Casa Endeavor Ceiling Fan: Slight hum, and major wobble

I did a wb search for Casa Endeavor as I had never heard of this brand.
I found lots of info many with links to user manuals and installation instructions for Casa Endeavor

At least it does't appear to cheap fan.  I saw one priced @ over $300.

Is this a new installation.  Has it always had these problems ?

If I was there I would first remove the blades and all the screws that are used to attach them.
Did each blade have the same number of screws (usually 3 per blade) ? None are missing ?
Now with the blades removed does the fan still hum ?
Does the fan shaft still wobble.?
If the answers to either of these qustions is yes the something is wrong with the motor.

When you turn off the power to the fan does it coast or stop instantly.
(With no blades it will probably not coast as long but if it stops instantly there is something machanically wrong. Bad bearing(s) or something misaligned.)
With power off and the blades removed can the blade mount be turned easily by hand ?
No  ?  Motor has a problem.
There must be a blade balance problem.  Some fans have weights attached to make the weight of all the blades equal. Maybe one came off ?

If without blades mounted there is little or no hum and no wobble of the shaft then blade balance must be the problem.
Devise a means of comparing the weight(s) of the blades a pair at a time.

Do the blades all match.  Not one from another model of fan ?


Air Flow using Vacuum and High Air Pressure Air

Creating compressed air is expensive If you consider most air handlers are pushing over 100 cubic feet of air a minute (many in the 200-300 rang). An air compressor 5 horse power will have a rating of 10-15 scfm at the working pressure so you would need a huge compressor just to move the air that would be expensive. Compared to the fractional HP motor on the air handler.
The best way to heat and cool this type of space in my opinion would be with a mini split. A 2-1/2” hole is all that is needed for that size space (each container) for heating and air conditioning the hole is for the electrical control from the main unit, a drain line and the high and low pressure lines that carry the “Freon”. No duct work just those lines.
You can use conventional ducted methods and all that space is lost but mini splits are very efficient and the inside units are small only about 32” to 48” long about 12” wide and protrude From the wall about 8-10”.  Depending on the number of containers and layout you could have a large outside unit with multiple inside units or several small outside units connecting to the inside units.
But we don’t use compressed air because of the cost it could be done but no one would be able to afford to.


Do I need to "protect" low voltage cables that are run through an insulated wall?

If your wall is closed up then you don't have to worry about it.  It looks like class 2 wire is rated to go into walls.  Only use wire that is rated to be in the walls for uses like what you have.  The only things to worry about with class 2 or class 3 wiring is:

Class 2/3 should never be used in the same electrical box (without a low voltage divider or in the same conduit with your house wiring.
Class 2/3 should be kept at least 10" away from house wiring. Try to run in a separate bay.
Remember when crossing house wiring with class 2/3 it should be at 90 degrees.

If your wall is open then if you can spare the money for ENT or smurf tube (bendable, corrugated, PVC that is usually blue) then that will give your wiring more protection.  It is sold in 10ft lengths or 100ft coils.  You can run low-voltage class 2/3 or regular house wiring, but not at the same time.  It will also give the transmission that is carried on the class 2/3 less interference when around house wiring.


How can I make sure my portable toolbox hasn't got any tools missing?

A simple method may be just to weigh the toolbag when it has a complete set of tools.  Record the number.  Whenever you need the toolbag, quickly weigh it again.  If the number matches then everything is accounted for.  If not, then you would need to rummage through and see what is missing.


Split System Air Con icing up at night only..?

I am assuming that this unit is a HEAT-PUMP. If it is, check with the manufacturer as to the lowest an ambient temperature this "heat pump" is supposed to run in. If that temperature is say 20 degrees, then the heat pump should shut down at that temperature and heating will continue on the 2nd. stage heating system. If it is "all the time" then okay we need to check for reasons for the icing of the coil. The outdoor coil of a  heat pumps, when running in the heating cycle will ice up, under certain conditions, but should defrost when the ice builds to where it impedes the heating capacity. If your unit does go into the defrost cycle but does not properly defrost the coil, then there is a problem with one of the controls that initiates the defrost, senses the amount of icing, or terminates the defrost cycle. When operating properly the ice will be defrosted off the coil at any outside ambient temperature. Now I have a couple questions: #1- have you ever witnessed the defrost cycle? If so, was all the ice defrosted off the coil when the heat-pump terminated the defrost cycle and the outdoor fan started running again?  #2 Do you live in a snow area and if so is the outdoor unit elevated off the ground as it should be? I used to set my installations at 12" above the ground. If the servicing company can't get this unit to defrost properly then you need to find a new servicing company with a tech that knows Heat pumps. They are a different kind of animal and can stump even knowledgeable service techs and factory reps.


How should I store between 30 and 50 sheets of QuietRock ES?

Use the garage if you're worried about the floor's capacity. Place the drywall blocks on the floor first (the truck delivering the drywall usually has a bunch of these to protect the drywall and to make it easier to get the lift under the stack). On top of the blocks, put some plastic if you're worried about moisture in the floor. The drywall goes on top of this, so it's off of the ground. And on top of the drywall, you can put more plastic or tarp if the garage isn't weather proof.


How can I fix this broken cluster mailbox unit (CBU)?

If you know who hit it, buy a new mailbox, and send them the bill. They are liable.

If you don't know who hit it, there's more incentive to save a buck by fixing this one, since most insurance companies will raise your rates if you file for a hit and run, and the raised rates will cost more than just fixing it.

If you can't get the nuts off, either cut them off (if you use a nut-splitter the studs may still be usable) and haul the whole base in to a welder, or have them make a whole new base (the post is pretty thin and may not weld well) and drill holes for new anchors to park it beside the old one.

Put anti-seize on the new nuts - someone will thank you (or your ghost) the next time this happens.


What's a good way to minimize bends in a dryer transition duct?

Rigid duct would be best. But there are times where that is not so practical and flexible duct makes more sense. But you need to make sure that it is not any longer than it needs to be:

Pull out the dryer
Cut the flexible duct so that it is stretched and just long enough to reach (i.e., at an angle) with the dryer pulled out
Push the dryer back in place

That should get it from "twisted heap" to "sag a bit on the floor but not too bad".

As far as rigid duct, depending on the layout of the room, you may be able to use an elbow plus one short (4' ?) piece to go from the dryer to an open spot just above the dryer and set up other rigid duct to meet it. Then when you push the dryer back in place you have two pieces that you can clamp together.


troubleshooting a hot tub/spa that won't heat up

Deltaray,

I have a Hotsprings Grandee 220V. I've experienced a few power related issues. Here are my thoughts:

Makse sure the thermostat is set higher than 70 degrees. Should be a no brainer but you never know.
Make sure the breaker for the heater is on. Mine has 2 breakers in the sub panel, one for the heater and one for the pumps and electronics.
Try resetting everything. Turn off the breakers, let it site for a minute, turn the breakers back on.
On mine the cover for the control box is easy to open with a screwdriver. Turn off the breakers and open the control box. Examine the wires that go to the heater. Make sure they are attached.
Mine also has a fuse or two on in the control box. Look to see if they are blown.
The heaters do not last forever. They are pretty simple to replace, especially if you already have experience replacing the circulation pump.
If you are comfortable with electricity it is easy to see if the heater is getting power at the control box. Use a volt meter to check for voltage.
If the circulation pump was not working, the heater could have overheated. Look for a reset button, or if you know the heater is getting power, replace the heater.

When the heater is working you should feel hot water coming out of the drain vent. Your electric meter should also be spinning pretty fast. My Grandee takes a few hours to heat up, but you should feel the hot water almost immediately.

What year/model do you have? 110V or 220V?


It is a ball tip hinge. It is removed by placing a screwdriver under the "ball" but above the hinge leaf and driving it with a hammer in an upward fashion. This one looks in pretty good shape so it come out fairly easy. I have seen these kind be very difficult though. Once the pin starts out, that will expose the top of the pin that goes in the hinge leaf itself and a new inside corner to place the screwdriver to finish drive the pin upward.

Again it may be tough, but it will come out.

I would check the door for plumb with a level in both directions. On the face of the jamb, and on the face of the wall. In my experiences if the jamb or wall is out of plumb by more than 1/4" overall the door will open or close on its own, depending on which way the wall or jamb is out.

The proper way to correct it is removing and salvaging the trim resetting the door, and reinstalling the trim and repaint. Bending the pin a bit may do it, only because it is creating more friction against the movement of the door.

If the door only swings open a little, it may be "hinge bound" where the jamb and the door are meeting each other, whether it is from paint build up or improper installation of the door, leaving no gap at the hinge side. I check this by watching the hinges very closly while the door is closing and if the hinges move in the slightest, that hinge needs attention to get a gap there so it binds no more.


Why does my ceiling fan turn off when I turn on the lights?

I had that same problem I fix the problem bye checking between the fan and the light there wire connection connected wrong just disconnect the 2 wires coming from the fan to the light switch them around and your problem should go away. You have one common and one power switched. Good luck.


Is it safe to connect dish washers and laundry machines to hot water?

The problems are twofold: too hot for some things and too cold to save much.

A modern washing machine uses surprisingly little water (though top-loaders still use quite a lot). By the time the hot has come through, most front loaders will already be full. At this point the water just cools down in the pipes wasting heat, while the machine's heater has to run. Many programs use cold water for at least the first rinse.  If you connect only a hot line you waste more heat at this step. By the final rinse the water will be quite hot. But when you want a cool wash for delicate clothes, the final rinse will still be hot (even if all previous steps aren't) thus ruining expensive clothes.

Some machines may also get confused and refuse to run if the incoming water (expected to be cold) is above the  program's setpoint.

Cold feed only is the norm in Europe, specifically to save energy. The only exception would be if hot water is plentiful but electricity is expensive. This is rare.

The situation is similar for dishwashers.

