Needle valve connection to plastic tubing

Your assembly looks right. The tubing could be nicked, though, so when you try again snip off an inch from the end of the tubing so you'll have a fresh surface to work with. Also verify the mating face of the valve is clean and undamaged.

One common cause of leaks with poly tubing (at least it used to be for me) with the use of a brass ferrule is that the ferrule can get misaligned a little too much. It gets compressed a little out of round and won't seal. It's more prone to happening with poly tubing because poly is softer than copper tubing. The job definitely can be done with a brass ferrule; I'm only saying it can be a little challenging and don't feel badly that it has taken a few tries.

You could try the connection with a Delrin (aka acetal or "plastic") ferrule as illustrated in this answer. They're a bit easier to work with on poly tubing. These ferrules are generally available alongside the other fittings for tubing in a plumbing department.


Is a double 2x4 beam adequate for a 64" opening?

It depends what is above the doorway. A big header like that is somewhat unusual. Is there a beam or something heavy, like a bathtub, above the doorway on the next level?

In general, you can't eyeball something like this. You have to do a bunch of calculations to figure it out. If the new header is not rigid enough, what will happen is that it will bow over time and the ceiling plaster could crack.

Inspectors are not expert structural engineers, and even if they were, as I said, you can't just eyeball it. Without making specific calculations there is no way to tell how stable a structural member is. Usually plans get approved ahead of time, that is when the structural approval is given. The on-site inspection is just to verify that what is built is the same thing as what is on the plans.

So, to answer your question: it will get approved if it matches the renovation plan and the renovation plan was approved.

Usually when framing is altered a structural engineer signs off on the plans and the city simply assumes it is sound if a registered engineer signs it.


Check the sump where the pump is located.  It's likely getting a trickle of water from somewhere, filling very slowly until it trips the float switch and pumps the water out.  You may have a leaky stool, water seepage from under the floor, a dripping faucet, a de/humidifier, or condensing furnace draining into it.  Your next steps, if any, depend on where the water is coming from.


Well it seems completely straightforward:

tien li kou huo xien <--> xien xiu qi "L" t'ou
tien li kou leng xien <--> xien xiu qi "N" t'ou

tien tung ma t'a lan xien <--> xien xiu qi "N" t'ou
tien tung ma t'a huang xien <--> xien xiu qi "A" t'ou
tien tung ma t'a hei xien <--> xien xiu qi "B" t'ou

and of course

tien tung ma t'a qing xien <--> tien li kou ku chiang (qing) xien

I can't imagine why anyone would be confused by this.


IP Camera suddenly stopped transmitting outside of the network

Couple of issues here.

  I bought the camera for about £15

Most likely, this is your problem.  I spent a few minutes perusing the IP cameras on Amazon, and £15 is the bottom, bottom, bottom of the barrel.  This thing is simply too cheap to have any expectation of reliability.

The wisdom of scraping the bottom of the barrel is arguable. What's not arguable is that it's definitely not worth sinking your precious time into troubleshooting it.  The normal expectation is that when it breaks, you throw it out and buy another one.  Once you are sick of this merry go round, you buy a better one.

  The internal port is 192.168.0.42:80 I have forwarded this port to [external ip]:80

OK, so you exposed the camera to the public internet.  I'm really not sure why, the camera should be initiating contact with AngelCam, and that should work  just fine through a NAT/router; there's no reason or need for Angelcam to initiate contact with the camera so no reason for the camera to be publicly exposed.

Anyway, by leaving it publicly exposed, someone scanning IP addresses (note your public IP is IPv4, which makes it easy to scan) probably found your camera, threw the usual exploits at it, found a vulnerability, and either own your camera, or accidentally broke it by their cracking.  Because manufacturers of $15 cameras don't issue patches, even if you were faithful in patching.

(By the way, this is how small businesses go bankrupt.  Some silly thing like this is overlooked in their PCI-DSS self-inspect, it gets used as a gateway to hack a credit card machine, etc...)

In the future, don't forward public ports for security cameras.  Get cameras smart enough not to need that.


What size breaker and wire do I need for central air conditioning?

It's going to completely depend on the unit that's being installed, but commonly it'll be 30-60 amp with 10-4 AWG wire. You're probably looking at a 3.5 ton unit, so you'll be in the 30-40A (10-8 AWG) range. It might be worth it to get a few quotes from local HVAC companies, and see what they want to install. The companies may have a preferred breaker and wire size, so they may want to redo any work you do anyway.

Don't forget you'll also need high and low pressure tubing, and control wires between the indoor and the outdoor units.


What are the two pipes coming out of the back of my outside air conditioner?

A/C Refrigerant Line Set

Those are the refrigerant lines (what I would call Freon lines) that feed the condenser (the thing outside; half of a split system. The other half is the coil inside your furnace's plenum chamber).

The big one (cold) is the suction line. The small one is the liquid line (hot; no need for insulation). Both of these lines run all the way back to your coil.

Picture


As long as your sink is above the drain it will work. Looking at your photo I would shorten the drain line from the wall. Make you get everything sealed or it will leak but it will work because the drain is below the sink bottom.


How to drill a hole in plexiglass (acrylic sheet)?

You do not specify thickness, so I'll take a guess at 1/4" or thinner.

The problem with drilling plastic is that conventional bits will "catch" on the plastic, pulling the bit into the hole with more force than desired, typically cracking the plastic being drilled.

Using step-up method to drill the hole will not eliminate this problem.

Lacking the aforementioned hole saw, the spade bit is a better choice. I have Forstner bits but have not considered trying one on plexiglass. If you have a drill press and the increased control it offers, you may have good luck taking small bites with the forstner. The cutting edge of a forstner bit is more like the edge of a plane and may also dig in too quickly otherwise.

Drill bits designed for plastic have a much sharper angle. A set I recently purchased has an abrasive material on the cutting surface as well as a subdued cutting angle, effectively abrading the plastic and lifting it to the surface.

I overlooked your option of a step drill which is the best of the list. Each progressive cutting edge will not gouge into the plastic as much as any of the other available choices. Again, a drill press improves your chances of a good result.


Some things are shared between models

The N1 neutral terminal and pins 1 and 2 on J1 are probably used on a different model unit that shares that control board, but not used on this particular model.  This allows the manufacturer to save on costs by making one control board instead of two almost-identical ones.

As to that wacky part...

Since the manufacturer was unhelpful and failed to label the part you circled in blue, I can only guess at its nature -- it's most likely simply a connector between two motor wires.


How can I repair a leaking wall valve for future laundry sink?

Unscrew it & likely the short pipe it's attached to & put in a new short pipe with Teflon Tape wrapping both ends & screw-on a nice new Quarter-turn ball valve. You'll be solid for decades.


How can I prevent the mantel above a gas fireplace from getting hot?

Try putting a ceiling fan in the room to help circulate the air.


Do I need to add roof vents if I close off a small attic space in the garage?

You can do a hot roof and not require any ventilation, though I would not recommend it anywhere snow accumulates on shingle roofs. Even if i don't like it, it is allowable.

Whether you need additional ventilation depends on how much you are getting now and what is allowed by the governing building code for your area. According to the International Building Code for One and Two Family Dwellings, R806 Roof Ventilation, you need the equivalent of 1/300 of the area ventilated in free vent area. If the soffit vents do not provide this, you need to install additional ventilation or opt for the hot roof concept.

Also, the attic area needs to accessible by a min 22x30 inch opening. You must also install a class 1 or II vapor retarder on the warm side of the insulation or the ventilation requirements double.

The building code does not address moisture control within the garage space, it's only concerned with moisture in concealed spaces or general ventilation of habitable spaces. You may wish to address moisture in the garage itself with exhaust fans or operable openings. This is unrelated to attic ventillation requirements.


Outdoor Outlet Non-GFCI Downstream of GFCI

Yes, you can do that, using the LOAD side of the GFCI.

But not only can you do it, it is actually a very good idea. That is because GFCI includes sensitive electronics not in a regular receptacle. Keeping a GFCI clean and dry and temperature controlled will likely make it last much longer than it would outside.


Large 1" Gap between new flooring and trim. Help!

I would have either

removed the door trims, trim as necessary then refitted after,
cut the door trims in-situ so that the new floor would slide under.

Have used both methods in the past - often depends on how hard it would be to remove the old door trim (sometimes they are so old they split), but cutting in-situ can be difficult - have used just a blade held in a rag as one solution.


Tempered Glass in Window adjacent to Patio Door

As Ecnerwal noted, IRC code of 2018 required "glass within 24" of ANY doorway to have tempered glass if the glass within the 24" distance was LESS THAN 60" off the floor level".


Knob and tube wiring uses two separate copper conductors, each isolated by cotton cloth or soft rubber.  The conductors are strung tightly through the cavities of your walls and floors, and depend on being separated by air in order to avoid overheating.  When going through joists, the wires pass through porcelain tubes.  In the wall and floor cavities, they are attached intermittently by porcelain knobs.

Knob and tube wiring was commonly used in North America from the 1880s through the 1930s.


Replacing recessed lights with pendant lights

As long as you disconnect the wiring to them, nothing says that they can't just stay in the ceiling.  I'd try reaching through the hole with a flatbar to detach them from the framing, disconnect any wiring, and then just push them out of the way.


How can I make tiki torch holders from PVC pipe or equivalent?

PVC pipe especially schedule 40 would be super strong.  Attach them to the fence with some stainless steel hose clamps.(hardware dept)  PVC  is so easy to cut, any saw will do. If you go to Home Depot, they got saws you can use in the millwork dept.  Just cut up your lengths there.  Case closed!  lol


If you cant find the specific hose, find a hose with the same diameter and use a radiator clamp to tighten it down.  Lowe's or your local hardware store should have something close to what you're needing.  Just have them cut it to the desired length.  Just an option,  hope it helps.


How can I repair/replace tires on a hand cart?

Quick and dirty
You could try some Fix-a-Flat. If nothing else, it might show you where the leak is.
Finding the leak
Pump the tires up and apply some soapy water to them, or hold them underwater in a large bucket.  This will help you locate the leak(s).
Plugging the hole

If the leak is in the tread, you could try a tire repair kit like this

If the leak is in the sidewall, you'll have to replace the tire.

