Under Cabinet led strip lights appear to be different colors/temperatures

It varies dramatically by dimming/color-control method
If we're dealing with multiple modules listening to the same remote, that is a very different picture than common PWM control. If I'm sounding like Geordi LaForge on Star Trek, then you see the problem. There's a lot of tech here.
And I gather from your question that you don't really have the vernacular to get down-and-dirty on the gory details of this system's design.  That, however, is where the problem lies.
If you're dealing with RGBWW or simply WW (adjustable color temp)

in WW's case, that means 2 separate strings, one Warm White and one Cool White.
in RGBWW's case, it has that, plus, Red, Green and Blue.

Typically each of these 2-5 strings is dimmed individually, resulting in a blend of colors. Blending cool white and warm white gives you any color temperature you want, and of course R, G and B let you get funky!
If that's the setup, it's possible that one of the strings has gone out, leaving the remaining string stuck at full-cold or full-warm.  The "flickering" would be consistent with that.
If so, that's likely a simple wire repair.


How can I replace a single pole light switch with Z-Wave light switch?

It sounds like the two black wire with the pigtail are the incoming hot and a branch hot to another location, such as the outlet. The other black attached to the switch is probably the switched hot that goes to the fixture being controlled.

You can verify this by turning the switch to off, making sure all the wires and terminals are clear and not touching anything else metal, and then turning on the breaker.  Using the non-contact tester, carefully check the wires. The paired blacks should read hot, but the switched black should not.

If this is what you have, wiring the new switch is pretty straightforward. Turn the breaker off again. Confirm no wires are now hot. The new switch is basically connected the same way as the old, but with a neutral wire and ground wire added.

The hot pigtail is connected to the line terminal.
The switched black wire is connected to the load terminal.
A pigtail (white) is added to the bundle of neutral wires and connected to the neutral terminal
A pigtail (bare) is added to the bundle of ground wires and connected to the ground terminal.

The traveler terminal is not used (and it looks like it is covered anyway).

Use wire nuts, and if you like, tape over them for extra safety. You also could put a wrap of tape around the z-switch covering the terminals. Carefully insert the wires back in the box. Screw the switch into the box. Turn the power back on.

While most dumb switches do not need a neutral connection, many smart switches, such as the z-switch, do. Now all switches have a separate ground connection, although many in the past did not.


How should I paint accents over oil-based stain?

After staining give a coat of clear finish, sanding it with a fine sandpaper (400G) to remove any raised grain or any dust that may have settled onto the drying finish.  This will give you a good base to add your paint and the sanded surface will give it good adhesion. Steel wool has its purpose, but I would not use it here. That's only my opinion. My experience is the steel wool sheds metal bits everywhere, and may be a deal to clean up completely.

After the recommended dry time for the paint is over, give it your final clear coat.
I know this did not answer your question about how long to wait before the top coat, but depending on what brand of paint you use, makes a difference. Each paint container always list how long it needs to dry before the next coat. Many usually only need 8 hours.

If you do not have that, the safe rule of thumb is, 24 hours if oil over oil, 2 days if water over oil. I don't know what to recommend if oil over water.


Electric panel distance from windows and/or gas service entry

As far as the electrical equipment goes there is nothing beyond the working clearances. The equipment can be directly adjacent to either item.

Working clearance for a panel is 30" wide and 36" deep (in front). The equipment can be anywhere in the 30" wide space.

There may be a gas code clearance issue, but I am not familiar with that code.

Might I ask why you are asking?


Classy way to hide unused low voltage cut outs or should I just drywall over and paint?

If there are live connected wires in any of those junction boxes then you cannot just drywall over them. They have to be accessible, so stick with the cover plates. The low voltage ones could be patched over and the walls painted. Just take some good measurements for the future. In 5 or 10 years everything will probably be wireless and we won't need any wire for anything...


How to seal HVAC ducts running through old window to addition?

assumptions from what's in  your photo:

1)  it looks like the right side of the opening is your access, and the ducts are rigidly installed.

2) the crawlspace looks unheated, as the ducts seem to be insulated, and the fact that you mention radon must mean you have an actively vented (fan) crawlspace to evacuate any radon gas (along with a radon alarm in the living space of the basement adjacent).  I personally don't have any experience with radon tight building, but certain municipalities in Ontario have this as an issue, so its covered in the provincial building code.

if that's correct here's what you can do.

1)  build an airtight, removeable access door and frame assembly to give you access.  you can find this on youtube I am sure, or just copy the way an attic access works.

2)  on the ductwork runs, build a bigger pipe around them so that you have a 1" gap between the heated duct and the slip pipe.  you can wrap a piece of galvanized steel flashing around them, overlapping the ends by approx. 3".  use galvanized steel, not aluminum, to prevent galvanic corrosion.

3)  stuff fiberglass insulation into the gap between the pipes (not too compactly) and seal the ends with fiberglass cord sized to match the gap (1 in gap needs 1" cord.

4)  tape the end of the pipe over with vapour barrier and adhere to the slip and the duct. now you have an airtight insulated joint that can expand and contract and won't cause corrosion on the duct pipe.

5)  fill the gaps between the slip pipe and everything else with spray foam. fill the gaps from both the cold side and the warm to trap a dead air space between the foam fields. now you have a vapour proof insulation mass that will keep your heat in.

6)  THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.  go through all the pipe insulation on the cold side and make sure that all the insulation is in good shape and that the vapour barrier is completely intact.  remember, extra insulation on vent pipes does nothing but save you money and headache when it comes to crawlspace hvac ducting.

now you have a giant section, half access panel, half bulkhead, all of it airtight, insulated and radon-tight.

done


With certain versions of the nest thermostat they require the C or common wire for operation. The nest thermostat needs 5 wires to accommodate the extra common wire. Check to see that how many wires the thermostat wire is. You may be lucky and have the extra wire tucked in behind the thermostat.

Another possible issue, if you do have 5 wires hooked up at the thermostat is the C wire may be disconnected at the furnace control board as it was not needed for the old thermostat. If this is the case you would have to open the furnace and add the C wire to the C terminal of the control board.


So Cal garage conversion: Proper way to level floor

I would check Cali codes, but here in WA you can do all of those things you asked about without a permit. It would be considered a remodel and only certain things like some electrical work would require a permit. I personally would frame in the garage door area and use the self leveling product you can buy from the local home improvement store that mixes with water. Works well on concrete. I have used it to level and seal over my old basement floor that consisted of thin asbestos tiles over concrete. Have you talked to a local contractor? Ask friends/family for a trusted remodel contractor that will give you an honest assessment would be advice before doing anything.


Downstream non-gfci outlet needs to power a refrigerator

Defrost Cycle

As discussed in comments, this problem does not happen immediately but appears to be related to the defrost cycle - in one test it took 7 hours until the breaker tripped. Assuming this is the GFCI tripping, which appears to be the case though that hasn't been stated clearly, that points to one of two possible problems:

The defrost mechanism itself is leaking current somehow, causing an imbalance which trips the GFCI
Water from the defrost cycle leaks to someplace that causes a ground fault. Exactly the kind of thing that a GFCI is designed to protect against.

So the question becomes: Is this the beginning of a potentially dangerous fault, in which case the GFCI may have saved someone from serious, even fatal, electrocution, or is this truly a minor issue, possibly even a design flaw, where the electrical leakage is so small and so hidden that it would never actually present a danger.

As Harper frequently points out, GFCI trips on refrigerators generally have far more risk of causing food poisoning and/or loss of food due to undetected problems than they do of benefit by preventing electrocution. So if the situation really is "not a real problem, just poor design that leads to GFCI trips every defrost cycle but safe to use" then the solution is to wire up a refrigerator-only receptacle off the LINE side of the GFCI instead of the LOAD side.

If, on the other hand, this problem is actually a sign of a potentially dangerous situation - perhaps caused by damage during the 5 years that the refrigerator sat unused - then fixing the underlying problem is a much better course of action.

No random person on the internet can make this potential life-safety decision for you.

(If it were me, I'd see if I could isolate the components of the defrost circuit to see if there was repairable damage. But that's me. And it is likely a non-trivial project to do that.)


Why does my radiator leak if it's not fully opened or closed?

I'm afraid your super is right. The supply valve must either be fully open or fully closed. If it is partially open, condensate cannot properly drain back to the boiler. It will collect in your radiator instead. How much heat is put out is regulated by the size of the vent valve. If the boiler works by central control, meaning the steam goes on and off for the whole building to regulate heat, you can regulate the heat put out by the radiator by getting a thermostatically controlled one pipe steam radiator vent valve, or simply getting a smaller vent valve.


How should I extend the drywall around a shower remodel?

It's really up to you; there are pros and cons to either choice. Piecing in would be easier and quicker, but then you'd have a butt joint all around the shower to feather out. Tearing the rest of the drywall into the corners would look nicer (no butt joints), but would be plenty more work.


One of the brown wires was acting as a neutral, I switched one of the wires into the neutral spot and the light switch is working fine now.

If anyone knows why there is 3 brown wires please let me know. (old wiring?)


How to connect a 2 wire light fixture to a 3 wire ceiling box?

Usually red is switched, black is hot, white is neutral. However, you should verify this with either a test light or a multimeter ($5).

So the easy way to do this is to connect white to white, red to black, and see what happens when you flip the switch.

However, red might be a second circuit or part of a three way switch -- there's no easy way to tell without testing it.  Write down the voltages between white and ground, black and ground, and red and ground with all switches in both positions -- have your assistant operate the switches while you test them.

Finally, turn off the power at the breaker, connect white to the neutral, black to the hot or switched leg (your preference), turn the breaker on, and operate the switches to make sure everything is working.


