Auto Refill Pot with Water as Liquid Evaporates

We often get cases where a person becomes fixated on one method, and loses sight of the big picture/overall purpose of the exercise. (This often manifests as the "XY Problem").  Your goal is not to abuse an Instant Pot; it's to humidify your home.  Step back.

You're ready to spend money. Just buy the right thing.

You've plainly stated that you're ready to spend $30+++ on various apparatus to try to solve this.  The money you're willing to spend is much more than a proper humidifier actually costs.  So just buy one of those. If you can't bear to spend $30, then go to the Salvation Army store and spend $5.

If you don't like misting humidifiers, there are lots of other kinds.  Misting has the advantage of a very sensible power draw, because it's not heating the water, it's letting your house's normal furnace do that more efficiently.

This is a firestarter at so many levels

NEC 110.3(B) says you must obey equipment's labeling and instructions.  An Instant Pot is a kitchen appliance, specifically a pressure cooker with computer controls.  It does many things, but humidifying is not one of them. It is not labeled for that, which means UL didn't test for that, which means it's not a safe appliance for that purpose.

What happens when it runs dry is a case in point. Instant Pots aren't designed to run dry where they would go into thermal runaway. There is no conceivable listed use of an Instant Pot where it would ever run dry, since operations are supposed to be on a timer or monitor. You are defeating those features to make it possible to misuse.

Further, using it "way off-label" like this, will greatly shorten the unit's life.  Smoke the unit, and suddenly the "big savings" from avoiding a proper humidifier go up in smoke.

There are many other issues when it's used outside of a kitchen, but you say not.

The Instant Pot already has a shutoff feature

Because the latent heat of vaporization is not a surprise.

And the Instant Pot has a timer and a known rate of heating.

You already know (or reasonably should know) the electric power consumption of your Instant Pot.  Yours will say, but my guess is 1500 watts, because that is the maximum allowed for a plug-in kitchen appliance under UL listing rules.
The latent heat of vaporization of water is 2264.705 joules per gram.
A joule is 1 watt for 1 second. (wow, that's easy)
That means that the Instant Pot makes 1500* joules per second

* Your value actually goes here.

Now you can compute: in my example it takes 2264 / 1500* = 1.51 seconds for the Instant Pot to boil 1 gram of water.

1000 grams makes 1 kilogram.
1 litre of water weighs 1 kilogram (not a coincidence)
A litre is basically a quart (good enough for this).

So 1 litre = 1 quart = 1kg = 1000 grams = 1000 times as long as a gram, so that makes (in my example) 1510 sec. = 25 minutes.  Per litre.

So if you have a 10 litre pot, that's 250 minutes or 4:10.

Now you know how to set the timer on the Instant Pot.

This will finish with some water left over, because we're ignoring inefficiency and the specific heat required to raise the water from tap temperature (15C?) to boiling temperature. That is small potatoes compared to latent heat of vaporization, and you need a little safety margin anyway.

Also, you should be dumping out the last 20% of the water, because it has 5 times the mineral concentration of normal water, and if you boil it dry, it will leave mineral deposits on your Instant Pot.  That mineral action can actually etch stainless.  That's one problem that misting dehumidifiers solve (they throw the minerals into the air).

Honestly, since the Instant Pot is so computerized, I'm amazed they allow any mode where enough joules could be added to evaporate all the water. It makes me wonder if you're tricking the computer to do this.

What a bad idea.

Metering water like you want is a rather hard problem

The crux of the problem being to stop overflows/runaways with a high level of reliability.  That is why you're not finding easy, off-the-shelf solutions to it.  Finding one that works at boiling-water temperatures is even harder.


If the orange anomaly's are produced from the paint  it may not be dried enough. If so once it has dried completely it should be impervious to moisture.
If it is indeed surfacant's, as someone suggested I would think their source would be from steam laden with soap or shampoo. These two common cleaners are usually produced with surfacant's. Meaning they contain substances that enable the breakdown of oil (if I remember High School Chem 101 correctly).
Either way the solution is venting. While waiting for fan have the boys crack the window before they exit the room.


Electrical wiring question for instant water heater

You are allowed to use a white wire for a hot wire, but you need to mark it with tape at both ends.  The tape can be any color besides white, gray, green or copper, as those denote other things.

If you want to be fancy and use wire natively colored the official colors, use 10/3.   Wire-nut or tape the unused neutral.

If your heater is 16 amps or less actual, 12 AWG wire will suffice unless the wiring is a very long run.   However, you may be disappointed by the hot water output.   I would go for a larger heater that requires 10 AWG.

Just as an aside... marking wires is not allowed in the other direction.  You can't mark a colored wire to be neutral, and you can't mark any wire to be a ground (though you can strip all the insulation off.)


Don’t chemically mess with a gray water drain!
It is kind of like a septic system and if you kill things eating the little bits of solids it will not last as long!
Soap scum is a solid in this case if you kill the bacteria it will plug up faster.
I could take the other side and say you should dump a caustic every now and then to turn the scum into less than scum. But I would not use bleach.


installing a copper pipe on exterior wall (but inside the house)

It might be easier to install a counter mounted pot filler next to the stove. That way you can run the pipe straight down through the floor, avoiding any work on the wall behind the stove.


How should I remove the water from my pool cover?

The water in the pool will also be gross, so I wouldn't rule out option 1.  Especially if you'd otherwise be refilling the pool with a water source that has metals or other problematic contaminants.

Option 2 will work if and only if you can get the siphon hose outlet to a lower point than the water on the cover.  If you can reach that level then I would suck it up (pun intended) and use this option.

There are automatic pool cover pumps designed specifically to run when there's water on the cover and then shut off.  Cheap ones are under $50, so not a bad option either.

You've covered all the options.  I've done all three, and now have a mesh cover that lets water drain into the pool when it's on.


Should there be standing water in this part of my dishwasher?

It's unintuitive, but understand that it's relatively easy to get most standing water removed, but very hard to get it all removed. A major reason for this is that you generally have to drain uphill. Dishwashers do that to prevent sewage from siphoning back into the basin. It's just not possible to empty that hose 100%. As such, some water from the rinse cycle (which should be relatively clean) will remain the dishwasher.


What is the best adhesive for making styrofoam sandwich panels?

I recently built a sandwich as hitting platform for a golf simulator; two pieces of 1/4" plywood with 2" styrofoam insulation in the middle. Spray adhesive failed.  I then used the Liquid Nails Panel adhesive and it is working well.


What are the pros/cons of different wire connectors on a switch/outlet? OR How can push-in wire connections fail?

Any wire connector can fail. Screws can loosen with vibration, stress, corrosion, temperature fluctuations, and so on. Push-in (or stab-in) connections can fail for the same reasons. Crimp and pin connections, friction lock, and even soldered joints can fail.

The real question is: what's the most effective wire connection given the operating conditions, parts and installation cost, lifetime expectancy, use case, and so on.

For example, where I work (we manufacture large electric signs), we use all manner of connection methods, and they vary based on these factors. One such factor is serviceability. If a connection is expected to be rugged and reliable but disconnected for safety reasons, we may use screw terminal blocks (which only accept straight wire) or friction lock (which requires use of a screwdriver to release, similar to the push-in connectors on outlets and switches).

Outlets shouldn't require frequent service nor replacement, nor should experience extreme vibration. They also won't (usually) have wide temperature swings, which leaves the stress from normal usage (connecting and disconnecting plugs) which can wiggle things loose over time.

A well-made outlet can have quite good push-in connectors; by "good" I mean they hold solidly for years and aren't likely to fail with normal use. However it can be difficult to tell during installation whether the inserted wire has made good contact or not. Also if one happens to be faulty, it may accept the wire but provide little feedback that the locking mechanism is less than optimal. Pulling on the wire after installation is one way to tell, but if you're using the push-in connectors, are you spending the extra time to do the pull test? Probably not. Screw terminals are easy to visually inspect and determine if solid contact is being made and that the wire is firmly held by the screw or plate.

So while push-in or friction lock connectors can be quick and useful in certain applications (with appropriate confirmation of operation), I recommend wrapping wire around the screw terminals for the most durable connection that's easily verifiable. Usage and vibration can still loosen the screw, and in such case the wire hook will be less likely to separate from the outlet than a straight wire. In all cases where the screw comes loose, however, arc fault can occur, causing problems.


Can hook up this light fixture to a cord?

For what it's worth I found this at texasbowhunter.com (beware, knowledge gained from random discussions is to be avoided):

  I used the exact same lights on my shop and if you leave that red wire out only half the lights will come on. -Jes

You might want to wait for others opinions; but I'd feel pretty safe powering the black and if only half the lights come on, hook up the red too. Also if it came with them nutted after having been installed somewhere, +1.  But it'd still be nice to confirm this in the installer's manual which I can't find. (Which I see you have but it doesn't match the color scheme? so, erm... call them?)

The half inch knock-out is where you're going to install a cord relief in, and then feed the cord through it and back out the rectangle hole to wire it, then shove everything back inside and find a cover plate for it.


Best way to test light switch and socket?

You've already experienced the flaws with non contact voltage testers.... they are not accurate. Get a good multi meter from your home store.
Make sure you check for any GFCI's outlets that might be feeding the light. They might have tripped.
Start testing from the socket and work your way toward the source. Look for your voltage between the switched hot and neutral with the switch on. If no voltage, test the switch load to neutral and hot to neutral. If no neutral, then test to ground. If neither, turn off power and check switch for continuity.The best way to do this is to disconnect the switch from the circuit after turning off the power and taking pictures of the original wiring. Then hook your leads from the multi meter to the screw terminals on the switch. With your meter set to "ohms", operate the switch. Your meter should go to zero ohms when the switch is on and go back to infinity ohms when turned off. If it doesn't do this then the switch is bad. If the switch is good and there's no voltage at the switch, then continue testing toward the main panel.


"Shoving " anything solid into a PVC pipe is an almost sure way of breaking it. I have come across a few cases similar and usually found the most economical way is to cut out the area that is blocked and replace with new PVC or PEX. I would recommend this even if it means replacing some wallboard.


