How to repair leak mould under bathroom floor tile?

Sorry to say this, but number 3 really is your only option. First the reasons why:

I can tell just by looking and from your description, your subfloor is rotten and now unstable. More tiles and grout are going to crack, come up.
The mould is almost certainly inside the sub-floor and maybe even the jousts. Cleaning the surface will very likely not do much of anything except stir up mould spores into your house. Don't reuse stuff that has mould on it. Throw it away (including the tiles).

A few things to keep in mind:
You cannot with 100% certainty identify what type of mould it is just by looking at it. It might be worth your time to have a sample tested. The mitigation methods for certain types of mould are much more stringent. However, you could just assume it's the worst case and mitigate it that way. In any case, you're going to want to have your house tested once all mould is removed and BEFORE putting new coverings or sub-floor back in. That's just one of the steps. Do some research on how to mitigate. It's not a simple process and it's not to be taken lightly.

Potential health problems from mould exposure can be much worse than many other things including asbestos. You'll want to do some research on how to mitigate this. Things like respirators are an absolute must regardless of the type of mould and full hazmat gear may be required recommended. You'll likely need to seal off the location and provide negative air flow to the outside. You'll likely need some air-scrubbing filters.

Sorry for the bad news, but mould is bad business. It's very likely already causing health issues that you may / may not be aware of as yet especially now that you've tried to surface-clean your sub-floor and stir up the spores. Regardless of whatever product you're using advertises, they don't always work.
Do your research with this one, don't just buy a product / clean it and hope it's good to go.


Can using a heavy duty extension cord for a space heater cause a receptacle to melt?

From the comments you seemed to just have a weirdo defective receptacle.  Don't buy the contractor pack 2 for .99 cents.  Buy a good 20A receptacle for a few bucks and put it all back together.  12 ga wire will handle 15 amps which is all a space heater should ever pull.  Fire it up and monitor it for a bit.  If anything is questionable, I would start to look at the space heater itself but then again your breaker should trip before anything gets out of hand.


Do European/Italian light fixtures & boxes use metric threads?

On http://internationalconfig.com/icc6.asp?item=72350-F I found this diagram with M3.5 lugs spaced at 60mm, which matches the mounting plate/mounting strap packaged with the fixture with its inner 60mm rings.
An M3.5 thread is a 3.5mm OD by 0.7mm pitch thread, while an #8-32 thread is 0.164" (4.156mm) with a 1/32" (0.794mm) pitch.  A #6-32 thread is 0.136" (3.45mm) with 1/32" (0.793mm) pitch.  They don't quite match, but visually they look close.


How can I monitor the temperature in a hot water heater?

I don't see why not. In fact, all heaters I've seen are sold with a temperature probe on the inside and a display on the outside. I don't know why yours isn't. The problem is, of course, that you need to somehow get the probe on the inside - you must find a way, we don't know the construction of the heater.

The easiest thing to use (provided you can think of a way to insert the probe) would be a digital roasting thermometer.

The probe is stainless steel, so it won't rust in the water. It has a flexible connection to the processor/display unit. It has a limited temperature range, but 15°C to 100°C should be covered. The price is in the 20 - 30 Eur range. Maybe you can even put the "alarm when a temperature has been reached" into use, or get one of the radio models - they display the temperature on a second wireless display within a limited range, probably strong enough for another room. I don't know what the drain on the batteries will be during constant use, it might be a drawback. So try to get a mignon powered one instead of button cells.


Installing a sub panel to a GE split bus panel

No one has posted an answer for this question, so I thought I would take a stab at it and remember some of it is more about code intent rather than written law.

First, you have a split bus panel. This panel was developed because of a loophole in the early code that stated you could have 6 means of disconnect to disconnect totally from a service (the 6 disconnect rule). So manufacturers decided that instead of paying for an expensive(?) main breaker, they would instead create a panel with six means of disconnects, diversifying the load and using lower priced smaller breaker for disconnecting purposes. Like I said it was a loophole, which was caught by the NEC and then immediately corrected. That is why there is a very small time line where these panels were used, because they are now illegal.

Now that you have a brief history let's get to your question. You panel was installed when it was legal to do so, and it can stay that way under the grandfather clause. Since it was a generic panel, the installer could have used all of its capacity (6 disconnects) but didn't. You now want to upgrade your panel to its full capacity by adding breakers.

Now here is where the intent of the code affects the answer. When you remove and add breakers to this panel, you are modifying a panel. When you modify a panel you must bring it up to the updated code and if you can't do that with the existing panel, you should replace it. In other words the panel was installed during a time where it was legal to do so, but you can't "grandfather" in an upgrade.

Now I know this could be a big discussion and a lot of it depends on each persons interpretation of the NEC.  I will say it really doesn't matter what any ones opinion is, including mine. The only one who's opinion and interpretation counts is the AHJ. That is what they are there for, and that is what they do. Most people hesitate to go the the AHJ because they fear they will rule without considering cost or other installation problems, and they will probably want to inspect the work after it is done. Then again that'is what they are paid to do.

Hope this helps and good luck.


Why does my overhead door reverse after closing partway?

Most garage door openers will also reverse when closing if the force limit is exceeded. If the motor requires too much force, it will reverse for safety reasons.

It is possible that the force limit was set to low. It is usually adjustable via a screwdriver. But be careful, if you set it too high, you will defeat the safety feature. It should not be able to hurt someone seriously.

If you still have the user's manual, it should describe how to set the force limit.

It is also possible that your springs weren't adjusted properly. If you disengage the opener, the door should be fairly neutral, manually put it half way down, it shouldn't want to go further up or down. The springs should counteract gravity. If the springs are strongly pulling the door up, hire a professional to adjust them. This is not a DIY job, the tension is enormous and you can seriously injure yourself.

Edit: While the opener is disengaged, you can also test for binding and lubrication as isherwood suggested.


Is there a minimum required distance between window and kitchen countertops?

There should be no issue with the arrangement you plan to do. The only issue would be if moving the box required cutting the wall framing to allow the relocation. If the box is already protected by a GFCI outlet, that should cover any other concern that there may be.


Caulk or a paintable frame sealant would work.

We've used the latter on our Victorian doors to fill gaps between mouldings the body of the door where the wood has shrunk over the years.

Make sure you don't overdo it and smooth down the sealant with a damp cloth or finger straight away. This will push the sealant all the way into the gap.


Why is sanding required between layers of lacquer paint?

As @Nick2253 commented, sanding between coats promotes better adhesion of the next coat. This occurs because a rougher surface has more area and "features" for the next coat to grab onto. That's why it's easier to scrape paint off of a smooth surface like glass than a relatively rough one like wood.

Sanding also helps remove any bumps from dust that's settled on the surface before the paint/lacquer/poly dries.

Since you're worried about dust, you could see if wet sanding is an option for the type of lacquer you're working with. Otherwise, know that "sand between coats" generally means a very light sanding which won't produce as much dust. You obviously don't want to sand heavily enough to remove all or most of the coat you just applied.

For poly, I sand with 220 or 320 grit with a hand sanding block between coats. The pressure I apply is basically the weight of the block, and I only make one or two passes. Most of the dust created is easily wiped up with a damp rag afterwards.


As others have suggested, knowing why it backs up is key.
For that, a reputable plumber with a camera can find the absolute answer. If it's damaged pipes there is no other long term option than replacing the main.
If it's backing up due to bends or joints then installing a cleanout would be the best option for cleaning it out yourself in the future. Then you could buy your own sewer machine (I've seen them as low as $150 on CL) and deal with it yourself. With a cleanout installed you could also have a service plumber clean out the line for about $85-$100 per visit in the future.

Alternatively, you can add products to the line yourself to maintain it, things like a lye-based gel or heavy duty main line cleaners such as Liquid Plumber, to keep some of the solids or semi-solids from accumulating to the point of backing up the line in the first place.

Lastly, have you checked to see if the local sewer/water company offers main line insurance? Here at my house it's like $10 a month and covers main line failures. After signing up it would be wise to wait at least a month or two before filing a claim on that.

Good luck!


It's an installed faucet as far as I can make out.  To replace the stems it is not necessary to know the mfr and model (though might be helpful), instead just bring them in to a plumbing store (ideally) or Home Depot.

I once brought my broken version of this part:

in to a plumbing store.  Without out my saying a word, the counterhelp simply looked at it, said 'ok', walked back into the stock shelves and came back with the replacement kit.


What is this English wardrobe cabinet fitting?

Thanks for all the fantastic effort attempting to identify the photographed fitting!
I found that it's a bolt assembly, like those used in flat pack furniture.  The holes at 90 deg are actually four, could only see two initially.  They're in the bolt head and the metal box acts as a retention plate.
If anyone is interested I can post an image of the bolt partially unscrewed.
Thanks again!


There are conflicting reports about the health risks involved with burning citronella indoors and I do not encourage it. If you plan to use a candle indoors as a device I strongly suggest using an inclosed candle box. Fire is a guest in your house and sometimes gets hungry. Also, citronella repels mosquitoes, it doesn't kill them. I suppose this would make them go into the other room at least. Used outdoors, tiki-torches and candles should be relatively safe, health-wise.

Does a Wantrn really work? Reading "also there is so high Voltage, So it’s very high safe and Quiet." in the product description is not encouraging. But the technology seems sound. CO2 and UV attracts, fan sucks them in and keeps them there. Perhaps it does work so long as there's power.

Even if it is one of models that work, your mileage may very:

  Government studies find the Mosquito Magnet line very effective, user postings paint a more nuanced picture. For example, the nearly 30 users posting to Amazon.com give the Patriot an average score of 3 out of 5 stars, with some calling it effective and others complaining that mosquitoes are still plentiful. Some who report success say it may be necessary to test the trap in multiple locations to find an optimum spot. Many also note that the trap is expensive to maintain, as the propane, optional chemical attractants, catch net and cleaning cartridge must be replaced periodically.