60 amp Fuse box as junction box for 150a panel

It is fairly typical to use an old panel box with the guts removed for use as a junction box. Once the work is done, the cover plate can be screwed down to prevent opening while still being "permanently accessible".  If you don't like to appearance, hang a picture over it! But it will pass code in most places.


Basement concrete leveling issue for click lock hardwood flooring installation

Assuming that the issue is a bulge in the concrete, I'd be fixing that first. You cannot lay wood flooring over that severe of a bend. Either break up the hump and remove it, or cut out the entire area and refill with concrete.

You'll want to shorten the pipe and install a cleanout plug (threaded fitting). This should be slightly below the surface of the concrete. You can then install a stainless steel cover after the flooring is installed.


Insulate and fill hole in wall that was for cables?

you don't say what the material is that has a hole in it. Great Stuff works well usually. Let it dry completely (for like a day or two). Hack saw blade (no saw) cuts off excess flush with surface. May want to push in filler to create a dent to allow for cap/finish agent. Spackle/skim over with your favorite skimming agent (something that matches existing surface). I have used vinyl spackling for smooth stuff and sanded, cementicious products for stucco and rock, I'ved used Bondo, Durham's Rock Hard...etc., etc. Great stuff is your insulator and filler then you just need to skim/cap/finish it then paint it.


Letter's found at new construction sites

Marks the location for having utility lines possibly crossing the construction area found and marked with painted lines.  This is required anytime excavation takes place in an area the utilities might be.  One of the common companies that does this, or at least a phone hotline to these people is called USA digs.


Looking for suggestions on securing floor tiles

Nothing really bounds well to small pieces of loose thinset.  The problem is that the thinset that is adhered under your tile isn't in one stable piece.  Meaning that even if you add more thinset to a band of loose thinset it probably won't hold long, it certainly won't hold long term.

I suggest you cut your loses.  You have had someone replace the tiles.  I hope they told you they wouldn't last.  For one I would have never just replaced your tiles.  It is just too obvious that there would be issues really soon, since you are doing the same thing that just broke.  I suggest demoing tile and doing it right.  By the time you try to do 4-5 rounds of touch up you will be at the same amount of time than just redoing the floor.  I mean there are instances where a plywood subfloor for tiles would conceivably work and may last years but you know that yours is not this case so why bother gluing the tiles down?  They will come up, more tiles will come up, you will have grout crack everywhere.  [And I am not a big demo and do it perfect to last 200 years Mike Holmes type]


I wouldn't expect it to be anything more than a resistive element so it shouldn't be polarized... but the maintenance manual is almost certainly available on the weB, free or for a small fee, so I'd suggest you check that.


Is sparking in the motor of my drill a concern?

If the motor has brushes some arcing is normal even with high quality equipment, cheaper models usually have more arcs that are visible because the armature is usually rougher. You may notice a decrease in the quantity of arcs as the brushes seat to the armature, I regularly dust my brushed motors with dry compressed air to reduce buildup and on big motors. Usually higher voltage this reduces the chance of flash over that can do a fair amount of damage. + for both comments.


How can I temporarily cover up a bathroom door to a shower room?

You could try installing two expandable shower rods across the doorway. One should be shoulder high the other knee high. Mount some hooks on to a sheet of plywood. Hang the plywood on the shower rods by the hooks. Or just hang a shower curtain on the rod and place a do not enter sign in front of the entrance. This method may keep you out of trouble with the local fire department as blocking an entrance/exit is generally frowned upon.


How do I choose a Home Inspector and Inspection?

I've recently been through this process, and here are a few things to look for.

Some home inspectors will use some more high tech equipment such as IR/Heat cameras and provide additional services like foundation level checking.  I saw some inspectors that offered free (short term) home warranty's with their inspection which can be a good added value.

Ask about additional services like Wood Destroying Insect inspection.  Some inspectors are licensed to do this work themselves, and some will have to call in a partner company to do that work.  Depending on the house and financing type this could either be a good idea, or a hard requirement.  If the home has a pool or detached building, these will be extra costs, and some inspectors may not be very good at pool inspection.  If this is a concern, find someone that claims to have experience with pools or whatever other unusual feature your home has.

I had an inspector say they couldn't inspect the roof because their ladder wouldn't reach...  They knew it was a two story house beforehand, so I was disappointed, but at that point I didn't really have any recourse or time to schedule another inspection.  Ask if they will be able to reach the roof or the attic or the crawlspace before you schedule them.

Finally, know that once you get your report, there will be quite a bit of stuff that they list based on their checklist that may not really be that important.  Know going into it that the report is going to be long and point out a lot of "technical" issues that may or may not be a big deal.  Their job is to point out all the small stuff, then you decide how much you care.  For instance, one inspector found a window that was a few inches too high based on todays code, but not the code when it was built.  I guess that's nice to know, but it really doesn't matter, and the whole "window" section of the report has a "deficient" mark on it for that one thing.


Your problem has all of the symptoms of a tripped or bad GFCI device. Insure that all GFCI's are reset. As far as diagnostics are concerned, at this point you will need a multimeter or ammmeter, or begin replacing parts helter skelter until you find or replace whatever is broken.

First kill all power to the devices and lights. Then you need to open up all of the receptacle and light fixtures so you can access their terminals. Then you can turn the circuit back on and using your meter, you measure voltage from your source to your neutral and ground. It should be reading around 120V. When you find the devices that are not reading 120V trace back to the nearest intersection where you are reading 120V and not reading 120V, and somewhere in there is where you have an open circuit.

I can say that before I started all of that, using my meter I would verify that there is 120V at the circuit breaker and then I would do everything I could to locate the GFCI.

If your house was built after 1978 then your garage receptacles will be required to be on a GFCI device.

Good luck


What's the best way to hang an unframed poster on a sloping wall without using something that will damage the poster?

Poster putty is an adhesive, but supposed to not damage posters or walls. Similar products are sold under names like Sticky Tack, Mounting Putty, and Blu-Tack.


What's the right way to mix and use boric acid spray for fleas?

Here is a partial answer: heating the water helped a lot. I have boiled 1.5L, mixed with 0.5L tap water (summer time) and dissolved 100g boric acid in it completely.


Draining problems in dishwasher. Is this drain setup ok?

Put the dishwasher drain line into the disposal. But that is NOT your air gap. There is a difference between an air gap and a trap. The output of the disposal has a trap, which is important. But you also need to have an air gap. A trap prevents sewer gas from escaping through the drain. An air gap prevents sewer water from coming into the dishwasher if the drain pipe is clogged.

However, an air gap does not need to be the old style of funny looking metal/plastic thing on the corner of the sink. Instead, you can use a flexible hose from the dishwasher that loops up above the height of the sink drain, as far as possible to the underside of the counter and then loops down and into the disposal. This does not require anything visible above the counter or any cutting holes into the sink or counter.

Assuming the corrugated plastic tube is your dishwasher drain line, move the end to the disposal and attached the middle of it as high up under the counter as you can and you're all set.


What do the numbers on stick electrodes mean?

Those are classification codes, the most common in the US being the American Welding Society (AWS) numbering system. You may see labels such as AWSE6011, E6011, or simply 6011. These values all mean the same thing, some just provide a bit of extra information.
Carbon Steel
{AWS}E6011
The first part simply tells you which standard is used. in this example, it's the American Welding Society numbering system. This value may or may not appear printed on the consumable.
AWS{E}6011
The E in this example, represents the consumable type.  E represents an electrode, which means an electrical current causes the filler material to be deposited. This value may or may not appear printed on the consumable.
Consumable Types
E - Electrode.
R - Rod.
ER - Electrode or Rod.
EC - Composite Electrode.
B - Brazing.
RB - Electrode, Rod, or Both.
RG - Oxygen.
IN - Insert.
EW - Tungsten Electrode.
F - Flux.
AWSE{60}11
The first two (or 3) numerical digits represent the tensile strength of the filler material, measured in thousands of pounds per square inch. In this example, it would be 60,000 psi.
AWSE60{1}1
The next numerical digit, represents the position the consumable can be used in.
1 - All positions (Flat, Horizontal Fillet, Vertical Up, Vertical Down, Overhead).
2 - Flat and Horizontal Fillet only.
3 - Flat only (deprecated).
4 - Flat, Horizontal Fillet, Vertical Down, Overhead.
AWSE601{1}
The last numerical digit tells you what the coating material is, and which types of current can be used.
0 - High Cellulose Sodium - (DC+)
1 - High Cellulose Potassium - (AC, DC+, DC-)
2 - High Titania Sodium - (AC, DC-)
3 - High Titania Potassium - (AC, DC+, DC-)
4 - Iron Powder, Titania - (AC, DC+, DC-)
5 - Low Hydrogen Sodium - (DC+)
6 - Low Hydrogen Potassium - (AC, DC+)
7 - High Iron Oxide, Iron Powder - (AC, DC+, DC-)
8 - Low Hydrogen Potassium, Iron Powder - (AC, DC+, DC-)

Stainless steel
{E}308L-17
The E here is the same as with carbon steel, see above.
E{308}L-17
The numerical value here represents the filler metal that the consumable is made of, and will be some grade of stainless steel. Note that the filler material, doesn't necessarily have to match the material being welded.
E308{L}-17
This character may or may not be present, and indicates the percentage of carbon in the filler material. If the character is present, it can be either L for low carbon, or H for high carbon.
E308L-{17}
The digits after the dash, represent the coating material and allowable current type.
15 - Lime based coating - (DC+)
16 - Titania or Rutile - (AC, DC+, DC-)
17 - Silica, Titania - (AC, DC-, DC+)


Definitely replace as many as you can. Residential grade receptacles from that era are/were total junk.

If you can, I would definitely get "spec-grade" receptacles. These are commercial duty devices that are MUCH better than resi grade stuff.