If the leak is near the rim (and the rim is not bent), remounting the tire might fix the problem.


How can I cover water stains on this wall

What you need is a good oil based primer like Kilz.

Put about 2 coats to cover the stains completely.  After this has dried completely you can touch up with latex based paint and this should prevent any further stains from seeping through.

Regular latex based primers are not going to do a good job of hiding previous water damage.  It may cover for a few weeks but eventually the stain will come back.

NOTE: Just make sure that you have addressed the source of the water first.  This shouldn't be used to sweep a problem under the carpet.  If the water damage continues then this will not help you.


Basement It's not wet just spots on concrete

Basically what appears to be happening is that ground water is saturating the concrete, which is acting like a sponge. The concrete will continue to absorb the ground water until that situation is remediated.

Some solutions to this include digging down to the footing of your foundation completely around your entire house, and installing a french drain to direct the water away from your foundation. The foundation walls should also be waterproofed from the outside. This is typically done by using attaching a combination of tar, plastic sheets, and drain tile to the exterior foundation walls that are below grade.

You may need to cut into the basement slab, and run drains under the slab and into a sump pit if the source of the water is coming from below the house. If the walls of the foundation on the inside are bone dry, but the slab is soaking wet, then you pretty much know that it is coming from below.

Obviously, both of those solutions are expensive, and are typically above and beyond a DIY project, unless you have construction experience, and you know exactly what you are doing.

One thing you can do to partially remediate this problem on a budget would be to seal the surface of the concrete so water cannot weep into your living space.

Epoxy floor paint may be an option as long as the slab can be dried out. The floor needs to be nearly bone dry before you can apply the paint. If it is too damp, the paint will not bond properly to the concrete, and it will cause the paint to blister, and peel. I had a similar problem in my basement, about 4 years ago, and the epoxy paint solved the problem. So far it has held up pretty good. I will need to touch it up in spots from normal wear and tear, but it has not peeled at all.

You can try drying out the floor by using a combination of a blower fan, and dehumidifiers. You can also try laying down a thin layer of clay based kitty litter (unscented is preferable) to soak up excess moisture. If you can keep the floor dry for at least a day, then you have a good chance that the epoxy will take. If the floor never dries out, then you can wait and try again when conditions are favorable. The best time to do this is during colder/dryer months where the relative humidity is at its lowest.

When you apply the paint, make sure you read and follow the instructions exactly. You would typically apply a degreaser/etching solution first, followed by a concrete primer and bonding agent, and the finally the epoxy paint itself. If all goes well, then your basement shouldn't have any more water seepage issues.


How can I install a switch to power a bathroom TV off safely and discreetly?

You could go the route of having no switches in the bathroom, and only a plug and switch upstairs Loft.

Step 1: Get a standby plug adapter, which will shut off power to the TV when its in standby mode. this will reduce electrical risk, fire and save power. - the unit has an infra-red reset switch, so when it senses your remote IR beam, it will energise the TV up again.

That way, all you need to do, is turn the TV off when you are done. and don't think about it anymore.

Step 2:
You can actually look at the new Samsung Smart TV's with motion sensor on/off switches.  all you need to do is wave your hand near the Samsung logo and the TV Will switch on/off...


Cutting small tiles accurately and safely

Not to discount the need for safety, but tile blades are relatively low-risk. I'd use heavy, well-fitting leather gloves to virtually eliminate the chance of injury.

Grasp the tile with both hands, elbows spread. By keeping your arms to the sides you prevent slips that would result in your fingers finding the blade. Press the tile firmly to the table or slide and move slowly past the blade. It's imperative that a firm grip is maintained and that the tile's orientation remains steady.

You could also clamp the tile, using a rubber pad, and cut with an angle grinder and diamond wheel.


How to straighten a twisted 2x6 deck board

Very little pressure treated lumber is straight, most of it is twisted, crooked, cupped, bowed, etc.  If you have just one bad board you got much better wood than most.
Just start at one end and try to straighten it in the process of fastening it down.  If you're using screws, it's pretty easy - the screws will pull the deck board into the joist.
Nails will too, but it's harder nailing when the board won't lay flat.  If you nail down the side that's in contact with the joist first, then use a clamp from the bottom of the joist to the top edge of the decking, that will pull it down so you can nail it easily without it bouncing all over.
If it's so bad you can't make it work, scrap it or maybe try to return it.


Maximum length for bathroom extractor/exhaust fan vent

In rooms with no shower or bath, 25' should be no problem.  Just run the smooth wall pipe and go with 4" diameter.

For the rooms with showers and baths it should not be a problem if you can get it go vertical into the attic, then slope down towards the exit.  Even at 25' it should not be a problem.  You could even possibly use ABS pipe for the sloped run because moisture will condense in the pipe and create water.  This water, however, should drain and evaporate and not cause a problem.


How many heating watts can I draw from a pair of tied 15A breakers?

Resistive heating loads are required to be calculated as continuous loads so the circuit can only be loaded to 80% of its rating.

Therefore a 15 amp circuit at 120 volts is good for 12 amps which yields 1440 watts of power. More likely the heaters are 240 volts which yields 2880 watts per circuit for a totoal of 5760 watts for both circuits. (240 volt circuits will require a 2 pole breaker for each circuit occupying 2 spaces in your panel for each one.)

However, you would have to put two on one circuit and one on the other so you have to make sure the circuit with two heaters does not exceed 2880 watts at 240 volts and then put the largest one on a circuit by itself.

Here is part of the pertinant article from the 2017 National Electrical Code:

  424.3 Branch Circuits.

  (A) Branch-Circuit Requirements. Individual branch circuits shall be permitted to supply any volt-ampere or wattage rating of fixed electric space-heating equipment for which they are rated.
  Branch circuits supplying two or more outlets for fixed electric space-heating equipment shall be rated not over 30 amperes. In other than a dwelling unit,  fixed infrared heating equipment shall be permitted to be supplied from branch circuits rated not over 50 amperes.

  (B) Branch-Circuit Sizing. Fixed electric space-heating equipment and motors shall be considered continuous load.

Good luck with your project!


Can't get wifi thermostat to work with gas boiler

You'll need a relay here

Your boiler, in addition to using nonstandard wire nomenclature, does not provide 24VAC power directly to the thermostat.  Instead, power to the thermostat circuit is supplied through the parallel combination of a control relay contact and the NC contact on the combustion pressure switch.  This means that when the thermostat stops calling for heat, 24VAC power to the 'stat is cut off until the pressure switch opens again.  This is fine for a mechanical thermostat like your current one, but a smart thermostat like the Sensi will get its brain turned to mush every time the boiler kills its power supply.

As a result of this infelicity of the HE Series III's control wiring scheme, you will need to fit a HVAC relay (often sold as a "fan relay" -- these will have a 24VAC coil and at least one NO contact on them) to your system to isolate the thermostat from the boiler's thermostat circuit.  The relay needs to be mounted in a suitable place in the boiler's wiring compartment, and is wired as follows, although you may need to crimp 1/4" female quick-connect/tab terminals onto the wires going to the relay to make the connections to it, depending on the relay you get of course:

One relay coil terminal to the white wire from the thermostat cable
The other relay coil terminal connected to a jumper nutted with the black wire from the thermostat cable and another jumper that goes off to the C terminal on your boiler
One relay contact terminal (the COM terminal) jumpered to the Y terminal on your boiler
The other relay contact terminal (the NO terminal) jumpered to the G terminal on your boiler
And the red wire from the thermostat cable connected through to the R terminal on your boiler

Once this is done, you can then wire the Sensi as follows:

White thermostat wire goes to W (to drive the relay coil with 24VAC on a call for heat)
Red thermostat wire goes to R (to power the thermostat, using the boiler's transformer)
Black thermostat wire goes to C (to provide the 24VAC return for thermostat power)

This way, the Sensi will operate the new relay on a call for heat, closing the thermostat circuit as a result, while having constant 24VAC power available to it, so it doesn't lose its brain every time it stops calling for heat.


Bathroom remodel & Calif Title 24 requirements

Your problem: not enough usable wires

The prior installer couldn't get /4 cables, so they bodged together two /2 cables to get the wires they needed going up to the switch.  Thing is, that's no good under a strict interpretation of NEC 300.3(B) and 310.10(H), as AC current creates a magnetic field inside any loop of wire.  If all the wires carrying a given circuit's power out and back are in one cable or conduit, that magnetic field is safely confined in that cable or conduit and thus is harmless.

However, if you take power up in one cable and back down through a different cable, now you have a magnetic field between the two cables.  Any ferrous metal, such as a nail, staple, or piece of box wall, that separates the two cables will get eddy currents induced in it by said magnetic field, and these eddy currents will be dissipated in the metal part as heat.  (Induction cooking relies on the same effect, just at a higher frequency.)   As a result, it is only by way of luck that your prior setup, with 3 hots and 1 neutral split across two /2 presumably-NM cables, didn't set something a-smoldering.

So, given that we have 3 loads and two usable hot/neutral pairs on our hands here, we're left with a choice of which two loads to pair together. One could pair a lighting load with the fan, but that limits your ability to control the lighting in the future, as now that light can't be dimmed at all, nor can the fan be put on a humidistat.  The other option would be to put the lights all together and have the fan by itself, which is what we're going to do here as it gives us more flexibility with controls and also allows more sophisticated fans with built-in sensors to be used.

First, we rework things in the switch box.  The pilot-light is removed, and the white pigtail that connected to the pilot-light is connected to the white wire that formerly connected to the switches with a wirenut after it's been trimmed down to remove the inter-switch part.  This gives us two switched-hots with their own separate neutrals going onward, one for the lights and the other for the fan.  We'll also need to tag which cable had the original neutral in it so that we know which cable is which going up to the fan/light.

We then unwire the ceiling light/fan/heater mess, tagging the cable with the original neutral, as well as the cable going onward to the vanity light, for future reference.  We'll be putting this back together when the new fan/light goes in.

