How should I connect a three-wire transformer in a panel with no neutral bus?

Some things don't make sense here. Standard low voltage transformers should have a hot, a neutral and a ground wire. They are single phase and should be installed into the side of a standard junction box through a 1/2" knockout. Then you just match the wires to the circuit wires. The low voltage connections are then on the outside of the box.

Low voltage transformers aren't normally attached to the main circuit panel since their wires are usually too short to reach the connections. There is nothing in the Code saying you can't, you might just have to extend the wires.

Even in 1960's, houses in the US were built with split phase three wire services. The main panel would have two hot legs attached to the breaker bus bars a neutral and a ground bar. At the main panel the neutral and ground wires can be mixed on the same bars. If you choose to attach it to the main panel, the neutral and ground wires should be attached to one of those bars.

The National Electrical Code prohibits the use of course-thread self tapping screws for ground connections. The threads have to be fine enough to engage a minimum of 2 threads in the material of the enclosure. See 2017 NEC 250.8(A)(6).

Good Luck!


Can a solder joint handle torsion force?

Looking at what you have done I would not be worried. I do both copper plumbing and hvac copper (high pressure) if you have a good clean connection that the solder wicks back into the fitting it will be plenty strong.
I have made hangers using 1/2” copper pipe and 4ea 90’s to hang heavy items with and these last for years, I know a guy that makes fancy towel racks using the hot water pipes (with a recirculating system so the pipes are always hot) a good solder joint won’t leak with a little force on it.


What is the correct way to fix a leaky drain trap that is not detachable?

Wow, someone butchered that install. You really should think about replacing the trap and the shower drain. You mentioned that both were leaking but the pipe into the drain has been fixed and now only the trap leaks. They will leak again. I've never seen a drain connected like that. The drain looks like it was modified to take the pipe, poorly.
If you can pinpoint the leak, clean and rough up the surface.Widen the leak area a bit to make room for the epoxy. Then try some marine epoxy and coat the area. Follow the directions for curing time. this might buy you a little time.


Electrical tape is designed not to conduct electricity.  Common duct tape is under no such design requirement, and shouldn't be used for anything electrical.


It's possible I'm picturing wrong what you're trying to do, but perhaps a cabinet hinge like this?

I don't know if that hinge will be strong or robust enough for your application.  Cabinet hinges don't really have to endure much force.  You might be better served with what is apparently (aptly) called a "center-mount hinge":

Which sandwiches whatever is supposed to pivot.


Addressing un-level floor when using ceramic tile

If you have a good solid base, you can use a modified thinset, the same material to lay the Ditra into. Use a straight edge to screed the thinset over the low spot of the floor, do not sweat the "rake" marks left by the screed. If any "tags" occur from using the screed, they can be scraped off and vacuumed the next day. Then set the Ditra. The Ditra otherwise may not sink into the depression of the floor and get a good bond to the substrate. Also, the flatter you get you floor to start, the easier it will be to get the tile to lay in plane with the surrounding tile.


How to lock an inside door with round doorknobs turning both clockwise and counterclockwise (without a key)?

The lock/doorknobs look like the pictures.

Does that mean the knob in the photo is not the actual door knob you have ?

I am not sure about you door knob but on some older door knobs you push and turn to lock. It may be that it is only lockable with a key.

Grasp the door knob that does not have the key slot in it, push the knob in and then while holding it in turn it, probably clockwise, just  little and it should stay in when you release it and that should lock it.

You can do this with door open so you can test the other side to be sure it is locked.


How do I seal my bedroom door for soundproofing/reduction?

Cut a piece of wood as a filler strip to fill the gap at the bottom of the door. Screw it to the bottom of the door, and when you remove it nobody will see the screw holes since they're on the bottom of the door.

Next add adhesive backed smoke gasket to to top and sides of the door jamb.

Finally, if you still need additional sound proofing, you can put egg crate foam on the inside of the door. I'm not sure how to temporarily attach it though.


Maybe your hot water always runs through the towel heater ( when the hot water is flowing to any fixture). In an older hotel in Bournemouth ; I had a room where the steam/water always flowed through the towel heater ( when the heat was on).


Can I use the metal cladding of a cable as ground for this range installation?

Go ahead and install your receptacle, as you have a legal grounding path present
Since that "bonding strip" (bonding wire, really) is present in your cable, you have current-generation armored cable (Type AC), and the combination of armor and bonding strip is your grounding path provided you use an armored-cable fitting (with "redhead" insulating bushing or insulating liner) to attach the cable to your surface-mounted receptacle.


Missing chunk of the side of a laminate countertop

Given that you want to paint it, autobody filler (Bondo® or similar) or wood putty.
Not a particularly nice fix, but good enough for paint, given that a nice fix is exactly what you don't want to do (replace it, it's 49 years old and broken.)


How to deal with subpanel that does not have ground wire back to main panel

There is nothing wrong with double taps if the panel lists them as allowed. For instance, Pushmatic panels allow this.

At one time, the neutrals and grounds mixed (and no ground wire) was allowed, so it would be grandfathered.  Still, it's worth correcting this.  Grounds  should indeed be separated.

Though it's not strictly necesary it be a ground bar.  You could do it less formally with splices, but you are dealing with a fairly large ground lsupply" wire, so a ground bar (or several) will be logistically best.     It is important the neutral bar be fully isolated from the steel frame of the panel, and the panel frame be grounded.

If any circuits use bare neutal wires, those need to be fully insulated.  If this is a dryer or range circuit, those ungrounded circuits are dangerous - consider fully upgrading them with new 4-wire cable.

If you want to mount a separate ground bar, just get any ground bar with a flat bottom, and bolt it up to the panel via any means.  It only needs to not fall off; you'll rely on a separate ground lug and strap to ground it to the panel.   If you sant the mounting screws to ground it, make sure they are thread pitch -32 or finer (higher nimber).

As far as retrofitting a ground, that is certainly legal, and was broadened to be legal for any circuit in 2014.  The ground wire does not need to follow the same route as the conductors.  So get there any which way you can.

If you have a grounding electrode going to the subpanel, might as well include it as part of the new equipment grounding conductor net - you can't have too many ground rods, as lomg as they're attached to the grounding network, not the neutrals!


Shower Pressure Decreases after thumping noise behind wall

Could be a clump of solder is in the pipe.  I had the same problem recently and ran the shower for a while without the shower head. I never found anything but the problem went away.  Maybe it was a glob of flux that finally dissolved.


the nut kept moving along with the fill valve.

Have a helper use your pliers to grab on to the fill valve inside of the tank; you need to prevent the fill valve from turning. Then remove the supply flex nut by unscrewing with a large adjustable wrench, an open-end wrench, or with your other pliers.

I would go ahead and change everything: stop valve, supply flex, and toilet fill valve.


How can I tell what kind of heating system I have?

Rheem's Digital Programmable Thermostat Model# RHC-TST411MDMS. This Thermostat is Required for Enhanced Modulating Features.
Check this site to determine the exact model and specs.(PDF file) http://www.expresshvac.com/res_components/gas_furnace/hvac_rheem.asp
Most of these Rheem furnaces are gas fired, forced hot air.


They get in through small cracks and holes in the exterior of the house, usually near the foundation or under doors. If you seal any and all holes it will reduce the number of spiders.

They require water. A house that is absolutely dry will have no spiders.


Use cat5e 2-pair RJ11 cabes for network connection

The best solution you can arrange for 2-pair cables will be limited to 100 Mbits/second (or 10 times slower than the current most common standard wired ethernet speed.)

Rather than looking for an adapter (dubious at best - any you find will likely be intended for telephone signals rather than data), I'd suggest just removing the RJ-11 jacks, and replacing them with Cat5e RJ-45 jacks.

You'll connect your two pairs to the "Orange & White/orange and Green & White/green" marked terminals (1,2,3,6) and ignore the blue/brown marked terminals (4,5,7,8)

Edit: Since the cables have been discovered to be normal 4 pair cables after all, connect all 4 pairs, and Gigabit (1000 Mbits/sec) speeds should be possible across them.


Manifold all vent pipes in attic to have one pipe into roof

The required vent size is half the building drain size or 2" if your building drain is 4".

Then where you penetrate the roof you need 3" for the last couple feet, if you are in an area prone to frost.

You can certainly connect all the vents together into one vent penetrating the roof. That is a common practice. Every building requires a minimum of one roof penetration and you can have more if you wish to save pipe. Although every roof penetration is a point of possible failure in the future.

Happy Saturday!


220v, 3-wire circuit, 4-wire cooktop: tying neutral & ground - variation on common question

The exception that allows grounding your range, ovens, cooktops and clothes dryers via the current carrying neutral (which is called "the grounded circuit conductor" in the NEC) does not include a water heater and so grounding your water heater that way is a code violation.
As you recognized the safety of those circuits that were legal to be installed that way is compromised, so much so that new circuits are not allowed to be wired that way. The exception applies only to existing circuits, the exception allows you to not update the wiring when connecting a new appliance or replacing a damaged receptacle.
Additionally connecting the water heater to the range circuit will not satisfy the overcurrent protection required for the water heater and is another violation of the NEC.

250.140 Frames of Ranges and Clothes Dryers. Frames of electric ranges, wall-mounted ovens, counter-mounted cooking units, clothes dryers, and outlet or junction boxes that are part of the circuit for these appliances shall be connected to the ground (equipment grounding conductor) in the manner specified by 250.134 or 250.138.
Exception: For existing branch-circuit installations only where a ground (equipment grounding conductor) is not present in the outlet or junction box, the frames of electric ranges, wall-mounted ovens, counter-mounted cooking units, clothes dryers, and outlet or junction boxes that are part of the circuit for these appliances shall be permitted to be connected to the neutral* if all the following conditions are met.

(1) The supply circuit is 120/240-volt, single-phase, 3-wire; or 208Y/120-volt derived from a 3-phase, 4-wire, wye-connected system.

(2) The neutral* is not smaller than 10 AWG copper or 8 AWG aluminum.