An excerpt from a highly suggested read and its links to other studies, before you drop that kind of money. I wouldn't feel safe with a propane model indoors. CO2 is not harmless but I wouldn't be concerned at all with the levels from one without a tank, even used indoors. However, being the guardian of a child a little research on the exact output is warranted. A good question might be how many CFM's a given space needs to keep the air fresh with a continual input of X number PPM of CO2.


Could these foundation defects cause problems?

Well, these 'issues' so to speak are rather commonly seen on smaller construction sites (at my area of living) and are result of problems/mistakes while concrete laying. Probably all of them (as far as I can see from these pictures) are made by poor concrete thickening (without or with poor use of concrete vibrators or other devices). These, ideally, shouldn't be made by proffessionals, but they are still being seens here or there.
With proper water insulation these shouldn't cause trouble, unless they are deep cracks (concrete layered with too long interval and not thickened). Even if with cracks, structures are often over-designed for stress, so I doubt that it may cause any harm.
If I were You, I would rather look into proper and precise water insulation making - most often a real problem.
(Correct my english, please, if needed)


What kind of repairs are prudent for a ridge board damaged by a falling tree?

As this is a 1x board, I take it this is a ridge board and not a true beam. If this is in an attic and there are ceiling joists below the rafters making a triangular structure, the ridge board has little structural value, it just serves to tie the rafters together, it does not support any vertical loads. In that case, nail/gluing patch blocks on each side will suffice as a repair.

If this is a true load bearing beam, (unlikely since it appears to be a 1x board) it would have needed to be replaced in it's entirety unless a licensed engineer could design a proper repair to the beam.


Thermocouple measured okay, but replacing it fixed the problem?

Voltage is not a universal indicator of effectiveness.   Ask anyone with a dead car battery.

Like many providers of power, it is not uncommon for them to have a reasonable "open-circuit" (no-load) voltage, only to fail when the load attempts to draw its ordinary and reasonable amount of current.   That qualifies as "defective" and the voltmeter did not tell the tale.

People use voltmeters because it is easy, not because it is thorough.  Examining current is more useful but harder, because it must be detected "in-line", and particularly with DC, that means splicing something in series with the current flow.  Or unhooking the load and hooking up a dummy load of known value.  Or permanently installing an "ammeter shunt", a resistor of known and low value, and measuring a small voltage drop across it.  We just had a $10,000 problem because of not knowing a large engine's normal cranking current, because there is not ammeter in the starting circuit.  Putting one in is hard.


I want to install two dimmers on tied neutrals

Most likely, you would be keeping those neutrals together, and also adding the dimmer neutrals to that group so they are all together.  That would be a configuration one would expect:

neutral from the supply (service panel, consumer unit etc.)
neutral to lamp 1
neutral to lamp 2
neutral to dimmer 1
neutral to dimmer 2

Generally, neutrals stay together.  But not always.  One place they don't is GFCI outlets.


I would 1) ask your local Building Code office, or 2) ask your local public utilities office (particularly your plumbing inspector), or 3) ask your public works director, (i.e.: local Building project like a sewage treatment facility will have a Geotech report that will give you the water table...for the area where the facility is being built,) or 4) call local architects, or 5) call local CIVIL engineers, or 6) call DEQ office (especially if they issue drain field permits,) or 7) excavation contractors that specialize in the installation of underground utilities, or 8) hire a Geotech engineer.

A Geotech engineer is very expensive. I'd call all the above before I spent a bunch of money on their tests and report. (Where I live, it costs about $4000.)


How to get GE Lo-Water PreciseFill unstuck from rinse mode?

It turned out to be a bad timer. Since it drained, and spun and rinsed, I knew it was not the pump or filter or motor. I found "the last one" online, but it was a super easy fix that saved my hundreds of dollars (thousands if my girlfriend had her way). Just locate your model number (on the inside of the lid, or under it on the body).

Just pop the top control panel off by removing three screws. Then unscrew the circuit board. The handles just pull off with evenly applied pressure.


Don't bother inspecting wires that are not in boxes. There's no need, unless you've been doing construction work or have had an earthquake. Wires between boxes are rarely damaged.  All the mischief tends to happen where wires terminate, e.g. at receptacles, switches, neutral bars, breakers etc.

Any given receptacle obtains its power from somewhere.  Typically that is another receptacle.  It could also be a "tee" splice in the wiring; Code requires that any splice be inside a junction box whose cover is accessible without needing tools. For instance above a drop ceiling is OK; covered up by a screwed-down plywood panel is not OK.

So typically your receptacle gets its power from another receptacle, which gets its power from another one, etc. etc.

Your failure is a very common one

The circuit doesn't normally see heavy loading.  One of the terminations (wire meets receptacle) isn't very good.  The heavy load causes the poor connection to pop like a fuse.  Now it's open (non-connecting).

As discussed above, connections are generally "chained" with splits, like a "tree". There is a chain of outlets/splices from the panel, to an outlet, to the next outlet, etc.   The failure is always at the first bad outlet, or the last good outlet in the chain.

So if the chain is Panel-A-B-C-D-E-F-G, and you plugged in at F and now B through G are out, then checking D E F G is unconstructive.  The problem must be at A or B.


What should I do with an abandoned gas line in my kitchen floor?

Looking at that, and given the age of the house, I would say it's a bayonet type connector for an old laundry copper.

The 'thumbscrew' on the back is the on/off for the gas supply.

I would strongly suggest getting a Gas Safe engineer in to check if it is still 'live'. If it is, and you are planning to put a unit back over where it is, you could probably get him to cap it a bit lower for you. If you are wanting to reposition your kitchen units completely and this is sticking up in what will be open floor, then you definitely need to get an engineer in. If it's no longer 'live', the engineer can advise whether or not you can just cut it off below the planned finished floor level.

Don't second guess gas - recipe for disaster!


Adding a door to water shutoff valve in ceiling

Access door or access panel.
You can buy them in various sizes off the shelf, order more sizes, or do it completely DIY by building a frame around a chunk of drywall (or plywood) with screws if you don't access it often, or with hinges and a latch if you need easier access.
The bought ones may be plastic or metal.


Is there a way to convert my regular toilet seat to one that's like a Toto...so the seat won't slam shut?

Buy a new toilet seat. The big box stores sell several that are billed as "Whisper Close" "SlowClose", etc. We're talking $30-40 here (as opposed to $10-20 for a low-end toilet seat) so it's not like I'd be concerned with preserving the existing seat.


How to secure a wooden box (tunnel) in a wall?

First, I recommend against MDF. Yes, it has a great smooth surface, but it just doesn't have much structural strength. I would recommend plywood, maybe 1/2 or 3/4 inches thick.

If it were plywood, I would say put a plywood "collar" on each end of the tunnel, with screws from inside the edge of the tunnel into the plywood ring around it. If you have one on either end, this locks the tunnel in place, and even if someone gave it a good kick, it should stay in place. However, with MDF, you don't have that much strength, so you may need some other way of attaching the "collar". Hope this helps.


How to hang a shelf in an invisible manner?

You should look for Floating or Blind shelf brackets.

You may actually need thicker supports on the tops or bottoms of your shelves to get the right support from these brackets, but this will give the appearance of "floating" that you're looking for


I left a pound of ice to melt in my shower. Two hours later my downstairs neighbor reported a leak from their shower light fixture

could be the cold has shrunk something, maybe rubber isolation, and the water was able to go around it (something like that caused the challenger explosion)
could be the cold has cooled down the neighbours ceiling and the moisture in the room condensed there, like when you use air conditioning


High Power Bills Related to Air Conditioner

If the company that serviced your A/C is not able to give you the answer you are looking for, I would recommend trying another company to get more opinions. I would recommend you ask them to measure the air coming out of the A/C to make sure its at least around 30 degrees cooler than the ambient temperature. For example if it is 90 degrees outside, then the air coming through the ducts by the AC unit should be 60 degrees. If the difference is much lower than that, then your system might be working extra hard to achieve your desired temperature, keeping your monthly bill higher than normal.

It is hard to know for sure without looking at your unit, and your setup, but here are some reasons why your A/C bill can be out of control:

Your house has poor insulation
The thermostat switch is always on (can you find times during the day to not have it on? such as when you are at work?)
Faulty AC Ducts such as blockages, disconnects, holes, etc.
Inefficient AC Unit due to lack of routine maintenance
Very Old AC Unit. As an AC unit ages so does its efficiency.
Faulty thermostats
Low refrigerant charge
Refrigerant flow-related problem
Bad compressor valves
Dirty air filters
Poorly insulated house, or air leaks
Duct work that was not properly sized


Different wirings on 2 thermostats controlled by a 2 minizone system

You'll need a different zone board for this
The bad news in your situation is that your existing zone board (assuming its the Honeywell/TrolATemp MM-2) is incompatible with the Ecobee, at least without parts to adapt it, because it relies on both O and B being available as separate signals from the thermostat, and one of them being energized at all times.  Smart thermostats generally only provide a single signal that's configurable to be O or B, so you'd need a 24VAC SPDT relay to adapt the Ecobee's O/B signal to work with your board.
Worse yet, your goal of fan control in both zones gets thwarted completely by the...half-hearted fan call implementation in the MM-2: it calls for furnace fan when it gets a fan call from the primary thermostat, but doesn't do anything for the dampers, causing fan-only operation to simply send all that circulating air down the bypass and back to the furnace in an endless, useless loop.
As a result, I strongly recommend replacing your zone board with a new board; modern zone boards will handle fan-only calls correctly and also work with standard thermostat controls without the need for O or B wires.


My Lennox gas furnace runs for 1 to 2 hours, then shuts down

Some of the electronic ignition modules used in older Lennox furnaces fail by becoming weak or intermittent and after several failed retries on a single start cycle the furnace remains in a no-heat condition until the call for heat is removed and reconnected.