As to controlling this all

The key to our controls is an Enerlites (sometimes rebranded as Topgreener) DWHOS.  This device is a combination humidity and PIR occupancy sensor, designed for bathroom exhaust fan and light control.  In your case, the black and blue wires get connected to the incoming hot in the switch box, while the brown wire (fan hot) goes to the untagged cable's hot wire and the blue wire (light hot) goes to the tagged cable's hot wire.  The sensor's white wire goes into the neutral bundle, while the sensor's green wire is capped off since there are no grounds in the box and this does not appear to be a conduit or BX job.

If you want more finesse than simple ON/OFF control of all the lighting together, that's where things get tricky, as most residential "smart switch" gear doesn't play nicely with occupancy sensing, and there are no dual-relay sensor dimmers either.  One can pull dimming off using a 3-wire fluorescent slide-to-off dimmer such as a Lutron Nova T NTF-10 by powering the dimmer via its switched-hot, capping off the normal line wires, and putting the lights on the dimmed hot, but that's not exactly the intended use of such a dimmer, and it's also not cheap.

(Even if you left the bodge-job wiring between the boxes alone, you'd still be in a bit of a pickle.  One could theoretically use a SensorSwitch SweepSwitch SSPL to derive a vacancy zone for the vanity lights from the occupancy-sensed ambient lighting zone, but I'm not sure what'd happen if you switched the line-hot going into a tapswitch-type dimmer like a Lutron Maestro, and you wouldn't want to use a conventionally switched dimmer due to issues with the switch state not reflecting the state of the light.)

Now, to the fan...

The good news with what I'm proposing is it keeps all the brainpower in the wallbox, which means that you can use a plain old "dumb" fan/light fixture instead of needing to get some fancy humidity-sensing bath fan.  You'll just need to make sure that the fan and light have separate neutrals so that all the current returns down the correct path.

When wiring your fan up, the two hots from the tagged cables get wired to each other and to the fan's light-hot wires, while the tagged cables' neutrals are treated similarly.  The hot and neutral in the non-tagged cable get connected to the fan's fan-hot and fan-neutral, and any earth wires the fan provides are simply capped off.  Note that if the fan sits over the shower/bathtub, it'll need a deadfront GFCI at the switch box for protection; this is possible, but tricky, since the DWHOS does not document which hot it derives its own power from.  (It also means you won't have room for anything more sophisticated with regards to lighting controls.)


Shower Water Handle central plastic core is stripped out - how to replace?

The first thing I would try is getting a screw that's a little bigger and see if you can screw it in tight. If that piece was metal, I'd say tap a new thread but if it's plastic as you think it is, a self threading screw might do the trick.
If not, you'll have to replace the cartridge. That little central part can't be replaced, It's part of the cartridge. That outer sleeve should be removed, pull it straight out or turn it counterclockwise. Then use an adjustable wrench or a pair of Channelocs to remove the retaining ring for the cartridge and then remove the cartridge. The water to the shower has to be turned off to do this. If the shower doesn't have a shutoff behind the chrome cover, then the water to the house has to be turned off.


Can my house support a bathroom addition?

It should be fine as-is, after-all a bath full of water weighs about as much as a waterbed, and there are no special requirements for framing under bathrooms. (unless you want to lower the floor)


How to remove rusted remains of kitchen sink tailpiece?

I think I would just be inclined to replace both the tail piece and the PVC pipe (and trap if necessary).  You might be able to get it out without damaging the pipe but more then likely you will at minimum, rough up the surface inside which might just attract gunk to stick to it over time. It's probably easier than trying to remove it too.  This should not be an expensive repair.

As far as what to replace it with, you need to measure the diameter of the existing piece and the distance between the trap and the sink. Make sure to account for the overlap needed for the fittings - better to have it a bit too long and cut it down.


Depending on your setup you may find it more convenient to do as Ed Beal suggests but instead of installing a pilot light put in a 3-way switch with pilot light. This way when you find out the basement light is on you don't have to walk downstairs to turn it off.

Remember that you will need enough conductors in the cable for the hot, neutral, travelers, and ground. And that you will have to swap out the switch downstairs for a three-way (no pilot).


Underground downspout pipe may be leaking

It's not clear what you are telling us.  If the PVC is French Drain type, built with holes, then it's intended to allow water to flow in/out. If it is simply broken, then of course you should replace the broken length so it functions as designed.

To determine whether it is the source of the leak, do what plumbers do: dump water with some dye mixed in down the pipe and see if the colored water shows up in the basement.  If not, it's more likely what you have is a high water table and a microcrack in the basement floor (which may be patchable with hydraulic cement).

And finally, I dunno where you live but the towns I've been in generally ban any on-property drain from feeding a storm drain. YOu might want to check out the local codes.


How to add a drain pipe to a concrete block wall covered in insulation?

They make shelf brackets that have a U shaped hook on the end away from the wall.  I've seen them in a variety of sizes, down to about 6" (don't know about 4").  That would be pretty easy, just space some of those out at the height you want, then lay the pipe in the "trough" created by the hooks.

I guess they're called shelf and rod brackets.  Here's a link, though it's probably too big for what you want.

This one looks perfect for what you want, but I don't see how to buy it..

Do a google search and a google image search for "rod bracket" "shelf and rod bracket" you'll see ones made for closets, but also others for curtain rods, which tend to project less from the wall.  I did a search for '6" rod bracket' and saw many potentials, at a range of price points.


Can I use a single 20A circuit for two bathrooms?

Ed Beal's post covers a major point... here's a little backgrounder on that. A 20A breaker @ 120V will supply 2400 watts nominal.  "Sounds like plenty, what could 2 bathrooms possibly use?"
Well, one hair dryer is between 1500 and 1800 watts.
So while it's perfectly legal for any number of bathrooms to share 1 electrical circuit (one McMansion was built with 5 bathrooms on 1 circuit)... it's a bad idea from a usability standpoint.
So really, decide.  What is the purpose of doing electrical wiring?  To serve yourselves.  If you're trying to barely comply with Code to get inspector sign-off so you can flip the house, then 5 bathrooms on 1 circuit makes sense.   However if you're gonna live there, then the first rule of electricity is: "It's there to serve me, and do my bidding".  So install the electrical service that you want.

Now, as far as that full panel, first, if you're full it's surely less than 40 spaces.  If  so, it surely allows at least enough tandem/double-stuff breakers to make it to 40... so that's an option.  Also, in the LED age, lighting circuits don't need the ampacity they once did - if you have several lighting circuits, you may be able to consolidate them onto one breaker.
Also, bathroom hardwired loads can be on any 120V circuit of any kind (except the dedicated circuits to kitchen, laundry, garage or bathroom receptacles, or furnace. And they are allowed on the bathroom recep circuit if that serves only this same bathroom).  So it may be possible to recover spaces by diffusing those loads onto other nearby circuits.
Lastly, you can do what you really, really ought to do... and that's fit a big subpanel today so that you are ready later when you want to add other circuits.  You don't want to let opportunity after opportunity pass you buy - hot tub (can't) heat pump (no spare spaces) floor heat, electric vehicle, 240V welder at a great price, have to turn 'em all down.  Again back to "Electricity serves us".


How to remove yellow blotch from MINWAX Stainable Wood Filler on pine wood

I used an electrical sander and the blotches were sanded away. Hand sanding was not hard enough to remove the stain (or fast enough to show a result).


What's the proper way to fill this hole?

Acquire a rotatory impact hammer drill so that you can pocket rebar into the existing concrete. Buy 'high-strength' expensive concrete. If you called a truck for onsite mixing (an unnecessary expense), tell the driver, 7 bag mix.

An alternative to rebar, for such a small patch, is to use long masonry screws, left standing proud to provide an anchor. E.g., use 3" screws, embedded a mere inch, using at least two per side (quarter inch diameter fasteners, minimum).

Knock down any sharp edges or small 'lips' in the hole, as it will crack along them later if you don't. I'd square off that part where it slopes down into the hole; it's not going to be thick enough there if you don't. Remove all unsound or lose concrete.

Before you pour, settle the substrate by soaking it with a garden hose. While you spray it, hit the sides of the old concrete to clean them of dust and debris. I like to slightly undermine what's there, so that it all locks in like a tetris piece. Wait until all standing water has dispersed.

There's what looks like a drain inside.

Insure the drain is 'properly' capped (plug it with empty concrete bags, leaving a little room for concrete and encapsulate the whole thing with your pour), this could be the root of the problem, or it's at least the reason a patch was slapped at it, in the first place. Do a better job anchoring it this time and you should be fine, even if the drain still weeps a bit.


Does my utility room need fresh air? If so, possible solutions?

In the remodels I have done with open combustion inside a house we were required to have the 2 vents  I normally put 1 in the wall close to the ceiling and one in the wall at the floor with each being ~1 sq ft vented to the attic on single story.
 This is for fresh air not exhaust and I was told having the 2 zones helps to mix the air in the room and the exhaust goes out the vent on the water heater. I thought it sounded excessive but was easy to bring the vent’s in a non load bearing stud chase both were on the same one and by cutting out most of the walls top plate between these 2 studs on a non load bearing wall provided enough to pass inspection. This passed inspection the handful of times I did it, one being on my own home when I converted it to gas.  On 1 home I was required to install duct work in the stud bay and connect the vents , the vents must be fixed no dampers. The home that I was required to use ducting was a multi family dwelling and the wall I was using was common but not load bearing, the duct is easy to install remove the Sheetrock down 1 stud bay and purchase square duct put it in the bay replace the Sheetrock install the vents and it ends up looking like part of the heating system. If you can just use the stud bay cut the holes for the vent registers cut through the top plate I used a reciprocating saw so those were easy.


How to snake a bathtub with no overflow drain?

Your tub has an overflow drain.  You just have to find it. Remove the two screws next to the combination drain toggle & overflow plate.  Now gently pull up to reveal the overflow hole and the drain plug:

Get out your snake (you've got a snake, right?) and thread it down the newly revealed hole.  Also remove the single screw holding the drain screen. Use some sort of semi-flexible plastic rod to clean out the horizontal section of the drain (a suitable tool comes with some bottles of drain cleaner, else you can improvise).

Don't bother with drain cleaner -- it is not right for your situation.


