Changing a 3 gang Australian switch loop light switch to a Smart switch with no neutral?

You are using a smart switch designed for a completely different application than your original switch.  This kind of thing would never fly in a million years in the States - no ground present anywhere, and plastic that will age-embrittle.
Your original switch setup is pretty basic - you have a hot coming into the left hand switch and that hot is daisy chained to the other 2 switches.  So all 3 switches are completely independent of each other.  You can have light 1 on and 2 and 3 off, light 1 and 2 on and 3 off, all lights on, all lights off, 2 on and 1 and 3 off, 3 on and 1 and 2 off and so on and so forth.  The lights can be in separate areas of the room if you want.
Your new switch is intended for a "3 way" lamp with 3 filaments - filament 1 and 2 are low wattages, filament 2 is a medium wattage.
The idea there is when the wifi switch is first on it turns on the medium wattage light, then if you want more light the second switch position is it turns on both low wattage lights which added together are a higher wattage then the medium, giving more light, and the 3rd switch position turns on all 3 lights giving the most light possible.  Probably for purely decorative reasons the higher wattage light is located physically in between the two lower wattage lights.
I cannot even advise you how to correct this.  In the US they sell "3 switch" wifi switches that can be crammed in a single outlet box that would replace, electrically, your first switch.  (not that I would touch those)  Or you could cut out the wall and rip out the box and put a proper 3-switch outlet box in there and individual smart switches.  I don't know what's available in AU, sorry but my inclination would be to throw the entire works in the trash and put LED smart bulbs in and just leave the original switch alone with all the switches turned on.


Some initial notes
You can run any amperage you please to the garage.
That thing you're running to the garage is on your side of the meter, so it's feeder not a service (that's why 310.15(B)(7) says "service and feeder").
If the garage is a separate building (i.e. if the meter is NOT mounted on the garage building), then you need a local disconnect at the garage.  It does not need to be outdoors.  The cheapest way to get a local disconnect is to select a breaker panel that has a main breaker, the size of the main breaker does not matter.  Literally anything will do, so if you like a panel with a lot of spaces and those only come in 200A, that's fine.
The wire has to be actually rated for the specific known load that you are driving, or the load calculation you have done.  But if you don't have a specific load in mind or just want to exceed those minimums, you can run any size you want.
You must protect the wire with a circuit breaker, but you get to "round up" in breaker sizes.  If the wire is rated for 115A, you get to use a 125A breaker.  There's one exception: your feeder never has to be bigger than your service wire has to be (as per 310.15(B)(7)).
Feeder in these ~100A sizes should be aluminum - it's what any electrician would use because it's 1/3 the price of copper.  The panel lugs are aluminum anyway.  (aluminum lugs are the "universal donor", they play nice with both copper and aluminum wire). So I'll be talking aluminum sizes.
Ready?
You don't need a breaker in the main panel if you simply bring over the full 200A to the garage.  Why would you do that? Well, what else would you do with it?  You don't have anything to power at the main panel if the only things on it are cameras and lights.
However the trick would be attaching 200A wires on the load side of the main breaker.  For this you'd need a main panel with "through-lugs", or a "Subfeed lug" that clips in like a regular breaker, or an actual regular breaker that is 200A. They must be made for that panel; you can't use off-brand devices (except for things UL-Classified for your panel, but nobody makes what you'd need).
But if you can do that, then you can carry 200A from the main panel to the sub on 4/0 aluminum wires.  This is allowed because 310.15(B)(7) allows 4/0 for the entire service, and you don't need any bigger than that.
There's no need to enlarge the wire for voltage-drop reasons; it isn't far enough to matter.
If you want to carry less than 200A, e.g. to save money on wire or because there's no way to get lugs of 200A breaker... then simply use a breaker appropriate for the wire size (rounding up to the next available breaker):  #2 aluminum = 90A, #1 aluminum = 100A, 1/0 aluminum = 125A.


Is it normal for a washing machine to shock you without grounding?

Well, don't be confused by what happens in North America.  There, some very silly things were done to dryers regarding bootlegging ground off neutral, and so dryers are a holy terror.  Not Your Problem.
Your washer hooks up just like a normal appliance - Hot, Neutral and Earth.
I suspect the root of your problem is this "improvised" electrical connection.  The first thing you did - that is a cardinal sin in Britain and European influenced areas - is you attached an appliance to a lighting circuit.  Many lighting circuits are some piddly small ampacity like 3 or 6 amps.  They are simply not intended for a large appliance.  Only lighting can be on those circuits.   It's possible that light was herky-jerked off an appliance circuit, but you should have investigated that.
Further, it's likely the lighting cord that was run for it, was "lighting-sized". So too small to run a large appliance like a washer.  Again, in Europe, never convert a lighting outlet to an appliance outlet!
Generally anytime you find hork-a-dork wiring like that, you need to go through it "with a fine-tooth comb". Think about it -- when you're looking right at several Code violations, it would be insane to assume the rest of it was done safely to Code.
What you really need to do is find out whether DIY is allowed in your country, and either properly install a receptacle outlet in the room off an appliance circuit, or wire a dedicated circuit (that's Code in El NEC countries like Panama and the USA), or have a professional do it if local Code requires that.


How do I trace a damaged security system wire?

First, cut power to the alarm system.

Get your hands on a multimeter with a resistance setting. Run a long extension cord (unplugged) from the broken sensor to the panel. Put a probe on each end of the cord (ground pin is easy to remember; it only matters that you're both on the same conductor).

If you're lucky, you and an assistant will probe wires until you get a no-resistance reading. That's the intact wire of the pair. The rest writes itself.

If you're not lucky, you'll have cut both conductors and will have to run around identifying all your wires, in order to find the severed one by elimination.

Or, for around 40-80 dollars, you can get a tone generator and find your break in 5 minutes. The upside to this plan is that you won't have to run new wire -- you'll just locate and fix the existing. I own this one, though there are more/less expensive options: Fluke toner


Is it possible to make space for a double-pole breaker in this panel?

Ah, the tricky GE Qline.

Convert the dishwasher to a 1-pole double-stuff breaker set low in the space.
Pop off the cover above it.  Now you have 1 space but it's a half space off-beat.
Get a unique Qline double-stuff 2-pole 30A breaker, that is 1" wide and made to go in off -beat spaces.  (And they require the off-beat, they can only work there).
Move the water heater to that breaker.
Voila, 2 full spaces freed. Use that for your 90.


Do not cut the mesh on flexible water line connections. The mesh is there to protect the internal "rubber" hose and also should help to keep the hose from bursting under unexpected high pressure situations. If you need to make a junction for the water filtration system then you should be using two shorter mesh covered connection hoses and affix a T fitting in between them. The branch of the T goes off to the filter unit. Note that it sometimes takes a number of various adapter fittings to make up the compatible T assembly depending upon the parts available at your supplier.


In the paint business they call it holdout. It is a reference to how paints with a sheen attain a uniform sheen on a particular surface. If a surface has different absorptive properties (e.g. figure-8s of primer) then the gloss will not be uniform.

An additional coat of paint may provide a uniform gloss. Be aware that if the primer you partially applied changed the surface texture, then you will likely still see the figure-8s. A possible fix for that would be to apply another coat but use a thick nap roller (or other texturing strategy) to create a new and more pronounced texture that will hide the difference beneath.

Glossy paints are notorious for showing off imperfections in the substrate. Pro decorators are extremely conscientious with their surface preparations when applying them.


I like what you've done keeping the framing above grade. However, are those poured piers or are they concrete blocks sitting on grade? Hard to tell in the pic. Since you're asking about drainage, ground water is apparently a concern in your area. If that is so you first want to make sure that you sink piers to give your deck proper stability. No matter how good your drainage system is any foundation sitting on grade will eventually be compromised by ground water.
Assuming your piers are stable building french drains under and around the deck to channel away ground water is a good approach. You shouldn't get a lot of precipitation passing through the deck. The main concern is to grade around the deck to channel water into the french drains and away from the deck. Likewise proper grading under the deck should prevent pooling and move it into the drains.


Wire Up a Double Rocker Switch and Normal Rocker Switch

Your "kit" is missing some pieces.  You'll need

a non-contact voltage tester (voltmeter or non-contact tester will suffice).
A 5-pack of colored electrical tape.
3-void Wago "Lever-nuts" - like these, but they latch down with a lever, and allow reuse.
3 feet of black THHN wire, solid not stranded, and 12 AWG wire size. (even if  your breaker is 15A, #12 is the universal donor).
1 foot of bare, solid #12 ground wire.

Prepping the wires
Unfortunately, "#1 #2 #3 #4" is not standard nomenclature, if anything the builder can be guilty of "stating the obvious".  Unless you open up the 3 light fixtures and find "oh look, the other end of this cable is also marked #3, and that other light is #2".  shrug
So we'll need to test which cable is the supply.
Turn the breaker on, and tap each black wire with a non-contact tester.  One of them should light up.
Mark the other 3 black wires with red, blue and yellow tape, respectively.
If you want to know which wire goes to which light (for arranging the switches to your preference), let's not do that now.
The problem with those "push" connectors is you can't insert a wire, pull it out, and reuse the void a second time.  Pulling the wire out destroys the spring clamping force in that void: it won't clamp properly, will arc and start a fire. So if you need to do any experimenting at all, rend (pull/twist) the wires out of these nuts, and use Wago lever-nuts.  Don't waste wire length and why bother re-stripping?
Prepare the pigtails
Cut your 3' wire into six 6" pigtails, and strip off about 5/8" of wire off one end.  (off the other end, strip off whatever the connector says to on its labeling).
Take 3 of your pigtails  and the colored tape.  Wrap one pigtail with red tape, another with blue tape, and another with yellow tape.
Cut your 1' ground wire into two 6" pigtails.
Prepare the switches
On a nice comfortable bench, sit down with the 2 switches.  Use the screw terminals and do proper shepherd's crook screw connections, clockwise.  Skill up on Youtube on those.  Alternately  you can get a slightly better switch that uses "screw-and-clamp" connections, a back-wire where you tighten the screw (HARD) to clamp it.
"Why not just use backstabs"? They are known unreliable, and anyway don't work on #12 wire.
"Why not just use #14 wire?" That would be bad if the breaker was 20A.
The single switch is easy.  Pick any screw and put a black pigtail there.  The other screw gets a red pigtail.
The dual switch is tricky, because you must look closely for which side is "common".  It will have 2 screws on "common" and a little metal tab that could be broken off to separate the two "common" screws.  Do not break the tab.  Put 1 black wire on "common" and do not use the other "common" screw.
The other two (non-common) screws on the dual switch get a blue and yellow pigtail.
Both switches get 1 ground pigtail on their green screw.
Feel free to wrap the switch bodies with electrical tape 2-3 times around, to insulate the side screws.  However, hold off on that until the switch positions are where you like.
Back to the switch box
Breaker still off.
Super easy.  Bare to bare.  Black to black.  Blue to blue. You're getting the idea.
See how all the prep work above made this Super Easy?  That's why it's worth it.
"But I don't like which switch controls which light".  OK, turn off the breaker and exchange wires on the screw terminals (or screw-and-clamp's) as needed. That way the pigtail colors stay matched up.