(3) The neutral* is insulated, or the neutral* is uninsulated and part of a Type SE service-entrance cable and the branch circuit originates at the service panel (service equipment).

(4) Grounding contacts of receptacles furnished as part of the equipment are bonded to the equipment.

* NEC's legal term for Neutral is "grounded conductor", which is very confusing. For clarity, it's been changed to "neutral" here.


Replace the drywall but preserve the molding trim?

I wouldn't use a recep saw. Seem like you want to start with a prybar and depends on how its starting to look you can then use whats called an oscillating multi-tool. This will give you a much cleaner cut with more control. It's a great tool to own.
My guess is those guys used 2-3 inch nails which is a pain in the butt to remove. Had to go through this with my 1970 house.


Sheet rock in garage is a mess.

That is the standard, unless your contract specified an interior quality finish. It will be taped and mudded and possibly given a coat of paint.

The good news is that you can practice sanding and finishing and texturing drywall in your garage with no fear of messing it up.


Flint water crisis - Water filter for Hot water heater?

There are many systems on the market that could make the tap water safe to drink, but there is no one size fits all solution. These systems also range into the tens of thousands of dollars. You would need to get your water tested by an independent lab to determine what the quality is, and then you would need to have a system designed that will fit your needs. In your situation, you would need a system that has multiple stages in it.

Here is a list of components that would most likely be needed. If you are working with a professional, you may find that some of these are optional. There are also other types of filters on the market which are not listed that could work instead.

This list is respective to the flow of water that is coming from the city.

Whole house sediment pre-filter - This will remove the largest particles out of the water such as sand, rust deposits, etc.

Whole house sediment filter - This filter captures smaller particles than the pre-filter. They go down to at least 5 micron.

Whole house carbon filter - These filters can remove some harmful chemicals that are in the water, but do little, if anything for lead.

Whole house UV filter - This filter will kill off most bacteria and viruses. It has to be installed after the other filters because small particles can block the UV rays, and bacteria and viruses could survive it.

Water softener - This will remove some of the minerals that cause hard water stains.

Reverse osmosis system - This would be the final stage of filtration. These systems can be located under a sink, and filters out virtually everything except pure water. These systems do not produce very much water, and use a pressure storage tank because it takes a while to produce enough water.

The other systems before the reverse osmosis system condition the water in the building well enough to be used for most purposes except for drinking. Under normal circumstances, the water will be safe to bathe in, and do laundry with.

Please note that the addition of these filtration systems could reduce your water pressure significantly. You may need to install a pressure boosting pump and storage tank as well, if there are pressure issues.

However, these steps should all be done by the municipality. It should not be the burden of the homeowner to render the tap water safe to use.


Why does my outlet tester show that my new, ungrounded outlets are grounded?

I DID ground the lights/outlets to the metal boxes which they are attached to.

Are your wires in metal conduit? If so, you have grounded circuits and the tester is correct.

In any case, on new installations everything should be grounded. Old stuff can get away without connecting a proper ground but not new. Ground for new circuits has to make its way all the way back to the panel.

In addition, receptacles in a garage normally need to be GFCI protected either at the receptacle or the breaker. It is possible to install GFCI without an actual ground, but (a) that is not ideal and (b) that is normally only to retrofit some protection to receptacles that have no ground available. But the ground wire and GFCI perform different functions so having both where required - that always means ground, but GFCI only in certain locations - is the gold standard.


Results vary. A tankless heater I've had for many years regulates the output flow to assure that the output temperature is as hot as expected, however, not all tankless heaters do this.

The "installation instructions & homeowners manual" document from Rheem for the RTEX-11 states the following (page 7):

  To ensure the optimal temperature output and overall performance of your tankless water heater you may
  require a flow regulator. These flow regulators are installed on the outlet connection of your tankless water
  heater and limit the maximum volume coming out of your unit to a specified flow rate to prevent the exit
  temperature from becoming too cool. To learn more about flow regulators or find out how to purchase one for
  your tankless water heater contact Manufacturer’s national service department at 1-(800)-374-8806.

Based on that statement I expect that you could manually reduce the flow by partially closing the hot valve on your tub filler until the output rises to a temperature you like. Or, if you don't want to worry about that, install a flow regulator device to force the issue.


Can I run a bond cable through a hole in a wall shared by plastic conduit?

There's no spacing requirement...
The NEC does not have any specific spacing requirement between conduits carrying power wires and bonding or grounding conductors.  (In fact, it'd be legal to run the water main bond inside the same conduit, with it departing the rest of the wires at whatever junction box is at the other end of the conduit run.)
...but hole size might be an issue
However, if your conduit runs through studs or plates, not just sheathing, you may run into issues with the maximum permitted hole size in the studs, based on the 40%/60% rules in the IRC.  (That is, you are only allowed to take up 40% of the width of the stud with a hole, with a boost to 60% if you reinforce the hole by sistering the stud or putting a stud shoe around the hole.)
As a result, I'd recommend boring a separate small hole in said stud(s) for this bonding wire, several inches up or down from the hole for the conduit.  This way, one won't damage any stud shoes that may be present at the conduit hole, and won't have to worry about notching or oversizing the existing hole, either.


How do I connect a C-wire on a Triangle Tube Prestige Solo 110?

The 24V transformer is part of the control board, and so is not shown on the wiring diagram you've linked to. However, R is always one side of the transformers secondary, and C is always the other side. The thermostat needs to draw its own power, and so requires a connection to "C" to complete the circuit.

Your thermostat is just a load on the 24V circuit.

If you don't feel comfortable modifying the wiring, it's probably best to contact a local HVAC technician.


Why does the flame in my gas fireplace go out after closing the door?

You need to have a way for air to get IN to the fireplace as well as a flue for the gasses to get out. If the front and door is sealed up too tight, the flame consumes all of the oxygen in the fireplace and extinguishes itself. Usually there is a little vent hole or louver in the front that draws air into the fireplace, or there is a pipe coming from the outside supplying air. If that pipe got blocked by something, that would do it.


GFCI - should my neutral and ground have continuity?

At least violate Code a little less

Putting a GFCI in a box on a cable is a codevio. Using Romex for cordage is a codevio. And using junction boxes for portable boxes is also a code vio, but let's at least use a tough box and a strain relief, eh?  Here's what you need.

square steel junction box, 4" square, drawn one-piece (not welded 5-piece)
Strain relief that fits the proper cordage you go out and get right now (get 12/3 since in cordage, ground counts). I can't bring myself to link the cable clamp for Romex, because it's so wrong...
4" square 1-device mud ring with at least 1/2" depth (plays better with Decora) again must be drawn not welded
Metal Decora cover plate - cut the screws short if needed  (Decora = large rectangular opening)

Alternate: a drawn steel Decora junction box lid can replace the last 2. Even though it's tougher, I avoided it because you'll have to bend/break off the Decora cover plate ears, and that'll wreck the GFCI for use anywhere else.

Alternate: if you want to put a GFCI and feed another plain outlet for 4 sockets then use a 4-11/16" box and mud ring, otherwise it won't all fit. You can use a plain receptacle and normal/Decora split cover plate.

GFCI's, thru continuity, and ground

Safety ground is continuous through a GFCI.

LINE neutral to LOAD neutral is not continuous.

LINE hot to LOAD hot is not continuous.

As you can see, both hot and neutral go through the mysteryworks of a GFCI device.  (actually, that includes a set of relay contacts, and also a current-sensing inductor, so you may read an impedance near zero.)  Needless to say, if the relay contacts are open, line-load will read as dead open...  IIRC the GFCI also has some electronics between LINE hot and LINE neutral, so you may also expect some non-infinity impedance there.

Now, look close:  you see that green "upside down T" where the ground wire branches into the GFCI? No, you do not see that "T"?  There's a reason you don't: GFCIs don't connect to ground.  GFCI receptacles do, but only for the sake of the receptacle sockets; the GFCI portion doesn't use it.


Water meter to a PVC pipe to a metal pipe. Why?

Besides the reasons given in the other answer (available or preferred material), there might be a problem related to corrosion and/or grounding/earthing which means to require an electrically separated pipe system for each building.

In the past, earthing/grounding via the provider's metal pipes was a common procedure, nowadays it may be even prohibited, i.e. a special ground rod/grounding system is necessary.


What is this 4-1/2 inch Vertical metal pipe doing in my garden?

It really looks like a drain cleanout. Since it's on your property the city utilities probably won't have a record of it. It could have been added after the house was built and never needed by the previous owner. Remove that cap and see what's down there. Turn on some water or flush a few toilets and see if you see water flowing.


If it restarted shortly after cooling, you may have exceeded the duty cycle. The duty cycle on the spec sheet lists it as 65% @ 110 amps and 35% @ 140 amps. What this means is at max power you can weld for you can weld for 3.5 minutes then it is required to let it rest for 6.5 minutes before resuming.  If you exceed the limits the unit shuts off to prevent overheating or damage.


There should be a Striker plate much like the ones on a standard doorway.


Always On (Closed, Loaded) Temporary Timed Off Switch

What you probably want is a spring wound timer switch with SPDT (single pole double throw) contacts to install in place of the ordinary light switch that now controls your outdoor motion lights.  These are available with timers spanning up to 12 hours.  The SPST variety of this switch is the most common and can only switch something ON for a timed interval, but the SPDT variety can either switch something ON or OFF, depending on the leads connected to the load.

One example would be the 2 hour timer by Intermatic, model FD32HW (I am not recommending this particular product.  It is just an example.):

Be careful when ordering because the SPST variety of this timer is by far the most common.


How do I troubleshoot power receptacles?