In this case, it doesn't look like you need the vent loop at all, and the 6" height requirement is well-covered by the vent stack going clear up to the roof.

If you want to put that loop in, it definitely isn't going to hurt anything. It just doesn't look like you need it.

You could branch off the vent stack above the junction and use a flatter slope to get the pipe over to the point where you take it vertical. The slope you show is steeper than you strictly need it to be.

The important thing with a plumbing vent is that there is an air break downstream from the p-trap to prevent water pressure from siphoning the trap dry, and to prevent sewer gases under pressure from bubbling up through the water in the trap into your living area.

You can just put an up-turned wye coupling in the existing vent stack just above the existing connections, run it through the same path you show in your diagram, and tie back in with a 90° elbow (or a couple of 45° elbows), and cap off that 2" pipe in the wall straight above the connections to the big drain pipe.

Vent loops are for situations like kitchen islands, where there is no air break vent path without using a little ingenuity to create one


best type of bulb in glass ceiling fixture

LEDs are completely the win.  That is the way to go.  They last 30 years (probably longer, realistically, no one knows). You can get them in any color temperature or CRI you want, you don't need to get harsh LED if you don't want to.

CFL is dead.   It was only ever a "gap technology" to temporarily gain efficiency until LED manufacturing was able to catch up.

Incandescents will be around for a long time, in improved forms such as halogen.  They aren't that efficient, they get hot, and they burn out.  Only use them if you have an engineering requirement for incandescents specifically (such as a doghouse warmer, or oven light).


Self Priming Aura paint vs Priming Then Painting

We were in the same situation as you last year. Benjamin Moore recommended that we use a sealing latex primer first on the new drywall and then use the Aura pain. It worked out really nicely for our walls.

As an aside, primer is a fraction of the cost of Aura paint. So if you have to do do 1 coat primer + 2 coats Aura versus 3 coats of Aura, the primer + Aura will be cheaper.


How best to repair a cavity in the base of a retaining wall

Wow...there’s a lot of issues: 1) height, 2) non-reinforced wall, 3) load bearing, 4) moisture

1) This is a tall wall at 10’ or so. That means if it is a true retaining wall, it has a lot of stress on it if it’s load bearing, moisture bleeding through the wall, etc.

2) This is a “gravity retaining wall”. That is to say it’s a non-reinforced wall. Non-reinforced walls that high generally need to be quite thick (heavy) at the bottom...like 3’ - 4’ thick...or the interior of the wall is poured in place concrete with reinforcement.

3) If the wall is load bearing, it complicates the repair, because it needs to be sturdy and permanent and may need to transfer seismic loads or high wind resistance.

4) If there is substantial water coming through the wall, the wall needs to be strong enough to resist the water pressure or be designed to divert the water or let the water pass through the wall and then be diverted.

If water is allowed to pass through the wall, it must be controlled so it doesn’t undermine the footings and/or stay in the crawl space.

So, before You start, I’d verify that it’s a non-reinforced wall so the repair does not need to be reinforced, verify if moisture should be allowed to pass through wall so it can be controlled, etc. If those things apply, I’d clean all surfaces to receive mortar, use exterior grade mortar...probably a Type M mortar, then carefully layout the pieces so the can fit (or be cut to fit) the opening. Do not leave voids in the opening. Completely fill the void with slate material or mortar.


Neutral / Hot wire installation confirmation

The fixture is supposed to be wired so that the hot from the house goes to a particular point on the fixture. In the case of screw base the central contact is supposed to be hot and the thread contacts neutral.

The lamp cord has one side marked (ribbed in your case) to distinguish the two conductors. See Which side of a two-wire cable should be used for "hot"?


What could be causing lights to be flickering and multiple breakers tripping and won't reset?

Personally, I'd flip the master breaker and shut everything down until you know what is going on.

Something is seriously wrong with your wiring system, possibly the breaker panel itself has developed a really bad internal fault with how the breakers attach to the bus bars.

We just lost a house across the street due to a wiring fire as of 30 minutes ago.


Why would a polarized plug not fit into a polarized extension cord?

Since the question is "why" I'll try to answer that at the risk of many irate downvotes .. because one, or the other, or both, is not quite to spec!   I guess that's obvious.
This question reminds me of the vast difference in design and engineering between American and British plugs and sockets.   Two ends of the spectrum.  The British ones with their longer ground pin, little plastic doors on the sockets (live terminals blocked until ground pin inserted), individual switches, individual fuses, finger knurls, 90 degree exits (it's impossible to yank one out by pulling the cord), and physical strength that easily holds even the largest PSU snug to the wall.  There is more design and engineering in them than in some cars.   And the American ones .... your question says it all.   Crappy ill-fitting plugs dangling loosely from walls with people taking dremels to them just to get them to fit.
So much for "why".    I've frequently filed down an oversized neutral spade on a power plug to get it to fit in a socket.  Use a hand file and be very very subtle.  As soon as it fits, stop.  Then try to insert it backwards ... if it fits, you've gone too far. Cut it off and install a better plug.


kitchen tiled backsplash before the faucet?

The order of installing something like a kitchen backsplash and the kitchen sink faucet would really depend upon a number of factors and preferences.

Working clearance. If the faucet location is very near to the backsplash it could be difficult to install the tiles with the faucet in place.
Installing tiles has use of mortar, grout and possibly tile adhesive. It would often be desirable to keep gritty and sticky materials like that, and related cleanup, away from shiny sinks and faucets so installation before either of those would be advisable.
In remodel jobs, especially DIY, it can be necessary to get the basic operation of a kitchen back in order before some parts of the construction and finish work is completed. In this case it may be a preference to have a working sink before a backsplash.
Contractor availability. If having work done using contractors it can sometimes be problematic to line up the contractor work schedules to get tile work and plumbing work done in the ideal order in time. So you make compromises to get the work done in the most acceptable span of time.

Point number 4) above reminds me of the numerous times I've seen street work done where all the nice new curbing is all installed and the concrete nicely cured. Then you see another contractor out there cutting a slot though the curb to install the likes of cable drops to the houses, water or sewer line installation or underground mains AC power line feed installation.


Is there such a thing as a smaller vent cap than the 4"

How about using an off-set vent cap like this: Sears.com offset vent

Or extend and vent to the side: Whirlpool 5-in x 4-in Galvanized Steel Round Duct Elbow


How can I adjust the water level in a Grohe inner wall toilet?

The geometry of the toilet bowl itself determines the water level, so it’s not adjustable. Try adding water with a bucket and you will see the surface area return to where it was designed to be. The flush action is designed to get as much force out of the six liters of water as possible, so there will be turbulence. I recommend closing the lid before flushing. With European toilets, it seems to be a matter of us adapting to them.


What if the furnace doesn't have a C wire connection

Based on the schematic, the B terminal should be able to be used as a C.  Simply extend a wire from B, and connect the C terminal of the thermostat to it. It should look something like this...

Though since you said you don't have A/C hooked up, you won't have the Y wire connected.


How to attach horizontal wood fence posts at an 15 degree angle to a 4x4 post?

So, if I understand correctly, you have a 75 degree or 105 degree corner.

I wouldn't butt an angle cut fenceboard into the post, as the amount of fenceboard that holds a screw is pretty modest. This would be prone to failure.

You could pad your post with a small strip of wood so that your fence boards hit the corner of the post and then are supported on the strip. (The fenceboards would overlap the post.)

(Edited out part about cutting the post, as there's a high probability that the post is PT.)

If it was a 75 degree angle and you felt lazy, you could just overlap the fenceboard and put screws in where the fenceboard hits the corner of the post. I wouldn't do this if you had a 105 degree angle for the aforementioned problem of putting screws through the ends of fenceboards.

Plan your butt joints to overlap nicely and you won't have to worry about putting fancy 15 degree angles on the ends.


Framing around depressed area of floor: a good plan?

the 3/16 x 1/2 overlap tab is a little thin in oak, but it will probably be fine given the other structure you propose.

i will offer this though: you are mental!!!

it seems like your plan is well thought out, but wouldn't it be much easier to just make a hole in the ceiling?  then its just plaster and paint?  if you ever decide to not have the clock or you move out, its far easier to patch a ceiling than a floor.

if it was me, i would just cut the clock.  to remove 8" or so out of a grandfather clock may be impossible (style of cabinet, length of pendulum, etc).  however, many times, the casework of the clock is just a hollow carcass with what is essentially a baseboard and legs bolted to the bottom.  if you can do what you propose, surely you can build a modified bottom for the clock?

or sell the clock and buy a shorter one???

however, its your clock and house and i am sure you have your reasons.


How do I connect two pieces of flexible dryer hose

Do consider replacing any accessible hose with smooth-wall (rigid or semi-rigid) ducting, but in a pinch you can just use a short section of rigid duct and a pair of hose clamps.


question about supplying gas via multiple lines to a water heater

The first thing to ask yourself is this: do you want this solution to work, or do you want the job "done right?" The builder doesn't have to tear out the 1/2" line -- it could be abandoned in place. He would have to install a new section of properly-sized tubing, though. Consider whether you're willing to deal the logistics of that. It'll require cutting access holes through the drywall probably at the top and bottom of a wall in each level of the house and possibly some ceiling holes too. After the new tubing is installed all those openings will have to be repaired and the finishes blended. The contractor may begrudge being forced to do the work and, depending on his integrity, may not willingly give it his best.

The parallel pipes solution definitely feels weird even if it is functional. If you have doubts about this fix you can call in your local building official. If he rejects the work then that's that -- it'll have to be fixed or they'll revoke the occupancy permit for the house. Clearly that puts strong leverage on the builder to make the repair. You could also check with the technical service department of the manufacturer of the gas tubing.

There is a way to make the 1/2" tubing work: increase the gas pressure. You didn't mention which type of gas you're using nor in which country you're located, but I'll presume natural gas and USA. Natural gas appliances are generally designed for 1/4 PSI inlet pressure and gas utilities normally install a 1/4 PSI regulator at their meter. However, the gas utility could install a higher-pressure regulator - likely 2 PSI. Your builder could then install 1/4 PSI regulators inside the house. There could be one at each appliance or appliance group, for example. Be aware that the gas utility may charge a higher monthly "base charge" on your bill. In my area it costs about US$5/month more to have a 2 PSI service instead of a 1/4 PSI service.