What causes a water heater's relief valve to discharge water?

There are three reasons a T&P valve opens. Temperature, pressure, or a faulty valve.
Temperature
If the water in the heater reaches a temperature of 210 degrees F, the T&P valve will open and release water until the water temperature is reduced. As water is removed through the T&P valve, cold water enters through the inlet and mixes with the water in the tank.  When enough water has been mixed to reduce the temperature, the T&P valve will close. If temperature causes the release, there will likely be a lot of water released.
Pressure
Most T&P valves are set to open at 150 psi. If the pressure in the tank reaches this level, the valve opens until the excess pressure is released. If pressure caused the release, you'll usually see about 1 cup of water per 10 gallons in the tank (per release).
Temperature or Pressure
To figure out if the trip is being caused by temperature or pressure, you'll have to monitor both.
Test water pressure?
To test water pressure, you'll need a pressure gauge.  They sell threaded gauges, that can attach to a standard hose bib. This will work well if you have laundry hookups.

Wait until the water heater is actively heating the water (you can expedite this step by using hot water, so go take a shower or something).
Connect the gauge to any hot water outlet, and open the tap.

Monitor the pressure through the end of the heating cycle. If you get a gauge with a "lazy hand", it will stay at the highest pressure achieved. That way you won't have to stand by and watch the gauge the whole time.
Test water temperature
To test the temperature, all you need is a thermometer.

Wait until the heater has just finished running.
Open the nearest hot water tap, and let it run for a minute of two.
Use the thermometer to measure the water temperature.

Causes and fixes
Without knowing more information about the installation, it's very difficult to speculate as to why this is happening.  Determining why the valve is opening (temperature, pressure, or some other reason), is the first step to diagnosing the problem.  Once you understand why the valve is opening, it will make it much easier to figure out the cause of the problem.


Extruded tile edging is typically installed underneath the tile before it's laid. If your existing tile is at a higher level, this probably won't work as you'll want the outer face of the edging oriented toward the lower tile. It is possible that the hem on the inner face will be tall enough to do the job, however.

Another option would be a beveled marble transition strip (threshold). By placing the bevel toward the lower tile, you'd have a nice finished elevation change.


What could be done to clean black staining from red brickwork?

Bleach works well . I dilute it 50 to 65 % and spray on red brick and concrete drive way. In my warm humid climate ,the brick gets green algae and some dark mold every year ( I usually need to spray only about 5% of the brick). The driveway gets dark ,apparent mold , and needs 100 % coverage. I use a 3 gallon hand pump garden sprayer. It will reach up about 20 ft.


Holding the saw with one hand is an advanced, and unsafe technique. You'll often find that folks in the construction industry (especially those on YouTube), do not follow proper safety precautions.

Holding the saw with two hands will reduce the chances of the saw kicking uncontrollably, if the saw happens to bind or hit a foreign object.  It also insures that both hands are in a safe place while cutting.


Potential Causes of Electric Meter Showing more power consumed than alternative measurement device

100 KiloWatt-Hours a day?  (a tick over 4 KiloWatts continuous, that's nine 400W sodium lights burning 24x7) with nobody home? Summer and winter?  That's murderously wrong and I would not put up with that for one minute let alone one month.

It would help to have a "second opinion" meter up at the meter.  It wouldn't work to put the Sense there, as it relies on listening to subtle signals that won't make it 700'.  The upshot of the 700' is that voltage drop becomes very, very important.  Pay close attention to your instantaneous voltage and current numbers coming off the Sense.  Any appreciable voltage drop indicates you're spending a lot of money making 700' of wire warm. 1400' of 4/0 cable is 0.1124 ohms.

It would help to get instantaneous kw (not kwh) readings from the meter.  Back in the day you'd look at the spinning disc with a stopwatch, but hopefully your smart meter has a way to read it.

700' is a lot of property to secure

I am puzzled at why the power company gave you power 700' away from the point of use, instead of traversing the 700' at 2400 or 9600 volt distribution voltage.  There must be a reason; that reason might have something to do with it.  I can't guess the whole story, but large properties often have complicated things going on.

Such a large spread (and cable run) is hard to secure, so illegal tapping is a possibility.  (marijuana grow, typically).  So it's very important whether there are any other structures near you where that would be possible. Criminals may have tapped anywhere along the 4/0.  100kw/day is 17 amps at 240V, interestingly at the limits of 12AWG wire (the criminals don't care about voltage drop since you're payin'.)  Under these conditions (12AWG/17A)voltage drop will be 6 volts per 100 feet, so the thief could be 500 or even 1000 feet away and still get usable power.  Modern ballasts and LEDs will run on any voltage 100-277V.

If you find a rogue cable, typically cheap Romex, go no further and call the sheriff or state police. They know what a rogue cable means, and they'll come in sufficient force.

You might also consider any legal use by other facilities on the property, especially ones where electric heat might be in use. (forgotten fallout shelter?  Sorry, just watched 10 Cloverfield Lane.)  In simplest terms, look at what cables are exiting the meter pan.  It should only be the supply and your 4/0.  Does your 4/0 make any other stops on the way to your house?

Chase it

Now it's go after it with the measuring devices (assuming you get an ammeter you can use up at the meter pan, e.g. the meter itself).

I would turn off the main at the house and go up and look at the meter.  If the meter stopped, it's a transmission (voltage drop) problem which I agree isn't likely if the cable is really 4/0.  I suspect you'll still see a ~4KW load... and then, you have to check other loads.

You will want to check current on every conductor, and also on every ground bond, including the one at the transformer.

If power is leaking from a hot to earth, it'll show up on one ground bond or another, likely all of them. There should never be current on that except during a lightning strike.
If you see equal current on both hots, that's a 240V tap, probably a bad guy.
If you see equal current on one hot and neutral, that's a 120V tap, 4kw is a lot for 120V so something funny is going on.
If you see imbalanced currents on hots and neutral but the lower hot + neutral equals the higher hot, that is a 120/240V tap, criminals wouldn't bother, that's more likely a proper load on your property.

If all else fails, have somebody come out with a FLIR camera at 5am and walk the cable route. 4KW is a lot of heat, like 3 burners on your stove going full tilt.  That will show up on a FLIR, and if it's leakage in the cable, there'll be a red spot on the ground above it.

You might have the power company pull the meter to allow you to unhook the 4/0 - and then reconnect the meter, and see what it does. Or perhaps your  generator interlock provides a way to do the same thing.

If you still have 4KW of load, then you need to chase other taps of that meter.
If disconnecting the 4/0 ends the load, and your house is the only load on the 4/0, then you have a tap of some kind, either one of yours you don't know about, or a crook.

Lastly I need to at least mention the generator and interlock; make sure all that is in good order.  Again, a 5am inspection with a FLIR will expose a ~4kw drain.


Fitting recessed lighting without damaging ceiling

It looks as though you could actually pull this off without drilling/cutting extra holes. Yes you just drill the holes. Keep them up from the bottom, or from the top about 2" so no fasteners from the floor or drywall or plaster is hit.

I have used 3/4" bits for easy holes to pull wire through and up to 1 1/2" bits for more difficult fishing, as in threading a needle from 2 ft away. If the threading kit you speak of are fiberglass rods you connect together, these are perfect for this.

If the location of the new holes are relatively accurate how they are oriented to the joists, with care and a few drill extensions you could drill so the end of the bit can be used to pull a wire back through. It will take extra patience to do so but it can be done.

You could also use to fish tapes, or your threading kit, I presume, if you had help to send one out through the blue hole and cross it with another from the other holes, or you could go at the angle in one shot. I would assume you would pull the box at the blue location.

Here is a little sketch using you drawing to show what I would do.

From the blue hole drill 4 holes in line as best as you can with the other lights. Feed 2 wires to the fist light, one is supply, the other goes to the next light, after that it should be simple using the blue location to redirect the wires you pull to finish the remainder in that area. The rest you will need to thread.


Would increasing pipe size before a pressure reducing valve increase flow?

Three showers running simultaneously with a hypothetical flow of 2.5 GPM plus an unknown appliance sum to about 10 GPM. To explore the effect of up-sizing the PRV I consulted the spec sheet for an arbitrary PRV -- in this case, the Watts LF25AUB-Z3. It included a graph showing pressure drop vs flow curves for several sizes of valve. I've drawn lines on the chart to show the pressure drop incurred at 10 GPM flow through the 3/4" and 1" valves. It looks like about 12 psi for the 3/4" and 9 psi for the 1".

