How much water for mixing with concrete?

Concrete is strongest when the mix is as dry as possible, and weaker when the mix is wetter. A highly liquid mix is therefore almost always a bad idea.

This is well understood/documented/tested in the industry, tends to be poorly understood by homeowners and some of the less educated pros.

Likewise, the importance of plenty of water for the curing process after the concrete has set is well understood by industry and poorly by most of the same people. Once the concrete has set, all the water you can supply is ideal, with the best option being to submerge it.

On a larger scale it's practical to use air-entraining (bubble/foam) admixtures that help the concrete flow as if it was wetter, but which do not impact the strength so much (and actually help with things like freeze/thaw cycles.)

On a small scale that's not very practical (AFAIK nobody sells a tiny packet of foam precursor) but vibration is highly applicable - shake, tap, hammer on the outside of the mold, pick it up and drop it a short distance, and rod (literally run a rod up and down inside the forms to distribute) the concrete inside it. On larger jobs a vibrating thing to insert in the concrete can be rented, but not likely to be useful here (too big.)

Note that mortar (what you show a bag of) is not concrete, precisely.

The linked wikipedia article sugges a ratio of weight of water to "cementitious material" (which is only a fraction of your bagged pre-mix, with the rest being aggregate, primarily sand in mortar mix) of 0.45 to 0.60


Fix drywall that lost strength due to hanging curtain rod

As you have found out, curtain rod supports do not do well hanging from plaster anchors. They really should be attached to studs, but where that is impossible, toggle anchors give you a chance at success. I prefer the solid bar type that pivots after insertion.

The drywall in the immediate vicinity is beyond saving. Even toggles will not have much solid to support them. You need to move the bracket well away from the damaged area (to a stud if you can), or you need to build up the area to support it.

One way to reinforce the area is to create a wooden backing behind the drywall to serve as a support. Find a piece of wood at least 1 1/2 inches wider than the space between the screws. Cut it to about 6 inches in length.

Cut away the damaged section of drywall making a hole a bit wider than the board and about 3 inches high. You are going to insert the board vertically into this hole and attach it to the back of the drywall.

An easy way to do this is to drill a small hole in the center of the board and tie a string through the hole. You can then insert the board and use the string to prevent it from falling and to manipulate it into place.

Screw through the drywall into the board using drywall screws. Use two screws top and two on the bottom. This locks your new framing piece in.

Make a patch of drywall and fill the hole. Tape and patch with joint compound. Lightly sand and prime. Paint now or later.

Now, when you reattach the bracket, you will be screwing into the wood which is supported by many square inches of drywall. I would predrill the holes with a bit slightly smaller than the screw body to reduce the chance of splitting the wooden backer.


Name of accessory to hold rope together?

Rope clamp.  A rope crimping sleeve also performs the same task.


Extension cord reel - (Red) Reset button not staying down

The red button is part of what is called a thermal circuit breaker. They open circuit when there is a current overload and pushing the red button is designed reset the breaker back to the closed condition. They are used in gear like this because they are low cost. But along with that they have a limited life time and limited number of trip cycles before they fail.

You could check as to where that cord reel was manufactured and if it has a legitimate safety agency listing. There are many products manufactured in certain countries where the quality of components is really low and fake safety agency marks are applied to the product labels. If your reel is one of that type it probably failed due to a crappy thermal breaker.

Even if the thermal breaker is a better quality unit it may simply have been severely over stressed by the user trying to run a welder on an extension cord like that. There was probably no attention paid to the ratings of the cord and the power requirements for the welder.

It may be possible to replace that thermal breaker if it is a standard component. If it is a custom or unknown component then your fixup job could be a bit more complicated. There are panel mount type thermal breakers that you may want to research to see if you can find something that would work as a replacement. But do be aware that as soon as you start to repair a low cost device like this, if the device does indeed have legitimate safety mark, that you would have to use exact replacement parts to maintain the certified safety rating for the device. Using cheap replacement parts may very well not be safe at all, especially if they are junk from certain countries.


I would find a boot that covers the cabinet opening and install that, then see where you stand. A bit of flex duct may be a good solution (the semi-rigid kind, not the cheap foil junk), but a side-offset boot may line up perfectly. This one looks like what I have in mind, though the offset may be an illusion:

Image courtesy of Home Depot
Be aware that such a boot should slip over the flange on the microwave, eliminating contact between the exhaust and the wood of the cabinet.