If the failure only occurs during a normal start cycle, and once lit the flame does not go out before the room reaches the thermostat set point, then next time a failure occurs test for 24vac across the power supply leads on the electronic ignition module.  If it has power but there is no spark then you probably need a new module.

EDIT:

One word of caution.  It would be best to witness the ignition unit failing before ordering a replacement.  Rarely a gas valve can intermittently stick closed and cause similar symptoms.


How do I apply BNC connectors without breaking them?

There's a large variety of compression tools and connectors, and unfortunately they aren't all compatible with each other. Most likely you'll need to use a different tool or connector style to make a proper compression fitting. But a few tips from the last time I was installing coax connectors:

Make sure the tool is properly adjusted, especially with the depth.
Fully seat the connector inside the tool so you get 3 sides secured where the cable exits the tool.
Select the correct die if you have a choice and properly align the end of the connector with the tool.
If you aren't sure of the depth or start to warp or bend the connectors, only partially compress the fitting, spin the cable so other sides are being stressed near the cable, and adjust the depth until you have reached full compression but no further.


Is a Rust-Oleum painted item safe for infants?

Any paint recently manufactured in the US should be safe, with the exception of expensive specialty paints that you can't purchase in the home center. (i.e., antifouling paints) That being said, the rule of thumb for any finish is that it will take a month to cure even if it dries faster. After thirty days all of the resins should be converted to a stable, solid form.

You should still apply some common sense and supervision. Being generally safe is not the same as safe in every conceivable situation.


How can I attach to drywall with aluminum studs?

In North America, studs are usually installed 16" on centre, regardless of whether wood or metal studs are used.  (Commercial interior walls may have different spacing.)  If you can't find the stud with your stud finder, look for a plug or switch on the wall - they will be attached to one side of the stud and then start from there.

Just use normal fine-thread drywall screws.  Drywall screws are available in coarse thread for wood studs, and fine thread for metal studs.

PS: Are you sure the studs are aluminum?  All metals studs that I have seen are galvanized steel.


I would challenge not being able to bond a portion of a new pad to old concrete.  I have used latex based bonding liquid to skimcoat to old concrete.  If the floor has been sealed or painted, such that it won't absorb water, might require a surface grinding.

As fully supported pad over a pad, no bonding is even necessary.

Its not clear from your information WHY a interface/overlap area is necessary (presumably IN the garage).

If removing the 'lip' is the easier option, that should be alright, unless some rebar or reinforcing lath is embedded in the lip.


Possible? Yes. Easy? Maybe not.

If you look inside of the flange, there is what appears to be a raised ridge with some breaks in it, dividing it into 4 equal sections. That is a way to latch onto that flange with a special tool to hold and unscrew it from the other half of it that is below your shower pan. A good plumbing store or hardware store should have a selection of different versions of tub / shower drain removal tools, yours will likely look something like this:

Or this:

Before you go to look for one though, find a piece of cardboard and cut it to fit across two of the gaps so that you know the width of the wrench spacing.

Then once you have the wrench, getting the part to unscrew is not going to be easy, because it appears as though someone used a hard putty under the flange (which is likely why it is leaking); it was supposed to be a softer type of "plumber's putty" that never really sets up hard, for this exact reason. If you have an Exacto-Knife, run the blade around the edge of that flange seal area to try to loosen it up a little. If it seems soft, that's good. If it's hard and crusty, you may have a big problem.

Here's what the entire assembly looks like to give you an idea of what you will be trying to do.


How do I remove baseboard that has been tiled over?

The easiest way to remove things is usually in the inverse order they were put in.

If you intend to put down new flooring, you must remove the tile anyway, so remove the tile first. I'll admit that the scariest thing to do might be the tear out. It forces you to accept that you are doing this thing, especially if you have never done something of this magnitude. It will make a mess of things for a wee bit.

I would suggest removing tile with a hammer and wide cold chisel. Break up at least a few tiles by hand. If you have a compressor available, a great tool here would be a flat air powered chisel. This tool would rapidly allow you to peel up the old tile. A bit noisy, but fast. If not, then the hammer and hand held chisel (don't use a wood chisel unless you have borrowed the wood chisel from someone you don't like) will do. Once a few tiles are up, you may find that a large ice scraper, used for breaking the ice from your sidewalk, will be useful to peel up the rest of the tile.

Once the tile has been removed, then remove the baseboard for later replacement.

Demolition can be the most fun part of a project. Try to keep the dust out of the remainder of the house, and use a dust mask.


Can a roof A/C be installed on a concrete slab on the floor without being on a mounting?

A roof unit usually has more air flow around them so they dry out easier. The moisture is Norman and part of how air conditioners work, outdoor units are almost always drained on the ground. It is possible your unit needs to be washed down, dust builds up in the coils and turns into mud in the drip pan and can cause more issues but other than a good wash down your company is correct this is normal. If you decide to wash the coil and pan make sure to use low pressure water flow , I have replaced several outside units that home owners have destroyed using a pressure washer. No harsh chemicals if it needs chemical cleaning use a non acid cleaner, simple green is a good home owner option, I use a product made by my-Calvin called nu-bright, it is a non acid foaming coil cleaner that pushes the dirt out of the coils, after a treatment or 2 a clear water rinse has the system running better, also make sure to clean the drip pan it could be full of dirt, again clear water will work, I clean type unit every spring prior to the cooling season for best performance, as for water be happy you are making some, this says your coils are getting cold and taking the moisture out of the air. If your system was not making water it would not be cooling.


Two Hall lights, one switch interestingly wired with diagram

I'm not an electrician, and I'm not familiar with the National Electrical Code, so this answer may contain inaccuracies.
Everything seems to make sense, but I see some potential problems.
In this diagram, all of the black wire nuts are always-hots. So are all of the black wires, except for the one coming from hall light #1. The white wire nuts in the upper boxes, and all of the wires connected to them, are neutrals. The white wire nut in the switch box, and all of the wires connected to it, are switched-hots. Each of the hall lights is connected to one switched-hot and one neutral, just like you want. All of the other cables exiting the diagram carry one always-hot and one neutral.
Here are the potential problems that I've noticed:
First, on hall light #1, the black wire is connected to neutral and the white wire is connected to switched-hot. It's probably supposed to be the other way around. If the light fixture has an Edison socket and it's wired the wrong way around, then the hot wire will be connected to the easy-to-touch part of the socket instead of the hard-to-touch part, which increases the risk of electrocution.
Second, the hot wires form a loop: the black wire in the upper left box connects to the switch box, where it connects to the upper right box, where it connects back to the upper left box. I believe that's a code violation, but I'm not able to find a source for that.
Third, the hot path and the neutral path for hall light #2 are different: the hot wire goes through the switch box, whereas the neutral wire goes through the cable that directly connects the two upper boxes. This will cause those wires to produce a stronger magnetic field than usual whenever those lights are turned on. If you have any audio equipment in your home, it may pick up that magnetic field and make an unpleasant noise (mains hum). If you don't have any audio equipment and you don't plan to get any, then mains hum won't be a problem for you. However, A. I. Breveleri pointed out in a comment on this answer that these magnetic fields can also cause inductive heating in nearby metal objects.
(When a wire carries a current, that wire will always produce a magnetic field. However, if you have two wires right next to each other carrying the same amount of current in opposite directions, then their magnetic fields will mostly cancel out. That's one of the reasons why hot and neutral wires are usually run right next to each other.)


According to the manual, for a single switch (as opposed to a a 3-way switch, which would require another wire and another (ordinary, non-dimmable) 3-way switch), the configuration is very simple (ignoring grounds, which should all be connected together everywhere):

Top right screw = Black = Hot - this should go directly back to the panel
Bottom right screw = Yellow = Switched Hot - this should go to the light(s)
The "far side" of the lights goes to Neutral

With a single fixture this is straightforward:

14/2 from panel to light at the light:

Connect white (neutral) to one side of the light.
Pass black through to the next cable - it does not connect to the light.

14/2 from light to switch at the light:

Connect black hot to the first cable's black hot
Connect white (="yellow") switched hot to the other side of the light.

14/2 from light to switch at the switch:

Connect black hot to top right (= black according to the instructions)
Connect white switched hot to lower right (= yellow according to the instructions)

Note that yellow is a typical "switched hot" color (could be red or blue or anything else except black, which is traditionally hot, white & gray, which are only neutral, or green, which is only ground). However, 14/2 cable only comes in black/white, so if you have the hot function in the cable then that gets black and switched hot or neutral gets white. Alternatively, if you have neutral function in the cable then that gets white and hot or switched hot gets black. So in this case, you use white as switched hot and then mark it with yellow tape to indicate that it is actually the switched hot.

This conveniently ignores that current code requires a neutral in the switch box, just in case you need it later. But hang on...

That gets one light working. But you have more than one. Now you need another wire. == 14/3.

The problem is you need to have two wires going between all the lights: switched hot and neutral. And you need another wire, not connected to any lights, for hot to get to the switch. With only one light, we cheat a little (except that neutral should be in the switch box) because there is no "carry neutral along to the next light" since there is only one light. But with multiple lights that doesn't work. So now you replace the 14/2 from the first light through all the other lights to the switch with 14/3. That 14/3 will be black/white/red. As described above, whenever possible black = hot and white = neutral. So that leaves red = switched hot. Here we go:

14/2 from panel to light at the light:

Connect white (neutral) to one side of the light.
Pass black through to the next cable - it does not connect to the light.

14/3 from first light to second light, at the first light:

Connect black hot to the previous cable's black hot
Connect white neutral to the previous cable's white neutral and to one side of the light. This actually means use a wire nut to connect the whites from the two cables plus a pigtail to the light.
Connect red switched hot to the other side of the light.

14/3 from first light to second light, at the second light:

Connect black hot to the previous cable's black hot
Connect white neutral to the previous cable's white neutral and to one side of the light. This actually means use a wire nut to connect the whites from the two cables plus a pigtail to the light.
Connect red switched hot to the previous cable's red switched hot and to the other side of the light. This actually means use a wire nut to connect the reds from the two cables plus a pigtail to the light.

