How can a "class 320" service legaly/safely supply two 200 amp panels?

Continuous vs. Peak ratings

The discrepancy you are seeing here is a function of the difference between the way meters and sockets are rated and the way breakers and panels are rated.  In particular, meters and meter bases are designated with their continuous ampere rating.  A Class 200 meter and meter-base is rated to have 200A run through it 24/7/365, for instance.

This is different from circuit breakers, where a 200A breaker cannot be guaranteed to stay closed if you have it sitting there 24/7/365 with 200A running through it (save for special "100% rated" circuit breakers used in some heavy-duty applications).  This is one of the major reasons the NEC has continuous load derates in various places (generally 80% of the marked rating).  Furthermore, panel busbar ratings generally work in this fashion, too.

So, you'll see cases where the rating of the metering hardware and the rating of the service-entrance hardware don't appear to match.  Smaller sockets will be rated for 100A continuous and used with 100A or 125A services, or 135A continuous to allow usage on 150A services; all of this uses a Class 200 meter as that's the utility's "go to" meter for light-duty work.  That Class 200 meter will also be used with a Class 200 socket for some 150A services, as well as 200A and even 225A services.  There are even dual-disconnect or tap-lug configurations that allow a single Class 200 meter and socket to serve 250A of load!

Then we get to your case, which is a 400A service using a Class 320 meter and socket, used for any maximum (Article 220 computed) load between 225 and 400A.  Larger loads than 320A continuous/400A peak require something other than a self-contained meter and socket though.  Some utilities use extended range metering using what's known as a K-Base meter, rated for 400 or 600 continuous amperes, while others simply revert to what's known as current transformer or "CT" metering for all services larger than Class 320, using a box with special transformers in it to step the current down so that a special transformer rated meter can accurately meter it without having the meter in the main current path.  Transformer metering requires more work from the utility and more parts, but provides much more flexibility, allowing it to be used for services of any size at any voltage rating.


How do I eliminate stink from a waste water pipe?

Cut the current pipe and install the p-trap near the bottom, close to however it's vented.  Retain the cut piece of pipe and add it back above the new p-trap.

Gluing to the top (as mentioned in comments) will cause an overflow issue.


Finishing nails into treated lumber indoors... a disaster waiting to happen?

Only if you notice discoloration in a couple of decades would I remove them. They won't be getting wet so the chemicals won't be active nor re-activated. I've used scraps for decades of even the really toxic stuff & still don't have any side-effect from using finish nails, common nails, plain wood screws & even staples for casement window porch screens in 2x2 PT frames.


* you're going to want to make sure to balance flow*

In order to do that you will want to loop the pipes around back to itself.

If you want to make the primary loop out of three-quarter inch pipe it certainly wouldn't hurt but is probably not necessary unless you have extremely high flow shower heads.

Edit

Here's a better image

You can use one or both of the optional valves you can even go with none but then you will always have flow through both shower heads.

Sorry I tried rotating the image it keeps going upside down

This is an example of the optional valve[][4)] https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiOycnFsPPgAhWFw4MKHSSuDd4QjB16BAgBEAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.qssupplies.co.uk%2FTaps%2FStop-Valve%2FProduct%2F485.htm&psig=AOvVaw0yBhytq_2amzj_lDQGskPk&ust=1552163162650315


will a larger gauge wire used to extend and outlet prevent power loss

Absolutely.  You are always allowed to upsize the wire.  You will need to pigtail the ends of the wires onto a smaller wire so it will fit on the terminals at both ends.

I gather you've recently visited a voltage drop calculator.  A few tricks on using those effectively:

Use the Ampere rating of the actual loads you will be powering, never use the amps of the breaker trip.  In fact, if your load is more than 80% of breaker trip (16A for a 20A  breaker), that means you're overloading the circuit.  So you should never put more than 16A for a 20A circuit.
3% is not gospel.  The best practice is to limit voltage drop to 8% from the service panel to the final load, so you should separately add up voltage drop for each wiring segment.  Often with those calcs, if you change the number to 4%, you find that the next smaller wire would have worked at, say 3.3% (which is perfectly fine).
Make sure you select 120V or 240V correctly.
Distance is one-way (on most of them). It's automatically calculating for both directions of voltage drop.


Placement of inducer for gas hot water tank

Regarding the picture below, if the air flow and identities of everything in the picture is correct, then it looks fine.


Why do garbage disposal companies suggest using cold water with their products?

Assuming that food waste disposers will include more grease going down the drain due to the variety of items being disposed, I've been told that cold water helps coagulate grease into chunks that wash down the drain. Somehow this helps reduce grease buildup in the trap. I would suspect that cold+liquid grease at the disposal gets broken up without gumming up the works, but warm liquid grease will coagulate in the cutters/trap as it cools and settles.

According to this GE Disposal User Guide (PDF)

  Do not use hot water while running the disposer. Cold water will keep food waste and fats solid so they can be flushed down the drain.


Your question is a little broad, but I will interpret it to be something like "Can I use LED lighting sources to illuminate my workbench and desk?"

Yes. While the purchase price of LEDs is still much higher than conventional bulbs or CFLs, the prices are dropping and you often can find sales. There are 75 watt led flood bulbs now available in the $20 range, such as these

They can be used in simple porcelain or plastic lamp sockets in a basement, garage or workroom.

There are also LED retrofit trim baffles for recessed lighting, in the 65+ watt range, such as these

They are often on sale for less than $30.

GU10 units are also available, but they tend to be in lower wattages.

All of the above are designed for 110-120 volt systems.


Two new circuits - both trip simultaneously on load

Remove the hot and neutral of one circuit (e.g. Remove that breaker's pigtail and snap the breaker out and let it lie loose).

Then, troubleshoot the surviving circuit in the normal fashion.   A wide variety of "hook up 2 new circuits at once" mistakes will instantly become apparent.

In the future, you must have very good discipline about the relationship between neutral and hot. Every circuit must be painstakingly matched- of course, that's super easy where cable is involved, because it's either 1 circuit per cable or /2/2 cable where red's neutral has a red stripe.  What gets you is individual wires in conduit, and you are required to mark circuits somehow.  This is why I own 11 colors of wire and 10 colors of tape!


I would think that the white screws that you show in the foreground of 3rd picture can be undone by hand while holding the glass.  This would allow the glass to be removed, and the bulbs and mounting screws to be accessed.


Where should arc fault breaker not be used?

Like GFCI's, AFCI's coverage is being added to Dwelling Units each NEC revision.Under 2017 NEC Article 210.12 (A) "Dwelling Units" almost all 120V 15 and 20 amp branch circuits supplying outlets (see NEC definition for outlets) must be AFCI protected.

The only circuits not needing protection in a dwelling at this time are Bathrooms, Garages, Crawl Spaces, Attics and Outdoor.

Definition:
 Outlet: A point on the wiring system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment. Although receptacles are outlets not all outlets are receptacles. Example light fixture outlet.

Note: AFCI Protection must be installed within 50' of the devices it's protecting.

Hope this helps.


Wire two 14-50 outlets to 50 amp breaker

On 50A circuits, the rule is one breaker - one homerun - one outlet (NEC 210.23) The only exception is circuits which supply only cooking appliances (210.23C).  If you want to use two devices on one circuit, unplug the one you're not using and plug in the one you are.

It may be legal to feed two outlets with 2 breakers in a sub-panel.  However I would think an inspector would look askew at a 50A breaker in the main panel serving two 50A breakers in a sub-panel.

It would probably be allowed if you had an interlock which allows only one breaker to be on at a time.  Those are readily available, intended for generator interlocks.  Just backfeed them - this is allowed unless the breakers are GFCI or AFCI.  (and even if they are, move them around so they forward-feed.)

For wirenutting stuff that big, I use screw-down terminal blocks, they are more reliable.

I wouldn't worry about liquid-tight unless you actually expect water ingress.

I use metal conduit if the area is dry and unlikely to rust.  It qualifies as a ground path, so pulling ground wires is unnecessary.  As you may need to pull another set of 6 AWG... For 6 AWG wire, the hard max in 1" conduit is 6 wires.  Sure, that's pullable - if you have an electrician's truck full of special pulling tools.  But I don't, and I don't want to call that guy, so I wildly overbuild conduit. I use oversize conduit and lots of access points (junction boxes, conduit bodies) with no more than one 90 between them.  At that point I can usually just push the wire through, without fishing.

If you're running conduit, don't use 6/3.  That is sheathed multi-wire cable, informally called Romex, and it's stiff and miserable to pull through conduit.  You are not allowed to remove the conductors from the sheath unless they have appropriate markings of their own, which they won't.  The right stuff to use in conduit is stranded single-wire THHN (in dry areas) or THWN (in wet areas) - at 6 AWG size, most wire will be combo THHN/THWN.

See what your equipment requires.  If you're in conduit, and it doesn't need neutral, don't put it in - you can always add it later. You'd use NEMA 6 instead of NEMA 14.  Never use NEMA 10, it is obsolete.

Edit: I need more space to answer your comment.

From what they said on the website, Juicebox only needs 2 wires (plus ground). It is a modern style "switching" power supply which chops any input 110-250V into what it wants. What they call "red neutral" is only neutral in a 120V hookup, in 240V it is the other hot.  So, no neutral. Saved you a wire.  It is legal for Juicebox to wire their NEMA 14 plug with no neutral, I honestly have no idea if it's legal to not connect neutral on a NEMA 14 receptacle.

The website says two Juiceboxes have the intelligence to share a connection of limited current capacity.  That is not unprecedented.  Some washer-dryer combos are designed so the washer daisy-chains off the dryer, making it unnecessary to run a separate 120 service. The washer and dryer coordinate to not overload the 240V 30A circuit.  They are UL listed to do that if connected according to the manufacturer instructions.  Ditto Juicebox.