Could a spade bit be used to widen an existing hole in a wooden cabinet?

Use a hole saw with a long pilot drill bit and clamp a board to the other side of the existing board. The long pilot drill will ensure that the saw stays centered all the way through the board that you are cutting. There is usually no way to control the spade bit to keep it centered and cut a clean hole.


Can baseboards be used in one pipe steam heating system?

You need someone that knows exactly how the near-boiler piping should be. Even a slight change in the diameter, the height above the water line, or the return system will affect the system's operation.

Also, on a one pipe steam system, the maximum steam pressure should not exceed 3 psig. The output of the new boiler should exceed the connected piping and radiation load by about 33%. On a steam system the boiler size is dictated by the connected load and not the heat loss of the building.

All radiator valves on a 1 pipe steam system are only for isolation of that radiator and need to be fully open or fully closed; no partially open/closed steam valves. Steam vent choice is also critical. Again, I say again, you need someone who knows steam piping and most people in the business do not!!! I rattled on about piping and etc. and forgot to answer the original question.  Yes you can use baseboard radiation on a one pipe steam system. the minimum pipe/radiation size is inch and 1/4 if a short run or preferable 2".


Is this wall load bearing based on the attached blueprints?

EDIT: On second look, the drawing actually tells us.  There's a note box to the right: TYP BEARING WALL 2x4 stud 16" O.C. on Continuous footing.  The dashed line around the wall indicates the footing.

ORIGINAL:
If I'm reading the drawing correctly, IT DEFINITELY IS.

For the sake of this discussion, north is the top of the drawing.

There appears to be a beam running E-W from the post to the East wall.  There are no notes on the west wall talking about a beam pocket.  This leads me to believe that the dark line following the same path as the beam is simply a dimension line, not a continuation of the beam.  So the beam does not extend westward towards the area you want to deal with.

This makes the total span in the area you're looking at 36 feet.  Far too long for 2 x 12's,
which means the wall you want to remove is definitely supporting the joists.

Even if the beam does continue, I would take great care. 20 feet is about the max for a joist span.  This job calls for a professional engineer to assess the situation.

The solution is probably to dig a footer where the doorway is now, and put up a steel post and raise another short steel or paralam beam where the wall is.

This involves building temporary stud walls on either side of the existing wall to support the load while you're working.  You'll need to find a contractor who has done this type of work before.


If you are talking about Romex type copper NM-B wiring for inside walls, then 12 or 14 gauge will be fine.  14 gauge is rated to 15amps at 120V. 12 gauge is rated to 20 amps at 120V.  I don't know how home wiring works in Europe, but if you are at 240V, then the 14 gauge wire should still be fine.  And, pretty much most permanently installed devices like outlets and timers are rated to 15 amps in the US, so in the US it would be easy to find those items which would be suitable.


Should I insulate the ceiling of a room in an attic with an insulated roof?

To answer a question like this one has to examine the path of heat from the interior space to the exterior, which happens mostly by conduction, but also by convection (air movement) where a space isn't well sealed. In your case, I'm guessing that you have a sealed attic, otherwise the insulation in the rafters would be pointless.

If that's the case, and no air moves from the attic to the outside world (or vice versa), insulating your knee walls and ceiling will provide some benefit. Heat transfer to the attic from the occupied space will be slowed, improving efficiency and comfort (the interior wall surface will be warmer, reducing radiant heat loss from skin, or "draftiness".

Exactly what the financial and environmental benefit will be is difficult to estimate without significantly more detail about your climate, heating system, etc. You probably won't see a cost break-even for a number of years, but the creature comfort improvement may be apparent immediately.

Moisture shouldn't be a concern with fiberglass batts. Just don't introduce a second vapor barrier through either poly sheeting or faced batts. Just use unfaced.


Is it ok to have a rise in an air compressors drain valve?

As long as you purge the tank until the moisture out you should be fine. I maintain some big compressors 150-200 hp that all push up into a separator tank to make sure any oil is removed from the water then the oil drains back to the compressor and this is a commercial setup. I am guessing you have a manual valve, when there is very little water vapor coming out you should be good.


Last Follow-up to Two Previous MC 12/4 posts on 12/18/20 and 12/19/20 — Please Check My Plan?

Looks good to me. The most important advice I think I can mention is to make sure the two pole breaker you buy for this circuit is listed for use in your panel. Many breakers fit or seem to fit), but the bus connector is slightly different and doesn't connect well resulting in connection problems and damage to the panel. If you are not sure, send a picture of the panel and we can tell you what breaker to get.
If you haven't purchased the outlets yet, you might see if a GFCi breaker and 4 regular outlets is cheaper than the 4 GFCI outlets. You also need to consider where you would prefer the GFCI reset switch to be, at the panel or each outlet.
You must pigtail neutrals on multi-wire circuits but you don't have to pigtail the hots at each box, make sure you don't use the load connectors anywhere in this plan, but if the line screw terminals are screw-and-clamp rated for two conductors you can attach both red and both black wires directly to the GFCIs if you desire to avoid extra pigtails.


Circuit Breaker Finder - Finding TWO Breakers for one outlet

The Klein circuit breaker finder is just a re-branded High-Tech, the Harbor Freight brand for about triple the price.

https://toolguyd.com/klein-breaker-finder-and-hi-tech-circuit-detective-identical/

So don't expect much.  But even with a good one, a breaker finder should never be treated as more than a guess to narrow down further testing and verification.

If the breaker finder indicates two circuits, it's possible the wiring is crossed up somewhere and both breakers energize this receptacle.  That's not uncommon if someone makes a mistake connecting blacks to blacks somewhere.  However it's even more common for the breaker finder to make a mistake.

If you turn off the breaker and test the receptacle for voltage, and find no voltage present, then you have demonstrated that that breaker and only that breaker provides power to that receptacle.  However:  In a case like this where you're concerned something's wrong, I'd not trust a non-contact voltage tester or a plug in receptacle tester to verify there's no voltage present;  I'd want to test with a good voltage tester or meter.


VERY carefully?

It would be almost impossible to drill all the way through a broomstick with a normal drill, even if you find one long enough, or use enough extensions. A drill that long will be quite flexible, and will tend to drift with variations in density of the wood. The grain will hurt you.

What does work is to work essentially backwards. Drill a long hole through a wide enough piece of wood that the drill will still come out somewhere near where you want it to do so. Then mount the blank on a mandrel, and turn down the wood into a barrel. You can get an amazingly thin result by this method. Note that while the mandrel will provide some stiffening, it is often helpful to have an additional support to steady the blank, preventing "whipping". This is called a center steady, or a steady rest. I've turned long poles the diameter of a broomstick up to the length of my lathe bed, so about 3 feet long, but this takes care to do well.

Note that you still need to drill through the original block of wood. So a drill press of some sort is often a good choice here to drill holes that need to be perfectly aligned with an axis. If you have a good lathe, it will sometimes have a tailstock that will allow you to drill through the tailstock. This helps to keep the drill aligned with the axis of the blank. But even there, a very deep hole is problematical.

And of course, any time you have such a deep hole, you MUST make sure the chips are allowed to clear out of the hole you are drilling. This means you need to back out the drill often to clear them out.


That looks like a MOEN faucet, I have the same type. If you are the original owner of the faucet they will usually supply parts and advice free. To remove the handle, twist the vertical round part between the horizontal handle and the sink. It will unscrew and reveal the inside parts that you need to replace.


Yes, those are special pocket hole screws.  They're basically just self drilling wood screws (which is why they have the fluted tips).  Standard wood screws may work, but you are forced between trying to center a pilot hole at the bottom of your pocket or risk splitting the piece you're screwing into.

As far as finding more of them, just search for "pocket hole screws".  Most of the big box home improvement stores should carry them.

Kreg Pocket Hole Screw with flat head to engage step in drilled hole and thread cutting flute to prevent wood splitting.


What's the deal with this (fake?) chimney on my house?

Your dad is wrong. Chimneys have been used for non-fireplace heating systems since the days of the Franklin Stove.

Also, remember that the interior of the house may have been drastically rearranged over the years. My kitchen definitely isn't where it was when the place was built, and in fact the old kitchen space is now my dining room.

The only way to be sure what's going on is to get a look at the chimney itself, and see what kinds of openings may have existed and then been bricked up, or to research your house's history.


How can I stop a water leak in my basement?

We can only guess at this point, but one theory is that when it rains, you have water seeping down the outside of your foundation until it hits the footer, at which point it's seeping into your basement.

At the point where you have this puddle, what is outside? Is there a gutter downspout there? Or perhaps the ground is sloping towards your house at that spot? Check those things first.


How much pressure should you apply when rolling on paint?

Don't stretch your paint.

The problem is probably not pressure (assuming that you remain consistent), but what I call "stretch". Folks tend to stretch the paint load of their roller or brush too far. With experience you'll learn what's the appropriate coverage area for a loaded roller.

The goal, of course, is to end up with a uniform film of paint on the wall. If you're working your roller out past its range, you're forcing the dry roller through the film and creating voids in it. Instead, try this:

Load the roller with paint. My technique is to pull some paint from the pool up the slope of the pan, and then work the roller into it a few times so that I have even coverage all the way around the nap.
Make contact with the wall 6-12 inches away from the newly-painted region. This drops the initial load of fresh paint on dry land, so to speak, and creates a temporary repository of paint.
Work back to the previously painted zone, overlapping somewhat. Roll direction isn't important at this point.
Work remaining excess paint from the repository outward, stopping when it becomes difficult to get coverage. This is the extent of coverage for that roller payload. Do not increase pressure to gain more coverage.
Give the newly painted area one more roll, all in the same direction, blending with the previous area. Keep an eye out for voids and runs, which should be rare. At this point the roller should be fairly dry and not leaving edge lines. If it is, roll the edges out on new wall to clean them up, then re-roll the working area.

