What could cause dishwasher waste water to back up into the bathtub?

Clog or Restricted Drain
The most likely cause of this would be a clog, or restriction in the drain line. When the dishwasher discharges, it's too much water too fast for the drain to handle. The water likely backs up into the tub, because it's the easiest escape for the excess water.
If there is a clog, it would be somewhere in the drain line after the tub (which is why it backs up into the tub). Without actually being at your house, it's nearly impossible for me to be more specific.
I would start with a liquid clog remover (like drain-o, liquid plumber, etc.), which I would pour down the tub drain.  Make sure you select an appropriate product. for example if you have a septic system, choose a product that is safe for septic systems.
If that doesn't work, you could snake the drain (or have a plumber do it).
Full Septic Tank
If you have a septic system, it may be time to have it pumped and inspected.  When septic tanks are full they cannot leech water fast enough, often times the result is waste water backing up into other fixtures.
The only solution here, would be to call in a professional to service the tank.


What chemicals are available to remove and prevent mold appearing through brickwork?

Can you find Sporicidin there?  I've used it successfully at home.


Range Hood Ventilation - Working around a stud

Many range hoods have options to route out the back (no good for you) or out the top. Vent out the top, use a right angle to go left or right and then another right angle to go back through the wall between studs.


Your cheapest and easiest option is a spacer under the foot. A small piece of plywood or a couple of wood shims will do the trick. Both will be available at a home improvement center or lumber supplier.


Two confused adding machines

GFCIs work by measuring the difference in the current through their hot and the current through their neutral -- if it's more than the trip threshold, then the current must be going somewhere it shouldn't, so they trip to cut off that unwanted current flow.

This means that your plan is doomed to failure -- neither GFCI will reset because the current will divide differently between the GFCI-neutrals than it will between the loads.  You'll have to pull a 5th wire into the conduit beyond the GFCIs to serve as a 2nd neutral -- I'd use a grey or striped wire here to distinguish it from the existing neutral so you don't mix them up by accident and wonder why your GFCIs have tripped.

Or, use a breaker form factor

Alternately, you could use regular receptacles and a two-pole GFCI circuit breaker in your panel instead of the regular breaker that's there right now.  This works, but may be a bit more expensive, depending on what you have for a panel and how much extra wire you're saving.


Installing new dishwasher with existing power cord

Usually you can use a cord/plug with a dishwasher.

What was the cord that you used from originally?  Some people have used cords that have been cut off of old appliances and electronics, which may not be up to the task.  For example, if you cut the cord of a kettle (resistive wire) or a DVD player (low current) you may end up with problems.

You can buy kits:
https://www.whirlpool.com/-[4317824]-1001038/4317824/

Or you can reuse a beefy 3-prong cord from another appliance.  The only way I can think that the cord might cause the pump to fail is if it was resistance wire, or limiting the current.  A big percentage of appliance failures are in the first 30 days, so the pump failing and the cord are probably unrelated.


Sorry to hear your problem. I just redid my kitch and had an uneven floor. To solve the problem I called my brother who works on the installation of hospital equipment. Those floors need to be precise and he has work with some very uneven floors.

I can describe the process.
You need to etch your subfloor concrete then find the best self-leveling thin set. Usually not recommended for larger than 1 inch gaps. So Damon is right to do a bulk fill in some areas. Make sure to make the thin set as thin as possible. Use the max amount of water the bag says, no less. I learned the hard way a little thinner is better when leveling. After it dries you will have a level floor. Unless your concrete continues to settle.


Redoing my roof: how should I redo my insulation?

Unless you need to, don't rip off the sheathing. At 60 years old, it may need it anyways. If you look at the roof can you see dips between the rafters? If the sheathing is still flat, keep it in place.

Your best bet is probably blown-in cellulose. You can hire a company to handle it, or rent the machine from your home center. You should only need a small access point to get the nozzle in, large enough for a rake to smooth out any irregularities.


Where to find Adapter for E-11 or E-14 to E-26 light socket

You can buy 250W Medium Base PAR38 bulbs at 1000bulbs.

You should be able to find the adapter relatively easily online if you still want to go that route.


There are a few ways to do this. If you don't mind holes in one face of your board, you can screw another board to it at a bias, matching the angle you wish to cut, and lapping past the side of the board you're cutting. By sliding the temporary board along the fence, your workpiece will be cut at an angle.

Another approach would be to fasten (with masking tape or whatever) spacers of tapered thickness to your workpiece, say every foot. Slide those against the fence.

Finally, purchase or build a taper jig that does basically the same thing as the other suggestions, but is more versatile and reusable.


How many man hours to build a small house, 2500 sq ft?

When I constructed my house which was a single story (20 feet x 30 feet) and approx. 600 sq. ft. it took about 4 months until it was 100% completed . The only labor I paid to have done was the concrete floor. This was for two people working 8 hour a days x 6 days a week for 4 months.  48 hrs./ week x 4 weeks = 192 hrs./ month x 4 months = 768 hrs. x 2 people = 1536 total hours. Or it took one person 1.28 hours per sq. ft. If you want to get an idea of what the national (in the US) average cost is for any phase of construction Google (or purchase) "National Repair and Remodeling Estimator" by Albert S. Paxton. Published by Craftsman Book Co.. It comes with a CD for calculating an estimate. It also breaks down every phase of construction A-Z giving hourly wage, time for completion, material and supply costs by job location, etc..


What's the best way to remove a wrought iron fence?

Use a reciprocating saw with a high quality metal cutting blade to remove the horizontal bars. If you or a neighbor don't have one, you could use a regular hacksaw and save $$.

Do not cut the posts as these can be used for leverage to rock the buried ball of concrete, loosening it up and making it easier to get out of the ground.

You will need work gloves, safety glasses, a round point shovel (D-handle version shown), a pinch bar or digging bar, and some elbow grease and beer.


Quarter turn bathroom tap: Valve removal

Solution!

I bought a box spanner and removed the entire unit (including the silver connecting hoses) and then went to a few local plumbing shops with the whole tap.

It seems to be a rare type of unit for London.

Step 1: Turn the water off at the stopcock.

Step 2: Pull (Yes pull) the handle out. The handle had two rubber rings holding it into the concealment cylinder (The cylinder between the handle and the main shaft).

Step 3: Unscrew the concealment cylinder (similar to video 2 in this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQc5WWbKmnI).

Step 4: Unscrew the screw holding a plastic connector for the tap out of the cartridge.

Step 5: Remove the cartridge and replace.

Step 6: Put things back together :)

Good luck!


The building code does address the width, profile, and the rounding of the treads.

From the 2009 IBC:

  R311.5.3.3 Profile. The radius of curvature at the leading edge of the tread shall be no greater than 9/16 inch (14 mm).

I believe the reason for rounding the leading edge of the tread with wood is to reduce the likelihood of splintering. Also, standard soft pine building lumber is more likely to warp or be damaged with use than a hardwood stair tread.

Good luck with your project.


Mary, how much can you do yourself?  I will share my experience, but I will also preface it with the fact I have my own hand tools, as well as a multimeter for diagnosing electrical problems.  You need to be able to get to the ice maker itself, and be able to disassemble/remove it from the frig, if need be.
I fixed my ice maker within the last year, but my frig. doesn't have water, so YMMV. the troubleshooting is the same. Find the water supply line to the icemaker (it might be different from the one for water dispenser).  the water supply line in the frig. will start at a water solenoid valve that usually is connected to the water supply line of the house (coming out of the wall and w/ a shutoff valve).  easiest way to test the solenoid valve is to disconnect the water supply line (at the solenoid) to ice maker and energize the solenoid to see if it works (this is assuming there's a separate solenoid for each ice maker and water dispenser). Cycle the unit however you can, maybe unplugging and then plugging back in the frig's electrical cord.  If the solenoid for ice maker dispenses water, then the solenoid is okay, and you can move on to next troubleshooting step.  If the solenoid doesn't dispense water, then that's most likely your issue.
Second step, remove the water supply line from the ice maker. You might have to unmount the icemaker from the wall of the frig. the idea is to see that you have water running all the way to the icemaker. if you don't then you have a clog (unlikely) in your supply line between solenoid and icemaker.  You might have to energize that solenoid again to push water through that line. If you do have water there, then go to next step.
Third step: depending on how new your frig is, the icemaker's controls will be mechanical or electronic. Mechanical controls are the lesser expensive option, and so more common to find, even in newer models.  The point is a lot of times the mechanical timer for the icemaker is what craps out.  It's a lot like the timer on a washing machine. It controls the different cycles of the icemaker.  First, the icemaker fills w/ water; then the water freezes; then the bottom of the icemaker heats up to release the ice, and then a mechanical arm/auger lifts/pushes out the ice into the basket. These steps are controlled by the timer.  These timers go bad, and most people will typically replace the whole ice maker, which isn't necessary.  The timers are available and replacing the timer is a whole lot cheaper than the whole ice maker, or even the frig.  The timer is fairly easy to troubleshoot, assuming you want to make sure. this is where the multimeter comes in and cheap ones are available at harbor freight and online if you need one.  the operation of the multimeter is pretty simple and can be learned online relatively quickly on YouTube. you can even find a video that explains these steps and shows where to look and some even show how to setup the multimeter.  A faulty timer is fairly easy to replace.  You might or might not have to remove the icemaker. getting to it will be the most labor intensive part of the job. Mine is in a bottom freeze, and I removed the bottom door and racks/shelving (and all the food) to get to the icemaker.
In summary, I troubleshot and repaired my icemaker to the tune of maybe 30 or 40 dollars, as opposed to spending couple of hundred dollars just for an icemaker and even more for a professional to do it, at which point that's when people decide just to replace the whole frig.  Hope this helps.


Subpanel - still getting power with breaker disconnected

As it turned out, according to the OP from his comment:

  i found it. the sheathing on the main supply line was slightly severed.


How to replace an odd-size (2 1/4" x 1 7/8") downspout elbow?

The good news is that your down spout is a simple, plain rectangle tube -- no fancy profile rolled into it as is common with most down spouts.