Also, I agree, you will most likely have to install TR, or tamper-resistant, receptacles, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

For a 25 year old home most areas requiring GFI protection will already have it, but you will have to add them in some areas like protecting all kitchen counter receptacles. They don't all need to be GFI devices, just GFI protected.

Please ask if you are not sure of the requirements.


What are the pros and cons of titanium lawnmower blades?

I assume you want longer blade life ? As a metallurgist I can't think of any advantage for Ti. I have weld hard-faced steel blades  ( 5% Cr+ C ).They cut well but it was very difficult to grind a sharp edge on the rounded weld deposit. My current cheap mower blade is doing very well and I realized all that is needed is to harden it - quench and temper ( Q & T ). The large majority of blades are just cold rolled steel , not hard. They are relatively low carbon like nearly all ordinary steels , that can make Q & T difficult. But it can be done with high austenitizing temperature ,like 1650F, and quenching into salt water. There are other more expensive things that can be done.


If you are here on Stack Exchange asking if there is a way to fix a light switch, then I would guess you're handy enough to replace it. It truly is simple and should only require a screwdriver. Turn off the breaker, 2-screws on the cover, 2-screws on the switch, 1-screw for each wire (probably). Take a photo of it with your phone before disconnecting the wires so you'll remember where they go. You can purchase a standard switch at any hardware store (or even Walmart!) for pocket change.

If you come up with anything other than what is described here when you take it apart, post a photo and we'll help.


Accessory for connecting a manual scissor jack to a drill to lift it faster

I would use a clevis pin like the image, with a bit of hex shaft welded into it for the chuck to grip.

Remove the safety clip and withdraw the clevis pin to allow the jack eye-hole to pass into the jaw, then push the pin through and secure with the safety clip. A spacer to reduce the play between the clevis pin diameter and the jack eye-hole diameter will reduce excessive play and wear.

I would make a shaft to go into the drill chuck from some hexagonal shaft - commonly available and likely stronger than grinding flats on some cheap jack handle...


Is it wrong that my dryer plug has one L shaped prong?

You have an obsolete, dangerous  NEMA 10-50
It's a member of the NEMA 10 family which has been outlawed for 30 years because it has a very dangerous failure mode.  If anything goes wrong with the neutral wire, the chassis of the range/dryer becomes energized!
In a remodel you are required to come up to current Codes.  No electrician would ever install a 10-30 (let alone a 10-50!) as it would be instantly written up by the inspector.
However it should be easy enough to change the recep to NEMA 14-30.  Just get a thing that looks just like that, but is a 14-30 instead.  Here are the three 30A styles.

The left one is correct for a dryer.
You must change the dryer cord according to the dryer's instructions (search the web).  An essential part of this is removing a "grounding strap" which attaches the dryer chassis to neutral (which was bad).


Oven heating element just blew (WOW!). Went & killed the breaker. Clock on range is still running. And is flipping me off

That is a very common fault for a heating element.
Check and see if the stove top works, the fault may not have tripped the breaker.
Most older homes have a 40 amp circuit double pole for a range and 50 amp is becoming more popular. (If in another part of the world a different size breaker is possible)  A 120v oven doubtful 120v GFCI very doubtful with older wiring.
If the fault tripped the breaker it is safe. If the fault did not trip the breaker don’t use the oven and it should be fine until it can be repaired by you if you own the oven/range or by the land lord.
Appliance repair is not covered by the NEC the premises wiring is.
If it can be unplugged and it would make you feel better unplug it if plugged in. I always unplug or verify the power is off prior to replacing these elements (a very simple job).
If the clock is on the oven/ range it most likely did not trip the breaker.
Edit added post element repair:
With the original post stating the clock was on but not mentioning it had a strange reading I did not think to mention that when the element blew it may have fried the controller.
The high current short in some cases vaporizes the traces on the control board some cases just the oven won’t work in others the metal slag from the event shorts out the controls.
With the damage to the board a new board may be needed. It has been a while but the control board can usually be found on line.
I think they come in white and black but that could be a different brand. The relays that turn on the elements are on the board so when there is a short from the element failure the traces turn into the fuses.
Search for your model # and you may find one under 50 but they range up to 150 range actual prices are off topic because they are always changing.


Are the old A-head terminals for connecting to knob and tube wiring still compliant?

The article you need to refer to is 394.
Here is an excerpt that applies to your situation.

II. Installation
394.10 Uses Permitted. Concealed knob-and-tube wiring shall be permitted to be installed in the hollow spaces of walls and ceilings, or in unfinished attics and roof spaces as provided by 394.23, only as follows:
(1) For extensions of existing installations
(2) Elsewhere by special permission

Many jurisdictions don't allow K & T unless it is a historical house. For your temporary situation, unless you are pulling a permit and getting inspected, extension of the existing system would seem reasonable.
You should replace it with a more modern grounded wiring method as soon as is practical though.
Happy New Year!


can I attach electric cable to underside of rafters

Joists actually, but I get you. Otherwise, only if you want to nick them & have to re-wire after every electrocution. To do wire on the joist bottoms you have to use Armored Cable or some kind of approved conduit. Really just not a good idea, much easier yes but definitely not better. Plus, drilling through the center of the joists isn't that bad & the basement could be finished in the future with less corrections to make.


What could cause a gas fireplace to stop working during operation?

Hopefully your issue may just be a faulty wall switch or a short in the switch wire. You can check this by jumping the TH and TH/TP terminals on the gas valve. If the unit starts, this is your issue.

Another cause may be a dirty or faulty thermopile (the largest of the 2 sticks on either side of the pilot hood. A thermopile is basically a series of thermocouples put together to create a higher voltage (which will control the main valve section of the gas valve. A proper thermopile should give you above 250 millivolts when the pilot is on(250 being close to the minimum that most gas valves will be able to operate at). First try cleaning the thermopile. Then remove the 2 leads off the gas valve and take a reading between the red and white wires of the thermopile. Anything under 250 millivolts and it must be changed. If the thermopile checks out then your issue is most likely the gas valve, and the gas valve will need to be replaced.


Need more information.  Sorry for doing this as an answer but the alternative was a raft of comments.

Can't speak for your location.  Here we can get a chemical water sample bottle from our local public health office, fill it, and send it in.  A month later we get a report.

If you can do this with the affected faucet, you can find out WHAT is generating the stink.  Hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell)  Sulfur dioxide (burned match smell)  Dead animal (rotting meat) smell?

How long does it take for the smell to regenerate?  E.g.  You ran it until the smell stopped at 8:00.  Does it stink again by 9?

Where does this line run relative to other lines?  Is it the last tap on a run or is it a side tap?

Are your water lines copper or plastic?

Do you have water hammer traps?  (A capped vertical pipe branch.  They tend to collect dissolved air, and act to reduce the Clunk!!! when someone shuts a tap abruptly.  A dead mouse in one could add a certain bouquet to the water.)


Cutting boards serve two purposes: to keep you from cutting into your bench top, and to keep from dulling your cutting tools. The second reason is the kicker!  You could use a sheet of metal, but your blades would need constant resharpening.

All that being said, I would go to your local Walmart, Target, Fred Meyer, etc and buy a cheap cutting board made for kitchen use.  They work well, and are way less expensive than the ones you'll find at Tandy Leather...


Is this box bonded properly to the ground?

I do a lot of work on older homes and see stuff like this all the time.  Keep in mind that the equipment grounding conductor (EGC), that bare safety ground, was not always present in wiring systems.  If you see old homes - a little older than this one - with two-prong receptacles, those were wired back before the EGC was part of the system.

I think when the EGC was introduced, people were not exactly sure how to terminate it.  You'll see the EGC wrapped around any handy screw.  If it makes solid contact, and the screw is still doing it's job, it's probably not an issue, but it is not code compliant.

In this case, it doesn't look like that wrapped EGC is making solid contact, and it definitely is interfering with the screw clamping that clamp so the cable is secure.  So from a strictly practical standpoint there is room for improvement here.

The NEC has the following rule, but I am not sure it would have been in the code at the time of construction:

  250.148(C) Metal Boxes. A connection shall be made between the one or more equipment grounding conductors and a metal
  box by means of a grounding screw that shall be used for
  no other purpose, equipment listed for grounding, or a
  listed grounding device.

In addition, code requires that the box be listed and installed according to the manufacturer's instructions, and there's no way the manufacturer's instructions suggested the clamp screw be used for a ground screw.  That rule goes back so far, it was probably a rule when this was installed, but I think when the EGC was new, inspectors were not super strict about things.  But that's just my guess.

You'll notice in this picture that you have nonmetallic cable with a cloth jacket.  Always be careful handling cable / wiring this old, the insulation is often brittle.  This insulation looks like thermoplastic rather than rubber so it's probably not too bad to handle.  The EGC is smaller than the line and neutral conductors - probably 16 gauge EGC with 12 AWG or 14 AWG line / neutral - which is not an issue.

Since it's no big deal to make this A-OK I would remove the bare ground from the clamp screw and make that clamp snug as it should be - but not super tight, not necessary and that old cable may be fragile.

I'd then splice the green wire, the bare ground, and a 6" bare ground pigtail with a wire nut, and bond the other end of the ground pigtail to the box by a suitable method.  It's very possible that old box doesn't have the usual 10-32 threaded hole for a ground screw, so the easiest DIY thing to use is a grounding clip:

Grounding clips don't require any special tools to install and you don't have to reach inside the box to do what you need to do:


New electric hot water heater, hot water turns luke warm after 12-15minutes of use?

That's how tanked water heaters work

Before, you had an oil fired water heater.  There's no such thing directly, so you probably had an powerful oil fired boiler (hydronic) with enough power to heat the whole house, and as a side-feature, it had a water-water heat exchanger providing hot water.   The demands of heating the house are much larger than just hot water, so it had the oomph to provide hot water continuously.

You changed to the cheapest option available, a tanked electric water heater, because the project had to hit a budget number. This is how those work.