Using this technique I get consistently good results. For most interior wall situations, a coverage zone for a loaded roller is about 2ft. by 3ft. Maybe less.

I also paint almost exclusively with quality 3/8" nap rollers. I don't mind a bit of stipple, which helps hide roller lines and wall imperfections.

Or you have other problems.

All this said, if you're seeing streaks after a third coat, something else may be going on. Maybe you're rolling too long after the film starts drying. Maybe your roller has residual primer or paint of another color in it. Maybe the paint needs better mixing.


How to run duct work for basement dehumidifier?

This is going to be sort of a comment, or at least not a complete answer.

When designing the system, the goal is not to create a breeze through the space. The goal is to control pressure equalization in such a way that the air is mixed and dehumidified (conditioned).

Having one large return at one end of the space, and a large return at the other may work. But it's not going to be as efficient, and will require maintaining an open area for which the air to flow (no closed doors).

Let's back up a bit, and think about how the system works...

The fan (or blower) is going to create a high pressure area "in front" of it, which causes the pressure in the supply ducts to increase.  The higher pressure air flows from the supply ducts, in an attempt to equalize the pressure between the supply ducts and the rooms.  At the same time, the fan (blower) has also created a low pressure zone "behind" it. The higher pressure air in the rooms is forced into the return ducts, in an effort to equalize the pressure between the rooms and the return ducts.

So the system works by forcing conditioned air into the rooms, and having unconditioned air pushed into the system.

Wherever you have a supply duct, you want to have and unobstructed return duct. Otherwise you'll end up with a high pressure area in one place, and a low pressure area in another.

In your example, if you have a single supply duct feeding the kitchen, and a single return in the bedroom. What happens if the bedroom door is closed?  In fact, the bedroom door in your drawing would have a tendency to be pushed closed, if you installed the system the way you've described. You'll be creating a high pressure zone in the kitchen and living room, and a low pressure area in the bedroom. Which means the door could be closed by the pressure differences.

You'll want to install a supply and return in each separate area. In your case that would mean installing a supply and return in the living room/kitchen, bedroom, and storage area.

Unfortunately, duct design is a bit of science, and a bit of art. Covering all the information you'd need to know, would be nearly impossible in this short answer format. In my opinion, duct design is not a job for an amateur. At the very least, you'll want a pro to assist in that aspect of the job.

I know I've rambled a bit, and I'm sure you don't want somebody to tell you not to do it yourself. But in my opinion, it's better to have it done right, then to have it done cheap.  Aside from all that I've mentioned. It's impossible for somebody to design a duct system without knowing the equipment you're going to use, or the actual dimensions of the space. So there's no way anybody on this site could provide a duct design for you, with the information you've provided.

My advice... Get an HVAC contractor to design the system for you, then you can do the work of installing it yourself.


Install carpet tiles over laminate in basement?

Give the history you know of with the home, it's probably not a concern. I'd ask the carpet manufacturer how it affects your warranty, though. As easy as laminate is to remove, it might be worth doing.

One drawback to the adhesive tiles--if your basement floods you can't lift the carpet to dry things and salvage it. I've been involved with several basement floods (clean water, not sewage) where we were able to lift the carpet, remove the pad where it's saturated, blow-dry the concrete and carpet, and reinstall the carpet. You can't tell it happened, and this was light-colored plush. Obviously that wouldn't be possible with glue-down tiles. Just something to consider.


Connect Single 3-way Light in 3-gang Box (Lutron Caseta)

The first thing you do is roll it all back to status quo ante with the original switches and get it back where it works 100%.
Now you'll see a black wire that is split to go to at least 2 switches. (it may pogo from switch to switch).   We're not worried about that one for now, but its function is always-hot.  We'll be spending most of our time with the other wire on each switch.
The outdoor light
On the outdoor light, pull the (remaining) wire off the switch that controls it, and cap it off for good.  It's done.
Identify the neutral wire that is the partner to this hot, and make a mental note to cap it off also, later.
Hot or not
Notice that the 3-way switch has 2 brass and 1 black screw.   The 2 brass screws are the travelers.  3-way circuits work by making one traveler hot and the other traveler not hot.
Pick a brass screw and take the traveler wire off it.  Cap that wire off for good.  It's done.
Now, take the traveler wire on the other brass screw, and wire nut it to the (common) wire(s) on the black screw.
See what we did there?  We made the first traveler not and the other traveler hot.
That's it; the 3-way switch goes away.
The kitchen switch
This Lutron switch is neutral-less, which is unfortunate because you seem to have neutral present, and this choice will require you to add an additional module called a LUT-MLC to effectively simulate neutral.
At this point one wire remains (that isn't capped or always-hot).
Now we take that single wire and join it to two things: a) one of the black wires on the Lutron switch, and b) one of the two wires on the LUT-MLC module.  So 3 wires come together.
The other wire on the LUT-MLC module gets added to the bundle of neutral wires.  While you have that bundle apart, remove for good the neutral that is the partner to the outside light you just capped off.
The remaining black wire on the Lutron smart switch needs to be added to the "Always-hot" bundle.  This is a good time to get rid of any unused pigtails etc.
Lastly the ground wire must be added to the ground bundle.


How can you open the top part of a double-hung window when you are old and short?

Many air conditioners have a "fresh air" setting; at that setting, they blow air from outdoors into the house. Although it does cost electricity, it's better than opening the window because it moves are even on dead-still days.


how to remove a tiny screw that won't spin?

First, you need the right sized screwdriver bit - this is already looking chewed up as though it's met not quite the right size. This is one area where getting the non-Chinese product may pay off in the long run (they not only work better, they also destroy less things you work on, so between not having to throw out and replace the tools and not having things you work on damaged, the more expensive tool may cost less overall.)

Second, you need plenty of force pushing down on the screwdriver so it won't pop up. A standard "jewelers screwdriver" has a rotating button on the top so you can push down while turning.

You'd need some adapters to get down to the correct bit size, but a hand impact driver is the tool of choice for truly stuck cross-head screws - preferably with the right bit - be it Phillips, Pozi-Drive, JIS or some other variant on the + screw head (they are different, in ways that matter) in the right size. You torque the body in the direction you are trying to turn to set it, then smack the back end with a hammer, which drives it in and turns it at the same time. It's rare to need to go that far on a laptop, though, and you could cause additional damage if the computer is not well supported.

Third option would be to accept that the screw is stuck and it's not your laptop, and suggest that the friend take it in to a service tech (sometimes discretion IS the better part of valor.)

Fourth, you could (with some damage to the black plastic part) cut a slot in the screw. Messy and complicated (can't let the grinding dust go everywhere, access is poor, etc.) but it gets you more leverage (wide screw-head, small + type driver - can use a wider straight-blade on it once slot is cut.) But look very hard at the third option before going there.


Installation instructions depend on the exact model of "electronic door lock" you purchase.

Most of the low-cost/self-contained units install into a standard cylindrical-lock bore (ie, in place of the normal knobset and/or deadbolt), occasionally with another hole or two to anchor them firmly in place. That's an easy retrofit.

Commercial-type units, where the electronics is separate from the door hardware, are more complicated.


Can I replace my broken GFCI outlet with a single outlet with 2 USB ports?

This GFCI probably has downstream outlets.

They probably were protected by the GFCI, up until the point the GFCI blew.  They will now be dead.

If any of them are in a garage, basement, laundry room, or pretty much any room containing a sink, those outlets need to still be GFCI.   So you will need to provide for their protection.

You can't defeat the GFCI ...probably.  As said, you can't break GFCI protection for any outlet that needs to be protected.

No such thing as a GFCI USB ... Yet.

The market doesn't appear to make what you want, a GFCI receptacle with a USB outlet also.   I could be wrong, if you've found one, carry on.   In the meantime, I'll talk about the workarounds in case you can't find one.

Install the GFCI protection upstream.

Follow the circuit in the other direction, back toward the circuit breaker.  These are outlets that are still working... but lose power when you turn off the breaker for this circuit.  Are there GFCI receptacles in any of those?  Is the breaker itself a GFCI?  Then you're all set.  If it's not that way, buy a GFCI outlet or breaker and  make it so.

You only need one GFCI and it will protect all the outlets downstream of it, provided those are connected to the LOAD side of the GFCI.  Some people daisy-chain GFCI's, that is redundant.

Now you can install your USB outlet (which does not have GFCI).

If you can't do the above, then replace the GFCI the way you found it, and put the USB outlet somewhere else.


Yes, binder clips are a great solution. You can put a tiny tack or pin to hang each clip on directly, without using string. If this is "real" paper artwork (like a drawing, print or silkscreen), put a small piece of archival paper, or any good-quality paper, between the clip and the artwork to protect the art from rust or the clip if the air is damp. The front wire of the binder clip can be compressed and it will pop off easily, making a nice clean look. Good luck!


Two opposite phase circuits in one conduit... do i need 2 neutrals or an oversized neutral?

To add to what Ed wrote, the neutrals must be clearly marked as to which neutral is with which circuit. Noting that it is THHN individual wires within conduit, you are not allowed to re-mark a white conductor to be a hot.  Therefore any marks on white wires are NOT remarking to hot, but simple markings.
You can also just bundle the pairs of wires.  Take care that you do this correctly if you're doing it after-the-fact.


Download a free pdf Wood Deck Construction Guide from the American Wood Council. It is based on current codes and standards and can help with all aspects of wood deck construction in the absence of specific direction from your local AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction).

It will not address engineered construction members (like laminated beams) though...


Basically what Tester said in his comment but to elaborate... Ideally you want a 6" drop 10' past the foundation.

In addition to placing stepping stones under the spigot I might consider also adding one of those gutter splash blocks.

Plant some foundation plantings and grass. They'll help absorb some of the rain water and reduce erosion. The level of soil around the foundation was probably higher at some point based on the height of that pvc pipe.

