Where can I get, or how can I DIY table slides that will accept leaves totaling 104"?

Short answer, vertical and strong. I have an old Saginaw Expand-o-Matic that opens from 24" to  90" and is designed to only use the end legs, no middle support. Not sure where you could find this hardware today though.

You want the sliders to be vertical because the majority of the stress will be vertical stress of the table and contents weight. It also helps load balance because you'll need more than one slider to more than double your expansion and positioned vertically, your contact points are all on the same level.

An alternative is leafed ends, so the base/original table would remain the same but you could add on leaf ends, you can either have them hinged and permanently attached or be small stand alone tables that are add-ons. You'd need to make clean edges on the original table or route out the reverse of the rounded corners into the leaves/add-ons.


Best way to seal a funky gap on shower door frame

Gap doesn't look that big. I would use silicone caulk.


How do I replace two split receptacles with GFCI receptacles?

You have what is known as a "multi-wire branch circuit", where two otherwise independent circuits share the same neutral return back to the electrical panel.  Wiring the GFCIs in a naive manner won't help you here, because in a shared neutral situation, the GFCIs won't see the return currents coming back from the "other" hot wire, and will trip as they are designed to do as a result. However, there are two options to rectify this, depending on your situation:

1. Replace the breakers with a two-pole GFCI circuit breaker

Depending on the make and model of your electrical panel, you may be able to obtain a two-pole GFCI circuit breaker for it; in that case, and if your kitchen circuits come from adjacent breaker slots in the panel, you can replace the kitchen circuit breakers with a single two-pole GFCI breaker and get GFCI protection without rewiring the outlets.

2. Install GFCI receptacles so that each receptacle device is on a different leg.

Right now, you have what's called a "mixed leg" shared neutral circuit, where both legs are present at each receptacle device, instead of having half the receptacle devices attached to one leg and half to the other.  However, you'd have to pull a 12/2/2 instead of your current 12/3 for all devices attached downstream of the first GFCI, or retrofit all outlets on this circuit to be GFCI outlets, which is undesirable.

Borrowing a diagram from this answer by Tester101:


Fixing ceramic tile that have a large ceramic chip off

Patch it with porcelain crack repair. Or for just a color match, and if it's not in a high traffic area, believe it or not I've had a lot of success using crayon: lots of color choices and it's not permanent, so you can try different colors until something works. If you work it into the repair well enough it will stay better than you expect. I did this over a year ago in our living room, it's really hard to see a repair was made there and I haven't had to re-color it.


There is water in my basement and the outdoor sump pump failed. What am I doing wrong?

For the case of the power outages, there's basically two options --

UPS or other battery backup for the sump pump.  (which only helps for as long as the batteries hold out)
A water powered sump pump

As for the flash flood issues -- you might be able to either regrade the area to change the catchment area that drains towards the door, and possibly add a lean-to roof to reduce the amount of rain into the area, or increase the size of the pump to deal with the increased flow.

The water powered sump could also help in the case of the flash floods, as you'll have both the regular pump and the backup pump so long as the power's still on (and you route them separately, so they're not sharing an outflow route.)


Granite can be removed without it being damaged in 90% of all cases.  We would need to see pictures before helping out with that.  If granite is installed right it should be held in pace by a couple of wood blocks underneath in the corners - ensuring it can be moved if there is work that needs to be done.  If it is installed like this it literally takes a few mins to disconnect it from counters.  If it is glued to plywood or the cabinets it is much harder but still doable.

Notes:

Grout should never be used at the corner of a counter/backsplash.  Even if you had a tile counter you would ALWAYS caulk where the counter hits the wall.
All counters are sloped.  My kitchen counter reads true on a level.  But if I spill water it might take a day but it will all end up on the left side.  Sounds like yours are sloped back... which isn't good but not life altering.
You should check for water damage behind your cabinets.  You can easily make a couple of cuts and take a peak and no one will ever notice.
If your walls are wet, they will dry given you cut out the leaking.  Most water damage is no big deal.  Mold and other fungi will die quickly without water.  It depends on the severity of the issue.  But temporary water damage is not usually a precursor to a kitchen gut.


Sliding closet doors with 3 doors has narrowed opening

Put a large door and the small door on one track - that will enable you to maximize the opening...

If you have 3 doors the same size, then install a 3rd track which means that all the doors can be in one spot maximizing the opening...


Can a single metal electrical box use two ground clips?

If you are carrying ground from one cable to the next, you should pigtail them. The ground clips are there to ground the box, not carry the ground to another cable; if one were to become disconnected, you would lose the ground in the circuit.

I prefer a screw connection in metal boxes over a ground clip.

Oh, and instead of a pigtail, you can use one of the green wire nuts with a hole in the center; that lets you pigtail with a bit less effort.


How to patch siding half covered by electrical panel

That looks like T1-11 you should be able to clean the caulk out and install a new piece. I don’t like leaving voids because wood destroying insects may find a way in and make it home.
They probably put the panel there because it feeds the inside panel using the same opening.
Some lumber stores have partial sheets of T1-11. I would get a piece and match the pattern, if that is a seam just to the right I would cut that 1” piece out. Slip the new one in and caulk top and bottom. I would expect screws to be the best attachment method.
So clean out the caulk, remove the small strip, install new section and caulk the box and seams. Prime and paint to match.


AFCI breakers/protection and refrigerators - a bad idea?

The question presumes something I do not believe.

I don't believe all AFCIs also do GFCI at 30ma level.

This answer here is a very well-informed and interesting exposition on how many AFCIs were given a "weak" GFCI function to detect arc faults to ground.  But this was less than ideal - not least it requires you make a whole line of 2-pole AFCIs; in most of those applications, handle-tying two 1-pole AFCI would suffice if the AFCI didn't need to do that GFCI-ish thing.

This lesser protection was typically 30ma.   Remember, 30ma protection is inadequate for kitchens, garages, basements or anywhere else NEC requires GFCIs.

Some people believe AFCIs are required everywhere GFCIs are not.  The NEC does not say that.  If your local inspector says so, you need to have the discussion with them.  You can fight city hall, but it's cheaper to just replace that problematic fridge.

Refrigerators are not the use-case for AFCI or GFCI

GFCI is to protect people from shocks, typically from lightly insulated plastic gadgets getting broken or wet, or the user having contact with an energized part of a 2-prong tool.  This is absolutely irrelevant to an immovable box with a steel chassis, all the 120VAC gear inaccessible at the bottom rear, and a fully plastic inner lining.  It would be nigh impossible for a consumer to contact anything 120V if they were trying.

AFCI is to prevent fires from wiring faults either in house wiring or in plastic, flammable devices.  Being entirely contained inside an all-steel box, it's nigh impossible for a wiring fault inside the fridge to start a fire without also pulling enough current to trip the breaker.  Yes, the cord, receptacle or in-wall wiring could have a problem; but consider the same logic that is applied to the NEMA 10 receptacle: this is fixed equipment with a typically inaccessible receptacle, which is rarely unplugged or moved.

Sometimes, a ground fault trip is a ground fault

I do see a lot of forum posts like

  My old fridge never tripped the GFCI before.  Now suddenly it's tripping the GFCI a lot.  Why do fridges need GFCI protection anyway? Can I remove the GFCI protection?"

Sometimes, a GFCI trip is exactly what it says on the tin --  "working as intended" genuine trip caused by faulty machinery.  Often cleared by a good cleaning, but sometimes, you just need a new fridge.  Insulation failure is one way machines fail.


I think I understand what you are after... Is what you are saying is that the out side of the door is now on the inside and vice-versa?  Many Fiberglass doors do look the same on both sides and have decoritive windows that look different from the inside verses the outside.  If this is the case the window should be held in the door with a series of philips head screws. you should be able to unscrew the window and turn it around.  Sometimes the screws are covered with little plastic buttons that match the plastic frame molding that is around the window, just pry them out and you should be able to reverse the window.


How to replace valve cartridge on Kohler DevonshireWidespread bathroom sink faucet

unscrew the nut under the sink and then you can turn the lever counter clockwise, sometimes there is plumbers putty that makes it hard to unscrew the lever without taking the nut under the sink off, watch this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc7Q5666yoU


Got it open:  I soaked everything with penetrating oil (inside & outside).  Then I gently tapped the latch until it moved and the top opened up a bit.  After a bit of wiggling, it opened.  As you can see in the first pic, it's like drawing B.  However, you can pull it out and get something like drawing A, but once everything is fully lubricated and working properly, I'm not sure it it'll stay put.
Also, there's a "keyhole slot" in the hinge to allow you to take the window pane out (see second pic).


How do I make built-in bookcases for the corners of a room?

You could simply make the shelves at the corner "L" shaped, like this.

Another approach would be to make a corner unit, at an angle to the two wall units. Like this.

A smaller corner unit, is also an option.

Though all of these options are dependent on your personal preference.


changing toilet seat on wall mounted toilet

Look at this video starting at about 11 min 30 s. Grohe wall mounted toilet

EDIT I see a screw exposed under the swing away cover in the picture posted. I would assume that unscrewing it would release the fitting holding the seat.

It might be wise to consult the landlord even before a seemingly simple change of a toilet seat. Maybe his staff  know how to do this and would do it for you.

EDIT2 Have you looked or felt under the bowl to see if seat bolts are visible? See What kind of tool do I need to access this bolt?


How can I vent a portable A/C unit through bars on a window?

A picture might be helpful here, but generally speaking, any HVAC installer should be able to create an "adapter" out of sheet metal to fit between the bars and connect to your hose. It's not critical that it maintain the same shape, so you can convert from a round hose to a square vent as long as it supports the same or larger volume of airflow.

Just as an example, my stoves exhaust fan has a round duct, but I have a rectangular vent on the outside of my house.


What is the best way to prepare walls, windows and baseboard for re-painting

Painting is easy - preparing for a new coat of paint so it will last is the hard work.

You should scrape off all loose or peeling paint - otherwise the new paint will simply peel right off there. Only after that should you move to spackle and sanding to prepare the base for new paint. On wood items "putty" is preferred over "spackle" which is more of a drywall/plaster repair item, though it's somewhat irrelevant when it's being painted over.