Over 50 amps, plugs and sockets are not allowed, you must hardwire the electrical connections.  Check a voltage drop calculator on the web for the wire size.  The site I used called out #3 Copper or #2 aluminum assuming a 75' run. However, you'd want to run aluminum anyway, because with large wires, metal content is a big part of the cost.**. When splicing this "big stuff" you use connection blocks with screws that typically use hex keys.  They're about $10 each at your local electrical supply house.  Grats, you graduated out of the big-box stores.  Never look back.

Breakers protect wires, so the breaker must match "the thinnest wire", i.e. The wire in the circuit with the lowest ampacity.  If that puts you between breaker sizes, you can go up to the next offered size, e.g. 80A. If you really want to run 100A wire, you can do that.

You have high aspirations and I would run conduit to match - no smaller than 1-1/2". Use larger boxes for working room... And think really hard about where your bends and/or conduit bodies are going to be. That big wire will be stiff.

**The infamous problems with aluminum wiring pertained to an alloy now outlawed, being used for small lamp and outlet wiring. That doesn't save any money, because in small wire, little of the cost is mineral value. It was done post-war because it was simply impossible for the surviving copper mines and smelters to satisfy post-war demand.


Does sand help with drainage or marshy lawns around a house?

I would not expect that a layer of surface sand will help the problem, you will just have sandier mush.  If you're getting runoff from surrounding properties, more water is coming in than the ground can handle.

If your lot has some grade and the side away from your neighbors is lower, it might help to install a perimeter drain around the lot to capture runoff from your neighbors and redirect it so that it doesn't enter your yard.

Your comment on the question indicates that there is a lot of surface water that flows over the property, so that suggests that some combination of a perimeter drain and contouring the perimeter of the lot should help.

But there are limits to how effective this can be.  Some of your neighbors' runoff will soak into the ground on the way.  The area soil and grading can create a high water table and your lot, being lower, may be at the water table level when it is high.  I had this situation at a prior house.  If that's the case, a perimeter drain won't totally solve the issue because at least some of the problem water is already below any practical drain system you could install.

Another or supplemental approach is to plant one or more "wet soil" trees in the yard.  These are trees that thrive in very wet soil.  Weeping willow trees are often used for this purpose.  They can soak up water like a sponge and solve the problem of a marshy yard.  This link lists a variety of trees that thrive in wet soil and can be used for this purpose.

Given your description of the amount of surface water flowing over your lot, I would start with a perimeter treatment (contouring and/or drain) to divert the runoff.  See how far that goes in solving the problem.  If the soil is still too wet, consider adding the tree solution.


3white wires and one black from the ceiling. How do I wire up a two wire fixture?

The black and white wires which have wire-nuts go to the new lamp fixture.

You will be sacrificing 0-10V dimming, emergency lighting, or whatever purpose those other two white wires have.   Note that they are a "line cord" which has been split; this is an illegal wiring method for mains power in a building's structure, hence my suspicion that they are for low voltage.

Also, you should rearrange this so you are wiring into a proper junction box, and if there already is a box, ad a box extension.  This may involve re-positioning the new light slightly.


What could be causing water to drip from the relief valve of my new gas water heater, again?

Well the problem was simple enough.  The expansion tank I installed that was only a few months old was completely filled with water.  I guess 28 psi is too much for a pressure tank that was tested and verified for up to 100psi.

Now where did I put that warranty card? :)


Can I add a garage outlet from existing interior circuit?

You can do that.
If the circuit it's coming from isn't GFCI protected the receptacle will need to be, since it's in the garage.


Window in shower enclosure: What to do about it, if anything?

If it's an old house, it may have originally been a claw-foot tub with a full surround curtain. And the window was the ventilation.

If you want to keep the window (as it sounds like you don't want to seal it off), one option would be to replace it with a vinyl window with vinyl trim. Make sure the vinyl trim is glued and sealed. That would get rid of the 'wood in the shower' issue.


Propane fireplace lights up, but turns off after 5-20 minutes

My first guess was something with the pilot or it's safety features, but you mentioned that it stays lit?

So I did a quick Google search and found the manual for your fireplace:
Manual Download

If you read on down, you'll see that it has a few potential solutions to check for. Of the options, I doubt that it is the switch control since it does come on, although not stay on. Depends on the age and type of the switch as it could be wearing out or wires came loose, but that's unlikely to be a consistent problem like this.

The second check listed is for low voltage on the thermopile (thermocouple). It's a heat sensor by the pilot that checks to make sure it's lit. The last option is to clean the burner, but that doesn't sound like it'd be a problem that'd make your fireplace shut off every so often.


Brass tub overflow pipe stuck in brass tee. How can I remove it?

Heat both parts moderately and safely (ie, don't set the house on fire) concentrating on the Tee or outside part.

Then apply ice to the pipe (ie, the "inside part" of the joint.)

This is usually a more practical (and less frustrating) approach than trying to heat one and cool the other at the same time.

The idea in play is to expand the outer part and shrink the inner part to aid in separating them. It won't always work, but it's what I'd try first when simple disassembly fails.

Heat may also help to break up the corrosion more directly by driving water out of it.


How can I T splice a 120V line in a lighting fixture?

As I interpret the code, no. That "T" splice isn't allowed, and not really elegant IMHO.

2011 NEC
110.14 Electrical Connections
(B) Splices.
Conductors shall be spliced or joined with splicing devices identified for the use
or by brazing, welding, or soldering with a fusible metal or alloy.
...

Where the article says you could solder the joint, in your case it's shall solder the joint. As far as the taps being in a approved enclosure, I can't agree with the commentary. Just go to any lighting store and you will see lights that have fixture wires on top of a light that would be much larger than any typical box. However, I'm not a manufacturer, I just have experience hanging a ton of lights.


My guess is that it is a 300 ohm terminal for a rooftop television antenna. I'm surprised it doesn't have any labelling molded in. If you pull it out, I think you'll find a flat 300 ohm (non-coaxial) antenna cable inside. I googled a bit, and found this thread where someone followed their attic antenna lead down to an identical wall plate.


Repairing this type of material is difficult, although I have seen it done.  It is an art project of matching paint colors and drawing in the wood grain.  I doubt it will hold up though.  Covering it up is your best option and there are several ways to do it.

1 - I think your best bet is to find a cabinet refacing supplier.  There are many on the internet and you should be able to find an end skin.  This is either a thin sheet of plywood or veneer and many are self adhesive. In cabinet refacing, they cover the outside surfaces of a cabinet and replace the doors so they have a lot of color and wood options.

2 - You can buy what is essentially wood grain contact paper and cover it up.  Be sure that surface is as clean as possible before applying the new contact paper.

3 - I see a small strip of wood at the bottom.  I would have to see what the whole cabinet looks like, but you may be able to take that off and replace it with a wider strip of wood if the damage is confined to the lower part of the cabinet as it appears in this picture.

4 - You can go the a local wood store and buy veneer or thin plywood and stain it to match.

Good Luck!


Why is there no heating at all until we use hot water?

Most water-coil heaters have a circulating pump to run hot water through radiator when the HVAC needs it.

It sounds to me like you either have no circulating pump, or that your circulating pump is malfunctioning.


My contractor wants to install a different brand of solar panel from what was approved in their permit

If you're using microinverters there are some circuit calculations you're supposed to do using the panel specs and local temperatures to let you know the maximum number of those panels that can be chained together.

If you got different panels then you paid for, I hope you got refunded appropriately!  Besides initial specs, I believe mono panels age better than poly in terms of output degradation over time.


Just go to any hardware store or one of the big box stores (orange or blue) and they will fix you up.


Why does my newly installed fill valve hiss after flushing?

For this type of valve it is normal for there to be some hissing as the tank is nearly full, because as the float rises with the water level, it is gradually closing the valve. The hissing is the sound of water movement through a nearly-closed valve. If you can trigger the same sound by flushing and then manually raising the float so the valve is nearly closed, then that's your issue. If water is leaking out of the top of the fill valve, you have a different problem (a defective valve).

Assuming the sound is just continued operation of your fill valve, then it's not right for this to take minutes - should only be 15-60 seconds of hissing before the fill valve closes completely. It's possible that the valve is allowing too much water to enter the tank, and that water is then running down into the bowl through the overflow (the tall pipe in the center of the tank). In that situation, you're continuously adding water to the tank while draining it away. This can lead to constant running, potentially hissing, and of course lots of wasted water.

To correct this, turn the screw at the top center of the fill valve clockwise. This will cause the ballcock to shut off the fill valve at a lower level. You should aim to have it stop filling the tank at about 1/2" below the overflow. You can make this adjustment while the tank is filling after a flush, and flush/refill once or twice to tweak.

Also, the clear tube is correct. This tube is what provides water to directly re-fill the bowl after you flush. In the first picture, you can see the nipple to which a similar tube (usually opaque and thinner) would be attached. It's at the top of the fill valve, the black plastic section, and pointing to the right. The reason water splashed everywhere when your tank was previously opened is that there was no tube attached to guide this water into the overflow (as you've done with the clear tubing in the new install).


Is it safe to use 1/4 inch tempered glass for dining table top?

Definitely not! Unsupported ends & center is a big no-no. Support means that it won't bend AT ALL. Why? Because glass doesn't bend...for long.


Can I leave an unused conductor when running wire for an extractor fan?

The best thing to do with an unused wire is to mark it 'unused' at each end and then wire it into the earth connection at both ends. That way there won't be any loose wire which could possibly touch a connection and become live accidentally, and if it did the protective device would open.

Lighting circuits are usually 5A fuses or 6A MCBs.

Running 3+e to the fan (live, switched live, neutral, earth) allows you to use a fan with a built-in over-run timer.

If running 3+e you may need a triple pole isolator for the fan, eg

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK4859.html


Switched a outdoor gfci for a working one but now other components in the house don't work?

