Inlet valve to share between faucet and dishwasher

There are adapters you can screw on that give an additional tap for the dishwasher. The size needed for the dishwasher connection is fairly standard (3/8 compression thread) as it is common to run 3/8" o.d. copper tubing or a braided stainless flex connector with that same thread.

What is NOT standard is the existing valve's outlet size (it can be any one of, like 4 different sizes). You will need to either have someone with experienced eyes take a look at your existing valve, or remove the existing supply line and take it to the plumbing shop with you.


How to mount a 12V transformer for indoor lighting

It's not approved for use in AC wiring
See the backslanted RU?  That means the power supply is only RU-Recognized as a component of some future product that will then be UL-Listed.
You are not allowed to install RU-Recognized things in house wiring.  You can only install UL-Listed things.
An RU-Recognized thing can be converted to a UL-Listed thing by packaging it in an enclosure that conforms to the UL White Book and sending it off to UL for approval along with labeling and instructions. One challenge you would need to resolve is how to put the mains wires inside the box and the low-voltage wires outside the box.  Note most UL-listed 24V thermostat transformers do exactly that, mounting in a knockout or as a junction box lid, and providing terminals on the correct side.
As you grind through the UL Listing process, UL will notice that your active component is RU-Recognized, and they will not tear it down and do their usual testing suite, since they already have. That is the value/purpose of RU.
Typically this module would be part of a luminaire (light fixture) and the luminaire would be UL Listed in  the usual way.
Other than that, you can go to the final arbiter of approval: your local electrical inspector, and ask them if they will approve some sort of mounting method.


What causes Voltage fluctuation in Panel

It's fluctuating within spec, because your household (and neighborhood) electric system is real, not "ideal."

The "240V" feed to my building varies between 238 and 242 on a regular basis - this depends on what other loads the system is servicing and the resistance of real wires with resistance. Actually, it's pretty impressive that the variation is that small, when you consider the distances involved and the number of separate, uncoordinated loads the power company has to supply, as they turn on, or off, at random.

Within your house, you may see variation on the two (115-125V) legs due to more loads on one leg than the other (unbalanced) - but the overall voltage into the building also varies slightly.


If smell comes when heat turns on, could it be the dust filter?  Have you ever replaced the dust filter associated with the fan?

If you have, does the dust filter smell like cigarettes also?

If you have not can you please post an image of dust filter when you take it out?  Just for prurient interest.


Yes a very clear advantage.  Use the first tank to take the water from street temperature to say around 90*.  Use the second tank to take it form 90* to the 120* or whatever temp you want at the tap.  You will have considerable more capacity.  There are a number of additional advantages as well.  Happy Heating.  P.


Does my mechanical room need ventilation to the exterior?

Air is a thing.  (This took humanity millenia to figure this out; we figured out industrial use of fire soon after, and then, aviation!) You can even put air in a bag, that's what a bag of air is!

Fire involves fuel (you bring) and air (that is just around).  Your furnace and water heater burn a fuel, and get air from somewhere.  Where they get it is very important!    Some furnaces use "direct vent", meaning they bring in fresh air from outside, just for their own use, using a double exhaust pipe.  Those you don't need to worry about.   However most simply grab air that is in the room, and that's a problem.

For every bagful of air that the furnace or water heater send up the stack, a replacement bagful of air has to come into the house somehow.   Back in the day, houses were very leaky, and that wasn't a problem, but modern houses can be tight enough to make that a problem.

Regardless, one problem is the replacement air leaking into the house is cold and dry (or hot and wet), causing drafts and forcing the heater and humidifier (or A/C) to work all that much harder.

Ventilating the equipment room would be a step in the right direction, becuase it would provide combustion air for them without pulling drafts in the rest of the house. You may also want to insulate this room from the house -- but not too much.... on a very cold day, that could be a lot of cold air.  You have to make sure the water pipes don't freeze!

In an ideal world, you have direct venting, where the outside draw air goes directly (and only) to the burners.


How to transfer lumber cut with odd angles

I've tried a few cuts like this and got one of the crazy devices shown below. It's a "multi angle measuring ruler". Even if you get the angles right, you still have to cut the wood accurately and that requires a good miter saw, and even then, be prepared to do it a few times to get the saw set just right. This is an art and it takes a lot of practice It's not as easy as Norm makes it look on "this old house'. Good luck.


Bathroom light switch inoperative, but fan swith okay

Old style standard switches have two screws on the right side, visible if you remove the cover plate. You don't have to remove or even loosen the switch. When the switch is OFF only one screw is hot, but when the switch is ON both are hot. If you have a voltmeter you can check for 120 V at each screw relative to a ground. If you don't have a receptacle nearby, you can get a ground by plugging an extension cord into a convenient receptacle and then using the ground in the plug end. If the switch is not making contact internally when it is turned ON, then there would be 120 V to ground (or neutral) only on one screw.

If you have a 3-way switch or one of the new powered switches, it's more complicated.


Should air vents in the floor be directed towards or away from walls and windows?

The vents should be directed away from the walls. Vents are installed at windows because that is a cooler / warmer area depending on the season this helps maintain a more uniform room temperature.


Was concrete commonly used for 2nd floor flooring in multi-family apartment units built in 1950s?

When asbestos was used in everything from cooking pan trays to attic insulation on ducts I don't remember hearing of it being mixed into concrete walls or floors.
Even if it was used with the concrete the only way to release it and have it become air borne (where it is a hazard through inhalation) would be if the floor was chiseled or ground on. Mopping or other passive forces can't pulverize the concrete to create asbestos particles. It is (if actually added to) forever entombed in the concrete.


How can I reduce the heat loss through floor?

Not sure if this should be a comment or an answer. You will need something on top of the concrete but under the radiant tubing to reflect the heat upward. They do make a metal coated wood for that purpose that has channels already routed out for the tubing. It will ad to the height of your new finished floor.

I assume your concrete is on top of earth or soil and no way to get under it. ( my forth floor condo has a two inch concrete floor so i could in theory put something under it.) You will not be able to stop the concrete from absorbing some heat but once the concrete has heated up it will act like a big heat sink and radiant that heat back out. that said it might be that the reflective material on top of the concrete would prevent the concrete heat sink from radiating upwards.


Removing '70's carpeting from outdoor cement stairs

There really is no easy way, this will require mechanical removal. Try starting with a long-handled floor scraper:

Then you will likely need to remove residual adhesive with a razor scraper:

images stolen shamelessly from ubiquitous internet search engine


What kind of soil mix to use for grading the perimeter of house to keep water away from basement?

Grade looks good to me. The ground level should drop 6" within 10' of the house.  From the pic, it looks like you have this covered.

If I'm right about the grade being correct, then the water in your basement isn't going to be solved by grading, BC grade isn't the problem.

Give your rain gutters an overhaul. Make sure they're all dumping water a good distance from the foundation. Youight need to step up your gutter cleaning regimen. I use the gutter attachment for my leaf blower - saves a lot of time. With an old maple and am ancient walnut near my roof, I have to clean them 2-3 times a year.

The rose bushes should be fine where they're at. You can pack soil around them if you're hellbent on adding grade.

To answer your question: it doesn't really matter what you use. Grading is to keep water from pooling against your house. Topsoil is fine, as long as it's sloped.

However, the grade looks okay and there's a proper amount of foundation above ground. I suspect faulty gutters are the issue here.  The runoff from clogged gutters can spatter your foundation. It can even splash upwards into your siding - but that wouldn't cause an inch in your basement.  The spatter against your foundation, or a cracked wall, would.


gas fireplace main burner wont light but pilot will light

Sometimes you can clean up the thermocouple with some fine sandpaper if you can get to the thermocouple
It worked on my gas fireplace


Under perfect conditions this is not true. However most of us are unable to weld something under perfect conditions.  There is always the risk of contaminants, imperfect welds, incorrect temperatures, etc.

This holds true even in many industrial factories. For this reason, some very high end cars have their frames glued together instead of welded.

You might have heard this under the assumption that most people don't do a great job at welding and as a result, a bolt is less likely to fail and easier to recommend.  Of course this also assumes that the company who made the bolt has good quality control too and they always hold the forces they are supposed to (unlikely in the real world with the typical low quality stuff we buy).


Can stranded wire be used for pigtails in a junction box?

As long as all the equipment is listed for the use, there's no problem using stranded wire. The UL White Book says that screw terminals and pressure plate terminals can be used with both solid and stranded wire.

  UL White Book 2013

  Receptacles(RTDV)

  Receptacles for Plugs and Attachment Plugs (RTRT)

  Terminals
  Terminals of the wire-binding screw, setscrew, or screw-actuated backwired
  clamping types are suitable for use with both solid and stranded
  building wires.

It says switches are solid only, however, you can use terminal connectors such as fork connectors.

  Switches (WFXV)

  Snap Switches (WJQR)

  Terminals
  Terminals of the wire-binding screw, setscrew, or screw-actuated backwired
  clamping types are suitable for use with solid building wires unless
  otherwise indicated either on the device or in the installation instructions.

  Terminals of a flush snap switch are permitted for use with Listed field-installed
  crimped-on wire connectors or an assembly, if so identified by
  the manufacturer.

  A flush snap switch may also be provided with conductor leads with
  factory-installed crimped-on connectors. Such connectors may be either
  attached to the flush snap switch terminal or are provided with the flush
  snap switch in the smallest unit shipping container and are suitable for
  use with the terminal of the flush snap switch.

Wire connectors (including twist-on wire connectors) can be used for both solid and stranded wire sizes between 30-10 AWG, in combinations listed by the manufacturer. Unless they are clearly marked to be used with one type or the other.