Electric tanked water heaters have a tank of water.  Typically 30 gallons sometimes larger, and typically 30 amps of electric.  It takes 20-60 minutes for the tank to initially warm up.   As you use the water, cold water must (law of physics) come in to replace it (the pressure of this water is what provides the flow).  The 30A electric heater is not powerful enough to heat water at the rate a shower uses it.  So the hot water is eventually used up. The heater needs 20-60 minutes to recover.

Getting 10-15 minutes of hot water would be about right for a low flow 2 GPM showerhead and a common 30 gallon tank.

You can go tankless

What you had before, with your hot water heat exchanger, was effectively a tankless heater because the fuel-fired heat source was so very powerful.

Since you converted the house to gas, you can get a gas tankless heater. Those can be plenty powerful and will do what you want.

Your other option is a tankless electric heater.  However fuel is very powerful and it takes a lot of electricity to even compete.  Don't be surprised if a "whole house" electric tankless heater large enough that will satisfy your needs will want 100A or more.  That's just how much electricity it takes to heat water.  It's unfortunately common for people to lowball their tankless electric requirement to either save money or due to electric capacity, and be unhappy with the lukewarm results at high flow. Such people inevitably declare "tankless electrics are junk" and give up, which is a shame.

However with electric, a "whole house" unit isn't necessarily the best plan.  With no flues or drains, a tankless electric can go practically anywhere.  You can site one right at the shower and have instant hot water. And since it's only serving the shower (and presumably the sink) it can be a smaller unit.  Have another one under the kitchen sink to power the faucet, dishwasher etc (with a branch to the washing machine) and you are in good shape.  You still need a lot of power.


Grounding a Ballast for wood enclosure when there is no metal?

Get a programmed-start ballast.

Cheap ballasts also misuse ground to manipulate capacitive effects between the fluorescent tube and the metal enclosure.  Note huge assumption about fixture design.

Programmed-start ballasts preheat the fluorescent lamp filaments (in the ends of the tubes) until conditions are ideal to strike the arc in the manner Tesla intended.  It results in a 0.5 to 3 second startup delay (depending on ambient temperature) but is very easy on the tube, and avoids the capacitive trick.

Heat will be minimal on any modern ballast. In a fluorescent, the heat comes from the tubes.

You may want to think about LED lighting and do an end-run around all these problems.

You can't use NM cable as cordage.  If you want cordage, buy cordage.  They often sell it with a socket premolded onto the end, marketed as an "extension cord".  Make sure the writing on the side of the cord is legal for cordage, then SNIP!


Dripping supply line from the toilet cut off valve

Here's a trick: purchase a new shut off valve (it looks like a 1/2 inch size supply line). Remove the supply hose and wrap Teflon tape around the threads.
Install the new valve onto the old one. You should get a new supply hose (1/2 inch x 7/8 inch). Connect it to the new valve and the toilet valve.


That is not unusual in our neighborhood. A sledge will do nothing but break wood. Repairs that have worked are to dig out soil behind the tipped area and replace the vertical posts with longer ( deeper) ones. The larger the concrete "footing" for the vertical posts , the more resistance to tipping. Additional support can be added by driving metal bars into the ground a few feet behind the wall and attach these with steel cables to the vertical posts. The bars and cables will be under the ground surface so not seen , Yes, they will corrode in a few years but by then the soil will have settled down and be stable ( hopefully). I did this with 3/8" steel cable and it was still holding when I moved 5 years later. The digging sounds worse than it is , or contract it.You only need to remove a narrow trench like 2 ft wide and not necessarily all the way to the bottom. An Auger would be a help. I have also seen a new stronger wall built where boundaries permit ; then fill in the narrow gap between the original wall and new wall .


How do I make a remote controlled fan turn on with the light switch?

And this is why I hate remote controlled fans.

You have two options: One remove the switch and replace with a one gang remote for the brand of fan you have.  Example, this one.

The other, which is my preferred, is to hardwire the fan by removing the remote unit.  If the ceiling box was already wired for ceiling fans with two separate switched hots then all you need to do is change the switches for ones designed to control the fan speed.  If you only have a single switched hot, can you replace the switch and remote unit with a wired remote like this one.  This will transmit the light/fan control over the power wire to the fan unit.


Is it worthwhile to have ductwork cleaned?

It's not the efficiency which you get -- it's less dust in the air.  Less dust equals better health in the long run.

Lots of dust in the ducts is an indication of a bad air filter and/or leaks around the filter or in places where ducts join/turn.  I'd look for that as well.


You're in a gray area - some inspectors will consider the area under the roof a damp area, some will consider it a dry area.  I think anyone would agree that the exposed part from the ground up is wet.

I think wiremold will not give you a good result.  I've never tried pulling UF into wiremold but I bet it's a pain.  Bends that are not right angles are a pain with wiremold.

I think neatly stapled exposed UF would look fine.  If you stapled as much as possible to the top of the beams you'll hardly see it.  The other option would be to do it in conduit, but again with the bends involved you probably can't use ready-made bends, so unless you can bend conduit I don't think it will come out like you want.

Now from the top of the posts down it's either UF in a sleeve / stub to protect from physical damage, or conduit - PVC or EMT - but it might be all straight runs, so it's much easier to work with conduit.


The drawing as-done is fine.

Breakers will need to be a 2-pole 240V breaker, or two breakers with  an official, UL listed handle tie.  There must be 240V across the two hot legs, a duplex/twin breaker won't do.

Any recent Code will require GFCI protection. This can happen at the breaker or at the first receptacle in each string.

AFCI protection may be required in the most recent Codes, that must be at the breaker and will intersect with the 2-pole/handle tie requirement.


How do I corner bead around two layers of 5/8" drywall?

Next time (if there is a next time) maybe stagger the sheets? Then you end up with a regular, 1 sheet corner.


Need to fill nail holes in fiber cement siding

The installation guide for Hardie Board, which is a brand of cement board siding recommends using caulking to fill nail holes.  When I've installed it I used a high-quality exterior paintable calking after smoothing the edge of the holes.

Once the caulk is dry you can touch up the paint.


Most likely as simple as a bad/weak GFI receptacle, especially if it is older.

Have you tried leaving it with nothing plugged in?
Are there other receptacles on the LOAD side of this GFI?


HE Top Loading Clothes Washer - water drainage

My Sears Kenmore top loader washer machine tub has a construction where there is a donut shaped compartment built around the bottom of the tub. It has water inside of it!!

A couple of years ago when I replaced the tub bearings I was mildly surprised to note this interesting construction. It did not leak or pour out when I had removed the tub during the repair. I can only guess that the water plays a role in the dynamics of the tub motion in conjunction with baffles inside the water compartment.

So I would guess that this is normal for your GE washer tub as well.


What tool/method should I use to clean up this laminate edge?

Personally, I would invest in a new laminate routing bit and go over that edge.  You could also a chisel and lightly score the edges. I'd put some masking tape on the laminate to protect it while your finishing the edges. A fine grit sandpaper would also work.


You definitely want your footings to extend below the frost line, otherwise as the ground freezes below your footing it will swell (as water does when it freezes) and the force of the swelling WILL push your footings out of position.

Ice breaks mountains - a porch doesn't stand a chance. :)  Dig DEEP.  With a frost line going as low as 4', I'd dig down 5.

However, that said, the FOOTING doesn't need to be 22" wide from 5' down all the way to the surface - a 22" by roughtly 12" deep footing put 5 feet down and a 6" or so wide reinforced wall coming up to surface would avoid the problems of freezing and save on concrete while offering structure.

This kind of work usually requires a permit as well, and its hard to conceal, so you might want a structural engineer to draw up proper approve-able plans.


If these are slatted miniblinds, each of the vertical strings goes down through the bottom rail and is held in place by a little button.  Once you pop out those buttons with a small screwdriver, the strings are free and you can remove the bottom rail.  Then you can un-thread the extra slats and re-thread the bottom rail back on, cut the strings and replace the buttons.


How do I slow down a pocket door when opening and closing?

I'm currently installing a pocket door. It's a full 1.75" exterior door thickness, flush door that weighs 120 lbs (plywood facing and oak rails and stiles and oak edging.) I built the door myself (cost me 10% against the cheapest bid I got for the door.) I am using Johnson 200 series rollers and I-beam for the door. It rolls VERY easy. Easy enough to break finger bones. So this quickly became a serious safety issue for me. Luckily, before I set to finishing the pocket door wall.

I am using carpet samples (free) on the floor inside the pocket. The carpet is attached inside a separate piece of "furniture," in the sense that by removing the door trim, I can remove the pocket door and then reach inside, unclip the wood box (3/4" high, 32" long, 3.5" wide) that holds the carpet samples, replace worn samples, reclip the box back against the floor inside the pocket, place the door back, and retrim the door. I can easily set the resistance this way (packing several strips of carpet on top, if needed) and appropriate carpet samples will be available in perpetuity.

Also considered using pile weatherstripping as an alternative idea. But the carpet really seems to work better and only wears against the bottom of the pocket door which no one sees or cares about.


Is my range hood re-circulation or extraction?

If it's a recirculator there will be vents on the front of the unit, and when it is running you will feel air coming out of those.
If it's an extractor there will be a pipe between 3 and 6 inches in diameter (wide) coming out of it.   Typically you will see this in the cabinet above the extractor, if you have a cabinet there but sometimes it can go to the side or can be hidden behind a decorative cover.   The pipe will go through an outside wall where you will see a small grate or hood.  If it's not too high you will feel and maybe hear air coming out of that when the extractor is on.  There may be similar grates or hoods on the outside wall for your clothes dryer, bathroom fans, and water heater you need to be sure which one you're looking at.   Note, if the extractor is against an outside wall there may be no pipe inside, so the only clues would be the outside vent and the absence of a vent on the front of the unit blowing air when it's on.