For now: cap off breaker 7's hot and neutral in the panel
What you discovered with two breakers feeding power to the two sides of a GFCI is something that basically shouldn't have ever happened to begin with; GFCIs aren't meant to have power backfed onto their LOAD terminals, even, as that can fry older units, and will cause new GFCIs to "lock out".  Fixing it properly will require quite a bit of detective work (I suspect that the two circuits' hots got joined together inadvertently somewhere), but there is a way out of the jam for now.
What I'd do in this situation to get the house functioning would be to remove the hot and neutral that landed on breaker 7 at the panel from their lugs and cap them off individually, then connect the breaker 3 feed to the LINE side and the former breaker 7 feed to the LOAD side of the new GFCI.  Having the owner follow up on the situation would be highly recommended, though, as the extra load may cause some tripping of breaker 3 from simple overload of the circuit.
You'll also want to test the GFCI to make sure it's protecting what you expect it to; if the GFCI-protected loads turn out to be on breaker 3, then you'll have to reverse LINE and LOAD on the GFCI, and interchange the roles of the breaker 3 and breaker 7 homeruns in the panel as well.  Note also that this assumes breaker 3 and breaker 7 have the same amp rating; if they don't, then that throws an additional wrench into the works.


Water restriction when washing machine is running

Open the valve and see if it makes a difference. I would think any 2 faucets on at the same time would have the same effect. The valve may have been installed to dampen water hammer issues. I have seen this done and work but it limits the flow.


To wire this properly, you have two options.

Run a 14/4 (or 12/4 if it's a 20 ampere circuit), or 14/2/2 (12/2/2 for 20 amperes) plus ground nonmetallic sheathed cable (Type NM) between the switch and the fan.
Install conduit and run individual conductors between the switch and fan.

There's no way to wire this in a code compliant way, using two 14/2 with ground cables. You'd either violate 300.3(B), by not having all the conductors in the same cable. Or you'd violate 310.10(H)(1), by having paralleled conductors.

Using 14/4 is the easiest, since the wire colors should match up. Simply collect all the white wires from the fan, and connect them to the white wire from the 14/4 cable. Connect the bare ground wire from the cable, to the green wire from the fan. Then just match the colors, black to black, red to red, and blue to blue.

At the switch, connect all the grounds together. Connect the white wire from the 14/4 cable, to the feeder neutral. Connect the black wire to the fan switch, the blue wire to the light switch, and the red wire to the heater switch.

If you're using 14/2/2. Instead of a blue wire, you'll have a white wire with a red stripe. You'll have to mark this wire at both ends with a marker or tape, to reidentify it as a hot conductor. Once that's done, simply substitute it for the blue wire in the description above.

If you install conduit, you can use whatever code compliant color wires you want.


Fix localized wooden parquet floor scratches

This scratches are hardly visible so if you ask me I wouldn't do anything. But I can understand if this is bothering you; if this is the case I'm afraid that there are no hacks to fix this thing (from your question ii have realized that you are asking for a easy solution).Right way to fix it is to sand the floor and then apply lac as finishing layer. According to my knowledge this is the only way to fix this problem.


Moving some plumbing for a kitchen remodel - loop vent for kitchen island

I'm not a plumber, but I've have spent nearly 20 years in the industry, so I'll try to give you the best answer I can based on my experience.

Your 1st question is about why it has a 2" Wye in the basement and doesn't use a single stack throughout. Suppose all drains were draining simultaneously at full capacity. So, all faucets [sinks, tubs, washing machine, whatever ties into that single stack] are fully on (hot/cold) and the dishwasher is draining.  Not a likely scenario, but it does need to be accounted for. This would overload a single 2" line. Therefore, splitting the load across 2 pipes would be acceptable based on max potential load.

Regarding the vents. As you can probably guess, the vent's purpose is 2 fold. 1) Stop the drain lines from hitting an air lock and restricting the flow of the waste 2) Provide an escape for any methane or other unpleasant smells from bubbling back through the drains. For point number 1, to help you understand what I mean, think of what happens when you hold a jug of water upside down and drain it. It "glugs" and drains with great effort; it still drains, but not nearly as well or fast if the jug were to have a hole in the bottom (or top when upside down). The hole doesn't need to be big, but it can't be a pinhole size either.

On to moving your sink. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm not a plumber, however, I cannot see why what you're proposing would be an issue. It's better to have your vents closer to the drain source, but as long as free flowing air can be provided to your drain, there shouldn't be a problem.

Finally, about your dishwasher. The plans you've provided are no different that the existing. You are just simply moving the vent from one side of the dishwasher to the other. No problem there.


Shouldn't a compressor automatically stop compressing on a predefined PSI level?

Dari Smart 25/2500 Compressor. 2HP Single Stage, Max 116psi

From the picture, it has a pressure switch, a tank gauge, regulator and regulator output pressure gauge.

The compressor should run till the tank is up to max pressure (116psi) and shut off. What is the Red Zone pressure? Usually Red means Dead and it sounds like the pressure switch has a failure and is not shutting the compressor off before going overpressure.

Amazing that no manuals are available online, I'd use the contact form on their website to see if you can have them email you an electronic equivalent if it's available.

Closeup

Pressure Shutoff Switch -- Cuts off compressor motor when maximum pressure is reached to prevent over-stressing pump and components.
Main Tank pressure -- maximum level reached is controlled by Pressure Switch, operation in the red zone indicates switch failure.
Regulator Output Pressure Gauge -- Shows the regulated output pressure
Pressure Regulator -- Use the knob on the pressure regulator to set pressure on the Output Pressure Gauge, set to pressure recommended by tool or paint sprayer attached to the compressor


How to disconnect shower tray from drainage pipe?

I have used a strap-wrench to undo that type of connector.

In your case there is very limited access but it would be worth an attempt.

It can be difficult if some people have previously applied a sealant - which are not normally needed as there is usually a rubber gasket.


How to deal with this mold on the window frame?

That looks pretty bad. Don't use bleach, use a purpose-made mold killer product. I like Mold Armor, myself. Be careful with these products. They're super caustic and you could probably hurt yourself if you drink them or don't have good ventilation.


Baseboard Heater-Trying to identify brand

Welcome to DIY Home Improvement Martha Mills!

Looks like it might be Sterling. Specifically their Kom-Pak and Senior series.


Can brick patio and walk edging be removed without damaging the edging?

You could remove it, but your patio may start to shift eventually if not replaced. The paver edging  is there to keep the pavers in place. There are many different types of paver edging, and bringing it up might pull up your lawn a bit and possibly your pavers.

Instead I would try to hammer the edging back in by placing a board over the edging and tapping it back in with a rubber mallet. If it is thin edging I might try to cut off the dislodged sections with utility knife.


Assuming you're using the correct adhesive system for the pad, there are two instances where this will happen:

1) Your pad is old and will no longer hook the loop, you'll have to replace the pad, generally about 15$ and you can easily do it yourself.

2) Your pad is incompatible with the sander you're using(rare if you're using the same system). It happens sometimes even with the same system sanders where the hooks on the sanding pad are agressive as are the loops on the disc, causing the loops to tear off the disc damaging the hooks on the pad. This may have happened in the past.


garage door button on the wall does not work but remote control does open and close garage door

There are a few possibilities, you can eliminate them one by one:

Take proper safety precautions to ensure that you are not injured if the door operates while you perform the following tests

The wiring is loose at the opener.  Depending on your opener, you may have screw terminals or push in connectors.  Check that the wires are secure by gently tugging on them.  (Note that most openers will have two sets of wires -- one going to the button, and another to the photocell safety mechanism.   If the unit operates correctly with the remote, the ones going to the photocell are probably OK).
Bad wiring or button.  If you have screw connectors, touch a screwdriver to the two screws that the button connects to.   If you have push-in connectors, remove the wires (they may be color-coded, keep track of which is which) and briefly connect a wire to the two terminals.  If the door operates, the problem is in the wire or button.
The button is bad.   Disconnect the wires from the button and touch the bare ends together.   If the door operates, either the wires weren't securely connected to the button, or it's gone bad.   If the button is bad, you can replace with a like replacement, or a simple doorbell button (although you will lose the ability to control the light or turn on security mode if your button offers those features).

If you've eliminated the above, the control board in the opener may have gone bad, possibly as a result of a voltage surge.   On some models, replacement boards are available online and are easy to replace.  Search online for the model number of your unit for leads.


Do I or do I not remove baseboards when refinishing my hardwood floor

If this were my floor, I'd remove the baseboard molding so that the floor could be refinished properly.
Of course you can leave them in place but it will be impossible to get right to the edge with the refinishing equipment and the finishing products.
What you might do is ask your supplier who does not want to remove the baseboards to provide some references where you can go and see the end result if that's possible.
I'm not at all clear what affect either way would have on the slope of the floor.


I would just install a new fill valve. They are inexpensive and fairly easy to replace.

After disconnecting the old fill valve you can try turning on the water to see if you are getting water from the supply as expected. Use caution, as the water can shoot out all over the bathroom. If you are not getting water from the supply you likely have a different issue.


Want to install Japanese style unit bath/bathtub. Trimming a joist a bad idea?

Short answer is no way.   You aren't trimming you are taking out the joists there.  It wouldn't even work with a 20 pound tub and a 100 pound person.    Also if it is a no the step option shouldn't be an option.   I have seen this on many a house and what the hell do you do at the top of the step, dive in the tub?   I am rather tall and have dealt with it, can't imagine someone shorter or older.   Not to mention making this look luxurious is almost impossible with the step method.   I have never seen it done where I was like "wow that looks nice".
Long answer yes you can do anything with enough money.   If your joists are parallel to the tub it is a bit cheaper (probably) and you can simply have an adequate header installed to carry the joist load.   Now I have no idea what is below this part of your basement but you may need a pole or a wall or whatever.   With enough money thrown at it an architect can design a way to carry the load for sure.   This could range in as little as 2k up to 10-12k (plus maybe an out of place wall/pole).
If I had already bought this and can't return it, it would unfortunately go in my basement.   I can't see paying for something like that, having it installed quirky, and then effecting other parts of my house.


Power from source goes to fixture in ceiling box first. That would be ok fir a pull chain apparatus. However there was a desire to have 2 devices powered from this source. Thus the plan emerged to redirect the power source to a box on the wall. This source only needed to be a hot leg since the neutral/ground would be tied together in ceiling boxes.
The hot wire into the wall box was then shared onto 2 switches via the pigtail and a white wire carries the power back to one ceiling device while a black wire carries power to the other ceiling device.


