There is no problem with the trap being larger, in fact a larger trap and drain line will reduce the chance of a plug. I have found several homes that the vents have gotten plugged from everything from leaves to birds and squirrels getting in them and plugging the vent. If your vent is plugged it may drain quickly for a few seconds then go slow one telltale sign that the vent is plugged or not there, is if the sink drain starts gurgling after the water almost gone or none left in the sink a few seconds later. For an older home I would be looking into checking the vents because that larger line it should drain quickly assuming there is not a big chunk of food waste or grease just below the drain or at the dishwasher T.


Sealing the inside of a water well to use it as a reservoir?

Your aphorism of the day: Theory and Practice are the same in Theory, but Different in Practice.

As a practical matter it's going to be near-impossible to fabricate, install, and install a pump or suction pipe into a plastic-sheet-tube without poking a hole in the plastic. If you manage to succeed, you've disabled your well - if no water can get out, no water can come in.

Generally, if you need a cistern, you'll do better to put in a cistern than to try and use a well as a cistern. 275 and 330 gallon food grade plastic pallet tanks are widely available for one quick/temporary solution, a stock watering tank with a fabricated cover is another that's widely available. If it's a long-term need, buried concrete tanks are the standard for large volume storage. If using the translucent plastic tanks, cover them to block light so you don't start growing algae.

Drilling your well deeper is probably the better solution. Alternatively, if you put in a cistern for delivered water, and you have some water in the bottom of the well, adding a small, slow pump to pump from the well into the cistern is another workable approach. While your main well pump presumably sucks the well dry when it's low, a much slower pump can extract a constant trickle of water and place it into your cistern/storage, from which you can pump to the house at higher speed when you need water.


Do they make a non-liquid concrete/mortar color additive?

What you're looking for is called an integral color and is typically done with pigments.

Here is a source that I've used for other projects:
http://www.directcolors.com/concretepigment/


will teak oil protect outdoor furniture from cracking?

My brother the shipbuilder (you'd think I would have just asked him first) recommended raw linseed, with a strong caveat about spontaneous combustibility.
Boiled linseed as an acceptable alternative.


It's not necessary to use adhesive in-between each row of blocks but if you don't it might not be quite as stable. I didn't bother with adhesive and three year later I don't have any issues.


Powering battery powered tools from the power grid

No reasonably-sized and priced 20V PSU will be able to deliver the power that your 20V tools need.   You are trying to design a corded tool that can last through a big job.  The correct solution is to buy actual corded tools.  Just the ones that you actually need for such big jobs.   Plan B would be to buy more, bigger, batteries and a multi-battery charger that you can keep near your work location.
I don't know what current is drawn by battery-operated tools but we can guesstimate. A typical corded 120V saber saw or rotary saw is rated at 10 or 12 amps, therefore consumes say 1400 Watts.  At 20V that means a tool with similar power needs to draw 70 amps from the battery.    You could improve this guess by rigging up one of your tools to actually measure the current from the battery but let's start with this.  You are looking for a 20V 70A PSU.
Forget about laptop PSUs .... even the biggest ones the size of bricks meant for whacko-crazy gaming laptops only provide a small percentage of that power.  A typical laptop PSU is 65W.  Big ones are over 100W but nowhere near 1400.
20V 70A PSUs do exist, but they are very expensive, well over $500 and they are enormous and typically designed for permanent installation in a workshop.  They are specialty items.  You won't find one that is practical or economical for your intended use and it certainly would not be more convenient than charging and swapping batteries.
One last thing: If you did manage to rig something up that could deliver the kind of power you want to your tool, you would probably electrocute yourself.  Unless you designed it with the same safety standards as an AC-powered tool.  Double insulated cables, sockets, and plugs, fuses, etc etc ... all the things designed to protect you with dangerous power delivery.  Are you going to design and build that into your 20V solution?  No.  So you'll eventually get killed.   Just go buy one or two corded tools!


Moving a washer and dryer when relocating across the country

You should use them to avoid not having any means of recompense from the shipper, or from the manufacturer by voiding the warranty.

If you didn't save yours, replacement shipping bolts can be obtained from most appliance parts suppliers (the label with your model number is probably behind the door).

I would not be concerned, if you're the one carefully putting it into a box truck and also the one taking it out (Edit: and the one doing the driving).

The shipping bolts are for keeping it in sellable condition, even after it falls off the forklift a few times.

Upon further research, the shipping bolts for a front loading washing machine keep the mounting springs from receiving excessive tension when bouncing up and down in transit. I will amend my answer by saying that if I were to be the one driving the truck, it would be fine (you may want to reconsider).


Can I fit a 90" dining table plus 8 chairs in an 11' ford cargo van?

The dimensions of that table are  3' 9" wide and 7' 8" long. Turn the table top sideways and it will slide right into the van. Stack the chairs on top of each other seat-to-seat beside the table top from front to back. Slide the legs in between the legs of the chairs and it should all fit. You can probably place the chairs any way you like with the table sideways. That van has plenty of room.


Yes make sure the earth grade around the entire house is sloped away from the house before and decking of structure is installed.


How can I tell if a ceiling box will support a real light fixture?

All ceiling boxes are required to support at least 50 pounds (NEC 314.27(A)), so you can assume the box will be able to support a simple light fixture.  Boxes that are designed to support ceiling fans must be labeled as such, and must have a label listing the weight it can support if over 35 pounds (NEC 314.27(D)).
If you look at the box you have, you'll notice a flat bit within the box.

This is designed to sit against a framing member, so the box is likely attached to the member with nails.  Your box probably looks something like this...

As others have mentioned, the holes in the back of the box can be used to attach the box to a support.  In your box you'll notice these holes are empty, which means the box is not attached to a bracket.

tl;dr
This box should have no trouble supporting a normal light fixture, up to about 50 pounds. It should not be used to support a ceiling fan.


How do I prepare a ceiling for restomping?

I would dampen the areas you patched, any areas that were/are painted won't absorb enough to matter.

If you are thinning premixed joint compound you should be able to roll it on and stomp. Cool pattern.


Carport Roof - Ridge Beam/Board vs Gussets

Gussets wouldn't replace a ridge beam (which is different from a ridge board). You'd need a truss design with collar or rafter ties.

If you don't have a ridge beam (which actually carries the load from the upper half of the rafters), you need rafter ties, which run across from wall to wall. Gussets don't provide the sort of bracing that rafter ties would.


US Building Codes - Do I need a handrail on this initial section of stairs?

I found this here from the International Residential Code of 2012.

  R311.7.8 Handrails. Handrails shall be provided on at least one side of each continuous run of treads or flight with four or more risers.

I believe you need a handrail since you have at least 4 risers it looks like it could be 5 but your picture cuts off the bottom of the stairs.

Also, the end of the handrail has to return toward a wall or terminate in a newel post or safety terminal.

This site also shows the information in a little more understandable format.

Nice job so far, good luck!


The power tool you would use to take the board down would be a thickness planer:

It has an adjustable cutting head and you run the board through it in successive passes to shave off the surface.

However, unless you do a lot of rough lumbar milling or are into fine woodworking, it would probably be silly to buy one. Maybe you can rent / borrow?

Note that a thickness planer is good at making 2 faces parallel, but it won't be much help if the wood is also twisted or bent along its length. The twist will just follow through the planer and you will end up with a twisted board with 2 parallel (but not planar) faces.

Edit about the suitability of thickness planer:

Several people have pointed out that to use a thickness planer you are "supposed" to have one face flat already. I guess that's optimal but I have used a thickness planer many times to "save" cupped boards. If you have a great piece of wood, you might as well try something, right?

Start with the convex side up, so that the board is stable against the base and doesn't rock.
Work in small passes at the beginning. If you try to take too much off the planer will press down on the board and flatten it without really cutting.
Once you have flattened the convex side you can alternate faces.


What are these capped, metal pipes in our yard?

Even though 811 ignored them doesn't mean they are not a private utility. It is possible they are natural gas or waterlines, or were an electrical conduit however they are most likely just pipes driven into the ground as support for a past fence.
To rule out private utilities you can call an HVAC contractor licensed in PA to work on gas (most installers and maintenance companies have employees who are) to come out and verify it. They will likely uncap it and use a special meter to detect gas. If there is water or electrical lines they will be able to tell you and give you guidance on your next steps. They will need access to the home and it will be easier for them and you if you clean out any areas in the home where pipes or electrical lines could be concealed behind exterior walls or crawl spaces on the side of the property the pipes are on.
Absent any utilities, you can dig down to the base or use a pipewrench on the pipe and unscrew the pipe and pull the unscrewed pipe up. If it is welded to a spade or something weird, you'll have to dig down all the way or cut the pipe off below grade.
If you have never worked with natural gas I don't think it would be responsible for you to take any advice walking you through dealing with a suspected gas line other than to call a licensed and trained professional.


Water Pressure Issue? First water heater leaked, then softener, now my washer long filled

You did not say, if the washer fill problem was fixed with the new valves. Sometimes, when you turn off the water to the house to make a repair, sediment or debris is loosened somewhere in the plumbing when the water is turned back on. Did you check the inlet screens at the hose connections of the washing machine. This debris will plug the screens  (a common problem). Also make sure that all the valves for the water to the washer are fully open. As far as two appliances leaking it is probably a coincidence. The research with " the softener with the heater leak means there is too much pressure" makes no sense. Any of the above mentioned problem items could cause the error message.


Given age of building, shape and "magnets stick to it" I'm going with old gas pipe.

Old gas pipe is not generally something you want to mess with, especially if your use of "tenants" implies rental rather than ownership. Hang a picture so it's covered, or something like that, and forget about it.

If you own rather than rent, and can trace and verify that the gas pipe in question is ACTUALLY, for sure, disconnected, you can remove it, but it's a fair amount of work.


How should I insulate my garage roof if I want to use the garage as a workshop?