Of course there's pressure drop in pipe as well. There's a nice set of charts and graphs at Engineering Toolbox to help estimate this. Since I don't know what type of copper tube is used in the line from your meter into the house, nor how long it is, I've assumed/estimated using the numbers for Type L at a length of 60 feet. The pressure drop in 3/4" Type L at 60 feet for 10 GPM flow would be about 6 psi. If the line were increased to 1" instead the drop would be 1.7 psi.

There's going to be some pressure drop in the meter too, but I'm not going to try to track down a meter to hold up as an example. It's probably reasonable to say that if the static pressure is 80 psi and the PRV target is 50 psi then you've got a pressure loss budget of 30, maybe 6 is spent on the tube and there's 24 psi left to lose in the meter. It'll likely be lower than that. If the supply pressure is high enough it doesn't matter whether the drop happens in the plumbing or in the PRV. In other words, assuming there's no damage to the buried tube outside, replacing it with larger tube may not make a difference. Up-sizing only the pipe inside the house feeding the PRV definitely won't be worthwhile. Up-sizing the pipe downstream of the PRV may be helpful since it's on the low pressure side of the system, but the length of the pipe on that side isn't tremendous anyway.

The whole exercise may be somewhat moot -- how large is that water heater? The 10 GPM fed to the showers is going to be a hot/cold blend, so maybe 8 GPM is drawn from the water heater. If it's a 40 gallon tank the water will have been completely flushed in 5 minutes but people in the shower will notice it going cold sooner than that. I imagine hot water capacity will become a problem before pressure drop does.

Tankless water heater changes the game

An update to the question clarifies that there's a Rinnai instant hot water heater. I happen to have an earlier generation of Rinnai heater (RL75i or some such) which I've been running for about 11 years (love that thing!). The way mine works, and maybe yours too, is that it first modulates the gas valve to control water temperature. If it can't achieve enough temperature rise with the gas fully on then it restricts water flow as necessary.

Supposing your model works like mine this is important to note. Even if you had 2" pipe feeding the water heater it'll limit the flow to ensure that what water you do get is at the temperature you've set. That'll feel like a pressure drop in the shower but it may not be caused by the PRV or pipe sizing. If you're willing to adjust the heater set point, though, this can be put to the shower user's advantage.

Ironically, your current 130 F setting actually makes this more likely. I note that the Rinnai user guide says "Minimum Water Pressure: 50 PSI (Recommended 60-80 PSI for maximum performance)" on page 47. On page 49 there are a pair of graphs; one shows flow (GPM) vs temperature rise. If your incoming water is 50 F and the setting is 130 F then you're asking for 80 F rise and RUC98i will yield just 4.8 GPM. However, if you set the heater to 106 F and thus need only 56 F rise it'll give you about 6.8 GPM. Blending the 130 F water with cold water balances the score somewhat, but I'll wager you'd still get more water to the shower with the heater set to 106 F.

Rinnai offers wired remote controls and I installed one beside my shower a few years ago. I use it to set the heater for my preferred temperature while showering and then turn on only the hot water tap in the shower. The result is that even if another person starts another shower, somebody turns on the clothes or dish washer, or a toilet gets flushed my shower temperature remains steady. The pressure at my shower head may fluctuate but the water temperature holds steady and my shower goes on blissfully.

I've just discovered that Rinnai also have introduced a wireless controller option and smart phone app (of course they have!). Find more info at their web site.


There are several techniques. Some simply cut them with a reciprocating saw once the wall is up. This tends to scuff the subfloor in a superficial way. Some cut partway through (full depth with a circular saw from the narrow edge) before the wall is lifted, allowing quick finish cuts with a handsaw later. Some do cut them all out once the wall is built by lifting the plate onto a series of scrap blocks (2x4 on edge). Some do whatever makes sense for a particular scenario.

It's your call. There's no "right" answer. If you have enough help on hand there's no real benefit to waiting until the wall is up. The idea is mostly to maintain stability in a shorthanded situation.


Pull out the carpets. never put a subfloor over something like old carpet. You may not have any moisture problems now, but any occurrence  of water (flood, broken plumbing, spill) getting in that hidden carpet in the future will cause you more grief than you could dream of. This would be a perfect situation to grow mold, mildew, stink and rot the wood subfloor from the bottom up. Don't take the chance, remove it before putting down anything else.


Soldering close to threaded joint with dope

When I sweat close to wood or another fitting I wet a rag(s) and wrap around the pipe. You want the rag dripping wet. I do this with both water pipes and on hvac with oxy acetylene using silver solder. The wet rag stops the heat but don’t take forever get it hot wet it with solder and get the heat off as soon as it wicks.
Do not move the rag let the joint cool if you move it prior to becoming solid you end up with a cold solder joint.


GFI outlet vs breakers, maintenance needed

This is a vacation house in a resort community and we rent it out. We visit it at least once a month.

FYI that means you can't do your own electrical work and must hire an electrician, in nearly all jurisdictions. Many will allow "trivial" work to be done by landlord or tenant, such as swapping receptacles or switches for aesthetic/GFCI reasons, or changing light fixtures.  (although this forum is thick with cases where those tasks were not trivial at all, lol!)

I was unable to find a new replacement GFCI outlet of the correct color and amperage

For amperage, 15A receps are fine on 20A circuits as long as there are 2 or more sockets on the circuit.  NEC 210.21(B).
This is notched into Code for precisely this reason - to reduce the SKUs a store or electrician must carry. You only need a 20A recep if you have an appliance with sideways neutral, which means it's too big to use a 15A circuit.  We're talking BIG microwaves or really old window A/C's. For a tenant, tough beans.

for what passes for hardware stores there. And after driving 30 minutes to the closest Home Depot I discover they are out of stock as well. This kind of thing is not uncommon out there and it is typical that I have to buy parts in advance from the city I live in before visiting. So I replaced the outlet with a standard outlet.

Wow.  Well, avoid the daylights out of amazon.com. It's thick with counterfeits.
Downgrading the protection means you absorb all the liability if an injury occurs. Your insurer will probably even back out on those grounds.

Now I am trying to decide how best to repair this setup. The first obvious answer is to replace the outlet with a GFCI. But I really dislike that because my experience with GFCI outlets is that they are cheaply made mass-market devices that sometimes nuisance trip, and they introduce additional mechanical failure points.

Well, aside from the blatant counterfeits on Amazon, you generally have 2 tiers: "builder grade" and "Spec grade".  Builder grade is for when it only has to work until you clear escrow :)  Spec grade are for when it's your building and you'll be responsible for total life-cycle costs.
You can guess which one we like around here.
A GFCI recep has exactly the same failure points as a GFCI breaker.  Point for the breaker, they tend to be made by Tier 1 manufacturers like Schneider, GE, Siemens.  Point against them, the breaker is a rather small package, especially a 3/4" wide QO.
I have a "QO" GFCI breaker I am ripping out, because the darn thing won't tell me if it was a GFCI or overcurrent trip.  (the newest ones can, but their UI is very, very balky). For half again the price of anyone else's breaker they oughta be able to afford a 1 cent LED.

The advantage of leaving the breaker as is, is that if the GFCI in the wall triggers it won't kill the power to the refrigerator and range.

Yup, exactly. You should do everything in your power to keep refrigerators off of GFCI and AFCI.  I'm a huge fan of EMT metal conduit, which basically moots AFCI; and grounded fridges do not benefit from GFCI in any way.  That's a tough sell for a fridge in a garage or basement because all receps there are required to be GFCI, but your AHJ is able to grant a variance for a dedicated 1-socket/simplex "Fridge only" outlet.
If it's a dedicated circuit for the fridge, that's ideal; however if a circuit has only one socket, socket and breaker must match.


How can I smooth an uneven concrete floor?

Self leveling cement is exactly the right solution.  It's basically a very wet cement that will flow everywhere.  Many professional floor installers use just this to prepare a floor.


How can I hang an IKEA Stockholm mirror on a brick wall?

I used a D-ring (holds 7kg) with two holes then used a nut and bolt (m4*12mm) as shown in the blog and also a 12mm screw directly into the wood (I stopped screwing when I heard little creak).
I wasn't able to use a picture hook as it was a brick wall so used 2 of these sturdy plastic wall hooks (14x9mm) with wallplugs and screws (https://www.prowa-produkte.ch/collections/wandhaken/products/wandhaken-art-610?variant=30337743880258).
The mirror doesn't hang quite flush there's a small 15mm gap at top and 8mm on the side in the middle. But it's almost perfect and looks very good to me


Is it code legal to mark neutrals that actually are neutral?

Identifying Multiple Neutrals To Its Own Branch Circuit
The best way to do this is to use wire numbering stick-on labels, which solves the whole "what color can I use" question.  Each current carrying conductor of a single branch circuit is tagged with the SAME number. For example, all the  current carrying conductors of the branch circuit "kitchen lights" are tagged with the number "5".

To make even better, the numbering system corresponds to the breaker location.
Here is a pic of a panel I did recently.


How can I measure the voltage of 40A transformer?

You're not measuring the amperage, you are measuring the voltage.

Set it to measure DC Volts on the 20 scale, read. The maximum voltage for the meter is printed right on it, 600.

The device you have is not a transformer, it is a DC power supply.

When you connect your lights, measure the voltage again with the lights connected. Don't try to measure the current with this meter.


Should I downsize a circuit breaker from 40amps to 30 amps?

Rather than replacing the breaker, you should fix the actual problem.  This document (PDF) from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, describes a few safe ways to handle aluminum wiring in a home.
Aluminum wiring itself is not dangerous. The danger with aluminum wiring is with how it's spliced/terminated.  If connections are not done properly, it can lead to overheating and potentially a fire. If terminations are done properly, aluminum wire can be, and is, used without incident.
Replacement
The most obvious recommendation, is to simply replace all the aluminum wiring with copper. However, that is not always the most practical, or cost effective way to handle the situation.
Pigtailing
If the wire cannot be replaced, the CPSC recommends a few alternative methods to terminating/splicing aluminum wire.
COPALUM Connectors
Using a special connector and tool, joining aluminum wiring to a short piece of copper wire (pigtail) can be a safe solution.  This method may require professional assistance, because special tools and knowledge are required.
AlumiConn Connectors
If COPALUM connectors are not available, AlumiConn connectors may also offer a safe connection. AlumiConn connectors are basically insulated terminal block, which allow a copper pigtail to be connected to the aluminum wire. CPSC recommends that this repair also be conducted by a licensed Electrician.


