How can I improve power quality into my house?

Once the basics (grounding, ground-neutral bonding) have been checked, your options with respect to the power company will depend on where you are - in many places there is a public utilities commission (or similar) that may be able to make them take action if they will not do so on their own.

You can rent a power line monitor/recorder to verify if there are issues with your incoming power. They are not stunningly inexpensive to rent, and you'll be better off if the power company can be convinced to park one of their monitors on your line rather than you having to rent one; but it's the only way to actually verify power quality problems - both if there are any, and what type they are.

I personally use several/multiple surge suppressors and surge capacitors (the "surge capacitor" is also labeled as a "facility EMI filter") but without knowing what actual power problems you have, it's difficult to say if those would solve your problems. (Just a happy customer - shop around, you can do better than list price.) They (or similar products mentioned by Ed Beal) certainly would not hurt, and MIGHT help; if DIY installed they will cost considerably less than a week's rental of a power line monitor, based on a quick look for those.


What type of cable should I bury for a small utility shed?

Why bury a cable when you can be future-proof?

The primary issue with direct buried cables is that you have to dig them up in order to upgrade them, a costly proposition.  Hence, it's a far better choice to spend the money to lay a couple of fat PVC conduits now and then pull wires through them, than to have to dig things up 5 years down the road because you want to turn your shed into a shop, park a RV there, or what-have-you, and you need more power for that than the original cable could provide.

Hence, instead of dumping some UF in a trench and calling it good, I would put in two PVC conduits, a 1.5" or 2" for mains wiring and a 1" for low-voltage wiring (such as telephone, CATV, or networking), both buried about 21-22" deep (to provide the Code-required 18" of topcover), and using prefabricated sweeps for the bends up at the ends of the run.  This way, you can run 4 10AWG THHNs (2 blacks or black+red, white, and green) for power to the shed for now, with a 100A or 125A, 24 or 30 space, main breaker subpanel at the shed to provide a disconnecting means and room for future expansion, and not ever have to worry about digging up wire and replacing it.

Note that if you go this route, you'll also need to run some 6AWG bare copper wire from the panel to two 8' ground rods, spaced 8' apart, in order to ground the shed properly; this is in addition to having a ground wire in the conduit going back to the main panel.  Don't forget to make sure that the bonding screw or strap has been removed from the subpanel, and that the ground and neutral in the subpanel are landed on separate bars, by the way!

Also, you may need expansion fittings on the stub-ups of conduit to take up relative motion between the buried conduit run and the buildings, say due to frost heaving or seismic activity.  Check with your AHJ for details.  Last but not least, leaving a pull string in the spare conduit is a good idea so that wires can be easily pulled through it in the future.


What could be the cause of Water running in Condo?

It's quite possible that some other unit is draining into the same pipe. Typically water sounds are generated only in the drain pipes, because the inlets are systolic (i.e. always at peak pressure).  Since at least so far nobody's reported leaks or water damage, my uneducated guess is that some faucet or toilet valve gave out, and there's constant water flow within the system.  Whoever lives in the unit where this happened may simply be unaware of (or doesn't give a darn) whatever plumbing fixture has water running into and out of it.


Ground wires crimped in copper sleeves in switch box?

Code allows the crimp sleeves for grounds. The proper procedure is to tie all grounds in the box together with a crimp sleeve or green wire nut, then from there run an individual 'pigtail' conductor to the switch or outlet, continuing the unbroken single conductor to all other switches or outlets in that box.

Phil


HELP: 4-stroke engine oil mixed with gas in 2 stroke engine

Unfortunately the most likely failure point for bad oil is the piston rings.  This is a "get a new snowblower" tier problem.

Here's what I would do.  Figure out how much fuel you mis-mixed (say 1 gallon).  Get a jerry can at least triple that size.

Now, go make some new, additional premix fuel of twice that amount (e.g. 2 gallons) and mix the gas and oil correctly.  So you could just use that directly and be good 2 go.

Now, drain the fuel out of the snow blower, and add it to this jerry can.  Mix thoroughly.

Now, you have a can of 2-cycle gas that is 2/3 the correct oil and 1/3 not the right oil.  The "wrong" oil still has a fair amount of lubricity, and the 2/3 will cover other needs.  Go ahead and burn that, white smoke and all.

This won't damage your engine, and is also the simplest way to dispose of this mis-mixed fuel.  You certainly shouldn't dump it on the ground, and mustn't dump it down a drain!


What are these nail pops that keep popping up in my house?

Those are called "nail pops". They are the fasteners (nails mostly, but occasionally screws) that have been pushed through the drywall surface due to either forces exerted on the drywall panel or  movement from the framing piece they attached too. Unless you notice multiple nail pops it shouldn't be a problem. To repair gently hammer (the nail) or turn (the screw) the wayward fastener so that it is under the drywall surface. It would be wise to install additional screws above and below (by 2-3 inches) any nail that has become loose. Cut away any broken and jagged paper and spackle as needed.


What is the name of the tool used to create an initial dent for drilling?

It's called a center punch.

There are also automatic center punches, which don't require a hammer.


In the UK, where do I buy a “pocket door” kit from?


Is paint enough or do I need to shellac?

You need to find the source of the humidity and correct that first before applying and paint shellac or varnish. When you fix the problem you should remove as much of the old paint coating as possible, then paint the surface with a shellac product like BIN Primer before painting. If you do not fix the humidity or the moisture problem from above nothing I know of will stick to that surface.


How to remove drawer on old Accuride rails

It's been a couple of decades, but I think this is what I had. You'll notice the front lever that pushes down. Well, that's actually to retain the BB-rail, so the BB's don't fall out...which I did the first time before doing it right...you just put the BB's back in, no big deal.

Anyway, just open the draw enough to get to the front levers and hold them down while you pull the drawer straight out and free of the interior rails. If I recall, it was a bit tough and you feel the BB's scraping their way along.

Reinstallation is the same and you need to release the front levers only when the drawer is almost shut. Then, shut it all of the way and you're back to full smooth operation.


Light Switch two hot wires (one from wire another one from anothr switch)

The wire from the other switch is almost certainly the line hot. If so, it will be always hot no matter what position either of the switches is in. This is electrically the same as having a separate wire going to each switch from a common line hot. I have a set of three switches in a 3-gang box wired that way.

The other wire also black should be the switched hot going to a light or a switched receptacle. It would be hot when the switch is on and not hot when the switch is off.


How do I fix this depression in my concrete patio?

Is this a drain strip?

If so it may be possible to cut some shallow grooves in the patio concrete decking to conduct the standing water in the depression over to the drain strip.

It would obviously be your choice but this may look better overall than a smoothed on patch or filler. Such grooves could be cut by someone experienced with using a portable power grinder with a thin cutoff type blade.


How should I connect conduit in the wall to conduit on the ceiling?

If I'm understanding your diagram correctly, I'm assuming you want to run the conduit on the bottom surface of the joist or finished ceiling, rather than inside the finished ceiling (or on the side of the joist).

Either way, one option is to make your 90 degree turn with an elbow or L below the top plate of the wall, and then use an offset fitting to bring the conduit up to the surface of the ceiling (or joist)


Is there a safe, ethical, way to get rid of old gas?

If you do not wish to risk using it, even though it is probably only 6 months old, I would take it to where ever your community recycles hazardous wastes.  In my community, the recycle center has the following information on it's website:

  Fuels and fuel oils are petroleum products that are used in many types of engines, lamps, heaters, furnaces, stoves, and as solvents. Fuel oils come from crude petroleum and are refined to meet specifications for each use. Fuel oils are mixtures of aliphatic (open chain and cyclic compounds that are similar to open chain compounds) and aromatic (benzene and compounds similar to benzene) petroleum hydrocarbons. In addition, they may contain small amounts of nitrogen, sulfur, and other elements as additives. Fuel oils are distinguished from each other primarily by their boiling point ranges, chemical additives, and uses. Fuel oils include: Kerosene, coal oil, diesel fuel, home heating oil, and Gasoline. All fuels and fuel oils should be disposed of as a hazardous waste.

In this community there is no cost for this service.


Where do I go - plastic faucet seat broken

Drill holes 180 degrees across from each other, you want the holes as large as possible without hitting the brass threads. Now use a large screwdriver or small chisel to unscrew it. If it breaks then just dig out the pieces with a pick. Turn the water on afterwords to blow out any debris.


Heat Pump Min Outdoor Temp for Goodman GSH130361AD

From personal experience, most R22 heat pumps like the Goodman GSH130361AD do not produce much heat below an outdoor air temperature (OAT) of 35F and the system coefficient of performance drops such that running much below that OAT is not very helpful.

The main concern with low temperature heat pump operation is excessive compressor discharge temperature.  As the OAT drops relative to the indoor air temperature, the compression ratio increases causing higher heat of compression and reduced coolant flow through the compressor.  Discharge temperature should usually not exceed 200F and in no circumstances be higher than 215F.

If you are really dedicated to finding the safe low temperature operating limit for your system, strap a wireless thermometer on the larger refrigerant line where it exits the cabinet of the GSH130361AD and monitor the temperature from inside your home on cold days.  When you see the discharge temperature climb to 190F, you will know you have reached the OAT low temperature cut-off.

EDIT:  Since I suggested measuring the discharge temperature outside the cabinet instead of 6" away from the compressor, I lowered the temperatures to 215F and 190F to give a margin of safety (vs. the original 225F and 200F temperatures I mentioned).


Is wiring with melted insulation and exposed copper dangerous?

Sounds like a fire waiting to happen. You'll need to cut out the damaged part and splice them together again.

If there isn't enough slack then you'll need a new short run of wire to bridge the gap.

Because you have physical access to the area The splices should be inside junction boxes.

Bill the work/materials to the plumber or deduct it from his bill if you haven't payed him yet and tell him to invest in a scorch pad to avoid stuff like this.


How can I control my furnace fan from a secondary thermostat?