All the later lights use that same setup: blacks together, whites together + light, reds together + light.

14/3 from last light to switch at the switch:

Connect black hot to top right (= black according to the instructions)
Connect red switched hot to lower right (= yellow according to the instructions)
Cap the white neutral with a wire nut

Now you have all the lights working and you have neutral in the box in case you need it in the future.


How to stop a gland nut rotating too freely

Your packing is old and stiff and will no longer seal without over tightening the gland nut.

First, try laying in a small bit of new packing material on top of the old, then tighten the gland nut to get a seal. If this doesn't work (there are various reasons that it might not, like: no space in the gland to add packing, old packing too far gone, etc.) then you will need to re-pack the valve, i.e. dig out all the old packing and replace it with new.


If the sensors are generic and in good working order, and you just want local alarms (sirens, strobes, etc.) you can install any basic alarm panel without monitoring.


Why does my re-plumbed shower come on whenever the tub faucet is opened?

FIXED! The problem was these little buggers inside the shark bites. Don’t know why the handy man use shark bite instead of soldering, but those little plastic bits were restricting the flow enough to shoot everything right up to the shower. Removed them, replaced everything, now the tub works as it should. Holy smokes!


3-prong grounded female plug for 12-gauge wire with an 18-gauge ground wire

Go ahead and buy the modern version.  To make the light gauge ground wire secure, add another bit or two of wire—each an inch or so long—beside it into the terminal.

This will fill up the slot enough so that the screw meets the wires and can clamp them together firmly.


Drywall clips to support partition wall points and ceiling edges

Use them as described by the maker of the clips, they will save you money and give you a better insulation job. Be sure the corners are straight and true before the nails are set in place to hold the edges.


Central Furnace blower alwas on, even with thermostat disconected

The limit switch isn't on the control board; it is an external part that is mounted in the plenum above the burners.  Wires run from the control board to the limit switch.

If you also have no heat and no AC, then check that there's 24 volts present on the control board.  Some control boards have a normally closed relay that turns off the fan by pulling their switch open after power is applied.


Bathtub Drain leakage - recurring failures

We had a problem recently with a leaky bathtub drain. The leak was due to a crack in the plastic drain shoe. The drain shoe extends horizontally from the overflow pipe to the drain in the tub. The drain flange (the part with the stopper or grate) screws into it. I'm guessing that I cross-threaded the flange when I screwed it into the shoe, causing the plastic to crack. (I had had removed the flange a few times to clean gunk from the drain). The solution was to replace the shoe (actually, we replaced the entire assembly, including the overflow pipe since it is all in a kit). Fortunately for us, we had easy access from an unfinished garage.

Here is a diagram:


As long as you have proper drains and a good pump/pit for the water to drain into 8' is not a problem. Check local code as some require a larger pit when located a long distance from the toilet. I think the distance for the larger pit was based on number of levels + bathrooms.


Is this joint between the foundation and first row of mortar typical

The bricks are attached to the foundation with a layer of mortar. This is not only normal but just about the only way to do it. Are there any other concerns it is hard to craft an answer when things look normal and no specific question. Are you concerned where the forms meet? The slight indent in the foundation?


You have a lot of options with this one, since it's just peeking from the corner and not running along the wall (if the elbow were the opposite direction). If I were covering this, I would use some decorative wood and build 4 sides of a box on the top, bottom, and 2 faces of this PVC. It ends up looking something like this: https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/2/27/Hide-Pipes-in-the-Kitchen-Step-14.jpg/aid5958328-v4-728px-Hide-Pipes-in-the-Kitchen-Step-14.jpg
You could attach such a box to the wall with glue, or a hinge if you periodically need access to it (e.g. to check for leaks).

If you want to be less formal (this looks like a basement, so maybe the industrial look is OK or desired, even) they make pretty sturdy plastic boxes with squared sides, you could cut two sides off of one of these to hide your PVC. My favorite look is the Project Box (https://www.google.com/search?q=project+box) and these come in many shapes, sizes and colors and most feature a screwplate lid so you could still have access to the PVC inside.


house well pumps and softener system inside or outside workshop

You cannot have the electrical panel behind the water softener, unless it's a full 3 feet behind.
Required working space for a panel is a minimum of 30 inches wide, 3 feet in front, and 78(?) inches high. It has to include the panel, it does not need to be centered on it. That space has to be kept clear - it cannot be used for storage or have obstructions (such as equipment) installed in it. It's common to locate the panel so that a hallway or other normally unblocked traffic path is coincident with the working space required.


Should I remove this gray layer on freshly bought steel?

Looks like mill scale.  It's normally removed prior to riveting, welding and painting.  It is metal oxide but it's a pretty good rust barrier in the short term.  Painting over mill scale works well... For awhile... But when it fails, the mill scale turns against you; being moist and trapped under paint, it rusts progressively under the paint, making ever larger blisters with heavy rust under them.

Knock it off prior to applying a good metal primer and paint.    Absolute ideal is grit (”sand") blast to SP10 near white metal, then a mil-spec 2-part epoxy strontium chromate primer and appropriate topcoat.  That can last 50 years, so it's what you use if you're NASA.   A weaker surface prep will significantly reduce performance.  A weaker primer will reduce performance somewhat.


Is this base idea sufficient for a ground level, not attached to the house wooden patio?

A plain old cinder block will deteriorate within a matter of years. Use blocks designed for the purpose, or pour footings like you're supposed to, following code to the letter.

Concrete Deck Block:

Other than as being part of the railings, 2x4s don't belong anywhere in the construction of a deck.

I've never used these, but a key rule to follow would be placing them on undisturbed soil (don't add dirt back into the hole to make it level). Remove the sod and dig your hole as perfectly as possible.


The wait time to get hot water from a tankless heater is very common, especially when installed some distance from the faucet. The specs for different heaters varies as far as the volume needed to trigger to on. Most do not require full flow volume to turn on.

There are a few small point of use tank heaters, such as American Water Heater Company's Titan series (Lowes) that only store 2.5 gals of water and operate on 120VAC. You should have a separate 120 volt circuit for this type of heater however.

Keep in mind, 2.5 gals is a lot of water in one use, unless you tend to run hot water for longer periods of time. Your main tankless will deliver hot water to the small tank heater by the time temps drop in the small tank, theoretically the small heater will not need to turn on and the hot water will simply pass through.


Intl Mechanic Code 309.1 "Space-heating systems" clarification

Just because it isn't tweaked right doesn't mean the system is not "capable of maintaining..."

afaik, it's applied when someone complains. Which they have the right to if the system cannot maintain a temp above 68, measured 3' off the floor.

If it runs 24/7 and drops below 68 "on the design heating day" (w/e that means) then it does not meet code. If it has to be set at 90 to get 68, and it runs less than 24/7, never dropping below 68, then it meets code.

-"maintain", literally. If 90 is as high as the thermostat will go, and that can't keep it above 68, then it can't maintain. The system is either undersized, needs to be balanced, or can't deal with the heat loss.


This is a NUT:

Channel locks or a slip lock wrench will work. Remove the metal piece on the threaded pipe first.

For the top, I agreee with @jstola but it looks kinda like someone may have filled the bell housing with caulk (the white goo out the top doesn't belog there).
Once in a while, these housings have a small recessed hole with an allen nut inside; yours does not look like one of these, but if you see a small hole in it that looks useless, it probably is.
Also, sometimes these fixtures are also threaded on (and I believe sometimes they are a reverse thread), yours could very well be one of these. If it is caulked inside, you might need to (sensibly) apply some heat to get it to break/melt free.  Definitiely try the putty knife idea first, clean off all excess plumbers putty or caulk, and remove anything plastic. Dont cook the countertop.


How to install a mini split when you have brick walls

You can drill small holes through a typical masonry wall without compromising its load-bearing.

Assuming the holes are no more than a few inches in diameter, well spaced apart and are few in number, there should be no problem.

If in doubt, ask an engineer.


Do I need to prepare my boiler for the water being shut off at mains?

Yes, I think it would be a good idea to shut the main water supply valve off to the hot water heating system during that time.  You are likely to loose water pressure to the house during that time.  The heat system should work fine during that time.  Then when you know that water pressure has been reestablished, open several of he faucets throughout the house, allow them to run long enough to dispel all of the air from the house piping, 2 to 3 minutes, then reopen the valve to the heating system. For the water heater I would shut that off as well.  You will have to open this valve again before doing the air flush.  Happy heating, P.


You first need to fill in the cracks. Home Depot has a variety of products available. Some are latex based that are easy to apply but probably best used for smaller cracks up to 1/2" wide. Others are cold patches that you have to compress with a tamper or by driving over them a few times. Some need to be heated with a propane torch. Those I believe are the strongest available but a little more involved. Do a search for 'asphalt patch' on the website and you'll a variety of different products.

An asphalt sealer is just a top coat. It is used to protect the asphalt from water, UV, and other things that can degrade the asphalt. Think of it like a sealer you would apply to a wood deck. It is not meant for patching. Many sealers can however fill in small cracks up to 1/8" wide. Check the labels. You'll want to reseal the driveway every couple of years or so depending on your local climate and conditions to protect it.

At my local Home Depot I see a few different sealers that are in 4 to 4.75 gallon sizes. Never seen them sell anything in stores larger than that. Those buckets they sell usually have a coverage anywhere between 300-500 square feet which is usually more than enough for an average single car driveway. You want to apply the sealer over the entire driveway because it all needs to be sealed, not just the cracks/patches. In addition to protecting your driveway it restores the color and makes it look like new.


"Phantom" touches on capacitive buttons on new refrigerator LCD panel every ten minutes

You live in a large complex. This just made the probability that someone else in the facility has a fridge or some other device that is cycling every 10 minutes to 2 hours causing spikes on the line and your phantom problems. You might try a surge arrest outlet and see if this helps. A cheap plug in one may be a better first try.