Well, it's a good idea but why not care about re-sale & do it right by drywalling everything & install some outlets & add more lighting? The R-11 is okay, but I'd even go with at least foam boards on top of the rafter ties. Hot air does go up & in the summer without vents it will radiate down.

Absolutely put in gable vents or at the very least drill 200 small holes in a rectangular pattern in each gable...angled down if drilling from the inside or angled up if drilling from the outside, to keep water out.

Finally, you'll want to insulate the garage door with foam board & make sure the entire door's perimeter is sealed. What I'm saying is that 1 major weak point will ruin the idea of ever being comfortable.


A ground rod often has a steel core and may be locateable with a ferrous metal detector. It seems reasonable to search based on the length of the exposed wire. Is there evidence that the wire segment was connected to the rod - or might the wire have been broken "in the middle?" Depending on how the break occurred, if mid-span, the other piece of wire might have been displaced or even removed. Also, a ground rod can be completely buried under any depth of soil.
Depending on your soil the work of installing a new rod might be non-trivial but the new rod itself should cost less than US$15. Replacing the rod seems like an economical solution.


How to properly double on ceiling joists

If you have no sag in the ceiling just screw 3/4 inch plywood on on top of the ceiling joist. This will add strength  to them and keep your headroom. Be sure to run the length of the plywood across the joist.


How to attach wheels to the base of slotted-angle rack?

You'll use one of the variants with the plate on top, and you'll use three of the four slots for carriage bolts. The carriage bolts should have square lugs that fit the size of the slots.

If you find that the corner bolt doesn't have good bearing, or the hole wouldn't be well-positioned with respect to the ends of the metal components, you many need to first install corner plates of heavy steel (1/4" or better). These could be anchored to the bars with four bolts positioned outside the area occupied by the caster plates.

The variants with the pins would require metal bores to properly support them against that load. You'd have to bolt metal blocks into your frame. It's not a good strategy.


Deck joist cantilever distance with multiple intermediate supports

The cantilever can't be too long for two reasons.  One you want it to be stiff, so you don't have a diving board effect on the cantilevered part.  Two, it can't be so long that weight on the cantilever part has a see-saw effect and lifts the other part of the deck off its supports.

I think you could certainly make the argument that you could cantilever (AZ/4) as long as the joist is sized to span AZ.  (According to the cantilever joist span tables.)  If that is the case, the supporting beam at B is not required and I see no reason to shorten the cantilever because you have an extra support.

Otherwise I think you'd need to have an engineer's stamp on the plans to use something between AB and AZ, up to one-fourth of the maximum span of the joist per the table.


Hiring a contractor to inspect / survey / analyse my home as a whole

it sounds like you want a building inspector.


Should I replace my mercury switch thermostat?

Almost every thermostat on the market today is a better alternative than a mercury switch-type.

Even the cheapest digital thermostats have schedules, so that they can have different heating points during the morning, daytime, evening and overnight, and range from having weekend vs weekday to 7-day indepedent schedules. This allows you to save money by turning down the temperature while you're not home or sleeping.

On the more advanced side of things, there are internet-connected thermostats you can program/control from your PC/phone/etc, and ones that can self-learn based on manual adjustments and motion-sensing. There is a corresponding increase in price, and these typically do require a C-wire so since you only have two wires you'd have to pull a new wire for this.

To connect a basic digital thermostat to the 2-wires, the best thing is to follow the instructions that come with the thermostat. Typically you're going to connect the two wires between R (or Rh) and W.


Yes, there are numerous lines of connectors designed for water-resistant use, or even "waterproof", such as might be used in boating marinas (or on boats) or other places requiring the quick replacement of water-proof appliances.

They typically have an exterior screwshell and interlocking seals.  Here is one example:
4-pin waterproof cord connector, 5 Amp


How should I attach glass panes for use as shower walls in place of tile?

The image on the page you linked shows two full sized panes of glass, measuring by visual estimate about 4 1/2 x 8 1/2 feet. Those are very large panels and for safety should be tempered glass and pretty thick. You might get around the tempered  requirement by using properly laminated panels - I would talk to a supplier to get a recommendation for the best choice of material.

Two main ways I see to attach are using a frame at the top and bottom or to use through bolts. Tempered glass can be spot annealed to drill holes, but that is the province of experts, IMHO, or possibly can be done by the supplier. A frame (like a groove in material or perhaps a plastic lined or coated section of channel, like a U or H channel extrusion could hold the panel and be attached to the subframe. I think the channel would be hard to seal permanently in a shower application. If you find a good specific way to do the bolts, they may have to be visibly placed. Even bolted sheets will probably have to be supported on the bottom edge.

One additional way is to find a system such as used for structural stone veneers - a (size) metal disk or plate is epoxied every (spacing-interval) distance on the back. Specific quality epoxy driven by the application must be used. The disks or plates are attached to the structure. The details really require some engineering, buuuut, if you can exceed the requirements and satisfy your code and inspector...this might be a workable application.

Bolts through non-laminated glass may be stress points that lead to failure eventually. One more consideration is expansion and contraction: a professionally engineered panel this size will be installed in a way that allows for expansion and contraction both in the space allotted in all dimensions and movement permitted by the fastening system.

I think for the best result you should shop materials first then use the supplier’s recommendation for attachment.

*(as far as gluing a panel - that is a lot of surface area to create a strong bond, but paint only has so much adhesion and may loosen over time, depending on a lot of variables)


Remove plywood floor before insulating attic?

I'm assuming that the floor of the attic is insulated, and the roof is not insulated at all. Do I have the right picture?

Options

A: Put insulation on top of the plywood.  This is straight forward, and can be done with soffet baffles at the edges, and half a day's work with an insulation blower.  You can choose between cellulose and fiberglass.  The former is environmentally more friendly, and usually cheaper, and not nearly as itchy.

B: Remove the plywood, and put insulation on the old insulation.

C: Insulate the rafter space.

Only insulate the existing web.
Make the rafter space deeper by adding 2x to the edges of the rafter.
Use a higher R-value insulation between the rafters.
Fasten foam board to the interior edges of the rafters, then cover.

Tradeoffs on removing the plywood

You lose the potential storage space if you put insulation on top of the plywood.   (You said you're not interested in doing this, but anyone else who finds this answer may be.) Removing the plywood will be a big pain.  You also lose the support.  More than one person has stepped through the ceiling of the room below when missing a joist.

While plywood isn't a vapour barrier, is will be a limited air circulation barrier.  Normally when adding insulation, you want about twice as much on the cold side of such a barrier to keep the dewpoint on the correct (cold) side of the barrier.  Blown in insulation is cheap.

Tradeoffs on insulating the rafters.

This is far more time consuming.  You either are getting less insulation, having to make the rafters deeper, or working with foam, then protecting the foam from fire.  This may or may not be necessary depending on local building code and the particular foam product.  See http://msdssearch.dow.com/PublishedLiteratureDOWCOM/dh_0944/0901b80380944bea.pdf?filepath=styrofoam/pdfs/noreg/179-00011.pdf?filepath=styrofoam/pdfs/noreg/179-00011.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc

You could do this by putting 2x4 on edge on the existing rafters. then insulate.  If the existing rafter is 2x8 (7.5") then adding 2x4 will give you 11 inches.  Fiberglass at R3.5/inch gives you R38.  If the floor is 2x6 and filled well it's about R20.

The flip side of this is that you have the space as a either storage, or hobby room, or potential spare bedroom, with the addition of a folding attic stair.  This room is halfway between two insulation layers so it will tend to be warm in the summer, and cool in winter.

As even a roughly developed storage area it may increase the value of your house.  You could consult a local realtor to find out.

You can also blow in insulation in the hollow of the 'A' so it could be R60 for that part of the roof.

Another possibility would be to use foam insulation.  Insulate the 2x6 truss elements with bats, then put up 2" foam boards, then drywall.  (Foam board MUST have a firebreak -- it releases cyanide when it burns)  This has the advantage of insulting the thermal bridge that the 2x6 has in the roof.


Is it OK to use motor oil instead of household oil for hardware lubrication?

I use regular oil as well for things like you are asking. I would get a small pump oil can to help dispensing the oil. On hinges, to keep the mess down, remove the pin, coat it in oil, let the excess run off and reinsert the pin. You could still run a little over the surface of the hinge barrel but obviously you will need to keep a wipe rag handy.


How can I rewire a light to use three-way switches?

Sounds like a mis-wired 3-way switch. I had one in my house when I moved in that did that. Have a look at my answer to this related question: How should I rewire a miswired 3-way switch?


I would vote to run it the shortest distance, within reason.  It's in a non-functional space and the extra length to make it "pretty" is just going to add resistance.


Want to update insulation in knee walls. Pictures of the inside. I think it might be worth taking the old out and redoing it all, thoughts?

You would do well to adjust the insulation on the knee walls but you also have to place a decent amount of insulation in the ceiling joist area as it looks to be nearly non existent in the pictures. That could save you on your heating bills some but it is not likely to have a significant impact on ice dam formation.

The nature of ice dams forming is due to building heat passing through the roof and melting the snow. Water from the higher warmer parts of the roof runs down to eve area where the roof area is colder and allows the water to freeze. The fact that you have heated living space up to the roof peak (as evidenced by the gable end windows up near the peak) it is likely that the ceiling materials inside are nailed directly to the bottom of the rafters. This leads to minimal insulation in that area allowing the upper roof to be warmed by heat from the upper room.

You should definitely prepare, before snow flies, to invest in a roof rake. Plan to get it now before they get all sold out and are then not obtainable. These things help you to safely scrape the snow buildup off your roof before it has a chance to thaw/freeze and form ice dams. It does require some commitment to ensure that you rake the roof every time that snowfall occurs.

Note that it is best to remove all the snow from the roof to prevent the ice dams. If you just rake the lower edges of the roof and leave the snow up toward the peak that upper snow can still melt and the water run down the roof slope and freeze.