E1 on waterfurnace I think is a stat wire connection problem. Which makes sense.  It sounds like you want a space heating wood burner heat to be circulated by your waterfurnace if that's the case this is how your setup should look. If it's an add-on wood burner that ties to the duct or uses its own electrical, that's a whole different approach. I can help with that too if needed.


Should an irrigation manifold/valve box be situated in the yard (centipede) or landscaping (pine straw)?

I think the reason you haven’t received any answers it is an opinion on where things should go, just like the valve close to the bush (the bush was probably planted later). I like the valves to be closer to the house not in the lawn that way the landscaping can hide them if there out in the lawn you will be able to see the box it may not matter to you but more often they are out of sight.


Why does the gas furnace blow cold air at the start of the heating cycle?

Can you look at the furnace during the time it is blowing cold air and see if the flame is on?

The thermostat has the ability to control the fan, but typically the thermostat sends a "turn heat on" signal to the furnace and the furnace controls are setup to turn the flame on for a X amount of time (to warm up the air) and then turn on the fan once the timer expired (so the air coming out of the vents is not cold).  When the heat is turned on is the flame and fan going on at the same time?

Not sure about your furnace, but some have a couple of LEDs that are lit up and can be used to read a status  or error codes.  If you have the manual you could try to decipher the code while the cold air is running and see if it gives you a clue.

I would start by trying to figure out if the problem is with the thermostat or the furnace by installing a new thermostat and seeing if the problem goes away.  If the problem is still there you can just return it.  I had a furnace issue where it was going off randomly and would work in heat mode but not cool mode. It turned out that the thermostat was bad and sending intermittent signals.


Blown in insulation fills the cracks better. For that reason, as a second layer it has big advantages.

Downside: You have to borrow/rent the blower, which, if you are in my situation, you need to plan two trips to the hardware store an hour away.

Upside: Blown insulation goes in very fast. My stepson and I did one section of my house, 28 x 40 feet in about 1.5 hours, once we were set up.

Downside: This is a really dirty job. You need to wear goggles and a good dust mask. The coffee filter cones aren't adequate for this. It also gets in your clothes, hair, ears...

Downside: It takes two people: One to break bundles and put them in the blower, one to crawl around in the attic.

Batts: My experiences with batts in attic spaces has been dismal. Lots of places where gaps were left either because of blocks nailed to trusses, or batts that were sloppily installed. Batts are for walls.

You have a choice of either fiberglass blown in, or cellulose. The latter is in essence finely shredded newsprint treated with a fire retardant. It's R value tends to be lower than fiberglass, but it's also substantially cheaper. Also is more sustainable.


Paint adherence on fiberglass door. Does it need time to 'cure'? Can I top-coat it?

I have lots of questions!

Is the door installed in place?  If so, is there a storm or screen door?
Did you paint both inside and outside surfaces? If so: Did you use the same paint on both?  Are they both experiencing the same problems?

If there is a glass storm/screen door in front of the door, this could lead to problems with paint on the outside where the paint is trapped between the door and the glass.  If you could answer these questions in your question or as a comment, I can provide a more targeted response.

This paint has a 4 week cure time and should will take longer to set if applied in higher than 60-70% humidity.

For expert advice, you may consult with a BEHR Certified Coatings Professional, call 1-800-854-0133 Ext. 2 in the US.


Trouble turning off supply valve - need it shut off but won’t fully close

Getting it to shut off completely is unnecessary. There are plenty of SE questions about swapping a valve or trying to get it to close more if you really want to. You're talking about a down time of minutes, not days or weeks; that's when I would suggest that, or taking it off and capping it.

Turn the valve off as much as possible.
Flush the toilet.
Take the supply line lose from the toilet and let it, and the toilet, drain into a bucket.
Have towels down on the floor because it's going to get a little messy as you install the new equipment as fast as possible and hook everything back up.
Don't be in such a rush that you cross-thread or over tighten. A little water never hurt anything.

If you're really worried get a tiny brass cap to put on the valve while you work. It's probably 3/8ths compression thread and usually found in the isle with faucet repair parts - alternatively, get a 3/8ths compression thread plug to put into the supply line. Both usually require a few wraps of PTFE tape to actually seal - but again we're talking minutes, so whatever: towels, a bucket, and get 'er done.


Pressure treated for base plate framing on concrete

I've always been told that the sole plate must be pressure treated, when in contact with concrete. I found section 317.1 in the IRC, but it only seems to address "sills and sleepers".  It also states that the members only have to be PT, if not separated "from the slab by an impervious moisture barrier.".

Based on the code I've found, I'd say there's no requirement for the sole plate to be PT. Even if it was shoehorned into this section, putting an impervious moisture barrier between the sole plate and the concrete would meet the requirement.

I used untreated wood and installed sill gasket under the walls, when I added framing to my basement. Though it was just a couple dividing walls, so it was never inspected.

  International Residential Code 2012

  Chapter 3 Building and Planning

  Section R317 Protection of Wood and Wood Based Products Against Decay

  R317.1 Location required.
  Protection of wood and wood based products from decay shall be provided in the following locations by the use of naturally durable wood or wood that is preservative-treated in accordance with AWPA U1 for the species, product, preservative and end use. Preservatives shall be listed in Section 4 of AWPA U1.

  Sills and sleepers on a concrete or masonry slab that is in direct contact with the ground unless separated from such slab by an impervious moisture barrier.

I'll continue to search IRC, to see if I can dig anything else up.

NOTE:

This could be a local requirement, so check with your local government.


Can a Dryer with a 4" exhaust safely vent through a 3" pipe?

3" and 9' with an early elbow is a mild disaster. 3" ducting gives just over half the cross sectional area of 4".

You're constricting and complicating airflow, which can lead to clogging.

4" would be preferable, even with the extra turn.


How to wire main feed in a tiny house subpanel for 120v and 240v?

Setting up the panel for a 120v 30 amp RV outlet would be my starting point. I would get a 50a 4 wire cord and wire it in the panel like normal red/black on the 2 main buss bars the white to the neutral buss and the green ground to the ground buss. Since this will be a sub from another feed the neutral and ground busses need to be isolated. Pull the green bond screw from the neutral to the case Or bonding wire out. Now wire the plug but don't use the one of the hots. Now in the panel use ether odd or even breakers the side connected in the plug. Later you will be able to change to the 50amp plug and the other side will be hot and you will have 240v available. I doubt both the hots will fit the 30 amp plug that's why I would only connect 1 at the plug, jumpering the 2 hots while on 120 could be done but is not safe in case you forget and put the 50a 240v plug on then there would be a direct short, not good. But with this method you would only need 1 cord this would save quite a few $.


Run electrical wire outside in for new lightings for cathedral ceiling

I think your plan is based on a reasonable assumption - that when you drill in from the outside, you'll have an unobstructed path between the rafters to fish your wires up through.

I'd want to verify that is the case before committing to this plan.  I'd want to drill holes in from the outside and be as sure as possible I could get a fiberglass fish stick up to the spot where the can lights are going before I cut holes in that ceiling.  This isn't a guarantee things will go easily but it ought to help.

You are probably aware of this, but even with two very proficient people working, getting in place on ladders, scaffolds or etc. and fishing wires from the eaves to the ceiling is going to be challenging to do safely.

I don't know if you'll be happy with the appearance of exposed outdoor cable under the eaves, if not, installing conduit up there will be  another challenge.

I don't know if that ceiling is tongue and groove, but choose your hardware carefully - some may be much much easier to install than others.

Wiremold is starting to look pretty good to me...


The Glue E6000 is quite strong also but requires a full 24hours to cure and must be untouched in the mean time. It should harden after about 30 mins but it's really best to give it 24hours.  Also its a flexible glue so its less likely to give out from vibration. They also have a "industrial" variant called e6800. I have used it for a few years now and its great. glass is listed but i have no personal experience with that.
Brands like loctite make glue for holding Rear view mirrors to glass so that may be a option.
Hope this helps!


Wheels!    I would recommend a hand truck, furniture dolly or a wheelbarrow.


I won't mention the ground wires, but hook them up also or just leave them connected, there won't be any reason to futz with them.  If disconnecting a ground wire improves something, that reveals a ground fault problem, which should be fixed.

Note how everything is connected, not just wires, but how the wires are grouped in cables.  Generally you have a Romex cable coming in with a black and white, and sometimes also a red.  The red is an alternate "hot".

You will always use hot and neutral as married pairs, except for switch loops.  Think of the hots and neutrals as monogamous married couples that socialize in pairs, i.e. Jim's wife only hangs out with John's wife if Jim hangs with John.  The grounds are like their kids who all play together.

Disconnect all the wires from the GFCI.
Hook up only 2 wires to the GFCI, the hot and neutral from only one source.
Test the GFCI thoroughly.  If it does not work perfectly, repeat 2-3 until it does.   The goal is to find which of these sets is a reliable power source.

For each of the remaining pairs of wires:

If you don't want that pair of wires to be GFCI protected, pigtail them with the wires now going to the GFCI's LINE inputs.  Test the GFCI and the other outlets again.  There's no reason this should make the GFCI fail.
Any pairs of wires you DO want protected by the GFCI, attach them to the LOAD output terminals of the GFCI, one set at a time, and run the GFCI through its paces.  If attaching any wire pairs causes a GFCI trip, that branch has a problem, and you will not be GFCI protecting it until you solve that problem.  (it could be a faulty appliance, that is, after all, what GFCIs detect.)
Once all the wires work, connect them all to the GFCI LOAD terminals, using pigtails unless the GFCI has room to take all the wires on its LOAD terminals.

The key to complex connections to GFCIs is "one step at a time".


What you see there is a hybrid gypsum/plaster from the 1950s. It represents a transitional stage between traditional wood lath and plaster to modern drywall techniques. You'll probably find metal lath at inside corners and metal corner bead at outside corners and door openings. The gypsum panels are 18 or 24" high.

I owned a home with exactly that in it for 17 years and consider it to be the best wall treatment ever devised due to its strength and durability, along with the fact that it can be easily cut to, say, add an electrical outlet.