There is almost no chance that is concrete.   That looks like some kind of concrete board material (if that) with mastic slapped on and tiles.

Everything has to come down.

If it is concrete (don't think it is) then you need to assess the shower.   If the concrete is in good shape, remove any damaged concrete the put a skim coat of thinset, let dry.   Then tile with a generous amount of thinset (different question).

If it is not concrete - after you assess when tile is removed... ask a new question and more than happy to help.   A concrete shower is awesome... unless you want it to be a different size!


Can I use a car jack for a broken bed leg?

Weight capacity, no problem.

Staying put, noise from motion, stubbing your toes, limited height adjustability; all probable or definite problems.

Bed frames in perfectly usable shape tend to go for a song at secondhand stores, or end up in the waste stream as they rarely get sold and too many are donated. I suggest you go buy one of them, and then see if you can find a place to take your broken frame as scrap steel rather than trash.

Either that, or have it welded.


How to pour concrete over existing slab?

To address the vapor barrier aspect:

With some materials you have to be careful about sandwiching them between two vapor barriers which can trap moisture - but concrete is not one of them. Adding a vapor barrier before new concrete is a good precaution if you're unsure if one exists already.

Closed-cell foam insulation can itself act as a vapor barrier (I recommend taping the seams and / or using spray foam to seal it all up).

So whether you use plastic sheeting (polyethylene I believe) or insulation, you can lay it on the existing concrete and then pour over that.


Whole front wall of house, outlets not working / no power

If no breaker is tripped and all gfci outlets are ok, then it is likely that these outlets and fixtures are fed from another outlet or fixture and the connection there is problematic.

It sounds as if you have little experience with wiring, and aluminum wiring poses a special set of issues. Connections between aluminum wiring and copper based devices often are problematic unless special techniques are used to ensure good permanent connections.

This sounds like a project for a professional electrician to trace the break in the circuit and ensure that all aluminum connections are sound and safe.


How should I maximize soundproofing when installing new hardwood flooring?

There is no need to glue down the underlayment padding. The weight of the floor will hold it in place.  If you don't want it to shift while you are installing the floor, you can use double sided tapes (like the one used for carpet) to hold it.

I usually only put few strips of tape in "tricky" areas such as when approaching a door.  In a rectangular room, I don't use tape.


What kind of wall material produces orange dust, and how should I work with it?

Looks like brick dust.
As for the other two holes, they probably went into the mortar joint between two bricks.


Is there a difference between the two conductors in 120VAC wiring?

Yes, there is a difference.  The hot wire (black in the US) carries 120VAC to an electrical load such as your TV or a lightbulb.  Most of that voltage is dissipated across the load, so that the voltage on the neutral line (white in the US) is very close to zero, but still AC.  The key point is that the neutral serves as the return path for the electrical current to the service panel: current into the load has to match the current out.  For example, a 60W light bulb will draw about 500mA of current, and that 500mA will be carried in on the hot wire and out on the neutral.

The ground lead, on the other hand, normally never carries current.  It is there to provide additional safety.  For example, if the hot wire comes loose in a device and touches a metal part, anything connected to that metal is now energized at 120VAC.  If you touch any exposed metal, you could get a shock.  On the other hand, if the device is grounded, when the hot wire touches the metal, the circuit breaker will trip, removing the hazard.


Before you replace the windows, you may want to try sound dampening drapes. Google search and a few companies will offer solutions for home theaters and other rooms.

I have single pane windows in my house. In the winter I install a second, plexiglass insert to help with heating costs. But it does make a huge difference with noise. If you want to experiment, get some scrap plastic or plywood and cover your window. It will look terrible but at least you'll get a feel for how it would be.


Wiring basic LED light to former ceiling fan box...too many wires?

Switch loops and you

The switch for your light was configured as an old style switch loop where the black wire is the always hot going out to the switch and the white wire is the switched hot coming back from the switch.  This was quite common before recent Code revisions mandated neutrals at most switch boxes in new construction (in order to power dimmers, timers, and other "smart switch" type gizmos).

Anyway, what you'll need to do is mark the single white wire in the light box and the white wire in the switch box with a few wraps of black electrical tape, then wire the single black wire from the wall cable to the black pigtail.  From there, you can connect the white wire on the fixture to the white pigtail, the black wire on the fixture to the taped white wire, and the green wire on the fixture to the bundle of bare wires, which should be redone using a proper wirenut anyway.  Button it all up, turn the breaker on, and enjoy your new light!


Why are my dimmer switches malfunctioning?

Sounds like a simple case of a bad switch.

Note: a squirt of WD-40 into the right place in the sliding mechanism can help, or even fix the problem at least temporarily by lubricating the internal sliding electrical contacts.  But getting the location right requires experience, and if you have to bring out an electrician anyway, they'll prefer to replace.

Do this with the power off by the way.  And it's far better to take it apart and lubricate, compared to the squirt and hope method.

Consider upgrading to a dimmer model with a remote control, CFL compatibility, or other features.


What type of wall construction is shown in these pictures?

What I think you're looking at is cast, reinforced concrete construction for the external structure, with an airspace and then a cementitious "mud" or adobe with lathe ... and then a final coat of plaster.

The horizontal lines on the inside of the exterior wall comes from the pieces of wood that were used to make the form. It'd be helpful to have a picture of the outside of the house.

On the inside, the metal (or possibly a plastic or fiber lathe -- it is REALLY difficult to tell from the supplied pictures) was attached to the rebar sticking out from the wall, and then the mud or adobe was forced through it into a smooth surface a few inches thick. This could have been done to a smooth finish and stained or painted, or it could have had tile or some other material applied to it, or it could have been finished with plaster or stucco. The plaster/stucco may have been a later addition.

A similar construction today would be applying metal studs to a concrete foundation home and then putting Durock or another cementboard over it, and either finishing over it with tile, stucco, or plaster. However, cementitious mud is still extremely common as a surface to tile over for showers or floors and especially for floors is considered superior to cementboard.

This kind of construction is common in african and middle eastern homes. In fact, these pictures mirror things I've seen it in pictures of home renovations from Morocco. I imagine that any area with a similar climate would have similar construction. In most of Europe and US (or any non-arid climate) this would be very uncommon construction and would be horribly prone to mold, although it's possible that this kind of construction could have been done for a steam bath or shower in a building with foundation walls either partially or fully made out of cast concrete ... I'm thinking sauna in a basement or similar.


Removed tiles... what's underneath and how to proceed?

Looks like drywall over old plaster (horse hair plaster) that was applied to a brown coat which has horse hair in it. This might be real good because that brown coat could be over an inch deep & will take screws beautifully for a cement board covering & easy remodel.


As noted by others, you've got a startling amount of force applied to something that was never designed to hold that force.

If this was my house, I'd build a 4 sided frame of 1.5" square section steel pipe, set in the top corner of the wall and lag bolted securely in a few places per wall to the top plate. I'd also be sure that the corners were solidly bolted together. Use eye bolts to connect to the hammock. You could make most of it disappear by adding crown molding.

What this means is that you're relying on the steel to resist the inward pull of the hammock, and allowing the wall to carry a purely downward load.

If all that wasn't feasible, get an engineer to run the numbers.


When sistering a joist or rafter, must the ends of the sister be supported?

When beams and joists are sized, they are checked for 1) bending, 2) horizontal shear, 3) vertical shear, 4) deflection. Knowing the cause of the failure will help in knowing how to repair.

Bending will occur near the middle of the span and show as a crack or split at the bottom edge. (When we say “bending” we really mean the stress in the extreme fiber in bending.) When the wood fiber bends so much that it tears that extreme fiber then it starts to fail. This has nothing to do with “end bearing”.

Horizontal shear has to do with wood fibers sliding past each other due to deflection. An example of this is when you stack some 2x4’s on each other over a span and then stand on it.  The 2x4’s will slide past each other at the ends of the span, but not so much in the middle. Again, this has nothing to do with end bearing...just the fibers in the middle of the joists at the ends.

Vertical shear has to do with crushing the fibers at the bearing point. Obviously if the joist is being crushed then the repair will need to be at its bearing.

Deflection is caused by overloading the joist to the point it bends (but does not fail) so that it’s springy or so it flex’s and cracks tile, etc. This repair is primarily in the middle one-third of the span and has nothing to do with bearing.

So, when you repair a problem, it doesn’t matter how FAR you go past the repair on each side...it matters HOW the load is transferred around the damaged area. (Generally it’s customary to go past the repair area by 3’-4’ or so. The reason for this is so nailing can be staggered across the boards without splitting the wood.) However, it really depends on the actual load on the joist. A small roof load could be repaired with a 24” lap, but a heavy floor load could require a 60” lap.
However, seldom does the repair need to extend to the bearing point, unless there’s dryrot, crushing from a post, etc.


That's most likely a clog beyond the point where the drains of your toilet and your neighbour's toilet join.

You are going to need to snake that out.


Whirlpool top load washer noisy during agitation

It was a washer I bought from a rental center. it was missing three springs I found out which caused the bearings and the transmission to go out. In the end we ended up getting a new washer. It was cheaper than repairing the old one.


Of course if you can get a camera up (or down) the flue then you might be able to see excessive build up of carbon (etc.) deposits. However, it will be as black as can be up there and the small light on most USB type endoscopes might not be bright enough to really make an accurate assessment.

Generally, if you're thinking the chimney might need cleaning, it needs cleaning! Chimneys are usually cleaned on rotation by time, i.e. once per year. If you're a 24/7 wood burner through 5 month long winters, then twice a year might be needed.

If you're an occasional fire burner, the flue still needs regular cleaning, because occasional fires don't get the flue hot enough to burn off small deposits. In fact, a little used chimney can be more of a problem than one which is screaming hot every day.