How do I add 2 AFCI circuits to my panel?

I think I just found a good solution!
from: https://www.diychatroom.com/threads/laundry-room-question-ontario-canada.684289/
Someone made the comment:
"My preferred method is come out of a panel KO with a short run of non-flex metallic conduit to a generous 2-gang box (e.g. 120mm if you have them in CA), fit your AFCI-GFCI there"
Genius! I can use regular 15A breakers instead of the non-existent AFCI breakers. Replace the two 20A ones not being used. Use "Blank Face AFCI" devices to add AFCI before heading to basement.  No more need for sub-panel!


Terra-Cotta floor tiles are made with Adobe clay that is than heated to increase it's strength. It is a popular choice for a floor covering because of it's durability. But if not sealed properly can develop stains (mold, dirt, etc.) which are difficult to remove because of it's porosity. An analogy would be it's comparable to a dried sponge (but harder). Once the seal is worn away it will absorb any liquid on its surface. Power washing is one way to clean the tile, but the spray pattern must be very wide to avoid eroding the tile. And it must be kept moving for the same reason. If mold, fungus or algae are the problem first make a bleach solution in a five gallon bucket (1 cup bleach and 4 gallons water). Mop the solution liberally onto the floor and scrub vigorously into the problem areas. Wait a few minutes and either power wash the surface or apply clean water and mop up as much as possible. A floor scrubber works well to, but not with an aggressive brush. The tiles must dry completely. The drying time can be sped up with fans and/or heaters. And depending on your climate should dry in 2 (+/-) days. With a paint roller and brush apply an exterior Terra-Cotta floor sealer according to the manufacturer's directions'. It should be ready for foot traffic between 12 - 24 hrs.


Are there drawbacks to using solar panels as a roof without asphalt shingles underneath?

You need a WRB on that roof somewhere
One thing all roofs need is some way to shed water.  Asphalt shingle roofs use the shingles themselves as the primary water-resistive barrier (WRB), often backed up by a secondary barrier (roofing felt).  Other roof technologies, such as metal roofs, have their WRB underneath the roof cladding instead.  However, this depends on the roof cladding being a full-coverage sort of thing, which isn't true for solar panels as panels need air circulation for cooling and wiring space behind them for connections and equipment.
You can get solar roof products that serve as a roof cladding, but they still require a WRB underneath them, and such building-integrated photovoltaic systems require more care in wiring as well due to issues with the potential for wiring damage from roof incidents.  They're also harder to replace than a conventional panel if they do get damaged, say by hail, and pose challenges under the current NEC rapid shutdown rules.


garbage disposal unit sinktop flange is being very stubborn and won't come away

I had good luck removing a stubborn strainer once with a propane torch, heating the flange portion that sticks below the sink, then tapping at it occasionally with a hammer.

If you use a mapp gas torch, be aware that sucker will heat up fast. Try to stick to propane if you don't use mapp torches much.

Also, keep a close eye on things. You may not be fighting plumbers putty at all. Might be silicone in there from a past repair, or diy install.


I'm just thinking out loud here.  It is hard to state anything with certainty in a situation like this where there is no guarantee of what somebody else did with the wiring a long time ago...so forgive me if this suggestion isn't even worth what you paid for it.  ;)

From what you have said here, it sounds to me like that red wire makes its way back to the lights, and acts as the "hot" for the lights.  Who knows where the lights are getting their neutral side connection.  Doesn't really matter.  Obviously it is getting there somehow.

So to make the lights light, your existing switch is getting "hot" from one of the two black wires, and is supplying that to the red wire.

So think of your red wire as the "hot out", and ONE OF the two black wires is your "hot in".

So you need to use a meter to see which one of the two black wires is your "hot in", and treat it that way and cap off the other black.  Then use your red wire as the "hot out".

Again, this is just me thinking out loud about what I would try.  I take no responsibility for any bad stuff that might result from it.  All possible disclaimers apply.  ;)


Double-stick magnets for wall / ceiling mount

If I understand your objective clearly, you wish to attach a magnet to one surface using adhesive tape. You wish to attach a magnet to another surface using adhesive tape. You wish to have the magnets attract to secure those two surfaces.

I have used double-sided foam tape, cut to the shape of a rare-earth magnet, attached after cleaning the magnet surface with alcohol. The same double-sided foam tape and magnet assembly was then attached to, for example, a television remote control.

It is important to match poles when you create these pairs. In my example, the solo magnet was stuck to the headboard of a bed, to enable a consistent location for the remote control.

In your description you prefer to have non-permanent attachment. This can be accomplished with a specific product or its equivalent. The specific product is known as 3M Command adhesive. It is also double-sided adhesive, with a tab extending from the assembly. One can purchase these strips in refill form. When you wish to remove them, the item is held securely, while pulling the release tab. Doing so deforms the foam and the adhesive, releasing the bond from the wall or surface.

The double-sided adhesive I use is weatherproof, but can be removed by carefully slicing it with a sharp implement such as a razor blade or sharp knife and the residue removed with common adhesive removal liquid.

With respect to the magnets, select your favorite vendor (eBay, Amazon, etc) and use "rare earth magnet" or "neodymium magnet" and look through the options. Flat, bar, sphere, disc shapes abound of various thicknesses and dimensions.


Installing a dedicated hot water recirc line and pump

Run a single 1/2" line back from the end of each hot water branch until it gets back to the middle.

Join the two 1/2" lines to a single 3/4" line back to your cold water input to the water heater.

Install a circulating pump with a built in check valve in the line to prevent reverse flow.

Put the pump on a timer, motion detector or both to suit your families needs.

Never have to wait for hot water again.


How can I test whether my furnace issue is the limit switch or the thermostat?

If the high limit switch was bad, the furnace should not fire. When the high limit switch trips, the flame/heating element will be shut off and the blower will continue to run to clear the heat. The blower will continue to run until either the system is reset, or the limit switch closes.

I believe high limit switches are normally closed, and they should always fail open. Which means when they go bad, or the temperature gets too high they open the circuit. To test a limit switch, you'll want to check continuity to determine what state the switch is in.

If there is a serviceman switch, turn it off. If not, shut the power off at the breaker panel.
Open the access panel and locate the high limit switch. It should be somewhere on the hot box.
Disconnect the wires from the switch (don't forget which goes where).
Using a multimeter, test for continuity between the leads on the switch.

There is an easier test to check limit switches, but it should only be performed by HVAC techs. So I will not discuss it here.

If the circuit is open, you'll want to replace the limit switch.

If the limit switch is adjustable, make sure it is set properly according to the manufactures specifications.

If the limit switch tests OK; or you've replaced it and still have the issue, you'll want to focus on the thermostat.

From your description, it sounds more like a problem with the thermostat.  Most safety mechanisms in furnaces do not let the furnace fire if there's a fault, so if you're getting flame I would not suspect a limit switch. I would suspect either the thermostat has gone bad, or it is miswired. If the fan is always on I would suspect either the fan switch has failed closed (is always in the ON position), or the fan wire was incorrectly bonded to the voltage feed line.

Thermostats are basically switch boxes. They'll have one live wire [R] (usually 24v in the US, or line voltage in other parts of the world), one heat call wire [W], one blower fan call wire [G], and optionally a cool call [Y], and/or C wire. When the thermostat wants to warm up, it will connect the R to W and G which tells the furnace the thermostat is cold and needs heat. If it's hot it connects the R to Y and G, to tell the furnace it's hot and wants to be cooled down. If you have a FAN control and you turn it to ON, the thermostat connects R to G and the blower fan turns on.

The easiest way to rule out the thermostat, is to replace it.  Troubleshooting thermostats is a pain in the ass, so it's much easier to simply switch it out.

If you've changed the thermostat and you're still having the problem, call an HVAC tech.


Your wire sizing was perfect

First let me say you did an impeccable job sizing the wire.

You have a 23-amp load.  It might commonly run more than 3 hours at a time, so Code designates it as a continuous load.   On most circuits, continuous loads must be derated by 125% -- that means when you provision power to them, you must provide electrical service as if they are a 28.75A load (23A x 125%).  Good for 30A with room to spare!

Boy, it's almost like they planned it.

In fact, they did.  23A is a very popular appliance size, and applies to almost every dryer and most water heaters.

So yes, you sized the wire just right.

Whatever calculators online said you shoulda used 12AWG are wrong.  It's easy to misinterpret things, such as what's allowed in electronic inside-chassis wiring, or the 90C column of the ampacity charts.  (12AWG is 25A@75C, but then, the wire would be 75C all the time.)

A few details, though...

Solid wire and stranded wire have exactly the same ampacity.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "extension cord" but I'll take it at face value.  Cord must be cordage, such as SJOOW - which has tough insulation and highly stranded wires designed to be flexed, draped, move a lot, be stepped on, and all the routine insults that cordage must endure.  Using in-wall wire such as NM, UF, AC or MC as a "substitute for cordage" is not particularly safe.  Repeated flexing damages solid wire, leading to overheating and series arcing.

But then, I don't know what your use is. You're not supposed to use flexible cords as a substitute for the permanent wiring of a building, but the wire you have is made to be permanent wiring in a building.

That socket is also a huge problem.  It's a very old NEMA 10-30 design which predates grounding in houses.  It brings hot-hot-neutral (because some apparatus inside dryers is 120V).  For ground, it was never intended to be grounded.  NFPA wanted to require grounded dryer sockets (NEMA 14-30) about the same time they started requiring grounding generally.  However, the appliance lobby had a conniption: they didn't want to lose sales over socket confusion, so they begged NFPA to allow NEMA 10 "since dryer plugs are rarely ever disturbed, the chance of a wire failire is low" and therefore "just attach the dryer chassis to neutral"  Say what???

This is exactly the load of malarkey it sounds like: bootlegging ground off neutral. Illegal and stupid everywhere else.  And in your case, that old socket is getting a workout, so neutral could fail.  Those large sockets are not made for frequent change.