How can I repair a crack in my fireplace hearth?

I am not a mason, or an expert on fireplaces. (It is not a bad idea to bring in several such people to get an estimate on the repair.) However, a few things seem fairly clear.

The crack appeared because...

The hearth may have been insufficiently reinforced, thus too little rebar, metal mesh, or nothing at all.
Heat stresses, caused by heating and cooling cycles can cause cracks. A properly built hearth should have been designed to prevent that.
Insufficient foundation under the hearth, which might have allowed it to settle, thus introducing stresses.

One or more of the above factors will have caused the problem. Someone experienced in seeing these types of problems will know what caused it, and thus what is needed to repair the problem so it does not happen again.

For example, it should be obvious if there is no reinforcement at all, since the crack will let you see inside. If there was settling, then one of the pieces may now be tilted relative to the other. There may also be other cracks in the walls or foundation of the house to be found.

If you do nothing, then there are some issues to consider beyond pure aesthetics. The one that comes to mind immediately is the crack will allow infiltration of air into the house from the ground. If there is radon in that air, it could potentially cause lung cancer over a long period of time. While this is not a high probability event, it is possible, and it does happen.

Repair may be a moderately difficult thing, since you really need to eliminate the underlying problem. Simply slapping some mortar on the crack will not solve a thing, even if you bother to find some heat resistant mortar. The crack will just reappear.

Again, I'd suggest contacting a good mason who understands fireplaces and foundations.


Solar powered thermal ballast - is it feasible?

Any dark colored mass would become a passive solar heater for when the sun goes away and the room begins to cool. The mass could be as simple as concrete blocks, tiles or as costly as eutectic tube solutions. Years ago,I was interested in solar systems  (I was years ahead in my imagination and thinking), and these were common ideas that were studied and written about. Before you give your brain an overload go to the local book store or library and read and study books on passive solar ideas. You will be amazed at the ideas people had to gather solar energy and use it at a later time. "Hope this helps".


does the NEC allow conduit attached to my house to an outbuilding or does it have to be buried?

Yes, it's permitted in Article 225. But...

If exposed to temperature extremes, you must provide "expansion fittings" per 300.7 and as a general rule, running it along the side of a building wall usually qualifies as exposure to temperature extremes.

Article 352 ALL pertains to using PVC conduit, but there are a couple of things to note:
A) 352.12 says that you can't use it where subject to physical damage, but...
B) 352.10 had just said that you CAN use it. The subtle and often missed detail is that 352.10 has a note explaining that SCHEDULE 80 PVC is allowed for use where physical damage is probable. If you are unsure of how your situation applies, just use Schedule 80.


Is there a length limit on grounding conductor to ground rod?

This answer is mostly based on the United States electrical system, and the answer may vary depending on where you are.

The NEC code specifies that a solid copper wire used to connect to a ground rod must be at least either #6 or #8 gauge (depending on the size of your electrical service cable). #6 cable cable will always satisfy the sizing requirement, though in some cases larger is desirable. The NEC doesn't specify a limit as to the maximum length. Of course, shorter is better.

Aluminum cable is permissible with larger minimum sizes, though I'd avoid it due its corrosion properties.

The grounding system serves a few different purposes:

Make the voltage of the land around your house be at approximately the same voltage as your power line neutral. This means that you can't shock yourself by holding an appliance in one hand and touching the earth with your feet.
A fault path during lightning storms. When lightning strikes near your house, it energizes your electrical lines. Surge suppressors will try to shunt the voltage to the neutral or ground line. Having a good ground will maximize the power transfer out of your house.
Safety. If the neutral going to your house is disconnected and you don't have a ground to neutral bond in your main panel, both prongs of each electric outlet in your house will have the full line voltage on it. Older appliances will connect their chassis to neutral, causing their chassis to hold 120V. With the grounding system properly connected, the ground will pull the neutral closer to 0 V, reducing the risk of shock.
Radio antenna. Many radio antennas use the ground to help transmit their signals.
Noise reduction. The power lines have a lot of "noise" on them. Having a good ground connection will reduce the noise that your equipment has to deal with.

So, what resistance to ground should you want? The smaller, the better. The electrical code states that with one ground rod, it must have a maximum resistance of 25 ohms to the earth.  According to a Fluke brochure, you should try to have a ground to earth resistance of less than 25 ohms, or less than 5 ohms for sensitive electrical equipment.

#6 gauge solid copper is approx 0.4 ohm/thousand feet, so having a run of thirty feet will add minimal extra resistance (about 0.008 ohm). But, it will somewhat reduce the effectiveness of your system during a lightning storm. For the best lightning protection, your grounding wires should not have any sharp bends. This is because lightning is a very high frequency signal, and the wire's impedance increases with frequency. The 0.4 ohm/thousand feet figure is only valid at DC (zero frequency). While sharp bends do not increase the DC resistance, it does increase the high frequency impedance.

As far as a suggestion, for a "normal" house, I'd use solid #4 copper to two 8 foot long copper-plated ground rods which are placed 16 feet apart, and driven so that they are completely underground. Welding your ground wire to your ground rods is best (for example, with a product such as CadWeld's One Shot), but "Acorn" clamps are acceptable to use. The welded connection is more corrosion resistant than the mechanical clamp conection. Also, ensure that your water pipes are also attached to your grounding system. Your neutral should connect to the grounding system at the service entrance (generally the main breaker panel), and in no other location.

There is a limit on the length of the wire connecting a cable TV co-ax shield to your house's grounding system. It must be no more than 20 ft long, unless there is an additional ground rod (see NEC 220.100 for details), though I'm not sure if this would be the distance to your main panel, or to your ground rod.

There are many other rules that I have not mentioned (read the NEC book (NFPA 70) or your local code for details). As always, use caution when working around electrical systems.


How should I remove baking soda from my carpet?

If it's not vacuuming out, the issue may be with your vacuum. Check that the bag isn't full and that the brush doesn't need to be lowered for your carpet style.

If you're still having difficulty cleaning it, then I'd consider a carpet shampooing wet vac. They can be rented from a variety of stores and pull out a lot of dirt as they vacuum up the cleaning solution. They will leave the carpet damp so you'll want to avoid walking on it for a day if possible and circulate lots of air through the home to allow it to dry. I'd only do this after you have resolved any sources of other moisture in the carpet.


Is it okay to 'sandwich' rigid foam insulation between old and new sheet siding?

In theory, that's fine. However, 1/2" is nowhere near enough insulation, and may actually create more problems than it solves, especially if you live in a cold area and your wall studs are deeper than 2x4. Thin foam like what you're proposing can cause wintertime condensation on the inside of whatever's right behind it. I would recommend at least a full inch, and more is better. Obviously this will complicate the trim around windows and doors, but you can easily install jamb extensions to handle that. 4 inches is not overkill, and if the depth is a problem, you could just remove the T1-11 siding first.

Another thing to mention: you have a perfect opportunity to add a radiant barrier, which will make a big difference if you live where it gets hot and sunny. Choose a foil-faced insulation board and face the foil outwards. Then fasten 1" thick vertical furring strips over the foam to create an air gap, and fasten your new siding to the furring strips. It will make a big difference.


Is there a proper way to vent a garage into an attic?

My understanding of building code relevant to the US is that an attached garage area must provide a fire barrier (not firewall) from any living space. A quick search shows how effective this regulation is at preventing relatively serious garage fires from engulfing a home. Piercing that fire block and providing a direct path to the attic is a terrible idea.

Consider applying for a variance with your HOA to allow for a garage vent. Spend a few dollars with an architect or contractor so you can include detailed design plans with your petition. Most HOA charters will require the board to either approve the variance or respond with necessary changes they would be willing to approve. I have never seen an HOA board outright deny a reasonable and detailed variance request.

It may cost a little more up front, but the results will ensure you can resell your home and could even save your life.


Can I remove the GFCI protection from a final outlet in a series of three GFCI protected outlets?

Yes, it can be done.

The way it currently is:  On the GFCI, power comes into the line terminals.  There are two load terminals which let you use the GFCI's protection on downstream outlets.  That is exactly how your downstream outlets are connected.

What to do:  defeat this protection by moving the downstream outlets' wires to the line terminals.  Except you can't put 2 wires on one terminal screw, and don't use backstabs, so pigtail this connection.

Ok, now the middle and refrigerator outlets are not protected.  The law requires the middle outlet be protected.  You'll need to buy another GFCI outlet and hook it up in same fashion so the refrigerator outlet is still not protected.

Lastly I would look at the refrigerator's outlet.  Where is it?  If it's a duplex outlet (the usual 2 outlets) in an accessible location, that's a problem, because it will be tempting for someone to use the other outlet.  They could get a real shock when they discover it's not GFCI protected.

It might be possible to get a fancydancy split GFCI that only protects one outlet.   But rather than fool around with that, I'd just get a single outlet for that location, so there's simply not room for anything but the fridge.


Nope! Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) jacks were usually daisy chained as you describe. Ethernet requires a "home run" from each jack to a modem, router or switch. Also, it's probably cat-3 which is unsuitable for Ethernet.
EDIT:  Based on comments (which sometimes go away, but answers don't), I'm adding to my answer here:  According to others Cat-3 can be used for limited ethernet service (I wouldn't recommend it), but every jack would have to be wired in a home run configuration, which is uncommon for POTS wiring.   Next:  As others commented, the POTS wiring might not even be Cat-3, it could be 4 wire cable (Red, Green, Yellow, Black) which was very commonly used back in the day, which wouldn't work at all.


What kind of spider web is this - and how do I get rid of it?

Here's what I found from the Univ of Kentucky';s Ag school site: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/spiders/funnel/funnel.htm

  Funnel weavers and grass spiders build funnel-shaped webs close to the ground.  The spider hides in the narrow end of this funnel, which is usually protected by leaves or rocks.  When an insect, spider, or other small creature crosses the wide end of the funnel, the spider feels the vibration and rushes out to grab the prey.  Funnel weaver and grass spiders are incredibly quick, and can dash from the protected part of their web to the other end at lightning speed.  These spiders are common in many Kentucky habitats, including lawns and on the forest floor.