To answer your title: no, or at least probably not given that it's cold feed only


If it is open air then i think you construct just like a deck with 2x6 deck boards so water can get through.
Either pressure treated, trex or cedar/redwood.
Your 2x4 joist appear to NOT be treated. I would use treated 2x6, unless it will not be in the elements for long.
Why 17" on center, that is an odd number?


Washer outlet extension after adding wall tile

Just go to your home store or a plumbing supply store for a greater selection, and pick up the right size pipe nipple. They come in many standard sizes and can even be custom made at some store. Good luck.


Can a receptacle before a light or light switch use a pigtail?

It can use a pigtail, unless it's a GFCI receptacle and you want the light to have GFCI protection.


How can I find the first receptacle in a circuit?

There is no magic method. You disconnect an outlet and see which ones are still live, if any. You don't have to disconnect any that went dead when you did one of the others. When they are all dead, you have the most upstream outlet on this circuit in this room. If the circuit feeds multiple rooms, the problem becomes larger, but not different.

Be aware of - keep an eye out for outlets with different circuits top and bottom (generally switched one half for room lamps) they can be tricky to figure out if you don't look for them.

Another approach (NOT my favorite) would be to use GFCI breakers instead. Automatically most upstream, but also more expensive and needs to be for your particular breaker panel, rather than the generic GFCI you can put first in line and replace with another generic GFCI when it fails (they do fail.)


Anything wrong with moving from a washable mesh HVAC filter to disposable?

You may have the issue of a reduced flow rate as the system has been designed so that all the components “match”.

This could cause poor performance or even overheating as the motor works harder.

You could contact the manufacturer for their advice.


How to attach a doorbell transformer to a plastic junction box?

As I Understand It:

To do it wrong, you simply drill a hole in the box, which is
presumably what was done.
To do it right you need a box with a knockout for a hole, which will
normally be a steel box.


Don't waste your time trying to keep damage to a minimum. You are gonna have to patch the wall anyway. If you are installing new pieces of pipe, you will need plenty of working space, so cut  a large hole (as oppossed to many little holes); You or the plumber are gonna end up doing that anyway. And patching a hole , say 8" x8" takes practically the same time as patching one twice that size.
Cut you drywall along the edges of two studs, then nail 2 sections of 2x4s to each stud, in order to have a way to attach your new piece of drywall for the patch. Use drywall screws, not nails.
Unless you  are planning on using the existing tiles, just remove them with a moulding pry bar and a hammer. No matter how careful you are, Murphy's law says you will break a tile or 2 while trying to remove them in one piece.
Are you sure there is sheetrock behind the tile, and not a substrate made of mortar and metallic mesh?


Do I need to suplimentary seal the joint between pavers and patio edge when that joint is used as a drain channel?

Leaving joists between two different elements and/or two different materials without any seal is never a good idea if you ask me, especially outside. Even if everything works great it can look a bit ugly because elements could be in different slopes or slopes might be in different planes and some edge differences between elements might become visible which doesn't look good. The other reason is water can get into these gaps and cause many problems. So to put it in one word yes, you need to seal the joint. Next question is which material should be used? I don't recommend any type of batten for so many reasons which I wouldn't like to explain here. I would recommend some type of caulk specialized for outdoor usage. Any half decent seller at any specialized store can recommend you such product. Also you do it old way: back in early days when there weren't tons of specialized products people were using bitumen for this purpose. Maybe it is not going to last forever but it will get the job done and it tolerates temperature differences, at least for a while.


Just lost electrical power to 1/2 of two rooms, on separate circuits?

This is getting two long for comments.

I usually figure out the location using the main panel as a starting point, we normally run as little wire as possible so if the chain in this case went to a fan/light there could be a pig tail that failed but this would be rare thogh possible.

One of your outlets that was not controlled by the switch is now dead (this may be the failure point) With the string of outlets on that circuit one probably feeds the light but the problem may be 5 outlets closer to the main panel - it just depends where the connection was lost.

I usually start closest to the breaker panel and start checking until I find a dead outlet. I pull that outlet and check it for damage. If I don't see any damage then I pull the one prior, just realize that if a common wall between 2 rooms there are outlets in the other room that are probably on the same circuit.

Once I find the last working outlet and the first dead one, the problem is almost always there. Now if you don't find any damage to the wires in those 2 locations, turn the breaker back on and if the circuit now works the back-stab reconnected and since you don't know the flakey outlet, replace both or at least rewire them using the screw terminals (with the power off ).

To tell the truth, I hate back stabs but they have made me thousands of $ to repair this exact problem some times caused by hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, electric heaters, and yes shorted light bulbs. So go back and find the first dead outlet, if not there it could be the feed from the last working outlet.

This will pinpoint the failure since some outlets are working. No fancy equipment needed, just observation and a screwdriver. So yes this makes total sense because the weakest back stab in the link failed and it could be the hot or neutral.


You need a separate circuit for the oven as it draws a much greater current than the normal ring main.
This site explains the load a cooker draws.

A 240 V domestic cooker has the following connected loads:
top oven 1.5 kW
main oven 2.5 kW
grill 2.0kw
four hotplates 2.0 kW each

This results in a nearly 30A load which will clearly overload the regular 13A ring main.
A hard wired connection is where the connection is permanent and not through a normal plug and socket.


How To Level Uneven Fireplace Hearth Concrete?

If there are high points above the desired end level, use a silicon carbide block (you'll find them in the masonry section, with grooves in the face and a big plastic handle on the back - roughly 4x8x2 inches) to grind them down. They work surprisingly well. If the floor you are trying to match is level, then a self-levelling underlayment product (generally a form of gypsum cement) is the typical approach to make the surface level and even. If the floor is not level and you need to match it's non-level-ness 5/16" down you will need to fabricate a screed to run on the floor and level 5/16" below the floor, and use something less self-levelling, like mortar, so it stays put when screeded.


You either have a short or you are back feeding from another circuit. I'm not sure, but let's start at the Panel. Since you know which breakers are tripping,  turn off one circuit breaker and check the load side of the that breaker and see if we are reading a voltage. Try it again in reverse with the other breaker. If you are reading voltage with the breaker in off position then you know you have a phase to phase sort somewhere in the wiring. You simply have to go out and find where they are connected together. By the way use a voltmeter.

I would be looking for a white wire that is being used as a part of a switch leg that is somehow feeding back into a neutral.

If you have no voltage as discussed, then disconnect all equipment and check to see if it is the wiring or a piece of equipment. If it's the equipment, get it replaced. If its the wiring we are back to tracing the wiring out.

What ever you are doing just make sure the power is of before working on it. I would only have the power on when I was looking for voltage.

I am assuming you installed the 5 circuits yourself and are familiar with what was done. If you had an electrician do the work, just call him and have him come back and fix his problem.

Good luck and stay safe.


Since this has its own meter, it's its own service entrance, but put a ground bar in anyway

Since you're getting a separately metered drop from the utility (instead of running a feeder from another building on the property), it's a service entrance all its own, so a service bond between neutral and ground needs to be established here.  (In other words, the green screw or strap that makes the neutral-to-ground connection stays put.)

I would still get a ground bar (Square-D PK15GTAL) and install it in the panel, then land the grounds separately from the neutrals, though, as this makes converting the panel to run off a feeder at a later date rather easier.  (Having two services on the property can get...awkward if you want control of say outdoor lights from both buildings.)


Plumbing: Dual volume control valve WITHOUT mixing

Laundry Shut-off valve - any hardware/plumbing store or the internet.


Removing a Schlage door knob with stripped screw heads

I'd drill the existing screw head off, use a bit slightly larger than the shaft of the screw but smaller than the hole in the knob. The stripped out screw should keep the bit fairly centered even when used at a slight angle. Once each head is removed you can pull the knob and try a screw extractor on what's left, but there's a good chance you'll need to replace the entire lockset at this point.


How do I seal between the soffit and frieze board?

In this case, a caulk that matches the dark frieze board will probably be least conspicuous. You should be able to find a silicone or urethane that's very dark but not black. It might be called "dark walnut", or maybe "charcoal gray".

I'd avoid latex caulks as they don't bond particularly well and they shrink substantially.

If the cavity is deeper than 3/8" or so, pre-fill with foam rope caulk to act as a backer.


The bleach mix will be dilute enough that it will not be of harm. I've used it myself at least a few times to kill off algae that has accumulated.

You can also use things like Oxy-Boost and Stain Solver, a bleach substitute which I believe contains some hydrogen peroxide. It will also work against light moss and algae, yet perhaps be less harmful to plant life underneath.

More importantly is to fix the source of the moss. Roofs that gather moss tend to be too shaded, under big trees that stop it from drying out. You may need to open things up, just by a bit, but enough to let it dry out. Yes, those trees are a natural source of air conditioning, but trees tend to grow. So trim off branches that overhang the roof. Cut a few others out to let the sun in.

For roofs that have only a bit of green, you may find it is sufficient to add zinc strips along the top. The zinc leaches out, keeping the roof clean of moss accumulation. There are also shingles with a moss inhibiting additive that prevents moss from growing. Copper strips should also work, and copper flashing is easily available. I've even read that you can glue (use silicone) copper pennies just under the edge of the top row of shingles. They are mainly zinc anyway.

If the moss had accumulated heavily, the problem is your roof likely needs repair, as it will have been too wet for too long. The shingles will need to be stripped off and replaced, but probably the roof decking will be soft and need some repair too. This can best be judged by a professional who will inspect the roof carefully.


When cutting concrete for basement plumbing, how do you handle rough framing?

One option is don't cut under the walls. Cut up to a couple of inches away from the wall and stop. Continue a couple of inches past the other side of the wall. Then you can just dig under the slab "bridge".


Yes, it is always a good idea to fill any opening that may cause a draft. The opening isn't wide enough for the use of an expanding foam.
Instead any type of latex caulking will work as would any type of Spackle or plaster.
Use a putty knife (or similar) to press the material fully into the opening.
None of what ever fill you decide on will effect the gas pipe.


What kind of sealant to use by foundation?