The window looks like you should investigate for and fix a leak. If it gets that wet, new paint won't stick either.

The dark spot in the second picture is in the same place on all the pictures so it's a camera defect, I guess - at first it looked like mold.

The blisters in the third - more leakage? Or pitch bubbling out of the wood?


Need to install board and batten wood shutters to my brick house. What items do I need to do this how do I do it?

I used to work for www.timberlane.com  check out their hardware catalog for install ideas.  You might even be able to call and pick a salesperson's brain for install advice.  Especially if you need to buy hardware.  Brick can be tricky and I'm sure you don't want to do it twice.

And please don't down vote for suggesting experienced help.  There are a lot of questions like, "do you want to close your shutters" that make this a nuanced answer.  Even the offset of the trim around your window could change how it is installled.


Can I paint my floor in two stages with epoxy?

Do an experiment on a slab of anything of similar roughness -- a chunk of garage floor would do.
Make a virtue out of a necessity:

Make the edge at a logical division of the space, and change colours of paint, or change colours of glitter at the transition. If you want to be fancy, make it a zig-zag or Peano curve
Mask shapes onto the floor.  Stack the stuff on the shapes.  Move stuff back, Do rest of floor.
Apply the glitter as a secondary cover mixed with a clear coat.  Apply it with a stencil in blocks. The pattern of glitter distracts from the seam.
Instead of left/right, move everything to the edge, measure the maximum distance from the edge of the room.  Mark a rectangle with that distance from all the walls.  Do the centre.  Now move everything into the centre and do the edge.  Can be really cool if you change colours of paint.  (Buy one additional colour, and mix it into all the remaining paint.  So if you did the center in light green, buying a can of dark blue would make the remaining paint dark green-blue.  Yellow + blue grey = brown.

If you want to have more fun, use a stencil, and lay down patterns of the edge colour as a second coat on the centre area.


That framing will last decades with no maintenance.  I just replaced the decking on my mother's 20-year-old pool deck which had not been well-maintained through the years.  The framing was all in good shape though the decking was rotted and warped.
With that said, if you want to wash it for cosmetic reasons, it won't hurt to do that.


What is causing clicking sound after light switches off?

Answering this myself since I have an answer and this has gotten quite a few views.

The answer is that the sound was thermal, but not anything dangerous. After much experimentation, I discovered that one of the cans warps ever so slightly when it gets hot and after a period of about 7 minutes this cools enough to "pop" back down as it contracts. It also doesn't happen until it hits a heat threshold that occurs after about 10 minutes. Less than 10 minutes of on time yields no pop.


What could be causing AFCI breaker and GFCI receptacle nuisance tripping?

Some surge protectors work by "redirecting" surges to the equipment ground, which is pretty much the definition of a ground fault.  In this case, it's definitely possible that surge suppressors could be tripping GFCI receptacles/breakers (given a large enough surge).
As for the AFCIs...  When electrical contacts separate, they often create an arc between the contacts. This arc spans the gap until the contacts are too far apart, and the arc can no longer be sustained. It's possible (in theory) that the GFCI tripping could create a large enough arc, for long enough to cause the AFCI to trip. It's not likely that a properly functioning GFCI would do this, but if the GFCI was old and worn it could be opening the contacts slow enough that a detectable arc is being produced.
Determining if the GFCI tripping is causing the AFCI to trip, is a simple test.  Simply press the test button on the GFCI.  If the AFCI trips, you'll have figured out half the problem. If the ACFI does not trip, you could repeat the test using a receptacle tester with a GFCI test function.

If it's determined that the GFCI is causing the AFCI breaker to trip, replacing the GFCI receptacle may resolve that part of the issue.
Figuring out if the surge suppressor is tripping the GFCI, is a more difficult proposition. It will likely require you to monitor the supply voltage over some time, to identify and document possible surges.


How do I add a second wired garage door opener?

Yes you can, unless it uses a fancy communication board. If you can control the lights and the door from the controller you may not be able to simply splice the wire. I used doorbells to add openers at two other locations for a friend of mine. Even on a communication board you could solder in at the momentary switch on the board and effectively do the same thing. This is obviously a little more involving.


Exterior rated/grade adhesive to add final touches for my shade fabric applied to EMT rods?

Consider using a double-sided clear mounting tape. 3M makes one with a clear but rubbery and flexible carrier that makes an extremely strong bond. Since it sticks immediately, you don't have to spend time holding it. Remember that tapes of this type have a bond strength that improves greatly over the first 24 hours, so if you do a small area as a test, give it a day before you test it for strength. Brands other than 3M are available, but I know the 3M is suitable for outdoor use and resistant to water and UV, and I've seen it in a big-box home improvement store as a small roll on a blister card. It looks red because of red release paper, but the tape itself is clear.


Is urethane-based grout worth the cost for bathroom tile?

I, and many tile pros, aren't fans of the pre-mixed urethane grouts. Again, they're newer products. There's two downsides to the urethane grouts I looked at. The first is that the dry time before water exposure is something like seven days ... again, this is the last time I looked at it, and that might have changed. The urethane grouts are supposedly easy to clean, HOWEVER, every tile guy I've talked to has said it's not a product for newbies.

I haven't worked with them personally, because my go-to is Spectralock by Laticrete. Spectralock is an epoxy grout, and can be had at Lowe's or through your tile supplier. You mix two parts goo with one part colored sand, and you get a very consistent and easy to apply grout. You have to pay careful attention to the setup time and the cleaning instructions, though, because they will leave a haze on your tile as the epoxy sets up if you don't clean promptly, and it sets up quickly.


Why does garage remote not work after replacing the remote/batteries and pairing it up again?

If it works when you're standing under the garage door opener, that tells you that there's nothing wrong on either end (the remote and the opener). It's likely that interference is overwhelming the signal from the remote when you use it from a distance.

One common cause of this interference is certain kinds of light bulbs. Make sure that the light bulbs in your garage door opener are approved for use with garage doors (check the garage door opener's manual). You can buy low-interference light bulbs specifically for garage door openers from your local big box hardware store. They are more expensive than regular light bulbs, but may be worth it if they fix the problem.


How to minimize wall tearing when installing new wiring?

Like Aloysius Defenestrate said most wall outlets will involve little or no damage. Redoing the lights & back to their switches will be the still quite minimal anyway damage.

Additionally, if you're also considering re-siding the house or replacing floors this can greatly assist the electrician, plumber, HVAC Firm or Insulation Company in causing almost no damage or patchwork inside. If you can re-assess your overall plans for the place you may find better results with proper phase planning & execution.


Where can I buy a long bit for lag bolt pilot?

One of those "aircraft bits" should work fine for you. Just because the bit is 6" long doesn't mean you have to actually "use" all six inches. You should be able to find quality bits from multiple sources on the internet. (Maybe not Amazon...) You might find some locally at professional-level tool vendors if not at the BigBox stores. (A little help)

I wouldn't expect to break any bits, but I suppose it could happen. Everybody has bad days. Since you may not be able to jump in the car and pick up another one, you might order an extra. (Maybe if you don't use it you could send it back.)

Aircraft extension bits get their name from their use primarily in the aircraft industry in the years coming up to WWII.

  Aircraft drill bits are long drill bits originally designed for use in the aircraft industry where they often need to drill holes reaching through deep cavities, and then through thin materials. Here's more about them.

The pilot hole size you'll want will be something like 9/64" or 3∕16" depending on the hardness and moisture content of the wood you're drilling into. Both of these factors can affect the fit of the screws in the pilot holes. Here's a write-up that goes into more detail about it.

I'd do a test or two starting out with the smaller diameter bit and make the hole  larger if it proves to be too snug to drive the screw easily. It's always easier to make the holes bigger than it is to make them smaller.

Another idea: There are self-drilling lag screws manufactured to not need pilot holes. They tend to be more expensive, but from what I understand they are roughly structurally equivalent. I've used these, Spax 5/16 x 6"  on a couple of projects with satisfying results. This may be an alternative for you, maybe not.


Attaching new drain trap to a galvanized stub out

It looks like you have 1.5" pipe reducing to 1.25" (1 1/4"). The easiest way to handle this is with a reducing coupler (example).

This should be less hassle than the reducing ring (no messing with gunky threads) and you should get a better seal overall


Did you replace your original wooden windows with plastic ones? Many old apt buildings relied on imperfections in wooden windows to provide natural ventilation. New windows are more air tight and  it probably makes the room stuffy.

Many casement windows have " micro ventilation" feature if you put the handle in a certain position. The leaves the window slightly ajar and provides enough fresh air.

Another option is to install a ventilation system.


Should basement staircase door have a passage or privacy knob?

You can install either by code....in fact you don’t even need a door.
However, a landing is required at the top of those stairs, if the door swings outward over the stairs. (See ICC R311.5.4) If that’s the case and no landing is provided, I’d put a “keyed lock set” on that door so no one accidentally uses the door, until you can fix the door swing or just remove the door. (No door...no landing required.)


What sheen of paint is most commonly used by builders?

I don't know your location, but in most residential jobs I've worked on the US east coast the wall finish is flat latex for walls, semi-gloss latex for doors, trims, baseboards, etc.


How to repair leak between P-trap arm and drain pipe

It looks like that reducer is cemented on to a 22 1/2 degree sweep and separating them will really a job. You best bet would be to remove both those pieces because you don't know exactly which piece is leaking. Cut that second piece where it comes out of the wall as close to the bent as possible to save as much of the protruding pipe so you can cement a new piece on to it. You might have to chip a little wall away to expose more pipe. then get the piping you'll need to reconnect everything, maybe clean it up a bit. that cement will work fine with the ABS piping.


Well pump runs, but bladder tank is empty, and we have no water

Shallow Well

A centrifugal pump doesn't work when it's full of air.  Some of them can self prime with very small differences between the pump and the water level (trash pumps, typically) Normally they are 'wet' all the time.  The foot valve keeps the pipe to the pump full of water between cycles.

If the foot valve fails, then all the water in the your water system drains back into your well.  (Normally you would have a check valve on the out put of the pump too, which would at least slow this down.)