Does the building have gutters? Last time I remember someone from GA posting about having a hard time growing grass around their foundation their home didn't have gutters for most of the time since the house was built. The rain comes down heavy as a result around the perimeter causing nutrients to leach out of the soil and the soil to wash away which just makes the drainage problems worse. Bring in some good top soil with a good mix of compost when you do the grading to help grass establish. Install gutters if they're not there and make sure downspouts extend at least 6' away from the foundation.


What's the best way to label a double gang box with two circuits

Put a divider between the two sides of the box:

Then simply label each side of the gang box as belonging to the appropriate circuit.

Note: Make sure the divider you pick will fit your gang box.  I've picked up dividers that don't before.


What power and type of in-line bathroom extractor fans should I be looking for?

In the end I went for a mixed flow (which I think is both cetrifugal & radial or something), has about double the throughput that is recommended for the size of room (240 m^3/hr vs 110 m^3/hr). Doesn't have a timer on it, but it seems to be keeping the steam down when we shower anyway.

Here's a link to the fan I bought in the end.

Thanks for the pointers.


Running power to a single switch from a three way switch

Take a look at how three way switches are wired.  (The actual physical layout of the devices may be much different, but this is how the connections work.)

Note that the common from one switch goes to the breaker, and the common from the other goes to the light.

IF the cable to your outside light is in the same box as the switch fed from the breaker

AND the circuit's neutral is in the box, as well as the common hot / travellers

THEN you can tap the circuit ahead of the switches to power the light.

It looks like this is probably the case.  It looks like the neutral is coming in on the same cable as the hot.

Not sure whether this switch is the one fed from the source or the one that connects to the light.  You could verify by seeing if power cycles on the common terminal when you move the switch, but unless you're super confident working with a live box open, I think it's best to just try it and see.  No sense working around energized conductors if you don't have to.

What you'll want to do is add the white to the white from the outside light to the splice with the other neutrals.  Also add the ground to the other grounds.

I recommend the push in type connectors unless you've had some practice
splicing with wire nuts, I think wire nuts are better once you have some proficiency, but the push in connectors are hard to mess up.

You'll want to connect the common, the source hot, and the outside light hot with a pigtail - for this purpose, about 9" of #12 black wire:

Remove the black conductor from the common screw.
connect one end of the pigtail to the common screw terminal
splice the other end of the pigtail, the black that was on the common, and the black on the cable to your outside light, with a push in connector.

(This picture shows a pigtail with a receptacle but it works the same with a switch terminal.)

If you lucked out and the wires are in the switch nearer the source, your outside light will now be energized at all times.  If it switches on and off with the three way switches, it's in the wrong box and you have a bigger project getting it to work the way you want.

The last step will be to add a single pole switch to the outside light.

To do this,

remove the black wire from the outside light from the push connector by pulling it lightly while twisting it back and forth.
connect a new black pigtail to the other screw terminal on the switch.
push the other end of the new pigtail into the connector with the other black wires.

Sketch:


Light switch not working; both outlets are always hot

You said the switched receptacles are chained all around the room, so each receptacle has a switched and unswitched socket, am I right?

One of the other receptacles still has its tab.  That's all it takes.


Vapors from washing machine stinking the garage and kitchen

If it isn't spraying water, it doesn't need a clean-out. More likely your vent stack needs to be cleaned out.


From the International Association of Electrical Inspectors web site here:

If the metal water piping is not a grounding electrode, the connection of the bonding jumper in accordance with 250.104(A) does not have be located within the first 1.52 (5 ft) of the water piping system entry to the building or structure.

From my research, this was an old requirement (2005?) when the water pipe was used as the primary grounding electrode. It has since been deleted and does not appear in the 2017 NEC. Article 250.52(A)(1)
A ground rod (or two) is now required as the primary grounding electrode in most jurisdictions since someone could replace the copper piping with PVC in the future.[Edit: I just wanted to add that the Ufer ground (reinforcing rod in the poured concrete footing) is quickly replacing ground rods in new construction.]
However, if you do have a metal water piping system in contact with the soil for more than 10 feet it is still required to be bonded, although the National Electrical Code does not specify where.

250.104 Bonding of Piping Systems and Exposed Structural Metal.
(A) Metal Water Piping.  The metal water piping system shall be bonded as required in (A)(1), (A)(2), or (A)(3) of this section.
(1) General.  Metal water piping system(s) installed in or attached to a building or structure shall be bonded to any of the following: (1) Service equipment enclosure (2) Grounded conductor at the service (3) Grounding electrode conductor if of sufficient size (4) One or more grounding electrodes used, if the grounding electrode conductor or bonding jumper to the grounding electrode is of sufficient size
The bonding jumper(s) shall be installed in accordance with 250.64(A), 250.64(B), and 250.64(E). The points of attach‐ ment of the bonding jumper(s) shall be accessible. The bonding jumper(s) shall be sized in accordance with Table 250.102(C)(1) except as permitted in 250.104(A)(2) and 250.104(A)(3).

Summary, if it is NOT the primary grounding electrode, the metal water pipe is not required to be bonded within 5 feet, it is just required to be bonded.
I agree with Tester101 though you are pretty much at the mercy of the inspector unless you want to file a formal objection.

Also, for a washing machine in an unfinished basement near the laundry sink need a gfci? It is plugged into a single plug outlet.

ALL receptacles in the unfinished part of a basement and laundry areas are required to be protected by GFCI.
From the 2017 NEC

210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. Ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel shall be provided as required in 210.8(A) through (E). The ground-fault circuit interrupter shall be installed in a readily accessible location.
(A) Dwelling Units.  All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in the locations specified in 210.8(A)(1) through (10) shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.
(5) Unfinished portions or areas of the basement not inten‐ ded as habitable rooms
(10) Laundry areas

Good luck!


Replaced lights & switches on 3 way switch circuit; not sure if I have wiring problem or product problem or both

Looking at your diagram, you are using the white wire as hot to the left-hand switch and black and red as travelers between the two 3-way switches. On the left-hand switch, you will find (excluding the green ground screw) one terminal looks different, probably a different color) than the other two. This is where the white wire goes. The black and red wires go to the other two terminals. Your diagram implies that this is wired wrong as you show the black wire going to the separate side of the switch.

Two more comments:
(1) I’m assuming that you also have ground wires running everywhere that you just haven’t shown. If not, stop and get a professional to help before you kill someone!
(2) You should add black tape to the ends of that white wire to show that it is not a neutral wire.


Wiring ceiling light from switch that controls outlet

Doesn't sound like this will be possible. What you have now in the switch box is just a switch loop--hot in and hot out. There's no neutral return path, which would be required for your light.

If you were to connect your light to what's there it would probably work, but everything that gets plugged into the outlet thereafter would have its supply voltage reduced by the light bulb(s), and the current drawn by the outlet load would be pulled through the light bulb. The two loads would be in series. You can see how that's a problematic situation.

You'll need to pull a new home run, or you could possibly reconfigure the switched outlet to eliminate that function and provide an actual neutral at the switch. Update your question with information about the outlet box if you'd like help with that.


How to cut off an old swing to get rid of it

You have numerous options:

Drill out the screws with a drill bit larger than the screw diameter.
Use a hand hack saw to cut it into manageable pieces.
Use a reciprocating saw - a "Sawzall" to cut it into manageable pieces.
Beat it into submission with a sledge hammer until it folds and bends and breaks (get medieval on it!)

My recommendation would be the sawzall with a new 10" demolition blade. You can probably have it cut into pieces in 10 minutes that way with little sweat.

If you don't own a recipricating saw, you can rent one at your local tool rental place or big box hardware store (Lowes, Menards, Home Depot, etc)

edit: Like SteveR says...make sure to wear your safety gear!


Are rechargeable 9-volt batteries suitable for use in smoke detectors?

I was advised by one of the big smoke detector manufacturers that the real issue is voltage.  Most battery-operated items will still run, more or less, on a much lower voltage than the nominal voltage on the battery label.  That means that the battery can seriously run down and the gadget will still do something, even if it doesn't perform like with a fresh battery.

Smoke detectors aren't like that.  They need the voltage of an almost new battery to operate properly.  That's why they tell you to replace the battery at least once a year, even if a battery checker shows that it still has a lot of life.  When you remove the "old" battery, that battery is still fine to use in other gadgets.

The battery doesn't sit idle in the detector if there isn't smoke.  The detector constantly runs self checks, which use a little current.  If you routinely test the alarm (as recommended), that also uses some current.  So a year sitting in a smoke detector isn't like a year sitting on the shelf.  The battery runs down a little and the voltage drops.

I've got to assume that the unit will still work if there's a fire and it hasn't produced a low battery warning.  Fresh batteries typically don't produce a low battery warning in only a year, so there may be some PR compromise involved.

It's a pain in the butt to deal with a low battery alarm, especially if interconnected units all over the house decide to alert you in the middle of the night because one of the batteries dropped too low.  So the one year time frame may be so that you can calmly replace the batteries at your convenience and avoid the "emergency" (and not hate the manufacturer).  But what the unit considers a critically low voltage is still much higher than most other devices.

Which brings us to rechargeables.  They typically have a fully charged voltage that is a little lower than the voltage of a fresh alkaline battery, or quickly drop below that level.  The per-charge run time is also much shorter than the run time of a disposable alkaline battery.  And as @ʎəʞo uɐɪ points out in a comment, rechargeables tend to have fast self-discharge rates and not hold their charge for a long time relative to smoke detector needs.

These characteristics aren't a problem in most gadgets.  But it means that in a smoke detector, it may never be at the needed voltage even when fully charged, or will be above that level for a very short time.  That's the main reason they aren't suitable.


Possible to check NEST system compatibility by looking at current thermostat model?

According to the installation instructions in your link, the Honeywell CT87A requires only two or three wires (R,W,[Y]) to operate.   The Nest compatibility checker shows that a system using those wires is compatible.   You should be good to go.


That looks perfectly fine.