As I said in the comments to the OP and to Aaron's answer, there are several wiring failures that could cause an NCVT (non-contact voltage tester; usually a pen-looking thing that beeps when you point it at a live electrical wire) to light up, and some that even a plug tester can miss, but that would prevent a "real" load from being plugged in. The first thing to do is get a 3-lamp outlet tester (preferably with GFCI testing) to supplement your NCVT. The tester will correctly diagnose most of these things:

Open Hot: the black wire is present in the box but disconnected from the plug (or otherwise not making good contact). An NCVT can still light up if the wire is close to the faceplate. However, a plug tester will diagnose the issue. The fix is to flip this outlet's breaker, open up the plate and make sure all wires are firmly connected to the proper terminals on the outlet.
Open Neutral: the white wire is present but not properly connected to the outlet. Again, a NCVT will light up if the hot is properly connected (maybe even if it isn't), but a plug tester will properly diagnose the issue. The fix is the same as for an open hot.
Broken/Worn/Bent Outlet Contacts: The wires are hooked up correctly, but the outlet's contacts have poor or no continuity with the plug's blades. You may hear arcing (a rough crackle) as you plug in the tester or an electrical device. A tester MAY show correct wiring at a glance, but if you jiggle the tester the lights will blink off. Replacing the outlet is the solution here.
Neutral-Ground Swap and High-Resistance Ground: This would tend to affect an entire house's wiring, but it can be localized as well. What is happening is that the white and bare wires have been switched, and in addition, the ground (which normally ties back to the bus strip in the service panel and has full continuity with the neutral) has lost some continuity back to the service panel. There are several situations in which this can happen, most of them involving attaching grounds to house plumbing and then changing that plumbing along the way. An outlet tester may not diagnose this; the expected read is an "open ground" or "open neutral" (remember this would mainly be a problem if the neutral and ground are switched), but if there is some continuity then the tester may not show a problem.
Poor Continuity Of Hot Or Neutral With Outlet: One or more wires is making very poor contact with the outlet terminal. A plug tester may miss this; there is enough continuity for the tester (which only draws a few milliamps for its LEDs) but even a clock radio would have issues with the load induced by the poor continuity. The solution is to rewire the outlet securely, and if the wiring is sound on the plug then to check other wires in the box (with the breaker off of course). The next most likely culprit is the "bundle" of neutral leads that's normally in an "upstream" J-box; make sure all wires are wound tight and properly secured with a wire nut and electrical tape.


I broke a CFL lightbulb while unscrewing it, do I need to throw away the clothes I was wearing?

The dangers of mercury in CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs has been sensationalized in some news sources.  The main health risk associated with mercury is the vapor released when it is heated or if a large quantity is sitting around evaporating into the air for some reason.

  Very little mercury is absorbed by your body if you swallow a small amount of liquid mercury or get it on your skin for a short time. This is considered almost non-toxic and you'll probably have no symptoms.

From NHS UK

If a drop of liquid mercury got in your clothes, it should wash out without much fanfare.  Keep the room well ventilated right after the breakage, and wash the clothes.


I would not want to see 12 inches of standing water close to the slab grade in a sump pit. My first thought would be to see if you could adjust the float of the pump to turn on much sooner and keep the level down to maybe 4 to 6 inches. There should be an upper and lower level set on the pump.  it would be helpful to know the make and model of the pump so we could check the specs and see if it can be easily adjusted. Keeping water standing so close to your slab can saturate your floor and cause weeping through spider cracks. I'd prefer to see the level at or below the level of the drain tile where it enters the pit.


Hard to tell if the defects were caused by the recent painting or were there before and now showing up because of a lighter color or different sheen. The "orange peel" effect starts out when the drywall is first sprayed with a primer and carries over each time the wall is painted. Any time you patch a hole or gouge with mud and then sand it, you smooth out the orange peel and when you paint over it you get what happened in your second picture. You can make it less obvious if you take a small brush, dip it in some mud and dap the sanded surface. Another technique is to apply the mud to the wall and lightly run a dry paint roller over it and blend it in .

In your first picture it looks like there was an excess amount of paint left after a paint job and it just ran a bit... you can sand it down and then add the orange peel like I described above.

If the defects are too numerous to fix and they will drive you nuts, one alternative is to sand the entire wall and remove all the old paint and then prime and repaint. the other alternative is to replace or add new drywall. Good luck.


Why is water still above elements after draining hot water tank?

As been pointed out there will be some residual amounts of water left in the hot (and cold) lines even when the tank is empty. Which is you should open the valve farthest from the tank as it is being drained. The other problem I noted is that unless you have an immense (100 gl.) water heater or a very narrow drain valve the shouldn't take so long to drain. What might be happening is hard water deposits have collected at the bottom of the tank enough to slow and block water draining through the valve. Did you happen to notice a build up of whitish flakes on the ground?

To check that the tank is completely empty and not just clogged at the drain valve: open TPR valve and connect the drain hose to a spigot and slowly reverse the water flow back into tank with a couple of short 'on/off' bursts. Air will escape through the TPR valve indicating that the drain valve is open.


There are probably no concerns in terms of safety. Keep in mind that the capacity of a 2" pipe isn't half that of a 4" pipe. It's one quarter the capacity. For that reason, it's going to be hardly worth your effort.


Can a lack of oxygen cause septic tank deterioration?

There are several forms of acidic (sulpheric mainly) conditions causing concrete to decompose, external and internal.

External acid can be caused by sulpher in the ground water.

Anaerobic bacteria can indeed cause hydrogen sulphide gas which then can cause sulpheric acid.
High levels can quickly destroy a septic tank.

Aeration of the sludge effluent changes the chemistry to aerobic bacteria and stops the formation of HS gas.

Update
The phenomenon of HS gas formation leading to concrete deterioration is known as Crown Rot.  Anecdotally, this has been linked to several sources.  High vegetable matter (from garbage disposer use) and high levels of sulpher in well water.  Active venting does seem provide benefits in reducing the HS gas. (thanks to Capt. P).


The service entrance conductors are sized to your main breaker in most cases. The drop or supply to the meter is any ones guess I have seen them large enough for a 200 amp service on an 65-75 amp panel but we did have to up size the service entrance conductors from the meter to the new panel. In some cases due to loading new transformers are needed depending on the utility they may pay for that upgrade or ask you to pay. The only way to know about the transformer and service drop to the meter is to ask the utility. You may be able to read the size on your existing service conductors (feeder) but I would bet that it will need to be upsized going from 100 to 200.


Should I remove this saddle valve, if so what is the best way to do so?

Ed has the important part of the answer. Saddle valves are trouble, and since you're not using it, it's easy to eliminate. Even if you were using it, it makes sense to replace with a soldered-in valve.

If this is copper tubing, it might be pretty easy to replace this valve with a slip coupling. It is especially easy if the tubing is long enough to flex it laterally to slide a coupling on. That is a straight copper coupling that doesn't have a ridge or other bumps in the middle.

turn off the water
using sandpaper now to clean the tubing is easier than after the cut
remove the saddle valve
cut the tubing right at the pierced hole, either with a tubing cutter or hack saw
de-burr the cut, and clean the tubing of any crud from cutting
clean and flux the coupling
flex the two cut ends apart enough to slide coupling on
bring cut ends together again
center the coupling over the cut. Mark the tubing if necessary
solder


AC/DC adapters making strange buzzing crackling noise in all house, what causes it?

You have an arc-over somewhere in your power supply system. Electric arcs produce a broad band signal with precisely that noise pattern.

Cracked or dirty insulators on the power poles, transformer with an internal primary circuit fault, loose connections between the transformer and meter, or compromised underground feeder cables that are leaking current between the conductors will probably be the source of this EMI.

Heaven forbid that the source is anywhere in the house, that's a dangerous situation.

Determining where it comes from

Given the noise that can be heard in the video, this should be transmitting a pretty nasty interference on AM radio frequencies to the point you should have no problem using an AM radio as a source detector.

First steps are to make sure this isn't something in the house that is suffering from a loose connection, ground leakage or arc fault. Turn your radio on and with it somewhere mid band between stations, see if you can hear the noise. Now go through the breaker panel or fuse panel and cut power to each circuit till you have cut all power to the house.

If the noise goes completely away from powering off a circuit, then start looking for appliances, switches, lighting fixtures powered by that circuit that that have failures. At this point, if wiring starts being the possible culprit, you're getting into electrician territory, so get a qualified electrician if you're exceeding your technical expertise or what you're allowed to do under your local laws.

Using this method, I had found that the people who wired my house up had used a crimp ground ring to complete a power circuit in the bathroom which explained the radio noise and the dim lighting that would flicker every so often. Removing the electrician's tape off the odd looking connection revealed that the crimp ring (improper use, only supposed to be used in the ground circuit) had worked loose and the copper wire was being slowly eroded from the arcing in the loose connection.

If the power down only slowly diminishes the noise till the last circuit is cut off, then you need to make sure the power entrance and cabling to the breaker panel/fuse panel are intact to clear your residence (qualified electrician time, you do not want to be messing with this).

Once you have cleared your residential wiring, then you need to get the power company involved in hunting down where the noise is emanating from. It's in their best interest to fix it if its a bad splice, cracked insulator or transformer getting ready to blow.


How do I wire a GFCI/Switch with power entering at the light and only protect the receptacle?

You don't

Any receptacle needs always-hot for power, and neutral to return the power (complete the circuit/loop).

As you can see from that diagram, there is always-hot (white marked black with tape) and switched-hot (black natural).   No neutral.  A switch and receptacle will not happen with any diagram or method from this school of thinking.

Take the device back, you definitely will not be using it.

Anyway, because of the complexity of this one, we will need to divide and conquer: solve the receptacle problem separate from the GFCI problem.  If you have a realtor or home inspector who says "it isn't GFCI unless I see the test and reset buttons", fire them, they stink at details and that is a detail business.

Pull chain for the lamp

Don't laugh, this is the basis for every other strategy.  In this case you convert the cable between lamp and former switch to carry always-hot and neutral.   Power the receptacle in the normal fashion.

And then you get a lamp with a pull chain.   Of course this would probably violate Code in most of the civilized world.