A failed foot valve is a cheap fix, although a nuisance to do.

However the foot valve may just have stuck.  You can try repriming the pump.  There is usually a bolt on the top of the pump casing you can open and fill with water.  You need to do some arithmetic to figure out how much water it will take. 1"pipe runs about 30 feet per gallon. 1.5" pipe runs about 15.  So dump 5 gallons of water (go to a neighbour) and see if the problem goes away.

If the pump is still full of water, then you have another problem.

Break the output connection, and BRIEFLY run the pump.  If you now have a gallon of water on the floor, then you know the pump works.  If it doesn't then fix the pump.  This could be simple:  The impeller is no longer attached to the shaft, or it could be that the impeller has died of old age.

Note:  If you have a pressure gage on the pump, then if it says you have pressure, you can skip the 'break the connection and make a mess' paragraph above.

If you have water at the pump, but not at the house, then verify that every valve between the pump and the pressure tank is actually open.  YOU may not have closed them.  But I can just see some 12 yr old turning off the water while a sibling is in the shower...  (I know.  I did this to my sister.  Except I turned off the hot water.)  If everything is open, then inspect the ground carefully between house and well head.  If you have a wet spot, you know where to start digging.

Water at the pump may also be true with a broken impeller.  Water is present, but no energy is being transferred to it by the impeller.  This will show as no mess/no pressure.

Deep well with jet pump.

You've got two lines now, and enough depth that there may multiple sections of pipe.

Foot valve may have failed.
One of the connections (usually hose clamps) has failed.

Pull the pipe string.

Submersible pump. (not shown on illustration)

These are usually trouble free.  Good thing.  Pain to replace.  A failed foot valve doesn't affect the supply of water, except that it can put a slug of air into the system, and,in a deep well, give you some awesome water hammer.  (Air pressure only will support a 30 odd column of water.  So without a foot valve, the water in the pipe up to the check valve will fall back into the well, leaving a pretty good vacuum behind.  When the pump next starts, you have a rapidly moving slug of water that travels  up the pipe, slaming into each corner it hits.)

Pulling the pipe.

In both of these, you need to pull up the pipe string, and see what's wrong.  Note that a deep pipe string is not light.  This is something that you can do with a helper, but...

Learn how to tie a pipe hitch.  Once you get some pipe showing, throw a pipe hitch around the pipe, and tie the other end to something solid.  Slide the hitch down the pipe, as you pull it out.  This way you aren't standing there with quivering muscles trying to keep a grip on slimy pipe.  Note that synthetic rope on slimy black poly pipe doesn't grip too well.  Your pipe hitch may need a few extra turns.
A submersible pump adds 80 pounds or so to the load for a small 1/2 HP one.
It can go a lot easier if you have a front end loader and 3 people.  You tie two hitches to the pipe, one to a stationary object, one to the bucket of the loader.  Raise the bucket, sliding the stationary hitch down.  Lower the bucket.  Load is picked up by stationary hitch.  Slide the bucket's hitch down.  Repeat.  Third person moves the pipe away from the well head.  I've done this with a 400 foot submersible.

Failed pump.

If you determine that the problem is the pump, then in the interest of family harmony, you may want to just go buy an new pump. THEN fix the old one.  This will get water and the resulting clean dishes, food, clean kids, flushed toilets etc in play.  If the old one is fixable, great.  If not, then watch the sales and buy a spare.

(I'm paranoid:  I replaced a sump pump because it was making weird noises.  I thought the bearing was going.  Kept it though.  It sits beside the sump, with a hose clamp ready to be swapped.  I also have a non-float switch pump on 60 feet of 1" line in the garage, which may buy me time to replace the sump pump.  I also have a 12v pump mounted on a separate line in the sump that can keep up with the flow in all but the worst conditions when the power is out.  It has a battery with a smart charger on it.)


208x240 buck boost transformer putting out ~260v

That transformer is awful small

Your transformer is not a buck-boost transformer as you assumed it to be -- instead, it's a standard (isolating dry type) transformer with a 120/240V primary and a 208V secondary.  As a result, its windings are handling full power, which means that since it's a 500VA unit, it can only handle 2A at 240V coming out.  I'd expect it to overheat quite severely trying to handle the 8FLA@240VAC of a 1HP motor.

As to the high output

I would check the input voltage -- it sounds like the input is on the high side, and doubly so because there will usually be a bit of turns ratio compensation on the design secondary side that acts in the opposite direction from what you are describing in a backfed application such as yours.  However, it should drop to a more normal value under a reference load.


What method to use when cleaning an old wall-mounted garage heater?

A good way to get started with cleaning it would be these steps:

Remove the whole array of front panel grills. It may be a single grill or multiple.
Carry grills outside and scrub with warm soapy water. A scrub brush will work well, especially for the grill slots.  A wash cloth may work best on the large flat areas.
Spray down the grill(s) using garden hose to flush away the soap and loosened dirt. Set grill aside to fully dry.
Use a vacuum cleaner (shopvac if available) to clean up the dust, dirt, pet hair, and other debris in the furnace enclosure itself. A brush attachment on the end of the vacuum cleaner hose can help a lot on the irregular surfaces. Once the major stuff is cleaned then a damp wash cloth can be used to wipe down the inner surfaces of the furnace.


Your photo doesn't show much of the area to the left of the opening, but from what is visible, this opening seems a perfect fit for a sliding door. The framing would be above and below the opening, perhaps a stop plate to the right of the PVC, but the door would have a slot to engage the pipe. If extreme sealing is required, weather stripping applied to the stop plate and around the door cut out should give a good closure.

The bottom support framing could contain a long door slide to provide reduced friction, or simply wax the slot in which the door slides and the mating edge of the door. Moisture may come into play if the wood swells after time and should be considered when constructing the assembly.


How to remove rotating bathroom sink drain cover

Look underneath for a large plastic hex bolt holding the drain in place.

Disconnect the P/U trap and unscrew that bolt. You will need to apply a bit of force to break the caulking.

Putting in a new one will require also putting in some caulking. The new plug will come with instruction to that effect.

There are drains with a plug that is operated with a lever behind the tap. This may be what you are looking for as a solution.


Conduit fill - number of circuits .vs. number of branches

If a group of wires, together, are splitting power from one circuit, such that they together could not exceed the breaker rating without a trip -- then those wires together count as 1 wire for this purpose.

Let's suppose you have box A and box B.  Supply comes in to box A. B has a GFCI deadfront and a bunch of switches, protected by the GFCI.

Supply hot goes from A to B.
Supply neutral goes from A to B, to supply the GFCI.
Five separate protected-switched-hot wires double back from B through A onward to their destinations.
Protected neutral doubles back from B to A, where it splits to feed each switched load.

This situation is annoying, because we must haul neutral from A to B and back again because of the GFCI.  At 15A draw, how many wires "count" for derate?

supply hot is carrying 15A to the GFCI
supply neutral is carrying 15A to the GFCI
protected neutral is carrying 15A to the loads
Five protected switched hots, totaling 15A.

So four "wires" for derate, which in a 120/240 split-phase context we can simply count as 2 "circuits". The actual limit is 9 wires, but it's impossible to have an odd number of wires in split-phase.

If it wasn't for the GFCI, neutral could splice at box A and need only carry smart-switch loads A-B, which means it would be splitting the 15A with the switched hots, and we would only count 1 circuit.


Who do I hire to design my home HVAC system?

In theory this is what HVAC professionals are supposed to do. In practice, most of them rely on antiquated rules of thumb to size equipment and use existing ductwork, even if it has major problems. A certified energy rater is who you're looking for and who will be able to definitively tell you what you need to know, but you can learn a lot yourself to be a more informed consumer.

The correct size of equipment for your home is discovered by doing a Manual J load calculation. You can do an 85% as good approximation yourself in 15 minutes here: http://www.loadcalc.net

For a 1930s house, unless major air sealing, insulation, and window replacement work has taken place, the load may be as high as 1 ton of AC per 500 square feet and 30 heating BTUs per square foot. But those would be worst-case scenario numbers; run them yourself with that web tool and get a ballpark estimate of your house's loads.

The most appropriate type of equipment for your house depends on your climate, your budget, and the fuels available. If you live in a mostly-cold climate and have natural gas, then a gas furnace makes the most sense. If you live in a mixed hot-and-cold climate but it doesn't get too cold, then a conventional heat pump may be a good bet. If it gets both very hot and very cold, then AC + a gas furnace may make the most sense if you have gas; if you don't, then a Japanese ducted mini-split or conventional heat pump is a better choice.

As for your existing ducts, it's impossible to say whether they're adequate or not without knowing anything about them. But they may be inadequate if they are in the attic, or if they are in a vented crawlspace, or if any rooms get much hotter or colder and other ones, or if a lot of air leaks out of them.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you're not really hiring someone to design your home HVAC system; your home already has an HVAC system (well, the "H" and "AC" parts, at least). If every part of it is unsalvageably wrong, expect to pay mucho dinero to completely replace everything. New equipment and new ductwork and all the demolition and drywall repair entailed by such a job will probably cost you $15k or more... possibly much more if you live in a high-labor-cost area. Consider how much you actually need to replace and how much you can simply live with, especially considering that many comfort-related deficiencies in a house's heating and cooling infrastructure can be ameliorated by improving its insulation and air sealing. There are many such opportunities in an old house, including the extremely low-hanging fruit of air-sealing the basement, weatherstripping any old windows, and adding more attic floor insulation.

In general, it's a good idea to do all this work before replacing your equipment, since if you buy correctly-sized units now, they will be too big after you perform the work. You can mitigate this to a certain extent by purchasing "modulating," "variable speed," or "two-stage" units, as they are capable of reducing their output at low-load conditions. In theory you won't have to use your furnace for another 4+ months at least, so you have some time to tackle those sorts of projects before having to replace it, which will allow you to purchase a smaller one and save money, or a better one for the same price.


Yes, by code you can raise the top of the beam to be at the top of the decking. However, 1) it will give you a “pattern” on your deck that you probably won’t like, 2) you’ll need to strap the two sides together, because you’re relying on withdrawal to keep the deck together. Usually we run the decking across the beams and then the decking acts as a “strap” too.