  Funnel weaver and grass spiders are beneficial predators.  They very rarely leave their webs, so they don't often enter homes.  They will only bite if provoked, and are not considered dangerous.

  Grass Spiders are very common in Kentucky.  We have several species, but they are all virtually identical in appearance and behavior.

Seems to fit your description.


Why did an HVAC installer add this PVC pipe?

That pipe looks like an air intake.

All "direct vent" style appliances (high efficiency on-demand water heater, gas fireplace, etc.) have an isolated air intake and it is common to have it suck in air from outside the building so as not to force air infiltration through doors, windows, etc.

Indeed, that is ugly.  Our fireplace and tankless water heater have something far more elegant:

The stack on the left is a natural gas tankless water heater.  The right is a direct vent natural gas fireplace insert.


How so I fix a loose Kwikset deadbolt faceplate?

The Kwikset locks I've replaced had screws on the deadbolt plate, but I've heard that others have a 'snap-on' plate that can be removed with a flathead screwdriver. This forum post seems to concern a case similar to yours.


How can I install a ceiling fan where there is no ceiling box or wiring?

If you want to plug the ceiling fan into an outlet I would say don't.  Electrical receptacles are a source of unnecessary resistance.  Merely alter the receptacle to a wiremould style box and run the wiremould (through a switch box) to the ceiling fan, making sure you have a good mechanical connection (e.g. wire nuts) within the receptacle/junction box(es).  I won't go into cable fill violations here - it's easy enough to parse on the webs.  As far as AWG goes - it's easy to determine based on length of run and wattage of aforementioned ceiling fan.  It's a safe bet that 14 ga. or larger is sufficient to run any ceiling fan.  Individual wires of many gauges are available at most hardware stores in the US.  Tim Post's comment above with regard to the single gang extension box and the suitably supported fan-rated box still apply, and should be given more thought than picking the wire gauge.

Good luck with your air movement!
Paul


Did I damage my appliance by shorting the power wires in the junction box?

You probably didn't hurt the garbage disposal, but you probably tripped the circuit breaker in your electrical panel. You may have also fried the switch for the disposal, or any outlets, cords or wires between the disposal and the breaker.


how do I remove this old track light hanger from junction box?

If you can push the machine screws up, then you can just spin the bottom half of the bracket and get at the screws that are holding it.

If you can't push them up, grab them with locking pliers (ie, visegrips) and spin them out.

If that doesn't work, use brute force to bend the bottom half of the bracket to give you access to the screws holding the top half. Then you'll be in a better position to assess the hanging machine screws.

oh, and so I can sleep well at night, please put a cap on that black wire... you never know who'll flip a switch on you at the wrong time...


You can have them on an AFCI circuit if you like. Newer codes would require it, but if they are not on an AFCI now you do not need to add one just because you are moving the circuit the generator panel.

No, newer "combination AFCI" breaker are NOT combination AFCI/GFCI breakers. It means they detect parallel and series arc faults.


Why do clothes washed with my new Samsung top load washer have an odor?

We had the same issue with our new top load Kenmore. There's too much moisture staying inside the machine after a wash cycle.

Our solution was to buy washing machine cleaner and run a clean cycle, then simply leave the lid open unless we were doing a load of laundry.


How can I safely work in my attic without a floor in place?

What you have in your attic is blown cellulose or fiberglass insulation. It can be moved out of the way and replaced in small areas without too much harm to its insulating value.

To move around in your attic, you need to step only on the wooden framing members... virtually any portion of the truss rafters, or any of the boards laying across them perpendicular. You could also take some sturdy boards up with you and move them around as needed, laying them across between the trusses.

If you step between the framing onto the drywall you will tear it loose from the framing and cause serious damage to the ceiling below (and/or yourself). It's critical that you avoid doing so.


Porch remodel with improved electrical service

Nope.  You need a 20A breaker at the main.

When you upsize wire for long distance, you do not also upsize the breaker.  There's no reason to; the long distance doesn't consume any additional amps, it consumes volts. Amps remain the same.

A 30A breaker is not legal on a circuit supplying 15A or 20A breakers, you can only have 30A receptacles on that.

If you really want to get 30A worth of use out of the #10 cable, then add a subpanel at the porch, and you can have 2 or more 15/20A circuits coming out of that sub.  You are allowed to install a 120V subpanel, and that requires a 3-wire connection.


Should I be concerned about a green crust on the copper pipes on my boiler?

When copper oxidizes, it turns green.

Usually there has to be some kind of catalyst to cause oxidation. Potential catalysts include salt, iron and any kind of acid.

Acid will form in water due to dissolved carbon dioxide. Usually if copper is getting green, it is because it is getting wet. In the case of a boiler, this could be due to water in a humid environment condensing on a cold pipe.

A quick fix is to clean the pipes by rubbing with scotch brit pads, polish with a metal polishing pad (do not use metal polishing compound, just a dry pad), then rub the pipes with a 10% solution of lye. Lye is powerful stuff, so handle it with care and use rubber gloves and eye protection.


What type of adapter do I need to connect my water supply lines?

Faucets are usually 3/8, so you would need a 3/8 brass nipple

If not, they sell many different size brass nipples.


How should I apply silicone sealing to shower screen glass?

Use masking tape to prevent overspreading, and dip your finger in mineral spirits to smooth it out. Remove the tape before the silicone sets.  Never use water to smooth silicone, only latex/acrylic.

It's difficult to remove silicone from rough or porous surfaces. No problem to remove with razor blade from glass.


What could cause a loud clunking sound when I turn on the hot water in my shower?

Sounds like a classic case of a "water hammer".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_hammer

If you have access to the feed line anywhere (even in the basement) you should be able to confirm the hammering by placing a hand on the line when someone else turns on/off the faucet.  You will feel the line kick at the moment you hear the sound.

One fix is to install a cushion (foam, rubber, etc) around the pipe where it makes contact with the joist or nearby wood, or add additional hangers onto the pipe to prevent the line from moving freely.  It's also possible to install a "hammer arrester" which contains a small diaphragm which prevents the water flow from stopping suddenly.


Hook up a light designed for car into a wall socket or battery source

You simply need a plug-in AC/DC converter (transformer) of 12-28 volts that provides enough current for the 54 watt consumption.

Divide 54 watts by the voltage of your selected transformer to calculate the amperage draw, and allow a 30% buffer or so. For example, 54 watts / 12 volts = 4.5 amps, so you'd want a transformer that provides at least 6 amps or so. The higher the transformer's voltage, the lower the current draw.

The power bar has a simple wire pigtail for connection, so you'll need to use appropriate crimp connectors or some other safe, insulated method.


How is standard washing machine "water usage" calculated?

[It's very probably measured on high] edit - nope there's an average of sorts - if you'd like a very tedious read, the (US) government procedure is here, at least for some point in time. Beware, it's govenmentese...CFR-2011-title10-vol3-part430-subpartB-appJ1

It takes considerably more than two tubs of water to wash and rinse. Rinses may be multiple, and there may be water sprayed into the spin portion of the cycle for additional rinsing. In many cases the "clean" clothes will still make suds and or dark water if you run another wash cycle with no new detergent, so even that much water may not really rinse things "clean" other than the sense that we normally accept that when the machine is done, we call the clothes clean...

This is a good quick read about washing machine test standards, but does not really address "what size load do they test on" from what I can see.

My dishwasher actually told use per cycle options, and that made me suspect that there the "normal" option is the one in that standard, as every other cycle used more water.


Two switches have to be ON for light to work

What you have is a 3 way switch where one of the travelers has gotten mixed up with the common (black or brass screw where the other 2 are silver).
If you wanted to eliminate the 3 way functionality that is there it could be rewired to be a simple 120v circuit but your diagram doesn't show where the feed actually is.


As you noted, it's possible the water came from the front porch, ran under the door sill, across the rim joist, and seeped across the subfloor, possibly between the layers, before showing up in the basement. Because any and all of these may have been wet long enough for the subfloor to rot, they should all be checked.

I'd start by probing all of the areas around the rot with an ice pick to find the extent of the soft, decayed area. If you can unscrew the sill or lift part of the vinyl planking you can come from the top. You can also probe from the basement up, starting in the obvious rotted area. Since you don't own the home yet, I doubt they'll let you drill exploratory holes or do other destructive tests, but some careful poking may tell you more about how much repair is needed. After repairing the wood, consider how toy would keep water from getting to this area again... pouring a new porch, adding an awning, grading the front yard, etc. Consider those costs when deciding whether you want to ask for concessions or accept the risk there may be more that you haven't seen yet.


Handles without springs: strong door latches

The key (no pun intended) phrase to search for is "double sprung". I couldn't find these latches at any of my local DIY stores, so I ordered online.


Water dripping from outdoor HE furnace vent

As isherwood notes, burning natural gas creates carbon dioxide and water vapor. Since high-efficiency furnaces try to draw as much heat as possible from the burned gasses, you're going to get water condensation, and that has to be dealt with explicitly.

As isherwood also notes, the combustion vent pipe should be sloped back to the furnace so that any condensate drains back into the furnace, and then into the furnace's condensate drain system (generally a pump into the sanitary sewer system). It sounds like the vent slope is wrong in your case, so that the condensate either accumulates in the pipe or drains outside. If it just drains outside then that seems like an annoyance at most; if it actually accumulates in the pipe then your furnace exhaust could be blocked.

Since you're in the northeast (as am I), with freezing winters, then this could get more interesting; you could get some serious furnace-cicles from your vent pipe, which may even block it in very cold weather.

In summary, none of this seems urgent or dire, but you should keep an eye on the vent outlet to see what the consequences are.

Edit: I checked condensing boiler installation manuals from Lochinvar, Bosch, Weil-McLean, Munchkin, Rinnai, Burnham, and Williamson-Thermoflo, and every manufacturer specified that the exhaust pipe must be pitched a minimum of 1/4 inch per foot back towards the boiler to allow drainage of condensate.