  Wire Connectors (ZMKQ)

  Wire Connectors and Soldering Lugs (ZMVV)

  Wire stranding -- Unless clearly marked "Solid," "SOL," "Stranded" or
  "STR" for a given wire size, wire range or wire combination, conductors in the range 30-10 AWG are both solid and stranded, and 8 AWG and larger
  are for stranded wire only.

Ideal Industries has a handy PDF, that lists all the allowable wire combinations that can be used with their various connectors. For example, the Ideal 74B® (their basic yellow wire-nut) can be used with 1 - 4 #14 solid or stranded conductors.


How to take apart this bed frame joint with hidden screws

With a hex key turn the fitting CW to a stop or or 90 deg and the cam lock should release.


Sounds like bed bugs to me.  Have you, or anyone else, noticed bite marks?  Sleep with a flashlight near the bed and if you wake up at night, use that to look for them (too much light will scare them away).

My suggestion is to strip the bed of all linens and wash them (you need heat to kill them, hot water and/or hot air from the dryer).  Remove and check the mattress and box springs and then check the entire bed frame.  Eliminate any paths from the bed frame to the wall or floor (placing the feet of the bed in a bowl of water or some other boundary).  Put the mattress and box springs in a zippered cover.  And finally, use a bed bug spray to kill any that make it through all this.  Note that these things can last a long time, so don't let down your guard for at least a year since you saw the last sign of them.


What type of plumbing fitting is this? (Fridge)

It is GE refrigerator water connection tubing.

It's sort of built like compression tubing, but since it's not going to be under much pressure, they integrated in the brass compression collar into the plastic tube and molded the tip for a better fit.

https://www.zoro.com/ge-refrigerator-water-conn-tubing-15-ft-wx08x10015/i/G6150737/


If you can avoid floating, I suggest you do. It's inherently weak. (And sooner or later, someone's probably going to try chinups or an entire Encyclopedia Britannica on your work.)

If you gotta, Rockler sells these blind shelf supports: http://www.rockler.com/blind-shelf-supports. Hope you're in the US, or shipping/customs might be tough.

(My review on them is way at the bottom of the list, titled "somewhat disappointing".)

I built a torsion box sandwich of 1/2" baltic birch ply top and bottom with 3/4" x 3/4" oak between. Rockler suggests an extra long 7/16" drill bit for these, though you could avoid that if you drilled the back and middle 3/4" before assembly. (Post back if you want a drawing of the box construction... I don't know if I'm really describing it well.)

Only mount these to wood studs. One per stud would be optimum for strength. You'll want to turn them so the mounting holes are vertical, as the spacing for a 2x4 isn't quite right.


How to test existing ethernet cable outlets?

Your testing method seems reasonable and probably rules out continuity between those two drops. (The exception might be if your router or switch don't have Auto MDI-X sensing and you needed a crossover cable, but that's unlikely as most devices made in the past few years should figure that out automatically.)

So if these two drops aren't directly linked, where do they go? Most often these run to a basement, attic, or closet. Possibly (but not necessarily) wherever your home's telephone wiring terminates. As a first step, try to figure out where the lines go - perhaps you can find a common termination point and locate your router or switch there to supply the drops.

If visual inspection isn't working, you can use a tool called a wire tracer or tone-and-probe kit to track where the cables go in your walls. The tool has two pieces: a tone generator and a probe. You'll either plug the tone generator into an RJ45 port, or open up the drop and clip the tone generator to a wire in the ethernet cable. The toner generates a signal that flows through the cable, effectively using the cable as a radio broadcast antenna. The probe then picks up on this signal (usually a beep or siren type tone) and replays it. You can move the probe back and forth along your walls, and identify the path the cable is taking.

Tone and probe kits are not super cheap tools, but a basic comms-oriented one can be had online for around $25 (example). I have a cheap Harbor Freight one that I've gotten a surprising amount of use from in various wiring projects.


how to remove the particle board subfloor underlayment quickly?

Buy a cat's paw prybar and pound it under each nailhead, pull each nail individually. I know it sounds painfully laborous, but believe me - much cleaner, efficient, and productive. Make sure to test the smallest piece first - they may all be glued. If that's the case, go buy the cheapest latex paint you can find and paint over the floor to seal in the stink until you get your carpet.

Honestly, I'd call my latter suggestion "Plan A", but I don't know your situation.


How to apply the primer over paint on a small chipped area

So it sort of depends on how bad the chipping is.  (posting a picture will allow for a bit more detail in answers)

In general for chipped paint I would recommend the following process. (and yes getting the prime on existing paint is no big deal)

Clean and sand the edges.  Basically, make sure that nothing else is loose.  Take a scraper and chip off any paint that does not adhere to the wall behind it.
Fill the holes with non-shrink spackle.  Use a scraper, apply it, let it dry then sand it smooth with the surrounding wall.
Prime.  You can get away with a spray primer (I generally use the spray Kilz to seal the parts that were patched.
Paint.  So you can brush it on and just apply a spot fix...but the texture of the paint will be different from the walls around it...ideally you should paint the whole wall, but that said you can roll a section of it, and feather out from the main area that needs paint.


How do I prepare this exterior concrete wall for paint?

If there is six or seven layers of paint over the concrete then it will be sufficiently thick to be noticeable if you attempt to just scrape a single area and paint.  It sounds as if a number of different people over the years have been putting off the dreaded inevitable conclusion that you should completely scrape and remove paint from the entire surface and repaint it with a proper exterior enamel approved for concrete.

When scraping paint always make sure to wear a dust mask as one of those layers may be lead based paint and it would be extraordinarily bad to breathe this in.  When scraping keep children, animals and pregnant women away as they are particularly susceptible to ill effects from lead exposure.

Most hardware stores sell lead testing kits that will let you know if any of this scraped paint dust contains lead.  A word of caution though that if you happen to verify and know that lead is in the paint then if you ever go to sell the place that you would be legally obliged to add this information to the sellers disclosure.  Sometimes it is better to just treat the paint dust as if it contains lead and not know for your own sake.


How do I remove the cartridge from my faucet?

the picture is not very clear on this, but it looks like a left handed thread

you are actually tightening it


My 100 amp box/panel seems to have lost the third leg

I don't imagine you just opened up your panel for no reason; I'm guessing appliances have stopped working in your house?

You could bust the seal on the meter pan and measure the lugs there.  But there's really nothing to break in there, so I'm guessing you'll see the same exact measurements... so it's not worth the paperwork to break the seal.

Call your power company and report an outage

The problem is almost certainly beyond the meter, probably at the service drop or up on the pole. Either way, you don't mess with the service drop -- that's the power company's job.

They should do this repair for free.


Why do a few of the LEDs in my lamp stay on at very dim light?

This is slightly different than most of the LED-style questions asking about the dim glow but has the same cause, most likely.
The remote may be using a very small amount of current to maintain its functionality.  This small amount is enough to make some LED’s glow.
To eliminate the glow, a different remote that is compatible with LED’s will be needed, or in some cases, an incandescent lamp in one of the positions will do the trick.
We can not detect the tiny amount of power being used with an incandescent, but the LED’s are so efficient, they glow because of the remote power usage.


Using joist hangers to support a lean-to/skillion roof?

Joist hangers are fine for this application. You'd want to notch the ends of the joists with a level cut so they rest properly in the hanger.

However, the blocks are a bit hokey. It's not great to hold things up with nails in shear like that with such small pieces. it would be better to simply put a ledger across the wall at joist height.


3/4" compression coupling leaking for alpine burnham U.S. boiler

If it is leaking at the point I highlighted in the photo below.  The drain stub is most likely not a 3/4 PVC pipe or is designed for a different type of coupler.  You would need to check that it is a smooth 3/4 PVC pipe exiting the boiler or is it a barb that requires a push on and locking clamp.
Just to clarify where the leak is and ask for more details on where the leak is.  See questions and requests in the picture below:

Edited to add additional information:
From your new pictures, it appears that the original drainpipe coming out of the boiler has been modified and is no longer a 3/4" PVC pipe. See diagram from manual below:

Your current connection as shown in your third picture appears to be a soft connection hose.  You would have to open the front panel and see how that clear hose is connected to the trap.  You might be able to connect a 3/4" PVC pipe in the trap area come out the outlet hole and match up to your Compression coupler.
A view of the pipe inside the trap area might help us provide a better answer on how to repair the leak.
You at least know why it is leaking.

Added details on how to fix the leak or make a connection.
As stated earlier, the draintrap pipe and validated by your new picture indicates that the drainpipe is a soft push-on hose.  From your picture of the trap in the boiler, the type of hose clamps used for connections (marked in the picture) shows that the trap and piping is a soft but stiff hose.  A compression coupler will not be able to assert enough pressure on the hose to prevent a leak.

Below is one way to provide a better connection to the soft hose from the boiler.

Insert a short ½” PVC pipe into the hose from the boiler and secure with a wire or ring clamp.
Attach a  ¾”-1/2” PVC reducing couple to the end of the ½” pipe
Attach a short ¾” pipe to the other end of the reducing coupler (long enough to reach the union.
Attach the other end of the union to the existing ¾” PVC pipe.


Is it safe to pour concrete and use mortar in freezing weather?

Yes, you can pour concrete in freezing weather, but it’s complicated.

First of all, you’re talking about “grouting” cinder blocks, not pouring concrete.

There are many sites you can Google for “cold weather concreting”. I’d stay with a site that refers to ACI standards. Here’s one:

https://www.concrete.org/Portals/0/Files/PDF/University/306R-16_excerpt.pdf

Many of the procedures for cold weather concreting is the same as for mortar and grouting AND may require a “tent” over the work area so you can heat the work space.