Also, having the top of your “built-up” beam exposed will allow moisture to lay between the members and cause dryrot. Having the deck on top of you “built-up” beam will “protect” the members and keep moisture out.

Where you live with seismic D2 requirements, you’ll need diagonal braces (especially that high in the air) and the code now requires a minimum of 2 hangers like this to attach to the house:

http://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/ssttoolbox/sonpfljoja/F-DECKCODE17-p019.pdf

Also, consider using stainless steel hangers with either pressure treated or cedar or redwood lumber for longevity.


That screw in the middle is attaching it to a steel bar that spans between your rafters. The ends of the bar will be nailed into the rafters so you will not be able to get that pout without damaging your ceiling. But the box itself should come off.

If you loosened it and the whole box spins now, you are kind of in a mess because you can't get behind it to hold the nut that is likely BEHIND the bar. Usually the bar is a U-shaped channel and the nut is inside of the U so that it can't spin, but if you can't back it all the way out (assuming you tried) then it's likely that someone installed it upside down before hanging the sheetrock, when they could tighten that nut by getting to the back side with a wrench. Now that it's loose you may not be able to loosen it the rest of the way OR tighten it back up.

First thing though, make sure you tried to take it all the way out, the screw may be over an inch long so maybe you just gave up too soon. If that doesn't work, you can TRY to put downward pressure on the box to try to get it to hold the nut in the back in place until the screw can back out. So to do that, screw something into the mounting holes on the side so that you can pull on it or hand something heavy from it.

Good luck!


Adding exhaust fan to semi-rigid dryer duct

Bad idea, you should run a separate vent line.

The dryer could overpressurize the duct, preventing your solder fumes from exausting, or could cause gasses from the dryer to flow toward your workbench.  Sure, you could engineer something that works, but the better answer is to isolate the exaust streams.

Dryer ducts can clog, especially at junctions, so you could have it work fine today, but stop working over time /because/ you added turbulence.  Turbulence will increase the amount of dryer dust that is deposited at the site of turbulence.  So joining that line could cause a new problem you don't have now.


Angle stops are cheap. I would just replace the angle stops while you have everything open and be done with it. The angle stops don’t look to be in good shape anyway. Then you can get ones that match the threads in your flexible hoses.


Installing flooring in bathroom and new toilet

Is your new flange one of the metal repair flanges that attaches to the old one? If so this will make up any difference in height. When I set a toilet I work the new wax into the ring on the toilet so it seals. When I place the toilet on the flange I check that the toilet has a space before pushing down as long as there is a small gap the wax ring will seal, if the toilet sits on the floor I pull the toilet up and add some wax I normally keep a very cheap wax ring no flange to add to a wax ring but vinyl usually is not thick enough to cause a problem


How should I insulate a bedroom in the attic?

The picture isn't really two different methods, but two different plans.  It's one method (soffit at the bottom and ridge at the top).  The only difference is what you actually insulate - and it's the same thing.  Insulate anything that you want kept at "livable" temperature, since it will be part of the conditioned envelope of the house, keeping in mind that the larger you make that area, the more heating and cooling you're doing.  We did a blog post on this subject as well, check out http://diy.blogoverflow.com/2011/12/resuscitating-the-roof-providing-adequate-roof-ventilation/


How do I remove and reinstall baseboards (Skirting Board) without damaging them?

Pretty easy DIY job. All you'll need is: a hammer, old metal putty knife, utility knife, small pry bar, pliers, and a pencil. For reinstallation, a finish nail gun really makes the job go fast, and a nail set is also useful.

The typical procedure:

Cut away any caulk on the top edge and corners.
Check any inside corners to see if they are coped rather than mitered. If they are coped, you have to remove the coped side first.
Use an old putty knife to pry back slightly between the top edge and the wall. Focus any prying near the studs or where ever you find nails, pulling where there isn't any nail too far will risk cracking the trim.
In the crack, use a small pry bar so that all the force is applied to the back of the trim, and not the top edge. Work you way down, one end to the other. To protect the wall, pry against the putty knife rather than directly against the wall itself.
Pull any nails in the trim through the back with a pair of large pliers rather than hammering them back out the face where you'd damage the wood and paint.
Number the back side of the trim and the bottom of the wall where the numbers will be covered up upon reinstallation.
For reinstalling, a nail gun works best with finish nails. One nail per stud and two at the ends is usually enough for basic trim. Use a nail set to sink any nails slightly below the face of the trim. If a nail starts to bend, pull it with the pliers, using the putty knife to protect the trim. Do not bend the nail over and hammer it in sideways.
Paint any trim before it goes on the wall, use a small bit of spackle or wood putty on the nail holes, caulk the top edge and joints, and all that's left is a bit of touch-up paint.

Pitfalls:

Prying too hard and too far away from a nail, causing the trim to crack.
Applying force to the delicate top edge.
Trying to pull the flat end out of a coped corner first, breaking off the delicate coping.
Not cutting away any caulking, resulting in the paint and drywall pulling away with the trim.
Trying to knock out any finish nails back through the face of the trim, causing lots of damage to the trim.
Nailing in a groove or somewhere that you can't get a smooth spackle finish.
Nailing so close to the edge that the trim splinters.


Weather Resistant or GFCI outlet outside?

They do make while-in-use covers that work with GFCI outlets. See, for example, this one at Home Depot (not an endorsement or recommendation, just an example). And, they do make WR GFCI receptacles, so you could do both. Pretty sure at least GFCI is required by the NEC.

Here is an example of a WR GFCI outlet.


Dryer Fittings, Was NG, now LP, but Fitting on Back is Smaller than LP Flexpipe

The fitting your link leads to is likely NOT the fitting you need.
Your dryer has a male 3/8" NPT (commonly referred to as 3/8" pipe thread) inlet to which an adapter has been attached. The adapter changes the male 3/8" NPT to 3/8" male flare thread to fit a smaller flex supply tube than the one in your second picture. NOTE- NPT (pipe thread) and flare thread are distinctly and deliberately not compatible with each other, hence the use of an adapter.
To connect your flexible supply tube to the dryer you would need to remove the existing adapter from your dryer inlet and install a fitting that will fit your flex line. I suspect that the connection nuts on your flex line have 1/2" flare threads (I say "suspect" because your picture does not show the inside of the nut; disregard the size stamped on the nut because that is a reference to the nominal inside diameter of the flex tube itself, not the thread in the connector nut).
You will need this adapter: 3/8" FIP (female iron pipe; or "pipe thread") x 1/2" male flare. It will look like this:

NOTE- always ensure that your flex supply line is rated for use with the fuel supply (in your case propane/LPG). Also, the manufacturers of those flex supply lines generally consider them a "one time use" product and do not recommend re-using them.


Natural stone slabs are typically glued down if they are small enough to be moved when bumped against. Larger slabs, sometimes are staying put under its own weight, yet sometimes they get glued too. The glue used can be anything from silicone to construction adhesive. In either case, the best way to release the glue, if there is a chance of salvaging it is to remove the drawers from the cabinet and do it from the inside of the cabinet. If there is a small gap present where the top meets the cabinet, start with wood shims there, or carefully with a small metal prybar.

DO NOT try to pry up all from one side. use wedges driven in a little at a time to ease the stone up. It can be done from one side, and you may need to check all sides to see if one side moves easier than the other. If you notice that one side does, continue on until hopefully it releases.


UF can be run in conduit, but the size can be tricky. There isn't a chart that says a specific size. NEC Chapter 9, Table 1, Note 9 says:

(9) A multiconductor cable, optical fiber cable, or flexible cord of
two or more conductors shall be treated as a single conductor for
calculating percentage conduit or tubing fill area. For cables that
have elliptical cross sections, the cross-sectional area calculation
shall be based on using the major diameter of the ellipse as a circle
diameter.

And then calculate per the allowed fill of 53% for a single conductor. I think 3/4" SCH40 PVC will work for 12/2 UF, but an inspector might require the math.
Then search NEC Table 300.5 for required cover over conduit in trench.

Yes you need a switch, it could be as simple as a snap (light) switch.

A single circuit (even a MWBC) doesn't require ground rods.

The NEC allows cables to be exposed, cables must be secured to maintain 1.25" clearance from either faces of stud or nail plated. Additionally it requires protection where subject to "Physical Damage". The NEC doesn't define that well, giving local AHJ's broad room to adopt ordinances or arbitrarily decide that in a shed is all susceptible to damage from garden tools.

15A duplex receptacles are rated as 20A devices, you don't need 20A configuration.

Other thoughts. I don't put UF in conduit, it's hard to pull and generally a PITA to work with. If you run conduit and THWN wires then for almost no more work you can run a 4 wire MWBC, and double your capacity decreasing the chances of tools tripping lights.


Can I repair hairline cracks in a solid wood exterior door with clear silicone caulk?

I don't see any reason why you couldn't use silicon caulking or why it would damage the surface.  Just know that you will not be able to stain over it again.  Some caulk is listed as paintable which might be a better bet as at least you can paint it down the road if you choose.

If you are going to want to stain the door at a later date, a wood filler product would probably work best as it will blend in well and accept the stain.

As for cleaning the door, you definitely want to remove any dirt and debris from the area you are going to fix. You will want to scrape off and remove any previous caulking that may be present too.


All breakers tripping during generator transition

Safety systems don't want safety systems

Goofus McGee got a job as a mechanic at a big warehouse. $100 million of stuff.  In the past Goofus has seen large engines get destroyed because somebody didn't check oil level, so Goofus likes to fit low-oil shutoffs.  While making the rounds, Goofus discovers that the fire pump diesel does not have any low-oil-level trip on it.  So Goofus fits one on there.

The next day, an employee throws a cigerette into a trash can.  No big deal; it's a 1-sprinkler-head fire.  Sure enough, the sprinkler opens, the fire pump diesel spins up, and promptly shuts down on a low-oil trip.  The 1-sprinkler fire becomes 2-sprinkler then 3 then 10, then the whole warehouse is engaged.  Total loss.  Goofus says "But hey, I saved a $100,000 diesel engine!"