That's good news because it means you can easily have a new part made. If you want to bang it out yourself you can find rolls of pre-painted "aluminum trim coil" in a range of colors at home centers. First find a large sheet of paper or thin cardboard such as a breakfast cereal box. Work out how to make a series of cuts and folds to form the part you need. You'll have to find edges you can bend the sheet around. The jaw of a vise, the corner or edge of a table, a cut piece of wood -- be creative as you search for objects to help with the forming. You may be able to form the aluminum with your hands, but will probably need to strike it with a hard rubber or urethane hammer to get the bends sharp enough.

Or, if you don't want to earn the Down Spout Making merit badge, find a local contractor who does siding, trim, fascia, gutters, etc. They'll have material in stock as well as tools and machinery for forming custom parts like this. They do it all the time. You could bring them the broken elbow, and maybe a section of the down spout, so that they can custom-make a replacement that fits just right.


Should water heater thermostats be set to the same temperature?

Setting the top element slightly higher helps the elements to be used evenly.  If you set them to the same temperature, the bottom element will be the first one on every time, and frequently the only one used to maintain the temperature.  If you set the top element too much higher, then it will be used most of the time, and the bottom element acts more as a pre-heater.

Having them used evenly will spread out the minimum time to replacement.  But I wouldn't go through too big of an effort to change the settings on an old water heater.  Whenever your elements do go, or whenever you decide to change the temperature, that would be the time to make this adjustment.


Yes you can. Feeding the tank from above will exert the constant maximum head on the pump until the tank is full. Feeding from bottom leads to uniform increase of head from zero to maximum head. Also, feeding from the bottom will cut the energy consumption and time by half if the same capacity pump is used (I think). You can prevent the backflow by putting a NRV in line.


No  nothing special that is a normally dry location as identified by code.
All garage receptacles do require GFCI protection so either a GFCI breaker or GFCI receptacle is required.
I would consider a WR (weather resistant) rated receptacle as they last longer in garage locations.


Light flickers when turned off and power disconnected

This is serious business. This is a parallel arcing fault, meaning it is not arcing across a gap, but arcing between a hot conductor and an appliance conductor, effectively bypassing the switch.

I would expect to see/feel the damaged area, because it will be warm to the touch.

It is a hazardous situation because it is quite likely to start a fire.  To avoid these, try using an AFCI breaker in the panel.


Are air purifiers and ionizers effective?

Before I bought an air purifier a few years back, I found a Consumer Reports test of such machines, including several filter-based models and at least one ionizer.  The ionizer received a failing grade.  According to Wikipedia, the manufacturer subsequently sued Consumer Reports for product defamation and lost.  I don't have the Consumer Reports article anymore, but if I remember correctly, the only effective air purifiers were filter-based. Only a few models had much effect, and only when the fan was run at the highest (and loudest) speed.

We have had a filter-based air purifier (made by Sears) for about three years.  It cost about $300, and the annual filter cost is about $150.  It is effective in the sense that the filter does get dirty, but my (subjective) impression is that its cleaning effect is small compared to regular vacuum cleaning and dusting.  We haven't noticed any health improvements—but we didn't have dust allergies or other dust-related health problems either.

Apparently there have been studies into high levels of negative ions as a treatment for seasonal-affective disorder.  I have not read the papers or otherwise evaluated the research, and I don't know if commercially available air purifiers produce anions at the levels that are claimed to be clinically relevant.


How do I change light bulb on this type of ceiling fan?

It should be a counterclockwise twist off, by the ring it appears & just 1/4" not anything like a 1/4-turn. Sometimes they're really tight though. You want to twist in a sudden jerking motion rather than a slow torqueing like a light bulb.

If grip is an issue you can do pretty well with 2 short pieces of duct tape or any wide tape to use as handles...press-on one-half & let the other half hang down & then do your jerk action.


Line-to-Line Voltage Reads 0V (or low, 15V at most) on Primary of Main Breaker (L-N both read ~120V)

I am not sure if this all adds up but maybe you lost a leg, and one leg is backfeeding the other through the water heater, you're seeing voltage drop from 118 to 105 across the water heater.  (I'd have guessed a bigger voltage drop but still...)

With the water heater breaker off, do you lose power anywhere?


Three sets of wires and no clear way to ground

If the box is grounded, look around for a hole in the box that's tapped for a 10-32 screw.   It may be on a little "hill" and already have a screw in it.  Attaching a solid-core wire to this, or a wire with a spade or ring terminal, is the right way to "grab" ground off the box.  I like ring terminals, they're a little harder to work with, but you can put more than one on a screw.


Dangers of Heating a Bedroom up to High Temp

You mostly want to protect yourself and pets from harm:

As you can imagine, you do not want to be in the home while it is this hot. Not only does this give the bugs a way to escape by climbing onto you and the going with you when you leave, but it can pose health problems.
Even when you are in a sauna that reaches these same temperatures, you are not inside for nearly so long. You will have to find a time when no one needs to be home for the duration of the treatment if you want to begin killing bugs with heat. If you have the time, this is very much worth it.

Obviously you'll want to remove anything sensitive to heat, such as candles, personal products, and food.
However, you'll need to do a fair bit better than 120 degrees:

Generally speaking, your home will have to be heated up to 140°F and held at this temperature for two hours. Alternatively, you could have the home brought up to a temperature of 130°F and held at that level for three hours.

So 120 degrees probably won't do it. Also, if you're just doing one room, you're probably going to see a quick resurgence of the critters.
http://www.bedbugs.org/heat


How can I connect metal rods together crosswise?

After doing some research I found these that cost $12 each, pretty expensive, but am open to better suggestions:


Best way to take wood glue off of tools?

Bucket of hot water and a utility knife is what I use.  Let tool sit in bucket.  Sometimes after a couple minutes you can just touch the glue and it falls apart.  If it is a strong glue it will pop off with the utility knife.

The hot water is the fastest way I know because it heats both the glue and the tool.  Heating the tool causes its molecules to contract, weakening the bond and the glue just melts most of the time.


Why does our shower make a screaming noise?

Part of the cause of this may be turbulent vs. laminar flow. A high temperature will have a lower viscosity, leading to a higher Reynolds number, which contributes to turbulent flow. Add in surface defects from mineral build up, and you've got enough turbulence to vibrate your pipes to 'banshee levels.'


To remove water below the basement.

To provide a significant amount of storage in the event that the pump fails, allowing some time to correct the problem (depends on the inflow rate, but more depth is more storage.)

Depending on the age of the house, it may actually have been the well supplying the house at one time, and was converted to a sump pit when the water supply changed to an alternate well or municipal supply.


Can I use Rigid Foam Insulation instead of fiber insulation?

Yes. There are several types of rigid foam board. Polyisocyanurate (polyiso) has the best R-value at 6.5 (after aging). A 2 inch thick board will be at least R-12.9.

There are two main methods you can use from inside the room. With the first method, sometimes called "Cut-and-Cobble", you cut the panels to fit inside the joists and then use spray foam (e.g. Great Stuff) around each panel to create a tight air seal. If you have a 2x4 exterior wall, you could even get 3 inches of foam in there if you can find 3" panels or use a 2" and 1" panel together. I recently did exactly this myself in a bedroom that I gutted down to the studs.

Another method is to add the foam panels to the inside of the wall on top of the studs, tape the panels together with foil tape, and then put the drywall over the panels. This second method is preferred since it reduces thermal bridging from the cold studs into the wall and also provides a continuous air seal across the entire wall. If you do put the panels over the studs, you must fasten them to the studs and then use longer drywall fasteners to connect to the studs since the foam is not considered structural. The downsides to this methods are that all of your trim and receptacles must account for the additional wall thickness and you lose a bit of space in the room, depending on foam thickness.


Will these blinking LED lights cause a house fire?

It appears to be a bad/weak/intermittent switch.
I highly advise you to replace it!

SDsolar commented:In the comments to the answer is a link to a similar article where it is said that the ground wire was not at the same potential as the neutral, and that ungrounding it solved their problem. Not that it would seem an ideal solution, of course. And you might be right about an intermittent switch. But I'd suggest you flesh out your answer with examples to support your answer. – SDsolar yesterday

When you have a different potential between the neutral and load and ground and load, it would mean a measurable voltage between ground and neutral. That would mean that the potential in the neutral is being "bled off", resulting in a lower voltage being applied to the load.This will cause "non dimmable" LED lights to flash

It would seem in the above case, that "un-grounding stopped the voltage on the neutral line to stop being "bled off", leaving a greater potential (voltage) between the neutral and load...enough to stop the flashing.
I would be curious where they measured the potential difference. If the switch were still attached, and they measured at the screw terminals, I would suspect the switch is at fault.
I hope I am more clear now, SDsolar.


How can I install a sink/dishwasher in basement?

As DMoore suggested, running below slab is a viable option. Are you sure there are no lines running under the slab that may be closer?

The sink does need to be vented. Ideally, it should run up to an existing vent pipe that continues up through the roof. Some jurisdictions allow a mechanical vent which can be simply hidden in the wall, though the mechanical portion should be accessible for service and repair.

The drain slope is measured from the trap's outlet "invert", the lowest inside portion of the outlet pipe. Since pipe walls are parallel, you can actually measure the slope at any convenient surface, but for calculating if you have enough drop, use the invert. To tie into existing pipe, cut out a section and install a Wye or long turn Tee fitting. If none of the pipes can be moved to enable slipping into the hubs, the pipe can be cut farther up to enable gluing the fitting, then the butt ends are connected with a no-hub coupler.

As long as the pipes are waste pipes and not vents or something else, yes you can tie into them.

You should avoid pumps. But FYI, they are typically sort of a trash can with a pump inside. It could be placed on the floor in the storage room and the sink can easily drain into it. Such devices do get more complicated with floor level drains such as showers and toilets, but in your case, it's simple.


You do not need to do anything to the plaster behind the trim. If you add anything to repair it, it will add thickness to the wall in that area and the trim will not fit as well. Once it is covered, you will not see it.... just as good as gone.

The thing will be is, be certain to nail the trim to the jamb with 4D nails and 8 or10D nails through the plaster. Do not nail where the plaster is missing, it will be prone to cracking the trim, the wall must be solid where you nail. Pilot holes will be handy, but can be done without.