I would only attempt this with an experienced cold weather concrete contractor. I’d also review procedures with him so you both have a clear understanding of what is expected by the contractor if: 1) the weather turns colder than normal, 2) time delay maintenance of construction site waiting for weather to change, 3) costs for extreme cold weather delay, etc.

I’d also define the lowest temperature the contractor can work in and who will monitor the site to verify compliance with: A) thawing of ground (if you’re pouring on ground), B) maintaining air temperature around work site during work and curing period, C) maintaining drum temperature, etc.

As you can see, it is possible to work in cold weather, but it’s expensive AND risky. The contractor knows he’ll be working slower and doing less than working in warmer temperatures...so he’ll increase his cost to account for the risks. You may want to wait for better weather.


It's a trick question, you can never get 4 bar of pressure with only a 20 m head.

The pressure due to a vertical column of liquid is equal to the density x height of the column x the acceleration due to gravity (little g = 9.8 m/s2).

Your height is 20m

Density of water is 1000 kg/m3

g = 9.8

So, pressure is 196,000 Pascals

100,000 Pascal per bar, so you have 1.96 bar as the max pressure you could get, independent of flow rate or pipe size.


We can't speak you whether you CAN or not because we don't know anything about your capabilities. But will a 50A breaker plug into a 100A breaker panel? Of course. Do you have room for it physically? We don't know. Is the 100A panel already loaded so much that adding another 50A load will become a problem? We can't assess that from here.


How can I replace missing parapet wall "joint caps"?

On the jobs I have done like this we used scraps and folded them with duct work pliers (wide flat jaws). If they were fastened at all it would have been on the underside with a small #4 or #6 nail on each side to hold them in place, but usually just a bead of calking to seal the seam and nails that hold them in place. Don’t nail through the top or you have an ugly spot again.

I would check around any place that does siding and take a photo of your material with a white piece of paper in the shot for color balance. They may have some pieces of a similar material and may cut you a couple of strips for $10. I have gotten pieces for next to nothing in the past for being polite and just asking if they have something close. Good luck.


Why is dirty water coming out of the air gap when I run my dishwasher?

If this is only occurring when the dishwasher is running then your drain line on the down side of the airway is plugged or kinked since it just started happening.

If the drain of the sink were plugged the water would be coming up from the sink drains as well.

If the sewer line was plugged then you'd have other drains in the house backing up as well.

The airgap basically functions as a failsafe to help ensure water doesn't get backed up in to the dishwasher causing a flood. If it's spewing water all of a sudden when it didn't before, it's most likely the downside of the airgap is plugged.


Back in 1949 when your house was built, the code of the time allowed the metal shielding of the BX cable to be used as a ground. Over time these connections degrade from corrosion, and the grounding could eventually fail. Oftentimes, when a home is renovated to use non-metallic wiring (NM), the ground to existing BX cable can also become disconnected. This is likely the case with your house.

There still is a possibility that the ground is intact, but it is unlikely. You can test this with an inexpensive outlet tester like pictured below. These typically run around $10, and are a good investment. In your case, you would probably see that this outlet has an open ground. Make sure that the outlet is properly secured to the box before you test it.

If you find that the outlet is not grounded, you should avoid using it until you can have that part of your home rewired.


Hooking a wifi thermostat to a 2 wire boiler

How old is the home? It is not impossible that the cloth wiring could be asbestos based, so work safely.

As long as the wires are NOT 120V wires, you should be fine. Some newer thermostats (like the Nest Version 3) do not require the C.

You can run a new wire, if you do so, and it is as easy as you imply, you could always replace the old wire.


You should not do this.  Foam insulation (EPS, XPS, etc.) needs to be covered with drywall in order to protect it (extend the amount of time before it melts) from fire. Otherwise you are risk of being exposed to toxic fumes and melting foam should you ever have a fire. Imagine molten foam dripping from your ceiling onto you - not a situation you want to find yourself in.

The correct "solution" is to drywall on top of the foam (using furring strips, or long screws into the studs), mud/tape the drywall, prime, and then apply wall paper using standard wall paper adhesives.


Can Hi-rib cementing be used to level a second story floor?

No.  Hy-Rib is an exterior industrial product not intended for residential use, and IIRC you'd never cover it completely w/ less than 2 full inches of concrete, adding an incredible amount of weight to your WOODEN structure.

If your floor is that far out of level, that suggests problems in the underlying framing.  The best fix is to correct from the bottom up - start in the basement and adjust the 1st floor to level or as near level as possible, then repeat working your way up the house.


Personally, I'd power wash it and apply a thick deck restoring product since you plan to replace in a few years.

This is an example of such a product, but I'm not endorsing any product or seller. This one is nice because it is tintable.


Manual and Remote Switches - 12VAC low-voltage landscape

Easiest question first - there's no issue underloading a power supply, so don't worry about that part of question 3.

If there are three 12V taps on the power supply, would it make sense to power each of your three circuits (I'll just say circuits rather than zones as you call them) from each of the three taps?

I don't think you really meant you'd run the return through the ground, that would be a bad idea... you want to run a two conductor wire through the circuit, and tap both conductors at each load so everything's in parallel.

You can use wireless switches like the Lutron Caseta and Pico remote or similar products to do everything you want with respect to automation - it's come a lot way since your 90's X10 stuff.


How to fill a gap between wall and ceiling?

Before you do that, check out how air is getting into and out of that office. That big gap at the top may be there because there is no heating and/or air conditioning register in that room, so its air is just allowed to mix with the rest of that living area via that gap. Closing it up without thinking it through will result in a "dead zone" in terms of air comfort.


No shutoff valve for tankless hot outlet

The first thing I would do is check if a permit is required for this job. You can look in the plumbing code for your city, but it would probably be faster and easier to just call the inspections department and ask them (and then you'll be 100% sure). If the work required a permit, find out if the installer pulled one (and check your invoice to see if you were billed for it). Also confirm if it required an inspection (some work does, some doesn't).

If a permit was required but not pulled, get on the phone with someone at the company and figure out why. This needs to be done urgently and they should treat it as an urgent problem. Do not wait and see, do this immediately, while you still have the option to stop payment on the check (the absolute last option, but one you want to have available just in case). Press them hard and don't let up until they fix it.
If a permit was required and one was pulled, first call the manufacturer and explain the installation to them. Send some pictures in an email if necessary. They will clarify exactly what is recommended. Next, get in contact with someone at the inspections department that deals with plumbing. Explain your concerns and see what they have to say. Usually inspectors want to see things installed in accordance with manufacturers instructions, at a minimum. Any deviation will generally need to go above and beyond what is called for; leaving out a valve that is specified in the instructions doesn't do that.

At the end of the day, you need to comply with the inspector, and the best way to do that is to make sure the manufacturers instructions were followed. This will also be an issue down the road if you ever need warranty service on the unit, so get it sorted out ASAP.


How should I fill in a missing strip of drywall that I uncovered after removing a piece of trim?

If that's actually subfloor (softwood t&g) and finished floor we see in the photo, you really need to strip back some of the remaining drywall and mount a patch that spans the gap to solid framing. There's almost certainly a wall plate on top of the hardwood (odd, but explainable by past renovations), and a floor joist below.

I'd cut 3/4" from both the top and bottom of your channel to find those, and then install a strip of drywall to them. Tape both joints in a nice wide, tapered manner and you'll have a good result.


Recommened nailing schedue for cripple studs between header and top plate

If you can nail down through the top plate (e.g. before the second top plate is installed) then 3 12d nails is standard for 2x6 framing. For nailing the cripple into the header, toenailing should be fine, but I'd use 12d glue coated framing nails (greenish nails). Save the 8d nails for attaching sheathing.

Note, this is just personal experience, your local codes may require otherwise. It doesn't hurt to ask your building inspector what they require.


In the hole in the bottom of the handle there is a screw, an allen or slotted, that has to be loosened to remove the handle. Then the other handle should pull out with the stem. The slide bolt then can be pulled out since you've already removed the screws.


Should I include an expansion joint between steps and a foundation?

Both of your expansion joints are OK to use. And yes its not over engineering, Better to deal with it now then pay for it in the longrun.


All of them
And good luck resetting them.
I mean, it doesn't do any harm, (except in the sense that security at the expense of usability is at the expense of security, i.e. someone tears it out because its annoyances drive them nuts).    It just doesn't provide any benefit, and as such, is just a silly thing to do.

ref
Every device is seeing the ground fault, so every device would trip.  One might imagine a race condition where one device sees the ground fault first and physically severs power before the others are able to detect it.  However there is a mechanical delay between detection and the hammer physically tripping, and that delay is considerable in the time scale of detection.  As such, all detect the ground fault before any can actually interrupt. The physical energy to trip is pre-loaded in the mechanism (loaded by you pressing the "reset" button), so it doesn't need power to trip.


Do I need vapor barrier to insulate a cinder block garage?

As there will be a temperature differential between the garage and house it is a good idea as you could get some condensation here in winter even with mild humidity.  Where I live is almost desert but vapor barrier is still recommended due to cold climate.  Moisture reduses the effectiveness of insulation so for a small extra investment of time and money you ensure that your work stays effective for years.


Power Supply change for ceiling fan controler

The motor would need to have been manufactured to allow for the voltage change, which is not common for household ceiling fans. If it was, it would be labeled for that inside where you make the connections.
If your idea is that the fan will use less energy at 220V, that is a false notion. The current will be lower but with the higher voltage, the power (kW) will remain the same.


Voltage tester detecting voltage in non-hot wires when the light switch is off

Yes, it is AC voltage that is transfered by the tiny capacitance between galvanically isolated wires. The test equipment (normally having an input resistance of a few MegaOhm)  is very sensitive and can measure these voltages, because it does need only tiny currents. Physically, the voltage source has a huge resistance.