What could cause my oven to trip at a certain temperature?

Most likely the fan motor is bad and is factory set to come on at 150... pre-baking temperature.


Should I be worried if I missed the studs while mounting my TV?

Your TV is being supported by two pieces of paper. That should be all you need to know.

The white plaster material in the middle of drywall resists compression. The interaction between the shaft of the bolts and the inner plaster is keeping the load from shearing straight down the wall and will support a significant load.

However, on the front and back of the drywall are two sheets of paper that resists tension, similar to the purpose of rebar in concrete. And the interaction between the threads of the bolts and these two sheets of paper are all that are preventing your TV from being pulled out of the wall. Over time, the top bolts will pull out from vibration, temperature and humidity changes, and especially if you adjust the angle of the TV.

Once those top bolts start to pull through, the paper will tear, the plaster will shear out of the hole, and the TV will only be supported by the lower bolts under a highly leveraged load. Those lower bolts will immediately fail, and you'll have a broken TV on the floor at best, or a broken person that was hit by the TV at worst.

So, as everyone else has already said, remount the TV to proper structure.


What's the difference between can and canless lighting fixtures?

A can light has a removable, standard bulb
The housing that the bulb goes inside looks a bit like a can, thus the name. You've probably seen this kind of bulb before:

A canless light has the actual LED bit built in
This means they can be more creative with their shape, including being almost completely flat and/ or surface mounted. But if the LED(s) fail, you have to replace the whole unit. That could be problematic if the unit isn't being manufactured anymore.


Long outside wire run - can I JUST ground at both ends?

The National Electrical Code, that is the controlling document is most locations of the US, requires a 4 wire connection between a main and sub panel now.

That is; the two hot legs, the neutral, and a grounding wire. The ground wire can be a separate wire from the other wires but should be run in the same trench with them.

You still have to establish a ground at the separate building using one of the Code approved methods for a grounding electrode. Such as the one you cite in your question.

There are many questions here on SE that address this issue.

Good luck!


Can I shut off the water to my house and safely leave the water heater on while I'm away on vacation for a week?

I would turn the water heater to pilot if you turn the water off, pilot will keep a small amount of heat there and unless it gets crazy cold would help prevent freezing. I grew up in that area and rarely will it get cold enough to freeze pipes inside the house even if you turn the heat way down,

I never recommend turning the furnace totally off as that can cause cracking of joints if Sheetrocked.

If you turn the water off the water heater should be on pilot or turned off.  I have replaced a few water heaters over the years that were damaged from cycling with no water.


Must I screed/level floor that has a slight apex @ centerline?

½" over 8'?  Given the size of tiles you have, you should be fine.  The layer of thin set should be more than enough to compensate for a variance that small.  If you're still worried, try laying the tiles out such that the line at the apex lines up with the grout line.


You are not allowed to put multiple outlets on a 50A/60A circuit.   You can on a 30A, and that would've been simple, but that will slow charge.

However, your Tesla charger wants 60A and you cannot put a 50A receptacle on a 60A circuit.

Really, the best way to do this is a subpanel.  But wait.

The keystone is a $30 interlock kit made by Siemens for its panels.  This replaces the expensive, huge  Frankenstein switch. The interlock kit straps between two 2-pole breakers, making it so only one can be on at a time.  This is intended for generator interlocks, where the breakers are back-fed, but it's fine to normal-feed the breakers too.  So your cost is

$30 interlock kit
$40 8-space, main-lug (no breaker on the sub**) panel
$18 two 40-60A breakers, $9 each
$5 ground bar

I also got you 4 extra spaces in the panel to use as you please.

You feed the lugs normally, you don't backfeed. The two breakers on the interlock are

a 60A breaker going to the Hardwired Tesla charger, full rate unthrottled
a 50A breaker going to the NEMA 14-50, which is the legal/right way to do that

And honestly, I do not see a reason you can't simply forego the interlock and allow both outlets to be hot at the same time.  The breaker in the main panel protects the wiring to the subpanel and the subpanel itself (which is rated 125A), and the individual breakers protect the wiring to the equipment.  If you try to charge two cars at once without rate throttling, yeah, you'll trip the breaker downstairs.