It can be valuable to watch the behavior of your roof after the first light snowfall in cold weather to note where it starts to clear first. If you have a lot of heat leakage on the upper roof it will be very obvious that that part of the roof clears first. Sometimes it is even possible to note where the space between the rafters is warmer.

(Note I used a conventional roof rake when I lived in snow country. I recommend the ones with the plastic rake blade because they are lighter and will potentially do less damage to your roof than a metal one. I have noticed in some Google picture searches that there are new types of roof clearing devices which consist of a long plastic sheet that is pushed up under the roof snow via a specially configured handle. The plastic sheet allows the snow to just slip down the roof. I have never used one of those so cannot vouch if the web site advertising is really as great as they make it sound).


Is the Nest thermostat smart enough to turn itself on BEFORE you get home?

The Nest saves people money simply because most people can't/won't program their thermostats.  Where the Nest will mostly auto program itself based on your away/home and manual thermostat changes.

You can set the temp ranges for away as well as another emergency min/max for when the unit is turned 'off' (this can prevent frozen pipes).  The unit can also be set to start before the program schedule time to warm/cool.

But if you go out for a night, the unit then goes into a non-scheduled auto away it will wait until it detects movement before it will kick the heat/ac back on.


How high can I adjust water pressure in my well tank?

It's not a free pass going to higher pressure.

First off, any given pressure tank has a larger drawdown (tidal volume, amount of useful water stored) at 20/40 than any higher setting. Unless you increase the size of, or add additional pressure tanks, at a higher pressure your pump will stop and start more frequently (which is usually considered to be a large factor in how fast it wears out - running longer and starting less is better than running less each time, but starting more.) As you can see from the example chart below, for a given tank, 40/60 is already less than half the volume stored at 20/40.

This version is not quite as bad (they do vary a bit):

You will need to check your tank, but most pressure tanks are good to 100 or 125 PSI (the ones in the upper chart are only 75 though), so that's probably not the limiting factor. You'll need to check what the pressure on your hot water heater's temperature-pressure valve is, but it's probably also fine. My pump supplier suggested (and I installed) a 100PSI overpressure valve on the system as the pipe entered the house.

Many common items (toilet valves, etc) don't really like pressure over 80 PSI (yes, I know you only proposed 70.) 60/80 is about as high as you can expect to adjust most pump control valves to.

It's not the most common situation, but if your well pump is marginal for the depth you may reach a situation where it's cannot reach the higher setpoint as you use water and draw the well level down - so it will sit and spin but not reach the shutoff pressure.

If your system was designed for 20/40, I'd suggest doubling or tripling your tank capacity if going to 40/60, and tripling if going to 50/70. How important that is may be influenced by how deep and inconvenient and expensive your pump will be to change when its time comes. Cheap and easy, maybe you don't bother increasing the tank at all. Expensive and a major hassle - you might consider more tankage a good investment.


What could cause the blower of a Coleman furnace to come on all by itself?

I'm not an HVAC person but the blower is many times controlled by a relay that can get stuck in the "on" position. If the only thing that turns the blower off is shutting off the breakers, I suspect that is the issue. Typically not an expensive repair.


How do I "un-winterize" my sprinkler system?

I'm no plumber, but I did just install my own sprinkler system.  That looks like a reduced pressure assembly used for backflow prevention.  the little screwdriver valves at  bleeder.  You should only need to touch them if Water comes out.  With the main water under the house on, turn on the the big valve closest to the house  first, then the second valve closest to the sprinklers.  That should do it.

Google RP (watts makes them) and you should find plenty of info.  Poetically no exact matches on pictures, but ask the right parts in the right places


Somebody was thoughtful
The good news is that somebody was thoughtful and ran a thermostat cable with extra wires in it, so you have the spare wire you now need.  So, take that blue wire, land it on the C terminal on your furnace board alongside the existing C connection from your air conditioner (if you need to extend it, just get some blue 18AWG TFFN and nut it to the existing blue wire, then land this pigtail on the C terminal screw, being careful not to undo the existing connection of course), hook the blue wire up to the C terminal on your new thermostat, turn the furnace back on, and enjoy!


Will treating the edges of laminate parquet flooring with teak oil improve water resistance?

I wouldn't use oil, that could interfere with the boards structure. Why not use the proper sealant?

Silicone based I believe and it's supper thin, doesn't interfere with fitting at all. We always use it in kitchens, dining room, bathrooms etc.
For example, the pic is from this page at Wickes in the UK Maybe there is something similar local to you?


Wire that supports 3 telephone lines, but in a house with 2 or 1, by the look of it. Standard telephone color scheme for twisted pair wiring. Could be serving some other low-voltage function or could be abandoned, but that's what the wire is, so that's probably what it was used for.

Also the box says "WE" which stands for "Western Electric" which was the manufacturing arm of "Ma Bell" (the old AT&T, when "the phone company" meant them, and nobody else.)


Best angle to tilt a through-window air conditioner?

The last window unit I installed stated 5 degree tilt but even this may not be enough in a dusty area where the dust collects and plugs the drain. I would follow the manufacturers requirement and if there are still problems unplug the unit and flush it every month or so to keep it free of buildup that can plug the drain.


Laying new tile on subfloor with old plumbing holes, patch needed?

Someone will eventually put weight on that point. You want it properly supported. Cut out the piece of subfloor containing the holes and patch a new chunk in such that force is properly transferred to floor joists.

Doing it right the first time is a LOT easier than fixing it later.


How do I string a low voltage wire between two buildings?

For network communications, you'll want to look at article 830 in the National Electrical Code (NEC).
Circuit Power
For what type of cable to use outside and entering the building, 830.40(A) and (B) list the type of cable based on the application.  Before you can determine what type of cable is appropriate, you'll have to determine if you have a low- or medium-power circuit. For this, you'll look at Table 830.15.

Cable Type
Once you've determined if you're dealing with medium- or low-power circuits, 830.40 tells you what type of cable you can use.  For medium-power circuits, you should use type BMU, BM, or BMR. For low-power circuits, you should use BLU, BLX or you can substitute cable types based on Table 830.154.

Location and Clearances
Since the cable will be run from building to building in the air, 830.44(A)-(I) should be followed.
Sections A-C deal with keeping network-powered broadband communication cables away from electric light, power, Class 1, and non-power-limited fire alarm circuit conductors.  This basically says that the network cable should be below these other types of cables, and that they should be kept away to avoid accidental contact.
Section D specifies clearances from ground (ground ground, not electrical ground), and says.

2.9 m (9.5 ft) — above finished grade, sidewalks, or from any platform or projection from which they might be reached and accessible to pedestrians only
3.5 m (11.5 ft)—over residential property and driveways, and those commercial areas not subject to truck traffic
4.7 m (15.5 ft) — over public streets, alleys, roads, parking areas subject to truck traffic, driveways on other than residential property, and other land traversed by vehicles such as cultivated, grazing, forest, and orchard

Section E says that if you're going over a pool, use the clearances specified in 680.8.
Section F calls for 2.5 m (8 ft) clearance, from any roof the cable passes over.
Section G says that if your cables do not have an outer jacket, don't attach them to a building within 900 mm (3 ft) of windows that open, doors, porches, balconies, ladders, fire escapes, or similar locations.
Section H says that the cable and supports shall have sufficient strength to withstand the loads to which they may be subjected. There is an exception that says if the cable is not sufficient to be self supporting, it can be attached to a messenger cable.
Section I specifies the minimum distance broadband communications cables should be kept from other conductors on buildings.

(1) Electric Light or Power. The network-powered broadband communications cable shall have a separation of at least 100 mm (4
in.) from electric light, power, Class 1, or non–power-limited fire
alarm circuit conductors not in raceway or cable, or be permanently
separated from conductors of the other system by a continuous and
firmly fixed nonconductor in addition to the insulation on the wires.
(2) Other Communications Systems. Network-powered broadband communications cables shall be installed so that there will be no
unnecessary interference in the maintenance of the separate systems.
In no case shall the conductors, cables, messenger strand, or
equipment of one system cause abrasion to the conductors, cables,
messenger strand, or equipment of any other system.
(3) Lightning Conductors. Where practicable, a separation of at least 1.8 m (6 ft) shall be maintained between any network-powered
broadband communications cable and lightning conductors.
(4) Protection from Damage. Network-powered broadband communications cables attached to buildings and located within 2.5 m
(8 ft) of finished grade shall be protected by enclosures, raceways,
or other approved means.

Grounding
Grounding is covered by 830.100, and says:

Grounding conductor shall be insulated and listed.
Grounding conductor shall be copper or other corrosion-resistant conductive material.
Grounding conductor shall not be smaller than 14 AWG.
Grounding conductor shall not be longer than 6.0 m (20 ft).
Grounding conductor shall be run in as straight a line as possible.
Grounding conductor shall be protected from physical damage.
Grounding conductor shall be connected to the grounding electrode in compliance with 250.70.


Aluminum is no longer used in house wiring anywhere in the USA where the NFPA Electrical Codes are accepted that I know of, it had been used many years ago and is as far as I know against code (some one might have a guide to the NFPA NEC that states this). Your home might have been built before the new codes were adopted - so it exists as is.

Of course that really depends on state and county and when they adopted the codes; you should talk to the building code department of your state and county to verify when the change took place and when your house was built. Further take note of ANY electrical upgrades that were done, any building modifications or renovations - the reason being is that there are legal remedies you might have against the seller to get the wiring replaced. It might be considered a material issue (as in facts) that is required for disclosure ..for this you would need to consult a real estate attorney in your area.

The problem with aluminum was a thing called Galvanic Corrosion - it created a very high potential for electrical fires corrosion would occur and the connection would break loose and then you would get sparks etc and create flames, which is why it was removed from use, although I think in some cases they allowed it to continue to be used for ground wire - but DON'T quote me on that.

Now on to your questions:
Pig Tailing seems to be allowed and is one method to fix the issue with Aluminum wiring with out replacing all of the wiring in the home .