LP fireplace: My pilot and burner both shut down

A 100lb tank? In Winter? In Maine? You are almost certainly overdrawing the tank.
Liquified Propane has to boil to provide you with gas, and it takes heat to do that. The pressure in a propane tank is a direct reflection of the temperature of the propane tank, and they will cool to well below ambient temperatures when boiling hard to meet a high gas demand. Perhaps you've seen frost on a propane tank in the summer at a barbecue? Same idea, but in winter tank temperature can fall low enough that there is inadequate pressure in the tank to supply gas. Figure frost in summer is 50 degrees °F below air temperature, reset the ambient temperature to 10 or 20 °F and the tank is down into the -30 °F and below area where there's very little (or no) pressure.
You need a larger tank, and if trying to use it for winter heat in Maine, a larger buried tank is the best bet, since a buried tank is considerably warmer in winter than an aboveground tank. But simply larger will work, if it's large enough.
There is also a reduction in available BTU/Hr vaporization rate as the fill level in the tank drops (on top of the drop in rate with ambient temperature) so it's possible that it may work better if it's filled more, but a larger tank is the surer cure.


I don't see why you couldn't go with the plan you are thinking of. It's probably concrete under it so it'll take a bit of work to get it off. You could consider using an angle grinder with a diamond blade and cut a groove across the front of the door to ensure any pieces that do break off don't break off under the door. probably will have to do this a few times until you get to the level you want.


Why is there copper in the corner of my shower behind the tile and drywall?

Many years ago copper was the best way to seal corners and also used at the overlap on surrounds. Today we use membranes, Or thick pvc sheeting to protect the structure and keep the moisture in the shower.


How can I figure out what's wrong with them and fix them myself?

Equip yourself with the basic tools needed. Make sure you understand the basic principles of household electricity. Make hypotheses, test those hypotheses. Act on confirmed hypotheses.

As far as I know, about 1 person a week is killed in the USA by accidental electrocution (and many times more in the construction industry). You seem a little inexperienced so I hope you'll understand that folk contributing to this website don't want to contribute to those statistics. I recommend you learn about electrical safety from someone with experience. Perhaps there are local evening courses you can attend or you know someone who is qualified and willing to teach? Fixing broken household electrical items is something that careful householders can do but it isn't something you should rush into in a state of unprepared ignorance. Think of it as akin to knowing nothing about cars but wanting to replace the brakes on the car your wife uses to take your kids to kindergarten.

Equipment wise, you might need a set of insulated screwdrivers and a category-II multimeter that can measure AC voltage.

You need to have a basic understanding of voltage and current, the purpose of fuses, circuit breakers and RCB/RCBO/GFCI devices. You should understand what live/hot, neutral and ground/earth wires are for and how they are typically connected in homes in your country or locale.

You need to understand exactly in what ways this investigation can kill you and how your attempts at repair might kill other people. You need to be really sure you know how to work safely and how to always have the system in a safe state.

Some hypotheses you could test:

The replacement bulbs are broken.
There's no electrical power reaching the bulb holder.
There's a fault in the switch associated with the light fitting.
The fuse or breaker in the main-panel has cut-off the circuit to isolate a fault.

Here's a few things you might do to test those hypotheses

Try swapping bulbs with ones in a room that has working lights.
Use a multimeter to carefully measure the voltage in the socket.
Turn off power at main panel, Remove the switch, examine it, swap with working switch.
Examine fuses and circuit-breakers for indications that they have blown or turned off.

If a fuse has blown or a circuit breaker has turned off, you need to identify the cause before replacing or resetting.


How can I handle excessive pressure in a water heat circuit?

You need an expansion tank on a closed-circuit hydronic loop. You'll also need air vents for removing the dissolved air when it comes out of solution as the water (or antifreeze) heats. These are commonly deployed on the bottom and top of an "air scoop" which is a standard hydronic heating component.
You ALSO need a pressure and temperature relief valve, but you don't want that venting on a regular basis - the expansion tank should deal with normal variation. The relief valve is for when things go wrong.


How to use hopper gun to apply drywall mud to walls in rental mobile home

Texture isn't terribly hard, but there's a few things to note.

Last question first: texture isn't going to hide much in the way of damaged drywall unless you really lard it on. Fix the drywall first.

You'll be shooting texture, not drywall mud. (Texture is usually sold in powdered form and mixed by you. Practice mixing/shooting.)

Check that your air compressor puts out the required CFM to run the gun. (The hopper gun will specify.) You might need to rent a bigger compressor.

One coat is usually the right number, but if you really screw up and have bare spots, you might have to let everything dry and shoot more on top. That's hard to do well, so don't mess up. (If you put too much texture on, just trowel it off when it's wet and shoot again. Obviously, this isn't an option if you're on the second coat, so it's extra stressful.)

Decide in advance what kind of texture you want (orangepeel, knockdown, etc) and practice on some scrap. (Different nozzles/pressure/speed give different patterns.)

You need to mask off everything you don't want texture on. This might be the most tedious part of the job.

It's nice to have a helper that can dump the texture mix in while you hold the hopper.

Did I mention practice? You should practice.


How do I fix or finish a partially sanded wood floor

A "wipe on" polyurethane might get you most of the way there, depending upon how perfect you want to get it.   Lightly sand the damaged area to make sure there are no sharp edges or rough spots. Then with a lint free cloth, wipe on some (it'll take a few coats) and see if you like it.   If good enough, great, if not, and you really want it right, you'll have to sand the entire floor to bare wood and re-finish it all.


Is there anything to be concerned with this picture?

That junction box had a fire.

It melted the lower side of the box. Probably nearly burned down the house.

As for the cause of the fire, I see plain wirenuts and aluminum wires.  Obviously this wire-nutting is contemporary to the fire, but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, eh? This is probably the classic situation of faulty terminations on aluminum wires, but for all I know, the aluminum wires were innocent bystanders and this was an incompetent wire-nut job on copper wires.  Aluminum wires need terminations rated for them.  Not having those is what caused the problem in the 70's.

So replace that box with a metal one less likely to catch fire; I recommend a 4-11/16" square steel box with a 1-gang or 2-gang mud ring, as you need a lot of room for 4 cables, grounds+clamps, and a receptacle or two. (5 sq.in. Each). That box was surely overstuffed if it had a receptacle.

Evaluate wiring throughout the house

Particularly aluminum wiring.   You want to see if wiring like this is typical in this house.  If it is, we need to emplace some strategies ASAP to protect the house.

The first line of defense against shoddy wiring is AFCI breakers.  These listen to the wires for arcing faults (like the one that started that fire). That classic GE panel is still fully supported (mostly; GE made some changes to bus stabs that might  affect you; ask a new question about that).

AFCIs do not come in double-stuff breakers, so noting the use of a few double-stuffs, you might need to combine a few circuits in order to fit AFCIs.  It's worth it.

That service panel

I do not like the rust pattern on it.  It makes it look like the humidity source is on the inside, and I would expect if you took that cover off, you'd find a sea of rust.  Not cool.

Also, if this is a "Rule of Six" (six main breakers) panel, that is a showstopper. Get rid of it.

I would stay with GE, nothing wrong with it.  However, if space is a premium, use Eaton CH or Square D QO (Eaton has cheaper breakers, but QO supports generator interlocks better).

Also, plug the humidity source! Probably a conduit pipe that goes outside.

Grounding

There is no such thing as a self-grounding box.  Boxes cannot reach through the mystical aether and obtain a ground.  They can pick it up from ground wires, but here you have the problem that these are aluminum ground wires, and only a limited number of devices can splice to them.

It might be fairly naughty Codewise, but you could buy accessory ground bars for panels, cut them up, and then fasten them down in the back of a metal junction box. That may be cheaper than using an Alumiconn to pigtail to a metal box.


How to safely connect EU (220-240v) induction cooktop in the USA

First, the US, most countries, and now all countries worldwide have harmonized on safety ground being  bare, green, or yellow w/ green stripe.   So that's easy. Done.
You will need a letter from Bosch either indicating approval by UL (or some other NRTL) or saying something that will satisfy your AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction). This will be required for your permitted work to pass inspection.  If you do the work unpermitted, then you are likely to have problems at sale time when the buyer's home inspector spots the alien range and asks questions. It will also be needed to defend your fire insurance should an incident arise which seems related.   Consequences for unpermitted work can be severe and have been known to blindside DIYers.
I know the paperwork seems like a lot of nonsense, but state law (NEC) and UL are surrogates for the interests of the fire insurer and mortgage lender. It is, after all, called "Underwriters' Laboratories". However your interests are served also by defining a "bright line" standard for which appliances and work are approved. Convoluted, dragged out, subjective lawsuits are expensive for both sides!
The upshot is that shipping electrical appliances across an ocean (unless it's the Indian Ocean) is usually a bad idea.
As far as the cabling, what's in your walls is a correct and modern 10/3 w/ground intended for a high-end home with a 30A circuit for a cooktop OR oven.  (it can't power a combo range-oven typically 40-50A).  Ovens need neutral for the oven light.  Ranges generally don't need it.  Euro ranges definitely don't need it. Simply cap it off and leave it for future use.
However I see a 12/2 NM-B "Romex" cable being used as an extension cord. That's right out. a) it's too small for a 30A circuit, b) it's not cordage (which needs to flex, so must be fine stranded wire), and c) the white wire is not marked to indicate its use as a hot.  That marking is especially important around novices, because wouldn't it make sense to attach white to white?  If you use black-white-green cordage mark the white wire with red phase tape. Boom, it all makes sense!


Can you paint frosted glass with mirrored paint?

Nope.

Mirror paint does not work that way. It's not a surface coating, it has to be molecularly smooth and that can't be painted on.

Generally mirror coatings are on the glass itself, and on the backside. The fogged glass has already wrecked the possibility of doing that.   Feel free to obtain actual mirror glass and replace the glass in your cabinets, be careful.