A wireless light switch

This wires like the pull chain, but uses a smart module in the lamp base.  The module listens to any of a variety of smart home technologies, which do their communication via radio or powerline induction.  These talk to either a wireless switch that glues to the wall (freeing up your entire receptacle for a common GFCI unit) -- or a combo smartswitch-receptacle that fits where you want.

In the latter case, the chance of finding a product which is a trifecta of smart-switch, receptacle AND GFCI device is rather remote.  We'll need to go external GFCI protection.

External GFCI protection

GFCI is a system of protection.  At the heart of the matter, it is a "black box" with two line wires coming in, and two load wires going out.   That black box can be anywhere.

The most obvious is a GFCI breaker.  This replaces the circuit breaker and provides both overload and GFCI protection, and protects the entire circuit.

Another Rather Useful package is the Dead Face.  This is a receptacle style with the sockets blanked out.  It forces you to think in terms of the black-box, with its LINE side and LOAD side that protects everything downline.

So if all else proves unviable, we protect this receptacle by placing it downline of a GFCI protector. Follow the wiring back in the direction of the panel and look for an opportune place to do that.  If you can find a receptacle location, replace it with a Dead Face.**

If you can't find a receptacle location, use a GFCI breaker.

There'll be no way to avoid protecting both the receptacle and lamp.  If your lamp is tripping ground faults, then dear God, replace it! You're in a bathroom, ground faults kill people there!

Bust up drywall

One option is to run another cable between light and switch.  A /3 cable would suffice.  It would carry always-hot (black), switched Hot (red) and neutral (white).  Now you can use your original device, but cover up and do not use the load side of the GFCI.  Join one switch wire to the switched-hot and the other to always-hot.

While you're at that, you could change the switch box to a 2-gang box which would allow use of a normal light switch and cheaper GFCI receptacle.

** just to be honest, I would never use a Dead Face.   I would just use the cheaper, more common Live Face and put electrical tape across the face as a mnemonic to remind myself to solve the problem without using those.


How can I route the cables for my TV in a basement with a "half wall"?

Cinder blocks, like concrete blocks, have voids in the center, hollow areas that make the block lighter while maintaining structural strength. cables can often be routed through these voids.

The hardest part might be finding a void. The blocks are staggered in a wall, but the voids still usually line up. You probably need to cut a hole in the drywall just above the top of the block wall. You may be able to see the voids, or you may need to drill test holes through the lower framing plate until you find one.

What happens next depends on where you are routing the wires and what is below the cinder block wall. You can drill through the cinder block at the base of the wall directly below the void and route the wires to either side of the wall. However, if you are routing AC power cables, they must be encased in an electrical box, conduit or metal raceway if they are in a living area.

You may be able to drill a hole directly into the basement area or an unfinished area (crawl space, etc) depending on what is near the wall and where you need to go for power and connection. If drilling in cinder block or concrete, use a masonry drill.

After you finish bringing the wires up into the drywall area, you can patch the access hole you made above the cinder block.

You need to properly mount any cables leading to the back of your TV. Consider a combination box that handles both line voltage and low voltage.

Supplement based on comment

You could put a combination box behind the TV, route the cables in the wall to just above the cinder blocks. Then put another box in the wall at the top of the cinder block. Cover this box with a raceway adapter.

This box will be a junction box with a blank plate on it, painted to match the wall. Then run a raceway channel down the face of the wall and install another raceway box deep enough for an outlet. If you are running both AC and low voltage, they need to be in approved dual or separate channels and boxes.

You still need to connect to the power at some point, so the raceway channel needs to continue to another conventional junction box.


Is replacing a natural gas cap with a quick-connect valve a task exclusively for a professional?

While the risks related to a leak are relatively low for someone properly trained , the fact that you might get your gas shut off by the town if the fittings havent' been tested and approved by their inspector means it's not worth that risk.


Found sunflower seed shells in fiberglass insulation and wired set up in basement

Ok first that is fiberglass insulation not cotton. Yes it could be a mouse or a rat. Who knows how long it has been there but if it was me I would have a trap bated with peanut butter maybe a salted sunflower seed or 2 just to sweeten the deal. I started using a dunk the rat/ mouse trap on our farm, I have this in the barn and electronic traps in the house bated with peanut butter. The dunk the rat works great in the barn where we might not get anything for a month but after a rain storm or big temp change the dunk the rat has caught up to 22 in 1 night, the electronic ones only can hold 1 but do a good job in the house, it doesn’t matter the type of peanut butter but it works better than anything else I have ever tried, on these or snap traps. I like the dunk the rat the best where there are more or larger critters I even caught a small squirrel but it was ok and I was able to release it (I like squirrels most of the time). So a couple of traps down there is a good idea, along the wall in a dark corner works best. Wear gloves to clear traps never touch a used trap or dead rodent with bare hands a guy did this in Oregon a few years back trying to save a mouse from his cat in southern Or. the cat died and he lost some fingers and could have died from the germs on the rodent.


Two different color wires under single outlet screw

2 wires under a screw like that is not code compliant. A yellow wire is just like a red, pink, black or blue they can all be hot wires so yes it would be best to pigtail them. If the tab is intact between the 2 screws on that side I would pigtail all 3 together.
If the tab was broken and that was a multi wire branch circuit code would require the neutrals to be pigtailed. So it’s a good idea to do the whites while you’re fixing things.
It really doesn’t matter where the wires go. They could be powering the room lights or another receptacle and until disconnected you may not know


First time DIY tile floor in powder room--transition, leveling, grout?

You need to get the schluter profile with the same thickness as your tiles.  you don't need to account for the thinset because you will press the profile down on the thinset just like the tile.

That said, the T moulding has advantages.  First, it hides imperfections.  If you have several tiles at the transitions, it is very difficult to cut them to make a perfect straight line.  Second if your bamboo flooring shrinks and expands, you need to leave a small Gap at the transition which can be covered by the T


Two switches, two lights, one light always on.

This is easier than it sounds

Basically, what you want here is an "open ended" multi-way switch, where each light is wired to a traveler.

In other words, you wire up a 3-way and a 4-way location to each other and to power as normal, but leave the load-side 3-way off.  Instead, the two "travelers" from the load side of the 4-way location are turned into switched hots, one for each light.

The downside is that you'll need to turn this arrangement off at the breaker to change a lightbulb, unless you provide a separate disconnect switch somewhere in the line feed to this funky setup.


Bonding gas piping, flexible CSST in conjuction with Iron pipe

The furnace already has bonded the gas system...just not well enough for CSST purposes
In your current setup, the gas piping (both CSST and black iron) is bonded to the electrical system via the equipment grounding conductor of the furnace.  This is typical practice for black-iron systems, but isn't good enough for CSST, which needs a much lower resistance path to the rest of the grounding and bonding system to keep excessive amounts of lightning energy from flowing on the CSST, creating arcs and pinholes as it goes.
In particular, you need to run a 6AWG copper wire from a grounding clamp on the black iron (preferably on the manifold, or on the black iron run to the furnace if that isn't possible) to some point on the grounding electrode conductor system that is within 75' of the bonding point. This is set out in IRC G2411.2.1 thru 2.3 (aka IFGC 310.2.1 thru 2.3):

G2411.2.1 (310.2.1)Point of connection.
The bonding jumper shall connect to a metallic pipe, pipe fitting, or CSST fitting.
G2411.2.2 (310.2.2)Size and material of jumper.
The bonding jumper shall not be smaller than 6AWG copper wire or equivalent.
G2411.2.3 (310.2.3)Bonding jumper length.
The length of the bonding jumper between the connection to a gas piping system and the connection to a grounding electrode system shall not exceed 75 feet (22 860mm).  Any additional grounding electrodes installed to meet this requirement shall be bonded to the electrical service grounding electrode system, or where installed, the lightning protection grounding electrode system.

Parts-wise, you can use any ordinary pipe grounding clamp to attach the wire to the pipe, and a split-bolt or lay-in T-tap (Ilsco GTT-2-2 or equivalent) will work for attaching the bonding wire to the grounding electrode conductor.


How to tell what is causing my breaker to trip

In most cases of getting a "bzzz pop" on a circuit breaker there is a 98% chance you have a direct short to ground and if this happens once you shouldn't keep trying. The only thing it does is cause further damage to your electrical system.

The first thing I would do is to turn very switch to the off position and unplug every piece of equipment from the system. I would remove the panel cover and using an ohm meter or continuity tester to see if I got a "ring" between the load side of the breaker and the neutral/ground buss which indicates a short. Or you could just reset the breaker if you don't have any meters but remember you are damaging your circuit and the breaker.

So if you do not get a ring or the breaker stays on, then you know it is not the receptacles or the switches. Now you know the short is after one of the switches and probably in one of your light fixtures. You can then go around and turn on each switch on until you get a ring. This will locate which lighting branch is shorting out and you have at least isolated the problem to a smaller area of the circuit.

If you do get a ring or the breaker trips off, you know the short is either before the switches or at one of the receptacles. Experience would tell me to check the receptacles first.

Shorts are easy to find since they are and arc flash and create a lot of heat. so there will be the smell of something burnt, melted wire, blackened residue and melted insulation.

Removing lamps form light fixture really doesn't help especially in fluorescent fixtures with ballasts and LED's with drivers. These ballasts and drivers use energy regardless if the lamps are plug in or not.

Isolating and locating where the problem is allows you to make better informed decisions on if its a simple fix you can handle or you need professional help.

FYI - since you have already turned the breaker on let it trip multiple times. It may be a good idea to change out the breaker. It is probably not operating within allowable tolerances (laymen terms the contacts are burnt and the bi-metal trip material is damaged).

Good luck


Replacing basement door and walls with a hatch

You could build a sloped frame and hinged doors, as @keshlam suggests, this is the traditional style. There are manufactured options that are actually rather reasonably priced. http://www.dashwindows.com/bilco-doors.php


Should I pursue building my own wind turbine?

A generator would probably be a better choice.