See this link for more details: Charlotte NC Aluminum Wiring Repair


Should light temperatures be equal in all rooms?

Personally, I say it's personal preference. We found we like daylight 5000K better so as bulbs burn out I get new LEDs (previously CFLs) that are daylight. Eventually they'll all be changed but for now they are mixed and we don't mind.

What's your preference? That's what I'd go with.


Many cord connected light fixtures do not have a ground. The power going to the light socket is the black or hot wire to the center tab in the fixture, the white or neutral goes to the outer threaded part of the socket. If you want to hard wire this you should use a cord grip where it enters the box to protect the wires from being cut and or being pulled out if someone trips over the cord


If your system is analog and not digital, the following will apply. If it is digital video transmission, it's out of my league.

Analog cable television systems transmit radio frequencies into coaxial cable (simplified explanation) which has signal loss over distance. The lower frequencies (lower numbered channels) will decrease strength at a lower rate than the higher frequencies.

Smaller diameter cable will have greater loss than larger diameter cable. If you can use RG-8U for the "backbone" of the system, it's superior to the smaller RG-6U typically used for house drops and internal wiring.

If you use splitters at each junction, you'll have a fraction of signal level at the end. There are devices known as directional couplers which are similar in concept to splitters, but smarter! The construction of these devices are such that there is an "in," an "out," and a "tap," although the terminology for the last may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

The operation is such that, for example, you would have 34 db signal level at the "in" on a 26 db directional coupler. It would provide 8 db signal level to the tap port and pass along the rest of the signal to the "out" port. The signal level would not be reduced by 8 db, but there is some loss involved. In this example, a 34 DC would have a 0.4 db through loss at channel 2 frequencies. The next span of cable would have appropriate losses to be calculated to determine the next value of DC to use.

There are also two-port directional couplers, sometimes called directional taps. This would combine a splitter on the output or tap port of a single port unit, in one enclosure. For your purposes, five two-port DCs appropriately designed would service ten units in a spine-like arrangement.

In the drawing below, the values have been exaggerated by reducing them in an un-calculated manner. You would need to know the frequency range you plan to use as well as the losses for that range in the coaxial cable to be used.

The last connection would be a splitter, which will create a 3.5 db loss for each leg. That is to say, if you have 15 db signal level, you'll get 11.5 db on each side of the splitter. It may not seem like much, but there is a 3 db loss for the split and a 0.5 db loss for the device. In RF terms, 3 db is half-signal. If the entire system were splitters, you'd have 1/32 of the signal after five splits!

Even a digital system uses an analog RF signal to carry the signal, which is equally susceptible to attenuation through the cable and devices.

Equalization of the signal may not be a problem, but if it's strictly analog, you'd want to ensure that it's within limits. Equalization refers to higher frequencies dropping off faster than low. It's not as simple as cranking up the higher channel levels, as too much signal level is just as bad as too low.

Digital configurations are more forgiving and an entirely different realm of design.


Can i use 8 gauge wire with 10 gauge ground with double 50 amp breaker

You can't use #8 on a 50A circuit

You have to read out of the 60C column of 310.15(B)(16), which means you are limited to 40A.

It would be possible with other classes of wire in conduit,  but not possible with the usual types of cable used in America used for this job (which is what you are referring to).

If you really need 50A, then change to #6 cable.

But the ground is fine

Circuits up to 60A are able to use a 10 AWG ground.

The conductors need to carry current continuously.  The ground only needs to carry current long enough to trip the breaker.


What is an effective duck repellent for a swimming pool?

I had bird problems in my pool until I put this motion activated sprinkler. I am not sure if it will work with ducks but the geese hate it and stay out of the pool.


What's the trick to hanging overhead light fixtures with only two hands?

Many flush ceiling fans have a built in solution in the form of a hook that hold the motor near the ceiling while you attach wires. Then you lift he fan off the hook and secure to the mounting bracket.

You can rig a similar hook if you can find a secure point on the lighting fixture as a grab point (either through or around). Use a wire coat hanger to make a double ended hook. Use at least two strands of the wire and twist ends tightly together for strength. One end of the double hook goes through or around your fixture grab point and the other hook end goes over the mounting strap attached to the ceiling box.

Support the unit (make sure that the hook mechanism seems strong enough to support the weight), attach wires, then lift unit and slip hook mechanism free. Attach mounting screws.


Can I cause damage to electrical appliances by unplugging them when they are turned on?

Typically, an appliance will not be damaged if it is currently ON and then you unplug its power cord. If you plug it back in the device will simply resume operation as if it were ON.

I say typically because there are some cases where this may not be the case. There are many devices such as computers and some other electronic devices that almost always recommend that you interact with the device to gracefully shut it down before you think of yanking the power cord out of the wall. This graceful shutdown process ensures that the device has finished all critical internal operations before losing power. This could include operations such as closing open files or saving important system state to a storage memory.

With many of today's appliances having more and more smart electronics, it can be more of a concern that you not arbitrarily pull power cords. A well-designed appliance from a reputable manufacturer will have made provisions in the electronics design and software so that the device does not get bricked when the power is suddenly lost. On the other hand, as more designs are done by less experienced people, this possibility of damaging operation of an appliance by the sudden loss of power is more likely than ever.

To make my case, let me comment that the ever more popular Raspberry Pi (rPi) microcontroller board is leading many people to think of embedding devices like that into appliances and other gadgets. It is a known fact that removing power from an rPi board can brick the boot media on its micro SD card and keeping it from being able to reboot when power is restored.


The way I addressed this  issue was with a wide shim under  the carpet that brought the floor height up gradually over about 12 inches I made my own but you can buy them
look at this video to see how they work

You can purchase kits of various sizes to fit your needs here

( I do not have any affiliation with the companies featured in this answer)


Toilet seat with metal axles in plastic sleeves squeaks like crazy when opened/closed

A teflon based lubricant will be inert with respect to plastics and of course, equally inert to steel and iron products. Teflon based lubricants are used in plumbing applications, specifically in faucet and other water valves, as well as on sliding surfaces for some mechanisms such as 3D printers and low-load CNC devices.

Super-lube is one brand name, although it may not be available in your area as such. A quick search for "teflon grease" results in many returns.


How can I wire this ceiling light correctly?

Wiring colour conventions can vary worldwide, so as you don't state where you are located, it's not possible to give a definitive answer.

In the UK for example (for single phase wiring), convention would have the live wire as brown (new colour) or red (old colour) and the neutral wire as blue (new colour) or black (old colour). It was not uncommon to see appliances using the new colours while fixed wiring still used the old colours, until the new colour scheme was adopted for fixed wiring (around 2004).

If you are in any doubt at all, sound advice would be to contact a competent electrician to do the work for you.


What you are looking for is the Laundry-To-Landscape system: http://oasisdesign.net/greywater/laundry/

This system works very well and is easy to implement yourself at very low cost. I have implemented it myself and it works perfectly, providing much needed irrigation water to my parched desert yard (not a problem in Mississippi I imagine!). And unless you're washing poopy diapers, laundry is graywater, so it's not a health hazard. You could direct the water to mulched trees, or a gravel-filled trench you could dig. But don't just dump it onto the grass.


Why did my third coat of polyurethane finish "buckle"?

It is very unusual for Urethane to Buckle or alligator skin when applied over urethane. The reason for this type of failure is usually a contaminate on the surface. Grease, oil, wax etc. Did you use the same type of urethane from the same lot? After sanding, did you clean the dust off with a cloth that may have had some contaminates on it? I always use a clean cloth very slightly damp with water, or a tact cloth, never use mineral spirits. Give it a while to dry completely and put on the next coat.  The only other problem could have been that the urethane was not mixed well. Always stir, never shake urethane.  Don't mix water base urethane with oil base.


What are the drawbacks to bridging phases in my home electrical?

It is standard practice to install a phase coupler. You should not have any issues.


I would say you are ok for now. Would be different if the current wiring was 12/2 with 20amp breakers and you were splicing in a piece of 14/2. But there is probably a section in the code book somewhere that states this is not acceptable practice.


There are 2 types of Radon mitigation systems: 1) gravity, and 2) forced air.

1) Typically a gravity system will be installed, with an option to install an exhaust fan at a later date, if the gravity system is not effective.

2) After the gravity system runs for a year or so, additional readings will be taken to determine if the system is effective and has reduced the radon level. If it hasn’t, then an exhaust fan can be installed to “assist” with the mitigation (air flow) process.

It sounds like someone has determined an exhaust fan is required. First, I’d try to determine if the fan is required.

In both systems, air “intake” is required. That is to say, in order for air to flow through the pipes, there needs to be a way for air to flow into the system. So, in order for your fan to exhaust air there needs to be air allowed into the system. This intake air is called “makeup” air. (Without an intake, it’s like putting your finger over a straw that is full of water. If air can’t get into the straw, then nothing can flow out of the straw.)

Your fan could be overheating because it is unable to get “makeup” air. Did the contractors forget the makeup air intake?


How to install a wall-safe in a concrete wall?

The simplest and most efficient method is to add a new wall, and have the safe in place when you pour it.

Barring that, for a "really, I'm QUITE sure it's not structural" wall, rental or purchase of various destructive technologies will aid the process - diamond core drills can make large holes cleanly and quickly. Diamond saw blades can make grooves between holes (few will make it through the entire wall thickness, and those would be hard to manage anyway) or for a cruder approach various levels of jackhammer-related tooling (hammer-drills at the low end, actual jackhammers that are a bit much to manage on a wall at the high end) will bash out concrete and/or drill holes somewhat faster than regular drills but more crudely than core drills. Presumably you'll pour new concrete (or grout) around the safe when in place, so crude may not matter much, so long as you don't knock the whole wall down.


GE Dishwasher - Control Pad Buttons Won't Respond (gld5660v00ss)

It sounds like your control board is failing, considering that unpowering and repowering the unit is not getting it out of the bad state -- replacing it should fix it.