Two notes:

I would put a block on the back and the front. Since the cabinets are not screwed to each other you need to join them. This is as simple is a 6" inch piece screwed to wall then maybe one screw from each cabinet into it. On the front I would try to get two screws that are a few inches apart for each cabinet (would look for scrap 2x8).
I am assuming you will have a surface for your bookcase? The gap shouldn't really affect it either way as you should be getting some screws into those two walls (given your bookcase is in one piece, not two small bookcases).

Aesthetics-wise looks normal. Probably wouldn't even think about it if there were doors on it but unless you had these things custom made that look is about as good as it gets. I think you would be the only person that even realizes there is a gap (you can make this a functional hiding spot too).


How do I switch this old NZ 3 gang light switch to a modern smart switch?

Arg.  We must get this question a couple times a month.  The short answer is you may not be able to.  In addition your picture is obscuring some of the wires so nobody can answer it anyway.  Plus there is one other possible issue I'll discuss at the end.
Here's the long answer:
These switches are typically wired as follows:  the switches control 3 individual lights.  The incoming neutral runs to each bulb and not to the switch.  The incoming hot runs to the switch and 3 hots run from it to the individual bulbs.
In SOME setups they do indeed bring the neutral into the switch box.  BUT IN NO CASE DOES THE NEUTRAL CONNECT TO THE SWITCH.  The black wire there is covered in a red piece of plastic - tape or whatever - indicating that it probably is feeding one of the bulbs - it's a switched hot.  Particularly since you pulled it out of the switch.
Now, there IS a sort of corn-pone scheme sometimes used here where they bridge over one of the lamps with a capacitor.  This allows enough leakage current to power the smart switch without having to have the neutral in the box.  The switch supplier should be able to explain how this works and where to insert the cap if they support something like this.  This sort of nonsense isn't used in the States but apparently in 220v regions there's a high enough voltage differential to make it work I guess.
Lastly the other problem is where exactly did you get this switch?  Unlicensed electrical gear from China has flooded the "smart switch" market as there's apparently a ton of people outside the US that are desperate to install smart switches.  If that thing came off Ebay or Amazon it is sure to be either a counterfeit or just a plain old unlicensed here-today gone-tomorrow company that has illegally used the RCM trademark on it.
In the United States electrical gear like switches mostly comes from electrical supply houses or independent brick and mortar hardware stores or the 2 major big box building supply stores.  (big orange and big blue)  All of these jealously guard their electrical supply chains.  You can walk into any of these and buy Zwave or Zigbee smart switches over the counter.
The counterfeiters and garbage-grade stuff comes from Amazon and Ebay but since the real stuff is available via the brick and mortar stores, most people are content to buy the Leviton smart switches over the counter in the US.  But it sure seems like the rest of the world has a big problem with it.  I don't know enough about NZ to know what goes on there and if what you have in your hand is safe or not but my gut feeling is that the switch you got there can't be powered by the capacitor trick.  You need to go back to the supplier and see what they say.


I am assuming that when you say you have a "swing door" you mean that it swings both ways. That would be called double acting, and most that I have seen in residential settings use an adjustable-tension ball or roller catch:

These are catches as opposed to latches, there is no positive connection. The tension is adjusted by screwing the ball in/out which changes the force the spring behind it applies. A smart dog with a head of steam might be able to head-butt it open, but if adjusted right it might knock him silly unless it's a bulldog.


Is it safe to shave off 1/8" from a load-bearing stud?

If trimming a small amount 1/8" - 1/4" off a stud in a load bearing wall is the ONLY option, then I would do that PLUS install another stud directly beside the cut one, and fasten them together -- this is called "sistering".

Good luck! :)


I'd look for a "home energy auditor" or an "energy efficiency auditor" in your area.

For air-tightness, they'll typcically do a blower door test, which basically uses a huge fan to slightly pressurize the interior of the house v. the outside air pressure.  Then they go around and check for pressure leaks.  Locally, our electrical utility will help you arrange energy audits (and will sometimes offer rebates, etc.).  That may be another avenue to check if you have trouble locating a professional in your area.


Cheap hand laser pointer will do the job. Mount it to a flat piece of wood, or whatever. Duct tape will work fine Put the thing on the floor and lightly mark where you put it. Turn the laser on and mark where the beam intersects the wall.
wait six months and repeat. Is the mark on the wall in a different place? Then you've likely got sagging. It's easiest to figure out what's going on if you mark the wall at several different locations with the laser in one spot; the repeat the same a few times with the mounted laser in different spots.
You needn't worry about your laser mount being level, as long as its the saame each time.

You can buy a laser level at a big box store, but it's a lot more expensive and does exactly the same job as a $1 cat laser yopu can buy at most dollar stores.


They're just called "valence clips", but that likely varies by manufacturer. They're proprietary, so you'll either need to contact the manufacturer or do some trial-and-error with parts from other vendors. Chances are they'll often fit the valence, but they may not fit the blind channel as well.
You could also just use double-stick foam tape, self-adhesive hook-and-loop strips, or anything similar.


Limit switch doesn't function on oil furnace

The high limit being taken off the wall of the fire box it will never over heat.
Try removing 1 of the leads to the switch if the furnace keeps running it is not the limit switch.
Most of these limits have a manual reset button you need to press if they do overheat.
If the furnace keeps going with the limit wire removed you need to have the controls fully checked out as this is a safety hazard.


What type of wiring should bedroom overhead lighting have?

I think you may be referring to the addition of item C to section 404.2 in article 404 of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Which states...

National Electrical Code 2011
ARTICLE 404 Switches
404.2 Switch Connections.
(C) Switches Controlling Lighting Loads. Where switches control lighting loads supplied by a grounded general purpose branch circuit, a grounded circuit conductor shall be provided at the switch location.
Exception: The grounded circuit conductor shall be permitted to be omitted from the switch enclosure where either of the conditions in (1) or (2) apply:
(1) Conductors for switches controlling lighting loads enter the device box through a raceway.
(2) Cable assemblies for switches controlling lighting enter the box through a framing cavity that is open at the top or bottom on the same floor level, or through a wall, floor, or ceiling that is unfinished on one side.

The intention of this code change is to provide a grounded (neutral) conductor in switch boxes, so "smart" devices can make use of it.


you need conduit rated for outdoor use. It's typically PVC, gray in color, and is UV rated (so it doesn't break down in sunlight)
check local electrical codes to be certain (though I think 18" is typical)


what is the name for this type of air intake gap on a residential roof which has no overhanging eaves and lacks soffit vents

In my neck of the woods, Mass, some builders call those "Hicks" vents. Not sure if that was a manufacturer or inventor or what.   I refer to them as drip edge vents.

I have these on my house,  I HATE THEM!  I'll tell you why.

On my house, unlike your diagram, there is a normal soffit and the drip edge and gutter are on the rafter tails.  More typical construction practice around here, puts the attic venting in a continuous soffit vent, a gap in the underside of the soffit, covered with a ventilated aluminum flashing.  I am slowly retrofitting them into my house.

My problems with the drip edge vent are two fold.  1) they were installed them poorly and in some places the water doesn't drip off the edge, but runs behind the gutter and down the siding.  I fixed this by retrofitting some more drip edge.

The more serious problem is in the winter.  If my gutter fills with snow and ice, additional water (melt or rain) will go up through the vents, and into the soffit and then down inside the wall.  I have had to put up gutter heaters and maintain them to prevent this.  And it caused multiple siding repaints before I figured out the extent of the moisture problems they are causing.  (not to mention carpenter ants)


Here's a quick ascii art diagram of what you need to have:

Power source       First Light   Second Light   Switch
   |  |               |   |         |   |        |  |
   |  |               |   |         |   |        |  |
   |  + white/neutral ----+---------+   |        |  |
   |                  |                 |        |  |
   |                  +-- red/switched -+--------+  |
   |                                                |
   +------- black/hot-------------------------------+

Between the second light and the switch, you can run a 2 wire line (just replace the red line with the white and tape the ends of the white with black tape to indicate it's a switched hot). However, between the first and second light, you'll need a 3 wire line to handle the hot/neutral/switched combination.


How to mount an air conditioner in this window?

Based on your diagram, more or less what I have done. Jankiness level is variable depending on level of craftsmanship employed, or not.
The wood strip may need to be higher than the "foam or wood" strip as many air conditioners expect to find an edge to "push" against there. That's also why you might need screws to hold it in place (the A/C wants to rotate out at the top and in at the bottom. You want it to be held by those forces, not to give into them and fall.)


Removing/re-seating threaded rod for cabinet leg

Technically that is threaded rod not a threaded insert. A threaded insert would be an insert with threads to accept a threaded rod or machine screw.

Get two nuts that fit the threads, thread the first nut on far enough that you can get the second nut on.  Using two  open ended wrenches  ( or adjustable wrenches will work ) tighten one nut up very tight against the other, I.E. turn the bottom nut counter clockwise as you turn the top nut clockwise. This will lock them together, now you can use one wrench on the bottom nut to try and back out the threaded rod. The two nuts locked will not back off the rod it will try to turn the rod.

  I have tried getting my pair of needle nose pliers on it as they are
  the best thing I currently have to hand, but they just appear to slip
  off.

As you have found out, needle nose pliers are not the correct tool for removing nuts, they will not give you enough grip to accomplish this task.

It may be glued in or very tight so you may need to secure the leg in vise or clamp it to a table top, protect it by wrapping it with something.

  I'm assuming the pilot hole will be drilled at right angles.

If the rod is at an angle ( not the correct angle ) then the hole itself is at an angle.

Once/if you get it out you will need to fill the hole with a dowel and glue so you can drill a new straight hole or put in a threaded insert, sized correctly, to accept the threaded rod.


Should I try to cut out so both the existing and the new drywall will
  touch half of the metal stud on each side? And put in screws on both
  sides?

Yes that is an effective way to do it.

Another way is to add a board, 1"x4" boards work great, as structure to screw to.

Clean up your hole so the cuts are straight and at 90 degrees to each other so you can use a nice square or rectangle piece as a patch.  Place the boards so that half of it is behind the old sheet rock, length wise along the cut,  and half is sticking out so you have something to screw the new piece to. Screw the board in place through the old existing sheet rock, make sure your screw heads are counter sunk.