In fact, you do not put low oil, low water, anything like that on a fire pump.  For good reason; you want the engine to destroy itself putting out the fire. Engines are cheap.

So here you are, with AFCIs "protecting" your refrigerator (food safety) and your furnace (freeze/flood safety). And no doubt your radon system and fire alarm.  Peachy.

This is a plain case of Goofus McGee legislating safety systems without slowing down to care what it is.  We often discuss that refrigerators should not have GFCI, they don't need it and they tend to trip it.  AFCI protects wires in walls (and to a far lesser extent line cords, but only where often jostled); I'll argue steel conduit is just as good for a fridge, fire alarm, radon, furnace, etc.

Unfortunately Internet routers tend to be a suitable case for AFCI, since they are so frequently wired up in a rat's nest of power strips and splitters.  However again, installed properly, I don't see a problem.

The breakers are tripping because of an Arc Fault

Whatever knocked out your power probably caused the arc fault.  Tree falling on wires, or what have you.  An arc fault is that kind of thing, and it makes a familiar crackly-snap sound on the wire*, and that's what the AFCI is listening for.

What may be throwing you for a loop is that other FCI device only trips on things that happen on its LOAD side; it cares not about ground faults happening on its LINE side.  AFCI is a completely different animal, and it is listening on the LOAD side of the device.   However, electrical "sounds" transmit right through (that being hard to avoid) and so the AFCI often hears stuff occurring on its LINE side.

I imagine whatever rended the wires off the poles was a heck of a wallop, so the AFCI breakers would have trouble not hearing that.

You could try putting a whole house surge suppressor, but its job is to suppress surges; the sound of a make-break arcing may have surge components, but it's mostly instantaneous brownouts.  Your surge suppressor isn't going to carry your power supply across that.

* Sound is jiggling air, so that sounds wrong. But a "sound on a wire" is electrons jiggling in the wire, in exactly the same motions, frequency and proportion.  In fact there's a simple interface to take "jiggling electrons" to "jiggling air": It's called a speaker, and it is that simple.  Put 60Hz AC on the wire, get 60Hz audible hum in the air.  The air movement and electron movement are in syncopation, and fourier analysis will apply identically to both.  So it's not out of line to say you can "hear" spikes.

There's another option for low power appliances

In short: why are you running your generator if you aren't even there?

The simple, cheap solution is a small, always-on DC battery system such as in an old-style off-grid solar home. Most internet router equipment is in fact 12 volts DC, and will cheerfully run off a common small 12V system.  Add a battery charger both from the mains-only panel and the generator-only panel (or better: a couple of vertically mounted, south-facing solar panels), and your Internet will be solid as a rock.

It would be nice to graft a refrigerator onto such a system, but the fridge takes 1KWH per day; 1 KWH is a car battery sized thing.  So such a setup would be more ambitious, maybe 8 golf cart batteries and 1000W of solar panel for an all-solar setup with no gen.

If you have the gen, that's fine; spin it up, recharge the batteries / warm up home, then shut it down.

What usually puts "getting rid of the generator" out of reach  for conventionally built snow-belt homes is the air handler needed for the conventional furnace.  They alway use either a huge blower, or a water pump, to circulate heat from the furnace to the rooms.  This simply takes too much power; the system would need to be fairly large, e.g. a Tesla PowerWall.

Now in the sunbelt we have a wonderful creature called an Empire furnace.  It works on convection and performs normally with the power out, relying on a passive wall thermostat. It can also play with smart 'stats like the Nest (while failing over to a mechanical 'stat when power fails). It mounts in a floor or wall, and can heat both sides of the wall, with 50,000 BTU. The units are in the $800 neighborhood.  They are just the ticket as a fallback heater to keep a house from freezing.  But they are almost unheard of in the snowbelt because, you know, conventional.  But they could be part of a power-loss strategy, especially for an unattended home.


What is the quietest range (cooker) hood?

One of the best ways to keep your hood quiet is to buy something that has adequate CFM ratings for your situation without being overkill.  A 900-CFM hood is probably never going to be as quiet as a 600-CFM hood and 600 CFMs is usually overkill for all but the most professional of range tops.  Also, if you can find a hood that has infinite fan speed like the Kenmore 50303, then you can select a speed that isn't as loud as High, but provides better ventilation than Low.  After you figure out how much CFM you really need, then you can start comparing Sone ratings (which is usually tested and reported on the highest setting).  As an additional tip, barrel-shaped centrifugal fans are usually quieter than standard blade fans that chop the air.


Help wiring replacement Honeywell to Nest 3rd gen

As per https://www.doityourself.com/forum/thermostatic-controls/596703-honeywell-nest-thermostat-wiring-help.html

I used following wire mapping from honeywell to nest and I have been up and running for a few days without issue

C = C

Rc = Rc

Y = Y1

G = G

R = Rh

W = W1


What is this low-voltage thing on my attic light

It's a transformer (converts from normal household voltage to low voltage.)

Turn off power to that light (i.e. find the breaker that shuts it off) and then try to ring the doorbell.

Certainly that wire appears to be the normal doorbell wire, and doorbells are a very normal thing to be fed off such a transformer.


How should I connect an electric cook top to an existing dededicated 3 wire armored cable?

No. The bare copper wire is the grounding conductor, and it should be connected to the circuits grounding conductor.

If there is no grounded "neutral" conductor coming from the cooktop, you should cap the white wire off.  The grounded "neutral" conductor is only used for 120 Volt or 120/240 Volt circuits, and is not required for straight 240 Volt circuits like your cooktop requires.

Read and understand the manufacturer's installation instructions, before you proceed further.


PIR sensor Cracked on two of my outdoor lights and the other shattered. Allen & Roth from Lowes. No support at all

I've had the same problem and I don't like buying a new sensor for want of a $0.01 piece of plastic.  Yes, I've found that a piece cut from a milk jug seems to work perfectly for me.


There is no legitimate reason for a ground wire to be connected to the neutral side of an outlet.  I've seen cases where the neutral wire was damaged/cut somewhere in the wall and the ground was used as a neutral but that isn't legal and is also dangerous.
You need to do some investigating and correct this. Get a good volt/continuity meter and don't rely on those contactless wonder sticks.


Many lift stations now use what are called "VFDs" (Variable Frequency Drives) to control the speed of the pumps. So instead of allowing the tank to fill up to trigger a pump to run full speed until it pumps down again, they use a continuous level monitor system and change the pump speed to adjust for variations in flow and the pumps never (or rarely) completely stop.

VFDs can cause electrical distribution transformers to make noise (due to what are called "harmonics"). If you are hearing this as an audible hum, it may be something they can fix, but they won't do it unless you complain.

The other possibility is that this is a mechanical issue with the pumps causing actual mechanical vibrations (seismic) getting to your house under certain circumstances that are conducive to that transmittal, i.e. ground moisture conditions are just right. In that case they SHOULD fix it, because it is an impending equipment failure. They may not know, so either way you should tell them.


Secure dishwasher hoses under countertop with zip ties

Use ring-ended zip-ties and screw them in place. That's what the rings are for
Why complicate it?


Can I use 4 x 4 to extend the space from the wall with a tv mount?

That'd work. there are easier ways though.

If your TV mount is already mounted to studs  you could just pack your 4" or  6" of wood behind it and screw that wood to the studs then screw the mount to the wood. there's no need to have the wood extend all the way down to the floor.

I'd use 2x4s drilled half-way through with a spade bit and then screwed through the bottom of the holes to the studs with 4" chip-board or drywall screws


Sparks out out of my electrical metal flex conduit

I am not sure this is the answer, but many times when those with less knowledge connect MC to a box they may have made a common mistake. First they don't install an anti-short bushing (red devil) and second even if they did they will attach the squeeze connector too tight, thus cutting the armored cable into a conductor. That and looking for any exposed wire coming out of a wirenut splice would be the first place I would look.

Keep the breaker off, stay safe and good luck.


swing set off the ground or directly on the ground

Typically it's suggested that A-frame play sets be firmly anchored in the ground to prevent tipover. A couple vigorous kids can impart enough force to tip a structure. Longevity takes a back seat to safety here.

Use lumber that's decay-resistant (I wouldn't have concerns about the new breed of pressure treated lumber), and either bury it sufficiently or weight it with concrete. Concrete should be below ground level to allow for softer material above.


I asked a related question here some time ago. I was told that (a) the safest way to take these up was to heat them and the adhesive so they could be lifted without breaking, and that (b) encapsulating them under another floor was an entirely reasonable approach. Asbestos is not automatically a hazard if it isnt experiencing wear and shedding fibers, just as lead paint that isn't peeling or being sanded isn't necessatily a hazard.


Given the large size of the conductors, I would use aluminum for this, specifically the new AA-8000 series alloys.  Yes, aluminum has a bad reputation as a wire. But that only applied to the faulty AA-1300 alloys installed during the postwar housing boom, and even then to the small-gauge stuff where it was used instead of 12-14 gauge copper.  1300 is now outlawed in any gauge. 8000 is fine, and about 1/3 the cost of copper.  The wire-run chart says to use 2ga aluminum. Which will require larger conduit.

Second, it sounds like you also want 120V convenience outlets out there too.  But if you didn't need that, I would ask your vendor if they offer a machine that is 240V instead of 120V, and wire a 240V 10A circuit.  That would let you do this in 10ga copper.  (In those smaller sizes, aluminum isn't much cheaper.)

Double the voltage, halve the current, quarter the losses.


Add a light switch to an existing switched outlet?

It is not possible to power a recessed light from the existing switch box. There is no neutral in this box, but only a line hot (always hot from the box for the existing receptacle) and a switched hot going to the existing receptacle.

The white wire in the switch box is not a neutral, but instead is being used to carry either the line hot or the switched hot from the switch to the receptacle.

Our tract house is wired this way and we have lamps plugged into the switched receptacle in each bedroom. I have considered getting a plug-in wall mounted lamp in one room (to replace a floor lamp) but haven't done it yet.


Does a fluorescent light fixture use more energy than an incandescent?