Does a replacement propane supply line have to be made of a special material?

Simple answer - yes, it needs to be rated to supply gas.

Two reasons:

water molecules are bigger, so permeability is less of an issue for water, hence your hose pipe may actually allow gas to escape
gas is explosive, so any mistake here may be considerably more serious than getting a water pipe wrong

If you need guidance, call your local gas company for advice - the good thing is that these pipes aren't expensive, so you'll pick one up for very little.


How can I disable a wall switch and leave the circuit always on?

That is correct. If those are the only wires in the box you have a typical switch loop:

You'd simply nut the two wires together, reinstall the switch and plate (or a blank plate) and be happy.
However, that switch might come in handy as it is. You could also use one of the small retainers that go under the lower plate screw to lock switch position. That's reversible with less effort and they're available at hardware stores or online.


What would cause a Spur Switch light to go off when the device is turned on?

Assuming the light itself isn't bad, then the combination of a dim light and the dishwasher making it go out sounds like a break in a wire or a corroded connection. A break or corrosion can allow enough current to pass to light the bulb dimly, but when a higher current is called for the resistance of the break or corrosion goes up, causing an apparent total failure.

See https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/27285/82


What should I do if the pressure is too high in a home water pressure increasing system?

I think my first step in sorting this out would be to positively identify the feed from the supply main, shut it off at the main, cut this whole business out at least temporarily, and connect the house to the main without all this "stuff."

If, as appears to be the case, the pressure from the main is being reduced before it's increased, something is just plain odd, and it costs a lot of electricity to be that odd, not to mention the complexity. Put a pressure gauge on it and see what you actually have for pressure before concerning yourself too much with this mess.

An alternate possibility is that this is supposed to isolate the house from times when the supply of water is not there at all - in which case it's a poor job of designing a system for that purpose, IMHO. Does your water utility fail to provide water on a regular basis?


Exceptions for support when fishing crawlspace wiring

Yes that is true.

NEC 334.30 (B) Unsupported Cables. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be permitted to be unsupported where the cable:
(1) Is ﬁshed between access points through concealed spaces in ﬁnished buildings or structures and supporting is impracticable.


Do I have to worry about an empty external light socket shorting out?

Normally, old style exterior flood lights are mounted under the eave of the house protecting them from the rain. They also had a rubber gasket to seal against the flood lamp.

If yours are mounted on the gable wall of a house/garage they should be pointed down anyway which keeps the socket from collecting water even if it's empty.

Unless the socket fills with a considerable amount of water it won't short out. And if it does it will most likely trip the circuit breaker before anything bad would happen.

Rest easy.


Or, you could get a higher quality module, like an Insteon, which includes dimming all in one module.  Which lets you control both the switching and the dimming.

The biggest problem you have is the dimmer losing state when its power is severed.  When the Sonoff switches it back on, the dimmer will have no recollection of how dim it's supposed to be, and will default to ??? full brightness???   You could prevent that by using an old-style twist-knob dimmer, but they only work with obsolete incandescent lights, and between the electric bill and the cost of constant bulb replacements, that  defeats the purpose of saving money on the control equipment.  You're much better off getting the right stuff, going LED and saving a bunch on your energy bill, along with never having to change another bulb.

Another option, if you commit to LED, is to go 12V DC on the LEDs. They use different lamps and different control technology such as PWM - they dim very, very well... and the modules tend to be cheaper also.


It was common. Now most drywall is screwed, which leads to much fewer pops.

The usual fix is to screw between the popped nails (and a few more may pop as the board is pulled tight). Then pull and patch the popped nails.


What do I need to do to split a washing machine hookup to allow adding a dishwasher?

In the US, a general contractor would do it, sub-contracting all the plumbing work to a licensed plumber.  If you can do all the work that doesn't involve plumbing, you can call around and get estimates, and choose a plumber you like.

From the photo, it looks like you will need to make the support stronger, keeping in mind that the washer is full of water and its center of mass shifts rapidly during operation.  You will also need to robustly attach the washer to the support so it doesn't vibrate off and fall to the floor.


What wire do I need for a 60-amp sub-panel in a greenhouse ran 140' direct burial from the power pole?

Fat conduit and fat panels are your friends here

Given that you've already gone through all that work to dig a 140' trench, why would you want to have to do that again if you ever need more than 60A at your greenhouse, as you would if you had to replace a direct buried cable? PVC conduit is not much more expensive, allows you to use a slightly shallower trench depth (21-22" instead of 25-26"), and provides you with the ability to have much more expansion room in the future, as a 1.5" PVC conduit can easily accommodate a 125A feeder.

Inside that conduit, 3 6AWG stranded copper THHNs (hot, hot, neutral) with an 8AWG or 6AWG bare copper grounding wire (to return wayward utility electricity to the utility) are the simplest way to ship 60A out to your greenhouse.  You'll of course need the correct 60A two pole breaker for your pole's panel, as well as two  8' grounding rods driven 8' or more apart at the greenhouse and connected to the subpanel at the greenhouse with 6AWG bare copper to form a grounding electrode system so that wayward natural electricity has a path back to nature.

Furthermore, when you're going subpanel shopping, there's absolutely no reason to skimp on the subpanel, as again, saving a few bucks now is not worth the hassle a full panel causes down the road.  You'll want to get a 24-space or 30-space, 100A or 125A, main breaker panel for the greenhouse and fit a matching accessory ground bar or two to it as well as removing the neutral-to-ground bonding screw or strap from the panel.  This way, neutral and ground are separated at the subpanel, as they should be, so that normally flowing power doesn't try to return on the grounding system and cause problems in the process.


Let's see if I can draw this all once again...

CAVEAT: I'm an electrical engineer, not an electrician. My description of the circuits will be correct, but someone should double-check me on the color-coding conventions.

The basic concept of a three-way circuit is that you have two single-pole, double-throw switches hooked up back to back:

        Switch 1                             Switch 2
Black     .___________Black Traveler_____________.           Black
Hot ____./                                         .________ Switched Hot to load
          .___________Red   Traveler_____________./
White                                                        White
Neutral_______________White  Neutral________________________ Neutral to load

Green or bare                                               Green or bare
Ground _______________Green/bare ground____________________ Ground to load

When both Switch 1 and Switch 2 select the Black Traveler, or both select the Red Traveler, current flows and the load is powered. When they don't agree (one selects BlackT and the other selects RedT), current can't flow and the load gets no power.

The most common error made when connecting these is to get one of the switches "backward", connecting its common to one of the travelers. This results in a circuit that looks like:

        Switch 1                             Switch 2
          .___________Black Traveler__________________
Hot ____./                                         .__)
          .___________Red   Traveler_____________.              Black Switched Hot
                                                  \._________   To Load

White                                                           White
Neutral _______________White  Neutral________________________   Neutral to load

Green or bare                                               Green or bare
Ground _______________Green/bare ground____________________ Ground to load

Now, if Switch 1 is up (BlackT), then it doesn't matter which way Switch 2 is set, since there's no way current can get from the top of Switch 2 to the bottom (they can't both be selected at once) and the load gets no power. If Switch 1 is down (RedT), and Switch 2 is up (BlackT), both travelers are now hot, but there's still no power to the load. Only if both switches are down, connecting hot to RedT and RedT to the load, will current flow.

"Oops."

The fix, of course, is to figure out which switch is hooked up incorrectly and turn it around so it faces the right way. If the circuit has been properly color-coded (in the US, that means the travelers are black and red; it doesn't much matter which is which), you can tell this by inspection; each switch should have a black wire connected to its common, and a black and red (from the same cable) connected to its other two terminals. So if you can determine which of the two cables the red belongs to, you can see which switch is hooked up incorrectly and fix it immediately.

If you can't figure out which black belongs to the same cable that the red does, in either box, don't panic. Assuming that both switches do have a red and a black at their outputs, what has almost certainly happened is that the installer picked the wrong black for at least one of the switches. Swap the blacks at one switch (you DID turn off the breaker before opening the switch box, right?!?), turn the breaker back on and see if the switches now work as intended. If not, turn the breaker back off and swap the blacks at the other switch; turn the breaker back on and try again. If it STILL doesn't work as expected, turn the breaker off one more time, go back to the first switch and put the blacks back the way they were; this is the only remaining possibility and when you turn the breaker on one last time it should (finally!) work.

If it still doesn't work as intended, you've got a malfunctioning switch or bad wiring, and you should probably go after it with a multimeter or voltage probe to figure out which. Of course you could have used a probe earlier and saved yourself all the experimentation, but I've been presuming all that's available is a screwdriver and patience and the Mark 1.0 Eyeball.

Note: If you don't see the expected color coding -- one cable having black and white wires, and the other having black, white, AND RED wires -- STOP and find out what your country's conventions are for this, and/or figure out how the weirdo who set this up actually wired it.

There's one other complication, though.

I've been describing the most common setup, where the load is connected to the second switchbox. You can confirm that by the fact that there are two cables coming into each box, each switch has a black at common and a black and red as the two travellers, and the two whites (neutrals) in each box are connected to each other (so neutral runs alongside the travelers and is available in the second box for connection to the load).

Sometimes, however -- typically when the second switch was added later -- the load is actually connected at the first switchbox rather than the second. In this case, what you'll see is THREE cables coming into one box (Switch A) and ONE cable coming into the second box (Switch B). This winds up looking like:

        Switch 1                              Switch 2
Black     .___________Black Traveler_____________.
Hot ____./                                         .________
          .___________Red   Traveler_____________./          \
White                                                         )
Neutral____      _____Return Traveler_______________________ /
           |    |
      White     Black
      Neutral   Switched hot
          TO LOAD
           Ground
Ground ______|________Green/bare ground____________________ Ground

OK, that works... but now we need to figure out what color the Return Traveler should be. The US-standard three-wire-plus-ground cable only gives us the four colors we've mentioned: Black for hot, White for neutral, Red for "alternate hot", and Green for safety ground. We don't want to have to buy another kind of cable just for this uncommon usage...