How to remove burn marks on kitchen bench top?

As already stated... sanding is the answer.  Start with a course grit (small number, like 60) sand until the marks are gone.  It's much easier if you can borrow or rent a "random orbit sander", many can be hooked up to a vacuum to control dust.

Sand the entire area... ideally the entire countertop, so you don't create low spots.  Then work your way up (higher number grit) maybe 110, then 240 then 300 or so.  At that point you ought to be able to seal it with some kind of penetrating oil... mineral oil even works fine.  Look for "food safe" finishes at your local store.


Difference between Rockwool and Acoustic Foam

Yes, as general concepts, both can be used for noise absorption but that doesn't mean they work the same way.  They can have potentially different absorption levels; different targeted frequencies; different form factors; different areas of use.

This page tallies up the absorption coefficients of hundreds of products: http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm

Note how there are wildly differing values based on type, thickness, and even specific frequencies.  If you have a serious spike at 500Hz and only have 1" of space to work with and it's a curved area, then you'll want to find a material or product that is flexible and works well at that frequency.  Add in factors such as if the product will be visible or not; enclosed or not; and such, and you find a massive amount of variability.

So in the end, why are they both in the market?  Because they serve different specific purposes within the subset of acoustic control.


Most of the dryers I have repaired with similar issues have had the Ni crome wire (heating element) break and short. Replacement elements are usually less than 50$. Several times once the broken heating coil broke loose from the metal enclosure everything but the heat worked. Checking the heating element with a meter will show if it is open (broken) or normal less than 50 ohms. One family member had this happen 3 times over several years 2 small holes where the coil arcing caused a small hole that I sealed with metal high temp duct tape. The thermal fuses on that model were 4-5$ the replacement coil was ~28$ and since it is now one of my kids it was free trouble shooting and repair,  things that can cause this are not cleaning the lint filter or taking it out and the pipe fills with lint and ? Now she even has her husband clean the exhaust pipe  just in case once a year but this has happened to me also on a verrry old dryer the wife said she wanted gone but I kept fixing it for way less than a replacement it is now at our other daughters house running strong after her second baby I think it is older than she is but not sure but it still works. Belts , rollers , heat coil's/ fuses and a new filter have kept 1 high capacity dryer running for 32 years +. Dryers are easy with a little time and an ohm meter Or continuity checker.


Eighteen inches of the post penetrating into the sleeve with rust most likely to be along most of the internal overlap will be next to impossible to get apart. One of the most helpful techniques for freeing rusted parts is heating the outer part so that it expands to loosen the joint - but that technique is not possible in this situation.

I suggest that you will likely have to break or cut out the concrete around the sleeve in order to get the whole thing removed all at once. This effort could be really a lot of work if the sleeve had been installed into its hole with concrete poured around it.

Too bad to hear that your jack is breaking. If there were a way to apply the load on the jack close to the body of the jack as opposed to way at the tip would be way better. If the casting of the jack is actually broken or cracked you should remove the unit from service so that you do not try to reuse the jack at a future time and have a safety compromise.


Single sub-panel from 3 phase panel and the main breaker size

First things first: do you see any orange wires, or wires with orange tape on them? If so, you definitely have what is known as a "high leg" or "wild leg" delta system -- based on your voltages, I believe you have this, which was used historically to supply both 3 phase 240VAC and 1 phase 240/120VAC to mixed occupancies, as in the illustration below (courtesy Wikipedia/Gargoyle888):

In this system, the secondary center tap forms the split-phase neutral, with the A and C phases as the normal 120V "hot" legs in the derived split-phase supply, and the "high" or "wild" leg, while normally the B phase (this is from 408.3(E)(1) in the NEC, by the way) sits unused as it has 208V to the neutral on it.

Now that that's explained, to answer your questions in turn:

Typical 6/4 service entrance quadruplex uses PE (XHHW) insulation rated to 75°C and is thus limited to 60A.  If you can confirm that the service entrance uses XHHW-2 (XLPE) insulation, though, you can run it up to a 90°C rating, which gives you a 70A (some sources say 75A) max ampacity.  The XHHW or XHHW-2 designation is part of the markings on the insulation, by the way.
Is the ALU#4 cable type SE(R) or type USE (also called SEU) cable?  SE(R) cable can be used for feeders indoors provided that the bare conductor in the cable is used only for equipment grounding purposes, as per 338.10(B)(2), or if all wires in the cable are individually insulated, as per 338.10(B)(1).  However, USE/SEU cable cannot be used for indoor feeders as per 338.12(B)(1), as its insulation is not flame retardant.
Connect the feeder cable to the feeder breaker (either 60A or 70A) in the three-phase panel; connecting a load directly to panel busbars is simply not cool.
While your thought of making it so the subpanel main breaker trips before the feeder breaker in the main panel is appreciated, selective coordination is a much more complex piece of work than simply using a smaller subpanel main breaker than the feeder breaker.  Here's an article on the topic if you want a taste of the gory engineering details that you'll have to work out to do this.  You can use 60A breakers for both the feeder and the subpanel main, by the way; however, there are no guarantees as to which breaker trips first into a bolted fault (hard short).
You can tap the A and C legs from the existing 60A three phase breaker in the main three phase panel and use them to feed the subpanel; this is the most cost effective approach, and doesn't require any inspection of the service entrance conductors.

Finally, keep in mind that 60A is a very limited amount of current for a single dwelling unit.  It can be managed, though, if you are able to run the heavy single loads (dryer, range/stove, hot water, and HVAC) using whatever fuel gas supply is plumbed to the building instead of using electric heavy-load appliances, or if the heavy loads for that dwelling unit are run directly from the three-phase supply -- although in some high leg services, the B phase is limited to a small fraction of the total load, which can make this infeasible.

Is there a reason the utility won't simply replace the obsolete high leg delta service with either a 240/120V split phase or a 208Y/120V three phase wye service?

Addressing the conduit problem, the neutral, and the balancing issue:

I would use conduit bodies instead of elbows, unless elbows are the only thing that fits in the space.  In any case, make sure you have no more than 360 degrees of bends between your pull points!
The neutral coming from an overhead pole is on the bare wire in a triplex or quadruplex cable, just about always.
Phase balance isn't typically worried about in high-leg deltas; it's a concern in a wye system due to unbalanced currents flowing through neutrals, which need to be sized appropriately to carry it.


I can't really tell from the picture, but the gasket looks kind of stretched out and I'd guess your leak is coming from it not sealing completely, not being located exactly right, or (perhaps because of the old putty?) the flange piece is not drawing down as tightly as it should to compress the gasket properly.
The gasket should be somewhat soft, elastic, and flexible in order to work right and ensure a good seal. Once you take the old flange piece off, if the gasket that has lost its flexibility (and they do over time) it just can't seal properly again.
You should remove all the old putty from the threads and fittings and clean it up as well as you possibly can. The old putty isn't really doing any good anymore and may be causing some kind of gaps or other interference that ends up leaking. A small wire brush might be useful to get all the debris out of the threads and so forth.
You don't want to really put the putty on the threads. The putty goes mostly under the lip of the flange and seals the gap between the flange and the tub. The gasket is what seals the drainpipe to the bottom of the tub and the flange piece needs to draw the two together to compress the gasket a bit and make it seal.


Does the circulator in an indirect fired water heater point towards the boiler or towards the tank?

More information is needed about the system to accurately answer the question. It depends on what the two manufacturers recommend. Some boiler companies specify return pump. So the boiler circulator pumping into the boiler, others specify a supply pump. The first thing to consider is how the boiler manufacturer wants the system configured. Most of the systems I design use a primary boiler pump on the return side with a heating system pump and a primary indirect pump on the return side. Both primary pumps equipped with check valves. In this case the boiler primary will be denergized on priority, on a call for domestic hot water. On a call for heat the boiler primary energizes.

This is an example of a recent job

red is common piping, blue indirect, green central heating primary, purple central heating secondary, magenta central heating return

this is prepped for 3 low temp zones and a high temp potable water zone of the Turbomax (indirect) The low temp are high mass radiant and the high temp is a fan forced hydronic coil

In this case I actually went against the manufacturer recommendations for piping to make everything fit. There's only about 50' height here.

What is important, is that when the DHW circulator is running, it's not causing flow in the heating system and vice versa.

There are other things to consider like where you are tapping your expansion tank, micro-bubbler and dirt separator (if required)

Basically you want the domestic circulator to act on its own loop and not affect the central heating side and vice versa.

This is the simplest way to configure it

this works well on a single zones system. On a old-school system a "boiler bypass needs to be installed

Something like this would apply if using primary secondary piping though you could remove the injection pump if utilizing a full primary loop

you must always ensure that your boiler has full flow


Any ideas for repairing water damage on outside corner with a rusty corner bead?

I see no need to get into the tile here. I would just do a light scrape, then sand it down. Seal it with a stain-blocking primer, then do any drywall repair. Prime it again and paint.

Replacing part of the bead with plastic could help prevent further rust if you're unable to rectify the water issue. Surgically remove a section of the metal bead using a rotary tool and cutoff wheel. Cut and fit a section of plastic bead. I wouldn't rely on joint compound alone. It'll be too fragile.


Moen faucet cartridges repeatedly fail with torn seals

There are really only two things that can damage the seals: stuff in the water, or the valve body itself. Considering the number of times you've replaced it, whatever crud might have been in the water should have flushed out by now. So that just leaves the valve body.

Time for some drywall work!


Very common type of under cabinet spotlight, unfortunately it comes with both LED and Halogen types and in some cases its not easy to see what lies behind the colored or forested covers.

For the halogen type bulbs good auld push and twist should do the job releasing the old bulb so if this is not working for you don't try too hard its probably not a halogen light bulb.

For the LED fittings there is usually an outer rim which can be popped out with a small flat head screw driver. These fittings can easily be scratched so be gentle while trying to pop the rim, small piece of electrical tape on the tip of the screw driver would do miracles not scratching metal or plastic fittings like this!