Another example would be the natural E field all over this planet, which is equivalent to ca. 100V per Meter height difference. There would be ca. 200V between head and feet of every human being. But this voltage source has an even higher resistance, and needs a very sensitive special test set.


What anchors to use on walls with rigid foam insulation behind the wallboard?

The plywood is robust enough that I'd hang your shelves on that with wood screws. If they're very heavy, hit the plywood and the studs. You may get some bending of fasteners, though, due to the span to the face of the wallboard, so use fairly heavy screws (#10 or better).

I see no reason to anchor into the masonry. By the time your screws pull out of the plywood you'll have serious damage to the drywall anyway. That's unlikely unless you go nuts with the decorative plates and load your shelves to an absurd degree.


water drained from one kitchen sink gushes out over another

I brought in a plumber today and it turned out that it's not the disposal but the pipe  got clogged. He used a drain cleaner to clean the pipe so no more standing water thus no water coming out from another hole.


How to build a small set of steps/stairs

Your local home improvement store may have prefab/precut stair case parts for decks and they about the size you mention (3-4 steps).  You can purchase the stringers, and treads and attach them in place of your old stairs.


Can a sink drain be on the low side of a p-trap

Replacing the whole lot is certainly the way to go. The layout is daft and it seems held together with wishful thinking.

What to do?
Something like what you have in mind but IMO the dishwasher should join in immediately above the p-trap.

Many companies sell complete packages for what you're trying to do.

E.g..

(source: plumbers-mate-sales.co.uk)

Or  this one listed as "space saving"

(source: scene7.com)

Unfortunately, once you've done all of that I think you're still going to to find that the waste pipe comes out if the wall a little to high up.


Connecting Washing Machine Outlet Box to copper

If you look closely at the valve inlets, they are designed with a 1/2" male iron pipe thread (MPT) for a threaded connection, OR you can solder 1/2" copper pipe directly to the inside of the threaded fitting. It's made to accomodate either method.

You do not need any additional fittings.

You need to be careful though, there are o-rings and teflon seals inside the valve that can be damaged by the heat from soldering. You need to take it apart by removing the large screws next to the handle, solder the included fittings, then reassemble.

See this schematic.


What are my options for running feeder cable into an exterior main panel?

The NEC wants you to avoid overfilling a conduit so that the conductors can dissipate heat, and so you can remove a conductor without damaging it. See NEC 300.17.

  There are only 9 single pole circuits (so 18 conductors?)

Ground conductors count for equipment fill, so you have more than 18 -- maybe 23?

Ironically, when you get close to a fill limit, the NEC actually wants you to increase conductor size, because that reduces heat.

  Should I be worried or just put the cable through it anyways?

If this was my house, I would want to add a new conduit, if only because pulling the new conductor will be so much easier.

  Do they make "reducing" hubs?

Yes. Here are some examples: http://www.thomasbetts.com/ps/endeca/index.cgi?a=nav&N=3819+598+4294951140&Ntt=

I've always found I needed 6" of conduit to make the transition between the reducer and the male fitting that connects to the box. Luckily my local hardware store will sell PVC conduit by the foot, so I don't have to buy a full stick for this.

As @Tester101 mentions, you can also make the hole bigger. A step bit is a nice tool, but 1 1/4" conduit requires a knockout that's actually ~1 3/4". The one he linked to only goes to 1 3/8", and I haven't seen bigger.

The professional way to make a larger knockout is to use a punch. They're a little expensive. Maybe you can find an electrician who will punch the hole for you in exchange for beer or a favor. Or maybe a tool rental place will have a bunch for you.

You don't have to bring the conduit in through an existing knockout - you could punch a hole on the side in a blank area, if that's more convenient for you. Alternately, if there's a good spot with 2 small knockouts, you can consume that whole area.

In your existing installation, I think the lock washer is upside-down. There are sharp edges that are intended to bit in to the metal, so it won't come loose. Unfortunately fixing this means undoing a lot of wiring.

Also, I think you should use a bushing to protect the conductor from the end of the conduit. Whether your inspector will require it is difficult to guess, but it's seems like cheap insurance. Something like this:

Also, I hope that if you're going through the trouble of pulling a big conductor to a new location, you're installing a subpanel at the other end. Because subpanels are awesome.


How much electricity does a thermostat consume?

Most thermostats use very little power, if any. Many of the Honeywell programmable thermostats you can buy from retail places, for instance, take 2 AA batteries for their power source and do NOT pull power from the fan unit. If your unit is a WiFi one, that may not be as true.

Either way, I'd be surprised to see one consume more than a dollar a month at most.


Most commercial live traps are made of metal or plastic materials. If you have concern about the scent of previous animals keeping others from entering the trap you always have the option to wash down the unit with a bleach/water solution. This could be applied with a spray bottle and then washed off with the garden hose.

My past personal experience with a home brew box trap that I made out of plywood and wire mesh, used to catch racoons, was that the human scent needed to dissipate and not the animal scent. That took a day or so before food in the trap would lure in additional animals.


Every ballast is different.  There is no pattern or rule.  Sometimes the sales literature doesn't even agree with the data sheet - I've had to send ballasts back for that reason.

The data sheet (which is not the sales pamphlet or sometimes even the instruction sheet in the box) will list every supported bulb size, usually with wiring diagrams for each different configuration.

I don't see a data sheet for this ballast.  This is as close as Google gets me.

They also seem to make a ballast for a single 18 watt bulb, here.  That's a bad sign.  Distributors don't like carrying a huge variety of ballasts, so manufacturers try to make ballasts work on as many configurations as possible.  The fact that they make a 1-18W ballast as well as a 1-36W, certainly suggests one can't do both jobs.


You need to remove the sprayers and soak them in vinegar or some other liquid that will soften the calcium/lime/minerals. Put them in a coffee can filled with the liquid overnight, then use tools to scrub and pick away the mineral deposits. Some people fill a plastic baggie with the liquid and tape it over the sprayer heads to soak them in place without removal, but I like to take them apart for a thorough internal and external cleaning. I use drill bits by hand, to clear out the spray nozzles.

Most shower heads that utilize a shower arm (the pipe sticking out) with a swivel ball are 2 pieces. You can disassemble the shower head such that the main part (the sprayer) can be removed without unscrewing the shower arm from the wall. Kinda like the attached picture.

If you end up having to remove the pipes, you should remove those trim bonnets (escutcheons/flanges) first so you can assess and hopefully apply some penetrating spray to the threaded connection in the wall. Sometimes the pipes (shower arm) are made of rather thin material, which can break off flush with the wall fitting. This can be a real PITA to fix, so help free it up before taking a wrench to it.

Most shower arms thread directly to an elbow or fitting in the wall, yours even seem to have flat spots machined into them where you can use a wrench/spanner.


Water coming in BELOW sump pit inlet pipe! Is this normal?

Apart from routing a sump pump for water around a foundation to a sanitary drain (no storm sewers where you live?), this sounds normal.

Usually, the perforated piping is just a supplement to the classic French drain design using rocks. The pipe is to ensure there is always a path with low resistance when the water table gets high enough. Otherwise, some water should still find its way through the rocks/soil when the water table is above the sump pit basin and below the bottom of the pipe.


Can I prime/paint these walls?

YES, if you do not care very much about how flat and smooth the wall looks when you are done.

The primer will help knock down those rough paper spots a little, and using a thick nap roller to apply your finish coat will hide a bit of the rough areas. But your picture shows some unsanded (or poorly sanded) patches of mud, and nothing will make that look better except for more sanding and more mud and more sanding... ad nauseum.


How can I extend a floating floor that was previously terminated at a wall?

The only way this would be possible, in theory, would be for you to slide the truncated boards out of their positions lengthwise, and replace them. The trouble is that most flooring 1) has a core composed of particle or fiber composite, which has very high friction, and 2) has joint surfaces coated with a waxy material to create a water-resistant seal, and 3) requires that the end joints be tipped into place. Combined, these characteristics would make for a very difficult job of sliding along the length of the boards.

You'd then have to drive the new, full boards into position without damaging them and somehow engage (or modify or remove) the end joint fittings. All that typically proves impossible, or at least prohibitively impractical.

That said, many manufacturers offer kits and procedures for replacing individual boards if they get damaged. These sometimes involve a special joiner strip that allows you to engage the tongue or groove of the adjacent board in a manner required to fit it out of sequence. This may be one possible avenue.

Finally, most floating floors have a length or run limitation due to expansion and contraction. If your final run would exceed that number, typically somewhere around 30 feet, you shouldn't attempt this anyway.

The bottom line is that you'll need to investigate the specific product you're using for these options, make sure you understand the assembly process, assess your own skill level and the project parameters, and then either go for it or don't.


I have an old light fixture in my bathroom with no visible screws; how do I remove it from the ceiling?

The nut in the center on the hollow shaft is the way the fixture is held in place that is called a hickey, yes there are multiple terms in electrical language the other electrical hickey is a pipe bender.


What type of caulk should I use for bathroom tile?

I would use the color matched acrylic everywhere except the shower stall. In the shower, I'd touch up with regular grout and then apply clear silicone. (Just be sure that the shower area is completely dry/clean before you apply the silicone.)


How do I switch a ceiling fan to a regular light fixture?

In this case black are permanent live, red is switched live and white is neutral (common). Bare copper is PE.

Just connect the light fixture black (from the fixture) to the red, then pigtail the other blacks together, then pigtail the whites togeter with the one that will come from the new fixture.

Also connect the bare copper to the PE connector (if not class II) on the new fixture


Is Having Multiple Charge Controllers on a single 48V System/Battery Bank a "Bad Idea"?

I was headed this way until about 2009. In the most modern and expensive setups you might have all the devices communicating and coordinating. In most, each one has its charging parameters that it's trying to meet, and the only communication is the voltage on the bank.