The feed from the main panel to this subpanel can be any size of wire you please, as long as the breaker in the main panel protects the wire.  At these sizes, there are no brownie points for using copper*, so consider aluminum wire/cable.  For 60A feeder, use #6Cu or #4Al.  For 100A feeder, #3Cu or #1Al at which point you definitely don't need the interlock. (You're allowed to oversubscribe a panel and this won't matter).

* Aluminum feeder does not have the problem that 1970s branch circuits had.  The metal conducts 12x better per dollar. This is why it is widely used on feeder, where the mineral value becomes a significant part of cable cost.

** because it's not needed in subpanels in the same building, a breaker is needed in the main panel to feed/protect the cable run. Getting the subpanel main to pop before the feed breaker doesn't work, without deep-diving into SCADA tech.


Bathroom Floor Transition under door that hasn't been installed

Transitions should fall directly under the door when closed, so when the door is closed it is hidden. Most jobs require installing the floor while doors are hung and we use a door jamb saw to make the cut.
If you lay the flooring first and are off as little as 1/4" to me, it's quite noticeable after hanging the door and something I would not do to a paying customer.
If door is in place. You simply take a piece of the flooring, flip it upside down and butt it against the jamb and use the saw to make the cut.  Make sure to leave enough room for transition strip as provided by manufacturer.

Here is a link to the saw. Home Depot Jamb Saw
And a video of sawing a door jam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apqULE7t45U


How effective will a window unit AC be for a garage?

It's all math.
You need 1 ton (12,000 btus) of cooling per 400 square feet.
You need about 500-600 btus of cooling per person.
So in 400 square feet you can expect to cool up to 20 people per ton assuming they aren't actively exercising. I wouldn't do any more than 10 people per ton if you want them to feel at least a little chill.
A hot and uninsulated garage will likely need 20% more btus than my calculations above.
You should turn these units on 6-8 hours before guests arrive to ensure your garage is sufficiently comfortable.


Is it a good idea to pay for an energy saving audit of my new home

A lot of utility providers will provide a basic home energy audit for free. If this is the case, it's a no-brainer.

If they don't provide an actual audit, then they often provide statistics for what an average home should be consuming, so you can assess if you think you're using too much.

Besides for that, you can check for drafts or cracks in windows and doors yourself as a basic audit.

After that, I've found just be living in my home, I can tell if a room is too hot or cold compared to the rest of the house, and then look for problems then.

With all that said, I think that you should take a long view. If you have no free audit options, and you can find an affordable paid service, it'll most likely be worth it in the long run.


Changing a dishwasher from hardwired to cord-and-plug

My recent dishwashers have all been corded.  If not, I just purchased an appliance cord (14 ga. or 12ga) and connected it to the terminals on the DW before I installed it. Normally the outlet for the DW is under the sink next to the DW. That may be an issue if the cable feeding the hard wired DW isn't long enough to get to an outlet (surface mounted is fine, you won't be seeing it) in the sink cabinet.   Any splices need to be "permanently accessible".  I "think" if you had to extend the cable and connected in a box behind the DW that would qualify, but I'm not sure on that.
Also, you need to identify which circuit supports the DW and what else is on it. DWs are supposed to have a dedicated circuit.  Would it be possible during your repairs to run a new cable from the main panel to the DW?


Drawer/Cabinet Pull Install Splintered interior Veneer

I agree that it sounds like crappy workmanship that came from your contractor. The best situation is to talk to the contractor and tell them that how unhappy you are with the crap quality.

What the contractor should have done when drilling the holes for the drawer pulls was to clamp a piece of scrap wood to the inside face of the drawer front to prevent the splintering as the drill bit exited through the wood. Not doing this is the sign of a rank amateur contractor.

If this has just happened on the drawers and not on any doors there is one thing that may bring some piece of mind for you. Rarely are people going to be looking down inside the fronts of your cabinet drawers so maybe you can just let it go after getting some financial adjustment out of the contractor.

Note that most cabinet drawers are not built in a way where it is particularly easy to remove and replace the drawer fronts. Particularly in the case where higher quality drawer assemblies may have glued joints. Some cheaper cabinet work may just have the drawer front stapled in place through the side panels. This latter may be easier to replace.

If the damage exists on cabinet doors then you are probably facing having to have the whole door replaced if you cannot accept the crappy quality work.


What technique should I use to remove rubble from earth, using a small excavator?

My yard is of similar size, and I had the same problem: rocks, concrete blocks, and trash.  With no previous experience, I rented a Toro Dingo with a few different attachments.