So there is, essentially, a Standard Cheat. In this setup, the Return Traveler uses the white wire in the traveler cable, BUT the electrician is Morally Obligated, On His Honor As A Member Of The Guild, to tag it with red electrical tape (or hit it with a red marker, at least!) at both ends so the next guy to open the box knows that it is intended to be a Second Alternate Hot -- another "red" -- rather than a neutral.

(Of course gods only know whether homeowner-installed circuits have been properly labelled this way. You can hope that the guy who was there knew what he was doing and left you this indication, but don't bet your life on it!)

The same problem of a reverse switch (or two) can occur in this case, of course. But now it should be a bit more obvious how to correctly hook up Switch Two, since the common should be this Second Alternate Hot... so if one of the switches is backward it almost has to be Switch One. And if that isn't the cause, as above, start checking that the switches actually work and that the wiring is intact.

Whew.

There will be a quiz next Thursday. If you have any questions, please ask your TA during the recitation section. I'm gonna go get a cold bubbly.

(One advantage us old farts have: We still remember how to draw ASCII graphics!)


Why does this kitchen receptacle located on the far side, away from the sink, need to be GFCI?

(Is that outlet in the kitchen, or is it in the dining area? If it's in the dining area, it might not need GFCI.)

The reasoning I'd give is that kitchen outlets are much more likely to be dealing with water than other outlets, even if they're nowhere near the sink. You could have a coffeemaker, or slow cooker, or microwave, or bread maker plugged in there, all of which can have both water and electricity in the same appliance, which increases the possibility of electric shock.


50 volts on hot to neutral but 120 volts with wall switch

Shouldn't that be Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? But I digress.

Anyway, I believe you are reading a static induced voltage that your very sensitive digital multi-meter is picking up.

If you were to test that with a solenoid voltage tester or maybe even a lamp tester I believe it will drop to zero. In other words, you meter does not put enough of a load on the test points to drag it down to zero.

Good luck!


You bring your NM wall run into a junction box installed in the wall.  Then either you continue the NM down the conduit into the heater proper (ugh, NM in conduit!) or you terminate the NM there and continue in THHN or a high-temp wire.  Wire gage stays the same transitioning amongst  NM, THHN, AC etc.  I mean, you're always allowed to bigger than required.

I hope they provide a way to make that splice and button up the junction box without having to dangle the heater in the air while you do it.

They are recommending steel e.g. EMT conduit from there, I would certainly use EMT, or a nipple may suffice.  Rigid is not worth fooling with, except in rare instances where the facts just work in its favor.

You could also put the junction box past the end of the heater, come out of it with an LB elbow and into the heater, or surface mount the junction box past the end of the heater and have a short bit of conduit or nipple coming over.

This thing has to touch the wall somewhere, part of that physical mounting may include a raceway for electrical power.


What's the recommended procedure for converting a single circuit light switch into two switches for controlling a bathroom fan?

No problem at all.
Power at the switch
If the power feeds into the switch box, you'll simply pigtail the ungrounded "hot" conductor to feed each switch. Then you'll run 14/3 or 12/3 nonmetallic sheathed cable (Type NM); whichever is appropriate, between the switch box and the ceiling outlet.  Then connect the white (grounded "neutral") from the feed, to the white (grounded "neutral") to the ceiling box. Connect all the bare/green grounding conductors, and don't forget to ground each switch and the box if it's metal. Connect the black wire from the cable that runs to the ceiling, to one switch, and the red to the other switch.
When you wire up the fan/light. Connect all the grounded "neutral" conductors together. Connect all the bare/green grounding conductors together, and don't forget to attach a lead to the box if it's metal. Then connect one ungrounded conductor to the light, and the other to the fan.

Power at the light
The old way
If the power is at the light, things are slightly more complected. But it's still quite easy. Again you'll need 14/3 or 12/3 cable between the switch and ceiling.  You'll still connect all the green/bare conductors together at each place, not forgetting to connect all devices and metal boxes.  In the ceiling, connect the white (grounded "neutral") to the white wire from the light and fan. Put a piece of black tape around the white wire from the cable between the boxes, and attach the wire to the ungrounded conductor of the fan or light. Connect the red (ungrounded "hot") conductor from the cable between the boxes, to the ungrounded conductor of the light of fan.
In the switch box, connect the red wire to one of the terminals on one of the switches. Put a black piece of tape on the white wire, and attach it to the other switch. Splice the black wire, and attach a lead to each of the switches.

The new way
If your area has adopted National Electrical Code 2011, you'll be required to have a grounded "neutral" conductor at the switch box. To accomplish this, you'll have to run a 14/4 or 12/4 NM cable between the boxes.  Then in the ceiling box, you'll connect all the grounds as before. Connect the white (grounded "neutral") conductor from the light, fan, feeder, and cable between the boxes together.  Connect the red wire from the cable between the boxes, to the ungrounded "hot" conductor of the fan or light. Connect the blue wire from the cable between the boxes, to the ungrounded "hot" conductor of the light or fan.  Connect the black (ungrounded "hot") conductor from the feeder, to the black wire in the cable between the boxes.
In the switch box, cap the white wire (unless one or both of the switches requires a grounded "neutral" connection). Connect the blue wire to one switch, and the red to the other. Splice the black wire, and connect a lead to each switch.


Do water lines that contain lead need to be replaced if it doesn't flow out of a valve that I normally drink out of?

The water supply piping in our house is copper sweated with lead-tin solder in 1971. We have lived here since 1978. Dallas water is slightly basic (ph 8 or so) and has some minerals in it that I believe would react with the lead to form an insoluble passive surface. We drink water from the taps.

I  don't think you have anything to worry about.


How do I repair decking where my screws have broken?

Using a block of wood and a large-ish hammer, drive the decking down tight at that location.
Pilot a 3/32" or 1/8" hole in the divot from the old screw head, but at a slight angle parallel with the joist, through the decking only.
Run in a new screw. If you find that they're still breaking, use a countersink bit to slightly deepen the divot first.

The fact is that you can probably just run a new screw in at a slight bias and it'll find its way around the old screw, but this is probably easier and more reliable for less experienced carpenters.
Be aware that it may be easy to run the screw in too deep due to the aged wood and existing hole. Go gently.


New GFI receptacle will not reset after connecting load wires

There must be a fault in the down stream load wires someplace. This fault is causing an imbalance detection by the GFI between the current in the LINE and NEUTRAL load wires.

Things you can try:

Disconnect the wires that feed the down stream outlets at those outlets and the wires to the lamp circuit. This should include unplugging anything that may be attached to those outlets. If this allows the GFI to reset then you know that the fault is in one of those down stream wires or circuits. You could then proceed to reconnect one load at a time in attempt to locate the wire or outlet that causes the GFI to freeze in the fault position.

If, in the initial test above, the GFI still persists in staying reset then you know that there is a fault someplace between the load wire connection of the GFI and the end of that wire (which should not be connected to any loads if you had properly disconnected every load).

The fault on the circuits could be a bad outlet, bad lamp connection, bad lamp fixture or bad device plugged into one of the downstream outlets. It is also possible that the fault could be caused by a nail or screw someplace that has penetrated one of the wiring cables or the wire insulation someplace has been cut or punctured by the sharp edge of a metal electrical box.

Yes...it is possible that the fault that is causing this problem may have existed in the prior situation before you brought the new GFI into the picture.

There is also the remote possibility that the new GFI outlet itself is bad although this seems unlikely due to the tests that you have already performed.


Assuming these bars are not used to support the load of a human pulling on them, the typical choice of adhesive in a shower is silicone. As an added benefit, while strong, it is removable by cutting and scraping.

Make sure that both surfaces are clean before gluing and that you have a way to apply pressure (clamping) to the two surfaces.  Painters tape might be an option depending on where they are going.


Is an exhaust fan required by code in a new basement half-bath?

I can't say for sure about code - it varies a lot by location. But generally either code requires or it is a good idea to have:

An exhaust fan
or
An operable window on an outer wall

so that you can vent hot/moist air, chemical fumes from cleaning, etc. A half-bath (normally that means no tub or shower) will not have as great a need for ventilation as a full bath, but it still needs a fan or window.

If you install an exhaust fan, you must vent it to the outside. If you vent it into an attic or other unfinished space then you will eventually get some combination of mold, mildew, damage to insulation, damage to wood and other problems. Venting to the outside is easiest if you can basically go "up" and put a hole (properly caulked/sealed) in the roof, but venting off to the side is acceptable. The total length of the ductwork can be an issue - check the specs on the fan for more information.

There is quite a variety of exhaust fans available, but the biggest criteria to consider are noise (typically measured in either sones or decibels) and speed (typically measured in CFM). You generally want the quietest fan you can afford that has at least the minimum speed for your bathroom - which will depend on the size of the bathroom.


Using FPL (18/4 ) cable for 120v Smoke detectors

You absolutely cannot use that cable for line voltage smoke detectors, for several reasons. One big one is that you cannot have a typical circuit smaller than 15A, which would require #14cu minimum. OK, I have to say, it is technically possible, but entirely impractical.

IMO replacing "alarm system" heads with line voltage smoke detectors is a downgrade and rather hackish.

Just how big is this house that you have 18(!!) smokes??


I have R-13 exterior insulation around my foundation. Do I need more inside to finish the basement?

The gap would be a good solution if you want air to circulate behind the frame which means you would have to have some holes every so often to do the circulating.
If you don't want to have the holes, you would have to make sure that you have a vapor barrier. A foam board would do both...insulate and be vapor barrier.