Now you can cut a piece to fit the hole and screw it in place. Tape and mud the seams. Sand and mud, sand and mud and sand, prime and paint.

Floating a but joint with mud is an acquired skill.
Watch some YouTube video's and practice on a mock up of a but joint.


Most likely static electric discharge as Harper says.  The switch is grounded.  The computer case is grounded.  Walking around on carpet in the winter is a great way to build up a static charge.  When touching some metal at a lower charge a spark will occur.

The wall switch is at 120V in the US.  A static electric discharge can be 20,000V.

"... zaps every time it is touched"  Have one person touch it 10 times in 10 seconds.  Only the initial shock and nothing the other 9 times means it is static discharge.  A second person touches it and they got shocked the first time.


What could cause circuit breakers to trip when power is restored after an outage?

In general, this is a sign of a circuit loaded a bit too heavily. After an outage, everything is starting at once - motor loads, in particular, tend to draw a very large current at startup - if a circuit has several motor loads which do not usually start at the same time, it may not trip in normal service, but if all the motor loads start at the same time, it may trip.

As a general rule, my habit at this point is to shut off nearly everything during an outage, with the specific intent of reducing the local draw on power restoration and to isolate as many things as is reasonably possible from the initial restored power, which can be a bit unstable due to everyone else's loads all trying to start at once. Once power has been restored for a few minutes I turn things back on. It's more fuss than most people go to, but it works for me.

If you have particular circuits which are prone to trip on power restoration, you might both turn those breakers off during an outage and turn off at least some of the items on them before manually turning the breaker back on after the outage.

However, a better option for the long term would be to rewire things so that the circuits in question are not overloaded upon restoration of power.


Compensate inadequate exhaust vents for whole house fan by installing a power vent in attic?

It sounds like you’re trying to cool your house without increasing your air conditioner size (or add air conditioning) by 1) adding air movement in your house, and 2) lower the air temperature in your attic, which could be “heating” your house.

Yes, adding air movement (even warm air) will give you the feeling of cooling. That’s why sitting in front of a fan feels cool. However, that air needs to blow across your skin to be effective. (I think you’ll need to get in your shorts and wear short sleeves. )
Stagnant air in the attic will heat up throughout a warm day, so increasing the air movement in the attic is probably good.

However, your notion about “intake vents” and “exhaust vents” is not quite correct. Actually, the small 3” round vents in the eaves are not just “intake vents”...they’re “exhaust vents” too. Your house (especially where you live) has a windward and leeward side. This creates positive air pressure and negative air pressure on your house. Openings (vents) allow air in and out. Generally, we like these openings balanced. That is to say about equal sized.

However, the Code has established minimum sizes to prevent moisture condensation...not for cooling requirements.

The minimum amount of venting by Code is 1/150th the area for CROSS VENTILATION or 1/300th the area if you have cross ventilation AND between 40% and 50% the area is located not more that 3’ below the ridge. (See IRC R806)

It sounds like your attic ventilation meets this requirement. (A 2400 s.f. House will require 2400/300=8 s.f. and you have about 4 s.f. Ridge vents. I know you think you have 3 s.f., but I think you’ve compensated too much for the screening in the vents.) (BTW, I think you have 4.1 s.f. of venting from the 3” holes not 1.17s.f. that you think you have. Did I do that right?)

In summary,

I think you have adequate attic ventilation and increasing it will give you a minor benefit
power venting your living space can help, but you’ll need to sit close to the fan.

Alternate idea: In Hawaii and the Caribbean, they remove the exterior walls and rely on the tradewinds. Now, you probably can’t remove your walls, but you live where there is plenty of wind. Can you enlarge windows/doors to capture these winds? If not, then add a fan...but provide the same amount of “intake” as “outlet” available.


What should I do about an exposed wire for landscape lighting?

If it's no longer in use, you really should remove it, or at least disconnect it from the "input" (house electrical) side. Without a fixture present, some person (perhaps even you, if you forget about it) might dig in the yard with no thought of a (sounds like poorly buried if it's exposed, thus probably unmarked as well) wire, and cut into it with a shovel. In which case, it's far better if it's not energized.


Can I use a spray sealer and primer over a patched drywall followed by painting over it?

Yes.  The purpose of primer is to seal the raw plaster/gypsum/drywall and create a better surface for finish paint that won't soak it up.

As long as the rest of the wall is properly cleaned before painting (paint doesn't bond well to dirt, grease, etc), your finish coat should look even and consistent.

For your situation, assuming the existing paint was rolled on, I would spray on the primer and then go over the freshly sprayed area with a roller - going heavy on the primer and using the roller to spread it out nice and even with the same kind of roller texture the rest of the wall has.

Follow with one, maybe two coats of finish paint and you'll never know the wall was patched.


Moen has an actual socket to tighten the nut in question. I have also been able to tighten them with a small, 6", adjustable wrench. The Moen tool can usually be picked up at your home store or a plumbing supply store. here's what the tool looks like:

You could also use a deep socket if you are a tool collector. Good luck


Shorten bolt with a sleeve of some sort?

A sink (or basin) wrench is your friend

The head turns through 90 degrees, and is spring-loaded to fit on the nut you're trying to tighten (or loosen). An invaluable tool for plumbing of all sorts, and very cheap.


Installing/fixing ceiling drywall when trusses are uneven?

You'll have a header running across the 90° transition in the framing direction, so this shouldn't be that difficult to fix.  I'd remove the drywall from the last stud bay (shaded below)...

...and attach blocking to the header that will catch the sheetrock. Since you're getting air ingress there, I'd take the opportunity to insulate while you have it open. I'd also use fiberglass tape instead of paper along this joint when you put the drywall back up - I've found that it tends to hold up better along seams like this.


How, and how often should I clean a freezer?

I don't usually bother letting it warm up.  I just use a mixture of a mild kitchen cleaner and warm water on a paper towel.  If you're careful, and don't let any moisture pool up, it seems to evaporate before it freezes to the inside.

If you're just trying to combat a smell, try putting some baking soda in there.

As for how often to clean, I usually do a purge of the contents of the freeze 1-2 times a year, and do the cleaning then.


Can I use bentonite as a lining for a normal swimming pool?

Bentonite clay at the bottom of a pond does not form a hard surface that could be walked on. The clay layer will be a goo which is virtually impenetrable  to water, but absolutely unsuitable for walking on. If you were going to do this, I think you would have to have a layer of sand or gravel on top of the bentonite layer.

How common is a "natural" swimming pool where you are? Have you researched how to prevent the growth of the amoeba Naegleria fowleri? https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/naegleria-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20375470


What is a tandem breaker (aka duplex, cheater, twin, double-stuff, etc.)?

It starts with spaces in the panel

A service panel has a basic unit I call a space.  That's apparent when you look at the "knockouts" on the cover.

Electrical power in North America delivers split-phase power. Meaning there are two "legs" or "poles" - L1 and L2 - both 120V from neutral, and opposite-phased so they add up to 240V.

Here's an X-ray of a service panel cover.  See the trick?  The buses are arranged in alternating rows. Every other row is a different pole on both sides. Any single-space breaker gets only one pole and 120V (its circuit also attaches to the neutral bar, not shown) -- but a 2-space breaker has access to both poles and 240V.

A single-space breaker cannot get 240V.  That's very important when we get to duplex breakers.  Now let's fit some breakers.

On the upper right you see a single breaker. This occupies one space and serves one circuit.

On the upper left, you see a 2-pole breaker: this occupies two spaces, and can access both poles L1 and L2.  Both sides will trip together if either side overloads.  This is used for 240V loads, or for multi-wire branch circuits (MWBC).

Backside of a 2-pole or quad breaker.  Note the 2 clips grabbing 2 different poles.

Duplex and friend

On the lower right is the star of the show: the duplex/tandem breaker. This occupies a single space and can only access a single pole.  The sides will not trip together.   It cannot power 240V loads, it must not power MWBCs, and it is generally used for two unrelated circuits.  The entire point of the duplex is to save space in the box.  We often call that a "double-stuff" for obvious reasons, and to emphasize how it's different from a 2-pole.

Back of a duplex breaker. Only one clip to grab one pole.

Lower left is the quad breaker, a 2-pole duplex breaker. Again the purpose is to save space.  It's just what it looks like, 2 duplexes, except it can access both poles L1 and L2, and it has handle-ties so the inner pair will trip together on overload.  That makes it suitable for a 240V load or MWBC.  On this model, the outside pair is also tied together with common trip and can serve 240V loads or MWBC.  Or, you can get these breakers with outer breakers independent.

General Electric's Q-line panels take a different approach to the problem, and you will never find a quadplex in Q-line.

No substitute for spaces

Most panels only allow these double-stuff breakers in certain positions.  Some only forbid it in their labeling, while others actually key the buses so duplex breakers won't fit.  Don't force them.

Nowadays in new or remodel work, most circuits must be GFCI and/or AFCI.  Here's the trick: for most panels, GFCI/AFCI breakers are not available in duplex/tandem/double-stuff. This is why you can no longer add circuits by switching to these, and why being low on breaker spaces is kind of a big deal.  Which is why many of us recommend quite large panels.

The 12-space panel featured here for illustration is terribly small, more befitting a shed than a house.  They are made as large as 60 or even 84 space.  Many will say "40 circuits/30 spaces" meaning they can accommodate double-stuff's in 10 spaces, but only have 30 total. Watch out for that.


Backed up kitchen sink drain that gets worse when I run garbage disposal

Sounds like your trap has something caught in it.

If it gets worse when you run the garbage disposal it would be because it is trying to push more down there.

Sounds like Drano would be a good first step.  And if that doesn't work then pull off your trap and take a look.


Connect Taco Radiator system to a new Honeywell wireless thermostat

This turned out to be much easier than I expected.  The EIM that had been setup for A/C only had the R Rc Rh terminals connected by jumpers.