(source: toro.com)

The attachments I used were:

Soil cultivator.  I used it to till old grass down into the ground, since I was planning to lay new sod.  It tilled grass and weeds far enough into the ground that they did not resurface.

(source: toro.com)

Leveler.  I used it to, well, level the ground.  As a side effect, it brought rocks and trash to the surface so I could pick it up easily.

Standard bucket for enlarging a large hole (in order to bury concrete blocks), moving large concrete blocks and rocks, filling the hole, and otherwise moving larger amounts of dirt.

(source: toro.com)

It took me about eight hours for a yard of about the same size as yours.  That included adding 20 cubic yards of new loam on top.  The rental charge was about $400 including delivery and pickup.  It was reasonably easy to make the yard flat, but much harder to make it level because I didn't have any level ground to start from.  If you need your yard to be level, I would recommend hiring someone.


I would temporarily remove the door latch hardware (i.e. door knob and deadbolt) and then use a hand sanding operation to remove the old layers of paint and black stains (i.e. mold and old hand oil prints) down to clean base material.
As you have noted the staining is very good at telegraphing through paint layers and so the only real way to remove all of that completely.
You will want to use care with keeping the sand paper grit fairly fine at the last stages as you get to the base material. This will apply to both vinyl clad and exposed wood frame doors. After sanding it would be a good idea to clean the area with a bleach solution. After dry paint the area with a good quality primer. Use care with the application of the paint to blend the edges up to the unsanded areas to ensure that there is no visible ridge at the paint edge.


Do tiles need to be cut to fit area between back wall and the edge of the bathtub?

Yes the tile will need to be cut.  You can either use a wet saw or a manual tile cutter.

Before you go cutting the tiles in half for the back wall you will need to make sure you are accounting for the width of the grout lines. Are your tiles really 2"x2"? Do you have bullnose pieces or trim pieces to transition the tile at the edge, or is it OK for your tile to show an exposed edge?


Tank bolt gaskets - every now and again (around 40 years on the last one I changed out) you have to remove the old crusty ones, clean things up, put on new ones, apply silicone grease if you know what's good for you, and reassemble.

If you just crank up the bolts instead you can crack the ceramic, and then it's new toilet time.


Method to fasten pink board to interior foundation wall

For attachment, a few options:

adhesive. They make adhesive just for this.
Powder Actuated Nails with washers. These are fun. You essentially are shooting nails into the concrete. Probably overkill, though.
Nothing. One option is to just place them against the wall...maybe hold them with tape, and then just have the interior stud wall hold them against the wall.

  Should the pink board touch the floor?

It won't hurt anything.

  Should it touch the joists?

Again, it won't hurt anything.

  What should I use to seal the between the boards (caulk, foam, teflon tape)?

I've used house wrap tape in the past. Works fine. Another option, price allowing, is to use two thinner layers of foam instead of one thick one and overlap the seams.

You could also leave small gaps between all boards and then come back and fill with expandable foam. That'd give you the most air-tight and insulated envelope.


NEC: Using Non-Rated (CMX) CAT6 cable inside an attic of a single family home

Type CMX is not "unrated", so that Code section does not apply

Your confusion here stems from a misunderstanding of what the Code means by an "unrated" communications cable.  You seem to be under the impression that it's referring to all communications cables that do not have a special rating (such as plenum or riser), but that's not the case.  Instead, an "unrated" cable has no NRTL listing or associated labeling/markings whatsoever, which means that it is not assigned a type for NEC purposes, and is restricted in its use within structures by the Code section you cited.  These cables are used by telephone utilities for service drops because the utility has its own specifications (Telcordia/Bellcore and so on) for cabling plant and doesn't want to spend the extra time and money making utility cable makers get NRTL listings to prove that the cable has properties the utility is already satisfied about.

Instead, the permitted usage of your type CMX cable is governed by NEC 800.113(L), which permits permits the use of any length of type CMX cable less than ¼" in diameter within a one or two-family dwelling.  If your cable is too fat to fall under that rule, you can sleeve it in any Chapter 3 raceway in order to comply with the NEC.  (ENT aka "smurf tube" is the cheapest and easiest choice for this.)


Can activated carbon eliminate odors in a bedroom?

When researching air purification you will come across a popular subject.