How can you stop dual pocket doors so they close in the center and do not come off the track

Usually there is a metal stop (like an angle bracket) inside the top track area that stops each door at the center. If you cut away the top corner of the door you could use wood, metal is thin enough that it's often not bothered with, or could be done (if looking for perfect closure) but is a much smaller cut.

You could also block the track to stop the wheels at the proper position, but it's harder to get right.


What's the best way to track buried electrical wire that's not live?

There are basically two types of wire tracer:

audible frequency transmitter and receiver often used with telephone wires to detect them in floors, walls, etc.  It is expected the receiver can be placed within a few inches of where the traced wire potentially is.
low frequency RF (400–500 kHz) intended for detecting buried wires or inside structures where the receiver detector can be up to a few feet away.
There are some which can do both audio and RF.

Each type has its tradeoffs.  The RF system can be difficult because of how the trace signal propagates through conductive conduit or nearby wires (like grounds) so it often seems like the "wire" is everywhere.  The audio detector often seem like the signal disappears and it is only by occasional blind luck that you find the wire.

In the case of a wire buried in a yard, I would think the best way is to dig up the wire.  That way you can easily follow it and get a great feel for how its installation is aging, how well it is staying out of the way, etc.


Is it possible to add a branch to existing fireplace blower?

Depending on the skill of the mason, local building codes, the configuration of the fireplace ducts and the cost I'm sure a new duct is feasible.   What you may want to consider is it worth the price and disruption to the household. Also would it make more economical sense to have a separate heating unit for the garage?   A gas fired ceiling hung 50000 BTU furnace can be purchased new for under $500. It might be worth it depending on the cost for the mason th reroute the fireplace duct.


What are the options for putting cabinets in front of receptacles?

All junction boxes in use, whether with receptacles, splices, switches or other devices, must be accessible.
Move 'Em
This is probably the generally "best" answer. But it may involve significant work, depending on the type of wall. However, not only can receptacles not be covered, junction boxes can't be covered, even if they are only in use for a splice.
If a cable comes down from above, moving the receptacle up is easy.
If a cable comes up from below, you have a problem because you need to extend the existing cable. Normally you do that by splicing in an additional cable in the junction box. But that doesn't help here because now you have a junction box that still can't be covered. There are splices that are approved for in-wall use (i.e., not accessible) which may be an option.
Use 'Em
Depending on the type of cabinet, or specifically the type of cabinet back wall, you can:

Cut a large enough area in the cabinet back to make the junction box fully accessible. Essentially so that there is wall surface visible around the junction box cover plate, so that the junction box is really "in the wall" and not "inside a hole in the cabinet".
Cut the exact size of the junction box in the cabinet back and add a box extension so that you can mount the receptacles flush with the back of the cabinet. A little more work but will look much more professional.

Both!
With typical walls, you could use the receptacles below and it should be very easy to install receptacles above the counter and drop cable down to the lower receptacles. Pigtail each set of 3 wires (in, out, new) in the lower boxes, even if originally they had the normal in on one screw, out on the other screw.


With out any design sketch, a good way to bond wood to concrete is using threaded anchors  or threaded inserts

The difficult part is placing these inside the concrete column, to be level and not get dirty from concrete.

So using a fairly large size, so its easier to clean later, and easier to screw into.

Basically you would then insert a metal shaft in the wooden part and use a long screw that goes throught the wooden shaft freely but its head will clam the shaft.. and when you screw it into the concrete threaded anchor you essentially pull the wood tightly to the concrete pillar..

I could not find a diagram that illustrates this but this picture depicts the concept

So imagine the top of the screw, the part of your wooden table.. and the bottom part the concrete pillar, but using the threaded insert, instead of that bolt in the picture.

I have seen this used in building public park benches, with wooden planks fastened to concrete pillars... it is highly durable and very vandal proof.

But you might consider putting in three studs per column.. Three, in a triangle shape.. as this helps stabilize heavy objects. Or four in a SQUARE shape.. Using 1 you will need some sort of cross member or brace.. 2 is almost useless as you still need cross members or braces.


Can tile or click-lock wood be installed directly on rigid insulation foam

Just my 2 cents.

If you are doing a floating engineered floor over the foam, it might work if the foam doesn't flex and expand/shrink very much. You don't have to glue it to the foam as the click-lock mechanism keeps the pranks together.

For tiles, for sure, you can't do it over OSB/Plywood as it will expand/shrink and cause your beautiful new tiles to crack.  You mentioned your floor gets cold thus I imagine you live in an area with fairly good temperature differential. Thus this problem will happen sooner rather than later.

I can't comment on the foam unless I know what type of foam you are considering. But I can say I have never seen any tile installation over foam. When it comes to tile, preparing the substrate is half of the work.  We always tile over concrete, cement boards, or uncoupling membranes.

In addition, ensure the thinset can bond properly to the foam. Calling the manufacturer would be best.


Split AC installation: Need for a Vacuum Pump & Nitrogen cylinder

Don't let him install your unit.

Yes, you should pump the unit with dry nitrogen to check for leaks, then evacuate the system with a two stage pump.


Why does my framing nailer ocasionally leak from around the trigger?

I have repaired all the internal parts for the trigger assembly multiple times. Works for a while then begins to leak again. Adding grease to the o rings helps but it’s just a junk trigger assembly.


How many power cables can a coaxial cable cross?

If you cross perpendicular to the power there will be no problems no matter how many cables you cross each cable basically cancels when perpendicular.


Should I remove my air conditioner for the winter?

Given how low you're keeping the apartment temperature, and given that the ambient temperature is relatively warm, I think you can probably get away with leaving it in place. You'll lose some heat, but nowhere near as much as you would if the differential between inside and outside was greater.

Digressions:

I've seen some weird-and-sometimes-wonderful approaches to AC mounting. I've generally used smaller units that could get by without external brackets, but I've seen one (in NYC) which used a steel square-bar to bridge the opening and carry the weight rather than letting it rest against the upper sash.

The one time I had an AC which really was too heavy to lift, it did have outside brackets built into its case (rather than permanently installed to the wall). The proper solution was actually to mount the case by itself and then slide the guts into it,  rather than trying to manhandle the whole thing at once. When dismounted, I kept the mechanism on a rolling cart that was almost at the right height, so I could slide it from cart to case and back without ever having to lift the full weight.


What is the best type of paint for a basement floor?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCC131UN43o.

Epoxy is my choice. Preparation is 90 % of the equation for success.

Research metallic epoxy for some incredible looks and spend some time watching how to videos that explain what makes a floor ready for this product.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCC131UN43o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCC131UN43o

If your not looking for that fancy you can just use basic colors without metallic effect .


Brass Barb Fitting Threaded Fitting To PVC End Cap

I'm assuming US standards based on PA being listed in your profile.

Plumbing threads are commonly NPT - National Pipe Thread. It's also called IPS, or Iron Pipe Standard/Size. You will also see FIP and MIP for female iron pipe and male iron pipe.

Barb fittings are pretty easy to find with male NPT thread (aka MIP) on one side, made of brass. Here is an example from Granger but you can find them elsewhere.

You always want to screw metal into metal - due to differing thermal expansion and contraction rates you can wind up with a cracked fitting if you screw metal into plastic. So if you're using PVC, you would use a PCV to metal adapter like this - glue it on like any other PCV fitting. Or with PEX, you would just crimp on something like this.

To attach your male threaded hose barb, wrap with Teflon tape or coat the threads with pipe dope, and just screw it in to your newly installed FIP fitting.


Anything could be possible. The benefit of the wye, the way it is setup, is for cleaning. If you don't forsee any future problems with cleaning, I would cut it out, and use a threaded set of pipes. This way you can still remove the pipes if you need to clean it out and if you need to make any adjustments to the drain, this will make it easier to do. Once you figure out the height needed for the disposal, you can re-plumb the drain. But make sure you still have room for your p-trap setup.

Also, is this a single sink or a double? Perhaps if a double sink, have you thought about reversing the drain and disposal setup?


Paint is the best way to encapsulate asbestos,
I am trying to figure out what part you believe is asbestos. The fence looks to have a metal roofing or siding, the wall in the back of the photo looks like corrugated fiberglass,  if corrugated fiberglass  I would not paint it without permission as it may be letting light in (we do this in our barns, The fiberglass allows light in but stops the wind and rain, if you paint it without permission you may be forced into replacing it.
First I would want to identify what it is, I don’t remember any corrugated asbestos panels but could be wrong. If it is asbestos a quality exterior paint should be used (with permission) to encapsulate the material. A close up photo would help and if there is light that shines through at night it is not any kind of asbestos I have seen but probably fiberglass clear fiberglass yellows and has the little string looking hairs once it ages and this is what I think you have if you are talking about that surface and not the fence to the right.


What is the maximum number of branches on one circuit?

No, and also, no. But perhaps a qualified yes.

No limit on number of junctions/branches per circuit, unless it's been added at the local level. And even then, reports I've seen here of inspectors with some number of end-use boxes in mind as a limit don't care if the boxes are all in a line or madly branched every which way.

But you will soon run out of available power to run devices at the same time; Or you won't meet required VA per square foot requirements; Or, you will be lacking adequate overcurrent protection.

Of course, if you care to modify your interpretation to include the breaker boxes along the way that DO provide the current limiting, "adding breaker boxes and junction boxes to one main line of power" is exactly what your house and even neighborhood power system looks like. There just happen to be a larger number of branches at a few breaker boxes to deal with the overcurrent protection.


Thin flat cabinet door pull that mounts on the edge of the door rather than the face

Edge pull
I think you might be referencing what is commonly called an edge pull. There are many manufacturers, each with their own selection of styles and finishes. This one (not an endorsement) is made by a fairly steady cabinet hardware company called Amerock:


Installed new breaker to relieve load in existing circuit. Still trips new breaker

You need to know what's all on these circuits and what they pull.  There's no substitute for this.