Is it better to use thin-set or self-leveling concrete on top of a shower pan, mud-bed to improve the slope and make it smoother for final tile layer?

If I need to make a proper shower bed with a slope I only would use thinset, self leveling compound will try to eliminate the needed grade or slope by leveling (I.e. no slope).  So use thinset.


Why does my stove vent fan take time to turn on

Probably kitchen gunk on the switch contacts. It takes that long for the contacts to "sink" through the gunk. Replace the switch,


How to mount TV in old drywall or plaster wall

If any type of drywall anchors are failing me, I immediately switch to toggle bolts. The down side being that if they also rip out they're going to pull off large sections of plaster. Finding the studs is always better.

To find a stud without a stud finder, try 3" screws every inch or so until you find one and then try measuring to help find the next, usually they're on 16" centers. If it's a small section of wall, there might just be one in the center or they might have split the difference and used two. It's also entirely possible that on a 32" wall there isn't one.

If you're willing to poke a hole, 20 little pinpricks should be no problem and if you're lucky the mount will hide them anyway.


That supply line should be disconnected at the shutoff valve as well and should then be fairly easy to bend and remove. The plastic nut at the base of the tank can then be removed to change out the fill valve.
You'll want to replace that supply line with a flexible line just a little longer than the distance from the shutoff valve to the base of the tank. If your shutoff valve is old and squirrely you might want to replace that as well with a ball and valve 1/4 turn.
Edit
Usually there's enough play up and down to remove the fixed supply line but some I've had to bend a little to remove. You'll probably want to replace it anyway.


I think some of the answers here are confusing because they don't really address that your furnace has two different air intake/outlets.
One is for the combustion system. Air is pulled in from somewhere (usually outside, probably the metal duct on the right), mixed with natural gas, and burned. All of the outside air and combustion products go out of the chimney to somewhere definitely outside. Very hot air from the burning of gas heats a metal piece called the heat exchanger.
The "makeup air" mentioned elsewhere would be if the combustion loop sucks air from inside the house instead of through a duct from the outside. In this case some air from the house is blown out the chimney and is replaced by air seeping in through the cracks. This would not be code compliant where I live, for example.
The other air loop is through the ducts in the house. Typically a furnace will suck air from inside of the house (probably the vent behind your couch), pass it over the heat exchanger, and blow the now hot air out of the vents in your rooms. This typically does not pull a significant amount of air from outside because that would waste a lot of $$$ by displacing heated air to outside. Houses are not airtight though.
Your furnace is obviously gas because of the supply pipe on the lower right, and the presence of a chimney on the top of the unit.
There is really no way for anyone here to tell you whether it is safe or not. Age and presence of recalls are good places to start though. Adding a CO detector and making sure you have enough smoke detectors would help significantly.

We live with someone with COPD and I also have asthma,

If this is a matter of LIFE AND DEATH, there is not enough information in your post to provide an absolute answer. YOUR SYSTEM MAY NOT BE NORMAL.
Have you ever changed the furnace air filter?


Is it possible to control water pressure using a ball valve?

To answer your question;  A ball valve only controls flow not pressure. A few seconds after water is flowing a ball valve will limit the pressure based on the flow. A pressure regulator requires no more plumbing than a ball valve. A regulator will limit the maximum pressure but not flow until the set point is reached. If you can answer the question.
Why do you want to limit pressure or flow. We may be able to point you in the direction you need.


What are some cheap (and landlord friendly) ways to fix a drafty flat?

If you have a draft then the best thing is to seal the source of the draft.  If this is a window, then as DA01 mentioned, you can install temporary plastic covers.  If it is around a door then you should look into replacing the weather stripping.  Also check visible gaps in the wall, floor, electrical and cable outlets - if they are drafty you can spray in expanding foam (e.g. Great Stuff) around the box (not inside).  Check outside too for visible gaps around openings.

You mentioned you closed up a vent - hopefully this was not a cold air return.  If the vent is the source of the problem then your best bet is to fill it in with rigid foam and seal the edges of the foam with caulking.

If the root issue is a lack of insulation in the walls then there is little you can really do that doesn't involve tearing up the walls.  Hanging long thick curtains along the wall might help a tiny bit.  I doubt tin foil will do anything besides making your friends suspicious.


pex manifold no cold water in showers after hot water turned off

Summarizing comments:

You have thermostatic mixing valves.  They must have equal pressure incoming on both hot and cold feeds.

You solved by feeding cold water to box pipes while waiting for your hot water heater parts.


What - if any - annual maintenance is required for grout/caulk in a shower?

The surfaces that the tile are mounted to can shift with respect to one another over time and through the seasons. This can be caused by temperature changes and by general "settling in" of the house itself.

The nicest way to reseal the cracked grout is to scratch out some or all of the grout in the cracked areas and reapply new grout. Having said that this can be more than a simple 5 or 10 minute task. It is also possible that further movement is possible of the tile mounting surfaces and your re-grouted joints may crack again.

Caulking with a silicone based sealer can be a quick and easy way to cover up the cracks. Silicone will stay flexible and will permit additional movement of the tile surfaces while still staying sealed up. Now with that option put on the table it is up to you to decide if the appearance of the caulk sealer is acceptable to your tastes and aesthetics.


Boiler only runs for 4 minutes then shuts off

Adjust the regulator/vents on the first and second floors to a lower setting so the thermostat stays on longer so more heat gets to the third floor. Also, check the third floor vents to make sure they're open all the way and regulators are open all the way.


How can I soundproof a sliding bedroom door?

Sound or Water "Proofing" is very difficult. Cheap & simple peel & stick Weather Stripping will greatly reduce air (the majority of sound transfer) & water intrusion. But, to get anything close to "Proofing" you need to have precision full contact around the entire door perimeter.

Sorry but, Star Trek was only a TV show. I'd suggest that you check with companies like this who are the masters of what you're asking & yes you can buy their stuff off the shelf.


It is not unusual to have some shrinkage of wood in the winter, and also over time.  Both the cold temperature and the dry winter air will cause materials, especially materials that hold water like wood, to shrink.  Framing lumber will react this way, as well as your base board itself, especially if they were not at a low moisture level when they were installed.
If you had much larger gaps, I might begin to wonder if something more serious is at fault, but your picture doesn't concern me in the least.  It is just one of those things that houses go through.
I wouldn't use chalk to fill the gap however, unless that was a typo. "Caulk", or rather a paint-able latex sealant is the way to go.  Use painters tape on both sides of the crack (to avoid cleanup), and press the sealant down into gap a bit, wipe it flush.  Touch up with paint if necessary, but with a white baseboard and masking off the sides during install, you may not need to.


Hooking up additional outlets & lights to a central vac circuit?

Is the vacuum unit fastened in place?

  NEC 2011 210.23 Permissible Loads. ... A branch circuit supplying two or more outlets or receptacles shall supply only the loads specified according to its size as specified in 210.23(A) through (D)...

      (A) 15- and 20-Ampere Branch Circuits: ...

          (1) Cord-and-Plug-Connected Equipment Not Fastened in Place. The rating of anyone cord-and-plug-connected utilization equipment not fastened in place shall not exceed 80 percent of the branch-circuit ampere rating.

          (2) Utilization Equipment Fastened in Place. The total rating of utilization equipment fastened in place, other than luminaires, shall not exceed 50 percent of the branch-circuit ampere rating where lighting units, cord-and-plug-connected utilization equipment not fastened in place, or both, are also supplied.

Utilization equipment is anything that connects to AC power.

You can have more than one installed device on a circuit, but if they total >50% of available ampacity, the circuit must be dedicated to them.  In this case, a good installer will install a single (not duplex) receptacle.

If the water heater is already sharing a duplex receptacle with your 12A load, then it must be either

less than 4 amps, or
an MWBC. (multi-wire branch circuit, 2 hots sharing a neutral).

Most likely the manufacturer chose 12A because 125% of that is 15A, which makes it the perfect size for a 15A circuit. 125% because continuous load. Not that I vacuum for >3 hours at a time!


What needs to be done to protect existing 12/2 cable in a stud wall being converted to a mass wall?

This is an unusual question but I think the code does address it and prohibit what you're doing:

  334.12 Uses Not Permitted.

  (B) Types NM and NMS. Types NM and NMS cables
  shall not be used under the following conditions or in the
  following locations:

  (1) Where exposed to corrosive fumes or vapors

  (2) Where embedded in masonry, concrete, adobe, fill, or
  plaster

  (3) In a shallow chase in masonry, concrete, or adobe and
  covered with plaster, adobe, or similar finish

  (4) In wet or damp locations

More general answer - when you have an unusual setup it's best to err towards caution;  I'd say you need to do something other than just fill around that cable.


What is the proper way to clean a paintbrush and metal pan with KleanStrip paint thinner?

When I use oil based products I use disposable pan liners so cleanup means let it dry-up and throw it away. To clean brushes I use a brush spinner to remove as much material as possible. I swish the brush in a container of mineral spirits and brush a piece of dry cardboard to get out some more of the urethane. Finally I soak the brush for a couple of days in a covered glass jar that has just enough mineral spirits to cover the bristles. After everything is clean I set the mineral spirits filled container in the sun uncovered until it evaporates. I would not dump it on the ground! If you cannot find a way to dispose of it contact your municipal public works dept. Most cities have an annual hazardous waste drop-off.


What Wire Should be Used for a 40A 240V Circuit?

Since the entire route is conduit, you need 8 AWG THWN-2 copper. This will be individual wires, not a cable in a sheath.

You can also use 6 AWG Aluminum, but you won't find it.  You might find it if you shopped at a proper electrical supply house, but you'd get funny looks and an "are you sure".  In fact, Just don't use aluminum - installation is more sensitive to proper procedure, and at these small sizes, is really for wizards only.