Can I use a well pump cable to supply a sub-panel?

Assuming you are in North America somewhere based on your descriptions.
As a generalization without being able to see the cable, "pump cable" typically means a flat, rubber insulated type of multi-conductor submersible cable intended to drop from a control box at the top of a well to the pump that is submersed in the bottom. The extra conductors are usually because in those submersible single phase pumps, the starting capacitor is left at the top in that control box; it's not physically attached to the motor as it is on regular single phase motors, so the wires for the capacitor in the motor circuit have to travel in that cable. Submersible pump cable is considered "conditional use" cable and cannot be used for anything else, at least not per code. Running power to a garage is considered "permanent" wiring, so you have to follow all of the rules regarding that. If in conduit, the conduit must be buried at the correct depth for the type of conduit it is, then you have to make sure you do not over fill it (not likely in this case though).
What you could do is to use that existing cable to pull the correct cable back through that conduit. The rubber pump cable, if that's what it is, may not want to cooperate though. Good luck.


connecting three 8 gauge wires, wire nut or multi-port?

If you mean these, they are not -- oh wait, if you dig into the data sheet, they are rated for three #8. Things the literature doesn't tell you that the data sheet does.

Now, you are pushing the limit of the wire nut's range, so it may be difficult to work with.  They work better in the middle of their range.   It also sounds like you are being timid with the wire nut, and you really need to show it who's boss.

You're worried about the wires twisting, they're supposed to twist. If even the insulated parts of the wires start to coil around each other, that's fine, that's an indicator that that you're tightening it enough.

Also, do not pre-twist the wires that will be going into the wire nut.  That is just dumb, the wire nuts themselves are about to do a fine job of that.  Make sure the wires are square/even going in, pretwisting makes that harder.  Also you have a chance of twisting in the wrong direction.

Never tape wire nuts, except for a single wire on a nut (otherwise, those don't hold). Instead, firmly pull on each wire.  They shouldn't even think about coming out of the nut.  If they do, that indicates a bad job of wire nutting.  They are also making bad contact, and will cause arcing and fire.  Unwind it, straighten them out a bit, line them up properly, and do it again.


Is it safe to use portable electric stove as space heater?

Appliances are designed and manufactured with safeguards appropriate for their intended use. If you look at radiant heaters they have protective grills over the exposed heating elements to prevent some unfortunate person from touching the hot part, and to prevent combustibles from inadvertently contacting the heating element. They also have features like "tip-over" switches that shut them off if someone trips over the cord, and over-temp thermal cut-off switches if they overheat.

Your burner is designed for short term supervised use as a cooker, not a heater. I can't say that it won't work as a heater, but I can say that you should not use it for that, especially in a basement that could become a deathtrap for the occupant if there was a fire.

p.s.- the manufacturer user guide says:

  Do not use appliance for other than intended use.


Replacing a hot water heater: tank or tankless?

I would check the operation of the heating elements. On my heater, when the lower element burned out, we had a reduced quantity of hot water (basically the top half of the tank). Replacing an element is much cheaper than a whole tank.

Response to comment: I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself unless you are knowledgeable and comfortable with electrical work. That said, I checked mine with an ohmmeter. This page has more details:

http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-test-water-heater-element.html


I see other studs hard against that stud.  this part of the wall
is probably still stronger than it ever needed to be.


Reading your question I think you have or had a high resistance joint in your panel on the neutral. In general electrical circuits in your residence wire all loads in parallel. This distributes amperage through each light fixture and the voltage remains the same.

If you had a loose connection of the neutrals at the panel this actually becomes a load in series with the rest of the circuit. The high resistance at that point would cause a voltage drop building up heat and melting your insulation. It would also show voltage on the neutral before it dropped at the joint.

I can't say that this is the only problem on your circuit but you must clean this up before trouble shooting any other problem that may be on the circuit. Make sure the circuits on the neutral are off then disconnect the neutral from the bus. Clean off any melted insulation, and clean the conductor so it looks "like a new penny". Make sure that when you reattach the neutral to the bus that it is also clean of and burning or corrosion. Make sure the neutral is mechanically and electrically secure to the bus. Then turn your circuit back on and see if there are any other problems.

Hope this helps and good luck.


Does an air return duct do anything when the air conditioning or furnace is not running?

It depends on a few factors but just based off of what you've mentioned I'd say that it probably would be fairly good at keeping the room a more moderate temperature.

This is mostly because the air handling unit will be drawing the hot air out of your room and in the process the cooler air from the rest of the house will displace the hot air. Since you mentioned that the room cools very quickly I'd venture a guess and say that the room has good air flow in and out (air will flow down the path of least resistance) or is very close to the air handler (making the installation of a return simple).

It depends a lot on how easy and/or costly it is to install an air return in the room but it seems like a fairly good idea. The new California residential building codes are actually mandating a whole house vent fan to effectively accomplish the same thing (cooling without needing to run the AC) because it's really effective at reducing the temperature more efficiently.

If you do move forward with installing air return remember that the higher the intake is the hotter the air it draws in will be.


Does a continuously running furnace pilot light need a spark ignitor?

Does a continuously running furnace pilot light need a spark igniter?

It does not "NEED" one as the pilot light can also be lit with match or a lighter but it is  more convenient to use the igniter. The igniter is only needed if the pilot goes out and needs to be re-lit.
The igniter is for lighting the pilot light, not the furnace.
If you ever have to shut your gas off for any reason,  such as service  or vacation or if the pilot  just goes out, you can use the igniter to light the pilot light.
Once the pilot light is lit it stays on (should stay on) and when the furnace needs to fire up the constant pilot provides the flame needed to ignite the burners.
Most, if not all, modern appliances that have combustion now have electronic spark igniters so  there is no need to have a constantly lit pilot.
Pilot Lights Wikipedia
Pilot Light Safety


To long for a comment
My niece is disabled and uses a wheelchair no curb shower pans are easy but remember the pan is now going to be 2-4x the size of a normal shower. We used a glass brick wall on the center to divide the bathroom up because the large unusual size. For her shower the floor has a slope from the opposing wall all the way back to the drain. We considered a speed bump (very slight) to contain the water that may splash but at 7’ felt it would not be needed. 10 years later the shower is still fully functional. One thing my sister insisted on was thermostatic water valves so if she bumped the valve they would not get froze or burned. The valve has required replacement 1 time recently. The rest of the bathroom floor was raised 3/4 or 1 inch I do not remember. For the floor tiles a rough finished natural stone was used so it would not be slippery when it was sealed, my sister says this is both a blessing and a curse it is not slippery but is hard to clean, we added another outlet close to the opening that she can turn on and spray down the floor pushing the water and soap back to the drain. Since it has a minimal slope. Since this is for an elderly person you might consider a fold away bench. I installed one of these many years ago for an elderly couple in a standard shower. I don’t know if they ever dropped it down but they told me it was very nice.
So you can go totally curbless but you need the pan to extend beyond the splash zone.


How best to isolate dirty power caused air conditioners or other motor driven devices at the dirty device itself?

Well after plenty of research the proper device is a online sinewave UPS that is sized to handle the startup load of the motor/compressor. See https://www.apc.com/us/en/faqs/FA158851/ This answers the question above as posed; however, said UPS is prohibitively expensive.
As for my flicker issue (the symptom) I solved it by wiring in inexpensive EMI filters into the affected fixtures.


Removing residual thinset and slight highspots in subfloor before another layer of plywood underlayerment

I had a similar problem and I just ran a three inch cold chisel over the areas that were a problem. Granted, you might not want to do a large area like this but for a small bathroom, it worked great. No thinset dust to breath, it just shaved the residue off the sub floor and I swept it up. Just a thought. You could use a regular chisel but you'd have to put a new edge on it afterwards.


My garage sensor beam keeps going out of alignment

They're pretty cheap and simple devices. Maybe yours are dirty inside or the light is getting weak.
First, be sure they're well aligned and not just on the edge of the range. Use a string pulled taut past each to achieve parallel and level.
Then, look at  cleaning them. Dust, grime, and insect nests may be clogging the lenses. You may be able to pull a screw or pop tabs apart to get inside and check things out.
Finally, buy a new pair. They're not terribly expensive. Just be sure of compatibility as there are several systems and some just won't work.


Question about putting in outlet w/ three sets of wire

Add a fourth wire to each set - that is 4-12" long.  I like 8-9".  Put the wire nut back on.  In fact, this is a good time to switch to red wire nuts if they're yellow.

These short wires are called pigtails.  Attach them to the receptacle screws in the usual manner.     You can shuck down Romex or buy THHN wire, and you need one wire of each of these:

Ground: MUST be green, yellow/green, bare, or stripped bare. (do not strip stranded wire bare; you'll get a birdsnest.)
Neutral: MUST be white or gray.
Hot: MUST be any unmentioned color. OR a white/gray wire with colored tape markings near each end.

You can get all 3 from a white wire by stripping and remarking.
If you use stranded THHN, the pushing into the box will be super easy, but attaching to the receptacle will be difficult. Consider screw-and-clamp type receptacles for that.

I prefer to attach the pigtails to the receptacle first, and at a comfortable workbench. Then you only have to be in the awkward position for long enough to wire-nut.  I also put stranded on terminal screws, which is hard, so better  done at a bench.

Now, you have a big problem with cubic inches.  This box already has 6 conductors + 1 for all grounds; at 2.25 cubic inches/wire this box is already overfull. The pigtails won't add any (pigtails are free) but the  yoke (outlet) will add 2 wires' worth.    So let's give ourselves some more cubic inches in a tasteful way, using a Legrand Wiremold Surface Conduit Starter Box.  It's intended to surface mount and be a launch point for surface conduit, but it's good for just adding some cubic inches too.


What kind of standard switch do I need to replace this dimmer?

This is very easy: Just connect the black wires to the switch.

Be sure, of course, to turn off power (and verify it's off using a non-contact tester).