It is presumed that your question is aimed at minimizing Electromagnetic Interference (EMI).  The answer is VERY difficult to be precise for your case.  EMI depends on many factors, however, for your case the variables you should be interested in are:  the separation between the cables and for how long the two cables run together.  Separation is inversely-proportional (not linearly though) to EMI, and distance run together is proportional (ibid on linearity) to EMI.

It also depends on what you connect to the power outlet!  If you running a washer or a vacuum cleaner, I would expect to see more re-transmissions in your Ethernet cable as a result than if you were to plug in your computer to the power outlet.

Unfortunately, the metal box won't buy you much. (However, if you do, make sure it is grounded to the same ground as the power cable.) The damage is really done in the UTP running parallel to the power cable vice where it is terminated.  In many shipboard design applications (where there are a lot more confined spaces), for 120V power it typically only requires 1 inch of separation between 120V power and Ethernet cable.  So, I would advise you to skip the metal box and try to provide that one inch of separation I mentioned above.  You might also consider rerouting the cable if you are still concerned.


grab a framing manual from your hardware supplier, it will tell you what size beams and posts are required to make a sturdy floor.

  It is OK to attach the posts at the corners or will I need more in the middle?

4 posts sounds workable. but yo will probably need bracing to keep the posts straight.
or else use very deep holes for the posts.

  What do I attach the frame to the posts with?

Bolts of a weather resistant type eg: galvanized.

  How far apart should I place the floor joists?

See framing manual.

  What do I attach the floor joists with?

Nails or joist hangers. Depending whether you want to pass the joist over the frame or butt them up-to it.

  With the floor boards do I need some space between them?

Does it rain where you live?  Basically you are building a deck. The gaps allow rain to drain through the deck.


Replacing deck joist - board width mismatch

It's hard to know how much of the 1/4" difference you're seeing is going to remain after the wood dries out.  I'd take just a 1/8" notch out of the ends of the joists so they set 1/8" high in the joist hangers now, with confidence they will shrink at least 1/8" as they dry.  If they shrink a lot and make a noticeable low spot, you can shim between the bottom of the hangers and the joists.  (As long as you have access to the joists when the decking is on.)


Can I use demo'ed bricks to make an outdoor firepit?

My vote is always for re-use (except the trash pieces, which can still be used as a filler). For your question of using a single layer of brick (I assume you mean vertical layer for the walls) -- bad idea without lining it with steel or firebrick, and a quick way for people/things to get burned. You can also use two layers spaced with an air gap or filled with loose or crushed rock (and you can use the trash pieces as well so you don't need as much rock). You will want to mortar the bricks (mortar), not stack them, and you'd need a solid base. I'd recommend using this information from The Family Handyman as a fairly good guide.

Otherwise, build a proper firepit and use the bricks for a walkway or as a flat area for standing/seating around the firepit. I'd suggest knocking off the larger chunks of old mortar with a rock/brick chisel.


What are my options for installing a water softener on the opposite side of the house from the main water supply?

If it were me, I would definitely put the softener in the garage.  Protecting it from weather, critters, and extreme temperature variation seem reason enough.  But to also have it where you can easily monitor it daily seems reason enough again to locate it in the garage.

But the water meter looks like it is above ground:  Maybe the climate is safe against freezing?  I am under the impression that all of Arizona is desert climate, which means below freezing temperatures are possible overnight most days of the year.

You only need to run one pipe from the water meter to the softener.  From inside the garage, you should be able to connect into the system more directly than going back to the meter.  In fact, would the water heater be in there too?  (I don't see an exhaust for one maybe because there is not enough resolution in the photos.)  If it is, you can put a T fitting onto the cold feed into the water heater and distribute softened water from there.  Cap off the end near the water meter.

As for digging and burying in the front yard or running it under the house, I would expect running under the house is easier and cheaper.  Does it have a crawlspace?


I wouldn't be inclined to make a pin hole because it could take too long to drain and could be soaking into the wall and forming mold. I'd make a small slit right on top of the baseboard. Now you really need to find the source of the leak. Is that an outside wall?


Baseboard was not removed when new drywall installed. How to fix

An alternative that may work for you, depending on the type and height of the existing baseboard, is to replace it with a taller one. Probably need a couple inches above the existing height to make it cover the bottom of the drywall, especially where it has started cracking. If your existing baseboard is 2" - 3" tall then remove it and install ~ 4" - 5" to replace it. If your existing baseboard is already > 4" tall then this may not work so well. Cutting and painting baseboards is a lot of work - but a lot less than patching and painting all that drywall.

If you are going to stain the new baseboards, definitely do that before installation. If you are going to paint them (typically either a gloss or semi-gloss variety of the same color as on the walls or sometimes either plain white or a contrasting color - totally subjective), you can paint them before installation (measure, cut, paint, install) and then touch-up after installation, or you can paint after installation.


Why are shaver outlets standardised worldwide, but regular electrical outlets aren't?

That's not the half of it.  Go in any post-1940 sleeper car at a railway museum.  There's a shaver outlet and guess what.  Mind you, there are only two power sources in the car, a 32v battery charged by wheel driven generators... And service steam.  I'm not sure if they tap the generator to get something vaguely resembling 110VAC at random frequencies, but this passenger-car power was  exceedingly filthy and only good enough to run a shaver, and the receptacle is placarded "shaver only".

Amtrak's new cars retained this placard needlessly, when they standardized train power at 480V delta served from a generator car or inverter on the locomotive.

At the time this became the norm on rail, trains were THE way to travel. I'm sure passenger liners had similar receptacles, and this spread all over the world.

"110V-ish good enough for a small brush driven DC style shunt motor" is not a particularly high standard to hit.  Frequency is not an issue, and a simple transformer will do the job.

Frankly given the ubiquity of digital switching power supplies, I'd expect a new world receptacle standard which promises only some random voltage between 74 and 277 at some fixed number of watts.

As for sub-10-watt receptacles, there's already a standard for that.  USB.


Help with vinyl planks on damaged subfloor

I have found that serious application of a CARBIDE "paint scraper" will remove some truly miserable adhesive residue in a purely mechanical fashion. Don't even bother with the steel blade types, they proved useless.

Typically have a narrow tungsten carbide blade that is clamped, and has two sides so you can flip it once for a fresh edge before replacing or resharpening. Not even terribly expensive.


What sort of ceiling fan support do I need where I can't find framing?

Wanted everyone to know that we hired somebody and told us that it is not possible to put up the ceiling fan. We decided to return the light fixture back .


Is it worth it to pay extra for a stainless steel tank water heater?

The key word you used is "theoretically".

Stainless steel is not all the same. Is it 304 or 316 stainless?

It should last much longer than glass lined but still not forever.

If you can afford it, for longevity, I would eliminate as much steel or galvanized steel as possible.

Good luck on your project!


Is it legal to connect a combi expansion pipe to a drainpipe?

First step would be to contact a lawyer about the damages the boiler caused in your property. Second might be to contact the local code inspector to check the installation.  Sounds like you got several problems that need to be addressed separately.  Not sure how things work there. In the USA things may be different.


How can I raise a concrete bridge footing two inches?

I don't think I'd try to pour new masonry in such a thin quantity. It's likely to crack up due to moisture, vibration, etc. Hydraulic cement is more of a patchwork product, in my experience, and self-leveling cement is way off the mark.

I'd do one of these:

Lay a paver brick (or a series of them) on the existing footing using landscape block adhesive, bolts and expansion anchors, or other retainers. This should be just large enough to support your bridge so as to not look gaudy.
Build a wooden "leg" that coordinates with your bridge. It should be mounted flush on the outside as a deck post would, or slightly inboard, to minimize its appearance.
Fabricate a metal leg. Box tubing and/or angle stock and a few bolts would do well. Either let this rust for a nice patina or protect it with enamel or paint-on galvanizer.

To tell you which I'd select I'd need to see more of the situation.


How do I make the connection for 2 lights with a power source between them?

I am assuming that BOTH sensor-lights are identical with each having their own sensor. And therefore will work independently

You won't need to mess with the third (red) wires. Use what's called a "parallel" connection: Wire-nut the blacks together going to each fixture, Then wire-nut the Whites together. Then the Grounds together. After that, connect the two Blacks to the black lead at the source, then the two Whites to the white lead at the source, lastly the Grounds to the grounds at the source.

If you don't mind me saying, this is a very basic-type of thing to do. Might I suggest you get a good DIY book at the home-store before you do anything fancy, so you and your home are really safe?

Good Luck!


You can pour a new slab up to the level of the foundation, not higher. In this case,  you could basically fabricate a new concrete patio that's below the level of the previous one and build some steps leading down from the door to the patio.

You could also forget about making a concrete patio and build a wooden (or composite decking) patio at the current level of the door.

In general, I would recommend against pouring concrete right up against the foundation, because it provides hidden termite entry points and makes it very difficult for you or future owners to insulate the exterior of the foundation later (if this is an appropriate foundation insulation and hasn't already been done). Also, you have to get the slope away from the house perfect or else you're redirecting water into your foundation.


Remember "Lefty loosey righty tighty".  Turn the valve Clockwise (right) to close and counter clockwise (left) to open.


Hanging Cables Along the Corners of Walls

Command strips "cord bundlers" and a nice hunk of decoy fake Ivy or other imitation vining plant (unless there's enough light and willingness to care for to use a real plant - unlikely.)
Alternatively, fairy lights, etc.
Basically, it will be in plain sight any way you slice it, so might as well just make it disappear by having something more noticeable that makes it non-obvious (the decoy need not stop where the ethernet wire does, either, which can help.)


How should I mount this ceiling light fixture?

Given the bracket itself is threaded, assuming the screws hold firmly (eg: are correctly sized for the threads in the bracket, and the bracket is not stripped), I would install it without the nuts.

The screws are transferring the shear load from the white cover to the metal bracket, which in turn is held to the ceiling box, which in turn (as other have pointed out) is hopefully firmly attached to structure. Even if you could somehow get those nuts on, they would not be supporting any load -- they would just be preventing the screws from pulling out.