Just a heads up, spanning 22' while being limited to 4-6" floor depth is extremely cost prohibitive. Deeper is always cheaper, but it sounds like you don't have the space to make this work as planned.

What's below this storage space you want to create? Can you legally reduce the head height by framing the floor lower? This would allow for more storage space as well as room for a deeper and more cost effective floor.

Option 1

Use one 22' long W8x48 steel beam down the center of your 22'x28' rectangle. This steel beam is 8.5" deep, plus a 1.5" deep wood nailer plate, plus 0.75" floor sheathing, means that the floor is 10.75" at the deepest point. Then use 2x10 joists spaced at 16" on center spanning 14' on each side of the steel beam.

You use top mount hangers connected to the wood nailer plate on top of the steel beam. The Simpson JB210A will work.

If you wanted to save some floor depth, you can skip the 1.5" deep wood nailer plate and field weld the top mount hangers directly to the steel beam's top flange. If you do this, use the Simpson LB210AZ hanger instead. Your floor would now be 10.0" at the deepest point, but in my opinion the extra work of field welding hangers isn't worth the 0.75" of depth that you'd save. (It might seem like I did the math wrong, but your deepest point is now your floor joists, not the steel beam.)

This steel beam's end reaction is up to 9,000 pounds fully loaded, so you will need to verify your foundation can handle it, as well as the columns used to support it.

This is the most cost effective way to do this, but this steel beam alone weighs 1,056 pounds, so you're going to struggle to install it yourself.

Option 2

This is an expensive option, but you could use six W6x25 steel beams that are 22' long spaced 48" on center and framed with 4' long 2x4 joists spaced at 16" on center between the steel beams. If you field weld top mount hangers, and use 0.5" floor sheathing (32/16 APA span rating), the deepest part of your floor is 6.88". If you are okay with an additional 0.25" of depth, then space your 2x4s at 24" on center and use 0.75" floor sheathing (48/24 APA span rating).

The good part is that these W6x25 steel beams only weigh 550 pounds each, but the bad part is that your steel bill is going to be closer to $5,000 instead of $1,500 for the W8x48 option. I'll let you add up the cost of the lumber, and switching from 2x10s to 2x4s should give you a little bit of savings to offset the additional steel cost.

I'm not sure on your absolute height limitations, so hopefully it's worth the additional cost to save 3.12" to 3.87" of depth.

Option 3

If you absolutely need the minimum depth, and money is no object, you could also use seventeen 22' long W5x19 steel beams spaced at 19.2" on center, skip the wood floor joists, and install 0.59375" floor sheathing (40/20 APA span rating) without a wood nailer, you would have a 5.75" deep floor. This will cost close to $10,000 in steel, but each steel beam will only weigh 418 pounds so it might be easier to install yourself.

Option 4

If we change gears and stay away from steel beams, and go with LVLs instead. You could use 22' long 4 ply 1.75" x 7.25" 2.0E LVL spaced at 12" on center. This would still be about $7,500 in LVL, so not much cheaper. It'd be 7.75" deep, but much easier to install because each ply weights only 82 pounds, or about 330 pounds for the 4 ply beam after it's nailed together.

Edit:
Option 5

Oh, I assumed you were trying to add this to an existing structure. If the 22x28 structure isn't even built yet, then you have another option! Have the roof truss manufacturer build room in attic trusses or storage trusses to create this storage area up in the roof. 6 foot tall wood triangles are much stronger than 6 inch tall steel beams. You can even specify a deeper heel height and get a little more space by raising the roof and getting more space for insulation as a bonus.


Can I use existing 10/3 cable for a 40A cooktop circuit?

10/3 cable absolutely requires a 30A breaker or less.  Period. NEC 240.4(B), which overrides any number anywhere else in Code (though all those other places also limit NM/UF/Romex to 30A).

You will need to review your range's UL-approved instructions to see whether it "recommends" or "requires" 8/3 and a 40A breaker.  If it "requires", then pull 8/3 (leave the 10/3 in place; you'll thank me later) or return the cooktop and get a 30A cooktop.

There shouldn't be any trouble finding a 30A cooktop.  The 40A cooktops are luxury items, and if you're buying luxury items, you can definitely handle adding the correct wiring.

The standard wiring for houses which have separate cooktops and ovens (that itself being "luxury") is a 30A/#10 for the range, and a 20A/#12 per oven. (sometimes 30A/#10 for two ovens).  Lowbrow range-oven combos call for #8/40A or #6/50A.  Sometimes, under specific conditions, range/oven separates are allowed to share a #8 or #6 cable. But that is not your house.

Instructions and labeling are approved by UL as part of the appliance's UL listing.  That's why they're so weird and hard to understand sometimes because manufacturers don't want to change that which has been approved.  You must follow the instructions (NEC 110.3), because UL won't certify its reliability in other conditions.


Polyurethanes are fine since they're on all furniture & all the kids are plastic poisoned anyway, but the poly's don't last to long outdoors. I'm a huge fan of One Time Wood Protector & it's completely different, lasts much longer & just needs to be re-coated & not stripped or sanded at the end of it's life. But, it's UV cured so the Sun has to bake your awesome project for a week before use & abuse.

Of course, ask One Time about your intentions & concerns...it's got an unlimited shelf-life so you just keep it & use it as needed. I've only used it on a 2-car garage door & multiple outdoor furniture items & I stopped licking & chewing on non-food products a few years ago, so I can't speak to its flavor or ingestion effects. Though, I was tempted.


Installing a fixture with no ground, no ceiling box

According to the National Electrical Code, you can replace the fixture without a ground as long as the outlet is GFCI protected.

  National Electrical Code 2014

  Chapter 4 Equipment for General Use

  Article 410 Luminaires, Lampholders, and Lamps

  V. Grounding

  410.44 Methods of Grounding Luminaires and equipment
  shall be mechanically connected to an equipment
  grounding conductor as specified in 250.118 and sized in
  accordance with 250.122.

  Exception No. 3: Where no equipment grounding conductor
  exists at the outlet, replacement luminaires that are
  GFCI protected shall not be required to be connected to an
  equipment grounding conductor.

As for actually connecting the fixture. If the fixture does have a built in junction box, that is designed for the use. There's no problem making the connections in the box. If not, you'll have to install a box in the ceiling, and make your connections there. If you have to install a junction box in the ceiling, you should be able to install one that will be easily hidden by the fixture.

My other concern is protecting the wires between the AC/MC cable, and the junction box. You might have to install a short bit of conduit, connecting it to the AC/MC cable using an appropriate coupling. The other end of the conduit will then connect to the junction box, and the wires will safely travel inside the conduit.


Can I use an insulated ground wire in a sub-panel?

You have it backwards the larger sizes are allowed to be re identified not the smaller sizes. 6awg and smaller need to have the proper color insulation 250.119.A . The ground is allowed to be solid, stranded insulated or bare. But if insulated 4 and above can be reidentified at the terminations and splices.


What can cause the capacitor in an air conditioner to fail?

The life of electrolytic capacitors is primarily shortened by heat. Therefore ambient temperature, temperature of nearby motors, ventilation and air circulation (e.g. fan), presence of thick layers of dust, clogged grilles, excess paint, ... can be important factors.

Electrolytic capacitors are manufactured to various specifications:

Capacitance: e.g. 1 uF,  10000 uF
Voltage (maximum) e.g. 5V, 400 V
Lifetime e.g. 1000 hours at 80 C, 1250 hours at 150C
Operating Temperature e.g. 40-85, 25-150 C

By choosing a capacitor that suits your operating conditions you can ensure that you get the maximum life.

As with many things, some manufacturers produce good quality products and some low-cost manufacturers simply lie about their products' specifications. Choosing the right manufacturer may have a large influence on operational lifetime.


Why did wooden furniture parts warp after staining but before assembly?

You're right assembly & locking into position would've likely prevented most of the warping, because Ed Beal's right. Though, longer spans would've possibly still bowed. The wood today is all new growth & very unstable compared to old growth stuff. Even tightly strapping & then heavy weighting wood together until it's dried or acclimated in a week or 2 is still far from predictable.

But after that, sanding or planing it back to reasonably flat is a better practice. Which, would be your solution at this point, for just the areas that matter most. Using Furniture Grade plywood avoids much more warping to yield better results, if you don't want to get a PhD in wood storage, curing, steaming & handling.


Where to install underfloor heating under tile; thinset layer or concrete?

With the sun touch it goes on a mat under the backer or cement. The thicker your space to the tile is the more even the temp will feel and it won’t be bothered if you decide to retile. I thought it was so nice I put it im 2 of my bathrooms.


How can I install an air conditioner in a window with a very deep exterior ledge?

I strongly recommend asking your landlord. They will have dealt with this before, and will know what solutions will work -- and given the potential liability issues they may insist on doing the instillation.

(I have dismounted a NYC airconditioner, which had been installed with a moderately complex metal framework apparently designed to solve exactly the problem you are describing. I don't remember any details, though.)


Why does my Kenmore washing machine not move out of the wash cycle?

Its probably the timer mechanism itself.  You can enter your model here and get an idea of part cost:


Problem with Ladylux kitchen faucet sprayer

For mine, it seems to be limescale or other mineral buildup.  While throughput is no longer an issue after I soak it in vinegar/water, the mechanism that switches back to plain flow isn't working and I'm very frustrated.


Where do I attach the rails for the keyboard tray on this desk?

Assemble the rest of the desk, it should become self explanatory with what holes are left. This is probably contrary to the instructions, but you will be able to reach inside to attach the drawer slides later.

Picture 1 is the right side face of the middle upright

Picture 2 is the inside face of the left upright.

Picture 3 is the inside face of the right upright.

The feet go on the sides opposite the embedded metal lock nuts.


Hvac fan runs and shuts off in a cycle when in heat mode

I imagine you are referring to Heil Model N4H336GKE100.

Check the test control jumper on the defrost control board.  In the "speed up" test position it will cause the timing you describe.  For normal operation the test jumper should be OPEN (no jumper or metal object shorting the test pins together).  The default for the timing jumper is usually "60."  For dry climates the timing jumper should be "90".