If both panel and charger have steel chassis and the conduit is non-flexible and metallic, then you do not need a ground wire.  If you do need a ground wire, follow instructions but 10AWG Cu should suffice, in bare wire, green, or green/yellow.  These are the only permissible colors for grounds, and vice versa.  Bare aluminum grounds are illegal.

If neutral is needed (check instructions), use the same size wire as the main conductors, unless the instructions permit a smaller size.  Neutrals must be white or gray.  And vice versa.

Hot wires may be any other color(s) and your two hots may be the same color, feel free to be fanciful.  There really isn't any value in distinguishing them here.


Finding an Electrical -- Break? Open? -- Caused by a Rodent

I'm not a pro, but I'd be doing continuity testing. With a multimeter or other such tool and a few lengths of stranded wire, I'd test each conductor (black, white, bare ground) between known points on the same circuit. Once you have that you can trace it or run new wires.

You'll want a non-contact voltage tester to be safe.


What water saving technology could I apply to this tap (pic below). I can't identify its gender

I can't identify its gender

That looks like a female (internal) threaded tap. It takes a male (external) threaded insert.

  I really couldn't figure out what water saving tech would be most helpful

If you unscrew the hex insert using an appropriate spanner/wrench you can check the thread size and order an appropriate insert.

Personally, I find not turning the tap fully on, and turning it off early are good water saving solutions. You could also fit a service valve under the basin or sink and turn that half off.


Is there a way to fish a cable (network) using an existing one as a guide?

Fish Tape
A real (and "reel") fish tape is often the tool to use. Because it is flexible and very long (typically 25' or 50'), you can get a lot farther than just fiberglass rods. But it can be a pain to use, depending on the path.
Tape to old, pull new, pull back old
When you have (as I think you do) an existing cable that you want to keep and want to run a new cable in the same path:

Disconnect one end of the old cable
Tape the new cable to the old cable. Any strong tape (both tearing strength and adhesive strength) will do - the stronger the better.
Use the old cable to pull the new cable through to the destination.
Untape the new cable and pull through an additional complete length - i.e., the same length as you had to pull the first time.
Tape the middle of the new cable - which is a location that will become the starting point - to the end of the old cable.
Pull the new cable back down. You will now have the old & new cables in the right place.

If you think you will ever need to do this again - e.g., another parallel cable or a future upgrade - then instead of using one cable to pull another, use pull string:

Disconnect one end of the old cable
Tape the pull string to the old cable. Any strong tape (both tearing strength and adhesive strength) will do - the stronger the better.
Use the old cable to pull the pull string through to the destination.
Untape the pull string and pull through an additional complete length - i.e., the same length as you had to pull the first time.
Tape the middle of the pull string - which is a location that will become the starting point - to the end of the old cable.
Pull the pull string back down. The old cable will now be back in place.
Disconnect the pull string from the old cable.
Attach the end of the new cable to the pull string.
Pull the new cable through to the destination.
Cut the pull string and tie it up in the junction box or other accessible (but hidden is OK) location at both ends.

You now have a pull string that you can use the next time. To use it again, tie a new section of pull string to the old pull string and tape a new cable as well. After pulling through cut off the extra pull string and tie in place for the next time.


My florescent lights need a shake or a hit to work

Difficulty starting is a symptom of worn-out fluorescent tubes. They have a finite lifetime. Some might die after a couple of years regular use, some from the same batch might last ten or more years. See if the tube is slightly darker near one end.

Either

Change the starter (only on older fittings), or
Change the tube

Or

Replace the fitting with a LED strip.


How do I remove vinyl glue off of tile flooring?

MEK or methyl Ethel ketone with good ventilation and chemical gloves will dissolve the adhesive, the biggest problem is some residue in the grout. Once the tile is clean a muratic acid solution and water will etch the grout reducing any left over residue.  Use a rag that is damp with MEK if you pour it on the adhesive will dissolve and really get into the grout. After etching and cleanup the grout will need to be resealed.


Is it OK to have a gas water heater in a bedroom closet?

As stated, the room, itself, would have to meet codes for a bedroom (size, egress, etc.)

As for the water heater, it needs combustion air. If the room is smallish and making it a bedroom means it's going to be closed off, then you likely will need to convert the gas heater to either electric or to direct vent. The latter adds a blower that pulls in combustion air from outside. The con to that is that it may be noisy if in a closet.


Waterproof access door for electrical panel

That enclosure is a NEMA 3R, it is designed to be out in the weather. It should be set out to the outside edge of the stucco or cement siding. With it inset, water will get inside the structure because you need to open the panel by Code. Code does allow for a box to hang outside the structure and have a hole drilled in the outside bottom for drainage.

Since your panel is inset, you need to make a water tight cover that can be removed without tools. Since it looks to be your main disconnect, it will have be labeled, and in most cases the meter must be visible for the power company to read. I would never install a panel like this and if you have a contract I don’t think this meets most of the service panel requirements in the states I have worked in. A cover that can be opened without tools may be legal but your electric utility may disagree because the meter is not fully exposed.


Where to buy polystyrene coving in the US (idaho)

The key is to not assume that they're all made of polystyrene.

https://www.certainteed.com/drywall/products/certainteed-decorative-moulding/


Put the grinder on a concrete surface like you're going to grind it, hold the lock button to prevent the shaft from spinning, push down into the concrete and turn the grinder counter clockwise to unscrew the diamond cup.

If that doesn't work, do the same thing with the diamond cup on concrete but stand with your left foot above the diamond cup on the backside of the grinder, and kick the other end (power cord side) forward with your right foot. You need to press the shaft lock at the same time, but sometimes you can get it to stay locked or use a broom handle or something long to press it to keep the shaft locked when you kick.


Why does the voltage drop when my office circuit (115V) is under load?

You have a lost neutral. Stop using the circuit until fixed.

This is a classic "lost neutral" we get all the time either on main panels or multi-wire branch circuits (MWBC, which is what this is).  The whole thing is one large circuit since they share neutral. MWBCs are complicated and have special rules that need to be honored if you don't want things like this happening.  Given the casual nature of speech and this question blowing over from ee.se, I suspect you may be out of your depth, no offense.

Particularly if "melting wires together" is a thing that is happening to you, it's really time to put the tools down and call a pro, or else "get religion" about doing good electrical work to Code and then read a book on electrical cover to cover and not skip through it as people with "smartphone attention spans" are prone to.  Google cannot substitute for a book because it only answers questions,and your field knowledge is not sufficient to know which questions to ask.

This is a 3-phase MWBC, implying New York City residence. My advice on MWBCs here applies.  Particularly the part about pigtailing neutrals. You are 3-phase so where it says 2, read 3.

The "symptom" for this problem is that if you plug a bulky load into one leg of the MWBC, say a resistive heater, and measure voltage at other legs of the circuit, it will be other than the expected 120V.  Another giveaway is a high difference in voltage between neutral and ground, on a 100' run, 1-2 volts is to be expected but no more than that.

It sounds like you did not fix (or find) the problem with the neutral.  If you insist on continuing to work on it, and you follow my advice, you'll be revisiting a lot of it, but also look in the service panel at the neutral termination there. The overcurrent may have fried it.


What is this brown material in my 1950s-era ceiling light's electrical box?

Standard "mud dauber" wasp nests ( in TX). Theold mineral wool thermal insulation has collapsed , pretty typical. It would be well worth getting a price of blowing in fiberglas or putting batts of fiberglas yourself.


Typically or by default "in-line" means either orientation is intended. One advantage to vertical is bearing wear. The fan won't be fighting gravity & its own weight. Other than that, call or email a few manufacturers & see what they say or if they have specific or better models for your application.


Can one-way window film actually be a detriment to my windows?

I don't like this question, simply because there are too many variables.  "CAN it be detrimental?"  Well...

Windows come in single, double and triple pane; made from glass or plastic; have different insulation systems between panes, have different natural coatings and compositions for various properties such as UV protection or reflection; and many other variables.  Over time glass windows will flow and warp, where plastic windows will oxidize.

Stick-on Window Coverings come in various materials (plastics usually, but that's a wide range of chemical structures with subtly different properties); use different adhesion methods such as static or chemical bond; have different coatings and compositions to create various properties such as coloring, refraction, UV protection or reflections; and again many other variables.  Coatings will chemically change over time.

Light from either side of the window can have different compositions, although usually the concern is natural sunlight.  Sunlight comes from different angles with different amounts of atmospheric interference through the day and year.  This is why it wasn't expected that UV glass can melt siding.

So again, CAN it be damaging?  Sure, anything is possible.

WILL it be damaging?  We really can't say until you install it.  But a bit of very light Googling didn't find any actual reports.  It looks more like an attempt to pass responsibility between window and coating manufacturers.  I'd say check with your window manufacturer, and follow their recommendations.  Ultimately, that's the expensive repair if something goes wrong.


Is it acceptable to have two circuits with a shared hot but different neutrals?

Generally speaking, no.
In order to do it this way, they probably ran individual(unsheathed) wires, which is against NEC. From this related question, the relevant NEC is

NEC 300.3(B) requires that:

All conductors of the same circuit ... shall be contained within the same raceway, auxiliary gutter, cable tray, cablebus assembly, trench, cable, or cord [with certain exceptions that do not apply here].

The logic here is that you want to minimize the exposure of the wires. Sheathing helps prevent a small nick from turning into a big shock.
If you're going to upgrade this the proper way, you would run, say, a brand new 14-2 to your red fixture, and then from the red fixture to the blue fixture. Thus they would share the same hot and neutral circuits properly
EDIT: Since these are inside conduit, that's considered acceptable.


Fishing extra wire through old Elec box, that has wires already

To just answer your question, yes you can punch out a knockout to add new cable to a metal junction box. You will need a connector similar to the one below to secure the cable in the box. There are certain limits on how many wires you can run into a box so you'd have to check on that with whoever is assisting you in this. If you're running wire into a plastic box, there are tabs you can bend in to insert the wires, no additional connectors are required.