Sikaflex or similar is the standard, however that gap seems pretty thin.  Is it less than 1/4"?  You can get this in a self leveling format or not.  My best guess would be to not have the self leveling due to not being able to insert a backer rod to prevent the caulking from dripping too deep into the gap.


The most common cause of melting/burned terminals is a failure in the heating element.  These often fail in a way that allows the heating element, which is encased inside a metallic tube with an insulating layer, to make electrical contact with the tube.
In most cases when this happens, it causes excess current to be drawn from the panel and the circuit breaker trips.  But in other cases it fails in such a way that more current than the terminal can handle is drawn but not enough to trip the breaker.
If you remove the heating element and check it with a meter, you should find a relatively low resistance between the two terminals and an infinite resistance from either terminal to the outer shell of the element.  If there is a resistance value read from either terminal to the shell, you have a defective element and it should be replaced.
Your best bet is to replace the burned/damaged part as well.  Makeshift connections here can be dangerous considering this is a relatively high current and also high temperature application and using parts not designed for this application can cause them to fail unexpectedly.


Use a "float ball check valve" (assuming here that your pipe is vertical).


what kind of floor tape can I put on my polyurethaned hardwood floors for spot re applying polyurethane.ng up

Painters tape should work just fine (the blue stuff)...but...I'm not sure you really need to tape it off. A light sanding of the area and you should be able to put the poly right over it to blend it all in.


Securing plywood underlayment to timber sub-floor

I would glue and screw down the plywood.  If you use hardy backer board I would use a dash patch or leveling compound on that before you set your tile.  A good alternative would be to do a mud job on top of the plywood that would take care of the leveling problem.  A mud job is tar paper stapled to the plywood with a layer of stainless steel mesh nailed to that and a mixture of Portland cement and sand set on top of that.  The cement is leveled and suitable for thin set application.  This should last a very long time.


Your oven's fan motor is shot -- replace it

It sounds like your oven's fan motor has a ground fault in it due to insulation breakdown (this is a common cause of motor failure -- its why insulation resistance tests are part of PM for heavy industrial motors).  I'd start by replacing the fan motor as this only happens if the fan is used.  If it continues, I'd keep hunting for the ground fault.


I am not a fan of putting down vinyl over vinyl.  Instead of leveling, I would strongly encourage you to remove the old floor, clean the underlying surface, possibly lay down a new sublayer of hardboard (basically pressed cardboard) and then apply your tile to that.

Vinyl over vinyl as stated by Damon will result in poor adhesion and if you're going to the trouble of leveling it, you may as well remove it and clean it up.  Building up the floor again and again will also result in uneven step differences between rooms.


Your best clue is to observe that the 24VAC output transformer is labeled as follows:

The secondary is indicated to be the BRN and RED wires out of the transformer. One of these is the one that provides the power connection to the thermostat and is most likely the RED one that exits from the wiring box and connects to what looks like the skinny RED off to the thermostat.

The BRN (brown) wire from the transformer is what you are going to want to connect to the skinny blue wire to the thermostat. It is a bit hard to see from the pictures that you provided,  but it looks like the BRN wire is connected out of the wiring box as also a BROWN wire that is connected a wire in the smaller control wire cable (which appears to be supporting part of an air conditioner unit).

Carefully check and trace the transformer secondary wires to see if they are as I described above. If so you should be well on your way to getting your smart thermostat operational.


How do I flash two joining peaks of different heights?

You could flash it with 2 pieces of sheet lead, which will stretch enough to feather with sufficient overlap.

You could do the same with sheet copper. It would probably tear a bit, but then solder a small patch over the small tear.

With either copper or lead, you can do it with one piece by folding the sheet onto itself creating a z-fold yielding a triple layer. Start by laying it up the back side of the small gable, then up the rake board, then flat onto the main roof. Then start the z-fold on what will become the lower edge that spans the small gable and onto the main roof. Once formed, you'll want to install it under the rake board.  To help see how to do this, form it first with a rectangular piece of cloth, such as a bath towel.

The valley formed by the two lower gables will also need special attention. Cut a narrow triangular piece of sheathing to sit in the valley to create a sloped floor on the valley (that slopes away from the upper gable's wall).  From the looks of it, the isosceles triangle would be 4-6 inches across the base, and 18" long (high).  The porpuse if the triangle sheathing is to support the flashing.  Sheet flashing with z-folds will work there too.


new mini CFLs don't seem to fit/work in fixtures?

Well Cabbey, you are not alone. I have run into the same problem with several fixtures designed to accept standard G25 type bulbs when trying to use CFL's. There is an obvious difference in the neck shape and dimensions. As far as the fixture is concerned, maybe you could go to Home Depot and take a look at the fixture you have at home and see if a simple modification is possible before you take yours down. I have also found a big difference in the performance of different brands of CFL's. I have purchased many "Light Effects" at Lowes with mixed satisfaction. Some work great, light fast etc, and some were very lazy. They have always taken back ones I was not happy with.  I have had better results with Sylvania and GE brand CFL's, even using them outdoors in Maine.


Natural gas range emits kerosene/propane burner odor

Yes, you have a problem!  An orange flame, as opposed to a blue one, indicates too much fuel and not enough air (i.e. a RICH combustion condition) that is very dangerous.  Excess CO is produced in this case and can be deadly.

Get a qualified service tech to correct this immediately and don't use the oven until it's fixed!

With respect to your igniter question.  I think it's unlikely that the igniter itself is at fault but perhaps the gas valve was disturbed during the servicing of the igniter.


I don't think the use of these colours are standardised (outside of use in plain old-fashioned land-line telephone systems).

I would disassemble the other end and see how the wires are connected up there. Most likely, two are connected to a push-to-make switch.

If you are sure the system is unpowered, you could use a multimeter to check all 6 combinations of two from four wires for DC voltage and, if no voltages present, check all 6 combinations for changes in continuity when the call-button is pressed.


How do i remove this bulb from my bathroom fixture?

With a glove (in case the bulb shatters), push it sideways (assuming it's horizontal) and then pull forward.

When replacing, do not get skin oils on the new bulb... it is highly likely to break. You can use a paper towel or something similar.


That black plastic circle is where the oil/lubricant should go. Twist to loosen it, then pull it out.


Can I use a sheet of plywood to get a tighter hardwood floor?

You can do it the way it was suggested, starting with the ripped plywood, yes, will need a spline to change the direction of the floor to fill in the space that was occupied by the plywood, and you will still need to face nail the last 3 or 4 pieces, since the floor nailer will not fit that tightly to the wall. You will need to rack out the flooring and compress it in place using a lever system to draw it all up tight, before it is nailed tight, again, only with the last 3 or 4 rows. The lever can be a prybar with a block of wood to keep from breaking into the drywall or a tapered 2X something to act as a lever

OR

You can do it the way I seen it always done, and the way I do it myself when laying floor in a room with a simple floor plan.
Some guys don't take the time to mark the floor joists, they figure I guess many nails will hold and I am sure it will. If you mark the joists first at the starting edge. Then chalk a line 3/4" wider than your flooring is onto the subfloor, lining the first row of flooring tongue of the T&G flooring on the chalkline. This should give about a 1/2" space to the drywall or framing, which is required, if you use the tongue of the as the reference. This will get covered by the base and shoe mold. To keep this space though not needed in my opinion, you can set 1/2" thick plywood shims to maintain the space.

Now back at nailing. It is a simple operation once the joists are marked, usually on the wall so the base will cover it or use blue painters tape if perhaps the base is in place. That way when you put the paper down you still have reference marks. Next take your longest, straightest strips and set them on the chalk line as mentioned before, set them on the line and shoot 2 nails at each joist location, 1/2" to 3/4" in from each edge of the flooring. Do not worry how the ends of the flooring happen at the joist. You can add a 3rd nail in the tongue, like the flooring nailer that you will eventually use will do. Move on to the next row. This will be nailed once on the face and once in the tongue and do the same for the 3rd row. That should get you to where your nail gun can take over.

Just a mention on the laying of the floor. Maybe you have instructions, maybe you don't. I want to impart some techniques on laying a high quality floor. Just 3 or 4 tips.

Keep the ends of your flooring apart from the next row by at least
6", more the better, but if it needs to be closer than that, so be it.
When possible, do not let the breaks (ends) in the flooring line up on subsequent rows no closer than the 3rd row out.
Use as much of you can of that short stuff in a closet or pantry if you have one.
This one regards layout, check the room for parallel
            walls, tweak it here or there if you need to so a difference will
            not show up on the other side of the room, then it is too late to
            fix. If 2 people are nailing the floor, have them switch sides
            periodically, one person always drives the floor tighter than the
            other. When you get halfway across, measure the room again, you may
            be surprised how the dimension changes. With using more force or
            less on the hammer, you can actually "steer" the floor to finish
            well on the other side, granted, if the difference isn't too drastic.

Good luck


Frigidaire refrigerator: no ice produced, and no water dispensed. What would cause this besides the 3-way water valve?

I wanted to close this out:  turns out the problem was the filter, presumably clogged (over two years old).  Thanks to @mike65535, who hit the nail on the head right off the bat. Did not try this first because I did not have a spare filter on hand...


Ceiling fan & light installation - can't get wiring right

You are not wired the same way as the picture in your instructions. I think the power comes in to the ceiling box, and the switch is a separate cable.

To verify this, disconnect all of the wiring in the ceiling box and at the switch. Turn the breaker on and carefully check for voltage between the black and white wires. When you find the black and white pair (or just the black wire if you are using a voltage tester) that has power, then you can turn the breaker off.

If this test confirms voltage on just one black wire, then connect as follows:

In the ceiling box:

Connect the black powered wire to the other black wire in the ceiling box.
Identify the white wire that is paired with the black powered wire. It will be in the same cable sheath. Connect that white wire to the white wire on the fan.
Connect the remaining white wire (which would be coming from the switch) to the black wire on the fan/controller. Wrap a piece of electrical tape around the white wire about a half inch back from the wirenut. This will signify that the white wire is carrying live current and is not a neutral.