You haven't given us a lot of details, so I'm going to assume that you live in norther US,  Canada, or the UK, that you live in a middle-class detached house with a yard, and that you're faced with winter storms taking out your power for a day or two, and you want to keep the fridge cold and run a few lights until the power comes back on. You will burn something (propane, kerosene, wood) to stay warm, cook food, and make tea.

The main problem with wind power is that it's not necessarily available when you want it. During a storm it may be so windy that the turbine shuts down to protect itself. After the storm there may be 0 wind. You'd need a way to store electricity, which means banks of deep-cycle batteries, a charge controller, an inverter. As long as you have the batteries and electronics, you can charge off main power when that's available, and don't need the turbine as much. Batteries are expensive, they go bad after 5-10 years, require good care.

A generator provides you with power exactly when you need it. You can store an enormous amount of energy on site in a tank of diesel of gasoline, and you can buy more with a trip to a gas station, for long outages. If you already have propane or natural gas on site, you can get a generator that uses that fuel, which is way less hassle than pouring fuel in to a tank in bad weather.

If your loads a small and your expected power outages are long, it might make sense to get a small battery bank + charger + inverter to accompany your generator. Turn on the generator for a couple hours in the evening, so you can check your email and run some lights and charge the batteries, and draw on the batteries for the small loads the rest of the time.

So, it goes like this:

Identify and minimize loads
Install a generator with transfer switch
Upgrade with a battery bank, charger, and inverter, if needs dictate
Upgrade further with wind or solar power, per budget and interest


Why is my dishwasher causing the dishes to have an odor?

Dishwasher cleaners are available - I use this one every six months or so - it has a range of chemicals in it which get in around all the bits that might be moldy and gives them a good clean.

Once cleaned, the following tips I found over at wikihow will help prevent this in future:

Run the garbage disposal before starting the dishwasher. The dishwasher drains into the same pipe as your sink, so that drain must be clear.
Run a bit of hot water in your sink before running the dishwasher. You will get cleaner dishes if the water starts hot. You can collect the water you run and use it for watering plants or other purposes. Run the water until what comes out of the tap feels hot.
Make sure your water starts hot enough. Set the thermostat on your water heater to 120F (50C). Water that is cooler than this won't do a good job cleaning. Water that is hotter could scald.
Load your dishwasher properly, stacking items facing downward and inwards. Check that all the arms can spin freely before running the dishwasher.
Run full loads to conserve water and energy, but don't pack dishes too tightly. Dishwashers wash dishes by spraying water over them, so the water needs to be able to get to the dishes to clean them.
Don't wash containers with labels that could come loose. Scrape heavy debris and large particles off dishes before placing them in the dishwasher.
Don't pre-rinse too much. Dishwashers and detergents have both improved. If you haven't tried putting dishes in dirty lately, try it again. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Not all dishwasher detergents work the same. The next time you buy a new container of detergent, try a different brand and see if you get better results. Look for ratings and reviews, too. At the very least, favor powders and tablets over gels and liquids, and keep them dry and free of excess moisture prior to use.
Wash small items in the basket with your forks and knives so they don't slip through the racks and end up in the bottom. Some dishwashers even have enclosed baskets just for small items.
For dried-on gunk, get the area wet or spray the cleaner, then let it sit and dissolve for a few minutes before wiping. You'll save yourself a lot of scraping and scrubbing.


How to have a free-standing bathtub resurfaced

Best thing you can do is ask for references.  Call some people who had their tub refinished several years ago and see how it's holding up.

I've had this done a few times and it's a bit of a black art.  They have to be really meticulous with their prep work or the new finish won't last.

Also, you need to be careful what you clean it with after they refinish it!  Abrasive cleaners will destroy the finish.


How can I seal doors and windows to keep air out?

You need to add a threshold to the door to seal under it.  There a number of thresholds where you can then adjust the height to meet the bottom of the door.  Around the other 3 sides you need to add weather stripping.


Best way to remove sani-tred paint from basement walls

I would try a Muriatic acid and water solution. I know the Acid will etch the Block just not sure how well it will remove the sani-tred.
I would start with a 10% acid solution and work up from there. Usually I do this to floors prior to painting.  If I need to make the surface rough for better bond for tile it works also.
I have used mixtures up to 30% depending on how aggressive I want to etch the cement. You will need fresh air in a basement as the fumes can get quite strong. Remember to always add acid to water and use rubber gloves to protect your hands. All pool supply stores will carry Muriatic acid and most home improvement carry it. It is not that expensive for a gallon to give it a try.


Find the model for an unknown (non-Häger) wall thermostat?

The model is a "Thermostat programmable hebdomadaire castorama", as shown in the below image (found on the Internet). A closely-related manual (not the exact model, but the same functionalities) used to be available under address http://www.castorama.fr/media_aux/810203_a1.pdf, but not anymore. My own copy is here.


That does not look like a plug.
It looks like a "cable gland" which is a type of strain relief that compresses a rubber (or rubber-like) o-ring or grommet onto the cable which passes through it.
The point of disconnection would be inside the fixture housing that the cable gland attaches to.


Sump pump & ejector pump: can I (and should I) change single dedicated non-GFCI receptacle to a dual receptacle GFCI?

Current code leans to GFCI the heck out of it, and if it nusiance trips or fails (as they do with some regularity; typically about 10 years) and backs up sewage or water, tough noogies. People who sell GFCIs write the codes, and they have been expanding places where GFCIs are required for years. As of 2002 code (at least) there was still an exception for sump pumps and freezers, but those have been removed due to either "greater care for your safety" or "vast sums of money from GFCI makers .vs. no sums of money from people with flooded basements and freezers full of rotting food" in the code-writing cycles. [It should be self-evident that the linked page is from the side with all the profit in this game, and just a tad smug/biased.]

I would NOT change the ejector pump to a dual, nor add anything to its circuit - sewage backups stink. A dedicated breaker with one outlet is one way to be certain that nothing OTHER than a pump failure or power outage causes the ejector pump to stop; and depending on the pump, it may need the entire circuit to itself, period. Even if it does not, sharing is poor practice, IMHO. If you would like to add a GFCI to it, put in a blank face GFCI in-line before the outlet, or a GFCI breaker. If it's installed to code as of the time it was installed, I'd suggest leaving it alone, but that's up to you.


Why is a white electrical wire connected to 2 black wires?

The cable with the white wire that's connected to the two black wires is a switch loop:

Normally wires with white insulation are used only for neutrals, but code makes an exception to allow for use of the white wire in a cable used as a switch loop as a hot rather than a neutral.

If you'll look closely in the drawing, the whites used as hots are wrapped with black tape to indicate they are being used as such.  The wiring in the picture in the question lack this, which is a code violation.  Of course the electricity can't see the tape so it's not intrinsically unsafe.  However, it can be a hazard if someone working on the wiring makes a mistake because it's not labelled as clearly as it should be.


Routing a light switch to the side of a cabinet

I would use drawn steel boxes and EMT conduit, it's bulletproof, firesafe, cheap, easy to disassemble to alter or access, and grounded.

I thought it was not cheap and I was mindlessly gold-plating everything, until I looked at the prices for the blue cheese.  Holy smokes, it's more than steel boxes! And the orange backless are even more! Why...

And I find EMT easy to work with, just cut it with a hacksaw and a few spins of your wire stripper deburrs the inside.  And it all spins together either with compression fittings or setscrews.  No cementing.

On the original light switch, you fit a "blank" steel cover plate with a 1/2" knockout on it, and extend the EMT off that.

If the underlying box is steel, and the cover plate lands hard on clean unrusty unpainted steel (not held above it by drywall etc.) then the cover plate and extended EMT is a valid grounding path.  Otherwise you will need to extend the ground in a wire.  Either a bare solid wire or I prefer a green stranded wire.

In conduit, you are able to use stranded individual wires (THHN) which is easier to work with, but a little harder to attach to devices (and the device must be listed for stranded wire, can't say "solid wire only".)  I like the Leviton Screw-and-clamp types where tightening the screw clamps the wire.

However in conduit with individual THHN wires, you are not allowed to use white for a hot wire.  That is relevant in "switch loops", just use two blacks.


It is not ideal but you can bury it in concrete.  If you have enough room you can use what is called a repair coupling.  It is a coupling with no stop in the center.  Slide the repair coupling on the longest accessible side.  You would glue a 2" stub in the end of the Tee facing the repair coupling, mark the pipe in the floor with your Tee set up, and cut it on your mark.  Glue the Tee on the opposite side of the stub and slide and glue the repair coupling over where you cut the existing pipe up to the Tee.


Fire your electrician

That is such a fundamentally dumb "do not know what's going on here" mistake that it took some serious hubris to intentionally do this without knowing (or caring) how things work.  This person is a danger to self and others.

Keep in mind that electrical is a world where blindly attempting combinations is dangerous.  There are many combinations which will appear on the surface to work, but will kill you.

Look closer at the existing circuit and wiring

From here we need to look closer at what the switches are controlling - fan and light specifically. We need to see which wires might be in the back of the switch box, and how they are grouped. And we might need to make some design compromises, or fish additional wires into the walls.  Your next step is to post some photos of the wiring in the switch box, and if there's only one cable in there, the fan box as well. Don't disturb how wires are interconnected; that is essential information because colors mean nothing.


Nearly all basement lights dependent on switch at top of stairs

The stairs require a light control device at both the top and bottom of the stairs this has been code for many decades. The other lighting sounds questionable


100 A GFCI breaker feeding a sub panel main lug

Yeah, if you can find one.

I've never noticed any GFCI breakers on the market that large, but other than that, your concept is sound.

The only issue with putting a lot of stuff on a single GFCI breaker is sometimes, you can have enough devices each with a tiny amount of leakage to add up to enough to trip the GFCI.  However that probably won't be an issue here.

I'll add one thing.  Now that the common panel is 200-225A (with some 320/400s), when people add subpanels, they often go 100A "because why not? It's only a few dollars more." I applaud forward thinking, but this may help us with the GFCI problem.  I have trouble imagining an actual need for 100A at a pool panel.  If 60A service will suffice, you can leave the 100A wire and the 100A subpanel just as it is, and change the breaker in the main panel to 60A.  (you'll need to pigtail the feeder as the wires won't fit on a 60A breaker).  Why would you do this?  60A GFCI breakers are readily available. Bada bing!