So it comes down to looking at the manual for every appliance on the circuit.  Considering of course that the appliance shouldn’t draw if it's off.

You can also use a Kill-a-Watt to directly measure; pay closer attention to VA than watts.

Once you've done your tally, you will surely discover an obvious problem, like 23A of loads on a 15A circuit. Rearrange as necessary.


Black and white wires coming out of wall are both hot

That's a switch loop. Bog standard. Perfectly legit until recently. The white should be unswitched hot, and the white should have marking of tape, paint or heat-shrink in a hot color (but often does not.)
You need to find the box that the switch loop comes from, where you will find its white connected to a black, and where there is normally also a white neutral.
Color does NOT imply function in cables. Color may guide you, but not all whites are neutrals.


High On Safety

First, your neighbor is "goin' crazy for safety".  Being far from city water, one of our facilities has a Caterpillar diesel fire pump. The pump intentionally has no trips for low oil level, pressure, water temp or water level.  That's because you don't want dueling safety systems - don't want to trip to save the fire pump only to lose the warehouse.

So your neighbor is like "I gotta shiny new safety toy, and Im'ma put it on everything."  Whoa there, Nelly.  GFCI is a safety system.  Just like the fire pump, you don't create dueling safety systems.   contradict another safety system's functioning.  Safety systems include refrigerators, radon systems, fire alarms, fire pumps and yeah, sump pumps.

That is not to say one should completely ignore the risk of electrical shock. You should certainly make full use of other methods to ensure the safety of the sump pump.    The traditional method of ensuring all current-carrying conductors are encased in grounded metal, guarantees that wayward current cannot reach a human without reaching grounded metal first.  A milli-ohm path back to source assures an instantaneous breaker trip.

The use-case for GFCI is ungrounded 2-prong portable appliances, particularly those dropped into a sink full of water connected to the water supply via plastic piping.  Putting one on a grounded refrigerator is absurd.

Now, there is another rule which calls for GFCI protection for receptacles in any basement area.  However, that rule is based on the fundamental premise that anything and everything will be plugged into those receptacles.  Many AHJs will grant a waiver for single receptacles (1-socket) dedicated to a single appliance for which GFCI protection is not appropriate, and labeled as such.  In my view there should also be ample other sockets right nearby, so there is no temptation to borrow that socket or put a splitter on it. If the AHJ is not tolerant of that, I would simply hardwire the appliance, which utterly eliminates the "receptacle/anything" issue altogether.

Do not use GFCI receptacles.

OK, that's a little harsh.  I'm trying to break you of the idea that GFCI is a receptacle. Actually,  GFCI is a "little black box" that protects downline loads.  Obviously, a GFCI recep protects its own sockets, duh.  However it's possible for any GFCI device to protect any other points-of-use attached to its LOAD terminals. On the other hand, over-use of LOAD is a nightmare for the careless.  Because of that, nothing should be ever connected to LOAD unless what that is is known. You don't want a GFCI reset to be in an improbable and unexpected place, though labeling helps that a lot.

Note that proper labeling is mandatory when protecting downline receptacles. They must say "GFCI Protected [ / No Equipment Ground ]"  They should say "GFCI Protected - Reset in Hallway".  You can custom-make those labels on a P-touch or whatever; you don't have to use the blue ones.


How can I install a pendant light fixture on a cathedral ceiling with no attic space?

Here is a link to lots of images of a variety of surface wiring hardware.  There are several manufacturers of good looking surface boxes and raceways. One of the popular high quality makers is Wiremold.


A block and tackle (pulley and rope).

A simple fixed pully provides no mechanical advantage. A moving pulley does. Each time you add another moving pulley, you reduce the effort needed to move something. In general every time you double the length of the rope, you halve the effort (perceived weight).

In the illustration, the pulleys are both doubles, something like these.

One pulley is attached to the stair structure, the other to an eye screwed into a stud facing the stair, or to a stud above and forward on the wall alongside the stair.

The rope is attached to an eye above the wall pulley then threaded to the opposing pulley, back to the wall pulley and so forth.

A block at the foot of the structure prevents it from sliding.

This type of setup can reduce the load to about 1/4 of the actual weight (maybe 100 lbs.) More pulleys and rope can reduce it further, but you get more friction and more chance of tangled lines.

This is definitely a multi-person project. You need help in pulling the rope and in guiding the structure, and maybe someone else to place a supporting brace under the unit when it is in place.

Alternative

To avoid any tie in to the walls, you can get a hydraulic jack very cheaply (maybe $20) that can lift several tons but only about 6 to 12 inches at a time.

You could do this, chocking the unit at each lift, then raising the base of the jack on a wooden block and doing it again.

This requires careful blocking and patience. It also gives you less ability to shift laterally, but it could work.


How can I make a wall surface tolerant of high-bond adhesive tape?

Since no one answers, maybe I can provide some options to make a start. A thick plastic wall paper may have a chance to solve the problem. The thing is that when moving a double side tape wall anchor, one needs a hair dryer to heat it up. It is a risk to damage wall paper. Also some decoration board on wall also can solve the problem. Ceramic or stone tiles too can perfectly solve the problem. Just ceramic tiles are usually used at bathroom so using it at living room is wired. Stone tiles will be expansive. I wonder if there is any new chemical or enhanced plaster available? Some epoxy plaster is really strong, but it is design to fix small part of a wall and to expensive and to fast dry to paint on wall. I am focused on finding an suitable material with available price.


You'll start by wiring the furnace and A/C as follows:

Red from the furnace connects to Red from the thermostat cable and Red from the ADD-A-WIRE™ device.
White from the furnace connects to White from the thermostat cable.
Green from the furnace connects to Green from the ADD-A-WIRE™ device.
Blue From the furnace connects to White from the A/C condensing unit, Brown from the ADD-A-WIRE™ device, and Yellow from the thermostat cable (this is C).
Red from the A/C condensing unit connects to Yellow from the ADD-A-WIRE™ device.
Blue from the ADD-A-WIRE™ device connects to Green from the thermostat cable.

Next you'll connnect the wires to the thermostat as follows:

Red connects to the R terminal.
White connects to the W terminal.
Yellow connects to the C terminal.
Green connects to the ADD-A-WIRE™ Diode 'Y'.
Yellow from the ADD-A-WIRE™ Diode 'Y' connects to the Y terminal.
Green from the ADD-A-WIRE™ Diode 'Y' connects to the G terminal.

WARNING: Modifying wiring for HVAC equipment could void the warranty, and/or cause damage, and/or injury, and/or death. Proceed at your own risk. Also, I don't know anything about the internal workings of this device. If this wiring causes any of the above mentioned problems, don't come looking for me. I'm just some random guy on the internet, who you chose to take advice from.


Quote: "The bedroom outlets that I tested were pulling 36-49 amps."

Sounds fishy. Outlets do not pull any amps by themselves. Did this electrician plug in to the outlet with some kind of test load to draw this power? If not, the electrician is probably not honest or does not know their job. I was an electrician for about 10 years, granted that was 30 years ago but I have never heard of testing the "amps pulled by an outlet" since outlets do not "pull power" at all, only the load (your lamp, tv, or whatever) plugged into the outlet "pulls power."

Finding the breaker at the panel is easy:

This paragraph assumes you have only one breaker panel and is a good place to start if you don't happen to know.
Plug a radio into one of the outlets in question and turn the volume up so you can hear it from the breaker panel. A lamp works also but you have to run back and forth to check if the lamp is on.
Turn off all 15 and 20 amp breakers one at a time. You should hear the radio go silent when the proper breaker is turned off. If there is still power to the outlet(s) in question after all 15 and 20 amp breakers are off, then it would be logical that they are not wired properly and may well be wired to a higher amp breaker. Skip the next paragraph in that case.

If you found the breaker that controls the outlet(s) in question you can replace the breaker if you want to be sure there is no problem with the breaker.

If the outlets are not powered off after all the 15 and 20 amp breakers are off, then try the higher amp breakers one at a time until you find the guilty breaker. THEN, be sure you do not have a sub panel somewhere that is fed by that high amp breaker. If you do, then you need to start over with that breaker panel.

BTW, even if there is no "amps problem" you may still want to open all the outlets and check them if one had melted insulation. That is almost always caused by a poor connection or nicked wire. The outlet was likely not installed properly to start with.

Another reason the outlet may have failed, since the electrician claimed that it melted from the inside, is that a heater or other high draw appliance was plugged in loosely. That would cause the same problem as a bad connection to the outlet. In fact it would be a bad connection, just that it happens to be the plug, not in the wall wiring. If your outlets are worn out, that is, you feel little or no resistance when you plug something in, they are a fire waiting to happen when someone plugs a space heater in.


This looks like a very common type of circuit, called a switch loop.

One question: do the unused black and red wires at the light come out of the same cable? If so, the other end of the cable is most probably attached to the switch.

Strictly speaking, you should test this by checking for continuity between the unused black and the unused red, with the switch off and then with the switch on. However checking continuity is something that a total noob may not know how to do, or have the equipment for.

Now, I usually test continuity using line voltage and an ordinary drop light. You can do the equivalent of that here by simply wiring the switch loop into the light circuit and trying it.

Turn off the circuit breaker controlling the light.
At the light fixture, disconnect the black light fixture wire from
the black wire bundle.
At the light fixture, connect the unused black wire to the black wire
bundle.
At the light fixture, using a new wire nut, connect the black light
fixture wire to the unused red wire.
Turn on the circuit breaker.
Turn the switch on and off.

If this doesn't work, that is, if the switch still doesn't control the light, or if the circuit breaker trips, then you have some unusual wiring, and you will have to spend some time analyzing it. If it does work, you're done, and you can put the cover plates back on.