In the switch box:

Connect the black wire to the switch wire with the yellow sticker.
Connect the white wire to the switch wire with the blue sticker. Also mark this white wire with electrical tape.


You can make your own.  Otherwise, questions about where to buy stuff are not in scope for this site.

If one of the walls can be repainted and is otherwise suitable as a whiteboard, just paint it over with this.

More likely, as a renter, you can't modify the unit or paint it, so you'll have to buy a sheet of fiberboard, plywood, etc., hang it, and then paint it.


Outlet to conduit junction recommendations

I think the rectangular box extension is better. It seems to me to be better to just come straight out of the old receptacle parallel to the wall. Are there even fittings to adapt to that angle of the one you are picturing?


Vertical crack in exterior wall - visible on both sides

This could be from settling or from when it was built and took this long to crack the stucco and paint finish. At this point I'd monitor it to see if it gets worse. I would be proactive and get some Siliconizer and brush it on both sides of the crack to prevent any moisture from seeping through the crack and seams of the block.


Is it OK to use an AC power supply with output voltage lower than specified on the original power supply to recharge a cordless tool?

That may work, or it may fry your power adapter and/or tool depending on the design of the internal charging circuit.  Your original charger supplied 2 Watts (8V * 0.25A), and your proposed replacement is only capable of delivering 1.8 W (6V * 0.3A).  If your charger pulls more current to compensate for the lower voltage (which is likely, assuming it works at all), then most likely your power supply will either blow a fuse or overheat and melt.

One solution that might work for you if you're willing to do a little electronics work is a 9VAC adapter (which are cheap and common as dirt), plus a power resistor to drop that down to 8V.  Here's one that can output a full 1A for less than $5.  Since you know your device will be drawing about 250mA, and you want to drop 1V across the resistor, we can select a value with Ohm's law: 1V = 0.25A * R; R = 4 Ohms.  That resistor will dissipate (0.25A)^2 * 4Ohm = 0.25W, so anything 1/2W or bigger will be fine.  This would be one example of a suitable resistor.

EDIT: Another option, albeit slightly expensive, is an 8/16/24V Doorbell Transformer.  It has the right voltage and more than enough current.


Why does my bathroom light go off and on after switch gets turned on

Based on saying you can push up on the switch and the light turns back on, the switch sounds like it's faulty and needs to be replaced.

This is a pretty easy DIY job. You need a new switch ($1-2 at any hardware store) and some basic tools, post back if you need help with the specifics.

If you've never done any electrical work before, please read up first and use ample caution. Electricity can be extremely dangerous, and it's why even people like me that have been doing it for years still carry around and use a non-contact voltage detector ($10-15) every time we go to touch any wiring, just to be really, really sure it's not live.


A trick I've used in the past is to take a candle and rub the wax on the door and frame where they stick. Make sure to apply a thin enough coat where the color of the wax doesn't show up on the door or frame, if that's an issue. To prevent that, use a candle that's as close of a match to the door and frame as possible .

Depending on how often the door is opened, you may have to reapply the wax every month or so.


Question about electrical service for subpanel in pool house

National Electrical Code says that you cannot connect conductors 1 AWG or smaller in parallel (310.10(H)).  Since it's not likely that the conductors between your buildings are larger than 1AWG, you cannot do what you want.

What you can do, is install a new larger double pole breaker in the main panel. Then install a new set (4 conductors) of larger conductors between the buildings, to feed a secondary panel in the pool house. Then you can feed your branch circuits from the panel in the pool house.

The size of the breaker in the main panel, and the size of the conductors between the buildings will depend on what size service you want to supply to the pool house.


Single pot light in room continually dimming / flickering, before dying after a few days

I think you know the answer. You had a 50 watt lamp in a fixture rated for 42 watts.

The cheapest solution would be to have used a less powerful bulb. But it's possible that you have damaged the fixture. I think you should try harder to find a less intense bulb. I just shopped online for 1.37 seconds and found six MR16 type bulbs rated below 50 watts.

Or you could change the fixture. You might need a new one now, anyway.


Chop the 6-30 plug off the heater and replace with a 14-50 (or 6-50) plug.

That's going to be the cheapest option.  Not bad if you know you're never going to move that heater around.  These plugs are readily available at home improvement stores.

  Get an adapter from 6-30 to 14-50 (or 6-50).

Flexible and reusable parts option.  Modeately more expensive, and those are not very common adapters to find.  You will probably have to build one from parts.  I'd buy a 14-50 stove code, and outdoor rated outlet box to put the 6-30 in.

Better yet, get an outletbox that's twice as large, and put a 6-30 and 14-50 on it, so you can keep both plugged in at all times.  Just keep in mind if you use both at once you're likely to trip the breaker just as if you turn on too many appliances in a kitchen at once.

  Are there better options (aside from running a separate circuit for the heater)?

You could run a subpanel.

If I was you, I'd run a 100A service from the main panel to a subpanel in the garage.  Garages are a great place for a subpanel.  If you decide you want to run both the charger and heater at once, you can, and you can add capacity for a compressor, or power tools later on easily, too.

I'd recommend if you add a subpanel in your garage to include a pair of 20A outlets nippled to the sides of it just to have it available.

You could then hardwire the charger and heater, and save cost and eliminate visual clutter of the outlets and plugs.

  Is there any advantage to getting the charger with a 6-50 rather than a 14-50?

I would not expect there to be much difference, but you didn't say what chargers you're referring to.  I would buy whatever's cheapest, and I'd probably hardwire it to the subpanel to save on connector cost and risk of connectors breaking.

  Is 8/3 Romex sufficient?

I'm going to refer you to an NEC ampacity table so you can make that decision for yourself, but I wouldn't use 8AWG for 50Amps

Assuming you're using Copper and its going to be instaled in a wall, I'd use 6AWG.

Or run the subpanel with 1/0 (one ought) aluminum or 1AWG copper, and then I'd be comfortable using 8 AWG to a charger directly adjacent to the subpane.


Igniters do go bad but the ones I have had trouble with don't work at all or have area that is dark. I have had more problems with the gas mix. I have seen cases where the jets in the burner have gotten plugged or partly plugged causing problems. I have had success using a piece of wire small enough to push through each port opened them up enough. The other possible problem can be where the air is drawn in to the burner sometimes there is a screen to keep dust and spiders out if this screen gets coated with dryer lint the air/gas mix is not correct and the burner may not light. The last problem I have had is the very small orifice just after the gas valve but before the burner gets plugged. This small orifice is difficult to clean but there are usually replacements available for a couple of bucks if you change this make to get the same size there are different sizes for natural gas and propane.


Should I thread tape counter-clockwise on kitchen sink shut off valve?

TPFE tape is wound around pipe threads in the same direction that the coupling nut is twisted when tightening. For the illustrated pipe, that would be clockwise. If the pipe were pointing down, but you were looking from above, counterclockwise.

If you wrap it in the direction opposite the nut-tightening direction, the nut will unwind it, it will bunch up and prevent a good seal.


Is it OK that the frame of my house doesn't line up with the slab?

No, it's not ok. For one thing, by the time the city inspector looks at the fully framed building, it will be a little too late to fix it. Secondly, the builder's attitude seems very questionable. Either his framing crew or the concrete sub messed up. At the very least their job is not done in a workmanlike manner. They shouldn't wait and hope things 'slip' by the city inspector. A good contractor with personal integrity just wouldn't allow something like this to happen in the first place, IMHO. Or if this was truly not a big deal, he would take time to explain why this is ok.


I am trying to identify the brand of this bathtub faucet

Unfortunately, plumbing fixtures have no constancy. There are many, many different makes, and no company makes the same thing one year to another. They all change their models every year, so finding the same fixture is virtually impossible. That said, the stuff behind the fixture tends to be standardized. The handles are attached to what are called "faucet posts". This is what they look like:

Most ordinary turn handles will work, and if not, hey, just return them for store credit.


How do I hang an OTS microwave without a cabinet above?

Over the stove microwaves generally have two main mounting points:

back bottom held up by a bracket attached to the wall
top front (on each side) using heavy bolts though the floor of a wall mounted cabinet.

The bracket mounting would work like any other. It is strongly recommended that all mountings of microwave units be attached to framing. While there are provisions for heavy-duty wall anchors (such as toggler type) these are strongly discouraged. You might consider opening the wall and adding a horizontal framing member if you can't find two studs.

The upper mounts could go through a shelf in the same manner as a cabinet, but you need to ensure that the shelf is solidly mounted and can hold the weight. This would require supports just below the shelf and an angled support from the front edge of the shelf to a spot on the wall 8-12 inches above the shelf. Again, these supports should attach to a stud near each end. The shelf would also need to be the depth of the microwave.

Such a setup would give support comparable to a cabint mount.


I have gone through many different versions of whiteboards; purchased and DIY.  Quickly, they all become terrible and the ink is difficult to erase.  I tried car wax to condition the plastic as well with little results.  I ended up stumbling upon a fantastic solution: I cam across some pieces of glass with rounded edges that were used for a shelving project.  There were about 2'x3' each.  Mounting these on the walls in our office was easy using some stylish brushed nickel mirror hangers.  They work amazing and I highly recommend seeking out glass as an alternative.


Water Heater - Discharge Pipe Goes Upward, How To Address

TPR piping has one solitary purpose, and that is to relieve pressure should a problem arise that overpressures or boils water in the heater.   Such a problem could include the city supply overpressuring for some reason.  The discharge will be steam or water, and it needs to discharge somewhere (preferably: safe).

The discharge could be massive since it is fed off main supply.

Even if a bucket met statute, it would quickly overflow and cause a flood event in your home, and that means you'd get to have the guys with the industrial dehumidifiers come out and spend a week busting out drywall and flooring, and unfinishing your basement, then fun with the insurance company.  Goodee.

So that piping should "go overboard" to somewhere non-destructive, like a downspout on a downhill side of the house.