The tech support manual is posted at this address:

http://icpindexing.toddsit.com/documents/086477/42804510201.pdf

Here is a snapshot from the relevant section:


What is more effective - mold control spray or the fogger?

Properly applied spray is demonstrably more effective than fogging.

That being said, neither are good for use on the substrates where mold is often worst: wood and drywall.

In any case, the most effective means of addressing mold is physical removal and cleaning.


Can I connect a Lutron Caseta switch to a half hot outlet?

@MattEvansKC - did you follow the instructions on page 7 of this document?

http://www.lutron.com/TechnicalDocumentLibrary/369831_ENG.pdf

You do need to identify whether the three way you are replacing is on the line side or the load side.


Replacing 23 year old 190 limiter for ceiling fan

I agree with JRaef the limiters were mandated by law and many fans were tossed when they failed, I know my personal fans do not have them a wire nut must have been installed by some gremlins or friendly elves In the night. The ones I have replaced red is hot white neutral black to the lamp and the lamp back to white.  There also ones that black and red are reversed so your particular model of limiter is needed to be sure. Whoops yours had blue and not black so the model will be needed to be sure. Wilt LED lamps they really are not needed , but prevent someone from putting in more wattage than the fixture is rated for.
Edit I did find one that was red input blue output and white neutral similar to the first one I listed but the part number should be checked because I have got them that the input and output were swapped


That item you have circled, is the drain pump. If it is leaking, the rubber gasket/o-ring inside could be bad. If it comes apart easy, you might be able to get a replacement gasket/o-ring. If it does not come apart, you will need to replace the pump.


Do you have access to a router?  You'll save yourself a huge amount of time if you buy a hinge mortise template (like this one from HD) and use the router to cut out the mortises:

They attach temporarily onto the edge of the door, and you use the router in the large opening to cut to the correct depth.  Once you're done, take the template off the door and screw in the hinge plates.  Done!


How should I attach a chin-up bar to floor joists?

If you use several lag bolt of sufficient size, you probably would be OK, but that is not a preferred method.

The load will be concentrated on the threads of the lag bold and the wooden fibers holding the threads. Bolts and screws are much stronger when the load pulls perpendicular to the axis of the fastener instead of parallel to it.  This then relies on the shear strength of the fastener. Basically to pull such bolt(s) out, you need enough load to cut the bolt(s) in half, which is much higher than the load needed to rip through the wood holding the threads.

If you use a 2x4 spanning mount, the same rules apply.  Attaching them to the bottom of the joist is again depending on the strength of the thread in wood, not the strength of the bolt itself. Putting them over the bottom plate of the joist and lag bolting them sideways uses the shear strength and is a much stronger setup.

A 2x4 laid flat (with its 3 1/2" side running horizontal) is not its stronger configuration. It is much stronger and less prone to flex if you set it on edge (with its 1 1/2" edge horizontal). But it is hard to drill a decent size bolt hole through the 1 1/2" edge, and it weakens the piece. You probably need to lay it flat.  If the span is wide and if your attachment point are not close to the joist face, consider stacking two pieces on their flat sides.

If you use that approach, you shouldn't just screw lag bolts up into the 2x4s.  Instead, drill through them completely and use a conventional bolt and nut with oversize washers on the tops of the 2x4s.  This spreads the load over a much larger area (several inches instead of fractions of an inch).


The installation clearances for an appliance would be documented in the users manual or installation setup guide.

If you know the manufacturer and exact model number it is very possible to find these manuals and/or guides online. Another possibility is to go to the store where you would purchase the appliance and query with the staff there to look at the manuals or just ask their technicians the respective questions.


How can I build a shelf to support a 15 gallon aquarium?

Using the Sagulator, you're borderline for a noticeable sag... It will also depend on how deep your shelves are, and how wide the aquarium is (I assumed 16 inches deep shelves). Since you're using plywood you're going to be facing the shelves with something, right? I would just double up that shelf (two layers of plywood glued together) and you should be fine.

Also, you can run a strip of the plywood along the bottom back edge of the shelf which, combined with the front facing, should support all the weight you can throw at it.


What's this piece under the nut on my faucet, and could it be stopping me from loosening the nut?

That piece is a threaded sleeve nut that is actually holding the faucet in place. the nut at the top just holds the bracket in place while the sleeve nut is tightened or loosened with a large slotted screwdriver. Support the bracket with an adjustable wrench while turning the sleeve nut counterclockwise with slotted screwdriver to remove the faucet.


The AFCI breaker is probably toast you said you had no lights on the original GFCI or a replacement.
If you don’t have a meter try swapping the load from the first kitchen outlets to the second (both breakers off move the wires at the breakers and turn back on).
if the problem moves you have a bad breaker. If the problem stays the same there is a fault in the wiring and the breaker is doing it’s job.


That damage is from excessive exposure to water. It should be cut out and replaced. If you choose not to, you could get rid of the mildew by spraying with a bleach solution, after it dries, carefully cut away all the loose paper and give a skim coat of drywall compound for the paint to go over, since the gypsum core that is exposed is not really meant for finishing with paint.

I have in one occasion, in a restaurant, used white unsanded grout as a skim coat in a small area as yours where it was getting continually wet so it would hopefully hold up better. Paint is still the main barrier here regardless and a sound surface to keep the paint layer intact


Closing water supply valve does not shutoff water supply to toilet

Does this mean that the supply valve has lost its grip...?"

YES. Your valve has failed and it is very common for "bib" type stop-valves to fail this way. It will need to be replaced which requires shutting off upstream (maybe even all the way upstream, as in the whole house). For a couple bucks more you can get a ball-valve type, which should be more reliable for you. I can sometimes get failed bib-style stop valves to shut off by really cranking them tightly (which destroys them forever... but it was already jacked up, right?)


How do I hook up a water line to the ice-maker on my old Frigidaire fridge?

I would use a 90 FPT (female pipe thread) by compression fitting (or build an equivalent from an elbow and a compression adapter), since it looks kinda cramped right there:

Then some 3/8" or 1/4" flexible copper or poly tubing to hook it in (1/4" is most commonly used with fridges).

Don't use a saddle valve: they are terrible (eg: What can I do about a saddle valve that won't turn on?). Instead, hook it into the source water with a tee and another compression fitting. You'll also need a valve: there are valves that have a compression fitting on one side, and sweat, pex, FPT, MPT, etc on the other; or you can go for a compression x compression valve that can go anywhere inline on the flex tubing):

Which is best depends on the layout and accessibility. It can be pretty handy to have a shut-off valve behind the fridge, so in case something leaks/breaks you don't have to run to the basement to hunt for a valve somewhere, but at the same time, I wouldn't personally hook up a line using a compression fitting without a valve immediately upstream. Nothing is wrong with two valves of course (other than cost).


Are pass-through grounding screw connections allowed by the NEC?

It is a good method and some local jurisdictions require it, the wrap is required to be between 2/3 & 3/4 around the screw.


Our old apartment had this.   I asked the landlord why, and he simply stated that if it wasn't there, all the vertical space above the heater would be wasted.  Now there's a shelf there.   I found it handy to place hats and gloves there during the winter to dry them off faster.


Grounding an industrial pipe fitting lamp, which wire to use?

You should be able to purchase a three wire cord with a molded three prong grounding plug on one end open wire ends on the opposite end. These are often sold as electrical appliance replacement cords and should be available at most good hardware stores and big box type outlets.

Here is an example of one type of these cords:

Make sure to use proper strain relief on the core end at the lamp to keep stress off the internal electrical connections.

These cords are very similar to if you got a three prong extension cord and cut off one end. You could do this except in many cases any safety agency listing for that extension core becomes non valid once the cord is modified. This may also be a reason to check if the appliance replacement cord that you purchase is marked with a safety agency listing/logo.


How can I remove a fireplace insert without damaging the surrounding wall?

You are going to have to dismantle the mantle.  Seriously though, either way you remove it you are going to have to take apart the wall surrounding it. The fireplace insert should be attached to the framing around it, so you'll have to get to these attachment points to remove it.


Should I clean (how?) old drywall before applying mud?

Clean with TSP.  You can use a sponge for the tsp.  I've used a big bucket and a bee mop.  You just need to be able apply some force while cleaning.  In your case that is a small area, a sponge is good.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/t-s-p--trisodium-phosphate-powder-400-g/1000130976

Paint with primer.

Then tape and mud.


Is this an adequate junction box wire job using a standard electric box? (pic included)

This is not really an answer (well it sort of is), I just wanted to clear some things up from the comments.

First those little tabs covering the holes in some plastic boxes, are NOT knockouts.  They are clamps.
 In this case, however, they do appear to be knockouts.

If they were clamps you'd push the cable into the box past the clamps, then the clamps prevent the cable from being pulled out of the box.  They can be a pain in the butt to work with, but they hold the cable fairly well.

Second, lets see what NEC 2008 says about securing the cable.

  334.30 Securing and Supporting. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be supported and secured by staples, cable ties, straps, hangers, or
  similar ﬁttings designed and installed so as not to damage the cable,
  at intervals not exceeding 1.4 m (4 1⁄2 ft) and within 300 mm (12 in.)
  of every outlet box, junction box, cabinet, or ﬁtting. Flat cables
  shall not be stapled on edge. Sections of cable protected from
  physical damage by raceway shall not be required to be secured within
  the raceway.

  (A) Horizontal Runs Through Holes and Notches. In other than vertical runs, cables installed in accordance with 300.4 shall be
  considered to be supported and secured where such support does not
  exceed 1.4-m (4 1⁄2-ft) intervals and the nonmetallic-sheathed cable
  is securely fastened in place by an approved means within 300 mm (12
  in.) of each box, cabinet, conduit body, or other nonmetallicsheathed
  cable termination.

  FPN: See 314.17(C) for support where nonmetallic boxes are used.

  (B) Unsupported Cables. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be permitted to be unsupported where the cable:

  (1) Is ﬁshed between access points through concealed spaces in ﬁnished buildings or structures and supporting is impracticable.

  (2) Is not more than 1.4 m (4 1⁄2 ft) from the last point of cable support to the point of connection to a luminaire or other piece of
  electrical equipment and the cable and point of connection are within
  an accessible ceiling.