Can I use a 50Hz tape recorder on a 60Hz electrical system?

It should work fine ( 60Hz running on 50 sometimes doesn't work) but if the motors are synchronous to the power grid it will run fast. Wether playback at 1.2x normal speed is a problem or not is up to you. If you are recording and playing from the same machine then it won't matter.

Grid-synchronous timing was very common decades ago (analog tv for example) - the AC frequency was stable and reliable. When devices moved to DC motors and digital control they stopped caring about the mains frequency and just generated their own timing signals.


There are good introduction-to-house-wiring books available. Home centers often have these, or cover the basics in a chapter of their general home maintenance books. Your local public library is likely to have much more detailed books, or can order them for you via inter-library loan.

For the questions you're asking, it sounds like reading through one of those would be an excellent investment of your time and money.  Asking here's more useful when something needs clarification or you have a question that's more in the how-to range.


What is the minimum temperature for house heating system to keep pipes from freezing

This depends on the particular house - both how the plumbing is laid out (are water pipes located in exterior walls, or not?) and the relationship between heat delivery and plumbing.

It may also depend on the heating system - i.e. hot water baseboards often have pipes that run in poorly insulated spaces at the edges of the house, and can themselves freeze if the house is too cool for too long.

Typical recommendations range from 45 to 55 F

One solution to avoid spending much on heating for a non-occupied house is to drain the plumbing and put non-toxic antifreeze in the traps so that freezing won't bother the pipes.


Is there any way to make a sink connected to a garborator drain faster?

I would just remove the garborator if it is unused.  Over time, it will become clogged since it's internal holes are smaller than that of a normal drain.  You could try cleaning it out by throwing some lemons in it and running it for a while.

Your real problem may be a clogged drain though.  In the good drain, fill the sink completely and let it drain.  If it becomes slow at any point, you need to have the drain cleaned.


How should I hang a receptacle on a rim joist?

If I were doing this I would use Carlon Type FS boxes and rigid NM conduit. These boxes can be fitted with water-tight covers and have screws for surface mount to the existing rim joist. I would run conduit under the joist then up to the boxes. Either with a T as you suggest or use one Type FSC box for inline connection. If you need more volume the 1-gang Type FD boxes are 25 cu. in. and 2-gang versions are also available.

If this were a home and not a cabin I might go to the trouble of mounting boxes flush inside the rim joist. But that seems unnecessary here.


Mount Keyboard Tray To Linnmon (Particle Board) desktop?

The screws may or may not hold in pressboard.  It depends a lot on the density of the pressboard and the screws.  There are screws that are designed for pressboard, (Typically a more course thread, but they certainly don't guarantee success.  I think noybman had a good comment that you should test the material in an inconspicuous spot.

The problem with epoxying wood to the pressboard is that the outer layer of the pressboard is usually some type of laminate that is glued to the pressboard and is designed to provide the aesthetic appearance only and not designed to hold any weight.  To put it another way, imagine placing a piece of packing tape onto a piece of wood and then epoxying a weight to the tape - you are relying on the tape.

You may be able to use a number of screws to attach a piece of plywood to the bottom of the desk.  I would suggest using a piece of plywood that is 3-4 times larger than the mounting surface of the keyboard slide to distribute the weight.  You could reinforce it with epoxy but that would be just extra reinforcement, the screws should be doing the work.

The best way to support the tray is to use bugle head bolts drilled through the desk top.  They would need to be countersunk to be flush on the surface of the desk.  This may be the strongest way, but it is the ugliest and I probably wouldn't do it if it were my desk.


Any hand drill device that can accept any kind screw drivers tools

You realize that they make screwdriver bits to go into drills that will also go into the chuck of your hand drill. You can get longer bits that will fit easily into the chuck, for example:

You can also get magnetic extenders that will fit into the chuck and then hold a standard bit:

Note: photos are only examples and are not an endorsement of Sony product.


What is a good material to block all light from a window with?

After failing to find a solution that would (1) look alright, (2) not devalue the house, and (3) be permanent, I looped back and looked to blackout curtains more. The solution I ended up with involved:

Getting blackout roller shades cut to size, installing them myself.
Buying floor-length blackout curtains and sewing magnets into the seams where they meet, as well as attaching velcro to the sides that keep it snug against the sides of the window.
Creating a cornice box to block light coming in from the top.

This ends up working very well, with some minor light spillage on the bottom that's very hard to notice while lying in bed. Best of all, it was inexpensive to do and looks great when opened or closed.


Replacing outlet switch combination with GFCI outlet switch combination

First, that thing you did there, where you just tried random stuff, without really knowing what you were doing?  Don't ever do that with electrical. You would've stopped at the first combination that worked, and there are lots of combinations that work and will kill you. No more of that. If you are stuck/confused, stop until you learn.

*In particular, the GFCI device came with a warning sticker across two of the terminals that said, in as many words, "Do not use. For wizards only."  Peeling that is where things went sideways.

What you have now.

Switch+receptacles (that aren't GFCI) are made with a "common" tab that lets the recep hot and switch share a terminal. On yours, that tab is broken off, so the two devices are *totally independent**.

Specifically, your switch black & white is a switch loop, meaning hot power comes down the black and goes back on the white wire.  You didn't confuse them and I'm glad you didn't.  Just for reference, you can't put a smart switch here, because smart switches need neutral and you don't have a neutral you can use.  The receptacle neutral can't be used by the switch because it's fed from a different cable.

Because this is a switch loop, forget everything on that application note. The white wire in that note is neutral, the white wire in your box is actually hot.  It should have been marked by wrapping it with black tape.  The application note is for a "power at the switch" arrangement, which isn't the style yours uses, and what's more, the app note is putting the lamps on GFCI, which is a silly thing to do unless it's in a water feature like a pool or shower. These sorts of details is why electric is best left to trained people who are used to seeing weird stuff like this.

Wait. Why do you have a switch on a motion sensor?

Motion sensors are supposed to be switched by motion.  Not a switch.  The two aren't really compatible, and will cause poor performance from the motion sensor.  The switch will prevent the motion sensor from lighting when off, which may sound clever, but turning off the switch also makes the motion sensor forget what night and day look like from here.  If you measured light levels with an instrument, a shady location by day can be darker than a streetlit location by night. That confuses motion sensors the first time they power up, but they learn after a night or two. Turning off the switch wipes that memory.

So your best recommendation is to bypass the switch altogether and fit a plain GFCI recep.  Then you can get 2 outlets instead of 1.

Hooking up the GFCI

OK, the warning tape goes back on the LOAD terminals.

Note the three wires (single cable + ground) going to the socket part of the existing switch.  Those go onto the GFCI's LINE terminals and the ground screw.   Black to brass, white to silver.

That was easy, and we are done wiring the GFCI device, and we are done with screw terminals on the switch.

Hooking up the light switch

Note the 2 wires that used to go to the light switch side of the device.  If you've decided to stop switching a motion sensor, just connect those two wires to each other and you are done.  You straighten out the shepherd's hooks, cut them slightly shorter, and feed them both into a "wire nut" and twist firmly. Proper technique and all that.  Figure out what that is if you don't know.

If you really, really want that switch... OK, the GFCI+switch combo device has two wires coming out of it.  Each wire joins to one of the switch wires coming from the wall, again using wire nuts and

If you decide you don't want that switch, don't use a GFCI device with a switch, use one without.  Still, wire-nut the two wall wires from the light to each other and don't use the LOAD screws.


Should I change from fluorescent to LED lighting in the kitchen?

14in light is a useless figure. What you're looking for is lumens. ("Replaces a X watt incandescent" is also useful, though affected by marketing a bit.) Get a target lumen value, then get a lighting setup that meets this value. LEDs vs fluorescents doesn't matter for getting enough light, just for power-saving purposes.

Before you replaced the lights, was it bright enough? If so, calculate how much lighting there was back then, and try to hit that same amount.


What could cause a thermostat to distribute electricity to only one heater out of two?

I suspect a poor connection to the 2000W heater when both were connected, rather than anything related to the thermostat or the heater itself.


That bit of decorative bullnose on the end is called a 'return'.  If you haven't cut up all the treads you can return (no pun intended) some of them and buy treads with them already present.  They cost about 4× as much, but you can buy them.

Cheapest thing to do would be to use a router with a bullnose bit on the overhanging edge to create the return.

You can go for using the bullnose from the waste.  You've already got the material, and it's certainly going to match what you already have.  it will require you to make a small miter cut on the outside edge of the stair, with another crosscut from the back to the endpoint of that miter cut.

Personally?  If you haven't got the router, I'd go for buying the return molding on its own.  It's only about $5 per 13" piece at the Big Orange Box (i.e. Home Depot) or eBay


Does lamp maximum wattage matter for CF bulbs?

No, the wattage is based on heat dissipation, so as long as the actual wattage of the bulb you are putting in is less, you're good to go.