From your pictures, the bracket looks of sufficient depth that there a couple complete threads, and the screws extend quite far past the bracket (meaning it would take several full rotations to get them out, which is not something that will happen to a light just hanging from the ceiling).

So:

Verify the box can hold the weight
Attach the bracket to the box
Wire the light
Screw the fixture cover to the bracket


Determining property lines using actual measurements and county survey records

If you can find the 4th pin by poking around where the measured distances from the other two pins adjoining it indicate, it rules (the actual pin, or traces thereof, if extant, is the highest form of land surveying "here it really is.")
Why yes, I did read Breed and Hosmer for fun once upon a time...
You basically pin a tape measure to the adjacent corners, mark an arc, and go looking with your metal detector near where they cross. If you can rent or borrow a transit and set it up properly you could do the same thing by turning the angles between the opposite pin and where the missing pin should be from each adjacent pin.
In neither case is it legal for you (in almost any jurisdiction) to set a replacement pin if you can't find the original, unless you were already a licensed surveyor (and you wouldn't be asking if you were); however, it is perfectly acceptable for you to refine your search for the missing pin.

E/S = 89 deg 98 min

No. 89.98 degrees, perhaps. If you see more than 59, it's not minutes or seconds of arc; it's fractional. Surveyors do not write 90 degrees and 38 minutes as 89 degrees and 98 minutes. Since it adds up correctly as fractional degrees, that's two indications that fractional degrees are what you have here.
Edit: But now that we can see the survey map, you "calculated" the number in question. Incorrectly, I do believe - since you just subtracted from 180 you got consistent, but incorrect numbers that added up nicely. 96°+ 89°-56'+ 89°-58'+ 84°-06' is the correct set of angles that correctly adds up to 360°-0' (96+84 =180 and the 6' split into 2' and 4' gets the other two angles to 90 is the way I do it in my head, use paper if it helps you.) So the angles on the survey are in degrees and minutes. This will matter.
As for "geometrically speaking" note that you do not have a rectangle. You have something vaguely rectangular, with no actual 90 degree corners. 96 degrees makes a rather large difference compared to 90 degrees...as does 84°-06'.


Where I live, it is mandatory that if you can smell the gas, you have to call a professional certified in detecting gas leaks in home installations, or if you can't afford that, emergency gas service. They will find the leak and fix it or, if it is not trivial, safely unplug your device so you could get it to repair shop, in a way that is up to a local code and will prevent gas leaks in the immediate future.
If you have a tiny leak, that now dissipates creating non explosive air mixture, enclosing it in a smaller place may create your own personal fuel-air bomb. Gas shouldn't be leaking. It should be burning creating more or less odorless exhaust gases. The smell is added to that gas so you can know when you have an unacceptable leak or when something is wrong with burning process. Leaving the real problem alone and just sealing it off is not a solution. It is creating a much bigger risk for later.


How to fix outdoor faucet drip when indoor shut off is off

Replace the indoor shutoff, as it's obviously not closing all the way. Alternatively, if it's a gate valve, you could try repairing it. Though in my opinion, you might as well replace it. Replacing it with a ball valve, is usually a good choice.

You'll also want to replace the outdoor tap, as it's also not working. Again, you could possibly repair it, but it's probably just as easy to replace it. If you live in an area with freezing temperatures, you'll want to replace it with a frost-proof sillcock.


How do I hang shelves on poor quality brick/concrete walls?

Are you sure you are not drilling between the mortar? That is the weakest point to drill.

There are a couple different things you can do. I assume you are using concrete anchors so you can apply a generous coating of Loctite Metal and Concrete Epoxy onto the anchor before you insert it into the hole.

The other option is to take furring strips (pressure treated 1x4's) and attach them to the wall with blue concrete anchor screws, at least 2 and 1/2 inches long. These should make a good thread and the furring strips will add to the support structure. Space your anchors 2-4 inches apart vertically and on-center.


Can I backfeed just one leg of a service sub-panel for temporary power?

With the main turned off, I have done this to power tools on a job site, the bonus was that generator had GFCI outputs so temporary power had GFCI protection. Even though the service is not in yet I still lock out the main breaker.


Land all your MWBCs on a 2-pole breakers NOW.

First, big safety problem.  If an MWBC has both its legs on the same pole, it will overload the neutral.

It's important to search your entire panel for multi-wire branch circuits and replace all their breakers with 2-pole breakers.  Not two adjacent breakers.  A 2-pole breaker specifically.

Why? GE Qline does not have the concept of a double-stuff breaker.  It has extra nubs on each of the busbars, to which  half-width breakers can clip.  Absolutely nothing in the Qline system forces adjacent half-width breakers onto opposite poles. As a result, simply being adjacent does not assure the breakers are on opposite poles.

However, Qline 2-pole half-width breakers are keyed so they can only land on opposite poles.  So you must put MWBCs on those. They're not expensive.

What is a GFCI?

A GFCI is a black-box which inputs hot(s) and neutral on its "line" side ... and then it outputs protected hot and neutral on its "load" side.

That's it.  That's all there is to a GFCI device.  To signify the protected side, I use brown and gray wire in conduit work, but you can do the same by tagging wires with brown and gray electrical tape.   Now if that's hard to visualize, look at this.

This is a GFCI device in its purest form: a "deadface" GFCI. There aren't any sockets to confuse the matter.  It's very clear that you use this one by putting it somewhere it can serve downstream loads, and connecting two line and two load wires, exactly like the diagram.

Back to MWBCs, you can put a single-phase GFCI device anywhere past a split point.  It will protect everything downline.

I don't really care if you get one that also happens to have a couple convenience outlets wired to the LOAD side.  Just as long as you know what's really happening.

GFCIs and MWBCs

A GFCI compares current flows on hot(s) and its partner neutral.  So in an MWBC, a 1-pole GFCI can only work where the MWBC has forked off a hot and neutral, and neither one will interact again with the other hot.

It's fairly typical in residential installations for an MWBC to fork pretty much at its first junction.  Red and white go one way, and black and (same) white go the other way, and they never meet again.

You can install a simple 1-pole GFCI anywhere past the split point.  For instance in this drawing, the receptacle (the 8 is a receptacle) is right at the break, and could be nudged a bit so it is after the break, by feeding the right-side "circuit 1" off its LOAD terminals.

Your case...

So your objective is to figure out how your wiring is laid out, and where your branch points are.  And then figure out where GFCI's can go in this topology.  If you find that part of the circuit goes off in a 2-wire branch (and never rejoins), you can put a GFCI device at the foot of that branch.

So it really boils down to whether you can find a point in the right place in the topology:  after a split, but still upstream of the tub lanp/fan.  Or whether you can create such a point, and fit a deadface GFCI there.  Or a liveface.  I don't care ;)

Bathroom receptacle circuits

Most (male) electricians don't get this... but a bathroom shouldn't be plunged into darkness from an overcurrent or GFCI trip, while you're holding a rather hot hair curler.  That is simply not safe.

As such it is typical for bathroom lights to be on a different circuit than their receptacles.   There is also a rule that receptacles can't share a circuit with anything except loads in that bathroom; or alternately other receptacles in any bathroom.


Can you increase amps in your house with an external breaker?

There are 3 options I can think of, and I don't think any of them is a particularly viable idea for your situation:
Increase Utility Power
This is the normal way to do things. If you have, for example, 100 Amp service then you request an upgrade to 150 Amp or 200 Amp service. The utility will determine what is available and under what conditions. Along with this, you will need at a minimum a main breaker upgrade and very possibly a full panel upgrade. Which in turn may trigger updating other wiring due to code requirements. This is something that can only be done professionally and only with consent of the owner. The person listed on the electric bill, presumably the owner, is the one who would have to work out the details with the utility. This type of upgrade is beyond "casual homeowner maybe without a permit" land in most jurisdictions, plus since you are not the owner you couldn't do the work anyway, and typically a landlord can't do electrical work on his rental properties. So this equals $$$$.
Add another service drop
This is only slightly different from the above. The difference is that it would be a NEW connection, independent of the existing service. This is actually not often an option - more typically this would be for a second, separate, building that happens to be on the same property. This would require a new main panel (separate from the existing one) and utility agreement, and landlord permission, and a lot of work (cabling of new independent wiring for the new circuits). So this equals $$$$.
Separate power source
This would typically be a gas generator, but could also be solar or other sources. The problem is that these usually have either a high up-front cost (solar + batteries + inverter) or a moderate up-front cost plus fuel (gas generator). So this also equals $$$$.
All of these cost are likely to cost quite a bit. In the first two cases, this is really an investment in the property - if the landlord asks you to pay for the upgrades, you have consider how that will work for you given that your lease is not forever. The last option might allow you to take some stuff with you, but has its own problems (gas and maintenance for generator, high installation costs for solar).
If I were you, I'd start looking for a rental where you can get more power.


Ceiling fan/light suddenly stopped responding to remote controller

It turns out that the dip switches between the receiver and the remote control somehow became unmatched. The mystery is that it was the receiver that was changed. The receiver is at the ceiling end of the fan. The ceiling is about 15 feet from the floor. Once the receiver dip switches were reset to match the remote dip switches, the issue was resolved.


I know you mentioned that you want to build the bike rack out of wood (and 2x4s) but...

You could probably build nearly that exact bike rack out of PVC pipe or even a slightly simpler design:

http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/goodies/TruckbedBikeRack.htm


What kind of filter fabric should I use for the curtain drain in my crawlspace?

For the first part, as it's in answer form:

Many hardware stores that sell perforated pipe also sell filter fabric already made into a tube that neatly fits over the perforated pipe; if it's a warehouse store (not one where you get a ticket and then go out to a lumber yard), it'll likely be kept near the perforated pipe.

As for the chance of clogging -- I can only assume it depends on what sort of soil you have.  If lots of soil starts washing into your pipe, the ground level might fall slightly, but I personally haven't seen too much problem, but I don't have high-clay or silt content above my drain.  (I do have clay deeper down, however, but you're going to have other problems if you're trying to drain through clay)


How do I take off my top track sliding doors?