The only bad thing about going upward is after the event ends, stagnant water could be trapped in the rise.  The installer should have never installed your water heater oriented like that.  But these events are quite rare, and are usually the death rattle of the water heater, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.


Wet basement: is the gas pipe the culprit?

The foundation might not be waterproofed or the builder might not have installed a perimeter drain.  There are some general solutions that don't require excavating your foundation.

The first thing to check is grading and rain gutters.  The soil that was excavated for your basement had compacted naturally over eons.  After the basement was built, it was dumped back, often with construction debris.  So it is generally more permeable, plus it settles, losing the slope away from your house.  Surface and subsurface water then have an easy path to your foundation, and the block walls are porous.

Grading: Your lot may have a grading problem that flows water toward your house.  If so, solving that isn't something that lends itself to an answer here.  The house, itself has a big footprint and all of the rain water falling on it gets dumped next to it.  Verify that you have a nice grade for a good 10' or so from the house.

If not, put down sheet plastic for about a 6-8' perimeter around the house and up the foundation wall to the height you will need to add soil to achieve a good grade.  Then add soil to grade the area.

If you have shrubbery around the foundation, make sure none of it has deep roots or has the root ball close to the house.  If you have trees within about 20' of the house, their roots may have grown to the foundation because of the water supply, providing a water channel for ground water (or worse).  Note, though, that some trees, like Weeping Willow, are purposely planted to act like a sponge because they suck up ground water in problem areas.

Gutters and downspouts:  Verify that you don't have any rain gutters that have pulled away from the roof.  This allows rain water to run off behind the gutter and collect close to the house.  Verify that the gutters are clean and the downspouts are not clogged.  Add extensions to the downspouts to channel the water well away from the house (a good 10' or so).

Internal solution:  If the external solutions don't solve it, finding the specific sources of leakage can be a challenge, and hermetically sealing the interior wall is very difficult.  Another approach is just to recognize that hollow blocks collect water and use that to get rid of it.  There are systems to do that that involve minimal "destruction".

They generally involve drilling drain holes into the block cavities at floor level and channeling the water to a sump pump.  One system uses a plastic channel sealed to the wall and floor to capture the water and direct it to the sump pit.  You still need to cut the floor to install the sump pit, and cut a hole in the wall for the outlet pipe (and pipe that well away from the house).  Once water in the cavities has a place to go, you can use waterproofing paint on the walls to keep the interior surface dry.

Gas line: You've noticed some specific clues, like water around the gas pipe and wet ground, so that might be a specific issue you can address, but I wouldn't ignore the rest (there is a reason why the ground is so wet, and the pipe entrance might be a convenient channel for water but not likely the only one).

The right way to fix that would be to carefully excavate that location and seal and waterproof it properly on the exterior.  Short of that, you could look at replacing the material used to seal around the pipe on the inside.


How plausible (and how hard) is it to modify a billy bookcase to fit a gable-end corner, floor-to-ceiling, with an impinging 45deg roof

None of this would be considered trivial.  For example, just to do the left bookcase conversion for the 45-degree top.
After cutting off the top of the cabinet to make the 45-degree angle, you would not have a top piece to place on top.  The top board is now too narrow because it is at a 45-degree angle.  The first issue is how to replace or extend the depth of the top to fit the top of the case.  The new cut on the sides no longer have the holes for the cam screw.  You would have to replace the original cam screw with other fasteners to join the new top to the sides.
The corner unit adds further complications.
If possible, I would look to find a wall unit that fits up to the gable.
I just modified a full-size pantry cabinet to fit under a stairwell with the angle going across the full width of the cabinet, and it is not trivial.


Do these pipes need to be winterized? How?

Yes, you need to winterize them. That looks like a backflow-prevention device, which prevents water from the lawn from flowing back into the city pipes (in the event of a loss of pressure). Typically, when I lived in TX, my winterization procedure was to shut the inlet valve (the green-handled valve on the right side of the device in your picture) and turn the screws on the short stubby pieces 1/2 or 1/4 turn and drain the water from the backflow device itself. Turn the outlet valve (green-handled valve on the left of the device) partway closed. Wrap the piping in foam insulation, and possibly wrap the backflow prevention device itself in a towel or shirt for the few nights it dipped below freezing.

Given that you're in the Northeast US, though, you should have a shutoff valve / drain somewhere inside the house. Any piping prior to the inlet valve will still have water in it unless it's drained, and that portion of the pipe from the house to the inlet valve will freeze if it isn't drained. Once you find the shutoff, open its drain if it has one, and open the drain on the short vertical piece below the backflow device. Once all the water has drained you can close the drain on the short vertical piece. In the spring, close all the drains and open all the valves.

It may be a poor design, but the important thing is to make sure that any pipes exposed to the exterior are not full (or close to full) of water. The only way to do that is to drain the water in the system as part of the winterization.


You've got five different design factors, all entangled.

The heatsink.  That will be a ruling factor in your design.
The user controls, light switch, dimmer, HomeKit interface, WiFi antenna, and whatever else you care to dream up.
All the physical parts and aesthetics of the fixture.
The LED emitter itself.
The power supply (driver) which takes line power and makes constant current tailored for that emitter. Any dimming etc. comes in here also.

I have good news for you: the last two can be purchased "off the shelf" from a variety of vendors from Mouser Electronics to eBay. It's possible you could innovate in this area, but you don't have to.

The other three are physical crafts, not electronic ones. Well, except for the user controls, where you can go crazy with "Internet of things" type technologies if you wanna.  There's a lot of potential fun in this area, remembering that color LEDs are available.  (their CRI is not as good as decent white LEDs, keep that in mind, so if you're looking for an excellent daily light, you might want to either forget about color, or put two emitters in your light.  Emitters are cheap.


Electrical - 50A to 20A Adapter for heater?

I believe you could have a safe, code compliant install now if you used the 6/2 to feed a small subpanel with no neutral.  The 240V receptacles don't have a neutral.

There may be a tap rule that would allow you to tap the 50A circuit with #12 if you keep the tap very short, but only if you hardwired the heater, not with a receptacle.


Bench soldering copper pipe into a subassembly

Yes, it's possible to bench solder, and in fact you should generally avoid soldering on an assembled threaded assembly. "Oven soldering" is a completely absurd approach to plumbing. Save it for your SMT electronics projects.

If you are very uncomfortable about soldering, just use threaded pipe (steel, brass, stainless steel...) and threaded fittings.


3 wire conductor to an electrical subpanel - Can I add a separate conductor for neutral in same conduit?

Nope.  All conductors must be in the same cable or conduit.  NEC 300.3(B).
Further, individual wires are not physically rated to be installed "loose" outside of a conduit or other raceway.  The interior conductors inside 8/2 are also not rated to be used without a sheath.
Lots of people find themselves in this situation, but the simple fact is you need to get the right cables or wires for the job.


Tailpiece too long for new chrome J-Bend in kitchen sink drain repair

Trim the tailpiece to fit. A pipe cutter would be a bit more suitable than a hacksaw, but if you only have a hacksaw, just clean up well with a file after sawing.

New tailpieces come quite long so they can be trimmed to fit.


Can I add unfaced insulation on top of faced insulation which is on top of cellulose?

The facing shouldn't be there in the first place.  The facing/vapor barrier should always be on the inside. ("Warm side")

Having the facing on the outside creates a moisture pocket - moisture that gets between the ceiling below and the facing above becomes trapped, and encourages rot and mold growth.

Remove the facing and then you can pile on more insulation to your hearts content.  Lay it perpendicular to the existing layer.


Can I hook these wires up to find the connection to a dead outlet?

This is answer is based on the wires in the pictured box were found that way - just hanging loose - and not capped with wire nuts. If they were capped with wire nuts then I would much more likely (but not guaranteed) consider this more of a "are these the right wires - tone/test to find out" situation. But as is...

The problem is you don't know why the previous receptacle was removed from the box. The likely possibilities, which you are counting on, are:

There was something wrong with this receptacle, so it was removed, leaving these wires hanging. Nobody needed a receptacle here and nobody noticed or cared that another receptacle wasn't working and that was it.
or
(As suggested by Harper): There was nothing really wrong with the receptacle here, but the previous owner had some reason to remove it - e.g., it was valuable (GFCI? Timer? Dimmer?) or it was flagged as a non-code-compliant device and removed. But the previous owner did it himself and didn't bother to cap the wires and didn't know or care about the other receptacle that stopped working.

But it is also possible:

Something was wrong with the circuit in general - e.g., the breaker wouldn't reset. Somebody removed this receptacle as part of the troubleshooting process. The problem went away. Nobody needed a receptacle here and, while they knew the other receptacle (the one you are trying to fix) wasn't working, they didn't care because the rest of the circuit was working again.

You have no way of knowing which of these scenarios (or some other one I haven't thought of) actually happened. As a result, while it is easy enough to connect these wires together and see if the receptacle works, you might be reactivating an old problem, such as:

A bad connection at the receptacle you are trying to fix, that might arc and cause a fire.
A damaged wire between this missing receptacle and the receptacle you are trying to fix, which might cause an intermittent hard to find until it is too late problem, causing a fire.
A damaged wire leading from the previous receptacle to this missing receptacle that has a problem that isn't evident when there is no current flowing (as there hasn't been since the receptacle was removed).

You simply don't know.

Are there ways to check things out? Yes. You can test the wires in each section to make sure they are low resistance and not shorted. You can check (even replace) the broken receptacle to avoid any problems there. But you are starting in a really bad place - with a receptacle that was removed and the wires were not properly capped. So you really don't know what is going on with these wires.

Anyone who would leave the wires hanging doesn't know electrical safety 101. What other problems might be lurking???


Silicone or rubber protection for kitchen base

I think perhaps the term you are searching for is "rubber cove molding" or "vinyl cove molding" - a fairly standard product. "Wall base" seems to be another term for it. "resilient" and "thermoplastic" may also be seen where "rubber" is in my first suggestion.


The answer to this question depends mainly on two factors. It really has no bearing on the dryer itself.