What jurisdiction is this located in?
In most places in the US it is illegal for a non-licensed person to do electrical work in a rental.  Technically even buying a part for this device and replacing it would be a violation and absolutely repairing the circuit board in it would be a repair and thus illegal if you tried doing it.
And if your idea is you are going to call an electrician to come in and repair this and start telling him or her how to do their job they are going to turn and leave.  Many probably wouldn't touch this one in any case as it is due to the missing tiling.
Since your landlady is paying for it you have no vested interest in the amount of money it would cost.  The people who would care about that are the ones who are intending to make some money on the side by getting a quote then doing the work themselves (illegal in the US) and then passing the quote to the landlord.
The landlord has huge liability here for a tenant to get involved in this kind of repair.  What happens if you contract with an electrician to do this, then 6 months from now a future tenant gets electrocuted in the shower and they go back to this electrician and he claims that he never touched it?
In the US the landlord is legally required to provide a safe rental with everything working.  Your landlord has already broken the law by allowing you to rent this place that a "prior tenant broke this"  Because of that you can legally walk away from the lease (she has already broken it)


Clothes dryer exhaust duct touching PVC pipe

The glass temperature (point at which it starts becoming molten) for PVC is 82°C (179°F). The generally accepted maximum operating temperature for PVC is 70°C (158°F) though again, this can vary by product. Pressure ratings are at room temperature (21°C/70°F), and they go down as the temperature goes up: at 70°C the pressure rating is decreased by around 20% (eg, schedule 80 PVC rated for 230psi is only rated for 43psi at 70°C).

(Note: CPVC, which is more commonly found used for potable water applications, has a glass temperature of 106°C (222°F) and unlike PVC, it can also be used for hot water supplies. Since you said drain pipe, it's probably regular PVC.)

The exhaust temperature of a dryer typically cycles from 50 to 71°C (120 to 160°F), though there is a potential if the dryer is broken it could be higher (any dryer made since the 1980's has a thermal fuse in it, hard to find info but it sounds like these often blow at 198 or 185°F).

So worst case, is if the pipe was a pressurized PVC water pipe, and you have really high water pressure (90psi -- typical is 30 to 60psi), and your dryer is broken and operates near 198°F for a while before the safety fuse shuts it off: depending on how enclosed this area is, it may actually get the pipe hot enough to weaken it enough that it bursts from pressure.

However, drains are not pressurized, and so in the same situation, the temperature is still not high enough to get to the glass temperature, and from 4" away, it's definitely not going to transfer that much heat to the PVC (unless you had it enclosed in a small insulated space with no air flow at all). I'd say you are pretty safe.


When installing a 14-30R dryer receptacle, do I need an additional ground connection to the box?

Metal boxes must be always be grounded.
For a surface mounted metal device box NEC 250.146(A) allows omitting the jumper to the device if the yoke mounts flush and at least one paper washer is removed or omitting the jumper if using a cover mounted receptacle if the cover and box are "listed as providing a satisfactory ground...".
Really the Code paragraph is a little long and detailed, if you wish to omit the jumper between box and receptacle I suggest you find a quote of NEC 250.146(A) or read it directly on the NFPA website.
Edit: The Hubbell product page for the 810C indicates it meets the requirements of the NEC Article 250.146(A) that allows connecting the ground only to the box.


You have a 30A 240V breaker (pair tied together) so this is a 240V circuit. You have 2X 500W on it now, or a load of 4.2 amps. You can add 9 more 500w heaters without violating the derated (80% capacity) load for heating circuits (which are considered as continuous use, i.e. more than 3 hours likely)

You can run a maximum of 5760 watts on this circuit (as derated properly.) In 500 Watt chunks that only gets you 11 - if you have some other combination that adds up to 5760 or less, you can run that combination.

This does assume that the wire is correctly sized for the breaker - such as 10 AWG copper or larger (size, smaller gauge number.)


Is it safe to cut the plug off a power strip (then reattach it) in order to run it through a wall?

This is a little unclear from the description and picture. What I think you are asking is:

Can I take a power-strip that has a bunch of receptacles on one end and a 3-prong plug on the other end, chop it in half, feed it through some holes in the wall & stud, and then reattach it and plug it into a wall-mounted receptacle?

The answer to that is NO, that would be a big violation of code (using cable not appropriate for in-wall installation) and also not in accordance with UL (or other agency) certified use of the power strip.

However, what you can and should do is:

Feed a cable (e.g., Romex) from the receptacle down below point A to point B, connect it properly to the existing receptacle in A, mount an appropriate box in the wall at B and connect it to a receptacle in B. Note that you've actually done some of the work already by feeding a cable (though likely not the right type, but you can use it to pull the right cable (black/white/ground)) from right next to a receptacle up to the correct level. Cut a space and mount a box to the stud at B (the stud right there will give you a proper place to attach it, and it will be easy to drill the hole before you mount the box). The cable will can be pigtailed together with the existing cable that goes to the existing, below A, receptacle and connected to the new receptacle at B.

Would the first method work OK and probably not cause any real problems? Yes...if the cable was spliced properly (wire nuts on wire stripped properly), nothing ever went wrong with this cable hanging out and spliced inside the wall cavity (which is also against code), nothing mounted in the future messed up the cable, nobody ever pulled on the ends wondering "what's going on here", etc. But definitely NOT a wise move.

Would it pass even the most basic electrical inspection or (hopefully) home inspector? No.


How can I get rid of a mouse in my house?

Get a kitty:

(Thanks to Wikipedia for the image)


How can I build a shuffleboard surface that is movable?

Have a look at this link:

http://www.model-railroad-infoguy.com/modular.html

They build modular model railroad tables - and I'm thinking that's kind of what you're looking for.

I would want a design made up of two or three separate table bases, each of which can be independently leveled at each leg.  When perfectly level, your top surface, something like a high gloss butcherblock top I guss - should line up perfectly evenly.

You'll want some kind of tension latches connecting each section to its neighbors as well, to pull the surface together good and tight once its assembled, to eliminate the seam.

For building techniques, I'd build the bases and top surface separately at first.  The bases can be separate, but the top should be built in one solid piece.  I wouldn't do the gloss coat yet though - I'd build the top and then cut it into two/three interlocking segments and mount them on their respective bases, ensuring they can close up tight to give a nearly perfect surface.  Then and only then would I separate the sections and do the finish treatments on each.


How can I remove a Mortise Lock and deadbolt from a door?

You need to remove the key set section as pictured on the left. It may be very corroded and require a bit of persuasion to split the halves and remove from the deadbolt assembly.  Once you have removed the keyway from both sides, there should be nothing but a couple of screws on the striker/jam plate holding the bolt assembly.


I think the fact that a "dark damp patch appears on the concrete" when you open the shower valve(s) yet catch the water in a bucket points directly to a leak from the plumbing. You need to open the wall from behind to gain a view of the shower valve body, and also remove all trim on the inside. Use the handles to open the valves and find the leak source. Water may be running down the interior of the enclosure wall. The fact that you have a plumbing leak does not mean that your shower pan is in good shape; if it is old, since you have removed the tile, this is an appropriate time to break out the concrete and have the pan refurbished (hot-mop, vinyl liner, fiberglass pan, etc...)


Is whitewood timber suitable for loft boarding?

If you can get the white board materials into the loft there there should be no reason that would prevent you from using them as a flooring material over your joists. Especially if all you are going to place on them are fairly light weight storage boxes and other sundry items.

The relatively narrow boards may have a tendency to individually flex a small amount between joists if you were to walk around on them. Sometimes white boards can have sizeable knots that would span a good part of the width of the board. You would want to avoid installing board like that because they could flex enough at the knot to break the board.


Beg pardon: insulated is called for, unclear why (no explanation of the "logic" is made.) http://www.biupa.com/assets/poolelectric.pdf


How to connect kitchen sink PVC J pipe to flanged drain pipe?

There are two practical ways to deal with this. Before getting into details let me say that you should stop trying to join the trap parts of metal pipe to the trap parts of plastic pipe.

Method 1. Remove the metal pipe with the J bend and complete the P trap with plastic parts. Then join the plastic pipe to the down flow drain system where the pipes are straight and concentric with each other. There are slip type couplings to join the plastic to the metal in this way.

Method 2. Take out the plastic P trap parts and then re-build the connection from the metal J bend up to the drain of the sink using compatible metal parts. Note that metal parts are much more expensive and harder to work with so take that into consideration when selecting which method to use.

Do be aware that it may not be appropriate to be using a J bend pipe as part of the drain trap. Standing water in a trap should be confined primarily in the trap part itself and single tapered swivel joint of the trap joint. You should avoid having a situation that the standing water in the drain line rises up past other slip joints in the pipe system. Too much standing water column can also lead to a suction effect that can end up leaving the trap with not enough water in it after a heavy volume draining.


My KitchenAid (just took it apart for cleaning, so this is fresh in my mind) looks nearly identical (except the oval burner - but instead it has a 2-section round burner) with the empty section underneath, metal part with teeth on top and burner cap on top. Without everything in place you get sparks & gas but not ignition. When I got my current cooktop it was a Sears outlet special (incredible deal) but turned out to be missing one of the caps (they grabbed the parts off another, so no problem) so those caps may be missing or sitting in a box somewhere. They look something like this:

On a mid-to-high end cooktop, you will typically find that each burner will be a slightly different size (physical dimensions and BTU), so you have to make sure the caps are correct - if they are not correct then they will not stay on very well and the burner will either not light at all or not burn correctly.


How can I support second-floor beams when replacing posts in the basement?

You're correct, there is no way to do this all from the lower level. Add temporary support to the beams in the basement, then go up a floor to the main level and take the load off that post with temporary supports to transfer the load to those beams.


Your house will be grounded either by the metal water pipes as you said, by a ground rod, or rebar in your foundation (if it has it).

The most common modern method is the ground rod. Normally if a ground rod is used, it would be placed on the outside of your house on the other side of the wall your electrical panel is. Because you state that it goes below the floor, it's not likely you have a ground rod (at least not one you can see outside). You can easily check for an exterior ground rod by looking outside next to the foundation on the other side of the wall of the electrical panel. You should see a copper wire going into the ground, and possibly the ground rod itself sticking up a little bit.

You stated that your house is older, so I'm not confident that your house is grounded by any rebar in the foundation as your house probably doesn't have it. If it's grounded to the rebar, you may not be able to observe the ground connection without digging if the foundation was poured over it.