You can remove the two black wire nuts, and then just connect those wires directly to the screw terminals on the switch.

New switches will also have a ground screw (green) that should be connected to ground (using bare copper). I can see some ground wires twisted in the back of the box -- it almost looks like there's an extra piece there that used to be connected to a switch, you can maybe use that. If not, get a 6" or so piece of #14 bare copper wire and twist it into the existing grounds, and then connect to the green screw on the new switch.


Extending extension cord 16/3 with 12/2 cable?

Don't splice it -- you can either just buy the appropriate extension cord for the job, or use a field-installed plug + cable-mount receptacle to convert the length of 12/2 W/G into an extension cord.


How can I secure this faucet: the pipe is not secured inside the wall

Don't cut the pipe to seek some "creative" or "inventive" complete resolution to a springy pipe. Especially forget about a floor flange. Let the pipe relax to its unstressed position, direct caulk into the space between the pipe and the wall, and push the loose flange flush. If the existing flange interferes with caulking, you could cut it off with tin snips and put on a two part flange. This is not an emergency, you are not getting any significant rain water into the wall around this pipe.

A possible alternative to ordinary caulk would be copper wool. This is used to block openings to prevent rodent entry. Force this into the space around the pipe.

See this How do I secure a copper pipe going through a wall?

This is the only fitting I can find and it does not really look suitable for the outside of a finished wall. https://www.amazon.com/Pasco-5023-Hose-Bibb-Anchor/dp/B005G8UTUC Surely there must be purpose-designed two-part clamps available that would clamp to the copper pipe and then be secured to the wall with screws into anchors.


If you're away on vacation, then it might be feasible to unplug it while you're gone, but that isn't a good solution because it requires management on your part, and doesn't address what happens when the power goes out while your at the store, or work.

You could try adjusting the limit settings, then simulate a power outage by either unplugging it or flipping the breaker.  It might be that when it normally closes it is very close to a limit and on power up it improperly detects that a safety sensor is detecting a trouble situation.

Other than that you'd have to contact the manufacturer and see if they have a reasonable explanation.


Actually, I think we do get a good idea of the situation and you are correct to worry about (and be considerate) to your neighbors.

You can't CHANGE anything that would "harm" your neighbor's property, but you can "improve" conditions on your property. So, if a tree branch extends over the fence, you can cut it off. However, you can't deform the tree to the point that you kill it. Likewise, you can improve the drainage on your property, but by doing so, you can't harm your neighbor's property, (I.e.: create a drainage swale on their property, soak their land creating a swamp, etc.)

So, installing a french drain is logical and could solve a lot of problems for you, you just need to be careful: 1) how much water you gather, and 2) where the french drain ends, and 3) how it ends.

If it's surface water you are collecting, you might consider:  1) diverting it before it gets to your property...up at the street so it doesn't run down your driveway, and 2) collecting it in a french drain system and letting it disperse out of your french drain system well before it gets to your neighbor's property. I'll discuss how to do that later.

If it's subterranean water, (soggy ground, even when it hasn't been raining for awhile,) then collecting could be a problem. Currently the water is in the aquifer (high water table) and modifying the aquifer is nearly impossible. I've only seen one time when a landowner was able to lower the water table by installing a french drain to divert some of the water closest to their house and discharge it further downhill.

A french drain to me means a trench filled with gravel with a perforated pipe in it to transport the water. So, we use french drains for two purposes: 1) to gather and transport water where we want it, and 2) to gather and store water...yes, store water. When we store water, we excavate a trench (usually 2' wide because the backhoe shovel is 2' wide) and 2'-3' deep. Then we fill the trench with large round rock with no fines (like: 3" minus to 1".) This creates a lot of voids to store the water. You can line the trench with filter fabric to keep the soil from washing into the voids. Most people don't know that about half the water will dissipate through the soil (depending on the percolation of the soil) and about half will evaporate. Evaporation occurs when the wind blows across the ground and draws the moisture out...and I'll bet you have wind in the northwest.

Now, the overall design: So, no matter what you're picking up: surface or subterranean water, you want to keep it contained in your new french drain system for as long as possible. To do this, you want to install each leg (and especially the last most downhill leg) as flat as possible. Remember, you're not transporting it to be discharged, because you'll wash your neighbor's land away, you're gathering it to store until it can be dispersed. Also, make sure the top of the trench is level so excess water will "sheet" out of it, not "stream" out of it.

By the way, the only reason to use a 3-4" perf pipe in the trench is to EVENLY DISPERSE the water. If all the water lays near the top of your property, it won't dissipate as quickly.

So run the french drains where you need to collect the water, including roof drains, but then extend them across the slope keeping them as level as possible. Normally we don't recommend putting surface water (downspouts, etc.) with subterranean water, but I doubt if you have sufficient land to provide two systems and it all has to be dispersed on your property anyway.

Below the last most downhill leg of your french drain, you can landscape with water tolerant plants (talk to your local nursery) and provide ground cover with a 2-3" layer of decorative rocks instead of grass for the excess water to disperse into and eventually evaporate.

Note: It's probably best to start at the bottom of the slope and work your way uphill. Otherwise, you'll be collecting water and it will want to run out where you're working. Also, a hydrologist or a civil engineer with a hydrologic background can calculate the size, depth of trench, etc. for storm water conditions in your area or start at bottom and see how it goes...


What is the proper way to perform work in an attic? (UPDATED)

Honestly, I would get some sheets of plywood (is OSB stiff enough?) and rip em down to 2x8 or other appropriate size, making a compromise between spanning enough joists and fitting in your car.  Float them around as needed to do your work.  "Just step on the joists" has a fairly high penalty for error, at the least, refinishing a ceiling.


How can I boost the water pressure in my shower?

You should check to see what the water pressure is coming from the water main. A screw-on water pressure gauge can be connected to your garden hose connection to find out what it is. Ideally you would want to see a water pressure between 60 and 80 psi.

If your pressure is significantly lower than 50 psi from the main, then you will have issues with having enough pressure for most shower heads. If you have city water, you may have a water pressure reducing valve. These are typically installed near the water meter. If your house is equipped with one, take a measurement of the water pressure, and then incrementally tighten the screw and take measurements. If the pressure is too high, you can loosen the screw. You want to avoid water pressure over 100 psi. When the pressure is too high, it can cause damage to your plumbing system.

If you have a pressure issue at the main, this may fix your shower issues. If the main is not the problem, or you find the pressure is still too low, then the problem is somewhere in your plumbing system. If the pressure is good in the tub and sink in your bathroom, then the shower head itself might be the culprit. Unscrew the shower head itself and see if the pressure is good coming out of the wall. If that is good, then the shower head is clogged up and should be cleaned out or replaced. Certain shower heads contain a water saving feature that basically causes less volume of water to come out. They work fine in areas that have excellent water pressure such as cities, but not so much when you are running off of a well. In some cases the water saver part is removable. If it can be removed, then this may also fix the problem. Shower heads are pretty easy to replace. There are ones on the market which are specifically designed for low water pressure. Using one of those may help the problem, but if the water pressure is terrible, you may need to have a plumber inspect your entire system to find out where the problem is.


How should I add a second level to a closet?

You would be able to mount a 2X6 ledger on 3 sides of the wall with 2 SDS screws in each stud, figuring it is wood framing at 16" on center. A 2X6 across the door and another across the center to break the span in the center and a piece of 3/4" plywood over it all ought to hold anything you choose.

2X4s would be strong enough but there is not enough mass around the screws and spacing between them in the 3 1/2" face to make it strong enough in my opinion. Use screws with joists hangers to hold the center 2X6. You could use 2X6s in the center 16" apart if you choose.


With out a more detailed description of the pipe it will be difficult to answer precisely, but here is a general, "good for most" answer. Since you can detect a sewer odor you can assume the pipe is either a vent or a drain for the kitchen. I'll also assume that it is a plastic (ABS) pipe as you stated it broke after it was pulled on (unless it is very weak iron?). Either  way the repair is straight forward. You must cut the damaged section out so that when removed you will have sound sections of pipe to fit the repair too. It is probably 2 inch diameter ABS. Purchase (2) rubber pipe connectors (they should have hose clamps on them) and a length of pipe (ABS) the size of the damaged pipe. Slip one coupler on the new section and the other to the existing pipe (use dish soap as a lubricant). hand tighten and check for drips.


Should I install tamper resistant receptacles

I doubt it's required for existing construction and repairs, depending on where you live; some states have not yet adopted the code but it looks like most (pdf) have;

The incremental cost is small and if you have small children, it'll save having to buy those plastic inserts. And since I'm one who vividly recalls being a toddler a long time ago getting his first lesson in electricity after finding out that a metal coat hanger fits nicely in a wall socket, I think it's not a bad idea.


How to tile a "wet room" style bathroom?

If you have a specific tile in mind, and you have seen this in a store, simply try the slipperyness out by making it wet and rubbing on it.

There should be nothing wrong with using a pool tile for a bathroom (except maybe slipperyness), since a bathroom is made waterproof underneath the tiles. If the membrane is intact, you can use any tile meant for wet conditions. If the membrane isn't intact, you need to do the whole thing over and redo it anyway, regardless of your tile choice.

Now, I don't know what tiles you like and find pretty, but at least where I live (Denmark), you can get most tiles in sizes from 5x5 cm and up to 31,5x31,5 cm (and some up to 60x60 cm). Some smaller tiles come in sheets of mosaic tiles on a plastic net.

A qick search on my local stores yielded several mosaic tiles (30x30 cm sheets of 5x5 cm tiles) that were labelled as "not slippery" and generally tiles in all sizes and colours.


Should the brushes be this bright on my vacuum cleaner's motor?

No, this is not normal. Some small arcing around the brushes is normal. In this case the rotor had segments that shorted resulting in very high current on the brushes for a percentage of the rotation. The higher current resulted in the larger arcs from the brushes since they take longer to extinguish.

Not long after taking this photograph the motor began to smoke and smell horribly. So I disposed of it.