It sounds like you have a pretty good handle of the problem. Hidden junction boxes do exist but it could also be a failure along the cable.

If you've 100% ruled out all known junction boxes then you need to narrow down the problematic section of cable and go hunting between with a cable tracer.  With each section of wiring (ie: junction box to next junction box), test continuity of the cable.  You should eventually find the two points where the fault exists between. Once you have this, use the cable tracer to look for hidden boxes and other fun stuff. A flexible scope might help you look in stud cavities. If that fails you might have to open up the wall to get a better idea of what's the problem.

Also inspect all visible wires for nicks, oxidation or other damage.

There comes a point too where it becomes easier to just run a new wire versus trying to find the exact fault location.

If you do find the issue, it would be worth thinking about if it is likely to occur elsewhere and if so, how you should deal with that (replace all the wiring, redo connections in junction boxes, etc.)


How can I route a cable around a floor joist over a wall?

I would be drilling from the plate through the header straight up the center , with it centered it will be ok and no nail plate would be required it will not be a problem with strength as the load is on studs at the opening.


Another solution: Make one of them close to avoid clashing.

I reversed my kitchen door so it opens into the hallway instead of into the room.  That means it can clash with the cloakroom door if that's left half open.  I solved it by fitting a (very gentle, in fact modified with a weaker spring) automatic closer to the cloakroom door, so it doesn't stop half open.

Rehanging a door can be tricky but is perfectly doable with reasonable DIY skills.  It's one of the simplest tasks for which you need a decent set of chisels (in fact it's the main reason I even have chisels).  The job needs proper planning: when I did mine there was enough space on the new side of the frame to make it simple but had it been on a different (non-structural) wall it would have been much harder.


Gas combi boiler raditator flushing to clear dirt

Since there is no response to my question, I took a chance and tried as below and there was no problem, I have cleared all the sludge.

Turn off the Worcester gas boiler

Open the pressure valve of the boiler so that water flows into the system

Open the radiator drain valve to let the water flow until it is clear of sludge
Maybe not as efficient as power flushing but it is an easy and cheap procedure


Would it be OK to install a water pressure regulator where the supply line enters my home?

Presumably you are in a non-freezing climate. In freezing climates, it's very common to have a pressure regulator / pressure reducing valve inside the house, since it would freeze (or be in an inconveniently deep hole) outside the house.


How do I paint over unpaintable silicone?

Paint over it (or to either side) and ignore the strip where the paint won't stick.

Pull it out and re-caulk with something paintable.

Try to smear paintable silicone over the top of it and hope that sticks to the stuff you have. Hard to do neatly, pulling it out and redoing is more likely to succeed, IMHO.


It boggles my mind when folks ask questions like this. How is anybody on the internet, supposed to know what's in your wall? We don't know where you live, what your house is made of, the layout of the house, "10 inches down" from what, etc.  Any answer somebody provided would be a guess, at best.

The only way to know for sure what it is, is to open up the wall and look.

If it's ~10" down from the second story floor, it's quite possibly the top plate of the wall below (that would assume 10" or 12" joists). Unfortunately, there's no way to guarantee that without looking. Happy drilling Bruh!


There are two things in the photo: 1) anchor bolt, and 2) holddown. You must live in a “high wind” area or a “seismically active” area.

1) The anchor bolt is used to secure the plate to the foundation. The plywood sheathing is then nailed into the plate to create a “shear panel” (shear wall). It’s a bit unusual to me because it has a head. Usually the bolt’s threaded end extends out of the concrete a few inches. Then when the plate is installed a nut and washer is installed AND TIGHTENED DOWN. This installation does not allow it to be tightened. (Maybe they drive the anchor bolt deep enough that the plate sits tight to the concrete.). The 3” square washer is to keep the plate from pulling off the foundation wall. (I’d check to make sure the anchor bolts have a hook (about 1” hook) so it doesn’t pull out. It should also be about 10” long...in order to develop “full resistance “.

2) The holddown is used to keep the shear wall from rotating away from the concrete. If it starts to rotate away, it will unzip the full length of the wall. It seems properly anchored into a post (post must be a minimum of 3” thickness), but I’d make sure all the holes in the metal connector have a screw into the post. What seems odd is the rod  is placed off center of the concrete wall. In order for it to develop full strength, the rod needs to be 1) deformed, 2) set in a 8” wide concrete wall, and 3) encased in concrete about a minimum of 18” (depending on the load it’s resisting. Sometimes they are 48” long...but I’d expect it to have a larger diameter.)

I’d ask the builder why this doesn’t match up to the others and I’d call it to the attention of the Building Inspector.  You did get a Building Permit, right?


Can not find the circuit breaker without power

If your GFCI is trying to reset then you do have power at the source conductor attached to you GFCI.

You need to remove the cover of the GFCI and carefully unscrew and pull out the receptacle. Use a non contact tester to see if there is power at the GFCI. If it does then get a helper and have them test the receptacle while you go through panel turn each breaker on then off until you find the one that turns the power off at the receptacle.


Stalling roof turbines to improve air flow?

Wow, landlords can really be dummies sometime.  The simplest answer is that the turbine company paid an engineer to design/improve their turbine to be most effective relative to the cost of production.  If stopping the blades were more effective then there would be no bearings for them to spin on and the turbines would cost less to build.  The landlords idea could be improved by taking the turbine off the base and leaving the attic open to the sky.  This, however would allow rain into the attic just as what would happen with a driving rain with stopped blades.  Empirevent.com has a nice website with photos.  You can easily see into the interior when the vent is stopped and that is the path for rain to enter.


Things to look for while entering the crawlspace of a house I'm considering buying?

Some things we found under our crawl space that you can keep an eye out for:

Joist hangers weren't secured to code, not enough nails.
Insulation wasn't properly secured and was sagging.
If the crawlspace is part of an addition, make sure ducts and vents arn't coverd up and carry through to the exterior of the house. Make sure any vents aren't leaking air and flow is good.


adding light switch to an existing circuit

I don't see a problem with that.

Right now, the cable between the switch and receptacle has 2 wires besides ground:

Always-hot   (white, and it's supposed to be marked with tape, and it's not)
Switched-hot (hot when the switch is on; on yours, native black).

Your new wire assignment on that segment will be (and the colors are mandatory):

Neutral -- actual white
Always-Hot -- black

That's exactly what you need there to continue the circuit in the conventional way.

You will need to rearrange the wiring in the old receptacle box.  Remove all the non-ground wires from the old receptacle. Put a 6" black pigtail on a brass screw and a 6" white pigtail on a white screw. Then wirenut all the white wires together... and all the black wires together... regardless of how they were arranged before.  That should make the receptacle work at all times.


Wood on top of .5" tempered glass coffee table

According to hunker.com, a piece of 1/4" tempered glass, supported every 12 inches can support 292 pounds per square foot. The same web site suggests that 3/4" tempered glass supported every 12 inches can manage 3268 pounds per square foot. This implies a non-linear increase in strength based on thickness. Being very conservative, one might simply double the 1/4" thickness figure and round it to about 600 pounds per square foot, if supported every 12 inches.

Your table is approximately 6 square feet in area. This implies that one could apply 3600 pounds to the surface of the table if it was supported every 12 inches. It is not.

It's unlikely that your slab of undefined wood of undefined dimensions is going to weigh 3600 pounds.

If your slab of wood is going to match the size of the top, placing the weight uniformly over the table, it will be well enough distributed. Such distribution will also place the forces on the vertical legs of the table.

I think it's safe to say that you could have two hundred pounds of wood on this table and not fear to break it. One should not apply side forces to the table when moving. Remove the slab if you have to slide the table unless otherwise managed. I'd be willing to go as high as four hundred pounds if the table is never going to be moved, but what kind of wood slab is going to weigh four hundred pounds?

These figures are conservative, which means I might be on the safe side by many orders of magnitude.


Can you run 230v powertool on single pole 20 amp breaker?

AFAIK, Canada uses the same split-phase arrangement as the USA to deliver 230 V to the premises, with the center tap grounded as the "neutral" wire.

So yes, you definitely need a double-pole breaker. Both "hot" wires need to be protected from over current.


Convert bathroom exhaust fan/light combo to light only with 3 way switches

Short answer is: No

You can't use single pole switches (what you referred to as 2 pole) to create a 3-way circuit. You need another wire that is not available with 2 wire cable.

You would have to replace the 2 wire cable with 3 wire.

However they do have "wireless" switches that convert a single pole switch to a 3-way setup with the wireless switch at the second location. You might check into that.

Good luck!


Why would turning on one breaker trip another?

Somewhere the circuits have been bridged together where they shouldn't be. And if the hots are out of phase with each other, then turning them both on creates a direct path from one hot to the other, and a short, which is tripping your breaker.

If you're seeing this kind of wiring issue, then there are almost certainly others that are also there, and the proper solution is to gut your house, find all the hidden junctions, fire hazards, and other wiring issues, and likely rewire the whole mess.

Since you'll likely ignore that advice, find the mid-point between these two circuits, break it into two by unhooking the load connection from the outlets on each end of the two circuits, label the line, and bind the hot and neutral together on each end of that disconnected line so that no one reconnects the circuit accidentally. To find the midpoint, start unhooking one side of an outlet and see what still works when you turn on one of the two circuits. And make sure the kids aren't trying to put things in the outlets while you're testing.


Are there any quick setting floor leveling compounds?

It's really hard to say what will be available to you locally - so many products vary by location.

The product you are looking for is definitely out there.  The first one that came up in a search at HomeDepot Canada says it will setup for tiles in 4hrs and other floor coverings in 14hrs.

Ask around at your home renovation stores and building supply vendors to see what is available.