Best solution for file folders of custom wooden desk drawer?

I did my own with a simple steel rod, the kind you can find in different lenghts and diameters in a any hardwarestore.

I cutted the rods to match my drawer width, drilled 2 holes on both sides of my drawer (without going all the way through), inserted the rods and voilà: a simple file drawer.


Here is one possibility- "cold shrink" silicone insulator. Check the voltage rating for whatever type you are looking at.

You pull on the end of the coiled plastic and it unravels, leaving the silicone cap to shrink onto the end of the wire.


Yes and yes. All receptacles in a bathroom must be on a GFCI protected circuit. You could have the GFCI on the first receptacle in a series string and it can protect others down stream of it, or you can use a GFCI breaker that is dedicated to that bathroom and protect everything. But fair warning, if you tie the light fixture to it (which is not required), then a GFCI trip can leave you in the bathroom in the dark, with the Reset far away!

In your photo, push the Test button on your GFCI and see if the outlet for the bidet seat is also killed by it. I'd be willing to bet it is.


Can someone help me identify this spiral staircase system?

This isn't a spiral staircase, but rather a helical staircase.  The difference is the lack of the centre pole (As you noticed.  It's otherwise known as a newel) and that it has handrails on both sides, whereas a spiral staircase only has a handrail on the outside.

I was able to find this example of what appears to be a similar design, though it looks wider than your's.


Mudding is only one step in the repair process.

Patch repair, tape, Mud, Texture, Primer, Paint.

Buy a can Homax spray texture and practice on piece of cardboard before doing the patched area. It is an acquired skill, make adjustments to the nozzle to get the matching texture size you need.

I usually start with a fine/small first, let that dry and then a medium on top of that.


Are there markings on studs or drywall that indicate when it was made?

Sometimes there is a date of manufacture printed on the backside of drywall. Old ink on brown paper may be hard to see.

The modern stuff is not infrequently dated to the second, presumably for quality control, as it spews off the line.


Welcome to the joys of working with a natural product!

Before I address your construction techniques, I've got to say that is a quite handsome looking door you've made. Well done!

Wood moves. It expands and contracts as temperature and humidity change. It's a "feature" of wood that you cannot and will not be able to change. It's so critical, common and expected that you must plan for it when you're working with wood. As a matter of fact, if you have a dining room table with a solid wood top (not a particle board/press board/chip board IKEA style table top), you can take a look at the underside to see that your table top is not firmly attached to the legs or skirt boards. It's attached loosely so that the top can move with the wood expansion without destroying the table. Usually, a metal clip (though there may be a wooden clip) is slipped into a slot in the skirt board, then screwed firmly into the top. This holds the top firmly down, but allows the clip to slide in the slot. You'll note that there is no glue in sight when it comes to attaching the top to the skirt boards! Now, consider that the kitchen table is inside the house where the temperature and humidity are reasonably stable year round, as opposed to your poor shed door that's exposed to the elements and the full extremes of temperature and humidity swings that your neighborhood experiences. You're going to have to do something similar for your shed door.

You said you built your door in the summer. What's happening is that as the temperature gets colder and the humidity drops during the winder, the wood is shrinking. Since you've very firmly glued those horizontal braces across the back and the strap hinges across the front, the wood has no freedom to move as it shrinks, so the individual pieces start twisting and bowing. It's their only option, and it means your door won't fit anymore. The good news, as you noticed, is that when the temperature and humidity return to near build conditions, the wood returns to its original size and the door fits again.

Wood moves across it's width significantly more than along its length. That is, for your door, it wants to get wider, not taller. Since the horizontal pieces across the back are holding the vertical boards tightly together, there's no way for the wood to adjust itself, so it's warping on you.

The horizontal bracing pieces across the back will want to grow taller (in this orientation), not longer. Since they're glued to the vertical boards that aren't moving in that direction, they'll causing warping of the whole door as they expand.

Fortunately, the fix MIGHT BE fairly simple and doesn't involve any additional purchases (like fancy clips):

Take the door off the hinges
Remove the horizontal pieces from the back (I'd suggest doing them 1 at a time).

This involves not just undoing the screws, but prying them off of the glue.
You may end up destroying your horizontal pieces, and may remove chunks from the vertical pieces.
When you're done with this process, you'll have full confidence in the strength of wood glue. If you did a good job of gluing (and it sounds like you did), it's gonna be tough!!

Modify the holes that the screw goes through the horizontal piece from a hole to a slot.

It doesn't have to be a very big slot, maybe 1/4" (4-5mm).
You can do this by putting a bit in your drill; putting the bit through the hole; then, while the drill is running, rocking the drill side-to-side in the hole to elongate it into a bit of an oval. The bit used should provide clearance for the attaching screws. That is, it should be just larger than the diameter of the threads. It is the screw head that should hold the bracing on the back, not the threads.
Note that you want the slots to be horizontal when the horizontal bracing goes back on. That means the the slots should run along the length of the back bracing, not across its width.
This isn't rocket surgery, so don't worry if your slots aren't exactly 1/4" and if they don't match each other in size exactly, or if they're not exactly along the long dimension of the horizontal brace.

Reattach the horizontal board to the verticals. You'll want it to be snug enough not to wobble, but not so tight that you're pulling the screw head down into the wood. You may consider putting a washer under the screw head if they were previously countersunk or if your widening also made the slots a bit taller.

Once you've finished this process for all your horizontal boards, rehang the door. It should still feel nice and solid - you did get the screws tight, after all. However, as the wood shrinks come winter, the screws, solidly anchored in the vertical boards that make up the door, will have room to move in the slots in the horizontal backer pieces, thus allowing the wood room to move without forcing things to warp.

An additional consideration

You may will want to put a diagonal on the back of the door, instead of just the horizontal boards. If there is a single screw running through each of those horizontal boards, over time the handle side will want to sag and the boards will be allowed to pivot around that single screw. Since you glued the horizontal bracing on, you probably won't experience sag, but you'll have the warp you already experienced. When you properly rebuild the door without glue, it'll sag. If you attach a board on a diagonal, it will prevent this sagging. In order to avoid rebuilding the entire door (if possible), you could add diagonals in the top and bottom thirds. Just be sure to create slots for the screws going through the new diagonals, not holes, or you'll just shift the problem.

Unfortunately, the fix MIGHT end up destroying the wood (to the point where you'd not be happy reusing it) as you try to break up the glue joints. Glue between the vertical pieces of the front is excellent - it's exactly what you want. The glue holding the horizontal boards cross-grain on the back is probably causing 90% of your problem. If you determine that the wood is no longer suitable to purpose, you're going to have to start from scratch. If that happens, my suggestions are:

Build the main door door slab exactly as you did before - edge glue the vertical boards together.
Install one horizontal board across the back at the top with screws only (no glue), and make expansion slots through this board as described above.

Note that this does not need to be at the very top of the door. You can move it down some for nice visual balance of the brace on the back and the strap hinge on the front.

Install one horizontal board across the back at the bottom, the same as above.

Note that this does not need to be at the very bottom of the door. You can move it up some for nice visual balance of the brace on the back and the strap hinge on the front.

Install one diagonal board between your two horizontals. Again, no glue, and slotted holes (the holes should be slotted horizontally when the diagonal is installed).
Reinstall the top strap hinge into the top horizontal back brace.
Relocate the lower strap hinge to the bottom of the door so it goes into the bottom horizontal back brace.

If you build in the summer, the wood should be at its maximum width. If the door fits, it will still fit in the winter. It's possible that the slab will shrink enough to allow the bracing on the back to show and may allow water/wind around the door and into the shed. If it's important that the shed remain dry inside, install weather stripping to protect it.

If you build in the winter, the wood will be near its minimum width. If the door just fits now, it will not fit when the wood expands in the summer. Make the door a bit smaller to allow for this expansion. There are a variety of references available online that will offer ranges of expansion for different types of wood (it's a natural product - each tree may expand a different amount). Use these tables to estimate the expansion you should expect and adjust your sizing accordingly.

A thought on those hinges:

They look really nice and I like them - a lot! However, since they're metal, and the metal won't move as much as the wood will, they're going to have the same binding effect on the expansion of the door that the glued on horizontal boards did. Metal will heat and expand during the day and shrink back down at night, so it will move some, but it is very unlikely that it will move as much as the seasonal changes you're seeing in the wood.

You may want to consider using a slightly smaller bolt when attaching the hinges than was originally called for. This will give the bolt room to move in the metal hole as the wood shrinks/expands during the year and you'd end up with the same effect as your slotted holes in the backside bracing.

Optionally, if you can securely clamp the hinge without damaging it, you might drill out the holes to make them slightly larger, then use the original bolts. This would be the way to go if you're able to reuse the door panel after disassembly of the bracing on the back. Smaller bolts won't hold in the old holes from the larger ones. It would also save on the purchase of new bolts, even if you do have to rebuild the entire thing.

A thought on Pressure Treated lumber

PT lumber is always a good choice for outdoor wood work. Bear in mind, though, that when you buy it, it's going to be pretty wet. Sometimes so wet that it will leave some dampness on your hands as you're working with it. Wet wood is big wood and it will shrink over time. If at all possible, buy your PT lumber ahead of time and let it dry out for a couple of months prior to starting construction. That will help reduce the amount of shrinking you'll get in your project.

I realize that this isn't always possible nor practical, but it's something to consider when you're building something somewhat size critical like a door.

One more time:

NEVER glue boards cross-grain. It will prevent the wood from moving and will cause warping.

Well, almost never. One board, glued cross-grain to another board is generally OK up to a certain width. Two 2x4s are going to be OK, two 2x6s are probably good. Beyond that you're going to start asking for trouble. Check those resources for expansion for the species you're working with.