I can't tell from the fuzzy photo whether the hanging hardware has a release mechanism, but typically you'd just swing the door outward (away from the closet) about 20 degrees, so that the top of the wheel clears the upper track lip, then lift it off. Obviously you'd start with the front (outer) slab.

The post you mentioned shouldn't be an issue. If there's a slide retainer on the floor you'll need to detach it first.

If those rivets I see engage notches in a two-piece hanger, you may have other options. I suspect that they're permanently attached in this case, though. Some have lever releases.


How high up should I put the ice maker connection box?

I would not put it low.  I recommend it being above the adjacent counter height so you don't have to pull the fridge all the way out to turn the shut off valve and bend down.  4'-0" aff is my answer.  Nobody cares what it looks like once the fridge is in place.  It will be all about convenience and repairs.


What is this orange clip my ground wire is connected to?

That is a in-sure push-in wire connector.  It's spring-loaded.  To remove it, pull while twisting.  The full spec sheets on them are at http://www.idealindustries.com/prodDetail.do?prodId=in-sure&div=0&l1=push-in , and DIY.SE did a blog entry on them as well at http://diy.blogoverflow.com/2012/01/tool-review-ideal-in-sure-push-in-wire-connectors/


How to connect fan coil (condo) wiring with Google Nest

From the Google Nest Support Page at:
Nest Support Page

It's not clear what the tech will do but I suspect they have some additional hardware that controls the fan.


Measuring clearance height for dishwasher

The clearance is the space you have to insert the dishwasher...so that would be from your floor, to the underside of the counter's front lip. Nothing bigger can fit through that space.

New counter tops can help if you have to make the clearance taller than what's currently there, but that will introduce other issues (like having to raise the rest of the cabinets to match).

Finally, do the installers know they are pulling out existing cabinets? Typically an installer just inserts it into an existing opening. You may have to bring in a carpenter or cabinetmaker as well.


How can I add a second light to my bathroom circuit?

You're pretty close to color-coded here, so I'd get some colored tape and mark stuff up.

The cluster of 4 hots on the wire-nut is all always-hot.  It comes from supply, goes onward to some other outlet, and then there are two pigtails going to the 2 switches.  I like black for always-hot, but it's not mandatory.  I would change that red pigtail out for black, merely for OCD reasons.

The other wire on the existing switch is switched-hot to the existing lamp, and red is preferred for switched-hot, so recolor that wire red.

When you bring your cable down from your new lamp, also mark that hot wire red, since you want it switched also.

Now, you just join up all like colors.  Note that you can't put 2 wires on that kind of switch, so you'll need to pigtail that also, with another wire nut.  And look! You just freed up a red pigtail, how convenient!

Also, that switch uses backstab connections. Firmly pull while twisting those wires out of the backstabs, then never use backstabs.  Shaping a J-hook and using the screw terminals is harder, but 10 times more reliable if you take the time to learn it.  Backstabs are notorious for failing "open" and creating puzzling wiring problems that are very hard for novices to troubleshoot. Those problems get posted here every day.

Lastly, you can get a "double switch" that fits in the single gang, which would allow you to switch the two lights independently.  Then you put always-hot/black on the common (typically black) and then a switched-hot/red on each of the screws on the other side (typically brass colored).

P.S. Note how the warning tape has been left alone on the GFCI receptacle.  That is correct.  That is how every GFCI install should look (except when the installer actively intends to extend GFCI protection to additional points on the circuit).


I agree with the response above it is imperative that your gas pressure be right. Manifold pressure is 3.5" in our area. Although if you pressure was significantly down I doubt if any of the burners would light. Let me tell you what I ran into one time.  I basically had the same thing, three burners would light just fine but nothing on the fourth.  I checked my pressure, all good.  It was also the first start-up in the fall.  I pulled the manifold out and started looking at orifices.  I was checking the bore on the orifices.  I looked into the #4 orifice and I saw what looked like a white film.  Now I'm totally scratching my head.  I unscrew the #4 orifice.  Out comes a family of I mean tiny spiders.  I had never seen spiders so small, like half the size of a period on the end of a sentence.  They were so small that they could easily crawl through the orifice.  The white film was actually spider web.  They had webbed across the orifice opening from the inside.  The 3.5" of gas pressure was not enough to break through the web.  It totally blocked the gas.  I asked the customer for a Que-tip, swabbed out the opening, put it all back together and away she went.  Good Luck!


The slightest imperfections can be found on a wall with a bright light, usually brighter than a flashlight, although flashlights have been used before. It may work for you since you may have an idea where the spot is to begin with.

The trick is to shine the light across the wall, hold the flashlight or light against the wall so the light passes over the wall with as low of an angle as possible. The flashlight or light is almost parallel as possible. This way the texture of the wall is more prominent, because every high spot, even the tiniest, casts a shadow. Since the repair has been made recently and has less coats of paint over it, the texture over the repair will be slightly different than the wall surrounding the repair that has more paint on it.


What is a good depth for putting bark around a playset?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a chart for this:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/323.html

Fall Height In Feet From Which A Life Threatening
Head Injury Would Not Be Expected

Type of Material            6 "Depth    9 " Depth    12" Depth
Double Shredded Bark Mulch  6           10           11
Wood Chips                  7           10           11
Fine Sand                   5           5            9
Fine Gravel                 6           7            10


Need more slots on the panel Anyway to get around replacing the whole panel

With that panel the answer is no way, I can’t read the main breaker value but I would bet your main 150 at max you have a total of 240 amps of breakers ok 200 because we use the larger of heat / ac so 200 and if the existing water heater is 20 it is two small for a full sized tanked water heater. Even if a 200 and I seriously doubt it. Your service is two small. Are you feeding an inside sub with the 60 for lights and receptacles?


Subpanel for finished basement: sizing, cable, installation advice

That 1/0 SER is good for 125A, so you might as well use it for all its worth

A 1/0 Al SER cable can handle 120A when landed on 75°C terminations, and we are allowed to round up to 125A by the 240.4(B) "round-up" rule as the next standard breaker size above 120A is 125A.  As a result of this, and the fact that a BR2125 is only $10-$15 more than a BR2100, along with the fact that the HOM2448L125PGC is a 125A panel to begin with (there is no 100A version in main lug), there is really no reason to go with anything less, although if you wanted to upsize the panel further, the HOM3060L225PGC is only $15 more.  (While you could run a 4/0 Al SER cable, you can't pull more than 125A out of your current panel anyway as the double frame breaker or subfeed lug required for a 200A feed takes up more space in your panel than you can make room for.)

Your grounding is good, but you'll need to remember that you'll need new breakers

While you're good to go on the one thing that often gets people in trouble with subpanels, namely grounding, as long as you keep your neutrals and grounds straight, thanks to the fact both panels mentioned above come from the factory with ground bars and a ground lug fitted already, you will have to remember that you'll need new Square-D HOMeline breakers for the circuits you're moving to your new panel, instead of being able to reuse the BR breakers you're pulling out of your existing panel.

TORQUE ALL LUGS TO SPEC

There's one more thing you'll need to do in order to ensure a reliable installation.  Your panel and breakers will have lug torque specifications labeled/marked on them (in inch pounds), and 110.14(D) in the 2017 NEC requires that you use a torque wrench or torque screwdriver to set the lug setscrews to that torque.  Even if your jurisdiction has not adopted the 2017 NEC yet, it's still a good idea anyway, since you don't want your electrical system to lose you the race, now, do you?


Can I safely plug a 13amp washing machine into a 15amp power socket?

Assuming this plug (a BS 1363)

and this BS 546 socket

To convert a 1363 plug to a 546 socket, this fused adapter (13A) can be safely used:


How can I convert from an overhead door to a man door?

Assuming that the walls are standard wood construction, with dimensional lumber, pulling out the door and putting in a standard entry door is fairly straightforward.

First take out the rolling door. It's best to do this in the reverse order that it was put in. Carefully remove / release the tension on any springs or lift assists that may be in place. If the door is a series of panels bolted together with hinges, start at the top and remove the bolts holding the top panel to the one down, and remove the rollers at the sides of the door. Set the panel down, and repeat with the next panel down.

Once the door is out of the way, remove the track and any other door bits.

Then you have a choice. You can leave the already framed / trimmed opening and put in a wall to house the new door set back a bit, or you can remove the trim and match the existing siding.

In either case, you'll have to frame up a smaller wall to fit in the opening with a new door header / opening, place some sill gasket material down, and fasten it to the slab and existing opening.

Once the temporary wall is up, you can sheath it, leaving the new door opening clear, and place siding over that.

Install the new door and hardware, and the space is enclosed.

You didn't mention what the inside of the structure is like. If you're considering turning it into an office, you might consider an air conditioner, drywall, and nice inside accouterments.


How can I repair the agitator on my hotpoint washer?

I found this doing a web search and think it will be helpful:

“5-5 AGITATOR
Most GE-designed washing machine agitators are not fastened to the shaft by any screws or bolts. To remove, simply tug upwards on the bottom of the agitator. There are exceptions; see "handwash" agitators below.

If you find that you cannot remove the agitator by pulling on it, try tapping the top of the agitator gently with a rubber or wooden mallet. If you still cannot remove the agitator, pry off the plastic cap in the center. Then cut out the little piece of plastic in the center of the hub with a knife; this will expose the top of the agitator shaft. (Figure GE-6)Hit it with a little WD-40 to loosen it.

GE-designed agitators have a removable rubber spline insert that connects the agitator to the transmission shaft splines (Figure GE-6.) If the splines are stripped, you can replace the whole agitator, or just the rubber spline insert.

Figure GE-6: Agitator Hub

To remove the insert, remove the plastic cap and cut out the center plastic piece as described above. Push out the old spline insert (it can be difficult.) To replace, put the new insert onto the top of the transmission shaft and push the agitator down onto it.

Hotpoint and JC Penney have a "handwash" agitator on some designs. The "handwash" agitator is actually a small agitator that fits inside the larger, main agitator.
The "handwash" agitator has a small screw underneath the metal disc on top of the agitator; make sure you remove it before trying to pull up on the "handwash" agitator. There are locking tabs that you must twist to remove the larger agitator from the smaller one.