They should use the fluorescent and leave it on if they both are going to use the bathroom within a few minutes of each other. the energy cost of turning it off and on is saved within a few seconds. http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/when-turn-your-lights


Water tastes weird and coper pipe looks corroded / affected

Get a water test kit (from a laboratory - "home kit test strips" are next to useless IME) carefully follow the directions for taking a sample, send it to the laboratory, read the results.
There's really no way to infer what your water problems might be over the internet.
Many state (or similar local area) governments have relatively low cost water testing laboratories. They are there for the safety of your drinking water, not to sell you anything. There are also independent laboratories.


What are the consequences of allowing paint to freeze?

I have an idea for you. Instead of insulating and heating the entire garage to save a few gallons of paint, perhaps you could build a small insulated paint locker. Build a box or cabinet large enough to store all your paints. Insulate the inside with some 2 inch rigid foam or R-11 blanket insulation and put some foam weather stripping around the insulated door or cover to make it fairly air tight.  You could then install a low wattage light bulb as a source of heat. Honeywell makes an inexpensive plug=in/plug outlet feed thermostat that would work fantastic in this application.  I use one for running three 40 watt clamp-on light fixtures in the engine compartment of my boat.  The thermostat can be set to turn on the lights when the temp lowers to 35 to 40F and turn off at 40 to 50F. You set it to keep the locker above freezing. I wish I was good at drawing pics with the puter, but a good design would be to mount your lights and thermostat at the very bottom of the locker with a venting or wire shelf just above, so the heat rises in the locker and the bulbs are protected from getting bumped by paint cans. I'm sure you could build the whole project for under $100. The bonus is that something like this would be very cheap to run all winter.


What is the proper way to cut a hole in a window pane?

Assuming not tempered, this is relatively easy, if tedious. If tempered, you'll have to replace the pane, as it will shatter as soon as you try to drill a starting hole. Would be easier out of the frame, though (or you could simply have a glass shop do for very easy, but probably more cost).

Diamonds are not needed to cut glass.

Drill a hole large enough to feed a carbide rod saw through. With care you can use one without a hacksaw frame, and you'd pretty much have to do that if not removing the glass from the frame. You can cut a lot faster if it's held in a hacksaw frame. Pull, rather than push when cutting, and be aware that a rod saw will cut in any direction, which is good for making your rounded corners, but requires attention when cutting straight lines. Used without a hacksaw frame you will also need to be careful not to bend it too much.

I have done this a few times on custom fish tank covers to make cutouts for filters.


Can I use a heavy gauge extension cord from the wall to a UPS?

It's a heavy load like an air conditioner, so use an air conditioner extension cord.

Manufacturers can be greedy/cheap about sizing extension cords, using the absolute minimum UL requires for safety.  Bumping to the next size could cost them 25 cents a unit wholesale, which on 100,000 units, is real money.

Using a same-gauge extension cord is not a good idea, then you would be substituting 6 feet of 16AWG for 12 feet of 16AWG, and that is worse.


I had pretty much the same problem with an old (I think) Frigidaire. It had the compressor & evaporator in the bottom of the fridge and used a rectangular air duct to get cold air up to the freezer.  After a series of very humid days and lots of ice use (opening and closing the freezer door repeatedly) the air duct iced up.  I had to use a hair dryer to blow hot air down the duct to defrost it, emptying the drip pan under the fridge each time it filled up.


Is there a way I can soundproof an exterior apartment door from outside noise?

You could try an acoustic curtain.

You could build an interior door to make your exterior door more like an air lock and then sound proof that door/wall to your hearts content.


NO.

First -- the job of the breaker is to protect the wire from overheating and BBQing your house.  A 40A circuit would require 8AWG copper wire, not the 12AWG that is currently in your walls.

Second, you are not the circuit breaker factory, which means you have no idea how such a combination would perform, and are forbidden from doing this by NEC 240.8:

  240.8 Fuses or Circuit Breakers in Parallel. Fuses and circuit breakers shall be permitted to be connected in parallel where they are factory assembled in parallel and listed as a unit. Individual fuses, circuit breakers, or combinations thereof shall not otherwise be connected in parallel.


Looks to me like the spring retainer in the socket is bent outward so the end is hitting the edge of the bulb base. It looks to me like the end/tip of the spring retainer should be recessed into the slot. I would try pressing it into the slot with a flat screwdriver and see if it remains in place..


Starting Point for Laying the First 3/4" Solid Oak Hardwood Board

I'd set a course of planks parallel to the wall on the right, tongue pointing left. Screw scrap on the left side of that course to keep it from moving. Rip a spline (tongue substitute) and start a course on the right with the tongue facing right. Nail your way toward to transitions on the right, understanding that you'll face nail the ones near the wall. Now remove the scrap on the left of your starter course. Face nail and shim (to prevent movement) between the wall and your starter course. Nail normally where your nailer will fit. Now, just motor to the left. Rip as necessary at the left wall. Once done, congratulate yourself, have a cold one, and sink into a bathtub with epsom salts.


Is it ok to switch wires from gauge 12 to 14 inside a box?

Absolutely not!  You need 12 AWG for enough wire thickness so you don't set the wires on fire.
What you should do is two things.

Use "screw-and-clamp" type switches and outlets.  These allow you to back-wire, but without the reliability problems of backstabs (which only take #14 anyway.
Once you have done that, if that is not enough to solve your problem, then pigtail, yes-- but with #12 stranded wire.

This is sold as individual wires called "THHN".  Many shops sell it by-the-foot.
Stranded is a sheer pleasure to work with.   However, it's illegal on backstabs and almost impossible for a novice to competently put on a side screw.  So, the "Screw-and-clamp" devices make that work out.
If you fall in love with THHN stranded, you can use it anywhere as long as it's inside conduit.  Smurf tube, PVC or EMT metal.  If you run metal, that serves as the ground.   You can put up to 4 circuits into a conduit, and it makes it easy to do things like 3-way circuits that need always-hot and neutral for onward stuff.


What are the code requirements for upgrading a residential service panel?

Some of us, including me, are huge proponents of large panels, and so are cheering your idea of getting a much larger panel.  That may blind at least me to the downsides of such a switch.

A huge amount of the downside relates to how the panel is mounted and accessible.  If it's mounted on an unfinished area with easy access to the various cables going in/out, and the main power inlet is in a favorable place to fitting a larger panel,that is quite a different deal than a panel buried in drywall etc.

There is also the option of going with "double stuff" (tandem) breakers that some of us positively hate, because they have performance compromises and foreclose the possibility of putting AFCI breakers on that circuit.  With a 16 space panel powering a modern house, quite likely your panel is already full of double-stuffs.

Anyway, to do this, you will certainly need to have the power company turn your power off for the duration, and you should ask your building authority whether you need to pull a permit for a project that is a pure 1:1 unit replacment.  They may say no.  If they insist, also ask them if as part of the scope they'll insist on any code upgrades. Normally work is grandfathered to the state it was in when it was built, and since you're not remodeling the circuits they shouldn't require, say, AFCI at $50 each.

Also think about whether the wire lengths of branch circuits will require you to frame the new, taller panel upwards or downwards so most cables reach. It is ok to splice with wirenuts to extend wires.   You can also end the circuits in junction boxes outside the panel and use extension wires thru short EMT conduit to bring them home.  Those boxes are great places to stick $15 GFCI deadfront or livefront receptacles rather than $40 GFCI breakers.

Or add a subpanel

One way to avoid a hard panel change is to fit a subpanel.  The subpanel can be right there, or at some other useful location in the house.  The sub can be a panel rated at larger than 100A ampacity (to get a respectable number of spaces like 30, it'll need to be >100A rated. 30+16-2 = 44, a workable number of spaces for a house, the -2 is for the subfeed breaker).

If the subpanel and main-sub feeder is also >=100A rated, then you don't need a subpanel breaker - your main panel's main breaker protects the feeder and sub.  You tap either off the bottom fed lugs, or they make a "no-breaker breaker" which snaps into a breaker slot but is just lugs.

A slick trick with subpanels is have a conversation with your power company about where else you could fit a main service drop and meter.  Place the subpanel in such an ideal location, and get a big 225 subpanel with main breaker (or space for same). Later, when you want more service, get a bigger meter pan, connect it to the new sub, and have the PoCo bring the new, larger service drop to the new meter and retire the old one. Now the sub becomes the main, and the old main becomes a sub.


What are the black spots on my bathroom ceiling? Are they mold?

First find out whether it is mold or not. What you do next depends on this.

Assuming it is mold you need to do two things.

Clean it off - disinfectant/bleach solution should do the job.
Find out why it's forming. This is the important bit as if you just do the first step it will come back.

The usual cause is condensation which in a bathroom means you have insufficient ventilation.

So the ultimate cure is to fit an extractor fan above the bath to remove the steam. You can get ones that wire up to the light circuit and then "run on" after the light is switched off to provide additional ventilation.

Once you've done this redecorate.


How do I know if a ceiling fan with light and the switch are wired correctly?

From what you've described, this is what I think you're wiring should look like.  Keep in mind, this is just a guess. I can't see what's going on, and I'm an internet away, so I can't touch/measure/test anything.

The wiring diagram for the switch, can be found in the installation instructions.

If you provide images, and/or a better description of what wires and cables are in each box. I'll be able to provide a better guess, as to how this should be wired.
NOTE:
The diagram is based on your description, and is my best guess as to what your wiring looks like.  If you're not sure what to do, or feel like this project is over your head. Do not hesitate to contact a local licensed Electrician.


Will I have a code problem attaching a 1.5" grease interceptor to a 4" drain pipe?

It's a problem, with drains you can never reduce down you must always increase. The the 4"pipe going into the 1 1/2" is a problem.


How to Wire New Ceiling Fan with Remote and Wall Switch?

So we have a couple of conventions here.  The conventions are suggestions.

First, over on the wall/ceiling side, the "convention" is that black is always-hot, and red is switched-hot from a switch.
Second, on the fan, there's another "convention": blue is light and black is fan.

So. The problem is that your ceiling wires did not follow the convention (nor are they required to). The instruction diagram assumed they did.  But in fact they are exchanged.  The black is switched and the red is always-hot.
Connect ceiling red to the input of the receiver.  Connect ceiling black to the lamp blue wire.    That should get you home.