How to add a plug socket in a specific scenario

Although I'm very curious as to exactly what is going on here, in answer to your real question:

This is probably on a lighting (or similar) circuit, which would make it unsuitable for a plug anyway. You could test this by turning off your breakers one by one and figuring out what's on that circuit. If the wiring is up to scratch, all wire under that circuit should be sized appropriately regardless of its actual use.
However, even if it is suitable for a 13 amp plug, you won't have enough space for all those wires, a block connector and a plug unless it's insanely deep behind there
Blanking plates aren't generally put in "just in case" - it's just as easy to cut the wire and put a socket in, the hard work is getting wires to it and the backbox in. They're normally either left over when something is removed (Such as a hard wired appliance) or, in this case, when the electrician needed somewhere accessible fro a junction box. It was not envisaged as a place for a socket.
Given the above, the complexity of what you're looking at and the fact you're unsure (And I'm just some guy on the Internet guessing) you MUST get in touch with an electrician to investigate this further. You're in this because you were under the impression that it was an "obvious" place to add a plug - I'm telling you that this is probably not the case.


How can a ventless (gas) fire box be put in a wall safely?

Since you already have the ventless appliance, you should have a carbon monoxide (CO) detector in your home. Ideally, there would be more than one per floor with detectors located near the primary inhabited areas.

Under ideal conditions, both propane and natural gas (since you didn't specify) will combust to produce pure water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). However, this is rarely the case, even in ventless-rated appliances. Typically, the combustion is not ideal, and some small amount of CO is produced, but is not of a level high enough to cause health concerns. Most homes are not 100% air tight and there is enough air exchange to prevent CO build-up.

The largets concern with placing the ventless appliance in the wall is going to be trapping the combustion gases. Trapping the CO can cause a significant build-up of CO in an isolated area which could cause health concerns or even death. Trapping the H2O could provide an enviroment suitable to mold growth which can pose a health hazard.

If you are determined to install this ventless appliance in the wall, you will need to ensure that the appliance receives sufficient intake air to maintain complete, ideal combustion, and that combustion gases are vented into the room rather than into the wall. Whether or not this is possible will depend on where the intake and exhaust vents are located on the ventless appliance.

Please consult the owner's manual for any warnings before doing any work or modifcations.


How do I put up shelving that won't sag?

If you're sagging in the longitudinal direction, support lengthwise. If you can brace or support the entire length of the shelf, you can avoid a lot of the sagging. Sometimes even so much as adding a font lip will go a long way to making the shelves sturdier. Even a 1/2" x 1" strip, fastened with glue and countersunk wood screws will go a long way.

If even more weight needs to be supported, I've painted aluminum angle to the bottom of 40"x 26" MDF Shelves so they support Audio equipment in a cheap entertainment center, supported only by 4 steel pins.

Just remember, whatever you add shouldn't be so heavy as to take away from the load the shelf is intended to carry.

I.E. 2" steel angle on 1" thick boards as shelves may be overkill (ask me how I know)


How can I build deck stairs flush with the end of the deck?

Double beam the ledger,
Notch out a rail seat .65 inches,
Set stringers in place,
Pre drill 3/4" pocket hole horizontally from stringer into ledger (will need 12" to 14" auger bit),
Use 1/2" structural screws to secure stringer to ledger,
Plug hole with hole plugs or mix sawdust with sandable titebond glue and patch hole.

Additionally, stringer 14ga prebent metal underneath each stringer, stubby nailed to ledger will help support weight if it's high off the ground.


Is there a special name for a 3 foot long drill bit, and where can I buy them?


What are these 3 pipes on the side of my furnace / AC?

A and B look to be a gas line of one nature or another, whether it be natural gas or liquid propane (LP), C is the conduit that feeds electric to the unit.

Either A or B supplies the unit, and the other branches off to supply fuel for another appliance that requires gas.


How to properly insulate a bathroom with 2 walls been concrete blocks?

I'm about 2 hours south of you. Cut 1/2" styrofoam between those strips, use a wide flashing tape to cover the furring strips and lap over onto each piece of stryofoam to the left & right of the furring strip.

Then, Keep gettin up. Put you some good 1/2" material on the wall, for the sake of your tile. I suggest cement board, but you'll do what you prefer.

The difference between what I just suggested, and 2" of foam, will make no difference in perceived heat loss, or electric bill increase.


How can I refinish a basement concrete floor?

Those aren't sub layers. I would say those are actually just layers of paint. The mesh could be left over from a carpet that was once there. Potentially, that's the glue mixed with the carpet mesh that didn't get removed when they removed the carpet.

Refinishing would require you to sand that baby down, and choose what you want to paint over it. Latex paint should work fine. For a stronger and more durable layer on the floor, I would go with an industrial epoxy finish. NOT THE KIT. Heard bad things about the kit and about how they don't last.

Latex paint will get you what you want if you're just looking to hide those imperfections. Choose a flat paint and don't forget to prime it all first.


Can I mount an electrical box on a non-stationary surface?

Absolutely, we use flexible conduit all the time. If flex conduit is installed for flexibility it is limited to 6’ in length. I would suggest stranded conductors for longer life but code is not specific on that. metal flex is handy and industrial plants do just what you want to do routinely it is code compliant so FMT or flexible metal tubing (usually just called metal flex).


I strongly suggest that you upgrade to 2x6 (1.5 x 5.5")  The extra quarter inch makes a big difference.

I would suggest using the hex head screws used to fasten down sheet metal roofing.  You can get them in various lengths.  They take a 3/8" socket.

Self tapping screws are fine for sheet metal -- say up to about 18 ga.  I wouldn't want to use them on something like 1/8" steel.

Drill your holes in the frame before putting the planks in place.  This allows you to drill DOWN instead of up, with no risk of getting metal shavings in your eye.  You still will have to put the screws in from the bottom.

You also may want to put a pair of boards under the motor cycle.  The motor cycle is a point load -- all the weight is on the two tire footprints. This is at most on two planks for each.

I have a 5x10 trailer with 2x6 running crosswise.  I use it to haul up to a ton of trees, but that's well distributed.  I've noticed a certain springiness on the deck, and would want a stronger deck to use to haul my ATV or compact tractor.


How to run flexible metal conduit through wall of attached garage?

I'm no code expert but as I understand it, yes if you use fire caulk as per exception #2 in 713.3.1 and you are going to surface mount the switch on the drywall in the garage.

713.3 Fire-resistance-rated walls. Penetrations into or through fire walls, fire barriers, smoke barrier walls and fire partitions shall comply with Sections 713.3.1 through 713.3.3. Penetrations in smoke barrier walls shall also comply with Section 713.5.

  713.3.1 Through penetrations. Through penetrations of fire-resistance-rated walls shall comply with Section 713.3.1.1 or 713.3.1.2.

  Exception: Where the penetrating items are steel, ferrous or copper pipes, tubes or conduits, the annular space between the penetrating item and the fire-resistance-rated wall is permitted to be protected as follows:

  In concrete or masonry walls where the penetrating item is a maximum 6-inch (152 mm) nominal diameter and the area of the opening through the wall does not exceed 144 square inches (0.0929 m2), concrete, grout or mortar is permitted where it is installed the full thickness of the wall or the thickness required to maintain the fire-resistance rating; or
  The material used to fill the annular space shall prevent the passage of flame and hot gases sufficient to ignite cotton waste when subjected to ASTM E 119 or UL 263 time-temperature fire conditions under a minimum positive pressure differential of 0.01 inch (2.49 Pa) of water at the location of the penetration for the time period equivalent to the fire-resistance rating of the construction penetrated.

  713.3.1.1 Fire-resistance-rated assemblies. Penetrations shall be installed as tested in an approved fire-resistance-rated assembly.

  713.3.1.2 Through-penetration firestop system. Through penetrations shall be protected by an approved penetration firestop system installed as tested in accordance with ASTM E 814 or UL 1479, with a minimum positive pressure differential of 0.01 inch (2.49 Pa) of water and shall have an F rating of not less than the required fire-resistance rating of the wall penetrated.

http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/ibc/2009/icod_ibc_2009_7_sec013.htm

Side note: whats wrong with it where it is in the picture? Don't want it inside your house looking ugly? Also, some of those wires look a little short. You may want to cut as much of the BX as you can leaving just enough to connect it.


Female Disconnect to Fix Mower Ignition Connection

Yes, they went out of their way to use a standard type part so you could do that.

Those connectors do have 3 different widths, so watch out what you are buying.


old 230 volt transformer style arc welder on an old square d 125 amp panel

While the panel is rated 125 amp, you have a 100 amp service. You also have an electric dryer and water heater in addition to the usual lights and outlets. Adding a 66 amp load to all of this is definitely overloading the service.

If you went ahead and installed this welder, you won't burn down the house (at least not from electrical loads, from welding is another story) but you would get nuisance tripping. Every time you struck an arc, the lights would dim. The resulting voltage drop could damage electronic equipment such as computers and TVs, as well as anything else with electronics, which is virtually everything these days.


Water damage in bathroom ceiling floor: how to treat and then prevent?

Bathroom floors are not supposed to leak. You may want to pay to have the floor redone properly. I assume this is a new house that you are just discovering this.

The photo looks like plastered drywall. Normally wet drywall has to be replaced, otherwise it will grow mold which is bad. Theoretically it can be dryed out, but that would not be an easy operation and practically requires removing the drywall to get full access to it, so if you remove it you may as well replace it.


When I've had to re-stain decks or chairs etc with a little mold on them I've always used a bleach solution.  Mix a little bleach with some water and apply it to the mold (spray bottle, or brush).  The bleach will kill the mold quickly (just let it sit there).  Then lightly sand the mold off (just to get rid of the moldy texture) and re-paint.

Good luck


Patches of drywall mud on subfloor. Do I need to remove before installing flooring?

Just scraping it flush with the surrounding area of the subfloor will work fine. At most, I would vacuum areas where thinset is to be used under the cement board.This will pick up the dust in  the grain of the plywood subfloor, giving room for the thinset to grab better. Make sure the plywood is well fastened, 6" on edges, 8" both ways in the center of the panels. Screws are best. The diagonal subfloor hopefully was secured better first... nails reset, screws added...