Usually people are stuck at NEMA 10 because the cable from the panel is 3-wire and hard to replace.  However in your case you have the 4-wire cable from the panel, so most likely someone downgraded the socket from NEMA 14 to NEMA 10 because they did not realize how easy it is to change the dryer's cord to NEMA 14.   The NEMA 14 socket has the same formfactor as the one in your photo, and a change would not even be noticeable.

Anyway since you require ground (and not neutral) you might as well change it over to the universal donor, NEMA 14.  You could make do with a NEMA 6 (hot-hot-ground) but dryers can't use that.


How do you remove and re-install Register Duct Boot?

It should just pull out unless it is screwed to the connecting duct or nailed in place. If it is screwed or nailed then those have to be removed. Since I do not see any nails it is probably screwed to the next piece of duct


How can I put a new connector on an RF cable?

You'd be looking for a coax compression tool. Something along these lines...


How do we repair vapour barrier after a flood?

Use a Rotozip (or, like I did, a drywall cut bit in a regular rotary tool) with the depth gauge set for 1/2", so that it cuts the drywall but not vapour barrier. Cut about 2" of drywall off so you have access to enough of the vapour barrier to be able to put seam tape on it.

You may have to (carefully) cut or rip off the backing paper, but that's not a big deal.

There is a major downside to this method, if they cut exactly 2' up: you'd have to use either full sheets (wasting nearly half) or cut the sheets into 4'x2'2" pieces, still wasting 4'x18" from each sheet. Depending on the dimensions of the walls in the room, the wastage may be a deal-breaker for this method.


Can the blanket Insulation in my basement be left in place when refinishing?

If the exterior of the foundation has the black waterproofing membrane, you're fine to build your framed wall right up to the vinyl blanket insulation in the basement. When I finish basements for my clients, they always ask my opinion. Here it is: I don't like spending money twice. If there is already insulation on the wall the meets the code requirement, then we'll frame right to in and leave it in place. The white vinyl insulating blanket usually has an R value of 10. In Colorado where I live and work, that's the code requirement. You won't see a lot of thermal benefit from upgrading the insulation to a R-13 or R-19. To me it's not worth the cost of removing and replacing. (not to mention the disposal of the blanket - it takes up a ton of dumpster space!) That said it would be easy to add batt insulation in addition to the current insulation after you frame the walls.
One note: you do not want to compress the vinyl blanket with the wood framing or you'll reduce the effectiveness. If you do compress it, take a knife blade and run it down both sides of each stud and it will allow the insulation to expand into the stud cavity.

Your main source of heat loss in the basement is going to be around the  windows. Take the time to seal the windows well.  Hope that helps!


Which should be first, pressure reducer or backflow preventer?

I say BFP first.

The backflow preventer must be installed before any point in the system where the line becomes "open" to the introduction of pollutants that would make the water unsafe for drinking (fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, animal wastes, bacteria, and other things you generally find in your topsoil). While a pressure reducer's basic operation (most are similar to a gas regulator, where a spring-driven piston controls an inlet) is generally "closed", most designs also have overpressure reliefs that vent liquid from the regulator in cases where the "downstream" pressure becomes dangerously high (freezing temperatures, or conversely overheating). This relief valve opens the regulator (and the water in it) to the introduction of pollutants, and so it must be "downstream" of the backflow preventer to safeguard the potable water supply.

Now, as SteveR said, if the pressure reducer is designed and intended to regulate the pressure to the entire water service (reducing the pressure from the mains to a safe level for home plumbing) then its design will ensure that it cannot introduce pollutants in any situation (usually it won't have an overpressure relief) and so it's safe to place in front of a sprinkler backflow preventer. However, if this is a reg for sprinkler systems (i.e. drip irrigation) then it must come after the backflow preventer for the system.


Is there a building code for shower tile? (CA)

There is no code requirement/ restriction for installing tile over tile... for showers or otherwise.

However, there are many trade organizations in the construction industry that investigate, test, etc. products (i.e.: roofing, concrete, tile, paint, etc.) so that various materials are installed in the proper (most durable long-lasting) manner.

For tile, we follow the Tile Council of North America (TCNA).  They recommend various methods of installation for countertops, showers, retrofits, etc.

Check here: http://www.tcnatile.com/

I’d also verify recommended method of installation by the tile company of the actual tile you select.

I’m guessing they’d recommend you remove the old tile for lots of reasons, (i.e.: loose tile, bad grout, mold, lack of adhesion, incompatible tile, etc., but check out their recommendation.


What to look for in a new/replacement toilet?

There are some articles that speak to the minor differences between a class 5 and 6 toilet. The most important thing to know is that a class 5 toilet has a larger diameter trapway and the interior of the trapway is polished like the inside of the bowl is.  They also use a faster low water volume flush system.  The common complaint is that solids can leave 'skid marks" on the bowl as there is not a large volume of water in the bowl after flushing. the class 6 uses the same flush technology, but has more rim water action to wash the sides of the bowl better. Most reviews I've read say there really isn't much difference at all.

The better units are the Toto Drake series, the Kohler Cimmeron and American Standard Cadet series. They all can be purchased for between 200 to 300 dollars. Round bowl standard height is cheapest, elongated bowl comfort height being about 30 to 40 dollars more.

Even though we aren't suppose to endorse brand names, I will say, I have installed a couple dozen Kohler Cimmerons in private homes and in my apartment buildings. I have had a few complaints about the "skid marks", lol, but have never had a call about a clogged toilet. These things flush like a tidal wave.

The other feature I really like is that the tank always is at least half full.  With average use, the water comes up to room temp and a flush only introduces 1.3 gals of new colder water.  The result is no condensation on the tank during the hot humid months of summer or when the bathroom becomes a sauna after a long hot shower.

I have also installed the more expensive (under $400) Kohler Cimmeron one piece, elongated, comfort height in my own home. Looks good and works great if your looking for that low tank modern style.


Why won't my security lights turn off after I upgraded to LED bulbs?

This is common with older security sensors. (The sensor needs a small amount of power to function.  To avoid wiring a neutral wire, they are wired in series with the bulbs, and power themselves by leaking a small amount of current through the bulbs - halogen bulbs don't mind this.)

The simplest solution is to replace just one of the bulbs with incandescent or halogen.  it can be of a lower wattage. The rest of the lights can remain LED.

The harder option is to replace the sensor/switch with a modern type, however this will require a neutral wire at the switch. (In this situation, the sensor gets its own power from hot+neutral, and does not need to leak any power through the bulbs.) This will save between $2 and $7 per year by using less power.


That is a great idea.  If there is space, run two large (1.5+ inch) conduits to make running new network cables, stereo audio, HDMI, and coax in the future easier.  Take care to minimize the number of bends in the conduit for easier use, and use large radius elbows if any elbow is needed.

Ducts and low voltage signals can be as close as you want.  In some commercial installations, cables are placed inside air ducts when it is the only access.


Sulfur smell in one hot water heater, but not the other hot water heater

Your crawlspace Water Heater's Anode Rod is shot. This can be replaced at minimal cost compared to a new water heater by a plumber or HVAC guy or by you with some good straining on a long breaker bar...AFTER the Water Heater's been turned off, de-pressurized & very slightly drained.

Solid or Segmented Anode Rods, depending on "ceiling" clearances, can be obtained at Home Improvement or Plumbing Supply places. If one Water Heater went the other could be close behind & should be done as well, since checking it is the time to just replace it. There's nothing wrong or bad about replacing it too soon.


How can I install a grounding rod with bedrock four feet down?

You can drive at an angle. If I remember correctly, you can dig a trench and lay the 8 foot rod(s) flat in the bottom of it (Personally, I'd never go with one rod anyway.) If you wanted a really good ground, you simply excavate your foundation to bedrock and use an UFER ground in the foundation concrete (it's a concrete encased ground electrode formed by electrically connecting the reinforcing steel in your concrete foundation - or a section of copper cable, but the steel is there and serves multiple purposes.) 20 foot minimum, but common sense is to tie all the steel together for the best possible result.

Note on re-reading - A CCE/Ufer ground does not require excavating to bedrock, but if bedrock is 4 feet down, you might was well put your foundation on the bedrock...

Responding to erroneous comment below:

  Exception 1 to 250.68 indicates that buried electrode connections and
  concrete-encased connections to electrodes shall not be required to
  be accessible. Exception 2 indicates that exothermic welded
  connections and irreversible connections to grounding electrodes that
  are encapsulated in fireproofing material are not required to be
  accessible. The exception applies not only to the connection but also
  the mechanical fastening means, such as a nut or bolt, that
  establishes the connection to the metal framing member.

From EC Mag article. But you can also look it up in the code, that was just faster to find.


How can I project a clear light shape on the wall with an LED lamp?

Focusing the light requires some tinkering. The size of the hole is a factor. The distance between the light source and the apeture is another factor. Also, if you are using multiple LEDs then there will be multiple stars per hole; each LED will make a star.

Some words to google might be diffraction, interferance, and apeture. Also you could perhaps pick up some info from making an eclipse viewer.


disposals usually come with a small hex wrench that fits in to the bottom of disposal. This lets you move the shaft of the motor back and forth to loosen up whatever it stopping it. If you can't find yours, you can pick one up at a hardware store or plumbing supply shop.


How many wires can be connected to the C terminal at the furnace?

Technically, there should only be one wire connected to the screw terminal. However, it's common practice in the HVAC industry to connect more.

If you want to do it the proper way, you should use a twist-on wire connector (or other connector), and a length of scrap wire to make a pigtail.

Disconnect the wires that are currently attached to the terminal.
Group together those two wires with the wire you want to add, and a short bit of scrap wire of about the same gauge.
Use the twist-on wire connector (or other connector) to connect all the wires together.
Attach the other end of the scrap piece of wire to the screw terminal.

You may also want to consider why there are already two wires. It's common in a furnace to have the A/C contactor coil terminated there, but you'll want to figure out where the other wire goes.  The concern here, is that you could overload the transformer. If the transformer is operating at or near maximum capacity, the additional load of the thermostat could push it beyond the limit.  Best case here would be a blown fuse, worst case being a blown transformer.