New Eaton AFCI/GFCI breaker signals (5 blinks) ground fault, but doesn't trip. How to track it down?

You may not have a ground-fault at all.  The diagnostic LED displays the last recorded trip code, not any current conditions. Reading through the Eaton documentation, it turns out that it may be reporting a fault that was caused during factory testing.

  Upon installation, if the breaker has not experienced a trip that records a code, it will display the last trip code recorded from tests performed at the factory.

So if the breaker is not tripping, there's likely no problem at all.  When you run the diagnostic (by turning on the breaker, or holding the TEST button), the LED will display the last recorded trip code for 30 iterations.  It is NOT displaying any current circuit information, only the most recent recorded trip code.

Trip Codes

1 Blink = Series Arc
2 Blinks = Parallel Arc
3 Blinks = Short delay
4 Blinks = Overvoltage
5 Blinks = Ground Fault
6 Blinks = Self Test Failure

NOTE: The breaker does not record short-circuit, or overcurrent trips, nor does it record trips caused by pressing the TEST button, or manually switching the breaker off.


Light flickers a bit when I turn on an hand blender. What can be the case?

Likely, the LED power supply picks up some of the electrical noise (radio frequency interference or RFI) generated by the blender motor, and it "tricks" the regulator in the supply to cause the flicker.

If the flicker is not annoying, then there is no reason to do anything, but you can add RFI filtering to the blender and/or the LED lamp. The filter can be a simple plug adapter, or perhaps winding wires around ferrite beads. (The links are given to show sample devices, not necessarily recommendations.) Depending on proximity, frequency etc., both might be needed.


Septic system failed - should I try installing an aeration unit?

I just had a breakthrough in my situation in the last couple of weeks.    My leach field was about 95% clogged, very little if any movement.    I had already diverted the graywater to another solution, which helped for awhile, but slowly the field failed to the point of essentially total failure.  I have a single septic tank and wanted to try aerating it without the cost of a second tank.    I learned a number of things that I haven't seen explicitly explained on any of the forums so I wanted to put it here to hopefully help someone.

I installed my aerator a few months back.    Too much air volume and placing it in the center of the tank caused to much churning and cause solids to exit the tank.    I did notice the smell though went from putrid to a smell like freshly turned soil (not coincidentally; the same aerobic bacteria live in airy soil).   I spent a couple months thinking it didn't work.    Water still not going out.   But in the last couple of weeks I'm actually seeing the water levels fall to STAY at the edge of the outlet pipe!!!!     First time ever!!     I used the techniques below to avoid replacing my field without buying a $1000 solution.

You CAN aerate a single tank, but it's imperative that the aeration process doesn't agitate the incoming solids.    They have to come into the first baffle and separate so the lighter material can rise and heavier solids fall.    To accomplish this you have to use very fine bubbles and they have to be generated as far from the incoming line as possible, or they have to act inside an isolation vessel (there are videos where people use 12" pipe to contain the aerator).    You can get diaphragm diffusers for as cheap as $35 if you search around, connected to PVC pipe, and use an air valve to supply JUST ENOUGH air pressure/volume to activate the diaphragm (air RELIEF valve, not cutoff.   You'll damage your pump if you restrict airflow inappropriately).    Too much and you get a rolling torrent (which you don't want).    Place this diaphragm(s) near the output baffle or let it work IN the output baffle.    This allows all the agitation to happen away from the settling part of the tank.    THIS IS THE KEY, and is the reason why a separate aeration tank is ideal, so there's no chance of agitating the incoming.    Also I had a 4" TEE on the outlet side which served as the separator.  I put the two diaphragm diffusers on EITHER SIDE of the outlet TEE.  You don't want bubbles going up INTO the TEE which could siphon some debris up in there.    I got a septic filter brush and put down in the pipe to help filter the effluent, though as clear as the water is going out I don't think it was necessary.

One suggestion I received from a local contractor for my single concrete tank was to empty it, get inside and build a cinderblock wall giving 2/3 incoming/settling, and 1/3 aeration, but the tank has to be pretty good size to do that.   You need several hundred gallons of aeration space.    I put this on the burner as a next option, but turns out it wasn't necessary.

If you have a way of opening the other end of your leach lines to extend your field, at least temporarily, you get this freshly energized aerated bacteria through there quicker to let it go to work.   My temporary relief is now closed off and the field appears to be working!!

Note I did NOT need to buy super duper amped up bacteria to add.    From everything I've read this is hogwash and money makers for people.    That's like buying weed seeds;  give dirt some rain and you'll get the weeds.   The bacteria will fill the space if they have oxygen.

My findings confirm for me that the low agitation solutions available out there for $500-$1000 would certainly work.    I just chose to play around with a DIY solution.

Hope this helps someone.


Basement bathroom PEX branching to fixtures

I did something similar in my son's tiny house.
But I did an individual run to each item (kitchen sink, toilet, shower and bathroom sink) to limit the joints used to the ends only.
Much easier not to worry about leaks hidden in walls (just have to remember if fixing things with screws).
The professional plumber looked and said that was what he would do as the pipe is cheap and the consequences of one leaking tee joint are expensive.
A roll of the pipe (25m) is about 75 feet so you will still have some left.


Why don't my composite deck screws go in all the way? Why RT screws?

I believe the intent of the reverse thread is to suck the deck board down onto the stringer.  You don’t want the deck board and the stringer both engaged to the threads; that will hold the deck board spaced away from the stringer and put all the weight of traffic on that thread.
If the screw isn’t going in all the way, turn the head clockwise some more.
How to do that exactly is a matter for discussion between you and your screwdriver(s).
It will either go down more, or break.  If it breaks, then the wood is too tough for it; consider pre-drilling the holes.
If it’s not descending, then the screw isn’t turning.  If the driver is simply hopping out of the miniature “socket” inside the screw head, stop that from happening immediately because it will quickly destroy the “socket” and make the screw un-turnable. This is most often an issue with Philips screws.
If your screwdriver is refusing to turn the screw any harder (without hopping), then you are at the torque limit for that tool.  Some power drivers have a torque setting at which they’re designed to quit, and that can be changed. Again, pre-drilling can reduce this torque somewhat.  Otherwise, change tools.
I prefer a “speed wrench”, which is a socket wrench shaped like a crank. I use it with a “bit holder” placed in the socket; this gives a good combination of power, control and speed. I’ve never found anything I couldn’t drive with them. Also, the speed wrench allows you to dedicate your drill to pre-drilling.


Yes, if the wire is out of service, remove the plastic panel, secure the wire with insulation tape and put your tile over it.

"Out of service" not connected to the main telephone system!

If it connected, but you have other PSTN jacks in the house, cut the wire ONE by ONE with insulated wire cutters!. Then insulate each wire with tape and finally the entire wire.

You will also need to remove the socket on the right, and then replace it when you done tiling, as the mounts need to sit ONTOP of the tile, and the plastic cover will hide the mounts nice and flush.

You could also leave a nice message for somebody in the telephone box, when they take the tiles down in 25 years, that it was a telephone wire.. or where you buried your gold treasure. Heheheh


Usually the compressor evaporator unit has the main power 240v and with inside units only need 120v for the fan. How are you going to pump the line set down? The compressor is probably charged but after the line set is brazed it needs to be pumped down to at least 500um and verify that it is holding at what ever base pressure is achieved. This removes the air a non compressible and any moisture in the open plumbing.  If the base pressure can not be achieved there is a leak or there still moisture in evaporator / line set.
Allthough this is a DIY site most of the above work requires a EPA 608 certification. If the system holds more than 5 lbs it would require 2 of the 3ea  608 certifications with that in mind a certified tech should be hooking the system up.


Can I put a switch in after a GFCI and still have proper protection?

A configuration with GFCI protected outlets and switched lights but and unswitched outlets is a completely ordinary and unremarkable configuration.


How can I refinish an interior chimney pipe to make it appear rounded?

Where I live, there are two or three places that specialize in fireplaces, like a re-modeler's dream.  Find what you have locally and take a picture of your fireplace and your neighbors fireplace (before and after) and explain what it takes to change yours.  Then you will know what you need and whether it is something you want to handle as a DIY'er or pay to have done.  When you learn more you can search the whole world wide web. (I love saying that) to even help you take it to the next level.


What knot can I use to connect to an eye bolt without losing tension?

100% Trucker's hitch. It's the only knot I'd ever use in the situation you described:

..so I don't lose any of the tightness after pulling it.

From the linked page, above. Emphasis mine.

The Trucker's Hitch (also called the Lorry Knot) is a self binding knot. It's most common use is for tying loads to secure them to a fixed point. For example to secure a canoe to a car top, a tarp to a trailer, or any application where a very tight rope is needed. This knot has many advantages. It is non-jamming, can be tied anywhere in the standing part of a line, and even under the most severe tension, these knots remain easy to untie.

1) You must first tie a quick release loop above the tie-down point. To do this, create a small bight with the running end, leaving plenty of tag to work with.

2) When this is complete, pass the running end around or through the tie-down point then pass it through the quick release loop.

3) Pull down on the running end to tighten.

4) Secure the knot with two half-hitches.

5) Pull tight.

You can also find several videos on YouTube demonstrating how to tie the knot.

Learning this knot is a game-changer.


Proper name and origin of tiny drill bit

Looks like endodontic files, or root canal tools if you prefer laymans terms.

You can probably find such tools on eBay if you want.


30 years old exterior wooden stairs, repair or replace?

This seems like an impossible question to answer based off of this one picture. If you can't afford to replace it and it's not in dangerous condition, then I don't see why fixing the problem areas wouldn't be your best temporary solution.


It could be pressed into some plumber's putty. Use pieces of duct tape to make a full contact "wing nut" to grab the dome. Then drip some baby oil around the groove. Use the wing nut to try to wiggle and lift, and add some more drops of baby oil. Do not pry with anything or you might chip the porcelain dome.


How can I avoid excessive junk on inside junction, when cementing PVC sprinkler pipe?