I removed the jumper on the Rh terminal because the heating system
had it's own 24V power.
I replaced the wire that was coming from the old wired thermostat with a new one that I connected to the Rh terminal and W terminal on the EIM.

The thermostat had already been connected to the EIM so these steps were all it took.


Retaining walls fail for several reasons: 1) settlement, 2) rotation, 3) freeze/thaw, 4) expansion/contraction,

1) Settlement is caused by uneven compaction of the subsoil. This can occur immediately upon the completion of construction or settlement over time. In your case, this appears to be cause of the cracks. I doubt the crack occurred immediately, but occurred slowly over time because rocks have moved VERTICALLY from the mortar, as seen in pictures #2 and #3.

2) while the rock wall seems to tip outward, it does seem to be the cause of the cracks, because the seems to be in-line. Differential settlement will cause a portion of the wall to rotate more than another. This is not occurring here. Also, of major concern is water backed up behind a retaining wall. This will cause stress on the wall and cause it to rotate. This is not occurring here. In fact, the semi-dry-stack rock wall allows water to deep out from behind the wall.

3) Freeze/thaw effect shows up at several locations. This appears to be at one location.

4) All materials will expand and contract, depending on weather conditions. Those cracks appear vertically through the entire wall.

Often a new load will be added to the top of the wall, called: “surcharge”. I noticed in picture #4 there is a steep slope above the top tier wall. This is a heavy surcharge on the walls. Depending on when this surcharge was added, it could cause significant settlement.

Because the wall appears to be unreinforced (gravity retaining wall), and because the cracks have occurred over time, I’d remove the rocks at the cracks and reset the rocks as necessary to repair the wall for visual affect. That is to say, the wall is not failing structurally, but rather just visually.

Your greatest challenge will be getting mortar the same color as original. You can add coloring to mortar. I’d spend some time getting it just right or it will “stand out” after the repair.


Yeah, that's how you do that.

A 200A main panel which contains a 100A feeder breaker to
A xxxA subpanel
via a 100A transfer switch.

The 100A feeder breaker protects the transfer switch.
Assuming the subpanel is quite large (30-space +), it will surely be rated well over 100A.  It will be able to operate safely downline from a 100A breaker.
If the subpanel happens to be what is currently the main panel, well that is just fine! Make sure to rigidly, obsessively separate neutral and ground, and remove the N-G bond.  There should be infinity ohms between N and G, provided the neutral feed line is pulled.
Loads which you do not want to place on generator go inside the main panel.
The only thing I don't like about your plan is putting the 200A main panel on the outside of the house.  Momma taught me not to leave my valuable electrical devices out in the rain.  I would make some effort to seek an inside location.
Also, I think buying a 12-space panel is "throwing good money after bad".  Nobody ever came onto this forum and said "I am trying to add a circuit and have plenty of spaces in my panel".  But we hear the other thing a lot.  Therefore I would definitely aim to have at least 45-50 genuine spaces between your main and sub.  And double-stuffs (that fit 2 breakers in one space) are no longer a workable way to solve that, since AFCI and/or GFCI are required on so many circuits, and they don't make AFCI/GFCI in double-stuff.


What to do with airgap on a sink with only one hole?

I would suggest drilling a hole through the composite sink using the proper sized hole saw.


How do I prepare this cracked deck wood surface for staining? (Picture)

Ouch, that looks like a splinter waiting to happen to someone barefooted. You won't like the answer: sand, sand, then sand some more. A belt sander with coarse paper would take it down to smooth pretty quick, then you could switch to a vibrating sander for your medium and fine grit sanding steps.

You might consider renting a commercial type drum or vibrating sander normally used when refinishing hardwood floors, depending on the size of your deck. I would definitely consider it to save my back!


How do I safely transport a heavy item downstairs?

Well all your prep work sounds good but I am well over 100Kg and I would want another person on the stairs below to help by actually pushing back on the freezer so it doesn’t drag you down the stairs. The model I use has belts that when you pull it back the belts ride on the stair edge and don’t tear up the stairs. But even with this I consider it a 2 person job. Unless you have an electric stair climber hand truck.


The first valve looks like it might be a thermostatic valve - the numbers representing the various temperature "settings". There should be an indicator on the bit that turns that points to the number. Try turning this fully towards the "1" and then fully towards the "5". Leave the valve in each position for half an hour or so. The radiator should get a lot warmer on the "5". Turn the value down until you get a comfortable temperature.

The valve on the floor should be nearly fully open.

The other thing to check for is cold spots. If the radiator isn't getting warm at all, even on "5" there may be an airlock in it. There should be a bleed valve on the top of the radiator - you'll need a special key to crack it open. If there is air there'll be a hissing sound. Leave it open until water starts dribbling out.

There might be a cold spot at the bottom which would indicate a build up of sediment. This means your radiator (or perhaps even entire system) needs draining and flushing. Try draining the radiator first. It doesn't look like you've got drain point so this might be awkward, but it is possible.


Your house already has all those circuits. Look at your breaker panel at all the single-space (1 pole) breakers. Almost all of them are 15 or 20 amps.  A 20A breaker can drive 1920 watts on a continuous load.  A 15A breaker can carry 1440W on a continuous load.  Worst case, at 1200W per circuit, you'll need eight 120V circuits, and your house will have that.

You are saying 1200W but that is just a common nameplate rating on a PC power supply. You can buy a "Kill-a-Watt" power meter and measure the actual load when the server is at max performance.  Read the VA number and use that in place of watts.  For instance if the server reports 900 VA actual, you can put two on a 20A circuit.

Your kitchen has two of the 20A jobs. Your garage probably has another 20A.  They're all over the house.

If you don't know what breakers serve what receptacles, get some night lights at the dollar store and plug em in all over the place. Then turn on one breaker at a time and walk around and see what lights up.   You can turn on several breakers at a time or even half the panel, and then you can make a logic game of it.** Things which DO light up are on that circuit.  Things which DO NOT light up are on a different circuit.  Feel free to cover your receptacles with Post-its.

Crowding all that equipment into the garage, and paying a guy to run a bunch of cable, is silly.  Not least, the garage location will require GFCI breakers since this will be new work.

Also by putting it in the house proper, your A/C units will come to bear.

** if you have <32 breakers,  you should be able to match up every outlet in five loops through the house.  Print out a bunch of sheets of paper with the numbers 1-32 on them.  First you set odd breakers on, and loop through the house. Strike out (exclude) even numbers if it's on, or odd numbers if it's off. Next turn on every other pair: 1-2, 5-6, 9-10 etc. and cross out the circuits the outlet can't be.  Then every other group of four: 1-4, 9-12, etc. Two more rounds, and each sheet of paper will have only one number remaining.


Anchoring post brackets to textured concrete slab

I'd just spread some siliconizer on the concrete and place the bracket on top. That will keep any water/moisture from accumulating under the brackets. In doing similar work, I've had great results using lag shields and stainless steel screws.


How to power a well water pump on the local electric grid

A dramatic sag like that, when you add a big load, is due to one of two things. We'll look at them individually.

Voltage drop

Voltage drop is caused by resistance in your wires and connections.  Resistance is normal for wires, and is a function of their size and their length.  Bigger wires have lower resistance, and longer wires have (proportionately) more resistance.  Long runs like 30m or longer have significantly more resistance, and can necessitate using a larger wire.  Since you know amps, voltage drop can be calculated based on wire size and length; there are calculators all over the web.

It may seem economical to use thinner wire, but over a long distance it can stack to voltage drop of concern.

Connections Are not supposed to add resistance, but a bad connection will. You can spot one because it will be warmer than the wires around it.  That is BAD and not normal, and should be fixed at once.  Though if that connection is causing a 90 volt drop at 13A, that's 1170 watts which would burn up in a hurry!

Lost neutral

This voltage drop is so extreme (and labile) that it might not actually be voltage drop.  That has me think it could be a phase balance problem from your supply.

In 5-continent power, which follows Europe's design, power is distributed to the neighborhood in high voltage, and then the neighborhood is supplied 400V 3-phase "wye".  Neutral is in the middle, and is tied to earth for the single goal of keeping the three phases only 230V from earth, which is safer.  Each house is provided one phase and neutral.

The various houses are randomly given one phase or another, so on average, the three phases are fairly well balanced.  Your power use returns via neutral, but it's quickly distributed to other houses if loads are balanced.  That's never perfect, and that's why neutral is attached to the supply transformer.  This transformer tie forces your voltage to "stay in the middle of the wye" - at 230V regardless of the other loads at your neighbors'.

But what if neutral went away? Then neutral would not stay in the middle.  It would drift/float all over the triangle defined by the phases.

Then the three groups of houses on the 3 phases would be like an electrical, Y-shaped "see saw".  As one group of houses loaded the circuit more, it would make its own voltage sag, but the other houses' voltage go up.  This see-saw action would happen instantly as loads changed.   We just had this happen at my complex, and making toast would sag our voltage 20 volts (out of 120).

This, most likely, would be a problem at your utility, probably right at the supply transformer.  You can detect it two ways, first by measuring power at your service entrance (thr demarcation point between utility power and your wiring), and second by asking your neighbors if they've seen too-high voltage or had appliances fry on them.

You might be able to follow the wires on the electric poles, and see if you can visually observe which phase your wires are connected to.

Remedying it

If the voltage at the service entrance sags about the same as the numbers reported on that transformer, that is a lost neutral (or other supply problem, such as too-small wires on the poles).   If the numbers at the service entrance remain good while pump voltag sags, that is your wiring.

The lost neutral problem could only occur at a point common to you and your neighbors, so it is up on the pole and in the responsibility of your utility.

If the problem is voltage drop, then crunch the numbers and see if the voltage drop from your wires will explain it. (If so, what to do about it will be obvious.) If wiring drop does not explain it, then examine each connection - be careful not to burn yourself on a hot connection!