  (C) Wiring Device Without a Separate Outlet Box. A wiring device identiﬁed for the use, without a separate outlet box, and
  incorporating an integral cable clamp shall be permitted where the
  cable is secured in place at intervals not exceeding 1.4 m (4 1⁄2 ft)
  and within 300 mm (12 in.) from the wiring device wall opening, and
  there shall be at least a 300 mm (12 in.) loop of unbroken cable or
  150 mm (6 in.) of a cable end available on the interior side of the
  ﬁnished wall to permit replacement.

  314.17 Conductors Entering Boxes, Conduit Bodies, or Fittings. Conductors entering boxes, conduit bodies, or ﬁttings shall be
  protected from abrasion and shall comply with 314.17(A) through (D).

  (C) Nonmetallic Boxes and Conduit Bodies. Nonmetallic boxes and conduit bodies shall be suitable for the lowest temperature-rated
  conductor entering the box. Where nonmetallic boxes and conduit bodies
  are used with messengersupported wiring, open wiring on insulators, or
  concealed knob-and-tube wiring, the conductors shall enter the box
  through individual holes. Where ﬂexible tubing is used to enclose the
  conductors, the tubing shall extend from the last insulating support
  to not less than 6 mm (1⁄4 in.) inside the box and beyond any cable
  clamp. Where nonmetallicsheathed cable or multiconductor Type UF cable
  is used, the sheath shall extend not less than 6 mm (1⁄4 in.) inside
  the box and beyond any cable clamp. In all instances, all permitted
  wiring methods shall be secured to the boxes.

  Exception: Where nonmetallic-sheathed cable or multiconductor Type UF cable is used with single gang boxes not larger than a nominal size 57
  mm × 100 mm (2 1⁄4 in.× 4 in.) mounted in walls or ceilings, and where
  the cable is fastened within 200 mm (8 in.) of the box measured along
  the sheath and where the sheath extends through a cable knockout not
  less than 6 mm (1⁄4 in.), securing the cable to the box shall not be
  required. Multiple cable entries shall be permitted in a single cable
  knockout opening.

So what does this all mean?

334.30 says we have to secure the cable every 4 1/2' and 12" from each box, however, 334.30(B)(1) says if we are fishing the cable through finished surfaces the cable does not have to be secured.  So we can have an unsecured cable in the wall, but 314.17(C) says if we are using a nonmetallic box the cable must be secured to the box (this is where the clamps come in). The exception to this rule, is if the cable is secured within 8" of the box. If we secure the cable within 8" of the box, we don't have to secure the cable to the box.


No need for the jack studs to be PT, In a basement that has no water or moisture issues, using PT material for plates is just a precaution, not a necessity, IMHO. This has been my experience in demoing older work while remodeling. BUT for what its worth,  hold the jack studs up off the floor a little, say 1/8" just for the heck of it. If I think about it, I set a little construction adhesive where the end of the jack stud goes and set the end in the glue to bond it to the floor and seal the end. If you have the studs set, do not sweat it.


Mount a fully articulated tv mount with only one stud

Your best bet to assure that the fully articulated TV mount is secure and will operate correctly is to mount a large piece of 3/4" thick plywood across the wall in the back of the recessed area. Make sure this plywood spans across at least the three studs in the wall and even better if you put it full width and pickup the corner studs as well. Screw the plywood to the studs with heavy duty screws at least 3 or 4 per stud. The plywood can be sanded, primed and painted to match the wall. Behind the TV you will barely see it there, but when you do you will reset assured that you have the best secure mount possible.

Trying to use toggle bolts into just drywall is not a secure proposition. Fully articulated mounts can put a huge amount of torque on the TV bracket when extended and pulled out. This can rip the toggle bolts right out of the drywall. Use the thick plywood as described above and distribute the forces of the bracket torque across a significant portion of the wall structure. And by the way, plywood has fantastic screw holding strength when used with proper sized pilot drilling.


Where I work, living spaces are taped and mudded. Garages typically just get tape. Your vicinity might vary.

More importantly, though, did you have a contract with any specifics about the work to be done? If you have paper, then you'll probably get the job finished.

If you don't, you're probably going to have a bit of a struggle to get it done. If you haven't made the final payment, you've got a bit of leverage.


What are some ways to remove hardened thinset from drain pipes?

You're really not going to get away from excavating the P-trap and replacing it. Anything that would damage concrete would almost certainly damage the pipes as well (PVC or metal)


How do I remove paint from a porous table top?

The paint stripper could be helpful but there is no guarantee, especially after you have sanded it quite a bit already. The stripper may get down into the porous parts of the wood and congeal the paint so as to make it come out. I would say that it is certainly worth a try in a small area to see if it helps. You'll know in short order if it would be worth the effort to go over the whole surface with the stripper. I give it a maybe 20 to 30% chance of making some difference.

If you do take on using the stripper....

move the table to a very well ventilated area with no open flames or
pilot lights
wear good quality rubber gloves that extend well up over your wrists
make sure to wear clothing that covers bare skin where ever the
stripper could splash
wear eye protection
use care with disposal of the paper towels, rags and steel wool that
you use with the stripper

Just to comment on your sanding effort. You did not specify how big the table is but 40 minutes of sanding with a small orbital sander using 60 grit paper over a large area is not really that much sanding. You have come this far so you may want to give it another go at further sanding. Do change your paper often as this can make a huge difference on how well the paper removes the wood. Also note that after sanding with 60 grit paper so much you will need to sand it with successively finer grits all the way to 220 or finer to get the surface in excellent shape for your poly finish.


Would retrofitting weep holes reduce dampness?

The answer is pretty much, yes. I think someone with experience needs to see what you are dealing with (the "level" of the moisture). The damp course should be preventing moisture issues... my question would be why isn't it, or why do you have so much moisture, or is this actually a moisture issue? There might be some other issue, like rain leaking into the wall cavity.

Weep holes and/or vents could help (if they are necessary). A brick layer should have the experience to do this. It is not terribly complicated procedure; I would expect many construction workers would have the know-how to perform the "surgery". The one thing critical to having any contractor work on your house is that they are bonded and insured.


Options for interior brick walls damaged by rotary hammer

Crumbling mortar means it will be easier to remove the really bad bricks and replace them. You could replace only the worst and call the rest of them "rustic." I found reclaimed bricks for free that matched what was used in my 1865 home.

Is that pipe just a vent pipe for only (what I assume was) the kitchen sink that used to be there? If so, you could remove the pipe and replace it with an air-admittance valve inside the sink cabinet (if your building code allows that). Then patch the carnage the pipe made. Maybe patch every other or every third brick at a time.

I'm no mason and maybe we were just unlucky, or maybe this only happens to chimneys, but I had bad experience with plaster over brick. Parts of the chimney were covered with plaster (some also with beaver board) which apparently trapped moisture and caused them to rot and crumble into dust, leaving HUGE holes hidden behind the plaster.


I have a 50 amp breaker on the wall for my spa, can I come off of it to 30 amp RV service

No. The spa breaker is almost certainly sized for the spa's needs, and it wouldn't be appropriate to daisy-chain from it. You'd need to set up the new circuit as a subpanel with its own breaker in the spa box.


As long as the existing run is under 40' the additional length of 40' will not be a problem.  It is however very important to make sure the connections between the old run and the new are tight.


Methodology to create black and white wall mural?

Photograph, large format printer, gator-board, dry-mount press, your favorite wall attachment hardware. The mural is panelized and the seams are visible in the image.


Who to contact to identify source of and address excessive humidity in house?

I had a home in Ohio with a basement that had high humidity a large dehumidifier running 24-7 pulled an amazing amount of moisture out of the air. Late in the summer we epoxy painted the floor with a 2 part epoxy and this alone greatly reduced the moisture in the house.

We had taped plastic down in 5 places in the basement for 24 hours  to see if there were places that were worse (the front of the house was very wet, we had to wait until summer for the moisture to be low enough to paint (according to the directions) after that we did not need the big dehumidifier coating the floor but we still did use a much smaller model , I have coated quite a few basement floors since then all with similar results so you may give this a try.


What size bulb replaces these in a Harbor Beeze ceiling fan?

A refers to the shape of the glass part. 15 is the diameter of the base.  So A stands for arbitrary, E stands for edison, T stands for tubular and so on. The confusion is usually the base measurements. Typical bulbs are E, size of base. The small base size is known as an E12 Candelabra base.
Anything with that size, screw-in base should fit in the socket, but it has to be A15 to fit within the shade.
Also, watch out for the rating or brightness of the bulb. The Harbor Breeze model ceiling fans usually say MAX 60W. So that's around 14W for CFL type bulbs and 6W LED - which will cost the most, but are the cheapest to run in the long term.


A bathroom exhaust fan needs to be vented outside the home!. This sewer pipe is where the waste goes and will not provide a good or safe vent. Vents on the waste pipes prevent the water from being sucked out of the traps, or u bends, if the gasses can come back into the home there can be bad smells and at the worst methane explosions.


To make the fireplace waste less cooled or warmed air there are several approaches to take.  Each has its own advantages and disadvantages:

Cap the chimney.  This is easy, inexpensive, and solves most airflow inefficiencies as well as most pest problems.  It can be done easily reversibly or more permanently.  It doesn't do anything to improve the aesthetics of the fireplace though.  Photo from here:

Install a direct vent gas fireplace insert.  One of these makes the fireplace a useful heating device which works even with an electrical outage.  To boost air circulation efficiency most have a blower which varies by manufacturer quality from horrible to awesome (of reliability, noise, effectiveness).  It requires installing a gas line and electricity preferably through the side or back of the fireplace though it can come from the front where it is harder to hide.  A fireplace insert with installation ranges from $2,500 to $7,000.  The "direct vent" feature completely prevents airflow from within the room to the outside and the small ducts installed to the chimney top prevent almost all pest problems.  I suppose it is reversible (by uninstalling it) if one wanted to throw wood, paper, champagne glasses into it, but the gas line makes this "not easy".  Photo from here:

Install a glass (or metal) door.  This costs a lot less than an insert and can significantly increase the appeal of the fireplace.  A well-made custom door almost completely prevents airflow, yet you still have the option of a cheery wood burning fire.  From here:


Are there alternatives to sinktop backsplashes and sidesplashes?