In general I would vacuum everything that gets a finish over it to control future dust.


A hand compactor will not cut it I am afraid. Is there no one where you live renting out plate compactors by the day? The subbase and sand need to be really compacted, flat and laid to falls, for the concept of block paving to even work, plus you also need to run the compactor over the finished paving (using the supplied rubber mat) to settle in the paving and this is why the base levels also need to be compacted flat (otherwise I fear that the paving will undulate up and down like the sea!)

Also you need to figure out your edge restraints on the sides not butting up to the concrete or the paving will creep apart over time.

Here is some good info...

http://www.pavingexpert.com/blocks2.htm

http://www.aggregate.com/documents/bradstone-laying-guides/bradstone-laying-guide-block-paving.pdf


The flathead of the screw needs to fit into the keyhole bracket on the shelf and we can't tell whether it would fit or not without the measurements of the bracket.

Even if you could drill the holes in the grout lines, you would probably nick or crack a tile. I would mount that shelf in the kitchen and get a bathroom shelf constructed of a PVC material and use some heavy duty two-sided tape to secure it to the wall.


How do I stabilize a knob on a hollow-core bifold door?

Polyurethane Foam.  The type that is used for insulation.

Remove the door, remove knob and screw
Tape rear hole to contain foam.
Lay door flat
Enlarge knob hole to allow dispensing wand to fit.  (If this enlargment is too close to the knob base size, this method won't work)
Dispense foam into hole.  Probably a 3-4 second burst will be enough
After curing overnight, redrill the hole to allow screw to pass.

This works because the foam will keep the hollow walls from collapsing


From my one experience fixing a slow-running sink, I'd recommend these steps, weighted by likeliness to be the source of the problem and PITA-factor in troubleshooting:

Check other sinks.
Verify your shutoff valves under the sink are all the way on. Typically an on valve points in the direction of outgoing flow. If it's not clear, lefty tends to be loosey.
Check if you get the same issue turning the sink to all the way cold vs. all the way hot. Basic sinks are unlikely to have pressure/thermostatic balancers.

If the problem is imbalanced, it's at or before the mixing cartridge and unlikely to be in the flex hose or aerator/flow restrictor. Check hot/cold feeds first in following steps.
If the problem is balanced, and you're sure you don't have a balancing mixing cartridge, the problem is at or after the mixing cartridge and unlikely to be in the hot/cold feeds.
If the problem is balanced, and you're not sure what sort of hot/cold mixer you have, just continue.

Plug your sink with a towel or stopper or grate and pop off the assembly and look for debris. There may be several small parts so be careful.
Extract and inspect the mixing cartridge which should be accessible from above. You may need Channellock/tongue-and-groove pliers for this to remove a screw-on retaining ring if you can't loosen it by hand.
Lay down a towel under your sink, turn off your two water supply shutoff valves, and start detaching and inspecting the under-sink hoses depending on the priority order established earlier. A typical one-hole faucet will have one hot and one cold hose carrying water up a copper pipe coupling, which will go up into the cartridge and then back down through a copper pipe that couples to the flex hose ( sometimes through a fat plastic coupling that includes its own flow restrictor) which leads into the flex hose that you pull out of the sink. Remember that the ends of the couplings and hoses often twist independently of the hose itself, so you don't have to do too many acrobatics to twist things into place. Things to look out for:

If you have a plastic coupling with built-in flow restrictors, they may be clogged and need replacing/removal.
The hot and cold feeds from the wall should have very high pressure. If they don't, you have piping problems and are looking at a bigger fix.
If any coupling is clogged, you may have to remove it.
Once the hot and cold feeds are disconnected, you can try blowing on the system in reverse in the hopes of dislodging something, but this may make some problems worse.


Advantages of spray vs roller system for painting a flat

Sprayers are capable of giving a very smooth finish very quickly. That is why you will often see professionals use sprayers when finishing trim, stairs and cabinets. The negatives of a sprayer would be the amount of prep time required to start painting. You have to tape and plastic EVERYTHING. Do not underestimate the amount of over and back spray you will get from a sprayer.

Also keep in mind if the walls aren't smooth right now, spraying over them won't make them smooth. You'll need to sand them down before applying your coating. You can also get a relatively smooth finish with the right roller and pan if you spend enough time sanding and prepping your surfaces.


It is not specific so it is a matter of trial and error. Various sponges but also mops are used. It also depends on pressure and movement of the tool. My builder called it "Stomp"  and says he always uses the same painter who has sponge that is decades old so he can make matching alterations later.


is there an outlet box mounted overcurrent protection device?

Your assumption is correct. The over current device is there to protect the entire wiring system from a fault and this does not change even if you install allow voltage device at the end of the circuit.

You can only install a over current device in an approved designed enclosure and this is regulated by NEMA in order to meet NEC requirements.

I will mention there are methods of installing over current protection so you can reduce the size of the wiring to a device, but I don't want to release that information to any DIY since there is a better than average chance it would be installed incorrectly or abused. I believe something like that needs to be done by a licensed professional with the correct parts that can not be purchased from a standard big box or local hardware store.

So weighing price between installing a #12 or an over current protection. I would think the #12 would win out.

Stay safe.


How can I control two lights together at one switch location and independently at two other locations?

You can't do what you hope with conventional switches. The logic is too complex. You'd have to look to smart switch options, and even then it may not be practically feasible. (How do you override the bedside switches with the doorway switch in both on and off states?)

I'd do conventional three-ways for each light and just have two switches at the doorway, maybe using a dual single-gang switch set. You can then be sure to have independent dimming as well, probably at the bedside.


How much more paint does a paint sprayer use than a roller?

I have used a sprayer to paint my house before we moved in. While I can't qualify how much more paint I used, it did feel like I used more compared to rolling, but I think part of that is because it goes so quick and I may have been painting over the same areas more than I would have with a roller.

One thing to note though, when I sprayed my home, there was nothing in it. No flooring, window treatments, etc.  Spraying, no matter how careful, will leave some atomized paint in the air, which will eventually hit the floor or whatever else you don't want to have paint on it. Be prepared to mask, tape, and tarp everything you don't want painted that can't be removed from the room. You will want a mask and a respirator of some kind (you probably don't need anything fancy). The mask I used had a roll of film built in it so that I could get a "clean view" when too much paint got on it. That was especially handy when doing the ceilings.

Personally, now that I have moved in, I would roll instead of spray.


Why do bathroom sinks have overflow holes whereas kitchen sinks and tubs do not?

I suspect this is simply because kitchen sinks are rarely operated by two-year-olds, and hence do not need training wheels.


No philosophy: Code is data-driven
Code is the result of analysis of systematically collected data about actual  electrical accidents as they happened in the field.   It’s the nature of science that you must take the field data as it comes, and not try to force it to conform to some notion of what it should be.
In the case of 15/20A, the data has shown that there’s no problem there. Keep in mind, UL was a partner in developing that use-case in the first place, by requiring as a condition of UL listing that everything from receptacles to appliances all play nice on a 20A breaker, unless they are on a dedicated circuit.  In that case UL needs the breaker to conform to the device ampacity.
In particular, UL requires that every 15A receptacle be rated for 20A internally.  And obviously 15A appliances must show they fail safe on a 20A breaker.
Conversely, data has shown that when “the big stuff” (40-60A) is mis-fused, trouble follows.  The closest thing I can see to a “philosophy” is “little things have little trouble; big things have big trouble.”

Another aspect often overlooked is how NEC 110.2 (must use approved devices, i.e. UL) and 110.3(B) (must install the device according to its instructions) intersect with UL’s listing standards.  UL approves the instructions as part of the product’s listing, hence 110.3(B), and those instructions are the scope of the design review and testing. When you misuse a device off-label, you’re in uncharted territory. No one can vouch for the safety of that device.
By the way, the cheap Chinese switch you linked violates NEC 110.2 right out of the box, since it does not meet the basic standard of “Approved” — it lacks a UL listing, or any competent NRTL competitor like ETL or CSA.  It is illegal for stores to sell such a thing at retail; Amazon exploits loopholes in our consumer protection laws to sell it. Send it back as defective; the lack of a UL mark, a thing required on anything sold in the US, makes it defective.
Amazon denies responsibility because they say they’re only a “platform” connecting independent sellers to buyers, and the sellers also use Amazon’s billing, warehousing and shipping system.  This is hollow, as far as I’m concerned.
Our best advice is to never buy AC mains equipment on Amazon.  It’s either unlisted junk, or wildly overpriced because of the realities of how Prime shipping is paid for, and the fact that most electrical gear is both low value and quite heavy.  Just work with your local electrical supply or home store, many do curbside pickup.

It isn’t constructive to “overthink” Code like this.  What possible endgame is there to that, except deciding to ignore Code because the reasons are stupid?  That’s a mistake because its premise is wrong: the premise is that the Codebook is full of rules both smart and stupid, and that it’s worth figuring out which is which, and that a novice is capable of this distinction. Every aspect of that premise is wrong.
I can tell you that everytime I’ve looked deeply into the reasons for a particular rule, I’ve seen several of them, and they interlock with other aspects of Code to provide multi-layered protection.  A Code deviation will have unexpected side-effects.
The right way is easy and cheap
The easiest/cheapest way to implement that is actually a subpanel - $20 panel, two $9 breakers (50A and 60A) and you’re Code legal and done.
You’re not actually required at that point to interlock both loads, but if you really feel the need, you can choose your brands carefully to find one that has a $25 generator interlock in a box size you like.  If I was min-maxing for price, I’d look at Eaton, as Square D “QO” is pricey and Siemens’ cheap interlock requires a 12+ space panel (which might be a virtue of its own actually, because you can put other loads there, heck you could power a whole wood shop, presuming the Tesla is out of the garage when you’re making sawdust).
My advice is send that switch back, and slap a subpanel there with or without interlock, and with or without extra space for other loads (not to be used concurrently with the charger, of course).