Need to increase door height in bungalow

That's not a header, just a nailer. Some carpenters / builders like to use two so that the trim is easier to nail and looks better. You're fine removing one of them. Leave at least one though to nail the trim to after your done (moved or not)


Water Valve to toilet will not stop water supply

It is very common for the "stop valve" (the local water supply shut-off valve for a plumbing fixture) to leak by. Over the years the rubber bibb washer either softens to the point that is disintegrates when tightened down against the valve seat, or calcium scale or/and mineral deposits prevent proper sealing. Try opening and closing it a few more times, then use pliers to actually force it closed. Any of the following scenarios could play out:

the water flow will stop*
the flow will not stop*
the handle will break or be crushed and the flow will not stop*

*these scenarios require that you shut off the main water supply to the house/area and repair or replace the stop valve (most likely replace).


Do I need anything more than drylok in my basement?

I would not install any vapor barrier in a basement. If you do paint the walls make you use a paint that will allow moisture to transpire through the wall.

Mother Nature has an unlimited supply of moisture so there is no way you can prevent it from entering the basement. You just want to make sure it is allowed to dry to the inside. If you trap it with a barrier it will cause mold, mildew and eventually fail.

Read the articles on this site regarding vapor barriers. Especially in basements. Like this article from fine homebuilding reprinted here. The number one mistake is "One: Vapor barriers on basement insulation will rot your walls".

I would just paint the walls with a flat latex and stain the floor. Or you could stain both and let the walls breathe even more.

Edit from tahwos' comment below: Should probably add the benefit of properly graded exterior slope, back-fill that can drain adequately, and working gutters, to round out this answer. A correctly installed and maintained basement, is a dry basement.

Good luck!


Medium-term repair for spalled foundation with exposed mudsill

I think your plan is fine, a patch may slow the failure but won't stop it and a patch in this case really won't help structurally I agree with the foundation guy. Since the foundation has not started cracking it is still stable but a seismic event may cause it to crumble.


Get a Lutron MA-LFQM and slap it in there

Most fan/light combination controls require a 3-wire cable between the fan/light and the switch in order to provide separate switched/dimmed hot feeds to the fan/light.  However, the Lutron Maestro MA-LFQM uses a canopy module, similar to that found in a fan remote system, that "talks" with the wall control via power-line communications, allowing it to work with only a single switched hot running to the fan/light combination.

Of course, you can also replace the existing cable with a /3 W/G NM of the same gauge if you want to use some other fan/light control, or a simple double switch for that matter.


What can be done about water running under my house?

Contact three or four local drainage contractors and ask if they will come out and give you a quote to solve the problem.  You'll learn what methods they would employ, their guarantee, and cost. Then you can make an informed decision.


Should a twisted copper pipe be replaced?

I agree with Wayfaring... You probably haven't structurally weakened the pipe, but you have created a flow restriction.  If you can live with that, then so be it.

But since it's on the hot side, it's very simple to isolate.  Why not just turn off the valve to the water heater and replace the damaged section?


Take a 2x4 or other long straight edge, and stand on it to compress the pad and stabilize it, then use your utility knife to cut it.


Can I control just a ceiling fan light kit with the switch and leave the fan powered?

As others have said you could add the extra wiring which should be fairly easy given the wiring is in conduit.
An alternate option would be to leave the wiring mostly as is and simply add a ceiling fan remote control. You can by one for $20-30. These come in two parts. The part that you insert in the ceiling fan that sits between the switch and the fan/light and the remote. The are sold as generic units that work with almost all ceiling fans/lights.
Even with conduit adding the remote is probably easier and meets the requirement of allowing you to individually control the fan and light.


You need to cut your top plate pieces into parallelograms that match the angle of the ceiling. If you are framing the wall with 2x4’s then you’ll need 2x6’s to cut from, or maybe even larger, depending on the angle. A steeper ceiling will require a wider parallelogram.

You can cut these top plate pieces easiest with a table saw or with more effort a hand rip saw.


My direct spark ignition furnace sparks but will not always light the burner?

I would give about an 80% chance that the board is not putting out the proper voltage and should be replaced. Other problems could be a bad spark wire or connection or poor positioning of the electrode. It is not the flame sensor or it would light for a few seconds and then go out.


Reasons for fridge light to go out other than bulb

The most obvious thing here is that the switch has ceased to function ... the one which turns the light on and off. The switch is usually activated by use of the door.


Dual pole light switch w/ 2 live, 1 neutral-can I remove the tab?

I've seen enough.

What went wrong

I'm guessing that somebody swapped out these switches in recent years, since they are too modern-looking for 1971.  What they did was move the wires to the new switch, based on physical position on the old switch.  Of course, switch manufacturers randomize the location of screws on every switch (no two are alike), so that doesn't work. You must look at how the switch works, particularly screw colors and "common" terminals, and move the wires over to the equivalent function.

How to fix.

The good news is, thanks to that little "hop",  we can instantly identify the "Common Wire".  That is the one making the little hop.

The common wire needs to be on the black screws that are right next to each other; the ones with the tab that is possible to remove. (DON'T remove it).

Obviously, the other black wires (and mercifully, they are all black), should be over on the yellow screws.  Swap as required, then get a bag of marshmallows!  Because all your lights should work, and you're ready for the fire.

Whoops. Aluminum wire.

Even before I wildly distorted your photos to try to see the wires behind, it was clear these are aluminum wire.

OK, now aluminum wire is not the end of the world, and much alarm is overblown, because we figured out the tech to make them safe.

Those switches are not part of that tech. Any receptacle, switch or nut you attach these to needs to be rated CO-ALR.  These switches are not.  You can tell because CO-ALR switches have a tinny gray look to the terminals, and they feel weirdly light.  In fact, CO-ALR combination (dual) switches might not even be available.

You could pigtail all these wires with Alumiconns, but that many Alumiconns might not fit in the box. You'd need 5 2-pot Alumiconns, and some Mac-Blocks to gather all the neutrals (unlike Alumiconns they can accommodate up to 8 Al wires).  And another one to tie all the grounds.

So your best bet, honestly, is neck this down to 2 CO-ALR switches which will fit in the box, and group the 4 controlled lights so they are on 2 switches.  Or alternately, blow that junction box out to a 4-gang and have 4 full-size switches.

You could also just "take your chances", but if you must do that, put the circuit on an AFCI breaker, as that has a better chance of catching the usual problem with old AL wiring: series arc faults that start fires.

Do not abide having neither AFCI nor CO-ALR devices.  Have at least AFCIs; they are nearly a silver bullet. But follow up and fit CO-ALR when able.  Or if practicable, swap cables to copper; that will help your resale value.


New water pressure regulator doesn't change water pressure

I found the problem: I had installed the regulator backwards. Leaving this post up in case any others decide not to read directions, or disregard common sense, and have the same problem. Look for the water flow arrows on the regulator.


How to assess whether tree roots are causing a problem

I had similar concerns with my home purchase in the U.S. about 7 years ago.  It was noted on my home inspection that A tree had been recently removed (long enough ago for grass to re-grow over the area but there was still a depression) from the front yard where the main lines go.

I had a plumber run a scope down the lines starting at a basement cleanout/drain and inspect the lines all the way to the street to determine if there is any current damage from roots (or anything else).  Cost me an extra $125 but most of that was simply the service call fee (compared to the estimated 10K repairs would have cost, I was happy to pay it).

Of course, this only checks for existing damage.  There is the slimmest of chances that a tree root could be just on the verge of busting through which would have been undetectable but in my case where the tree had already been removed that chance is diminished since tree roots eventually stop growing after the tree is removed.  In your case (with live trees), it would be a higher chance but still unlikely and there really isn't anything else you could do to prevent it that would be cost effective.


Should a post in a circular concrete form go through the bottom?

Concerete around a fence post is to help with lateral stability. It's not being used as a footer, since there isn't a whole lot of weight involved with a fence post.

As such, there's no need for concrete to be below the bottom of the post...in fact, you like don't want that, as you want any water that gets between the concrete and wood to have a place to drain.

What I'd suggest doing is to use gravel at the bottom...tamp it down with the post, set the post vertical, then add a bit more gravel and tamp down to 'set' the post. Then you can apply concrete around that, above the ground and then slope the top away from the post to help shed water.

Depending on your soil type, you may not even need concrete--you could actually just use gravel all the way to the top, tamping as you go.


How can I cut extremely heavy cast iron?

If cost is the only factor, a hacksaw is hands down the cheapest option. It's also the slowest.

An angle grinder would be next up. a 4.5" with a diamond blade should do the trick, but the diamond blade will cost more than the hacksaw.

Best bet? A circular or miter saw with a metal cutting blade.


Antique Cast Iron Sink Wall Mounting Support and Weight Issues?

I have removed several of these sinks in the past when remodeling turn of the century homes.

They were bolted directly to the studs with ¼” lag bolts that were ~2-1/2 – maybe 3” long. One had a bracket it slipped on to no screws through the back is this the type of bracket you have? that one had 4 nails into the studs.

There was no other support.
All of the houses had lath and plaster walls at least ½” thick maybe slightly thicker.
One of the sinks still had the ceramic buttons that covered the bolts I believe these are the hardest parts to find originals for.

One caution most of the drains the drains were made from lead pipe and had lead seals. You might want to upgrade the drain to get rid of the lead.

Many of those homes had oak 2X4's but I don't think there will be any problem with pull out with fir or pine studs.


What do I do about thinset that has oozed up between the tiles?

If your thinset is a couple days old or less then slight wet the thinset sticking out and go at it with a flat head screwdriver.  Usually scrapes out pretty easy the first few days.


GFCI outlet in cabinet above under-cabinet range hood

Is it code-compliant to install a GFCI receptacle inside a kitchen cabinet above the range hood?
Yes. It's commonplace for over-the-range microwave range hoods, and by extension would be acceptable for more conventional range hoods as well.

Does the outlet require any sort of special enclosure?
No. A standard electrical box and trim plate will do.

Can the appliance power cord just sit there, bare, at the back of the cabinet, plugged into the GFCI outlet?
Yes. The kit will often include a D-loop and screw for mounting the extra cord against the wall.