Once the screw is removed, the "handwash" agitator should lift out easily. If not, tap with a rubber mallet a described above, or shoot some WD-40 into the screw hole.”

Source: http://www.appliancerepair.net/washing-machine-repair-5.html


How might one trip a breaker from a GFCI outlet?

You want to trip the overcurrent detector (breaker) serving a GFCI outlet.

No. Don't do it.

What you're looking for is so similar to the other question that it really is a duplicate.  It is wrong for all the reasons that one is wrong (and not insane in a certain industrial setting for the reasons I describe in my answer there).

The presence of GFCI is irrelevant.  (though of course if you use the hare-brained scheme in the other question, you have a good chance of frying the GFCI's innards; it will cheerfully allow the overcurrent if balanced, but its detection circuit will fail before the breaker will).

Your parameters for "safety" are too narrow

You are ignoring the likelihood of failing a circuit due to the overload opening a wire connection, or worse, setting the stage for a future arc-fault problem that could burn down the house the next time you load the circuit within reason.

Then there's the matter of arc flash right there in your face.

Plug in a radio, and snap breakers

The way you solve this is by plugging in a radio and snapping breakers off until the radio stops.  Pretty simple.  If you don't have a radio, a vacuum cleaner will also do.

You could also plug in two 1500W heater-fans and wait 20 minutes. That will trip any 15A or 20A circuit eventually. But again you are risking the same kind of wiring failures discussed in "too narrow" above.


Can I install a rocket stove inside my house?

That will be up to the LAHJ - or Local Authority Having Jursidiction. Figure out who that is (if you need building permits, it's usually whoever issues and/or does inspections related to them) and ask.

Don't be overly shocked if the answer is no - I suspect most RMHs in dwellings are located in places with no or very minimal inspections/code enforcement, as the building code folks tend to be a bit conservative about fire and houses - not having people killed in house fires is a big part of why they exist. As such they can be very slow to accept non-traditional approaches to containing fires in houses. On the other hand, they may be able to suggest an approach that keeps them happy.


How do I wire a receptacle and a light switch?

Use a wire nut to connect together:

The live black wire
The hot LINE terminal on the outlet
One terminal on the switch

Use a wire nut to connect together:

The live white wire
The neutral LINE terminal on the outlet
The white wire coming from the lamp on the wall

Connect the other terminal on the switch to the black wire coming from the lamp on the wall.

Lastly, use a wire nut to connect together:

The ground wire from the live cable
The ground wire from the lamp cable
The ground terminals on the outlet and switch
The ground nut in the box, if this is a metal box.

Bad diagram follows:


It is NOT safe since as indicated in the question only one prong of the bulb is in its socket contact. Obviously the other one that you left out is merely touching the other broken off prong.

Touching is not good enough as the bulb could move some and turn a touching contact into an intermittent one. This results in arcing and extreme heat generation that can lead to burning the socket, attached wiring and even lead to a fire. The fact that halogen bulbs already generate high heat leads to greater possibility of the bulb to move around as it heats up or cools off.


Can I replace my ungrounded / two prong outlets, or should I have a professional do this type of a thing?

I feel like I have seen this question asked before, but I can not find it. So I will go ahead and answer.

If you have never done electrical work before, I would not recommend this to be the project that you start on. In order to do this properly, you will need to run new wire to every outlet to add the ground line. This in itself can be a difficult task if you have never run cables through walls before. The next difficult part is connecting the ground properly. More then likely you will need to do substantial work in your breaker box and might even need to replace the whole box. In most places, you have to have an electrician come out to replace the box as it requires removing the meter while you are working.

So with all of that said, just hire someone to do it. Your home insurance will thank you for not doing it yourself.


Borates are generally used for framing (termite control). Boron does have some minor toxicity, but it is generally regarded as a low toxicity pesticide. Other less common "natural" termite controls (Beauveria bassiana and orange oil) have similar toxicity levels.

Other good options for reduced toxicity treatments include baits with systemic insecticides (like ant and roach motels) and (maybe sticky or pitfall) traps with attractants (light, carbon dioxide, pheromone, or other baits). There is also diatomaceous earth, for indoor crawling bugs (not really for termites or other wood destroying bugs, though).

Edit- also, soapy water makes a decent bug spray; mix 1oz of dish detergent per quart of water. Also, you can use straight dish detergent around the edges of the floor or cabinets to help control invading crawling-bugs. This "treatment" will generally last for a few weeks. I would not advise doing this on carpet, but vinyl and linoleum should be fine; dishsoap on a hardwood floor might be ok, but it might also cause moisture damage. If you could test a small, inconspicuous area first (let it sit for a month- unless you see a problem) that would be smart.

Regarding roaches, a good bait is dog food and peanut butter. To make a roach trap, cover the outside of a straight walled container (like a coffee mug) with masking tape or cloth tape. Wipe a layer vaseline around the inside wall of the mug (not the outside). Put the bait on the bottom and place the trap in a dark area, like under the sink or behind a shelf. Be sure to clean the trap out occasionally and maintain the vaseline layer (it keeps the bugs from crawling out).


Space requirements for first subpanel and wiring preference

First, the space you plan is just fine for this use.  Wise to mount a 3/4" sheet of plywood (even better: something nonflammable) to the joists, simply to give them freedom to mount the panels, conduits and attachments as you please, instead of being forced to line it up to joists.

Most panels are 14.5" wide because joists are on 16" centers and 2x4's are 1.5" wide. This does not include the cover, which will overhang too much to put two panels in adjacent joist bays.   I don't like in-joist mounting anyway, as it wastes the dozens of side knockouts and forces you to cram everything in the top or bottom. Ugly.

The subpanels will come with neutral buses.  You will need separate ground buses - think about that when buying panels, some cheapie panels sell you the ground buses separately - costs more in the end, worst of both worlds!  If that main panel is a "CH", that's a fine type, you can reuse your breakers.

First Subpanel

As I mentioned, don't be bashful about making the first subpanel absolutely huge in number of spaces.  42-space is not excessive.  The problem is right now, buying 10 more spaces will cost you maybe $30.  Later, 10 more spaces will cost you a world of labor and finding a location for another panel.  Wildly oversizing the first panel means not ever needing a second.  As a bonus, larger panels come with more "bonus breakers".

Do not worry about the subpanel "amp rating"  It needs to be greater or equal to the breaker it's fed from, but it's totally fine to feed a 200A subpanel from a 100A breaker!

Another trick you can do with "subpanel #1" is groom it to be your future main panel.  In that case you'd buy a subpanel with a main breaker.  It's OK for the subpanel's "main breaker" to be larger than the breaker it's fed from.

Your subpanels do not need their own main breaker -- they are in the same building as the panel they're fed from.

I would run nice, big, fat, 1-1/2" or 2" EMT metal conduit between the main and subpanel #1, probably from the bottom. For two reasons - ease of pulling and room for expansion.  Use "conduit bodies" or prefab bends to round corners.  The metal is the ground which means you only need to pull 3 wires :)

I would install #1 AWG aluminum which is good for 100A.  Given the very short distance, I wouldn't object to the cost of #3 copper, but the lugs you'll be attaching to will be aluminum.  Why create a dissimilar-metal problem when you don't have to?

Second subpanel

I gather this power is for a server cluster or something that will draw most of its load continuously.

You want four 20A@120V circuits.  Most people wire their subpanels as 2-pole 240V/120V.  That would allow you to wire the four circuits evenly on two poles, so it would be 40A @ 240V.

  Wiring the subpanel as 120V only @ 80 amps is not a great plan.  It will create 80A of imbalanced load, which will create high stresses in everything in your electrical system including the power company's feed. Note the thing ThreePhaseEel says about downsizing neutrals - it breaks that. You will need twice as many spaces in your panel, as every other row will be dead.  And your breakers will be more expensive.

Since you see this as a very limited use panel, I'm ok with at least a 12-space panel so you have some breathing room.  As discussed, if you wire it as a 240V panel balanced, a 40A feed will suffice.

This can be wired with #8/3 AWG copper wire, but given the short distance, run #6/3 and you'll be able to bump it to 60A later.  I would just use cable rather than conduit in this case, since you have an intermediate device to attach to.  If running conduit through that makes sense, then sure, do EMT and let it be the ground :) But 3/4" conduit will limit you to #6 wire.

Subpanel #2 off main or subpanel #1?

I'm perfectly OK with feeding subpanel #2 off of subpanel #1.  However, this will add 40 (-80?) amps of demand to subpanel #2 and let's look at breaker prices for a moment.

40A breaker - $9
60A breaker - $9
100A breaker - $45
125A breaker - $85 and 4 spaces
150A breaker - $135 and 4 spaces

Yikes. Feeding off subpanel #1 will raise the cost of its breaker quite a lot, because it has to passthru an extra 40A guaranteed, so its breaker will be $80 more.  (now were you just mentally arguing with me about a 42-space panel being a needless expense? ;-)

I prefer to stay in "cheap breaker land" and feed sub #2 with a $9 breaker and sub #1 with a $9-45 breaker. (do you really need 100A if they are separately fed)?  I would still run the #1Al/#3Cu wire so you are 100A-ready.


How do I safely replace a worn out electrical outlet?

If you plan on doing much electrical work around the house, get a multi-meter. It's just a little box with black and red probes on the end. Safe enough to stick in an outlet to see if it's live or not.

Outlets are mostly idiot proof. Turn off the breaker, pull it out of the box, see where the old wires are attached and move them one by one to the new outlet. Probably the old outlet already has a ground wire, in which case you're done. If it doesn't, it's probably time to call a pro.

Once you have it hooked up and the power is back on, you can use the multimeter to test. There is a hot side and a neutral side to the outlet. Ground behaves the same as neutral as far as the multimeter is concerned. You should be able to stick one prob in the hot side and the other into ground or neutral and get around 110 on the multimeter (+/- 2-3 volts).