With multiple, uncoordinated charge controllers you may exceed the optimum charging current, and you should expect to have disagreements among uncoordinated charge controllers (and a water turbine with no charge controller) as their charging set-points and algorithms are almost certainly different.

If you have the money to put into it, or you see it as saving money on the battery bank's lifetime, a set of networked, coordinated smart charge controllers would certainly work more optimally (and can all work at the same time) - but you should also realize that any system that won't leave you in the dark for large parts of the year is going to have some excess capacity when everything is going well, charging-wise.

You can't simply add more battery without making it really hard to get it fully charged and equalized, and you can't reduce power sources without finding yourself in the dark after a few dry, cloudy, windless days. So sometimes, you are going to be dumping excess power. If you can do something useful with that power, great; (laundry is a good one, often) otherwise it's just part of the cost of having power more of the time. In the case of a fuel burning generator and a wind turbine, common sense would be to shut down the fuel-burner on a windy day.


Can I install a single shut off valve to turn off both hot and cold waters in my apartment?

You need to have a dedicated shut off valve for both hot and cold. You will also have a shut off valve for the entire apartment located at your water meter. This will allow you to cut off all of the water in your apartment.


Mouse traps do not deter mice. On the contrary, traps use bait to attract mice as part of catching and/or killing them.

You should figure out where the mice are getting into your home and correct it so they can no longer get in (mice can fit through openings as small as 1/4"). Then, focus on getting rid of the mice that are trapped inside your home.

If you have many mice within your home and want the problem resolved quickly, it may be best to call in a professional to help address the problem.


Wiring new ceiling fan to existing light switch box

You can't have one switch operate light OR fan. Many jurisdictions absolutely require that a switch on the wall near a room entrance, control a lamp. That is to benefit house guests and mainly from the government's perspective, first responders. There's an exception to allow a switched outlet instead, presuming a person is going to plug a floor lamp into that.  There is no exception to allow a fan/light locally switched at the fan. (such things can exist, they can't be the only light). That said:

They now make gadgets to solve the "I have 14/2 and wish I had 14/3" problem.  Each has a smart switch (typically 1-gang) with 2 controls, and a control module which sits under the fan shroud.   The switch communicates with the module either via powerline networking or via wireless, and some of those are compatible with smartphones or integrated home-automation systems as are now emerging in the market.


Does a light circuit in a garage need GFCI protection?

The requirements for GFCI protection are in NEC 210.8(a):

210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. Ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel shall be provided as required in 210.8(A) through (E). The ground-fault circuit interrupter shall be installed in a readily accessible location.

and (A) tells you that receptacles in garages require GFCI protection.
The NEC has a very specific definition for readily accessible and if you need a ladder to get to the receptacle, it's not readily accessible.
Your cord and plug lights plug into receptacles, which require GFCI protection with the test-reset buttons in a readily accesible location.  That does not mean that each receptacle in the garage must be GFCI type;  if they are on the LOAD side of a GFCI breaker, receptacle, or dead front, they're protected.  The dead front or first receptacle could go in any readily accessible location - by your switches, next to the panel, where ever you want.
GFCI breakers are a pretty straightforward way to handle it, if you've already started wiring this would fix your issues easily.
Dead fronts next to the switches would be nice, that's a nice conspicuous spot - easy to notice the indicator light when they trip.  You could install a second box right above the switches.  The circuit would come from the panel to the dead front then to the lighting.
Receptacles might be the way to go.  The wiring would go to the LINE side of the GFCI receptacle then the rest of the receptacles - on the wall or in the ceiling - would be fed from the LOAD terminals on that first GFCI receptacle.  This is probably the way to go for what you want.
Unless your garage is warehouse sized, four circuits for lights - probably LED - seems a bit much.  Since LED lighting doesn't draw much power, you could put your regular general use wall receptacles on the same circuits as your lights.  Maybe hedge and use 20A circuits with 15A receptacles.
Even then, four circuits seems a bit much for most garages.  I might put half your receptacles and the odd rows of lights on one circuit, and the other half of the receptacles and the even rows of lights on the other circuit.  Hit the GFCI receptacles first in each string and continue on to the rest.


The hot burner light on my Kenmore glass top range stays on all the time, is it dangerous to leave this alone and not fix it?

In the sense that it no longer serves its function (it's on all the time, so it's no longer an indication that you should be cautious of a hot surface,) there's some danger that you might get burned, or set down something that melts or catches fire when there actually IS a hot surface, since that's not otherwise visibly obvious.
Other than that, I don't think there's any danger to having the light on, as such. Just treat the thing as if the light was accurate, so as not to get burned when it is accurate.


You'll need to use the correct fan/light control and remote for this
The problem with your proposal is twofold.  First off, most fan/light combination controls are single-pole only units, with no support for multi-way switching whatsoever.  Furthermore, and worse yet, most fan/light combination controls require separate switched-hot wires for the fan and the light, which is something you don't have here.
Fortunately, Lutron still makes a fan/light combination control setup that works for your application, namely the MA-LFQM control/canopy module pair and MA-ALFQ35 remote.  You can put either control at either location, with the black wire landing on the black screw and the white and red wires landing on the brass screws at the small box, and the white and red wires from Cable 1 landing on the brass screws and the red wire from cable 2 landing on the black screw at the large box.  Of course, you'll have to connect the grounds at both locations as well; once you're done with that, you'll need to install the canopy module from the MA-LFQM kit as part of putting the fan up (it's not much different from any other fan remote receiver you'll run into).


Use an iron! It is cheaper and less damaging to your lungs. Let the iron sit on the tile for about 30 seconds and it will pop right off, then move on to the next one. I renovate homes and have done it numerous times. I have well over 14000 sqft under my belt.


How can I fix a wall mounted towel hanger

If you are flexible about the location that the towel bar is mounted then there is a relatively easy path to getting this repaired. There are two main steps involved with this. If you really want to keep the towel hanger in the same location then there is another way you could repair it in place but it involves more work. It's not really hard to do but takes longer to patch it up.

Remounting the towel hanger

Find and loosen the screw or hex head set screw that allows the mounting bracket part of the towel hanger to be removed from the decorative outer shell.
Remove the old molly bolt screw from the bracket and discard the old fastener.
Locate a stud in the wall where you can accept having the towel bar mounted. (A stud finder tool can be handy for this but you can also use a magnet to find screws or nails that hold the drywall to the studs knowing that there is a stud behind the screw).
Mount the bracket at the new location over the stud. Use screws long enough to penetrate the drywall and about 1" into the stud. This would likely be a screw of length 1.5. to 1.75". Some brackets take 1 screw and some 2 or three. Note that it will be best to predrill pilot holes for the screws. They will go in easier and prevent splitting the stud.
Remount the towel bar itself onto the bracket and tighten the screw / hex set screw that secures the towel bar to the bracket.

Patching the old hole

The hole can be easily patched using one of the popular small patch repair kits that you can purchase at the big box store. These have a stickon plastic or metal grid or web piece that has adhesive on the back. Peel off the backer and paste it onto the wall surface centered over the old hole.
Follow directions with the kit to apply successive layers of drywall mud over the patch and feather it out for about 6 - 8 inches on each side of the repair site. Depending on how nice you can apply each coat of the drywall compound it may or may not be necessary to sand between coats. After the feathered out coats are dry you can sand the surface smooth.
Since the present wall is textured you will want to apply some texture in the patch area. There are available spray cans if texture material that you can purchase at the big box store. These will sputter out a coating of material similar to drywall mud to leave a texture on the wall area. When using these spray cans it is advisable to practice first on some scrap plywood, cardboard or similar material to get the hang of applying the texture material.
After the texture has dried then prime the rework area with a good quality wall primer paint.
Finally you can repaint the patch area with paint to match the rest of the wall area. If the wall area where the patch is located is relatively small you may want to consider repainting that whole surface from corner to corner and top to bottom. The repainting will be much less noticeable that way.

Repairing in existing location

You would start by marking and then cutting out the damaged drywall area in a rectangular area about 2.5" x 4". Use an inexpensive hand drywall hole cutter saw for this.
Acquire a piece of pine 1x3 that is about 8 to 9 inches long. (That size of board will be just narrower than the width of the hole you have cut out). Attach a drywall screw partway into the center of one flat face of this piece of board and then tie a long string to that drywall screw.
Fit the wood piece into the hole in the wall. Lower it in so that the whole thing goes in the wall behind the hole with the length of the board inline with the long dimension of your hole. Use the string to pull the board up against the inside face of the wall and then you can use the drywall screw as a handle to hold the board in place.
Install some drywall screws through the existing drywall about 1/2 inch from the hole and into the 1x3 pine board. I would use two screws side by side above and below the hole. Use a hand screw driver to install the screws because easy does it. When the screws approach the almost in state finish off with them just dimpling the surface of the drywall and not tearing through the paper. (Too easy to mess this up with a power driver in this case).
When the board is installed you can remove the string and the handle screw.
After this you need a small piece of drywall that will just fit in the hole and back up against the wood board behind it. If you do not have some drywall pieces laying around they sell smallish 2 foot by 2 foot pieces at big box stores.
Screw the small piece of drywall in place using two drywall screws. Stay away from putting screws in the center are.
Patch over this hole. You can do this with a medium sized stick on drywall patch repair kit and follow the steps I mentioned above including the texture and painting.
Once the hole is all patched up you can remount the towel bar bracket as described before with regular type screws. The screws will go into center area of that 1x3 board instead of over a stud. This repair will secure the towel bracket for all but the very most aggressive treatment of the towel hanger.

Good Luck.


How can I fix/polish a slate tile imperfection after it has been laid down and grouted?