That level of glop is not normal.

Some things to check:

Is the pipe end deburred?  A file plus sandpaper to finish works well.
Are the pipe & fittings dry?  Water can do strange things to PVC cement.
Be firm, but don't push too hard, and don't over rotate.  1/8 of a rotation is enough.
Work quickly, but do let any residual drips in the primer evaporate before moving on to glue.


How to fix the wire connections on three-way switches?

The source goes to the black screw, yes.  But both brass screws are travelers.  What's always true with travelers is

There are two of them
They are interchangeable
They are in the same cable on both ends
They are the same colors on both ends (obviously)
On both 3-ways, the two travelers go to the two brass screws

So for instance the travelers might be the red and white.  It really depends on what your installer picked for each segment of cable run, and some installers choose different colors for each segment.

Now, I greatly simplify my life by marking both travelers with yellow tape. And anytime you mark a wire with tape, mark both ends of the wire.

Now the first 3-way is super simple, both "yellow" wires are landed on both brass terminals.  Assuming the cable run is continuous between the 3-way switches, the other two travelers are also marked yellow and go on the brass screws there.


How do I tell if my house is brick or brick veneer?

One way is by looking at the bond of the bricks. Your bricks are arranged in a running bond or stretcher bond, which is always one brick thick:

To be a structural brick wall it would have to be more than one brick thick, or have multiple wythes, and you would see headers, like this:

It's likely your walls are wood-framed with single-wythe brick veneer on the outside. But to really know what was on the inside, you would have to see inside them. The easiest way is to remove some outlet covers and look behind the electrical box. If you see an open void, it's a wood-framed wall. If the area around the box is completely solid, you might have concrete blocks making up the structure of the wall.

Beautiful house, by the way.


We painted new drywall before it was primed. Now I am painting a few years later and some of that paint peeled off. How do I fix this?

Paint that has not properly adhered to the surface below could definitely peel off with the slightest touch. Depending on conditions, any masking tape might cause this; however I would suggest using high quality painter's masking tape to minimize the chances.

The soft material you have encountered under the peeling paint is the drywall joint compound used to cover edges, corners, and joints when drywall is installed.

I am afraid that you are in a tough spot now that it has begun to peel. You need to make sure the paint that is most unstable is removed, or it is likely to peel off in the future, including when you repaint the wall. Then you will need to:

sand the areas where sound paint meets substrate until the interface is smooth, then prime and repaint.

OR

use a wide trowel/mud knife to apply one or more coats of drywall finishing mud (sometimes called topping compound) to the peeled area, sanding after each coat, until the wall is smooth and free of visible imperfections. Then prime and repaint.


Repair squeaky MDF board for a Ottoman Divan Bed

MDF is particularly prone to sagging, and the only way to flatten it and prevent future sagging is to a fix a  brace or batten to it.

A 1x2" piece of hardwood, as long as possible, should be used (multiple, if possible, along the width). The best way to fasten it would be with Screws through the MDF top (make sure to drill pilot holes and countersinks to prevent warping the mdf).

Im not sure about the squeaking... But if to from the top contacting the sides when you're on top, a bit of foam tape or weatherstripping in the right spot can help that.


Should a UPS be unplugged when working on the electrical circuit it is plugged in to?

The UPS battery won't be backfeeding into the house service. DC current won't be flowing back through the rectifier diode.
I'd be more concerned about doing something wrong with your switch replacements, turning on the power and frying your UPS board. We see this happening all the time here. Play it save and unplug the UPS and anything else on the circuit while you're working on it.


How prevent water drainage from neighbor's yard?

Can you pass the buck elsewhere?

Water needs to go to a lower place - storm drain or elsewhere. Typically you'd connect low spots with a drainage conduit (french drain [buried channel of gravel/pebbles], or plastic drainage pipes) and connect that to an even lower area like a storm drain or sewer. If you can't connect low spots, you can protect them by placing drainage conduits across the path water would likely run.

You might also use pumps to help the process along if gravity is inadequate.

You could also install a dry well, which is basically an underground tank for the water to collect. It's perforated to eventually drain, so permeability of surrounding soil needs consideration.

I know the law says water on a property should be contained, but what if that's the natural state of the land? E.g. If a creek flows between properties, very little can be done to stop it short of redirecting the creek elsewhere.


Small rocks and scale can cause the fill valve to leak allowing more water in. Some can be fixed by turning the water off, then removing the top of the fill valve and slightly turning the water on Put a cup over the top so when it turns on you don't soak your bathroom. Push down on the float let the water run for a few seconds. turn water off and reassemble the valve. wait and see if that did the trick. Usually there will be rust and sediment in the bottom of the tank if it blows out a lot of debris. I like to clean this out with a wet vac so it wont leave rust stains in the bowl. The valves are inexpensive and not hard for a DIY person to change at worst case.


How do I get my bench clamp swivel to hold?

Your idea of grinding a few threads from the bolt seems to be on the right track. In that photo, I wondered if the bolt was bottoming in the handle nut. Of course, if you grind too much off, it's not an easy task to replace the lost threads.

As an alternative, consider a shim of sufficient diameter to engage the entire bottom plate of the vise with sufficient thickness to take up the needed gap in the clinch bolt assembly.

If you're handy with a welder, build up a bead of weld on the edges of the bolt that engage the slot and gain the take-up in that manner as another option.


Is it against NEC code to re-use pulled cable?

No, nothing is wrong with re-using cable and cable assemblies that are listed and approved provided that they are in working order and still permissible for new construction in the location that you intend to use them. Don't use a cable that doesn't have a grounding conductor would be the main rule for re-using what you'd find in a residential setting.

Re-use becomes more of an issue when you get into classified locations, such as medical facilities and other commercial areas. You wouldn't be able to re-use a bunch of MC (metal clad) cable where HCFC (hospital care facility cable) is now required - but you're not likely to run into those situations in a residential setting.

If it's the right type of cable, just test it:

Are the conductors stiff and brittle?
Is any bonding that used to be in the assembly still there, and in good shape?
Is the exterior obviously stressed, or showing signs of damage from smoke or water?

... don't use it :) Otherwise, you should be fine.

Still, even if it looks / tests fine - consider replacing it if it's over 15 years old. You need not waste it, Romex has oodles of uses out of the wall (it's great for tying up/down all kinds of stuff, for instance).


If the inlet valve (bottom, in your picture) isn't opened enough, or if the other valves aren't set right, there's not enough pressure to activate the backflow preventer, so water just spews out the top and/or sides. Check out this video on how to properly "turn on" the pressure-vacuum breaker (PVB).


What happens if range hood is smaller than cooktop?

The Code requires an overhead exhaust hood to be “at least as wide as the unit and shall extend over the entire unit”. (See ICC M1504) There are exceptions (i.e.: downdraft, etc.) but must be labeled for such use.
In addition, it goes on to say the exhaust duct shall extend to the exterior with a backdraft damper and cannot be plastic.
Interesting side note: Section ICC M1504 says there shall be a minimum clear distance from the cooktop to combustible material or cabinets of 24”, but Section ICC M1901 says the distance shall be a minimum of 30”. Go figure.


How to turn off water to replace main shutoff on private well

Yes, turning off the breaker for the well pump and draining the lines will prevent the water from coming back on and re-pressuring the tank and lines.

I'd put a note on the breaker panel to "stay out" until you are done.


Question regarding "dry spots" with latex paint

Assuming both original and new paint are latex, try another coat on the problem areas. That should clear up the dry spots.

In the future, you'll probably get better results with primer+finish. And I wouldn't skim unless the surface was really lumpy.


Will preformed concrete piers make a sufficient shed foundation in a seismically active region?

Yes , pier blocks are great for sheds make sure you have enough for your project. I usually dig down 1/2-2/3 the height of the pier block to get below the topsoil this reduces the amount of settling and any issues with frost heave in the winter, luckily our winters are not as cold as the Midwest and back east. So frost heave is not much of a problem with the pier dug in, this also reduces the step up.


For such a narrow channel, I'd use 10mm aggregate.

You could even go to 4 parts gravel in the mix - a typical "go to" mix ratio for concrete is 1:2:4


Having met a few attempts to use chalkboard paint (couldn't tell you the brand) I'd strongly suggest looking for a (used/surplus, assuming cost is a factor) chalkboard, it will work much better. Somewhere within 50 miles of you there is almost always a school being either remodeled or abandoned; or you can leave that part to an architectural salvage firm and buy from them (it will cost more.)

If using the paint, I would suggest applying it to a sheet of tempered hardboard (e.g. Masonite®) rather than directly to the wall surface.


Either way will work, I do it without the initial layer of thinset. What matters the most is using a nice creamy thinset mix and applying it carefully in a wide band, to reduce the "hump" that could result in tiles that lay unevenly.


What could this red switch be for possibly

turned out to be a switch controlling attic fan, but only when thermostat in the attic actually starts it. The pilot light is actually broken so it was impossible to correlate, but with the help here I was able to finally figure it out... now on to the next thing! :)

Again thanks for very helpful guidance, I definitely learned some things along the way.


main electric circuit breaker - aluminium+copper contacts - put antioxidant grease?

I will answer it this way, I use anti oxide paste on even copper to copper lugs a bottle last many months and I do this for a living. Is it required ? I think it should be with any dissimilar metals but it helps prevent aluminum threads from oxidizing here close to the coast. I find jobs that the lugs are ruined from oxides and have to be replaced fairly often especially with large commercial equipment unless a little noalox or deox was used, look on the contact pointed of many new breakers and you will probably see just a drop, why do they put it there? It extends the life of the contact point and improves reliability. If mfg's do it why shouldn't we?


Microwave not heating: Should I pay a contractor to diagnose?

Depends on if it was expensive, if it is mounted, and how much the one you'd buy would cost. (and install)

Encountered a similar problem, once it was a safety switch for the door, another time it was a burnt out magnetron. Worth replacing either on a $600+ unit. $200? Just buy a nice new clean one.