Will zero pressure in a propane line cause a leak when the pressure returns

I've been a gas fitter for over 20 years and worked with it much of my childhood before that. That is a completely false statement. I think it's just an excuse to get a tech in your house to see if they can generate a sale. You can almost blow with your mouth the amount of pressure that a propane system will see. After the second stage regulator the pressure is commonly 11" water column. Can you blow water up a 12" straw? Probably. Then you can blow more pressure then what's in your piping system. If a leak were to develop after "losing pressure" then it was extremely loose to begin with and wouldn't have passed the original 15 psi pressue test. 15 psi is 420" water column.

What about when the temperature changes in the house? The expansion and contraction of the fittings would be greatly more significant than a 11" pressure drop. What if you bump into the pipe? Also pipe dope is primarily a anti-seize agent not a leak sealant. It does effectively help seal poorly made threaded connections but that's not its job.


Are loose teeth in a saw blade a safety concern?

Loose teeth on a modern table saw blade are indeed a thing to be concerned about. It would be anybody's guess as to where the loose tooth would fly if it came off the blade. As many readers here may know the most popular blades in use today are the type with carbide tips bonded to the tooth cutouts on a blade core.

It is possible that there is a history of table saw safety over many years that has contributed to the current body of knowledge, articles and videos. Historically the saw blades in use twenty or thirty years ago were much more likely to be steel blades with teeth that were sharpened and set with alternate facing cutting edges that were bent slightly in each direction from the plane of the blade body. It is much less likely that a tooth on a blade would come flying off when the teeth are all cut and formed from the core material of the blade. So in the past it was less likely that saw blade destruction would be stressed in any particular way in safety information.

It is also true that warnings about trying to use blades that are dull and worn would have been more prevalent. The modern carbide tipped saw blades in common use today stay sharp much longer. And even if they do become slightly dull the integral design of the blades upon which the carbide tips are mounted prevents a lot of the binding of the saw blade in the kerf that is experienced with an all steel saw blade when the teeth have lost most of their set.


What everyone has said is fine, but here is an optional method I would use. First straighten the wire out as best you can. I usually us a pair of lineman's pliers our a heavy duty needle nose. Then you can purchase some shrink insulation from your local hardware store or electrical supplier and shrink a new piece of insulation around the nicked area. I generally shy away from using tape since you will find it hard to wrap and get a proper application in a small enclosed area. Also, depend on conditions tape has a tendency to come unraveled from time to time.

Good luck and stay safe.


Hardware for measuring and source locating a vibration noise in an apartment

There are accelerometers that can be used for vibration analysts.
There are inexpensive ones for under 8$ for micro controller projects like arduous they do work well.
Or you can spend more and get a premade usb device to measure the vibration.
I know in the past we had vibrations that showed up at a harmonic in the floor from motor driven pumps change the rubber pads and the vibration moved.
Since you sound like you like the data analysis the microcontroller project might be just what you want.


Furnace starts only when R and W are shorted

If connecting R and W at the furnace turns on the heat and connecting R and W at the thermostat does not  then there's a problem with the wire from the furnace to the thermostat.


There are a multitude of blowers out there.  The outside breaker you mention likely has no relation to this problem.  The pipes are indeed freezing due to too little airflow.  Here are the most likely causes and solutions for this:

Assuming you have one of the most common PSC types (and not some other type like an ECM, slip induction, etc), then a weak run capacitor for the blower motor can cause this problem.  The run capacitor for the blower should be checked with a capacitance meter and replaced if it is below 90% of the rated value.  Or, if you happen to know how to use an ESR meter, then check the capacitor that way.
It is possible that it is a multi-speed motor with the wrong lead energized in the "cool" mode.  Typically Red=Low, Blu=Med, Blk=High.  The black lead is usually the one needed for a/c operation.
Sometimes the motors wear out by having the lubricant in the bearings go dry.  In this case the blower wheel will not turn effortlessly and smoothly by hand when the unit is off.  If the bearings are dry, then you need a new blower motor.
(unusual) Since you have a heat pump, if it is a higher performance model it may have an electronic blower speed control that is supposed to automatically slow the blower when it is very cold outside to ensure an adequate warm air temp inside.  Typically, this would be shunted to high speed blower mode for a/c operation, but if a control relay has failed or appropriate wire become lose, or other fan speed control failure has occurred, then the speed control could be causing the blower to run very slowly (as it would in cold weather heating operation).  If you have this then you will have to determine if it has failed by temporarily bypassing it to see if the fan runs on high speed without the speed control unit inline.

Verify main power for the unit is off before proceeding with any of this work.  The main power for the air handler is usually separate and in addition to the main power for the outdoor unit.

**Edit:  I see that Ducane air handlers offer options including both electronic blower speed controls as well as constant torque (ECM) motors.  If your unit has either of these then the low speed problem may have other causes.  For example, ECM motors have an electronic digital driver that is set using DIP switches or other means.  An incorrect low torque setting yields low blower speed.  I recommend you post the exact model number of your air handler as well as a photo of the interior showing the back end of the blower motor and the control board.  A close up of any DIP switches as well as a legible photo of the schematic on the inside panel would be nice too if you want any additional comments.


GE Dishwasher Error Codes (PDT760SSF4SS)

Searching for GE Dishwasher Error Codes (as they generally aren't model-specific), I found the following page: http://www.searspartsdirect.com/dishwasher-repair/error-codes/ge-dishwasher-error-codes.html

F51 is "Temperature sensor failure"; "Shut off power to the dishwasher and check the wiring connections on the temperature sensor, which is located on the flood switch. Check the resistance of the temperature sensor. It should measure about 11,000 ohms at room temperature. Replace the flood switch if the temperature sensor is defective."

F65 is "No water detected by the inverter control board": "If the dishwasher didn't fill, make sure that your water supply cut-off valve is open. Replace the water inlet valve if defective. If the dishwasher did fill, shut off power to the dishwasher and check inverter control board wiring. Reconnect any loose wires. Replace the wire harness if damaged. If the wiring is okay, replace the inverter control board."


Converting KFDD500ESS Dual Fuel Range from 4 wire to 3 wire plug

If the range does not have instructions for wiring with a 3-wire plug with hot1-hot2-neutral, then improvising would be out of the question, both for actual safety and for satisfying the code.

Without the range installed it is not that difficult to remove the receptacle and put in a 4-wire 50-A receptacle (NEMA 14-50). You can fit a 40-A or a 50-A breaker depending on what the wire allows, but can fit a 40-A breaker even with #6 wire. You would add a #8 or #6 copper ground wire (to match the existing conductors) going back to the panel. Or if it is available, connect by tap onto the  heavy, uninsulated ground in your attic that goes back to the panel. Use a split bolt connector to tap. The added ground does not have to follow the route of the existing conductor.

First examine the contents of the box. Of course, shut off the breaker, then pull out the existing 3-wire receptacle and see what size wire you have. How many conductors do you have? Probably just three, but maybe you'd get lucky and find an unused ground coiled up in the box.

NEMA 14-50

EDIT

You should at this point contact your local electrical code enforcement and ask them about the approach outlined above. If this is allowed, then it would not be dead easy to fish a ground down into the wall and into the existing box. Someone here would have to tell you the practicalities on how to do it. What may happen here is that you will learn from the experts here what is a reasonable arrangement, and if you have never done this before and need it done without delay, then you might have to hire an electrician, but at least you would have in mind your instructions to the electrician.


On a typical US NEMA 5-15 outlet, what parts are generally safe to touch when it is live?

The safe parts to touch are the plastic, of course, and the metal frame that holds the outlet into the electrical box (the yoke).  Of course, this is in a correctly wired installation where the ground wire is connected and runs all the way back to a properly terminated ground point.  The grounding would prevent you from being shocked if there was an internal fault in the outlet.

If you suspect something is wrong with the wiring or there is no grounding present, you really shouldn't touch any metal without testing it for voltage or turning off the circuit at the breaker.

Also, this may be obvious to you, but both sides of the outlet where the screws are will be energized - even the screws that are not directly connected to a wire.  Never stick your fingers or a screwdriver into the box when the power is on - it's just too easy to touch the sides of an outlet or light switch.

Addition: this isn't very common in newer residential construction, but if there are metal boxes in the wall, some outlets are grounded to the metal box, and the metal box is grounded to the rest of the system.  So, if you see an outlet in a metal box with no ground wire, it could still be grounded via the box.  Of course, the box may not be grounded at all, so don't assume anything.


3 season room vent and insulation questions

When you say, “metal roofing”, you mean metal roofing on moisture barrier on wood sheathing, right? (It’s not just metal roofing on joists, right?)

When someone tells me that they are building a three season space, I think it’s for use most of the time, but not the extreme conditions. Yes, having insulation in the walls and ceiling is preferred for the quality of the environment in the space. The more insulation, the more seasons the space can be used.

No, just a ridge vent is not enough. The Code requires a 1” air vent space between the insulation and the roof sheathing AND cross-ventilation is required. The Code requires 1/150th the square feet of the attic space to be vents, unless 40% - 50% of a he area is within 3’ of the ridge. (Your table vents would qualify.) Then you just need 1/300th square feet of attic space for venting.

In greenhouses we’ll often use just fans to exhaust air to control temperature, and no insulation. But that can be noisy.


How can I replace a long double vanity with two single vanities?

You mentioned that you are retiling and I think your tile extends under so that doesn't matter.
your hot and cold for each sink are already probably close enough or were they need to be.  Maybe you have to move them over a foot or two... This is an easy DIY
drain pipes for sink.  May have to move these over a little but maybe not.  Unless there is something really odd going on in the wall where you can't move a drain over a foot or two, again no big deal and maybe no issue at all.  This really depends on what kind of cabinet you get and if it has drawers that would get in the way.
Know that your plumbing can be anywhere really.  Need to just make sure your cabinet if functional and plumbing meets code - for instance you can have your hot/cold shutoff in the corner of the cabinet if it fits there.
Also if you do have to change these things your wall doesn't have to look perfect after with a cabinet going over.  Throw up some drywall and a bad mud job.
Maybe you get taller cabinets for the modern look?  So what you have to think about is the mirror has to go up and then possibly the vanity light.  Still moving this is taking out a couple of very small squares of drywall.
How much space from tub?  Doesn't matter as long as it doesn't create a safety factor.  I personally would make it none or a lot (at least a  foot).  Very weird having 3-4 inches to clean there.