The size (diameter) of wire conductors from the breaker in the panel over to where the dryer plug is located. The primary function of the panel breaker is to protect the wiring from ever being used at a current rating over its rated size. If that wire is 10AWG then the breaker needs to be a 30A breaker. 8AWG wire may be used with a 40A breaker.
The dryer plug outlet itself will be rated for a particular current carrying capability. If that is a 30A outlet then it cannot be used with a 40A breaker even if the wire was rated at 40A.

If the dryer outlet looks like this it is a 30A outlet and the breaker will definately need changing. When doing so just make sure that the connecting cable has at least 10AWG conductors. (Note that wires with smaller AWG numbers are larger diameter wires capable of higher current).


Adding Recessed Lighting to bathroom circuit

If a circuit has bathroom receptacles on it, you have two choices and the circuit must fit one of them:

The circuit powers only receptacles, in any number of bathrooms. Nowhere else.
The circuit powers receptacles in ONE bathroom, and any ther hardwired loads in that same bathroom only.

Now if the circuit predates those rules, you are grandfathered insofar as you don't change anything, but if you do, you can't make the situation worse.  So for instance if a circuit powers 1 bathroom receptacle and 2 bedroom receptacles, you can't add a hall light.

So if the downlights are going in the bathroom, that is fine.  However, you don't want a situation where someone trips the breaker running both a hairdryer and a curling iron simultaneously, trips the breaker and plunges themselves into darkness.  Then they're in the pitch black holding a hair dryer, which they accidentally set down in the sink full of water. Then when they reset the breaker, the GFCI trips and the hair dryer is ruined.  At best.


Should outdoor deck gazebos or grills be grounded?

If lighting hits an ungrounded metal structure, it will usually branch out at the bottom of the structure, following multiple paths between the structure and the ground.  Some of those paths may be horizontal for a considerable distance.
 It will burn, explode, and/or electrocute anything in the way.  Grounding a metal structure makes it safer.

However, surviving a direct lightning strike takes a lot more than just a single copper rod in the ground.  To do it right, you'll need a soil analysis and a network of grounding rods that are bonded together.  I think a better idea is to stay away from the gazebo (and the deck for that matter) when there's lightning in the area.


What is a split bus panel, and how do I recognize it in the field?

Imagine a 2-phase sub-panel: 2 bus bars down the middle, 2 lugs at the top to connecting the incoming power from the main panel. (No main breaker here because this is a sub-panel; the disconnect breaker for this type of panel lives in the upstream panel.)

Now imagine a sub-panel that contains 2 completely independent sets of bus bars. This is a split bus panel.

Here's a picture:

Typically, in a split bus panel, the wires delivering the power to the panel are connected directly to the lugs for the upper bus. Then a double-pole breaker is installed on the upper bus and wired to the lugs on the lower bus.

This is allowed because of the "6 breaker rule", which says that a panel must de-energize all of its circuits by switching off at most 6 breakers. Provided that the upper bus has at most 6 breakers installed (say all double-throw breakers for big appliances) and one of those 6 is the double-pole powering the lower bus, then it takes at most 6 breakers to de-energize all of the attached circuits for the entire panel.

So you can identify a split bus panel by looking in the middle for a (ahem) split bus. It should be obvious because there are lugs buried between the breakers, and those lugs are likely wired to a breaker above.

(In looking for pictures or diagrams to help me explain this, I came across a website from Charles Buell, a home inspector, that explains a lot about split sub panels, including some mistakes he sees, plus some things that people claim are mistakes but are not. It's a good read and it might help you.)


4yr old heat pump doesn't label 24v C wire

You don't have the C wire brought out to the thermostat.
See that COND UNIT CONTACTOR   On the right is the Y wire going to the stat
On the left is the C wire going to the transformer common.  It is not labeled C but nevertheless it IS the C wire.
If you have more than 4 individual wires going to the stat then you would have an unused wire, you could connect that to the left terminal of the COND UNIT CONTACTOR and get your C wire brought out to the stat
Or you could run new stat wiring.
Or you could wire in the C wire adapter.  Usually how those work is they take some of the signaling wires like G, W or Y wires, convert them into a multiplexed set on a single wire, then the thermostat breaks out the multiplexing internally.  Then you repurpose the now-unused G W or Y wire to a C wire.
By the way if you live in a temperate climate then the heat pump isn't worse than a gas furnace.  I'm like you, I am old-school with a central gas furnace and a central air conditioner.  But I'm in a temperate climate and a lot of people around here run heat pumps and their costs are about equivalent to my combined electrical/gas.
Where heat pumps really suck (in my opinion) is cooler climates where you get a lot of snow and such in the winter and it's not that hot in the summer.  Such as like Montana 50 years ago before Global Warming scotched everything.


Is Schedule 80 PVC Conduit Suitable for Short Directional Boring?

I don't know what regulations allow, but I have never seen horizontal boring done without installing the HDPE flex conduit as part of the process.

They bore by pushing the bit forward until they hit the destination.  Then they swap the boring bit for a pulling end, and pull the conduit back through the hole as they are removing the drill rod.  There is no separate conduit installation from the boring; you can't realistically push conduit through the bored dirt afterward.

How are you planning on doing the boring?  Is this something you are going to jerry-rig yourself, or hire a company to do?  If you are hiring it out, they likely will have some leftover end spool.  As you say, 30 feet is a small fraction of the 2000ft spool.  It should not be hard to get that as leftovers from the boring company, I would think.

And if you are doing it yourself, perhaps you can still buy some end spool offcuts from a boring company.


Switching from multiple thermostats to a single one

It sounds like you have baseboard heaters or similar. Since there is a heat source in each room, it doesn't make sense to control them all together (eg, every room on, or every room off) and since you also want a thermometer in every room, I assume that means you still want individual rooms on/off as needed. You just want to be able to set the whole house to some temperature, and not have to run around to every room to do so.

I am going to guess the motivation for this is that you turn the heat down at night or while you're gone for the day to save energy. I'd suggest the best way to do this is to replace all your therostats with programmable themostats. You still have to program them individually, but you only have to do it once. I have a forced-air system in my house with one thermostat, but it's programmed that I essentially never have to touch it, except for on holidays where I'm home during weekdays. A quick internet search shows it's very easy to find multi-packs of programmable baseboard thermostats for a decent price.

You'd actually have a lot of flexibility with this setup. For example, if you only use a bedroom or two and the living room after 10pm, you could have the heat in other rooms turn off earlier.

For fancier setup, you could use something like the NEST thermostat or a wifi-enabled thermostat (eg, Radio-Thermostat CT300 or Filtrete model). I have the CT300 at home, and the website and iOS app allow multiple thermostats to be connected: in addition to being programmable (and thus not generally needing to touch it), you could obtain your centralized control of all of them, albeit at a higher cost than simple programmable ones.


How can I extend an offset toilet flange when tiling?

What you are looking for is a riser also called extension flange. But considering you are able to get to the pipe below - you could just extend it to what you need, but cramped space and a crappy job - and possibly not being able to seal it properly well - could be really ...

Humor aside take a look at the links here I think you will find it to be easier.

I do believe they make spacer flanges in @ 1/2 and 3/4 inch increment.

See this link Extension Flange

There is more detailed information provided here for 4 options but extenders and spacers are straight forward and simple.


How to prevent odor in clay pots, resulting due to drinking water storage?

Your best bet is to use a solution to kill the bacteria that might be living in the pot. This happens with steel / aluminum water containers as well, in my experience, so never fear!

According to the official Clorox blog:

  It is good your daycare is using bleach for disinfecting, and now you can pass along some information to help them use it correctly!  The ¼ cup per gallon dilution they use is more standard as a bleach pre-soak for bleachable fabrics that are heavily soiled or for fabrics that need to be disinfected.  It is actually not strong enough to disinfect hard surfaces.  Instead, to disinfect furniture and hard, non-porous toys, the correct dilution is ¾ Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water.  You are also correct to note that they should be measuring a full gallon of water that the ¾ cup is then added to, a 1:21 dilution.  Items need to have contact with this disinfecting solution for 5 minutes, and then should be rinsed thoroughly and allowed to air dry.

However, the blog also indicates that porous surfaces (I assume your clay is porous) are NOT safe for bleach!

  For mopping floors (ceramic tile, vinyl, linoleum—not marble or other porous surfaces that aren’t safe for bleach), mix up a solution of ¾ cup bleach added to 1 gallon of water.  For disinfecting, wipe or wash the floor, then apply the bleach solution and let stand for 5 minutes.  Rinse well and air dry.  Also, be sure the area is well ventilated while you are working.

Instead, I would use hydrogen peroxide. It's inexpensive, readily available at drugstores, and it's a weak acid. The pharmacist should be able to help you dilute it properly, if necessary, though it likely won't be; drugstore hydrogen peroxide is a 3% dilution, and it breaks down in sunlight anyway. In addition, it is much stronger when mixed with vinegar, which most folks have in their homes anyway. Remember: ACID TO WATER!


How can I figure out exactly where a bathroom leak is coming from?

I see this problem frequently and almost always find the leak by surrounding the suspected area with paper towel laid flat on the floor and then flushing the toilet 3-4 times or filling the sink and draining it 3-4 times. The paper towel will always visibly moisten when the leak starts.


Brand New Nail Gun Makes a Dent but No Nails Come Out

Check the pressure
Check the recommended pressure range listed on the gun, and make sure the compressor is putting out a pressure within that range. I've seen similar symptoms when the pressure was too low.  Presumably the hammer didn't have enough energy to move the nail, so it skipped over it instead.
Properly load the nails
If the nails are not properly loaded, they may not be fed into the line of the hammer. You'll end up just firing the hammer into the wood, instead of a nail.
Engage the feeder
Make sure the nail feeding mechanism is in place. If it's not, the nails will not be fed into the line of the hammer. This again will lead to you firing the hammer, instead of a nail.
Nail compatibility
Insure that the nails are compatible with the gun. If they're not, the gun may not fire, misfire, or self destruct.