If the panel is grounded to the water pipes, and the ground wire can be seen going into the floor, I'm assuming the side of your house the water comes into is on the same side of your house that the electrical panel is on. I say this because you want to ground the water pipe as close to the entrance of your house as possible. This is so that if, for example, you replace your water lines in the house in the future. If you take off the water pipe that the ground wire is connected to, you will have an ungrounded house. By having it near the entrance, you are that much less likely to accidentally disconnect your ground. I would have thought that they would want the water line to come through the wall of your foundation, rather than the floor, but it's possible.

So how do you determine if your house is grounded with the water pipes? You can do it by observation as described above, but this won't help if you can't see where the ground goes as you can with a ground rod.  Some might say to disconnect the ground conductor from the panel and measure the impedance between the ground wire and your pipes. This won't work because the ground path could be going through rebar, a ground rod, or some other method before reaching the pipes.

Unfortunately unless you dig through your floor, you can't tell where it connects. You would need specialized meters that would test ground impedance, but even this method isn't guaranteed to pinpoint the ground connection. An electrician should have this meter though. If I was in your position, I would call my utility company (water and electric) and ask how you should determine the ground connection. Explain that your ground connection isn't visible and that it would be an expense to determine the ground location. Hopefully they will reimburse you in some way, but normally the utility's responsibility ends when it enters your house.


What could cause the light in my garage door opener to stop working?

Garage door openers are subjected to a lot of vibration in normal use.  There are even special garage door opener incandescent light bulbs which have a stronger filament than usual, to resist breakage from shaking.

Since you've tried different bulbs, the next most likely issue is a bad connection at the socket.  It could be in the socket itself.  There is typically a little metal tab or "tongue" in the bottom of the socket which contacts the base tip of the bulb.  If that is bent down too far, it won't touch the bulb and light it up.  You can check this with a volt meter to see if you have power between it and the sidewall of the socket.  If you have power but no light, this is probably the problem.  Unplug the opener, and reach in to the socket with needle-nose pliers and pull the metal tab up, to make better contact with the tip of the bulb base.

Also, check the socket for rust or corrosion.  If you have any, you can sand it clean with a little sandpaper.

If you check with a meter and don't have power at the socket, then you may have a broken wire or wire connection to the socket.  You'll have to unplug and open up the opener to inspect the wires.


Adding (small) load to existing rafters with 2x4

Probably fine as far as weight goes. But I would not nail it, I would use construction screws (aka "deck screws") Pounding nails into the sides of those rafters may disturb your roof sheeting nails and or shingles, leading to leaks.


Filling a crack in a wall with roughcast on limestone

You'll need to pry, chip, scrape & wire brush off any & all loose, soft or mushy stucco, possibly tripling the hole's size. This has to be done if you don't want your patch falling out very or fairly soon after it's done.

But, any stucco, cement or mortar mix does & will work perfectly. Buy a bag of small gravel & insert the gravel into the wet cement product for a very close match to the surrounding pebble-like finish.

That's all I did 20-years ago in my first place & it's still there with no signs of any problems. Additionally, any surface cracks should be finger force caulked with a white latex caulk to avoid more future holes.


Why does it take my dryer 3 hours to dry a load of clothes?

Your duct is probably too long, and not constructed properly. Installing a proper exhaust system may increase the dryers performance, though this is not guaranteed.
Vent length and installation requirements will vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer, but International Residential Code (IRC) gives us a conservative starting point.

International Residential Code 2009
Chapter 15 - Exhaust Systems
Section M1502 Clothes Dryer Exhaust
M1502.1 General. Clothes dryers shall be exhausted in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
M1502.4 Dryer exhaust ducts. Dryer exhaust ducts shall conform to the requirements of Sections M1502.4.1 through M1502.4.6.
M1502.4.1 Material and size. Exhaust ducts shall have a smooth interior finish and shall be constructed of metal a minimum 0.016-inch
(0.4 mm) thick. The exhaust duct size shall be 4 inches (102 mm)
nominal in diameter.
M1502.4.3 Transition duct. Transition ducts used to connect the dryer to the exhaust duct system shall be a single length that is
listed and labeled in accordance with UL 2158A. Transition ducts shall
be a maximum of 8 feet (2438 mm) in length. Transition ducts shall not
be concealed within construction.
M1502.4.4 Duct length. The maximum allowable exhaust duct length shall be determined by one of the methods specified in Section
M1502.4.4.1 or M1502.4.4.2.
M1502.4.4.1 Specified length. The maximum length of the exhaust duct shall be 25 feet (7620 mm) from the connection to the transition
duct from the dryer to the outlet terminal. Where fittings are used,
the maximum length of the exhaust duct shall be reduced in accordance
with Table M1502.4.4.1.

M1502.4.4.2 Manufacturer's instructions. The size and maximum length of the exhaust duct shall be determined by the dryer
manufacturer's installation instructions. The code official shall be
provided with a copy of the installation instructions for the make and
model of the dryer at the concealment inspection. In the absence of
fitting equivalent length calculations from the clothes dryer
manufacturer, Table M1502.4.4.1 shall be used.

Basically what all this means, is that in general the overall length of the duct can be 33'.  25' of the duct system; measured from the exhaust hood to the dryer connection, must be 4" rigid metal duct. You can then have an 8' section of "transition duct", which can be flexible duct, but must be UL listed and labeled for the use. For each elbow, subtract the value from Table M1502.4.4.1 from the overall 25' length.
When you use flexible "transition duct", make sure the duct is fully extended and trimmed to fit. Don't leave the duct compressed and coiled.
Manufacturers Installation Instructions
If you look at the Maytag installation instructions (PDF), they tell you what type of exhaust hoods you can choose from.

The instructions then provide a table to determine the maximum duct length, based on the hood used and the number of bends.

Gas dryers need gas to dry, so make sure the gas is on before you spend too much more time or money on repairs. It might also be useful to make sure it's not user error, by making sure the tenants know how to use the dryer properly. Don't forget to make sure the tenants aren't overloading the dryer.


Can a 240V circuit be split to make two 120V circuits when 240V is no longer needed?

Short answer - you can easily convert to a single 120V circuit but you can't convert to two circuits, you have two wires and you need three or four.

Your 240V branch circuit is supplied by two wires originating at a two pole breaker in the panel.  You could remove the two pole breaker, install a single pole breaker, land one wire on the breaker and the other on the neutral bar, and you have a 120V circuit.

To get two 120V circuits, you have two options:

two separate circuits wired with four wires
a single multiwire branch circuit with three wires - two hots and a shared neutral

If you're wired with conduit and have the space, it's usually pretty easy to add one or two wires from the breaker to the outlets.  If you're wired with cable - either nonmetallic / romex or armored MC / AC / BX, it's more of a project.  But it's not a simple conversion.


How to debug a light fixture that is no longer working

It looks like you have two circuits, black and blue wires and a white neutral, coming out of the center conduit in the old fixture box. The black wire is wire nutted to a group and one of them goes up the left conduit with a neutral to the switch box to feed the GFCI outlet. In that same conduit is the always hot blue and what will be the switched hot red when hooked up to a switch. The switched hot in the old fixture box leaves in the lower left along with a neutral to the new fixture box. Check your main panel for two breakers that energize the old fixture box. They may not have handle ties on them


We see a lot of really bad electrical work here.  This is not that.  I wouldn't lose any sleep if my panel looked like this.  There are a few defects.

If you're really worried about electrical fires, inspect all your wiring and install AFCI breakers on all the circuits which are not in steel conduit, or which have flexible cords plugged into them.

Ground doesn't necessarily come from the service entrance

Nothing says the ground must come in from the service entrance.  The two hots and neutral do.  Ground is derived from rods, water pipe, etc. and brought into the main panel/breaker.

Your situation is a little unusual since you have a main breaker in a different box from the main panel (which does not have a main breaker).  It appears your ground comes into the main-breaker box.   Make sure it goes to somewhere which is an actual legal ground.

You can see where it bonds to neutral there, and then bonds to the case through a flat strap.  This is the only place ground should bond to neutral.

Ground is carried from the main breaker to the main panel via the metal conduit.  Metal conduit is a valid grounding path.

Is neutral tied to ground in the main panel?

The main panel has all its neutrals neatly separated from all its grounds.  That suggests good work.  However, I am concerned that it appears there's a bond between the neutral bar and the ground bar, and I don't entirely see how the ground bar is bonded to the actual metal case of the breaker panel.  There should not be a neutral-ground bond in more than one place.

Fill the empty holes in the panel

The knockout holes should be capped. They make plugs just for that.  But first...

Too many conductors in that conduit

Look just to the right of the main cable entrance, you see a conduit with 5 hots and 5 neutrals going into it.  If the conduit is longer than 24", that's too many - the maximum is 4 circuits per conduit**.

So, lay a second parallel conduit and move 2 of the circuits to it. Don't pick any 4 random wires, always keep hot together with its partner neutral.

If you must put 5-10 circuits in a conduit, you must de-rate, meaning use thicker wire: 12 AWG for a 15A circuit, and 10 AWG for a 20A circuit.

** The gory details are in NEC 310.15b3a. You are allowed up to 9 conductors in a single conduit, regardless of size.  Grounds don't count.  In a 240V circuit, neutrals don't count since they only carry imbalance current.

Above 9 wires, you have to "de-rate" wire capacity.  For 10-20 wires, use 12AWG for a 15A circuit or 10 AWG for a 20A circuit.  For 21-40 wires, use 10 AWG for 15A, or 8 AWG for 20A.


How can I ensure an angle valve points in the direction I want it to?

It isn't a game of chance. A few wraps of PTFE (Teflon) tape give you the flexibility to stop at an appropriate angle. The characteristic compressibility of the tape means you don't have to bottom the joint out to make it seal.