And my take as a cheap flipper... Tile has to go.  Cabinets aren't bad and mirror looks nice.  Paint the cabinets - maybe they need new doors.  So I might order new doors.  The counter goes.  I cut out the middle section.  I throw on granite on each cabinet, install undermount sink, and backsplash.  Right under 1K.  Can usually pick up granite and undermount sinks on craigslist as leftover or overstocks.  Your 49" is an easy find.  53" a little harder but they are there too.


Is it possible to wire a 120v light off of a 220v compressor?

Don't worry about how to wire up a 120v bulb - just get one that is designed for 220v.  Half the world uses 220v for lighting and general purpose outlets, so it's not hard to find online.  If you want to find something in a local store, look closely at the boxes for LED bulbs.  They could have a power supply that supports a wide range for the global market.

If you want a certain type of bulb, look online.  You can find LED or incandescent with a variety of bases.

And to add in other answers from the comments - a timer might be a good choice for you.  Home stores commonly sell large mechanical timers for 220v water heaters.  They should work well on something like an air compressor (assuming it is less than 40A, larger timers might be more rare).

And of course the other option would be to fix all the air leaks so the compressor never runs.


Simply land your blue wire on the C terminal

Most HVAC control board low voltage terminal blocks are designed to terminate 2 wires under each terminal, as was done with the Y terminal on your control board.  So, turn off the furnace, loosen the screw on the C terminal, land the blue wire there (after stripping the end back if need be), tighten the screw back down, turn the furnace back on, and you'll be good to go.


Cannot adjust dropbolt on bifold doors which is catching

That is called a manual flush bolt. The piece that protrudes through the top and bottom of the door is called the bolt head.

Both the bolt head (which is threaded to an actuating rod), and the actuating rod (which is threaded to the lever actuator) are designed to be adjusted by threading them in or out. The bolt head is commonly keyed, i.e. it is not round but designed with a flat spot (like a "D" shape) and protrudes through a guide plate (attached to the top and bottom of the door) which is also keyed, to prevent the bolt head from turning, which would change the length/adjustment.

You need to thread the bolt head and/or rod in to shorten the flush bolt throw length. The proper way would be to remove the door and lay it flat, then remove the guide. You could try turning it while the door is still hung, using long nose pliers or similar tool; but if the bolt head is keyed and a guide is installed it wont turn, by design.


Looks a little like a bullet connector / terminal.

If you have access to the other end of the connector that you think is broken, you could disconnect it & test the wire to see if it's really broken using a multimeter (set to ohms / resistance), or test it in place with the power off. Maybe that wire's not the problem, there are a lot of other electronics in there too.

Most light fixtures just use cheap wire nuts to twist two wires together, you could just cut & strip both ends of the wire and use a wire nut.

PS Don't forget to check why it was pinched & don't do it again.


How should I insulate my shed to avoid mold and mildew?

I think the key thing is to use a quality house wrap made for the concrete/fiber lap siding. Concrete fiber siding will transfer moisture much more readily then wood, vinyl, etc. Products like DuPont DrainWrap (essentially their standard house wrap thats corrugated) will allow for air movement and water drainage. There are a lot of other products that employ similar techniques but the key is to make sure there's breathing room between the siding and sheathing.

Also, the wrap should be stapled using caps and taped per the manufactures specs.

For the roof I would look to high performance sythentic underlayments and ensure you have adaquare venting in your eaves


need to convert 220 to 110 for hot tub downsizing

The answer is it will be easy to change fro 240 to 120v.
Your 240v feed uses 2 hot’ and a ground at a minimum possibly a neutral.
Moving the wires in the main panel will be need to install a 120v 15 or 20a receptacle
Remove the 240 v GFCI and install a single pole GFCI. Put the black on the GFCI tie the neutral pigtail to the neutral buss and the white to the neutral point on the breaker, ground to the grounding buss if a main panel the neutral buss can also be used, if there is a red wire put a wire nut on it.

Depending on the size of the original feeder you may need to pigtail to a #12 wire on the breaker (and at the new receptacle) you may need a new box or mud ring at the tub location to mount your receptacle and pigtails.

If the box is in the weather a bell box or weather tight box and an extreme use cover or In use cover for the outlet.

I suggested a #12 wire for the new circuit because the few small tubs I have installed receptacles for were 15 & 1 was a 20 amp. If it happens to be 30 amp 120v (I have not seen for a hot tub but possible that would require a #10 awg wire. For the pig tails if needed.


Blower Motor Single "Stutter" when Condenser comes online

That's the sound I would associate with the Starting capacitor of the blower motor having trouble. It could be a number of things; the capacitor is failing, the switch that CONTROLS the capacitor is failing, the blower electrical circuit has a loose connection somewhere, or, and what I suspect is likely, by the time this blower turns on, everything else is ALREADY turned on and is causing a voltage drop, which is making the motor on this blower lose torque right as the centrifugal switch begins to function, then it slows down and causes that "stutter" effect until the blower gets to full speed. because heat rises, your upstairs unit will always come on first, so the total load is at its highest when the downstairs blower is called for, which would be AFTER the compressor is already running as well, meaning the blower is the LAST big load in line and has to contend with a voltage drop issue.


Shade Netting Car Port - has a small tear - how to stop it from getting bigger?

Depends in part on why it has a hole.

If it's old and getting degraded by the sun, it will just tear somewhere else, and wholesale replacement is going to be the best option.

If it was cut by something but is in generally good shape, you can sew a patch to it, overlapping the holed/torn area. You MAY also be able to just melt the edges if it's a small hole.


What size cap do I need for this steam pipe?

1-1/4 is probably the thread size on the bottom (standard pipe threads.) The threaded part that's currently exposed is the radiator union connection, and may fit a 1-1/4" union, or it may be an odd size specific to the radiator, depending on how that company was playing the game at the time.

If its a 1-1/4 union thread, you'd need to buy a 1-1/4 union and a 1-1/4 plug (or cap, depending on the flavor of the union), remove 1/3 of  the union corresponding to the part on the valve, and attach the remaining 2/3 of the union to the valve, and plug or cap the hole in the union. If it's non-standard and specific to the radiator you probably need to remove the valve and cap the pipe.

If you have not thrown out the radiator, that should have the fitting you need attached to it.


Can pvc fittings and pvc pipe be used to install tube and shower fixture

I might be confusing PVC with CPVC.  They're both plastic pipes that are glued together, but they are different products.

PVC can be used only for drain lines (including indoors, despite what the answer below says). If you want to use it for your tub and shower drain, you can.

CPVC can be used for water supply lines, and you can use it for the connection between the shower valve and the shower spout.  However, you should not use CPVC for the connection between the valve and the tub spout.  The reason is that CPVC has a narrow diameter and might restrict flow out of the tub spout, causing some water to leak out of the shower instead.

You'll also want to make sure your valve accepts CPVC connections.  If it has brass or Pex connections, you'll need to use an adapter; you can only glue CPVC to CPVC.


How can I find a replacement aerator for this faucet?

Does that whole round bulb part unscrew? It kinda looks like it might. Might spray some lime away on the whole works to get a better idea how it's put together. It looks like maybe the white part should unscrew. Like the white was the aerator but the screens have been pushed out.


How do I temporarily plug a broken outdoor spigot?

Depends if you can use a wrench or not, or if your house was plumbed sensibly...

If your house was plumbed sensibly, there will be an additional valve somewhere in the house, generally near the hose spigot, that will shut off only the water to the spigot, not the whole house.

If not you need to unscrew the broken spigot, and (depending on what sort of threads it has) put on a cap or put in a plug. Or just put on a new spigot.


What material will block/deflect heat from sunlight outdoors for a storage unit?

Use an aluminum storage shed and line the INSIDES of it with Styrofoam, glued to it with construction adhesive. The aluminum walls shield the Styrofoam from physical damage, the Styrofoam slows the heat transfer from the aluminum. You can also paint the outside with "heat reflective paint" (use your favorite search engine on that term for a supplier near you). Heat reflective paint works by having a substance like tiny hollow balls of aluminum  (varies by manufacturer) suspended in the paint that reflects infrared energy, without necessarily reflecting visible light, so it's not "shiny". I've used some that was a beige color on a steel shipping container, it immediately dropped the temperature inside by about 20 deg. F on a hot sunny day.


Shower floor is in bad shape - what options do we have?

I wouldn't recommend a quick-fix.  There's probably a fair amount of mold between the tile and the pan, and if that's the case, you don't want to attempt the fix yourself unless you're qualified for mold mitigation.


Is IPS threading compatible with NPT threading?

According to the Googles, IPS is Iron Pipe Straight thread.  It's meant to seal on a washer-shaped gasket (like the threads the hose for your toilet or faucets attach to).  NPT is a tapered thread, designed to seal on the threads, which is why you put pipe tape on them - to lubricate them and help the threads deform and create a seal.

So, while having no personal experience, I would say no, they will not thread together.  I've been hunting around for adapters, but don't see anything.  Which is weird, because I'd think those arms would be designed to thread into a brass NPTF fitting in the wall/ceiling.


How can I jack a steel post out of the ground?

I would use a chain and make sure it is bolted to the post so that the link  is touching the post, (both sides ) I.E. threaded bolt through the link with a nut and washer holding it tight to the post. Do this on both sides of the post so you create a loop for the jack to pull up on. You may want to rent a hydraulic  post puller.


Is there any way to remove hydraulic cement from a concrete slab without ruining the concrete?

If the area sweats DO NOT remove the hydraulic cement the hydraulic cement is holding some water back removing it may create a spring in your garage, if you don’t like they it looks get some 2 part epoxy paint and seal the area prior to it sweating. This has worked for me on several homes that had damp/wet floors.