How to cut 2-1/4" diameter hole in sheet metal box?

I cut holes in sheet metal with hole saw bits all the time.  Depending on how thick your material is you might need more than one hole saw to get through it in a reasonable amount of time.  22 gauge is certainly no problem.  Not sure how thick your sheet metal box is.  You want the ones with the most teeth but generally these are the cheaper ones so you should be fine.  I am not sure I'd try on 1/4" plate steel but sheet metal shouldn't be a problem.


It's a bad electrical connection that is failing thermally.
It works when it's cold, but when you put a load on it, it heats up. That makes materials expand and that causes a loss of connection.  Because the connection is terminated improperly.  Something like

Screws not properly torqued, causing too little pressure for it to accommodate temperature changes
Screws torqued too hard, meaning normal warming is deforming (flowing) the metal
Differences in expansion rate of aluminum vs copper, because the terminals are not designed to accommodate this with aluminum.

So every connection needs to be opened up, inspected, cleaned and re-done with proper screw torques, aluminum anti-oxidant, and with legal connections.  For instance a copper-only receptacle may need copper pigtails, with an Al-Cu splice being made with MAC Block Connectors.
It may not only be disconnecting.  It may also be doing series arcing before it fails altogether.  That makes a lot of heat and can start a fire.


The idea is that you have to slice, not push. Also these do not work for silicone rubber stoppers, they do work for natural rubber and cork stoppers.

Well, I should say under human power. If you take the handle off the tube end of the borer and put it into a drill, like a bit, and use it that way, you will be able to drill through the silicone bungs.

Important Use lubrication, other wise you won't even get close to making a hole. It would be like trying to go down a slide made of velco while wearing a sweater.


IKEA outdoor table: recovering to the original color

That table was not painted in the sense that you think. You will notice that in both pictures you can see the wood grain. A paint would have provided a complete cover up of the grain. Instead the finish on that table was a transparent wood stain.

That line from IKEA is built with dark acacia hardwood. This wood is very hard and does not take up wood stain nearly as much as a softer or more open grained wood. If the finish was a water based stain then there is a good possibility that the brushing has simply taken off a good share of the stain on the surface of the wood. With a previous water based finish you may want to consider refinishing it with a semitransparent outdoor water based product. A high quality product (also meaning expensive as well) may be able to restore a uniform color to the table. Some stains of this type will have a manufacturer recommendation of one coat coverage but I have used them with two coat coverage (well dried between coats) and had the color hiding more than semitransparent while yet retaining the look and feel of wood.

If the original finish was an oil based stain then it may be possible to renew the surface by applying a coat of a compatible but similar product. Oil based stains do often tend to penetrate deeper into the grain of the wood than do water based products in my experience.


As my high school chemistry instructor made us learn:

Do as you oughta - add acid to water.

If you add water to acid, the reaction dynamics work out badly and you get the MSDS warning - the water boils, this spits acid solution all over, and is dangerous.

If you add acid to water, the reaction dynamics work in a more favorable fashion, and nothing exciting happens as you dilute the acid.

To further enhance safety, you can use cold water and chill the acid, though this is a bit more than is really needed.

Gloves and eye protection are always advisable.


Will Liquid Plumber Foaming Pipe Snake corrode the drain seal on my bathtub?

I think the answer is going to be "it depends on what that rubbery seal is actually made of" -- here's the quote from the Liquid Plumbr FAQ --

  However, we do not recommend using clog removers in rubber pipes. The products may damage rubber.

Is the part with the rubber seal removable? If so, remove it before you use the liquid plumbr.


Pipe length confusions when replacing tub/shower diverter

How do you know the diverter is "hopelessly" scaled up? Unscrew or otherwise detach the spout from the supply line and soak the diverter end of the spout in vinegar or in CLR to descale it. Then reattach it to the pipe.

From my understanding of your situation you do not have to change this pipe. Hard copper tubing with sweated on end fittings is better performing, but unless your pipe is leaking you don't absolutely have to change it. This pipe does not contain water when the valves are shut. So you cannot have a catastrophic failure of the plastic pipe when you are not using it.


If I have vapor barrier under joists in crawlspace, is hardwood underlayment a problem?

Real hardwood flooring does not have a vapor barrier.   It's just wood.

So your product is "click-flooring" type laminate ?   In such a case, Yes you should check with the manufacturer (call their 800 number perhaps)


nest 3rd generation compatibility with honeywell

You'll need to pull a new thermostat cable from the thermostat location to where the interface module lives in order to use a Nest

Your existing thermostat uses a data-link interface + 24VAC to minimize wires; as a result of this, you have the interface module you see to convert from the data-link to standard HVAC control I/Os.  Since your existing cable only has the four wires, which is insufficient for your current system (and probably has something to do with why you have the thermostat you do), you will need to replace it with a fatter thermostat cable (18/8 minimum, 18/10 or even 18/12 recommended) in order to install a Nest.  When you install the Nest, by the way, the interface module will simply get replaced with wire nuts -- your system beyond the interface module is conventional, with 1 cooling stage (Y), two heating stages (W1 and W2), and a single fan stage (G), as well as a humidifier connection (HUM).  The other side of the humidifer should be connected to the C wire at the "grand junction", while O/B should be left disconnected entirely -- it's only used on heat pumps.


What's the nail size for attaching 2x3 furring to joists?

The nails you want to use would be the coated style of 16d. These are the ones long enough to go through the 1.5 inch thickness of the 2x3s and still get good purchase into the overhead beams. The coated nails (slight greenish or brownish in color) are designed to really bind in well into the wood so that they do not pull out easily.

Do not use the common uncoated type nails.


Why does my heat pump's fan always stay on when in heat mode?

The heating fan will run for a cool down after the heating elements are turned off. If you listed your Furnace Model and your thermostat model we could check the wiring for you and suggest what you need to do.

But yes it sounds like the Thermostat is wired incorrectly.


You absolutely cannot delay delivering cold water into the tank to replace the hot water output. You have a pressurized tank which must remain full of water to deliver water. If you had an unpressurized water tank which delivered hot water by gravity, you could do this, but you don't have that.

I assume that the cold feed is very cold in Cambridge MA. You may not be starting with a full tank of 130 F water. It could be that the controls on the boiler are set to reduce the number of heating cycles per unit time. Where is the temperature sensor located vertically in the tank?

Some recommendations on the temperature set point of tank water heaters are that it be set at 140 F (60 C) to prevent the growth of legionella bacteria. Other recommendations give 130 F. Does your shower valve have an anti-scald  temperature control?


How can I remove ductwork that is butted against a foundation wall?

Chances are the end of your horizontal stack into the box has a lot of tabs that are holding it together.  I would leave this in tact.  I would remove the duct tape (that shouldn't be used for ducts) and release the two pieces of horizontal duct that are being held together with said tape.

These are probably just smashed into each other and chances are you won't even have to have tools (maybe a screwdriver if they put a couple of small screws in) to remove this.  Once you break these two pieces apart you can add insulation on your wall.

Note about the insulation - Please please focus on the lack of insulation I see in your joists above the cement going all the way around.  This is way more important that insulating the walls of your basement.

Once you have insulated you may need some tin snips to cut back an inch or two on one of the horizontal ducts.  You also may be able to smash the duct into each other sufficiently - this depends on how deep your insulation is.  Also if you don't want to deal with cutting metal most big boxes will cut a sheet before they sell it to you.  Not sure which one I would take them but possibly the one on the right.  But anyway these are dramatically easier to cut when unrolled.


Will I need to re-sand wood that has raised grain due to moisture?

Sanding oily wood will quickly ruin your sand paper. However, whether it should be resanded depends on how much you care about the finish.
As a matter of practice, when I make "fine" wooden pieces, I purposely wet the wood after my first 220 sanding; after allowing it to dry, I sand off the fibers (or grain as you mentioned). And I sometimes repeat the wet, dry, and sand routine if I really need get rid of those fibers. I do this so that few fibers appear if the wood accidentally gets wet, or especially if I am planning to use a water based polyurethane to seal it.


Since you are asking about painting the copper:

Wash the surface well and scrape off any loose debris.
Prime the surface with an oil-based primer such as Zinsser Cover Stain
Apply two top coats of the exterior paint of your choice.


Laying vinyl over a floor with both particle board and tiles

I would remove the tile.  Then put down the sub floor as you described (not sure about your choice of material) over the left hand section.  If what you then have is fairly flat, cover the entire floor with 1/8" luan plywood (I think this is what they used in my laundry).  The final covering was vinyl plank.


What should I do with this bare spot on the step?

Stick a piece of wood on it. Either stain to match the wood rising up the stairs or paint it white to match the skirting boards.


How to match F96 T12 bulbs with a ballast

You have the wrong ballast. The 240 in the product number indicates it only serves up to 2-40W lamps. You probably need a GE 2620S-MV-N. If you can find one.

There has been an attempt to phase out the use of Type T12 lamps which are old technology. You might want to rethink using the T12 F96 lamps for a newer Type T8 lamp or install LED lamps, both much more efficient.

The energy savings are substantial, at least 33%. So the payback on the original cost of material can be made with 1-2 years of use.

Just something to consider.

Good Luck


I see a spare fuse in there it could be a sign it blows fuses
also check at the heat elements there is a mechanical thermal safety for over temp. Most electrics have a breaker panel on the unit itself.
I can not tell the breaker values feeding the unit if there are multiple breakers it is is back to the controls again back to the fuse or thermal limit.
I only see 1 element with the yellow blue wires the blue wire is connected to the thermal limit tap that black thing and yes there could be power right there.
So a control fuse is open or the limit, if the thermostat is sending the call for heat those art the 2 prime suspects.
If you have a volt meter and know how to use we may offer more help


SOLVED ON MY OWN

In case this can help anyone else, the logo is Intermatic and I found the instructions for this model here:

http://www.intermatic.com/-/media/inriver/6842-8228.ashx/EJ351-Instructions-EN


GFCI outlet trips from any heating element

If your vacuum sealer is like mine a plastic case with a 2 prong cord there is not a way for a ground fault , I would say that since you have 2 devices causing tripping and this has worked in the past. the GFCI is failing. I started using weather resistant GFCI outlets in bathrooms quite a few years ago because bathrooms can have very high humidity levels and the outlets being in walls can sometimes condense moisture similar to being outside. I don't normally use WR GFCI'S in kitchens because they are normally larger rooms and not exposed to such high levels of moisture. I would swap out the GFCI. The new ones have more sensitive electronics and constantly self test where older ones I have found failed (test won't trip on outlet or plug in tester) or trip for no good reason like a double insulated device with a 2 prong cord, so this should solve your problem.