If you find that the joint bottoms out before it feels snug enough, start over. Remove the used tape and apply a few more wraps than last time.


Sub Panel grounding questions... wire size, how-to's

Conduit is your friend here

As a general rule, using direct bury cable for an outdoor feeder is penny-wise and pound-foolish due to the cost of digging it up and replacing it when an upgrade is desired (a trencher rental + labor) compared to the cost of installing conduit (Schedule 80 PVC, or sometimes rigid metal conduit even) to begin with.  A 2" Schedule 80 PVC conduit between the buildings provides sufficient space at 742mm2 for 3 4/0 Al XHHW-2 conductors (at about 525mm2 total) and a 6AWG bare copper ground (which adds another 13mm2, to make for a total of 538mm2), while if you really want to go for broke, you could use 3" for easy pulling and extra expansion room (not that you'd need more than about 100-125A to an outbuilding, that is).

If you can't afford to do anything but stick with the cable...

If your only option is sticking with the cable you have, though, then what you can do is wrap a ground wire in with the cable as you lay it, as the NEC 300.3(B) requirements allow multiple individual conductors or cables in the same trench to be used as part of the same circuit:

  (B) Conductors of the Same Circuit. All conductors of the
  same circuit and, where used, the grounded conductor and all
  equipment grounding conductors and bonding conductors
  shall be contained within the same raceway, auxiliary gutter,
  cable tray, cablebus assembly, trench, cable, or cord, unless
  otherwise permitted in accordance with 300.3(B)(1)through
  (B)(4).

In particular, you'll need a 6 AWG bare copper ground wire for this, instead of the 8 AWG normally called for by a 100A circuit, due to the 250.122(B) size increase (which works out to a a size increase of about 1.6x over the base size from the table):

  (B) Increased in Size. Where ungrounded conductors are
  increased in size from the minimum size that has sufficient
  ampacity for the intended installation, wire-type equipment
  grounding conductors, where installed, shall be increased in
  size proportionately, according to the circular mil area of the
  ungrounded conductors.

You will need separate ground and neutral bars in the subpanel, no matter what

As a result of running a separate ground wire back to the main panel, you will need to have separate ground and neutral bars in the subpanel, with all the ground wires landing on the ground bars and all the neutral wires landing on the neutral bars.  Note that unless your panel shipped with extra ground bars factory installed, you will need to go to a local electrical supply house and buy a set that is appropriate for the make of your panel, or order the correct manufacturer's part online.

Furthermore, you will need to pull the (green) bonding screw or strap out of the subpanel and toss it, as it will not be needed -- neutral only meets ground at the main panel, as long as a separately derived systems is not sticking its nose into the tent, which only happens if you have a distribution transformer somewhere downstream of the main panel, or with certain generator configurations.

And you will also need that ground stake at the shed, as well

You will need some more of that 6AWG bare copper to connect the ground stakes (two of them, 8' deep and 8' apart) at the shed to the ground bar at the shed panel.  This provides a path for stray natural electricity to get back to the earth, while the ground wire between the main panel and the subpanel provides a path for wayward utility electricity to get back to the utility.


How do I remove stuck GU24 adapter from A socket?

The adapter you are showing is to make an E26, edison base, receptacle into a GU24 base permanently. Note the tab on the thread side. So it's not made to be removed. These are usually installed to satisfy an energy code requirement.

Oddly enough they make an adapter to convert a GU24 back to a E26 if you would like to try that or you could replace the socket with a new one if possible by rewiring the fixture. Or you could just try working it out of the socket like the first one you did.

I know this is not much of an answer but maybe it could point you to the right direction. Good luck


A new trend is switch plates which snap on, and do not use cover plate screws at all. That is worth looking into.

Of course, none of that will solve the underlying static problem; you'll just get nailed instead by the next metal thing you touch.   I would want a metal cover plate isolated by a 1 megaohm resistor to safety ground, because that would actually dissipate the charge.

And of course, make sure your safety ground and grounding electrode are tip-top to be sure you aren't actually getting bit by mains current.  That is somewhat different in sensation, and also does not disappear in high humidity.


Can you drill through Titebond 3 wood glue without breaking its seal?

It's hard to tell reliably from the picture.  Another picture from the side that shows the shape of the break would help.

That glue joint looks pretty wide unless we're just seeing a bead of oozed glue.  Ideally, the wood should fit tightly together and be clamped with pressure on the joint while the glue dries.  A "sheet of glue plastic" between the wood pieces won't have the same strength as wood.

But to your question, gluing in a dowel will improve the strength.  It's hard to tell the dimensions of the cross-section.  You could use a relatively big diameter dowel or several smaller diameter dowels.  The doweling will provide most of the structural strength, but recognize that the strength is coming from wood the diameter of the dowel instead of wood the cross section of the leg.

Once the current glue job is completely dry, it will hold the pieces together to allow you to add structural strength with dowels.  Drilling for the dowels won't hurt the glue in places where you aren't drilling.  But, of course, it removes the material where you drill, so the joint will have that much less overall structural strength until you glue in the dowels.  The dowels should not be loose before gluing; the holes should be tight enough that you need to tap the dowels into place.  Also, don't put any load on the repair until the doweling glue is completely dry.

Another (and better) option would be to use several long screws with large heads and washers, or pocket hole screws.  Drill appropriate size pilot holes and clearance holes, and leave a flat base in the hole for the screw head or washer.


How do I re-wire this outlet (switched top, always-on lower)?

This is a lot more straightforward than it looks.

All the blacks go together, and also to the hot side of one socket.
All the whites go together, and also to the neutral side of both sockets.
All the reds go together, and also to the hot side of one socket.

You need to break off the tab on the hot side of your new receptacle.

How do we know this?  First, black is the first color people use for always-hot.  And they're all nutted together with a pigtail. So that is almost certainly the genuine always-hot.  Can't tell you where it's coming from.

Since you have a WeMo light switch, those are neutral, so the white wire on the switch loop must actually be neutral.  Therefore the switched-hot is red.    Since other receptacles are also switched, that also accounts for the other red wire.   Now all the red wires are accounted for.

The supply must deliver neutral, and the switch and downstream outlet also need neutral.  That accounts for all the white wires.

By the way, the neutral are hot because they have  loads on them.  Since you disconnected its neutral and it is still connected to "hot", the entire guts of the Wemo are now floating at 120V, including its neutral terminal and the wire attached to it.  The same is true for something you have plugged into one of those receptacles in an always-hot socket.  If you put an ammeter between these "hot" neutrals and the connected one, it would tell you what they draw.

The 3-way theory doesn't hold.  Since black is always-hot, the other two would have to be messengers.  The two messengers would have to go down another cable that is 3 wires, so that could only be the other /3.  There would be a lot more wire-nuts in there, and there's be no way for switched hot power to make it to any other receptacle.

Wiring methods

The people who wired this were hacks.   Using both backstabs and screws because you're too lazy to pigtail is appalling and illegal.   It is possible to put 2 wires on/under the same screw, but you need to use products auch as Leviton's screw-and-clamp system, which are designed and listed for that.  A commercial grade Leviton receptacle with that system is under $3.  Never use screws and backstabs.  Never use backstabs in any case.

If you don't want to use the Leviton or competitor system, just pigtail as you see the black was pigtailed.  Get some wire nuts and short lengths of wire.  You can buy 2 feet of 12/3 cable and cut it apart to get wires.

That may be #14 (not #12) wire, it probably was if they were using backstabs, most stabs won't take #12.  12 is a universal choice, but stiffer.

If I were you I would think about replacing every receptacle in the house.  They probably backstabbed a lot of it, very common for builders in a hurry, also using the cheap 60 cent receptacles and switches.   At least get rid of the stabs, they are bad news.


What's the best way to terminate plastic water supply pipe?

Jay, it looks like you have a typical RV compression fit PVC line there. Looking at your pics, I don't see any pipe threads on the end of the tubing. It is difficult, if not impossible to match a threaded fitting to this type of pipe. You might have to go to a RV supply with the pipe type(usually printed on the pipe) and purchase an end cap for that specific tubing. If you don't have a pex tool or compression plyers to install a collar, there may be a self sealing compression fitting much like a Shark Bite that can be installed with a wrench, or a simple glue on cap fitting.  Be sure to remove any scored or damaged tubing end before trying to install a new fitting.


How can I reattach sliding drawers which have damaged their screw holes?

I think you have two options here.

Either you repair that hole by filling it with epoxy resin or another suitable filler. After that you may have to drill it again to make sure it has the right diameter and position.

Or you drill a bigger hole and use an insert nut (see wikipedia). Then you also have to replace the special scew depicted by a suitable countersunk machine screw. Of course it depends on the thickness of your board, whether you can use an insert nut.


Where to find very old door knob handle / deadbolt set?

This style lockset is known as a mortise lockset.

Dis-assembly and cleaning won't hurt.

While you've got it apart, print the Baldwin diagram below, and note your dimensional differences.  Some will be critical (holes for knob and deadbolt), others may be compensated for by strike plate adjustment or wooden block supports (under a shorter mortise body).

Backset (the distance from the door edge to the center of the knob) is a critical dimension that will determine what replacements are available.  Modern backsets are usually 2 3/8",  many older mortises are 2 1/8 and 2 (the new one below is 2.5)

This page lists some Baldwin mortises, they cover a range of backsets and door thicknesses.  Googling "mortise locksets" will net you many choices.


Regulations (if any - they are mostly concerned with minimum sizes) will vary with the LAHJ (local area having jurisdiction) but the simple and practical consideration (if connecting to a sewer) is that your pipe size from the house should be equal to or smaller than the pipe size from the street.

A reduction in size will be more prone to clogging, and it's your house that will have the clog, not the general public.

There is no real benefit to the public system in limiting the size of pipe in houses - the size of pipe does not materially affect the amount of flow, which is based on number of occupants and fixtures, not the size of the pipe.