How to spray paint parking lot stripes by hand and avoid overspray

Make a stencil. That what road markers typically use for arrows, symbols, letters and numbers .

Easiest would be out of some cardboard boxes. Flatten the boxes, cut them and create a stencil with a gap shaped like the stripe. Place on the road, spray paint, then re-position for the next stripe.

Illustration from Asphalt Line Stripping:


How to clean a ceiling fan with retractable fan blades?

You could use a couple of spring loaded clamps to hold the fan blades out while you wipe them down. Just be careful that they don’t apply so much force that they break the plastic.

A manual can be found here. Unfortunately it only suggests a soft brush and no water. Nothing about extending the blades.


Shave ceramic hole instead of re-cutting

I have taken a diamond blade to a few sinks to get past issues, but only cutting the edge to get better clearance for faucet mounting washers. A carefully wielded abrasive bit on a Dremel or regular variable speed drill may do you.

Do not get it too hot, it will crack.

Vibration will mess you up as well.

Looks like the mounting flange will cover any small chips that may occur.


If the stove is from Germany or another country the flue pipe may be sized in centimeters and not inches as here in the U.S.A. By the way, the flue pipe fits over the cast iron collar and not inside the collar to insure that the flue gasses do not flow to the outside of the pipe. Flue gasses always flow from a male fitting to a female fitting so that no flue gasses escape and to reduce turbulence.


Why is my hot water circulator causing there to be hot water in hot and cold pipes?

Somewhere at the end of the line there should be a valve that bridges the hot and cold water lines, which is usually under a sink. If that valve fails or is installed backwards then you will get excessive hot water in the cold line.

To test the valve:

Find the sink with the valve under it.
Close the cold water valve under the sink.
Open the cold water faucet.
Water should SLOWLY come out of the faucet. (If it comes out quickly, you have a bad valve.)
When the water warms up, the flow should slow down and eventually stop completely. (If it does not stop then you have a bad valve.)


Use of combination CAFCI and GFCI breakers instead of recepticles

Nuisance trips are generally easier to reset at a receptacle than in the breaker box.


How to prevent shower water from leaking from the side of glass shower door

did you ever resolve this? If not, then may I suggest that you need a seal that runs down the hinge side of the shower door.

It looks like you have 8mm glass SO you would use a PCR8 From CR Laurence.

You can find them here

They are a simply push on seal that you can run from the top of the glass right down to the bottom, you would have to cut the seals where the hinges are but thats about as technical as you get.

Lee


Trane humidifier control switch replacement

Replaced control switch, everything works great.


Need For Redgard On Cement Board - Can I apply it before hanging?

As long as it's Cement Board & not some crappy "almost" cement board stuff. You really don't need the RedGard, but the more protection the better...so go for it. And yes, you can do the boards beforehand. But, hit the filled seams & screws (your weak points) as soon as a panel is ready to give it some time to setup. You'll have to wait for the fills to dry or at least setup anyway. Just try not to anger your helper too much. Plan for a lunch, cigarette, drink, phone or snack break, flip-off the circuit breaker or sneak Mom in with the baby to delay the job a little, it sucks but he's got to grin & bear it.


How can I get my Particle-Board Cabinet re-staining project looking more professional please?

Do what a professional would do - don't touch it when wet.

Sand the affected areas with fine grit and re-stain, leave until it dries completely, then move, flip over and do the opposite side, etc. Apply the poly in the same manner. You cannot handle pieces until they dry fully. You also cannot handle them with hands that are wet with finish.


How do cement boards and Kerdi boards for wall tile compare?

I haven't used KIRDI-BOARD itself, but I have used similar products.  Mostly, the biggest advantages are found in weight and longevity of the material.  The synthetic foam will last longer than traditional concrete and produce significantly less dust when cutting and installing.

The biggest disadvantage will be the cost.  Synthetics (KIRDI-BOARD and similar products) tend to run on the expensive side.  Some quick Google-ing turned up about $10/sheet for 5'x3'x1/2" cement boards.  KIRDI-BOARDs in a similar dimension (4'x5'x1/2") would run about $77.

So ... if you're working on a DIY project, stick with the less expensive, traditional building materials.  If you can afford to buy massive quantities in bulk (or know a contractor willing to do it for you), look into the more advanced stuff.


Could old gate valves be causing low pressure at the faucet?

First thing to try is take off the faucet altogether, get a bucket by the pipe, and get someone to trn on the ball valves. No pressure there, then look further back. Good pressure there (turn it off again!) then there's something up with the new faucet.


You want something with close to the same thermal and moisture properties as the rest of the surround. Best wound be a piece of brick. You could bond it in with thin set since it is not really structural.

If none are handy, you could use pieces of tile layered using thin set to glue it in. Just make sure none of the pieces stick out more than the brick.

You might want to put a skim coat of the set over the whole brick face before tiling to give you a smoother base for a more even finished surface.  This ski coat would cover any irregularities with a pieced tile patch.


Go to a smart switch

You just don't have enough wires to pull off a traditional 3-way connection, as you need 2 messengers and you only have space for one.

Typically you put the smart switch master in the first location, and the smart switch remote in the second location.  Most will want a communication wire, and you can use the red wire for that.


Do I need 10/2 or 10/3 wire for a 220V heater?

Your load is 20 amps so you should use 10 awg.  Heaters are continuous loads, to size the wire correctly it is 125% of 20 amps or 25 amps. The fans usually run on 120v and they would require a neutral 10-3 with ground would be the proper wire.


Twenty years is not that old really. This will be a double-insulated appliance so grounding is not required. The male plug is probably polarized so keeping the correct polarity should be ensured. These things should keep the appliance from shocking anyone as long as everything is in sound condition.


How do I build a corner bench for my deck?

Simple really assuming you have the proper tools.

Cut your 4x4's to 18 inch length
Build a frame
Attach to the 4x4 posts
Cut wood to fit the surface of the frame
Add lateral support to the 4x4 posts

To join 2 benches at a corner, figure out your corner angle and modify the plans to match.

Wooden Bench Plans Website


Can an electrical breaker panel be mounted on an exterior wall?

They are almost always on an exterior wall.  In some areas they are on the outside of the exterior wall - outside your house.  Most inspectors would tell you that a garage (interior or exterior wall) or in the basement exterior (right where the line comes in) are the two best locations.

If you are having questions on where your panel should be your local city building inspector will surely give you a couple minutes.


How can I remove odor that causes throat irritation and headache?

I'd suggest first determining what is causing this. Is it the window glazing? Is it the paint?

If the glazing, then have the glazing redone. If the paint, then you will need to strip it down, not try to cover it over.

One thing that would help is to have a test done professionally. This can be expensive, but it would help, not that I know who would be able to do such a test. Another option is to remove a piece of the painted drywall. Put it into a sealed airtight container overnight. Then when you do not feel any problems, stick your head into the box, and breath deeply for a minute or so. If you have a problem, then you know where to look. If no problems, then I'd do the same with some of the window glazing.


AFCI Compliance with Multiple First Outlets on [Multiwire] Branch Circuit

"First Outlet" is pretty clear.
You would need to blow that out to a 2-gang junction box, and put a GFCI+AFCI+receptacle combo receptacle on the black wire, and an AFCI on the red wire.
It could be an AFCI receptacle if GFCI protection is not needed there, otherwise it would need to be another GFCI+AFCI+receptacle combo device, or an AFCI deadfront.
... and this is why MWBCs aren't worth it anymore.
MWBCs used to be a nifty way to save some pennies.  But we sure aren't saving pennies here, are we?
AFCI and GFCI requirements basically ruined MWBCs.  It's time to stop using them.
I only use MWBCs when I need 5-8 circuits in a 3/4" conduit that I can't afford to lay another pipe alongside of.


Can anyone tell me what this little white box on my outlet is?

Conveniently, it still had the UPC barcode label and you captured it quite clearly in the picture.

A search at upcdatabase.com shows that it is:

Description     Brinks Home Security System AC Power Adaptor
Size/Weight     5x3x3, 12 ounces
Issuing Country United States

A Google Search for that UPC brings up a number of hits, including on at Parts Express that shows the following specs:

Universal UB1640W 16.5 VAC 40 VA Plug-In Wall Transformer

AC Output Voltage   16.5 V
Current Capacity    2400 mA
Center/Tip Polarity AC Plug
Input Voltage       110~120 VAC

So, it appears to be a low voltage 16.5 VAC transformer that is (or at least was) a part of a home security system. Looks like the screw on top is meant to screw into the outlet for semi-permanent installation.

Of course, it's possible that it was re-purposed for something else like low voltage lighting, a doorbell, or who knows what it may be used for.


It might be an indication that gas regulator on your water heater might be going bad or incorrectly adjusted. It sounds like it's allowing too much gas pressure and blowing out your pilot light.

Your water heater should have a sticker that says what the regulator pressure should be set at. It will likely be listed in inches of water. Mine says 4"wc (wc = water column). Somewhere on the control box to your water heater should be plug that takes a hex key. This is a testing tap. You can attach a manometer to this port to test the output pressure. If it doesn't match what the sticker says then that's probably your problem. Manometers are fairly inexpensive. I bought one from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D38K39Y). If it has two ports, one will be for the inlet pressure and the other for the outlet.

The regulator on your water heater might be user adjustable. You'll have to look at the service or user manual for your heater. On my water heater, it is not user adjustable. Granted the box is sealed with security screws. I bet if I opened it, I'd probably find adjustment knob or screw that's normally set only at the factory.


Fire Extinguisher In Unheated Garage & Shed

Anecdotal I guess, but I've had a fire extinguisher out in my barn for years now and it's never been a problem.  Being in Michigan, it regularly gets below 0F.  Granted, I've never actually tried to use it, but I think the freezing point of the chemicals in there is way below zero.

ETA:

Looking at this page it seems like the operating temp of a typical ABC extinguisher is going to be -65F to 120F.