Let's start by saying the tile should be replaced. It still can be replaced even though the grout has been applied. I would insist on it.

There is little that can be done to repair the flawed tile, except sanding or grinding down the flaw. This would have to be done with extreme caution in order not to scratch and damage the area around the flaw. Perhaps a small stone on a Dremel tool might work if your careful. I doubt you will remove the off color, however. Hopefully the overall finish is a matte finish, because you probably could not bring it to a high polish finish without specialized tools like granite cutters use.


Do not try to clean a scorched receptacle even with the power off; the heat created takes the temper out of the metal and the receptacle would not pass a withdrawal force test, this is important because it measures the contact strength and overheated receptacles need to be replaced not cleaned.

A cheap replacement may be purchased for around 1 dollar, but a quality spec grade receptacle around 4 dollars.

I install hundreds of receptacles and I always purchase back & side spec grade (and even heavy duty industrial for up to 7-8 dollars each).

Why would an electrician spend so much more on parts? They are safer and last longer, yes contractors going in and finish wiring tract houses use the cheap ones in most cases but not all.

Changing a receptacle only takes a few minutes and is a simple skill all homeowners should be able to do:

Take a photo before starting, ask any questions before starting.

Turn the power off at the circuit breaker,
1 or 2 screws removes the cover plate.

2 more screws releases the receptacle, worst case now there are 5 more screws

2 silver screws with white wires, 2 brass screws with black wires and 1 green screw with a bare copper wire.

Swap the receptacle and then put it back in and cover and you are done, turn the breaker on and you have it finished.

Please do it right or get help, it is really not that hard.


How to ground an amplifier without ground pins on outlet?

"Safely" is the problem.
The only way to correctly earth it would be to run a wire literally to ground somewhere - actual earth, using a large metal spike into the bare ground, to an established bonded earth, or to already grounded piping [do not do this if you are even slightly uncertain as to whether your building's piping is all correctly bonded to earth already.]
That is really not a DIY task.
If you live in a country that doesn't have compulsory earthing, you need a professional to install correct earthing. I would seriously never recommend this as a DIY project. If no-one bothered to earth the sockets [because code doesn't insist you must] then you have no guarantee that anything in the building is correctly earthed.


Can some wet/dry vacs indeed continuously pump water?

There are two solutions:

Wet/dry "Pump" Vac

Look for a wet/dry vac that is labeled "pump" (the manufacturer will likely draw a nice hose with fresh water prominently on the box).

Such wet/dry vacs have a built-in water pump. One model on the market looks like this:

Universal Pump for Wet/Dry Vacuums

These are add-ons to your wet/dry vacs. Your vac must have a downspout for this option to work. One model on the market looks like this:

Neither of these options will allow continuous pumping.

You cannot continuously pump out with the first option because the wet vac will be faster (more powerful motor, 1 1/2" to 2" hose) than the water pump (5/8" garden hose, pump handling just water rather than an air/water mixture).

You will need to pull the hose out of the body of water when the tank is full. Force the power button down to override the shut-off feature for 15 seconds. The water pump will then continue pumping out (at 350 gallons per minute) until the tank is empty. Repeat.

You cannot continuously pump with the second option. You will have to attend to the two pumps. Fill the tank with the wet vac. Turn off. Empty the tank with the water pump. Turn off. Repeat.


How should I go about insulating a 1920's stucco house in LA?

It IS possible to insulate with a "wrap" on the outside, but then you need to extend all the window frames: a huge undertaking, and really hard to seal properly.

Your practical options are blown in insulation from the outside or from the inside. Then you can choose from fiberglass, cellulose (most common) or maybe maybe foam.

From the outside is less disruptive, but introduces more chances for leaks.  From the inside works OK.  Two holes are drilled per wall cavity.  You'll want to use a contractor who uses a thermal gun, to ensure all the cavities are filled.

As mentioned here:
Alternatives to conventional weep screed, for stucco to the ground homes?  the stucco and interior plaster of that era is just reaching maximum strength, and it's rock rock rock rock hard.  Drilling from the outside is a serious chore.

You also have a SEVERE danager.  Existing leaks in your stucco are no big deal, they dry out.  With blown in cellulose in particular you now have wet compost in your walls.  Paying a professional energy consultant is needed to give a better answer and to really evaluate your house, habits and opportunities for energy savings and comfort upgrades.


How to use two UPS one online and the other as backup?

You want an automatic transfer switch

The device you want is called an automatic transfer switch (ATS for short) and should be readily available through an electrical supply house (or equivalent) in your area.  Note that this device will need to be approved by your local electrical authorities.

A proper ATS not only has electrical protection, but mechanical interlocking of the contacts, making it impossible for the two sources to be inadvertently coupled together.  It also has logic to avoid transferring between sources when they are not phase-synchronized with each other, which can cause serious problems to loads that are expecting a smooth sine wave instead of a sharp "jump", such as AC motors.


How do you best help trees that have been damaged by severe freezing?

Not a lot to be done, damage done is , well , done. Best to just make sure they are fed and watered well, and in the fall you could trim any remaining dead wood though that's not necessary.
It's probably a bit early to determine if a tree will survive, let spring get here.

Trees are very self sufficient. Probably better than 80% of so called "tree care" is actually human care.


Extremely long dryer vent line, non efficient dryer

Your dryer manufacturer will have specifications for maximum vent line length, including max distances depending on type and size of vent and how many turns.

It is very important that you:
- use rigid rather than flexible line whenever possible
- minimize elbows and turns
- make it as short of a run as you can (never exceed manufacturer's max)

It is not unusual to have a 30' length, but it should be rigid pipe. Check out this chart.


It sounds like water hammer to me. With just the right flow it can get very loud. There are 2 ways I know of to eliminate this:

Have a section of pipe at the faucet that goes up and is capped. The trapped air creates a cushion which can solve the problem.
Or use a commercial water hammer arrester. These do basically the same thing and are smaller but cost more.


I would stay away from the acid because it can also eat your metal pipes. If the drain hasn't been used for years it is possible that it's rusted in place. I would try CLR  as mentioned above. The balloon trick is clever. Slow process but it MAY work. Most older drains are brass and the stopper is also brass. Corrosion is more likely the culprit. Once you get it free you can pull the entire assembly out through the overflow hole to clean or replace it. Good luck!


Deck Staining with a little light drizzle

It depends.

Let's back up for a second and talk about how stain/waterproofing works. Wood is a porous material. When dry, it will soak up liquids like a sponge. In fact, it's that soaking/drying cycle of water that will eventually wreck your wood (and why waterproofing helps extend the life of exterior wood). Deck stains generally rely on that principle. The wood soaks the stain (or waterproofing) and thus it penetrates into the top layers of wood (latex relies a bit less on this, and tends to coat the outside a bit more).

If your wood is wet, even a little, it interferes with this because the wood has absorbed some water, and thus the pores that would fill with stain are filled with water instead. If your stain is oil-based, it just won't penetrate as well. If it's latex, the water will wreck your finish because latex is designed to break up in water.

The real question isn't about drizzle, it's about how wet your wood is. If we're talking about one of those wintery "fine mist" drizzles, the wood might stay relatively dry enough you can still apply stain. If we're talking about anything heavier, I would say probably not.

Either way, I wouldn't risk it. Just wait for a dry day. Eliminates any question of how well the stain will work.


Is voltage drop calculated from the meter or the service panel?

For a sub panel fed from your main panel normaly we size base wire size on the distance from the panel to the load or location using distance and the max load or supply breaker size. The conductors are already sized for the panel size from the meter to the panel.


Subpanel run to secondary floor apartment from basement

Just to answer the question..

You'd need 4 (Hot, Hot, Neutral, Ground) #1 AWG wires.

1 AWG supplies up to 110 amps
6 AWG supplies up to 55 amps

If you use the 6 AWG, you could only feed the subpanel with a 50A breaker. Essentially making it a 50A subpanel. It's best to go ahead and get the most out of it if you can by using #1 wire.


It is likely a sodium, Na, vapor or older mercury, Hg, vapor lamp. Inside the outer glass housing, there's a second "bulb" of quartz (clear), for Hg or alumina (translucent white), for Na. If you can read writing on the lamp or fixture with binoculars, you can try to buy a replacement lamp ("bulb"); most have Edison sockets and screw in like an ordinary household lamp. However, you'll need to identify the particular lamp type -- ratings vary from 70 watts to over 1,000 watts, and bases vary.
The lamp is not connected directly to the AC mains, but through a ballast, which serves a few purposes:

It provides a high voltage (hundreds or thousands of volts) to start an initial glow discharge, which changes to an arc as the lamp heats and the volatile metal evaporates.
It limits the current drawn by the lamp in the preheat phase and when operating.
It times the preheating and controls the light, often with a separate photocell head.

If the fault is a dead lamp, it is easily replaced. A 70 watt sodium vapor lamp can be found for US$10. Use reasonable safety replacing the lamp, e.g., a lamp-replacement pole, and insulating gloves. However, replacing the ballast is not recommended, if you do not see an obvious way to shut all power at the breaker 9or fuse) box.


Do vinyl doors and windows with a foam core promote mold growth?

I've decided to go the foam core route.  I think auujay's reasoning makes sense, and I figure the foam would be a better insulator than air.


What is this bracket or tool made from steel bar?

It's a single support for a staging plank.
It would require at least one more like it (plus a plank to run between them) to be useful.
The angled slots suggest specifically for holding a toe board (keeps workers from sliding off the edge) at the edge of roofing work, since that allows the support to be shingled over and removed without direct access to the nails holding it in place, but it's not (what I would call) a "Roof Jack" with a similar holding arrangement and a board support that can be adjusted to be level or near level on the slope.

source


Those are 3M Scotchloks, one of 3M's few bad products.  It was ingenius, it just didn't work as hoped.  Their expertise came in the plastic sheath; however the metal part is designed to deform to hold the wires together.  As such, Scotchloks are single-use IMO.