If the transformer is powering a humidifier or air cleaner, you'll want to make sure it can handle the additional load of the thermostat (though thermostats are typically a small load).


Surface Main Panel over Smaller Original Flush Panel

I would consider the old panel a gutter or wireway at since it is no longer used (no connections in it) at that point it would be legal be sure to install an insulated bushing in the knockout hole and it should be good to go.


I would recommend replacing all of the affected pipe. The PVC already looks pretty roughed up, and you don't want to invite more problems in by using a rubber gasket fix!

Start by making sure no one is going to flush any toilets, use any sinks, or run any water. Otherwise, things might get messy.
Measure the distance between the 22.5° pipe and the T joint.
Cut the upstream pipe between your T joint and the 22.5° joint. Leave about 1/2 inch of pipe before the 22.5° pipe, and make sure to be careful for the copper pipe running under you!

Now cut your pipe downstream and remove the cut section! Try to make the cut as perfect as you can. If the cut is too cattywompus, you won't get a good seal later and things will get messy. Once you are done, sand the edges so you don't have any rough spots, and then stuff some rags and bags in the hole to keep it from gassing you out.

Get some gloves and paper towels. You will need to clean the outside of the downstream pipe. Clean back about 6 inches. The reason for this is because we are going to put a fresh coupler on it later and need it to be clean, so that it can get a good water tight seal. While you have the cleaning supplies out, you can clean up the subfloor a bit as well :-)
If you have one of those handy dandy pipe driller contraptions that @BMitch talked about, use that to gently drill the upstream pipe that we first cut out of the 22.5° coupler. Image shamelessly stolen. (Thanks @BMitch!)

If you don't have one of those, then you can use a dremel to cut the pipe inside the joint (but not the joint!) and then snap it out.
I drew a few pictures showing what I mean...

When you dremel out the pipe, be careful! We don't want to damage the 22.5° joint!

After you are done dremeling, you should have little tabs remaining that you can break off. Then clean out the inside of the joint with some towels and you are ready for step 7!

Remember the distance I had you measure in step 2? Get a 4" PVC pipe and cut it to that length, PLUS the amount it will need to fit inside the 22.5° bend AND the end of the T joint. Cement the newly cut pipe into the T joint using purple primer and then PVC Cement.
Cut another segment of 4" PVC Pipe. This should butt up to the cut we made on our downstream pipe (with a 1/4" gap). Cement this section to the bottom of your T joint (towards sewer).

I have drawn a picture of what steps 7 and 8 should look like. The 4" PVC pipe you are cutting is shown in red. Please check the measurements, mine are just guesses! Notice how there is a 1/4" gap between the sewer line and the pipe we just cut. Get that gap as close to 1/4in as you can!

Once you have gotten this far, you need a 4" PVC Repair coupler. A normal coupler has a "Stop" half way through it, to make sure that the pipes are in the correct distance.

However, a repair coupler does not have a stop in it. Here is where things get tricky...
Get your PVC Coupler, and slide it up several inches so that it is near the bottom of the T joint. See picture. After you slide the coupler on, prime all your pipe ends, as well as the downstream pipe and the upstream joint.

Next, put PVC Cement on all your primed areas. So that would be in your 22.5° joint, on both of the red ends of the pipe in the previous photo, and on the downstream pipe end.
Twist and slide the top of your pipe into the upstream segment of pipe so that it is attached there. Then quickly slide and twist your coupler piece down so that it neatly joins the end of your pipe with the downstream pipe. See pictures:

All done!


Will installing an OSB floor in the attic create moisture problems?

Nope, it shouldn't cause problems with moisture buildup -- but how much blown in fiberglass do you have up there? If it's less than your roof joists, it's not enough, and you should think about adding some (or a lot, actually) to bring you up to R-30 at the least in your attic.

If you do have that much up there, but you moved some to the side to put down the OSB, you committed a minor home improvement sin and you should pull up the OSB, put down some 2x6's crosswise to your rafters, and then put the OSB on top of that.


It's extremely unlikely that you have a cable failure in a wall.  The only time I've encountered it was in my own home and was caused by rodent (mice) damage.   What's far more likely is somewhere in the chain of outlets there is a bad connection.  As others have often said here, the "back stab" outlets are often the cause...esp. in high power circuits like for kitchens or bathrooms (portable heater, hair dryer, etc.)
With the power off, you'll need to remove the affected outlets and inspect for damage.  Best practice is to pig tail the connections that go from one outlet to the next one and connect the pigtail to the screws on the outlet, never use back stab outlets.   They are a known source of failure. If your outlets are older, cheap grade, just replace them with spec grade or commercial grade outlets. They aren't that expensive and are much more robust than the 99 cent specials!
EDIT:  Meant to ask that you are sure there are no tripped GFCI outlets upstream from the non-working outlets?


Would there be a problem installing 20A outlets/receptacles on a 15A circuit?

I'm going to be plugging in a 14000 BTU portable air conditioner and it just seems like a good idea to have a 20A outlet to reduce heating in the outlet, even if the circuit is rated only for 15A.

That won't have any effect.  The internals of both 15A and 20A outlets are made of exactly the same stuff.
That's due to a UL requirement that 15A receps must be able to carry 20A internally, so they can be used in 20A circuits per 210.21.

If anything, 20A outlets are a bit worse, because the neutral wiper cannot be ful-width, since it must have a notch in it for the 20A sideways neutral.  Of course many 15A receptacles use the same stampings.
Putting a 20A recep on a 15A breaker would defeat the entire purpose of 20A plugs being a different shape. So obviously that has to be a code violation.  You don't want to plug a 20A-requiring appliance into a 15A circuit, because it would definitely overload, and ALL safety margin would rest on the breaker tripping.
If you wonder why a "single point of failure" is a bad safety strategy, watch aviation accident investigation videos.


When I first read this, my first instinct was "don't", and I think that still holds. You are mixing water, electricity and possibly natural gas in a single untested design, and if anything goes wrong your pool could drain out, you could get electrocuted going in the water, or you could even end up with a bomb. It's not worth whatever costs you'd save building your own heater versus buying a commercial unit.

If you are really serious about a DIY pool heater, I think the best (safest, most reliable) route would probably be a heat exchanger sourced from a commercial hot water heater tank. You can build the heat exchanger yourself with a 55-gallon drum and some copper plumbing pipe, but for a whole host of reasons I would buy the HWH commercially (you can get gas or electric; your choice, but either way the HWH should be kept in an enclosed indoor area and properly connected to your home wiring/gas). Then, simply draw water from your pool into one closed loop of pipe in the drum, where it will be heated by being in close proximity to the loop which is fed by the HWH (a transfer medium like more water between the two coils might be a good idea). The HWH's water can feed back into itself, and due to natural convection, as the water is heated by the tank and then cooled in the exchanger it will flow through the loop, so there shouldn't be any need for a pump on the HWH side.

The tricky bit will be the thermostat; you'll want the water from the HWH to be hotter than the desired pool temp so that you can rapidly heat such a large volume of water, so you'll need a method to monitor the ambient pool water temperature and stop running water from the pool through the heat exchanger. I think the easiest design would be a temperature monitor that controls an inlet valve, and then the inlet valve is simply a diverter that draws water out of the main circulation pump's loop. If you design the exchanger right, convection can work for you here as well, or you can use a Y with a reducer off of the circulation loop to let the pump's pressure help you.

If you simply must do it all yourself, instead of introducing heat through a water coil from a HWH, fill an inner drum (40 gals or so) with water, put the loop from the pool in that, and then put that in a larger drum with some gas burners or electric heater coils underneath. When the pool needs to be heated, turn on the burners; that will heat the standing water in the drum which will then heat the water flowing through the pipes. You will need the same thermostat with will control both the flow of pool water and the heater element, and you'll also need a thermostat and a temperature/pressure relief on the inner drum (for a demonstration of what can happen without it, check this Mythbusters clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGWmONHipVo)

Whatever you do, do not heat your pool water directly. First, it will be very difficult to control how hot that water gets, which can result in burns if the heated water is returned directly to the pool without getting a REALLY good chance to mix with ambient water. Second, there are a lot of chemicals in your pool water, which can react with the water line under high heat (like an open flame), and can erode it causing your pool to drain (and if you're using a gas burner, the flame could go out and then you have a gas leak). Commercial pool heaters are designed with multiple levels of redundancy to prevent overheating, flameout, or energizing the water with any electrical components. You will need to provide similar protection in any design you come up with yourself.


Just like with kitchen cookers (ovens, hobs, grills), which have a different set of jets for lpg or natural gas, using inappropriate jets won't work properly. Obviously your bbq is jetted for lpg, and works well on that. However, since most gas bbqs are designed for lpg, you probably won't find jets for natural gas that will fit your bbq.
Also, the regulator will possibly be producing a pressure that won't do the job. Best to question the manufacturers/retailers of your bbq - you may be lucky, but somehow, it's doubtful. Bbqs are usually designed to be portable/moveable, and being fixed to a gasline from a house isn't envisaged.


Extra tube coming off upstairs sink drain

Can you remove it? Of course. Might there be consequences of removing it? Probably, but we have no way of knowing. Usually if there is something odd like that, there was a reason for it. You should try harder to ascertain what that "tube" is coming from. Heater condensate drain? Dehumidifier drain? Pot farm in the attic?


How to tidily restore a sandstone fireplace

Cut back the plaster evenly and use a fancy stone trim piece. You can use a tile saw to miter the corners, use paintable caulk where the plaster meets the trim, to hide irregularities. Use construction adhesive, or silicone, or tile mortar, to adhere the trim to the sandstone. Your biggest job will be cleaning up the sandstone and brick.


Depends on the local climate, how you dry it, whether you split it, and what you are burning it in.

Pulling a piece from the pile, splitting it, and using a moisture meter on the freshly-split face is a typical approach of careful woodburners checking on moisture content. Folks that know what they are doing and who use gasifying woodburners tend to be picky about moisture content as it can negatively impact the clean and efficient burn they are looking for.

Unsplit dries slower than split. Unroofed dries slower than roofed. Tarped over dries slowly if at all (no air movement.) Actively solar heated (with vents) dries faster than not. Stuff dried in a climate with a low dew point dries faster than stuff dried in a climate with a high dew point...