Seems like most vanities have somewhat of a rounded edge and a backsplash or sidesplash provides a nice clean place to caulk. A vanity seems to be a place where quite a bit of water can wind up on the counter, so I think it's easier to keep clean if you have a splash. What about some ceramic tile? You could put them right on the sheetrock. As for having a hard time finding a backplash, have you contacted the manufacturer? I bought an American Standard vanity top from Lowe's and I had to call A.S. myself to order the side splash.


Connect the black wire from the ceiling, to the black and blue wires from the fan/light.
Connect the white wire from the ceiling, to the white/black and white/blue wires from the fan/light unit.
Connect all bare/green grounding conductors.
Cap the red and white/red wires from the fan/light unit.

When you're done, the switch will turn on both the light and fan at the same time.


What could be causing my Lennox furnace to blow cool air?

Before I get into this, I should say that if you paid a professional HVAC company to fix your furnace and they replaced the draft motor 1 month ago, you should call them and tell them they aren't finished yet.  If they told you it was fixed and it isn't then there should be a guarantee you can call them on, if there isn't than you should hire somebody else next time.  At least in the region I work, I don't know any legitimate outfits that don't guarantee what they do.

If I understand correctly, the blower is coming on at the same time that ignition occurs, and the air that comes out of the registers feels cool instead of warm?
If this is true, I suggest:
1.  Confirm that the burners are staying lit after ignition.
2.  If you have a meat thermometer, measure the temperature of air coming out of your registers and compare it to the temperature of your house (as shown on your thermostat), this number is your temperature rise and should be at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit but ideally closer to the 35-45 range.  The manufacturers spec. for this range will be printed on the model/serial label on the inside of the unit if you want to know the exact range you should be looking for.  If you don't have a meat thermometer then find the closest register to the unit (which should have the most heat/airflow) and feel if the air is warm, you might have to wait a few minutes.  If after 5-10 minutes you aren't getting a good temperature rise (or feeling enough heat come from the the registers) then move on to 3.
3.  go back to the unit and make sure the burners are still lit.  look at the flame where it enters the heat exchanger and make sure that the flame is burning blue, is a healthy size (this will vary depending on your unit, but you should be able to tell that its getting enough gas), and isn't flickering wildly or blowing back out of the burners instead of being sucked through the heat exchanger.  If the flame looks weak then you're having gas pressure issues, it could the valve or your actual fuel coming in.  If the flame is really distorted or blasting back out of the unit then you have 1 of 2 problems:
   a. your heat exchanger is cracked/corroded or

b. whoever installed your draft motor wired it in backwards.

If the burners have trouble staying lit, disconnect power to the unit, turn your thermostat off, then reconnect power to the unit, then turn your thermostat back up--in that order.  Watch the unit and note the sequence of operation, and at what point the burners go out.  I can walk you through troubleshooting that if it happens.  Also look at the circuit board for a blinking diagnostic light, not all of them have one, but if yours does, it will really help you pin down the issue.  The key is usually printed on the inside of door of the unit, or somewhere easily visible on the inside.
Good luck!


I've had good results with a HomePlug wireless extender - specifically, NetGear's "PowerLINE WiFi PLW-1010 Essentials Edition".  One end - a HomePlug AV2 network adapter - connects to the existing access point via an Ethernet cable and plugs into the house's power, making other adapters on the same[1] household power system appear to Ethernet attached to the access point.  The other end - a HomePlug AV2 wireless adapter - plugs into a power outlet elsewhere in the house and runs as a WiFi access point.  In the specific case of the PLW-1010, both adapters are part of the same package, and the WiFi adapter can auto-configure itself to clone the existing WiFi name (SSID) and password.  Thus you can walk from room to room and bounce between access points seamlessly.

[1] "Same" can get pretty technical, and have lots to do with where electrical transformers are in the grid.  All HomePlug data on the electrical side is encrypted, and any HomePlug device will let you choose a non-default encryption key, for cases where "same" accidentally includes your neighbor's house too.


Who should I call for plumbing upgrades?

A handyman should be able to take care of the sink / faucet replacement, but I'd want a plumber replacing the valves.

If you've got a plumber coming anyway, they may do the faucet replacement, but probably not the sink replacement.


With that many I would probably use nails in my gun. If you don’t have a gun but do have an impact driver I would use screws , this would be the last time I used that guy , yes there are structural screws I like fasten master torx head, these have a long smooth shank with the threads on the bottom 1/2 maybe slightly less on 3”.


When I had to do this for our basement I used an "Inside Pipe Cutter", a fancy bit that fits into your standard drill. Looks something like this:
You chuck it in your drill, put the blade at the height you want on the interior of the pipe, and run the drill, cutting through the sidewalls. Won't be 100% perfectly straight unless you have a very steady hand, but for this application it doesn't need to be perfect.  There are versions that have a large disk that rides along the top of your pipe to make straighter cuts, if you really think you need it. I chose the style depicted since it's commonly available at Big Blue and Big Orange
If you need to cut off more of the pipe than this tool reaches, do it in multiple passes.


Does using a ceiling fan pull chain cause more wear than using a light switch?

There is no additional wear on the motor either way.

Obviously, there will be wear on whichever switch you use.


If it is only getting hot at the plug end and not along the rest of the cord then the plug itself may not be getting a good connection at the outlet.

This causes a high resistance connection which generates heat when current is drawn by the heater.

Make sure the prongs on the plug are clean and make a good connection with the outlet. Try the plug in a brand new receptacle if you have one or a new power strip. If the plug is worn and feels loose in the outlet then you could replace the cord cap with a new one.

Also, this could be a problem with older receptacles that are worn out. In older homes the receptacles get sloppy and cords can be inserted and removed too easily. This also creates a high resistance connection. With a small load like a lamp, it is not as much of a problem, but with a heater that draws high current it can become more of an issue. The solution here is to replace the receptacles.


I would probably still use wood for the beam across the bed opening because it is so much easier to work with. The picture you posted shows a good 6 to 7 inches of space from the platform surface down to the top of the bed opening. This should be more than enough room for beams that can carry the weight.

If your current plan is only allowing for a 3" beam dimension then you should consider the following options.

Arrange for a bed and mattress that are lower so that you can simplify the platform supports by allowing for 5" or 6" beams.
Try trussing the narrow beams along their length similar to the picture below. Trussing like this would be similar to the way that wooden step ladder treads are trussed.


What would happen if I connected a dishwasher to a hot water supply line?

The Siemens SK26E220EU manual says:

  Water temperature: cold water preferred; hot water max. temperature 60 °C.

Which appears to imply that it is fine so long as the hot water is no more than 60C at input. It includes a water softener, so it may well have some parts in the water path before it heats the water hotter that would be damaged by hotter water. If your hot water is electrically heated, it makes little difference to your overall operation cost - if you have an alternate, less expensive source of hot water, you'll benefit, so long as it's not too hot.

For other models, check the manual - or just hook it up to cold if you are electrically heating your water anyway.


Wondering if electrician is scamming me on panel replacement

He condemned a QO panel... Without even opening it??

QO is Square D's top line industrial grade panel, and it's current stuff.  The way panel pricing works, you can get the industrial grade for just a few dollars more.  (Square D also sells a residential grade line called literally Homeline, it is acceptable also, but QO is excellent).

So he's just wrong.  And chasing dollars obviously.  More disturbing... he didn't open with obvious defects in the location of the panel - or to be more precise, remodeling done around the panel.  The original electrical work was well-done, but then somebody decided to "finish" the space, and disregarded the electrical codes, probably because they were a carpenter.

One wonders if the work was permitted, since what AHJ would permit a clothes closet being placed in front of an electrical panel?

The closet needs to be demolished (or at least truncated) so there is a work zone in front of the panel.  It must be 30" wide (the panel can be to the left or right side of that 30") and 36" deep so the electrician can stand at arm's length. It must have at least a 6' ceiling so a fella can stand.  And you must keep it clear of stored junk.

This is a $500 carpenter job, not a $4500 electrician job. Unless the closet is sacred for some reason; did George Washington hang his coat there? Maybe he hung his coat in the left side of the closet.

Aluminum

I'm sure the electrician told you a lot more than that... But the aluminum thing is what stuck.  There was a problem in the 1970s with shoddy use of aluminum wire with receptacles (wire terminations/clamps) that had not been properly approved for aluminum, and this resulted in a lot of arc problems which led to house fires.  Easily fixed with arc-fault breakers, but there is still an ooga-booga fear, moral panic style, where any aluminum wire of any kind is consided "cootie".  Certainly a shoddy electrician could scare you into doing unnecessary work by mentioning the A-word.

The aluminum excuse is balderdash.   Actually service and feeders are aluminum for good reason, and aluminum performs just fine in these large wire sizes.  So you want lugs to be aluminum, since aluminum lugs are the universal donor - they work with Aluminum and Copper both.  Copper lugs don't play nice with aluminum wire (and actually, that was the problem all along).

Even today, aluminum is not used for small branch circuits (lights, sockets, dryer etc.) because of the cootie. The alloy has been improved, the now-noncopper terminations have been vastly improved, and it's legal... Just nobody does it.

Now on panels, here are brands I would consider solid and not even think about replacing:

Eaton / Cutler Hammer CH (Cutler Hammer) or BR (BRyant).
Square D QO or Homeline.
Siemens/Murray
General Electric
Challenger, but only the panel.  Challenger breakers are bad and should all be changed for BR breakers, which properly fit owing to a past relationship with Bryant.

Zinsco, Stab-Lok and Federal Pacific (in US) are dangerous and must be ripped out.   Pushmatic is a fine panel, just obsolete.

If it were me...

The undiscussed problem here is that your panel is full/overfull.  It looks like you have plenty of service, but are using "double stuff" breakers to get enough circuits.

