, you used 4.4kw (4400W) on average.  An "average" basic home with gas heat uses 1000W on average, so you used 3400W above that -- or almost two 2000W electric heaters burning 24x7.  Your goal is to do the detective work to find why.

Just the same, electric heat is murder. It's much more expensive than you expect it to be, because instead of getting 90% of the heat value of natural gas, you're getting like 30% with transmission losses.

If you are in an area with a lot of nuke or hydro, talk to your power company to see if they have special rates for people with electric heat.  For instance in the south, they have lots of nuke and their peak grid stress is in the summer A/C season, so they have plans that practically give away power the rest of the time.


What kind of precautions should I undertake to use epoxy-based paints?

DIY epoxy floor paints do not normally require respiratory protection during application (by brush or roller) as long as adequate ventilation is provided. These "off the shelf" products are designed for use by laypersons. What is "adequate"? Open all doors and windows, for basements or other areas with scant natural ventilation put a box fan or two in a door or window to pull fumes out and allow fresh air to be pulled in. If you are a particularly sensitive individual or if you intend to spray the coating, a full-face respirator with organic vapor cartridges is commonly recommended. Always follow manufacturers' instructions.

Commercial/industrial products are labeled and distributed as such and are not usually available for purchase by the average homeowner.


How can I insulate a stud bay containing a subpanel?

Have you considered using a surface mount box which would allow more space for insulation in the wall behind the electrical panel?

You should definitely do as much as you can to prevent air leaks.


Adjusting tankless water heater temperature without factory controls?

If you cant find a remote try turning on the hot water in the sink to add additional hot water demand, This will waste some water but may not take much to keep you from getting the cold surprise.


Ventilating a room with no forced air without opening windows?

Have you considered just increasing the gap under the door to 1cm or 2cm and putting a fan to extract air from the room into the roof space?

You would only need to have a small fan - even a 4" fan from a computer power supply (although there are quieter ones, or reduce the voltage a bit) will create probably sufficient air movement.


Testing and proper breakers for a multi wire branch circuit?

The easy way to tell if an outlet is powered by an MWBC is to turn off the breaker(s) known to supply power to that MWBC and see if the outlet's power goes away.

The US National Fire Protection Agency's National Electrical Code does specify that all nongrounded conductors in an MWBCs must be controlled by a double-pole breaker or marked pair of linked breakers.

It's absolutely permissible to link breakers together using that hole - that's what the hole is there for. In most cases, though, it's a better idea to use a unitized double-pole breaker; that way you're likely to get the best possible match and service life between the two individual internal breakers.

Note that it is NOT permissible to link two breakers with different CURRENT ratings together in that manner - all nongrounded conductors in an MWBC must be the same size wire, and so if two linked individual breakers are used, then they MUST have the same current ratings.


You should seal that hole to keep vermin from passing through and to insulate. Any traps (the "u" or "p"-shaped drain fixtures that maintain a water-seal to prevent sewer gases from venting into your home) should be prevented from freezing, but those are usually located under the sink fixture outside of the wall. Some bathtubs and showers may be an exception to this, but in freezing locales these traps are usually placed in a location normally protected from freezing (like an interior wall or basement).


Access to the wiring connections of any can light is based on pulling the light out of the hole, then accessing the connections though that hole.  In this case, the wiring box can be pulled all the way out of the hole so you're in better shape than some situations.

With a good brand name like Lithonia, this are sure to be UL listed which means they should conform to common building codes and have been tested for safety.


Extending a Range 50a line Matching Wire?

Completely unusable.  It was installed illegally from the start, and it’s illegal even if you didn’t move the range.
Once upon a time (prior to the mid 1990s) it was legal to install a range with certain special 3-wire cables. You could never have used /2+ground cable.   You could have used:

Cable with an insulated white neutral (i.e. /3 no ground).  But of course that quickly went extinct after grounding started to be required in the 1960s.
SE cable specifically, which is made for service entrances, and has a “meshed” bare conductor which is actually designed to be neutral.  However that stopped having a reason to exist in #8/#6 after power companies stopped offering 60A service and set 100A as minimum.