Those look like thin, hard panels and they are much more of the problem than that little gap. While plugging that gap may stop a bit of the sound, the panels themselves are acting as sounding boards and transmitting the sound through.
I have a bookshelf nook in my bedroom wall with nothing but 1 layer of drywall behind the books, and a speaker just the other side of the nook. Sound is actually louder in my bedroom than it is in the other room because that piece of drywall reverberates and moves more air on the bedroom side than the speaker cone does on the other side.
Note that there is very little you can reasonably and somewhat inexpensively do to "sound proof" that wall, especially in something that would be removable when you move out. You can, however, deaden the sound to an extent, and that may make your quarters more livable.
The only realistic "fix" would be to cover that entire wall with loose hanging fabric of some sort to help capture and deaden the sound the walls are transmitting through. Your best bet would likely be to put a curtain rod across the entire set of panels and hang curtains/blankets/strips of cloth across the whole thing. Depending on how much room there is above the door panels, you may have to hang the rod from the ceiling instead of the wall. You may find that it will take a fairly heavy curtain or (set of) blanket(s) to kill off enough sound, so be prepared to buy a sturdy curtain rod and mounting brackets.
Generally speaking, most landlords are OK with a few holes in the wall (or ceiling as may be the case) for hanging things because small screw holes (or drywall/plaster anchors, molleys, toggle bolts, etc) are generally easy to fix up with some Spackle. If you're not sure about doing this, talk to your landlord about it. If he's edgy about the damage, either agree on an amount to be deducted from your damage deposit to cover the repair (get it in writing, just to be safe), or promise to make the repairs to his satisfaction prior to moving out. Or, just be willing to sacrifice your deposit for a bit of peace and quiet.
You could, of course, purchase acoustical panels of the sort used in recording studios and attach them to those sliding panels, and that would work far better than a curtain/blankets, but they'd probably be more expensive, have some sort of (semi-)permanent mounting adhesive to hold them to the panels, and you'd have to have at least some of them on the other side of the wall to allow the door to continue to slide, so that's probably out of the question.


Are SharkBite plumbing connectors as reliable as soldered connectors?

So far they seem to be just as reliable, although given that they've only been on the market for a few years they don't have the same history as soldered connections. Here in the UK almost all new-build houses use push-fit connectors for concealed work as it's much quicker and easier.

You most likely do need to take extra care that the tube is perfectly round for an inch or so at the end, and that there's no bits of swarf, paint or other dirt there. Solder is good at filling in little gaps which push-fit connectors won't seal. On the other hand it's very easy to not heat a solder joint up enough to melt the solder properly, especially in confined spaces.

Obviously, make sure you push them in firmly.

Finally you don't really want to use them for exposed pipes, soldered joints are much neater.


Is drilling a pilot hole into the plaster wall of an old house hazardous asbestos?

It is difficult to say

If you are concerned about asbestos you need to go to your local council and tell them you are concerned about your walls being filled with asbestos. They can check records if any occurances of asbestos builds exist in your area. even if nothing shows up it will be worth doing an independent test if you are still worried.

There are asbestos tester kits available also for DIY- but be advised to wear asbestos protective masks and clothing- if it turns out positive you will need to deal with it asap.

If they find asbestos.. well you need to tell the council and there should be grants available to remove it.

Be careful and wear certified masks and gloves at all times during testing and never reuse any of the kit- dispose at once into bag- into separate container. IF tests reveal negative your stuff can be dumped into normal channels.. IF positive you need your council to collect it and incinerate all exposed items.


Air conditioners cool by running air through a cold coil (the evaporator). If the evaporator cools the air below the dew point, then water condenses, drying out the air. The excess heat is put outdoors using a hot coil (the condenser).

When you run a mini-split in reverse, it changes the evaporator into a condenser, which gives off the heat collected from the outside coil (now an evaporator). This heats the air, but it does nothing to the humidity, since the air never goes below the dew point.


To me, the biggest issue here is that, while "the condensation would be only on the inside of the pipe", you are in fact anticipating condensation, which can lead to mold, in the pipe. And if you're blowing air through the pipe, you could be creating a mold nursery in the pipe that significantly increases the amount of mold spores in the air, and then mold elsewhere in the house.
You've mentioned that "I cannot keep the door closed, so your average "single room" humidifier doesn't move the needle". If I understand your proposal correctly, you plan to address this concern by pump so much humidity into the room that even with normal airflow in the house removing humidity, that room will stay at the humidity you want. But that means you are going to be pushing a very large amount of moisture into the rest of the house.
Your post implies that the humidity in the rest of the house is fine, which means that if you start adding a large amount of moisture to it, it will become "not fine". So you may also wind up creating a mold problem elsewhere in the house. Especially since, as you say, you are in a cold climate, which means that it's very likely that in plenty of places around the house, you have cold walls and windows that will condense the increased humidity you're adding to the environment in the house.
One detail missing from your post is how it is that this one bedroom has "very low humidity" while the rest of the house seems fine. Humidity (relative) is simply a function of the temperature and the moisture content of the air. Typically, the moisture content in an enclosed building is going to mix well enough that the absolute humidity is the same everywhere, so the only other factor would be temperature. Are you keeping that one room significantly warmer than the rest of the house somehow? Given that the door can't be closed, how is that happening?
Unless the rest of the house has been set up as a greenhouse or something, it's hard to see how you could have one room having significantly different humidity from the rest of the house (and even then, with the open door it's still a puzzler). You might want to revisit your conclusion that the only place you need to address humidity is in that one room. Maybe what you really need is a whole-house humidifier.
Beyond that, I'd have to say I'm very skeptical of the proposal to pipe humid air in from a different room. Taking your statements at face value, that seems like it would only add way too much humidity elsewhere, causing other problems.

Comments are emphemeral, but you've provided important clarification in comments below, so I will copy them and my responses here:

The rest of the house is also low humidity. The other bedrooms are addressed with single room humidifiers as those doors are closed at night.
The house has two furnaces. We got an Aprilaire "whole house" unit installed on one of the zones (in the basement, which had convenient water/didn't require all the special sauce to prevent the water from freezing) and frankly I haven't been able to tell the difference (I still zap everything as I walk around, etc.). So I wasn't thrilled about paying a ton more money to get a second one in the attic.

"I haven't been able to tell the difference " — part and parcel of addressing any humidity issue is to make sure you measure the humidity. In a cold climate in the winter, you may still get static even with increased humidity. Conversely, by measuring, you can make sure your humidification system is adding sufficient moisture to the air, and set it accordingly.
"I wasn't thrilled about paying a ton more money to get a second one in the attic" — Understood. But sufficient system-wide humidification can be less cost in the long run. Fact is, your "humidifier in the other room" idea is essentially a system-wide humidification system anyway, because you anticipate losing a significant amount of moisture to the rest of the house. I.e. that humidifier is going to humidify the entire house, just not in the controlled way you'd like, thus risk additional expenditures (and at the very least, hassles) dealing with the problems (like condensation and mold).
In other words, given all the information provided, I still am of the opinion that the proposed system is likely to give you trouble, and a whole-house (or at least whole-zone) system will actually work better and cost less in the long run.


Large drywall patch: how to avoid bulging seams?

While the usual trick for super-flat butt joints is to set the gap between studs (see the first answer in Should drywall be hung horizontally or vertically? for an excellent description), it doesn't seem like your situation would work for this.

Sadly, the best advice is to get a 10 or 12" taping knife and feather, feather, feather. (I personally wouldn't try to taper the existing drywall, as the paper is an integral part of the structure, and shaving some of that off would undermine it.)

This is personal preference, but I'd use mesh tape that's advertised as "ultra thin", such as FibaTape Perfect Finish. (Some say that paper tape is thinner, but if you compare rolls in the store, I think you'll find that this stuff is actually thinner than paper.)

When I started, I'd put way too much compound on, then have to sand a bunch of it off, then repeat. I'd now suggest lots of thin coats to avoid the curse of sanding and having drywall dust floating everywhere in your living space.


What type of interior vapor barrier is appropriate in the southern US?

Just talked with the inspector and it seems using a insulation with kraft facing on the interior of the house is perfectly fine here (as of April 2018, at least). In his words, taping the seams is "overkill" but will certainly help to keep airflow to a minimum.


When sprayer is used, all water to sink (faucet and sprayer) shuts off, how to fix?

Your sprayer unit is not designed to sit at full system pressure, so the faucet unit that it came with is specially designed to shunt water towards the sprayer hose and head only when the sprayer lever is pressed. The faucet itself has an integral diverter valve to perform this function, it sounds like yours is not working right.

All faucet brands use their own proprietary diverter mechanism, you will need to get a manual for your faucet to get it apart and replace the valve. It might look something like this:


Cutting off the tips of roof sheathing cap and metal screws so they don't show?

The portion of a screw sticking out into space doesn't have anything to hold onto, so it's not doing any good. Once the wood has been compromised enough for the threads to pull out, additional threads will just pull through the larger hole.
A nail, OTOH, will continue to provide friction resisting pull-out for its entire length, as the hole generally isn't enlarged much due to "natural" causes pulling it out (as opposed to being broken up during intentional removal). This can be proved by trying to pull a 3" nail - it takes nearly as much effort to get the last inch out as it does the first inch.
This is a long winded way of saying "go to town cutting them off".
Also, if you take the time to measure where the joists are and snap chalk lines on your roofing, you'll have about a 99.99% chance of getting every screw into a joist, so you won't have anything to worry about in the first place. Getting the screws right up front will probably take less time than cutting off the ends later anyway.


Will the 3-4-5 method work for making a table support?

No, 3-4-5 creates a right angle, not a 45 degree angle.

In your example, “a” must equal “b” for “c” to have 45 degree angle cuts at the ends.


How should I extend a concrete patio under an existing deck?