Part of the gimmick is the flexible plastic sheath isn't tightly bound to the metal lining.  It's designed to start slipping once the splice is "tight enough" (for some value of tight-enough that I don't trust).   The upshot is you'll spin the plastic part all day; you must grab the thing with pliers to grip the metal part through the plastic.


Stair riser templating when treads are already in

If you must template, do what the countertop guys do: 3" strips of luan (or something like 1/4" ply), hot glued together in the corners with a couple of staples for good measure.


can the spring mechanism in a mepla match cabinet hinge be replaced?

Try taking the hinge to a home store like Home Depot or Lowe's.  I just replaced  a number of similar hinges and they have a huge selection. You'll need to buy the entire hinge but they are not expensive.


Should outdoor rug be used on wood decks?

When you put something like that on a wood deck, blocking the sun, that portion of the wood will not fade at the same rate as the rest. So when you eventually remove it, you will see a "shadow" of where it was. Also, if the outdoor rug holds moisture, it may accelerate any wood rot that might otherwise have been avoided or slowed down by periodic drying.


How can I finish the edge of a mirrored wall?

I think in this case the best solution is to use a timber profile - L shape trim. You stick it on the edge with some liquid nails glue and so it covers the wall from one side and goes over a mirror edge on the other
the ones in the middle in the picture


Is tying a knot in an electrical wire safe?

In the case that the lamp is light weight enough to not stress the cord, there's a specific knot for that called an Underwriter's Knot that is supposed to put minimum stress on the conductors and provide enough bulge to keep it from pulling out. Since most PVC insulation will cold flow under pressure, the edges it butts up against must be well rounded.


What do I need to remove and replace this recessed faucet aerator?

The flared part of the faucet, the ring around the end, should turn. It should be threaded and holding the the aerator in.

Meaning the the aerator is not threaded in but is being held in by a threaded retention ring. ??


You must use 4-wire plugs and sockets.
3-wire was outlawed nearly 30 years ago, but you know how it is: somebody moved into a new house 25 years ago, they complained to the builder that their dryer is 3-prong so the builder changed the socket (illegally) to 3-prong to close the sale, because the building is the builder's bailiwick.  Then they buy a new dryer 20 years ago, and the installer sees a 3-prong outlets so changes the dryer plug to 3-prong because the appliance is the shop's bailiwick. 5 years later somebody else buys the house and tries to move in with their 4-prong dryer so they change the cord.  Round and round we go!  3-prong outlets are spreading like a cancer despite being outlawed.
So you need to get a 4-wire dryer cord - feel free to salvage it off the old dryer.
Then, on the dryer, there'll be a "bonding strap" that connects the chassis of the dryer to NEUTRAL (say what!? That's bootlegging!) That bonding strap must be removed.  Neutral and ground must be isolated, and hooked up to 2 different wires on the 4-prong cord.


Replacing faucet copper pipes with stainless steel, need help

All you need to do is gets the appropriate tee for the job.

This tee allows you to connect two compression output to one input

www.homedepot.com

Turn off the water and open the taps.
Unscrew the copper and gently bend it to allow space for the tee.
Attach the tee and connect the copper to the tee at the most convenient branch.
Attach the braided stainless to the other branch.
Open the valves, check for leaks, close the taps, check for leaks and done!


I need to remove this deadbolt but it's not coming off

Looks like it is a double cylinder deadbolt (has key cylinder on both sides). Use a flathead screwdriver to remove the two black bolts.


How do I find the end of speaker wire in a finished wall?

Well, the way I'd find it would be to get a wire tracer. These consist of a transmitter that hooks to one end of the wire to use it as an antenna, and a short-range (and sometimes directional) receiver which you can then use to find the wire emitting that signal. That will let you trace a wire through the wall's surface. (There are several variants of this, at different price points; the more expensive ones can even be used on live AC circuits.)

[Originally a comment, since I thought it was a bit short/shallow as an answer.]


One thing to think about though...
If you install all of the bulbs at the same time, they are all the same age.


Can I tap into the kitchen / dishwasher drain pipe with my washing machine?

Probably not a good idea. Clothes washing machines generally discharge a large volume of water at a high rate, the drain apparatus is built with a standpipe (either inside the wall or outside where you can see it) to accommodate the volume. The standpipe holds the water long enough for it to drain without overflowing. Alternatively, a laundry tub/sink is sometimes used. Your local code enforcement authority might even require a standpipe or tub.


What type of wallis the faucet mounted into? I was goingnto recommned a new pipebbut if you said you may break the wall that's a no go. For the winter you shoulsnt have to worry about freezing as long as you shut off the water to the facuet ibside the house and drain out your hose. I belive they do make pvc to copper but ibwould recommend just using copper and putting in inside a piece of pvc for extra protection. I apologise but I don't know anything about drip irrragation however


As you have access to the bottom of the post, consider to use a wood bit and drill a series of large diameter (1") as close to the perimeter as possible without striking the metal. Go as deep as the metal bracket, which will weaken the wall of the post.

Obviously if you intend to re-use the post, it will be less well suited at the full length. As such, you can also cut off the post above the bracket and perform the drilling all the way through, creating an even weaker bond with the bracket.

Inertial is important in this type of removal. If you can cut a hole in a sturdy plank that is exactly the size of the post, but not as large as the bracket, brace the plank and drive the post through the hole with it's own weight. When the bracket reaches the hole, it will budge. It may take a few shots to break it free.


I would sand all of these steps and give one same finish for all. That would give them same look that You could choose by Yourself. With proper equipement and little time it can be done in few hours plus time for hardening for any finish.
I lack proper English vocabulary, so I will not go into specific terms. I bet anyone from some big store will help You to choose proper materials/equipement.


@Ant P Oil based poly will work perfectly over BLO, no worries at all.  From your description I'd get a satin finish poly, and probably apply it with a foam mini roller.


How can I better control temperature differences between floors in my two story home that has two HVAC systems?

Leave the door - first and foremost, for fire safety, second, to keep from having all the cold air run downstairs and all the hot air run upstairs and then going nuts trying to keep any setting on either floor, especially if there isn't (would not expect with separate systems) a duct to circulate air between floors. If you have a door, you can let the lower floor warm up at night in cooling season, for instance, rather than needing to keep it "a few degrees cooler" to prevent warm air from rushing upstairs.

As for efficiency, heat or cool the part you are in when you are in it, and let it float warm in summer/cool in winter when you are not in it; just figure out how much the "lag time" is to get the place to temperature and start conditioning the space from your "warm AC" or "cool Heat" setting for when you are not there to the temperature you want it at when you are there far enough in advance so it's ready when you are.


Clogged sink drain after washing paint brush and roller

I would suspect that it's something other than paint. We use our kitchen sink to wash out brushes and have never had issues with it clogging. You would have had to have washed a lot of very dried out paint down in order for it to have clogged.
If plunging hasn't solved the issue, you could try any of the chemical drain cleaners, or you could try a snake or auger. Hand operated snakes are fairly inexpensive and are handy to have around in general and don't have any of the drawbacks/concerns that people have with chemicals.


Small amounts of moss on asphalt shingles?

Moss is there for a reason. It grows because there is moisture. Typically overhanging tree limbs and shade are the problem. You want to cut back the branches over the house so that your roof will get sufficient sunlight and airflow to dry out.
Once you do that, a good stiff push broom should be sufficient to scrub off the moss from those shingles.
Check for roof damage. That moisture is a killer. It is possible that you will need to replace shingles, or even the wood underneath. You may also have venting problems, preventing the roof from properly drying out.
Finally, once you ensure that the roof can dry out, and remove the moss which helps to keep it moist, and replace/repair any problems, you can then add zinc strips to the top of your roof to help retard moss from returning. The zinc leaches out gradually with rain, retarding new moss or algae from growing on your shingles.
Nothing will work unless you dry out the roof and keep it dry though.


No, not really. The work you're describing doesn't sound remotely cost-effective, or effective at all for that matter. Running a huge duct from the basement to the attic will choke off the airflow. Not to mention that if you're going to to that, you're already doing half the work necessary to redo the ductwork properly to connect the two zones.

It sounds like the real solution would be to abandon the attic unit (possibly selling it for some quick cash if it still works), and then integrate the second floor ductwork with the first floor ductwork such that the basement-mounted unit can service the whole house adequately.

If your second floor gets really really hot, the first and probably most consequential step is to air-seal and super-insulate the attic floor, and possibly adding a radiant barrier under the roof rafters if you can perform the work yourself (don't hire that part out; the payback time will be on the order of a hundred years). Low-E storm windows can help too if your house's windows are old and crappy.


The 2 black + 1 white is your always-hot bundle.  You won't use it (unless you want to power the fan 24x7 and use a remote on it).

The 2 white is the neutral bundle.  Your fan will need that.

The loose black is the switched-hot from the switch. (it is the partner wire to the oddball white from above).  This is the switched-hot for the fan.

The switch is a switch loop, meaning power comes to the fan (and also goes onward to serve other things)... and the switch merely gets always-hot and switched-hot.  It was legal to wire switches that way as recently as 2011.  The white could be a real source of confusion, since it's not a neutral, so two special rules apply: #1 the always-hot wire must be white (to make it more obvious that it's not a neutral to people probing it with voltage testers), and #2 the white wire must be marked with black tape or paint to indicate it's a hot.

Without that marking, which was overlooked in your box, it is impossible to distinguish a switch loop from other wires.  So it is most important you don't allow the 2 black + 1 white to become separated/confused. It is common for important information like this to only exist in wire position. This is why I own 10 colors of tape.