Here on SE, we love large panels.  Because many circuits today need AFCI or GFCI protection, and those breakers are not available in double-stuff.  What's more, it's very frustrating to not be able to install something new, like an EV charger or hot tub, because of a full panel.

So. That's a 30-space panel, looks like the standard size that fits between 16" joists.  I would get another one as a subpanel - also 30 space, also QO, but main-lug (no main breaker).  Fit it in the next joist bay over so it fits in the same 30" wide electrician's work space.  Move 2-4 circuits over to the new subpanel to make space, then fit a 100A breaker in the main to feed the subpanel.

You'll have 58 total spaces, which is a very happy number for a medium/large well-equipped house.

Now you can add anything you please without concern.  And if a couple bus bars actually are arced up, just stop using them - leave the arced breakers in place connected to nothing and move the wires to new breakers.


Residential stair handrails that are circular (like rope) need to be minimum 1 1/4" diameter; is that 1 1/4" rope?

Residential stair handrails are supposed to be not less than 34" from the tread, and not more than 38". So if that rope has enough slack to be raised or lowered beyond those limitations... no good.


With mechanical room ventilation is it necessary to have air supply in addition to extraction?

Is it completely necessary? No I don't think so.  As a comment pointed out, you are creating negative pressure.  This is good for sealing environments (ie: keep vapors from existing the room in a lab), or even help prevent fire from spreading via halls.

However, you will notice some negative effects to.  For one, since the air will be pulled in through any cracks under doors and windows, if a door is not latched, it will likely be forcefully opened.  Depending on the pressure, this could potentially hurt a young child who is not expecting the door to be pulled open by the pressure when they turn the handle. Having a second fan push air into the room aleviates this by balancing the pressure.  It also reduces the strain on the extraction fan which may help it last longer.

Another benefit is that if one fan fails, you still have a second either pushing cool air in or sucking warm air out; it will function with reduced capacity, but it will certainly be better than no fan at all!

My guess is that you will need two smaller fans instead of one large fan, which might also simplify electrical requirements, installation and maintenance.


Well, you say you have "one hot black and one black wire" from the wall? What does this mean?

If all you have from the wall is two hots and a ground you CANNOT use this circuit for this cooktop. This is a straight 240V circuit with no neutral.

According to your description your cooktop requires a 4-wire 120/240V circuit.


Are refrigerators really set to die after five years?

Not true in the USA. The refrigerant is all contained within the sealed system: compressor, evaporator, and condenser. While the life expectancy of refrigerators does seem to have greatly diminished in the last decade they rarely fail because of refrigerant leaks.  I am a refrigerator repair person and the majority of problems I encounter are defrost, air flow, ice maker, and control related problems.

My feeling is the target life expectancy for new refrigerators is 10-15 years but there will probably be a repair or two needed in that time.

Hope that helps some!


What is this metal block found in our yard?

Steel barstock; My guess is some one picked it up where he works to use such as an anvil . It has little cash value so was abandoned when there was no more use or it did not do the job. I have had a few chunks like that , but what do you do with a pressure vessel nozzle cut-out 8" thick 12" diameter of chrome -moly steel ? They get very heavy . This reminds me , many decades ago I had a 4 ft long 18" diameter heavy wall pipe I was going to make into a lawn roller , but I left it behind the shed when I got divorced. Someone is wondering what that is.


Can I replace a single pole light switch with a GFCI switch combo?

No. With just what you have now it is 100% impossible.
Right now you have a switch loop which is just a constant hot and a switched hot. Even though one wire is white there is NO neutral in this box, both are being used as hots.

You could run a new cable to this box, but you best bet BY FAR is to have a circuit run to a new GFI receptacle and just leave the existing switch alone. This is almost certainly the only code legal way to go as well. Adding a new receptacle to an existing lighting circuit in a bathroom would not meet code and will almost certainly be inconvenient due to circuit overloading.


How can I remove mold that cannot be detected by human eye?

Do you have a reason to suspect an unusual source of mold (e.g., water leak, poor ventilations, etc.)?  If so, you need to fix that problem or you will never stay ahead of it.

Otherwise, minimize the humidity in the room and just assume there is mold and disinfect.

Mold is pretty much everywhere as airborne spores unless you're in a special "clean room".  But you can avoid mold blooms by keeping the humidity in the room below 50%.

Run an exhaust fan during baths/showers, and for long enough afterwards to get rid of the humidity.
Leave the bathroom door closed while the fan is running so that you exhaust the humid air in the room rather than just sucking conditioned house air directly from the doorway into the fan.
Wipe down the shower or tub after use with a towel to get rid of water clinging to surfaces.
Leave the bathroom door open when not in use so the room air stays well mixed with conditioned house air.

Most of the disinfectants use either chlorine or benzalkonium chloride (a generic term for a collection of chemicals with names like alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chloride, often with several different related compounds in the disinfecting solution).  The latter type is what is commonly used as a general purpose disinfectant in healthcare settings and is in some household disinfecting cleaners.

Both types work.  Disinfectants need time to work so the most effective way to use them is to clean first, then spray them on and let them dry rather than wiping it off.  Chlorine type disinfectants may show faster visible results, but they work only until it dries.  The benzalkonium chloride disinfectants can continue to act as a mold retardant if you leave it in place (it also smells better).

You can also clean surfaces with certain common household chemicals, like borax solution, and leave a film of it rather than rinsing it clean.  It will retard mold growth.

Do a thorough cleaning and disinfecting at least once per week.  If you see mold growth anywhere, clean and disinfect that, then do the routine prophylactic treatment more often.


Basement bathroom rough-in with backwater valve question

Just cut out the T and then drain/vent there.
You don't.  It should have been somewhere else in the basement.  Not sure what they were thinking putting it next to a shower.  You would put a backwater valve in a laundry or storage room.
Who knows but it sure doesn't look like it's vented.

I cannot think of a logical design for your bathroom.  The plumber who did your rough-in must have been high.  You have a sink on the left then toilet... then in the corner is what?  I guess you could put shelving there but I never design something to hold items to get pee spray.  Also if the shower runs with wall it might stick out further than toilet.  There is no good solution there.

My advice is to jackhammer up the backwater valve and move that into what will be unfinished space.  While you have that ground broken up by shower, make sure it vents.  Design your bathroom so that door is on the far left.  You walk in and have the sink to your immediate left (might actually be able to keep the T in place).  Then toilet after sink.  Across from toilet is the shower - you are moving the valve so shower will be installed perpendicular to wall.  To vent your shower go straight to the wall and then follow the wall over to sink vent.

If your backwater valve comes in on that wall then basically your costs are concrete and extra pipe.  If it comes in somewhere else you might be able to just cut out pipe and reinstall head.  You do not want this anywhere near a newly renovated bathroom.


The correct way to repair a damaged PVC pipe is of course to cleanly cut away the damaged portion and use a coupler. But, because this is a drain pipe and thus isn't pressurized, you could probably get away with just using epoxy to repair the holes.

Buy a PVC-suitable epoxy that's listed for use with water (e.g., J-B Weld makes a product called Waterweld), follow the directions, and liberally apply it to plug the holes. Clean off all the burrs from the holes first, to ensure a good bond. Make sure to give it plenty of time to dry before using your washing machine.


What is the maximum wattage LED bulb that can be used in a 75 watt fixture?

The issue is heat.  The fixture is rated for a bulb using 75 watts and turning essentially all of it into heat.

You could put a 75w heating element there and be within limits of the fixture.

Seriously - you would not want to put a 75w (actual) LED there.  It would be like a Boeing 747 landing light.   Google some youtube videos of "100w LED flashlights" which people homebrew - they are portable suns.

In any case, the fixture may not mind the heat, but LEDs and CFLs do not like heat and need to cool.   This is rather unlikely to be a problem for "75-watt-equivalent" LEDs of 7-12 watt range, or even a somewhat bigger 100w equivalent.

But for our hypothetical 75-watt-actual mega-bright LED, cooling may emerge as a serious issue.  Or not.  There's a lot of thermal science involved which depends totally on the design of the particular fixture and the heat sink of the particular LED.  For instance a chandelier is not going to have the problems a weather-sealed fixture would.  But again we are talking about an extreme case of wanting vastly more light (lumens) than the fixture manufacturer ever imagined, and extreme projects take extreme risks.


What to do about gap between tile and tub

I have always found the top surface ie edge is always level and the slope is built into the shape of the shower base.

However, one neat solution for your gap is to fit a cornice molding ie a triangular tile usually the same length as the side of the tiles all around the edge and it will cover the gap much neater than filling it with caulk, but you could do that anyway for peace of mind against insidious leaks.

See
cornice tile


What information do I need to select a circuit breaker?

Running 20amp for your workbench is a good idea (and be sure to use 12/2 wire), but overkill for a computer circuit: most residential circuits are 15A and are run on 14/2.

You don't have any choice in the breaker: Siemens panels only accept Siemens breakers, and StabLok panels only accept StabLok breakers (and of course there are several other brands). The bus design in each panel is different, and so other brands of breakers won't fit. This isn't the full truth: there are other companies that make breakers that are compatible with Siemens panels, but they'll be marked that way. Just realize there are different designs of panels with different designs for how the breakers physically connect in, and they're not all cross-compatible.

There are some known problems with the design of StabLok panels (which are made by Schneider Electric, and sold as Federal Pacific, Federal Pioneer, StabLok). InspectAPedia has some pretty dire warnings against using FPE StabLok panels - I was actually not aware of the extent of problems until just now. According to the article, it's actually a fire hazard as they can come loose, and that's aside from the apparent defects in the breakers themselves (they can fail to trip, and even fail to shut off when you manually turn them off).

I personally am not a huge fan of StabLok, the connection is just not as solid as you get with, eg, SquareD panels, and most StabLok panels are ugly for that reason: all the breakers are skewed in random directions.


What alternatives are there to a gas boiler for private house?

Fuel Sources
Coal

Wood

Propane

Natural Gas

Oil

Electricity

Biomass Pellets

Sun

Earth

Nuclear Fission

Heat Transferers
Gas

Liquid

Heating Systems
Furnace

Boiler

Heat pump

Electric heater

Wood stove

Fire place

pellet stove

Tauntaun