Where there is no sewer, the input connection on your septic tank will set the maximum practical pipe size (typically 4" in the US unless special-ordering a larger intake, which is really not called for on any normal-scale single-dwelling septic system.)


Is RC2040M150CH MSP upgradable to 200amps main circuit breaker

You're good for that breaker swap

Since your utility is OK with the service upsize and the labeling on your meter-main allows it, putting the QOM2200VH in there instead of the existing QOM2150VH is fine.  You'll need to have the utility pull the meter (they can do this for no-charge during normal working hours) to do this safely, though, and also to make sure that the breaker screws and nuts are torqued to specification on the new breaker (this will require an inch-pound torque wrench).


Can I substitute a 100 amp circuit breaker in a 90 amp spot?

Depends on the label on the Heat pump, the wire size and type, and the stab rating on the panel cover.

Breakers do wear out, it would still be a benefit to replace with the original size it if was the correct size to start with.

It is rare that anybody installs a smaller than maximum allowed breaker at the time of installation, but the information you need can be found on the nameplate of the Heat Pump, it should look something like this:

The line that says "max fuse amps or hacr type circuit breaker" is the line that tell you the maximum breaker allowed. This breaker can be at the electrical panel or at the disconnect at the unit. If the breaker at the panel is sized to the maximum listed then the wire only has to meet the rating of "minimum circuit ampacity". But if the over current protection at the unit provides the maximum allowed breaker or fuse, and the breaker in the panel is larger then the wire has to be treated as a "feeder" must be matched to the breaker in the panel.

You can see in the label shown that the breaker is allowed to be 50A, but the wire has to only be sized for 29A. But if you feed it from a 60A breaker in the panel and a 50A breaker or fuse at the unit then you would need to up the wire between the breakers to 60A wire. The amperage rating of the wire is based on insulation and conductor type from a chart in the NEC (with additional restrictions on wire #10 and smaller) and the temperature rating of the terminals where the wire is attached.

Then there can be an issue with the breaker in the electrical panel. Many panels have a restriction on the label that limit the total amperage of breakers installed head-to-head. If increasing the breaker size exceeds this number then you can't do it.


Sealing basements so water doesn't come in starts from the outside using curtain drains to lower the water table. For bitumen or any other wall sealer to work effectively, it's applied to the outside of the wall.


Are these walls prepared properly for tile?

I'm a little concerned by the fact that "this one has had issues," but it sounds like this part of the job is being done correctly.

Just a couple of definitions, quickly:

Drywall (aka sheetrock, plasterboard, wallboard, gypsum board) is gypsum plaster covered in paper, and is used on most walls and ceilings in dry areas.
Cement board (aka CBU) is used in wet areas like showers; drywall - even the green or blue stuff - will eventually disintegrate in wet areas.

I'm assuming that the 4" patch at the top of the shower walls is cement board, same as the lower part.

It's standard to use fiberglass tape over joints between cement board to minimize movement between the boards, and apply thinset and tile over that area as usual. You might fill the gap with a little extra thinset while tiling, but you don't use drywall mud in there since moisture will just weaken it.

The fact that the cement boards aren't flush to each other shouldn't be a problem unless the gap is more than 1/8". Even a little more than that isn't going to cause problems, depending on the size of the tile used.

The most important thing to be aware of when a new shower is being installed is preventing water from getting into the walls. For this reason, a vapor barrier (plastic sheet) should go between cement board and the wall studs, and extend down over the lip of the shower base (or pan). This allows any water that gets into any joints between cement boards to run down into the shower base and down the drain.

The cement board should extend down to about 1/8" above the lip of the shower base - there's no need to overlap it, since the plastic is doing so. The bottom row of tile should extend over the bottom edge of the cement board, mostly covering the lip of the shower base, then silicone caulk should be applied to seal that gap.


Mortar is similar to concrete in that they both contain Portland cement and sand. The 2 different ingredients are that mortar has hydrated lime and concrete has larger aggregates (stones). Using mortar in place of concrete isn't a good idea as the two have dissimilar compressive strengths. If you are only able to use the white mortar you may be able to make it concrete-like by adding a shovel full of Portland cement and than mix (1) shovel of gravel with (2) shovels of plaster sand and (1) shovel of mortar. The added Portland cement and sand may produce a strong enough mix, but the mortars' hydrated lime is the weak link. As been commented on, it may be easier to seek-out a pre-mixed white cement if possible and use dye for a brighter color. Look for concrete dye at your local building supply store. They should have several colors available including white. A pint is the typical liquid amount. Depending on the shade of white you desire (brilliant down to greyish white) you may need several pints. You will have to experiment with proportions to get the right shade of white, but as was pointed out in comments you may be using more dye than is cost effective if you want a "white" white.


Is a #14 pigtail to a receptacle on a 20A circuit actually an issue?

The problem isn't the excess I2R drop (voltage drop) in the wire, it's that the wire is loaded beyond its ampacity, which causes it to overheat and damage its insulation as well as the insulation of other nearby wires as most insulating materials used for household wiring cannot withstand being overheated (dry steam is too hot for them, if you want to get an idea) without deteriorating significantly.

There are rules in the Code for tap conductors that can be smaller than the circuit they are tapped off of, but they apply to limited situations (such as lights, hard-wired cooking appliances, and some other types of fixed loads), never to receptacles -- the risk of an oversized-for-the-tap load being attached to the receptacle is too high.


how to drill a 2 1/2 in by 5 in long hole in wood?

You want a Forstner bit and an extension shaft.


Is there a moisture barrier I can apply between drywall and paint?

I'm not sure if there's a moisture barrier specifically that goes in between the paint and the wall of the bathroom, but there are paints that are made to withstand high humidity. Also, semi-gloss seems to be the finish of choice because it is better at resisting stains and moisture which are common problems for bathrooms.


What are the pros and cons on installing a typical garage floodlight kit, inside your garage?

The immediate issue I see is that a floodlight is not great for lighting a room.  They cast harsh shadows, create a lot of glare if you look anywhere near their direction, and will leave plenty of dark areas in the room.  Of course, a few of those downsides could be fixed by just installing regular light bulbs rather than flood bulbs unless it has integrated LED floods.

Using a switch and the motion detector is possible if you are running new wiring to them.  You could have two switches where one powers the motion detector and the other powers the lights directly.  You could even use a three way switch if you never needed the light to be fully off (you could have always-on, or motion, but never totally off with one three way switch).

The other thing to consider is that some (many?) motion detection lights have a feature where they will stay on if you turn the switch off and on a few times.  This allows people to easily use the light in a passive motion mode or you can "force" it on from your back door by toggling the switch a few times.  Check your instruction manual - I know this used to be a popular feature but haven't had my own lights to try it on in some time.

As far as safety or code are concerned, I'm not aware of any issues that would prevent you from installing the light inside.


What is the device resembling a capacitor in my ceiling fan?

They are capacitors made by Seika to be compact to fit into enclosed spaces. Testing caps is very easy

You have to be careful when dealing with caps because they are essentially quick charge/discharge batteries and are capable of giving you a zap with the power off. The the resistor on the diagram of the cap indicates  that it discharges itself when the power is off, but it's still best to be cautious. If you test and it fails they are available for replacement.

This is an example of one on Amazon, however this is a triple cap. And to clarify the second one is also a capacitor, it's a 4 micro farad run capacitor.


What's the easiest way to clean concrete

Hydrogen peroxide is an extremely effective cleaner. Often it is marketed as "sodium percarbonate", "non-chlorine bleach" and "oxygen bleach". You can get it in powder form or liquid form. Either might be just as good, but the higher the hydrogen peroxide concentration, the better of a job it will do.

If you get powder, I recommend sprinkling it onto the concrete, then getting it damp. You can then smooth the wet mixture evenly over the concrete to get even coverage. If you get liquid, just spread evenly. Either way, let it sit for 5 - 15 minutes, then wash away. Repeat as necessary. Once it has stopped foaming, I think the hydrogen peroxide has finished reacting and won't clean any more. So, if there is still dirt left, you'll need to apply another wash of cleaner.

Hydrogen peroxide is relatively safe, but it does kill red blood cells quite quickly. I've watched drops of it on my hand reduce the blood in that area inside my skin to white foam. So, if you get powder, avoid inhaling it, but aside from that, the only off-gassing is pure oxygen.

My parents had a hard time cleaning mildew off our porch and power washing didn't work. However, powdered hydrogen peroxide did work when used as I describe above.


Run directly from the meter to house, no secondary panel?

Per the 2020 code (230.85), you are now REQUIRED to have a disconnect outside of the house at the meter.


Wall in middle of tile floor: grout lines don't match

This is indicative of a poor initial layout, perhaps due to inexperience. An experienced tile setter takes note of the areas where defects (like grout lines that can't line up, small or thin cuts, discolored tiles, etc.) would be most visible and makes sure things are perfect in those places, hiding the inevitable problems elsewhere.

If the tile had been properly laid out before setting it, the lines would be perfect across the open areas. Small differences in tile spacing are normal but are normally hidden by "pinching" or "spreading" the grout lines in places where it won't be noticed.

  should I tell my installer to do it over?

I would, or I would insist on a significant discount due to lame installation then hide it with an area rug or something...

This is an example of why you should hire reputable contractors who are not shy of providing references, or hiring out of the local guild. You get what you pay for sometimes...


If your sun room is really a three-season room, you need an insulated door between it and your heated space as part of what's known as the "building envelope". Interior doors not only don't insulate as well, but they don't offer the seals that prevent airflow (which is actually a greater source of heat loss).

If your sun room stays within say 20 degrees of the heated space year round, you can probably go ahead and use interior doors, but I'd still consider adding bristle-type air gaskets.


How to stabilize a wooden lawn mower ramp over stairs?

If I saw someone building this ramp my first thought would be to add a block as shown in the picture. To me it just looks like an accident waiting to happen.

Also consider starting from ground/floor level, as shown in this picture.