LED bulb always flickers or doesn't turn on

The most common cause of this is the 12V transformer. A GU5.3 bulb runs at 12V DC instead of normal line voltage (110-230V AC). Many transformers have a minimum load for normal operation, which the LED bulbs may not be drawing.

As an alternative, you may want to consider installing GU10 bulbs. They are the same general size and shape as GU5.3 bulbs so many fixtures are compatible, but they operate on line voltage so there is no longer a need for the transformer. You would just need to remove the transformer and replace the socket, which is a very small cost on top of the bulbs. It is the best way to negate the flickering and troubleshooting headaches.


Prevent Portable AC from tripping breaker

A gadget that shuts power off at the outlet before it hits 15A load, is not really the solution for your problem.  For instance a healthy air conditioner will ordinarily spike above 15A, but return to spec limits soon enough.

The real problem is elsewhere.  Either

Your air conditioner has a problem, and is drawing more than it's supposed to.  This often happens to air conditioners that are near their end-of-life, i.e. that have a slow leak.  In any case, 11.4 amps is a lot for a window air conditioner, I suspect a new, efficient one may pay its cost in electricity savings.
There are other loads on that circuit that you aren't telling us about, or that you don't know about.

For the first one, you can test with a common power meter such as a $20 "Kill-a-watt".  Don't sweat a momentary startup spike, watch for continuous loads higher than advertised.  If you see that, window air conditioners are generally not repairable (or worth repairing) and it's better to upgrade to a modern, efficient one anyway.  For the same amount of cooling, look at BTU, not watts or amps.


How do I get a cam lock out of a really deep hole?

Put some hot glue on the end of a dowel or other stick and put it in the hole.  Give it a minute to dry then gently rotate the stick (and cam) while pulling it out.  Hot glue would be a quick fix, but next step is a stronger glue that might take longer.

Final options - try to drill a hole into the center of the cam lock and threat a small screw into it and pull it out.  Or, if it's not in a very visible spot, drill a small hole in the opposite side and poke out the cam lock with a wire or pin.  Last method is fast, but will leave a visible hole on the "finished" side.


After few day I saw that the spots are disappearing. I searched for an expert opinion and he told me that the adhesive is working and will dry eventually.


How to attach electrical wire to messenger cable?

You'll want to use a cable not individual wires here

What you will want to do is lash a cable, specifically a UF cable (the same one you'd use for direct burying the run to the sign) to the messenger, not individual wires.  Your initial plan is a Code violation outside of an industrial establishment where only qualified personnel service the installation, even, due to NEC 300.3(A):

  (A) Single Conductors. Single conductors specified in Table
  310.104(A) shall only be installed where part of a recognized
  wiring method of Chapter 3.

and NEC 396.10:

  396.10 Uses Permitted.

  (A) Cable Types. The cable types in Table 396.10(A) shall be
  permitted to be installed in messenger-supported wiring under
  the conditions described in the article or section referenced
  for each.

  (B) In Industrial Establishments. In industrial establishments
  only, where conditions of maintenance and supervision ensure
  that only qualified persons service the installed messenger-supported wiring, the following shall be permitted:

  (1) Any of the conductor types shown in Table 310.104(A) or
  Table 310.104(B)

  (2) MV cable

  Where exposed to weather, conductors shall be listed for use
  in wet locations. Where exposed to direct rays of the sun,
  conductors or cables shall be sunlight resistant.

As to that messenger wire...

You will need to use a sag and tension chart, or run the NESC sag and tension calculations (see PDF pages 33-35 of this Southwire manual for details) yourself, in order to figure out what size and tension of messenger is acceptable, given the clearance requirements imposed upon you by NEC 225.18:

  225.18 Clearance for Overhead Conductors and Cables.

  Overhead spans of open conductors and open multiconductor
  cables of not over 1000 volts, nominal, shall have a clearance of
  not less than the following:

  (1) 3.0 m (10 ft) — above finished grade, sidewalks, or from
  any platform or projection that will permit personal
  contact where the voltage does not exceed 150 volts to
  ground and accessible to pedestrians only

  (2) 3.7 m (12 ft) — over residential property and driveways,
  and those commercial areas not subject to truck traffic
  where the voltage does not exceed 300 volts to ground

  (3) 4.5 m (15 ft) — for those areas listed in the 3.7 m (12 ft)
  classification where the voltage exceeds 300 volts to
  ground

  (4) 5.5 m (18 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

  (5) 7.5 m (24 1∕2 ft) — over track rails of railroads

In general, this messenger will be a steel or ACSR wire, and it must be grounded to the circuit ground wire, although this can happen at either or both ends.  (This is simply a matter of using an appropriately sized split bolt and 12AWG bare copper jumper to wire the messenger to the mains junction point, where it can connect to the circuit grounding wire.)

The messenger's size will need to be determined by the NESC tension calculations -- it's a bit of an interactive process that depends on where you are and how much sag you can work with, as the mechanical aspects control here, not the ampacity of the wire.

...and the lashings

There are two basic approaches to attaching wires to a messenger -- you can either use a lashing wire that wraps around the messenger and carried cable, or you can use cable saddles or bridle rings that clamp onto the messenger and provide an ring the carried cable is run through to support it.  The latter is probably easier for someone who isn't running overhead cable for a living, albeit somewhat harder to find (you'll need to ask your local electrical supply house for them, but you'll be shopping there anyway, right?).

Furthermore, you'll need to remember to put drip loops into the ends of the UF so that water can't run down the UF into the junctions or mastheads at each end.


After consulting with a plumber, he advised to leave the footing alone. The first reason was it could potentially lead to foundation cracks in the future, or compromise the wall itself. The second reason is the concrete is so old, it would be a huge undertaking to try and remove any of it.

I opted to move my wall towards the center of the house by 6", which makes the bathroom smaller but negates the need to mess with the footing.


Can I fill sagging spots in my driveway with asphalt and hot tar?

You have divots in a concrete driveway.

I'd saw around the divot area, break it all out, and pour concrete, rather than anything to do with asphalt. Drill some holes in the edges and insert steel to tie the patch to the slab.

If following the "quick fix" fill-on-top approach, possibly thinset (tile cement) but trying to do anything with concrete in the winter is fraught with difficulty - you have to heat it up and keep it warm - if it freezes before it cures, it's toast.

My gut says that your quick fix with hot tar is going to be good for 6 months, at most. Additionally, it will complicate doing a good concrete repair later.


Is there a thing that allows you to easily control which way down a pipe water can flow

Evidently. One of several rsults of searching for reversible check valve. Image from flow-rite.com, no affiliation, never heard of them

However, I'd suggest re-examining the entire design. When complexity leads to wanting more complexity, it's more often an overly complex design ethos than a need for complex parts.


How can I dim landscape lights permanently?

The specifications for the current power pack (transformer) offered by Malibu says that it is Not for use with dimmers. Older versions listed on their site also say the same thing.

While some of the earlier transformers from that manufacturer may differ, it doesn't look promising unless you swap out the transformer for a different brand.


as I understand it BS7671 requires that the cable is buried deep enough to prevent the cable being disturbed by any reasonably foreseeable disturbance of the land but does not specify a particular depth. There should also be a warning tape burried above the cable.

Normally though the recommendation for a domestic garden is around half a meter. That is enough to give it some margin beyond the depth of a typical spade.

If you will be be getting an electrican to connect up and certify this I would strongly advise talking to them first before you buy and install the cable.


How bad is this quartz countertop seam (color mismatch)?

That is, in my opinion at least, quite substandard.  It looks as though they put two pieces from different batches together.
Seams are almost inevitable but they should carefully match pieces so that they are nearly invisible.  I'll bet that if you were to go to their showroom and look at some seams you'd have a difficult time figuring out that there was a seam there.
I'd absolutely have a discussion with the company that sold and installed this.  It's UNACCEPTABLE!


Can I split a circuit in the middle of a 3-wire cable?

You can splice into a 3-wire cable just as you'd splice a 2-wire cable, assuming it's not for a three-way switch or some other specialty case. Do it as you've drawn.
You'll need slack. If you don't have it, plan for either using two junction boxes, or splice at an existing box.
For the two-box method, mount two boxes at least 24" apart and cut the cable between. Make your splice in whichever box is most convenient and run a jumper between boxes. Obviously this means you need more /3 cable. Do not run parallel cables as a substitute, which would be illegal.
Be aware that junction boxes must remain accessible. Don't bury them in your walls or ceiling, or cover them with cabinets.


Michigan Kitchen Sink Electrical Requirements

Code requires two 20 ampere small appliance branch circuits, which it sounds like you have. There's no requirement that I'm aware of, that the receptacles near the sink have to be separate circuits. Though it could potentially be a local ammendment, so you'd have to chek with your local building department.

NEC also requires all countertop receptacles to be GFCI protected, not just those near the sink.


GE Dryer, Model GTDX100EM1WW Burnt Wiring

It looks as if the red connector in the first photo may not be the original, but a past DIY repair. I may be wrong, too.
Either way the wire should have a retaining clip close to the connection. The plastic grate in photo 1 most likely has a clip close to the terminal. If not zip tie the wires to a stable part of the dryer.
This most likely occurred due to vibration and the wire not being secured. If necessary solder the spade terminal to the wire for the most secure connection.


Is a 7 degree slope for a roof too small in a rainy area?

It depends on the type of roofing you’re going to use.

Its steep enough for single-ply membranes. We use single- ply membranes down to 1/4” per foot.

Make sure you have adequate (large enough) gutters and downspouts.

I live in a area that has a significant amount of rain (60” or more per year) and we have a few downpours too. I’d use a 4” gutter and 2 - 2”x 3” downspouts for your carport.