NFPA’s purpose was to allow suppliers to use up their old stock of the above cables... and after that, everyone would be forced to use /3+ground.  Well, some installers thought that gave them permission to use /2+ground.  They were wrong.
Not least, the ground wire is too small to be safe as a neutral.
So the whole homerun needs to be dropped in the dust-bin, and re-run from scratch with proper wire.
You can run it in aluminum if you really, really want to... that’s not the issue... but it has to be /3+ground, and it has to be a 4-wire connection. You have no grandfathering and it must be done to modern spec.


The push-rods between the buttons and the flush mechanism need to be adjusted because, as you've noticed, when you put everything together they're pushing on the flush mechanism and allowing water through - so they're a little too long.

You'll probably find that the end of the rods witch connect to the buttons is threaded, and there's some form of locking nut to hold them in place.
Loosen the nuts a few turns, screw the rods in a few turns to shorten them, re-tighten the nuts, and try again ...


Looks like either there's no subfloor under that board, or the subfloor failed (rotted?) in that area. If this is ground floor, it might be worth looking at this area up from the basement or crawl space or whatever's under there, to see what was supposed to be supporting that board and what condition it's in.

That's assuming that there was something there. Someone may have done a sloppy install over a hole and simply hoped that nobody would ever put weight on it.

If you can get to it from underneath, and it was never properly supported, I'd be inclined to see if I could push it back up into position, then nail some support in place under it -- one or two 2x4's between the joists, tight up against the floor, then insert shims to fill any remaining gap between those and this board. Not very elegant, but more elegant than leaving a board floating in midair.

If you can get to it and discover that it was originally supported but Something Has Gone Wrong, you'll have to proceed from there.


Why won't my new Craftsman garage door opener power on?

There are two options here:

You've installed it wrong, or missed something: maybe it's as simple as a switch on the unit that needs to be turned, or the remote batteries aren't in right
It's DOA, and no amount of re-configuring will work

You're going to have to go through the whole set-up top to bottom. Check all your connections, make sure that batteries are in right, that any fuses are installed and work. Then call Sears.


What are you planning on using on the walls and for waterproofing? If using kerdiboard you can just make the niche out of that and glue the panels together with kerdifix. It doesn't need to be supported although some blocking for it to sit on wouldn't hurt


Finding ceiling joists in an old apartment

If the hole you drilled already is larger than a quarter inch, get a cheap usb borescope inspection camera and stick it in there to take a look.

They're available for phone and laptop connection on amazon for under $20 USD.

You can also use a FLIR camera to find studs pretty easy.

FLIR cameras are a bit more than $20.  Think $2000 for good ones.  But you can get lite versions for android and apple smartphones for < $300 USD and you can usually rent them the advanced ones at your local home improvement stores for less than that.

TIP:  When you rent a flir camera, use it to photograph EVERYTHING in your house.  EVERYTHING.  Save the pictures for future reference.


Add Electrical Socket to a light circuit

It appears that it is completely illegal to do any DIY electrical wiring work above extra-low voltage in New South Wales. You will need to engage a qualified electrician.


Replace timer dimmer switch with dimmer switch

As @manassehkatz says, that is probably a wire "back-stabbed" into the dimmer. That means it will be tightened/loosened by operating the nearby screw.

It also means that the two black wires affected by that screw are in contact with each other. It could be that:

Your power is coming from the left side of the image, and the dimmer actually controls two lights or fans or whatever. Something like:

power >> ----+    +----> light 1
             |    |
             Dimmer
                  |
                  +----> light 2

Your power is coming from one of the two right-side wires, and the dimmer controls the left-side wire. In that case, the second wire will be an "un-dimmed take-off" that goes to some other place where unswitched/undimmed power is needed. Something like:

light <--+    +----- << Power
         |    |
         Dimmer
              |
              +-----> Unswitched/undimmed to someplace else

In either event, the "How will I take it out?" is easy - just unscrew that screw. But you need to MARK THE WIRES!!! Use tape, or a marker, or colored bread-bag ties, or nail polish, or whatever you have available, but make sure you don't lose track of what is what.


Is air gap needed if dishwasher is connected directly to the sewer line?

You do need an air-gap. In my state it is legally required (Cal Plumbing Code 414.3)

Contrary to what you might mistakenly interpret from some other comments, it does not serve the same function as your sewer/drain vent system. It is not a "vent", it is a vacuum breaker.