What is the name of this part of drawers?

According to this diagram¹ it is a 'mid rail'.

That's a pretty standard North American term. It's quite likely you would find alternates from the UK, Europe, etc. I once worked alongside an architect who was educated in England. This fellow tended to call any horizontal support a lintel although I believe the true definition is a bit stricter.

¹ This diagram seems have at least one typo. 'Gusset or Coner Block' should most likely be 'Gusset or Corner Block'.


Outlet/Switch screw terminals seem designed to prevent wire J-hook from being attached

Yes.  Those misfeatures are actually features. They are designed to help you keep the wire captive and in the right place.

First, there is a hook designed to hook the existing wire  (i.e. the short on the right side) to help you make the J-hook more than 180 degrees to make it captive on the screw. The idea is now, you don't need to use a needle nose pliers to make that final over-180 bend. This won't make any sense if you're making the J-hook too short to benefit from this feature.

Second, it helps keep the wires "trapped" under the screw, so you don't have it slip out from under and fail to notice it if you are working quickly.

This "Trapping" is especially helpful when using stranded wire, which tends to squish around and fray when tightened.  I use a lot of stranded wire, and those things are a godsend.  As the screw gets nearer to bottom, these gates will fully entrap the wire so it can't frizz out of the hole. You still need to give the strands a really sincere twist, but it helps.


Can a grounding conductor from equipment terminate in a metal box grounded via EMT?

Yes, it's allowable to tie a ground wire to a junction box and let the metal conduit carry it the rest of the way back.

However, if the ground wire is already in the pipe, I'd leave it in there - belt and suspenders - unless you need the conduit fill.

You terminate a ground wire at a junction box by attaching it to a ground screw.  Virtually all junction boxes have a hole tapped #10-32 specifically for ground screws, which are sold either with or without pigtails.   You can put 1 wire on that screw, or any sensible number of ring terminals.   Make sure the ring terminals are UL listed for use in mains power.


Concrete slab on pressure treated lumber

It depends what will be the load over the hollow are below but in any case it is not going to be enough to just use steel mesh. You are going to need to place re-bar into the slab as well that has its structure designed by an engineer to provide the proper strength to carry the slab weight plus the load weight over the hollow space.

Keep in mind as well that this slab will need to have some considerable thickness to accommodate the engineered form of the re-bar. It may turn out that the final design involves a thinner slab that is supported by integrally poured in webbing below.


Before 2000 many cordless tools had nickel-cadmium battery packs.   Some time in the early 00's, tool makers started making nickel metal hydride battery packs.  As is often the case with batteries, the chemistry involved gave them the same operating voltage (1.2 volts per cell) as nickel-cadmium.  And internally, the cells are compatible in size and shape, so it was an easy swaperoo.

An older tool made for NiCd will work fine with a NiMH battery pack, even though it's not labeled for NiMH.  That's simply because it was made before NiMH came along.

A NiMH battery pack will work anywhere a NiCd does, and give ~50% extra runtime.

A battery charger made for NiCd may not charge NiMH correctly, the biggest danger is overcharge, because NiCd is fairly sanguine about overcharge, but it damages NiMH.


What are the black spots on my basement ceiling?

As you can see the factory prints information on each sheet during the manufacturing process.

Occasionally there is an error and ink is splattered during the time the sheet is passing through the conveyor getting trimmed,stamped,edges painted,etc...

Looking at your first picture we see the pattern of black spots stops at the joint between two sheets. That assured me that this is not a case of mold growing.


Would a sledgehammer be okay to break up limestone?

Wear safety glasses and earplugs. I'm quite serious.

As commented, depends what you are breaking up, and how much, and to what extent speed is a factor.

A sledge will break rocks. A jackhammer will typically break rocks faster. An electric jackhammer might be the happy medium for "an enclosed environment" if there's a lot to be done, and electricity, without getting into the noise and hoses of an air-powered jackhammer.

Then again, you might prefer to drill the rock full of holes (limestone drills pretty easily) to make breaking it up faster/more controllable (drilled holes plus feathers and wedges can let your sledge work more effectively at splitting rock in two rather than chipping off the edges.)

Again depending what you are breaking up, a diamond saw (wet are rentable, but you need to buy the blades - dry you can just use a cheap or unloved circular saw, and add effective dust filtration to your personal protective gear) to cut slots may be beneficial in making it easier to break up.


How much weight can you mount to a wall?

150 lbs is a very heavy set of shelves, unless the bottom sits on the floor and you only need to secure it to the wall so it won't tip forward.  In any case, there is no written limit on weight, but a lot of common sense has to be used in this case. You will want to know what the rating of the "L" brackets are and if strong enough to hold your load. They would have to be securely mounted to studs in the wall with some pretty large screws. There are no anchors for drywall that I would trust for that much weight. Perhaps you might consider some legs from the bottom of your shelf unit to the floor to support the weight.


There's really no reason to replace the cabinet floor. I had the same decision to make a number of years ago. My dishwasher hose cracked and leaked water all over my particle board cabinet floor. I cut out the damaged area and was measuring the hole for a replacement piece when I stopped and asked myself "why replace it?" The kitchen tile floor had been extended to the walls so I decided to just cut end pieces to support the existing ends of the cabinet floor and Good Stuffed the seams to bug proof the area. I did get a big plastic tub that fit right in there in case I ever had a leak, but that was it.

Since then, I've had to replace my faucet and my garbage disposal and the extra 6" of space to work in was really welcome.


If leading-edge is not suitable for LED dimming, why do so many switches have it?

leading edge dimmer will cause repeated current surges into input capacitors on electronic ballasts. this will damage the ballast or the switch.
trailing edge dimmers will experience voltage spikes when they interrupt the circuit to inductive loads like iron ballasts and transformers possibly causing malfunction or damage.
What style of dimmer is right for your lamps depends on the lamps.


Can I put a UK 3 pin plug or use an adapter on a dishwasher I brought in South Africa?

Standard electrical outlets in both Britain and South Africa supply 230V at 50Hz. There's a fair chance your dishwasher would adjust and work on 120V/60Hz power, too if you were bring it to someplace like the U.S. or Canada. That's not guaranteed, but manufacturers tend to like to sell their goods into more than one country.

Regardless, electricity in Britain is just like the electricity in South Africa, so if you can find the right plug adapter (type M to type G) you'll be fine.


Can my water softener's backwash cycle run while the well pump is out of service?

If it has a mechanical timer it doesn't need a UPS so I am figuring you mean a rotary electric timer as a opposed to a digital one.

As you have probably surmised the softener would go through its timing cycles even if the power is off but the well pump will be depleted somewhere during the softener's cycle and it will fail to properly regenerate. How far it gets through its cycle depends on how big of a pressure tank you have for the well. It is possible it won't even finish the brine cycle and you could have some brackish water until it clears out.


Gripping a 45mm / 1.75" metal disc to allow replacement of corroded toilet lid fixtures

That plastic nut is not going to unscrew off that corroded bolt. I don't have a Dremel rotary tool so my first thought would be to fracture the plastic nut with heavy pliers so that it could be torn off. I would try what is called here "channel locks" but has a different name in the UK. I have some very large channel locks that would grip the plastic nut with the jaws of the pliers parallel to the bolt. I would try to get the jaws a little off the centre line of the bolt. There is a risk of breaking the porcelain in this approach that one must be willing to accept.

Another approach would be to use a hacksaw blade. Grip the blade with a heavy glove or a rag and saw into the plastic nut parallel to the axis of the bolt. Saw all the way to the bolt and then tear off the plastic nut with some pliers.


Installation of Liquid Propane Gas line to new Takagi Tankless Water Heater

The leg is supposed to be before the flexible hose. As far as the leg goes,it’s not the normal way and I really dont know. Gas usually comes from the top and turns 90 degrees with the sediment leg below.


My LG washing Machine Model F1203CDP has error DE

DE is usually related to the door. It could be a broken hinge, a faulty door magnet, a door not properly closed or an overloaded machine that is applying too much pressure to the door.

It can also be a drain issue. Using a floor drain is acceptable as long as you also have a standpipe that is at least 3 feet high. Otherwise, the water would run out of the washer when the water level inside the machine reaches the height of the standpipe. If your hose is too low or something is restricting the water flow, that could be throwing the code.


Is there a way to replace the bottom part of wall?

This sort of work requires temporary shoring. What that entails varies greatly by what sort of loads the wall is supporting, both vertical and horizontal (such as wind). The fact you are asking at all implies you need professional assistance. Not necessarily to do all the work, but at least to ensure what work is done is done safely and properly.


Mount over-the-range microwave without top cabinet

There are brackets made specifically for mounting a microwave oven on the wall. When you use these there is no need for a separate shelf. Do make sure to mount the brackets into studs and not just to the wall with hollow wall anchors.

(Picture Source: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FPFNFB1)

The set of brackets shown above are rated for 110 pounds when securely screwed into two studs.


For any suspected open wire, the steps are the same:

Shut off the circuit.
Remove the outlet cover, unscrew it, and pull it out to inspect the wire connections to the outlet.  Fix anything wrong.  Push it back in and screw the outlet back in place.  I defer replacing the cover to facilitate probing in place with a voltmeter if needed.
If it is acceptable or you are not extremely confident of being able to avoid the exposed contacts, switch off the main breaker.
Open the service panel by removing the cover to inspect the wiring inside.  Test every mechanical connection by grabbing each wire near the end and wiggling firmly to verify a secure connection.  Repeat for every end in a circuit breaker, every ground wire, and every neutral wire.
If you still can't find the problem, you may have to check every outlet on the circuit between the panel and the misbehaving outlet.  If you don't know the sequence, just check all of them.  Occasionally there may be wall switch boxes which contain a junction for the circuit.