Can I fill this AC line inlet with expanding foam?

You can seal the hole with duct seal.  It is a putty-like substance, which can fill the hole around the pipes.  Duct seal does not harden, so it is easy to remove in the future.  You may have to cut the pipe insulation just short of the hole so you get a good seal.  It may be a good time to replace that whole section of insulation while you're working in the area.

Duct seal is available at most any home improvement stores.  It's usually in the plumbing or electrical section.


How best to remove fumes after applying polyurethane in a hardwood refinishing project?

Turn up the heat while opening windows across the house.  Put in fans in windows/doors blowing in the house on one or two sides.  Just don't put fans blowing in all windows so air has an easier chance of escaping.  It would be better to open all windows partially than two windows fully.

Definitely make sure you have at least one fan though to create a pressure differential to push out the inside air.  As an example, we have used 6 box fans with filtered air on the intake fans sealed to an opening while lacquering cabinets (extremely high fumes) and it kept the fumes down to a minimum throughout the rest of the house DURING spraying.  You have less fumes so even a couple fans could do a world of difference.

Consider the heat a cost of doing the project.  Might cost $100-$200 in heat over 5 days if you really opened things up but should be less.  Just depends on how long, heating method, fuel cost, and how much you change out the air.

You could also purge the house at intervals by doing this for 1-2+ hours or so at a time 1+ time a day until you are satisfied with the fume level.

You might need to re-purge even weeks later if your house is really sealed up and you are concerned about the fumes.


What is this wire attached to a manufactured home water line?

That looks like heat tape - it keeps the line from freezing.


Can you serve a multi-wire branch circuit off a pendant?

YES

  What's wrong with this?

Sorry code cop.  Nothing

In the situation you describe, the pendant is also, not permanently installed equipment.  Code has no business looking further than that L14-20 outlet.

IMHO, it was an unnecessary expense to use the L14-20 outlet, and the corresponding plug, but its neither unsafe nor illegal.


How do I troubleshoot a washing machine that uses hot water on cold settings?

Sounds like a stuck hot water solenoid (stuck open) or a bad timer mechanism (its a giant multipole rotary switch driven by a timer.

The solenoid is easy to get to and test by carefully disconnecting wires, measuring resistance:  low, ~1000 ohms, but not zero or infinite.


How can I remove a plastic flange from a 4 inch PVC pipe?

I've seen some discussion here of fancy plumber tools (a bit too expensive for the amount of use anyone but a plumber would put them to, unless you can find them in a rental store) that apply heat and grip/pull things apart.

Other than that (which I've never seen or used, only seen mentioned), I'm prone to consider PVC joints as forever, so the stock approach when you need a new one is to cut at a point where you can install a coupling, some new pipe (in most cases), and the new fitting.


How do I configure my duct dampers for summer and winter?

Dampers are used to control which areas get more airflow. In the summer, you want more (cold) air going to the upper stories and less to the lower stories. This is due to the fact that warm air rises, and so the upper stories will naturally be warmer than the lower. In the winter, this is reversed, so you want more (warm) air going to the lower stories and less going to the upper.

How much to open or close the dampers is probably going to be a personal preference as well as depend on the layout of the house and ductwork, so you may need to experiment a bit.


That is a gland connector which seals the outer cover of the cable and grips the protective outer wires then the conductors continue into the box / device to the connections.
So you have to undo the internal conductors and then release that cinnector.
Make sure the supply is off.
We always used to undo the internal fixing nut and the connecting wires and leave the gland assembled to the cable - much easier.


How do I patch this hole in my vinyl window frame?

You could try vinyl plugs that can be found in hardware/home improvement stores. The plugs come in various diameters. If there isn't one for the hole's size, you may have to drill it larger to the size of the plug so that it will fit.

Also found this kit, may be this will be an alternative option.


Wall paint bubbling on edge of window from lack of insulation, how to fix?

What are these big blobs

Moisture has lifted the paint off the wall

  and could it be because of the light rain?

Yes.

  Should I leave them or fix?

Fix.

  Could it be because the window is pressed on the wall too much?

No.

  no rubber seal like in the interior side. Could that be it?

Yes.

  Would a rubber seal prevent the moisture?

Any kind of exterior seal or sealant would. E.g. builders silicone, mastic etc. Before sealing it is necessary to remove any dirt and loose paint etc.

  I read I could use a hypodermic needle and stick glue in there to make [bubbled paint] stick, is that true?

No.

Well you could, but it is unlikely to do any good. It is also likely to take longer than removing the loose paint, sanding and repainting.

A well-made window opening has a sill that slopes outwards so that rain doesn't pool against the window. Your window opening may be badly constructed.


Any ideas on how to keep a refrigerator from moving without wheel locks?

Most refrigerators have adjustable feet that can be "unscrewed" in order to level the fridge.  All you need to do is "unscrew" these feet until the wheels are slightly off the floor.


My shower grout is cracked. How can I fix it?

I used caulk to fix issues like this. You can order it in different colors to fit your grout (amazon link). I also recommend getting a caulk gun. I didn't get one the first time and it was a pain. It is doable without though but caulk guns are cheap and actually pretty useful in other situations as well with different types of caulk. Dry time  is pretty long though. It was annoying to keep the family out of the shower.

Grout versus caulk: I can't really speak to that. I assume caulking is easier but less durable. Maybe someone else can comment on that.


Is there any issue with me splicing a continuous neutral wire and connecting a Wemo switch to it?

No. If you're sure it's the grounded (neutral), and there's enough slack, go ahead and use it. Just make sure you turn off the power, before cutting the wire.


Lights dimming as I add lights or plug anything into any outlet

You've lost a wire in your feeder - probably a neutral

And this should be treated like an emergency.  If it was your whole house, we'd be telling you to call the power company ASAP.

If it's a lost neutral, the problem is that while half your circuits' voltages are going down, the other half are going up - and lighting a 120V appliance up at 190V is a good way to start a fire.   Also, if your main-subpanel connection is the obsolete 3-wire type, a lost neutral is energizing all your grounds and putting lethal voltage on precisely the things that are presumed to be safe.

Fortunately there are only a few places where this problem could happen; the neutral bar in either panel, or the places the hot wires terminate in either panel.  There's also a possibility of wire/cable damage, but that generally happens right after construction of some kind.

If you have a 3-wire connection (hot-hot-neutral-NO GROUND) this is a very dangerous situation, because as goes the neutral, so goes the ground.


Should I be concerned about a ceiling light fixture that was installed without the mounting bracket?

Mounting brackets for all light fixtures I’ve ever dealt with are fairly simple. There are some variations but they accomplish the same purpose: they are secured to the box and then have either a couple of screws (common for wall-mounted fixtures like sconces) or a lamp nipple (common for ceiling-mounted fixtures) that secure the actual fixture or fixture chain to the box. Some use both screws and a nipple. It’s a fairly standard affair once you have the right screws, even if they’re not the originals. The contractor would have used his own brackets and screws.
In short, I wouldn’t be concerned unless you have reason to believe the contractor is unqualified.


Were it my home I'd be removing the gray exterior casing to find out just exactly how the window is flashed. You can't fix bad flashing from inside. You can stop the interior leak, but the water will go on its merry way rotting your wall out.

I'd also want to know what kind of drain plane is behind the stucco, if any. That will determine whether you should flash behind or in front of the stucco.

Can't say much more with what I know from your post. Update if you decide to get into it.


What hardwood flooring is recommended for high traffic areas?

The answer is "it depends" -- on what you need, on how well it's cared for, and how often you want to refinish it. Real wood is measured by something called the "Janka Hardness Scale"  -- oak is a good choice, as it's rated at about 1300, with only more exotic woods being harder. I was told that Oak would probably be scratched by my dogs' claws, though, and I imagine that the invariable stones stuck in kids shoes will be worse. If it's possible, get real oak and make the kids take their grubby shoes off at the door... :-P

The "engineered" hardwoods are better because they're cheaper, but worse because they're not able to be sanded smooth and refinished. You'll usually see thicknesses plus a Janka measurement or an AC rating. The thinner the veneer, the more likely you are to crack through it no matter what the hardness of the veneer or the AC rating of the floor are.

For 100% composite stuff, such as Pergo and Kronotex, you'll see hardness measured on an "AC" scale that's basically a designation for how much traffic the wood is designed to bear in a residential or commercial setting. "AC2/Moderate Residential" will be too soft for your needs. "AC3 - Light Commercial/Heavy Residential" may be durable enough for your needs, but might show wear. "AC4/Moderate Commercial" is most likely what you'll need to go with, and it's harder to find and more expensive. However, it's less expensive than wood is no matter what.

Two things you didn't say... first, what kind of structure you're installing it on. Is it a wood subsurface, or is it slab-on-grade or slab basement? If it's on concrete in any way shape or form, you definitely want to go with something that is composite and less expensive. I know that you CAN install wood on slab-on-grade, but I would never consider doing it, personally. Second, what rooms is this going in? Wood floorings, regardless of composite or engineered or natural, is not good in places that will receive water on the surface or may be exposed to leaks. So the entry hall (front door and back), the kitchen, and the bathrooms are places to avoid having wood floors. I would keep vinyl or tile in those areas, or explore the wood-grain ceramics that are becoming quite popular for those areas or over slab-on-grade.