Sounds to me that you have covered all the bases. Maybe you should pay attention to few details:

Connecting old and new concrete; you have mentioned that you plan to do it, make sure that they are well stuck inside of old concrete (you drill slightly smaller hole than bar and hit the bar it with hammer when placed inside a hole. Also, you can chip old concrete (inch or two) so it will connect better with new one.
When it comes to posts I haven't seen the picture so it's hard to tell, but if you want to separate it from slab, you can do it by placing thin Styrofoam around posts before pouring concrete. Later on you can leave it or take it out and put some commercial products (make sure that those are for outdoor usage).
When it comes to changing the slope I really don’t see why would you do it? Accept if you don't like it. Anyway, if it's not causing any problems my advice is not play with it....I’m not sure it can be done properly.


Can a round-over router bit do 50% of the thickness while resting on the cut profile?

Adding a full round-over edge (bullnose) to plywood of the type that you have pictured is questionable in my mind. Typically such edging is applied to solid wood pieces. The plywood may very well have tearout along the edges where the grain is at odd angles. This can be somewhat mitigated by using the very best router bits that are extremely sharp.

You will want to fix up parts of the edge, such as shown here, before you attempt to cut the radiused edge. You will want the transitions to be very smooth and once cut would be much more difficult to correct.

Rounded edging on plywood is usually confined to the type of plywood that has many more layers such as this baltic birch plywood with void free core.

And finally the rounded edge that would most often be found on such material will use a different profile than a full round bullnose.


Why might our washing machine cause our clothes to smell damp when dry?

Is your washing machine front-loading? I know some (many?) front-loaders have mildew problems because water gets trapped around the seal. Cleaning the seal and leaving the door open when not in use may help.


You really need an engineer to give you an answer and sign off on this.  But, being this is the internet, here's my $0.02 anyway.

Your best bet is to replace the whole joist if feasible and not to disruptive to the rest of the structure.  But it will be very disruptive to the rest of the structure & flooring and probably impossible to get it into those foundation pockets on both sides.  So...

I would cut the existing joist back to the middle of that knee wall or 2x4 nearest the foundation wall.  Not counting on that structurally, but you need to square off the end of the existing joist and it makes a convenient place to put the end of the new joist while you tie things together. Take off that little bit of 2x4 back near the drain pipe.

Then I would slide a new piece of joist into the pocket in the foundation wall and flush with the end of the existing joist on top of that 2x4.

Then I would sister the joist on both sides with 2x dimensional lumber of the same height as the existing joist from the foundation wall pocket back to at least 2' to 3' past the end of that huge notch.  Be generous with construction adhesive, then clamp the whole thing up and put a few bolts through to pull it together and nail it along the length.


Vapor barrier above a frequently wet crawlspace?

I think you have to do whatever it takes to keep that water from pooling under there. French drains, dry wells, sump pumps, etc. You can't have that standing water there and not expect mildew smells to get into the house. After the water is mitigated, you need to have the crawlspace sealed, and dehumidified.


How long does it take for polycarbonate to yellow?

About 10 years in Florida, if given an anti-UV treatment. Here is an old GE technical report which gives details http://www.bristolite.com/interfaces/media/Tech%20Report%20GE%20Lexan%20Polycarbonate%2010%20Year%20Aging.pdf


Carefully inspect your Grounding Electrode System

This shouldn't be it.   The Grounding Electrode System is a fat copper ground wire that goes from your service panel to any or all of:

Ground rods outside your house.  Code calls for 2 rods 8' long.
an "Ufer" ground that ties into the reinforcing rod in your poured concrete foundation
A cold water pipe where it enters the house, on the street side of the meter.  The problem is the utility could replace the meter with a remote-read meter, which are plastic.

Once it's proven out that the Grounding Electrode System is tip-top...

...then any other ground wires aren't such a big problem.

It is likely the purpose of this ground wire is not to ground the panel to actual earth (the Grounding Electrode (GES) ... But to ground an appliance to the panel (the Equipment Safety Grounding Conductor, EGC).

That is to say, maybe that ground wire isn't there to send fault current through the water heater, but rather to prevent fault current from a troublesome hot-water-connected device (cough dishwasher cough) from going through the water heater.


If you're really going to sand it you don't need a polishing compound to finish.  I worked a deep scratch out of a small section using a quarter-sheet power sander, and then worked up through 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, and 2500 grit paper, at which point it had a mirror finish.

(Only problem is it now looks so much better than the other Corian sections, and it would take a full day to repeat the process on the whole surface area.)


Why is there a line connecting two light switches

The black wire coming in from the top and attaching to the right terminal of the left switch is likely the "incoming" hot wire from the panel or upstream somewhere.

The black wire on the left side of the left switch is the switch leg for one receptacle, and the black wire on the right side of the right switch is the switch leg for another receptacle.

The second wire connecting the two is simply there to bring electricity from the left switch's hot to the right switch. It is possible to daisy chain switches this way, or one could use a wire nut and two tails to connect to the switches (this is how I would do it, easier to rewire later if e.g. a switch fails or if you want to swap one for an upgrade like you are now).

Note: your question says there are neutrals going to the switches, but these appear to be black (hot) wires with white paint on them.

The Z-wave switch appears to require a neutral based on images of the product, so you will need to tap into a neutral.

Be careful that you are using a real neutral and not a hot with white paint on it (this is one reason to put painter's tape over receptacle boxes when painting).
The neutral must be on the same circuit as the hot being switched. If only one circuit feeds this box there is no problem.


How long should I run my pool filter per day?

This is more of a comment but too long...

I was a pool boy through college.  I have also owned 3 pools.  What you are doing has too many variables.  You have temperature, environment, chlorine levels, quality of original water, amount of swimmers, pump size, plumbing size, pool depth, almost anything around the pool is a variable.

So as a kid I would clean pools, add chemicals and often people had me set up their timers.  But I was a dumb kid and was told 12 hours minimum and 16 hours for bigger pools.  Usually in 2 shifts a day and we tried to set up timer to hours they were not swimming.

Some customers though set up their own timers and the times were literally all over the place.  I have seen oversized pumps on for 2 x 2 hour shifts and the pool never had an issue (pool was in the middle of a yard not close to house, trees, and wasn't swam in a ton).  I have seen algae grow in a pool that was being pumped 12 hours a day.

I would think that for your size pool and pump your baseline is 2 x 4 hours.  I would consider 3 x 2.5 hours too.  From there you can work your way down or up as needed.  The big thing is if you are playing with the filter times then you need to keep an eye on the pool.  You have to figure that each hour a day might be $8-15 a month in electric costs.  But at the same time will you have to spend a ton of money on chemicals to fight an algae problem and all the time that goes with that.


leaky bathtub not sure where the leak is

You have not yet established whether the leak is in the supply valves or in the tub or drains.

With the tub valves off for a sufficiently long time,  I presume you have no leaking, right? If so, that eliminates the supply piping before the valve seats. When you open the valves, water is admitted into the mixing chamber of the valve and it could be leaking as you fill the tub (crack in the valve body or around the valve stems).

Fill a bucket elsewhere in the house and pour it into the tub. If it leaks, then you have eliminated the valve(s) and it is in the drain of the tub. If it does not leak, it is in the valve(s).


New Thermostat Won't Engage Plinth Heating in Kitchen Island

Stupid me. The fan has a delay of a few minutes after the thermostat calls for heat. I set it to gas and called for heat and waited 10 or so minutes and the fan came on.


How to choose the correct toilet flapper (on the web)?

If you are unsure take your old flapper with you to an actual store to buy the replacement. Buying online is great if you know exactly what you need but the guess work when you are unsure is a crap shoot.

Colors of flappers are almost always a signal of the manufacturer and in some cases specific to a particular style of flapper from that manufacturer.


Jb weld or epoxy. You need to patch the hole, not necessarily weld it


How can I modify a 4 wire thermostat to a new thermostat requiring c wire?

You moved the Green to C on one end but the picture with the transformer in the top left shows Green still on G there it should be on C.

The picture below you would pull the green wire off of Green at both the stat and furnace and move it to C/Common, then  you jumper Yellow to Green at the furnace.


Removing a wall underneath joists that are already attached to beam in attic

Often we’ll design beams into our buildings for “future” use. Your house may have one of these, but before you remove the wall and rely on the beam, you’ll need to investigate: 1) actual loads on the joists, 2) any independent loads on beam, 3) size of support posts at each end of beam, 4) size of “new” footing under each support post at each end of beam.

1) If your roof joists are 2x6’s spanning 11’ and 13’, I’ll assume you have little or no snow load. Therefore, the minimum roof load would be about 40 lbs. per square foot on the 2x6’s, which translates to 480 lbs. per square foot on the beam. Therefore, 2 - 2x8’s maximum span is about 8’, depending on the species and grade of the 2x8’s. Or, if you increase the beam to 3 - 2x8’s then the allowable span would be about 11’.

2) Before you determine the maximum allowed opening, you’ll need to verify there are no other loads, like a roof beam resting on the beam.

3) The beam will need to be “fully” supported at each end. That means a minimum of 2 - 2x studs (or a 4x4 post) will be required at each end.

4) If the original location had designed the beam, they probably designed an adequate footing under each end to transfer the load to the soil. However, I doubt they knew about the beam when they moved the house and therefore there isn’t a footing under each post.

Moving a house and placing it on a new foundation requires a Building Permit. Maybe you can contact your local Building Codes Department and look at the submitted plans.


How to fix a cupboard to 32mm thick plasterboard

It's probably double 5/8ths drywall, I'd use toggle bolts. And then washers and 3" deck screws to the stud for safety (not drywall screws), even if you're going to do all four corners with toggle bolts. There should be some one-by inside the cabinet at the top (and possibly the bottom) this is where you want your fasteners penetrating, not just through the flimsy back panel. Your local hardware store should have these:

1/4" x 4" Toggle Bolt:  (tannerbolt.com)

You can skimp on diameter if you want, but the shorter they are, the harder it's going to be to install all four at the same time. The size shown is my go-to.

Hand tighten only, or you risk stripping the tiny nut in the spreader or compromising the drywall integrity. You need to be able to feel what's going on in there; they should just be snug.  Be extra careful with smaller diameter toggles as they have even wimpier nuts.

Other types of drywall fasteners are discussed here: What benefit do plasterboard drywall screws have?