In many places, 1 year is not really enough with typical firewood storage practices. In other places or with other practices, it can be sufficient.


Can I make PVC pipe into a decent indoor column?

I wouldn't use the PVC pipe at all.

Here are some things to think about...

1) Splitting the PVC pipe in half will involve two saw kerfs that will make the re-mated halves not restore to original size.

2) PVC cement will not work well in trying to re-join the two pipe halves. That type of cement is meant to be used in tight lap type joints; not in rough butt type joints.

3) If you have to use the expanding foam you really should place the pipe parts in place and secured first and then inject the foam through one or more small holes through the pipe wall.

Overall I would suggest that you reconcept your approach to this and keep the lower portion of the walls as is but convert then to knee walls with height of maybe 40 inches.
Temporarily support the beam within the current opening space. Then cut out the existing studs to produce knee wall framework. The top of this knee wall gets fitted with a good double 2x4 header. Trim the top of the knee wall with a flat trim board that is wider than the drywall on each side by some 1/2 to 3/4" and trim around the skirt of the board with a nice molding. Then set a partial turned 4x4 post on top the flat board and use it to support the beam. Finish out the top of the openings over to the side walls down to the bottom of the beam, band with drywall and finish. I think this would give you the better look and still open up the space perception. The shorter 4x4 type turned posts are much more reasonable in cost.

Excuse my somewhat less than elegant cut/paste/smear work with paint program but here is the general idea of what I am suggesting.


How to connect a 220v gfci that has no neutral coming from the load

Connect the hots to the GFCI. Since there is no neutral on the circuit, there cannot be any current on the non-existent neutral non-wire, and any imbalance will be between the hot legs. Not connecting the neutral wire to the GFCI is only a problem if there IS a neutral wire to not connect...


What is the best way to cut railway sleepers

If you're talking about railroad ties, just buy a cheap circular saw blade for about $5, use it for the railroad ties and then throw away. It won't go all the way through, even if using on all four sides, but will get close. You can then finish with a bow saw or just strike it against something to split it the rest of the way.


Pulley setup to raise a laundry drying bar levelly

As both bib and Johnny have said, the simplest way to do this is to use two separate ropes. You can either manually pull on both ropes at the same time, or the ropes can be tied together prior to each reaching its first pulley away from the wall (A & B in the image below). Alternately, as Alchymist mentioned in a comment, you can use a single rope with the middle of the rope at the wall and the two ends the attachment points at the ceiling.

Using the pulleys you already have, and keeping the location you are pulling from the same as you are currently using, you can do something like:

Pulleys A and B can be located adjacent to each other. You could, of course, use one double-pulley block for A+B.  However, I assumed you would want to use the materials you already have on hand.


Proper material or method for making water tight seal on ceramic soap dispenser?

The problem may not be related to a leaky seal.

Pumps of this sort would pull the liquid soap into the vertical tube and push it out the spout of the dispenser. If the pump mechanism is working correctly, it will also allow air from a designed-in vent somewhere in the cap.

For the top to be leaking in the manner you describe, it would be a failure of the pump to transport the liquid soap from the vertical tube to the spout and into your hands, not a gap or poor seal around the opening.

You can confirm this by holding the pump mechanism over an open container filled with liquid. Keep the dip tube in the liquid and activate the pump. If the liquid appears other than at the exit spout, you have confirmed a faulty pump.

The above test will also show you that a sealed container is not required for a pump to work. A sealed container will cause problems if there is not an air intake. As the soap level decreases, air must be allowed in or you have a building vacuum which will prevent soap dispensing.


Best route to take when replacing an old panel without a main breaker

1) can't happen without the power company's consent, and the meter pan and service drop up to the weatherhead must also be rated for 200A.   If those aren't true, you can't do #1.

2) is out of the question.  The old setup was legal because it was so small it qualified for the Rule of Six (six throws to turn off everything).  And the  maximum theoretical load, all circuits at redline, was 125A on one pole and 150A on the other. That is such a modest oversubscription that since the Rule of Six was allowed, a main breaker wasn't really needed.   However, different deal on a modern 30-42 space panel with 200-400A of breakers provisioned on each pole. Besides, the Rule of Six is now outlawed! You must have a main breaker today.

That leaves #3, and I recommend switching panel brands to one where a 100A main breaker is readily available.  Unless you plan to have a generator; in that case stay with Siemens but swap it out to a main-lug panel (why pay for the main breaker) and fit their generator interlock.

You can also backfeed this panel and ignore the main breaker, but I do not like panels where the main shutoff is not obvious.  In an emergency, people don't rise to the occasion, they sink to the level of their training.  In other words people get stupid in key moments.  Someone frantically working in the dark is gonna grab the big handle and go THWOP.  And he will expect the power to be off at that point.  So if that does nothing and you have to shut off one of the regular breakers, well, that's just confusing...


Bosch Dishwasher check water light flashing

In the end, the solution was to tip the dishwasher backwards but at a far greater angle - about 60 degrees. This lead to a small amount of water running onto the floor and the problem was fixed.


What to do with an underground pool outlet now that the pool is gone

The only safe thing to do is to disconnect the wires at the other end. That could be:

The main panel
A subpanel
A junction box - e.g., the wires might come out of the ground next to the house and go into a junction box to splice to another set of wires that go to the main panel

If you disconnect any place other than a panel (which obviously would be accessible), the remaining location (e.g., another junction box) must be accessible. Cap any remaining wires with wire nuts so they can't touch anything else in the panel or box and cause a problem.


What else would an hot red wire be for in a split-tab outlet?

It could be a Multi-Wire Branch Circuit (MWBC).  You can test this with a multimeter -- if there's 240V between the red and the black hots, it's an MWBC.

These used to be common for kitchen outlets, since often heat making devices need the whole capacity of a circuit themselves, so this technique allows double the circuit capacity with just one more wire.  More recently, it's fallen out of favor, since GFCI and AFCI protection, required by modern code, are more difficult to add to MWBCs.


Can I use a GFI main breaker in series with individual QO AFCI breakers?

Yes, a GFCI sub-panel with AFCI breakers sounds like an excellent way to do that.  It avoids the European problem of having the whole house GFCI (RCBO) trip and ruin a refrigerator full of food and freeze pipes (though some European furnaces don't require electricity).

I don't see a problem daisy-chaining since they are different protections.  I also like having the arc-fault protection more local than the ground-fault.  The GFCI doesn't care, but the AFCI does, because it is literally listening to electrical noise, and it's easier to "hear" when fewer things are talking.

The only thing you need to watch is that your large, full-panel GFCI has the sensitivity that is legally required for bathroom and kitchen circuits.  Some of the Euro-style whole-house RCBOs have 20-30ma thresholds, which is not sensitive enough by far.


Is this a ground wire in my ceiling light canopy?

If it was a bare wire it definitely was a grounding wire. Considering your description I can only assume it was there to bond the canopy.


You don't seem to be using the RIGHT mastic, or "construction adhesive". Construction adhesive (ie PL or similar brand name) would be about the best material for the job, because copper is a REALLY DIFFICULT material to bond to.

Try experimenting (with scrap) with other brands or types of mastic/adhesive. Certain types of PL should set up near-hard within a couple of hours.


I've had this problem and no, you have to take the sides off.  You need to do this soon because a leak can cause problems with wood rot.  You shouldn't have to take off the spray insulation, just fill it with water and start looking with a flashlight.

If you find no water leaks, then your problem is likely your tub drain.


There are other ways to control multi-zones, but they're usually more expensive than smart thermostats.  Ecobees are the only thermostats that can be (affordably) controlled in groups via their web portal.  As well, the newer ecobee3 model has remote sensors that can average "comfort" within a zone.


Installing NEMA 14-50 by use of NM-B in a Metal Flex conduit (dry location) code compliant?

While my measurements showed 0.5 inch diameter, the Southwire website suggests that NM-B is 0.67inches, and with using that as calculation it comes out as overfilled for 3/4 inch FMC.
So I ended up replacing the FMC with 1 inch Schedule 40 (gray) electrical PVC conduit.
All is well. Thanks everyone for feedback/help.


Priming plywood for better adhesion of flooring tiles

If you use a proper underlayment (which OSB isn't), you don't usually need to prime when using a roll-on or brush-on adhesive. It is a good idea, however, when using self-stick tiles, which have a less aggressive adhesive.

When in doubt, read the instructions. If a primer would be beneficial manufacturers aren't shy about saying so. They want your project to succeed as much as you do for liability and reputation reasons.


Grommets are typically thin wall tubing with the ends peened over to form the flange you see in the photo. Any tool used to grind away at the inside diameter will remove most or all of the thin wall tubing composing the grommet.

The primary option you have is to remove the existing grommets and purchase a grommet installation kit for the size you need. It's an anvil smaller than a hockey puck and a driving tool. The grommet half is placed through the hole, then set on the anvil with the other grommet half on top of the fabric. The driving tool has a recess and a point to match the inside and outside curves of the grommet. A solid strike with the hammer provides the bending and bonding force.

There are other types of grommet installation tools resembling mechanical presses with much higher prices. For the occasional or hobbyist use, the hammer method is more cost effective, with the slight penalty of inconsistent results.


Anything you add on top will likely wash away. So I agree with the rest that steps would be the best solution.

An easy way to add steps may be put a board on edge the width of the path every 3-5 ft. Then fill in behind it with stones or gravel. The boards, be sure to use pressure treated, would keep the gravel from washing away. The gravel would give you flat sections to walk on which would reduce the slip issue.

I think this would be much easier then building an entire wooden or stone staircase.


I have a lot of plastic anchor bolts in the sheetrock walls. What is the best way to patch them?

Depending on the design of them, if they're the type that can be removed ( pulled straight out with needle nose pliers) I would yank them then patch them.

If they are the type that don't want to come out easily, sometimes you can take a small ball peen hammer ( using the rounded end )and lightly tap them below surface level... This way, patching can be accomplished.

And finally, if you can't do anything with them  ( in rare cases ) you can drill them out gently, then of course patch.