Ionisers VS Ozoninzer VS Activated Carbon

Ioniser

  An air ionizer (or negative ion generator) is a device that uses high
  voltage to ionize (electrically charge) air molecules. Negative ions,
  or anions, are particles with one or more extra electrons.

This makes the air particles that get ionised turn into a 'magnet' because it is statically charges. You know like when your arm hairs rise to a piece of statically charged paper or sweater.

Advantages
Is silent and can run anywhere in your home. Does not cause any health problems, it actaully good for people with allergies as it binds to dust and pollen. It will remove smells like cigarretes,smoke and other slight odours.

Disadvantages
These particles don't evaporate into thin air.. once the ion binds to its victim it will drop to the floor, or stick to the wall.. in turn if you don't vacume(use a HEPA filter vacume) or clean your walls; overtime the odours can become worse and your hosue will suffer from static dust.

Ozone generator

  Ozone (O3) or trioxygen, is a triatomic
  molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of
  oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope (O2).
  Ozone in the lower atmosphere is an air pollutant with harmful effects
  on the respiratory systems of animals and will burn sensitive plants

Ozone has this myth behind it that it kills bacteria and smells. In fact it is very dangerous for all living things.. In large quantities. As far as I know.. ozone has no benefit in any health methods.

Advantages
Only industrial advantages.

Disadvantages
When used in small rooms it can be lethal, causes lung damage and can kill other living things like plants

Activated Carbon

  Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, activated coal or
  carbo activatus, is a form of carbon that has been processed to make
  it extremely porous and thus to have a very large surface area
  available for adsorption or chemical reactions.

Quoted Description

  Filters with activated carbon are usually used in compressed air and
  gas purification to remove oil vapors, odors, and other hydrocarbons
  from the air. The most common designs use a 1 stage or 2 stage
  filtration principle in which activated carbon is embedded inside the
  filter media. Activated charcoal filters are used to retain
  radioactive gases from a nuclear boiling water reactor turbine
  condenser. The air vacuumed from the condenser contains traces of
  radioactive gases. The large charcoal beds adsorb these gases and
  retains them while they rapidly decay to non-radioactive solid
  species. The solids are trapped in the charcoal particles, while the
  filtered air passes through.

Advantages
It is highly porous and can adsorb gas,chemicals and liquids in various sequences and reactions. has no side effects.

Disadvantages
It does stop absorbing once its saturated.. and could start to realease other harmfull gases if not replaced. You cant just put a carbon block in your room and expect it to adsorb air, it needs a pumping system or filtering system of some sort.

I hope that can answer your question a bit.

I would suggest finding the source of the smell and eradicating it with bleach/soap and/or other freshers/cleaners/chemicals. Then vent your room for 24hours.


Are there any simple electronic door locks available?

You don't necessarily need an electronic lock - you just need a lock that is always locked from the outside and yet allows exit from the inside.  Something commercial in nature is probably in order.  You probably won't find this at a home supply store, however.  You likely will need to consult a locksmith.

CORRECTION

Link to Home Depot collection of storeroom locks.

You can find them at Home Depot.

Thanks to RSMoser for the proper name!


Why are cabinets / shelves not built into more walls?

This is mostly speculation, but I would say there are 3 major reasons:

Cost. Adding any sort of custom feature is usually quite costly, and the way homes are sold/built, most people just don't care enough. I'm currently building a house, and I would guess that adding a built-in shelf like that from a builder would run somewhere in the $1000-$5000 range, depending on size and how elaborate you'd want it. A book shelf at Ikea costs <$100.
Most people don't really have much of a vision of how exactly they're going to use a space until they start moving their stuff into it. If you have built-in shelves all over the place, it really limits where you can place other furniture.
More minor, but there's all kinds of things running through walls, like insulation, plumbing, and electrical. This can of course be routed differently, but that adds complexity/cost.

Unless you're dealing with a load bearing wall, there are no structural reasons to have the wall in the first place, so you can pretty much do with it what you wish. This could even be done in a load-bearing wall. Most outside walls are load-bearing, and they have windows and doors in them, which is essentially the same concept as the built-in shelf. It just adds more complexity again, but it's entire possible.
I think today, you would see this kind of thing much more in custom / higher-end houses, versus cookie-cutter suburban ones - mostly for the reasons I mentioned above. It's interesting that this seems to be more common in older homes. The phone shelf was ubiquitous, and other built-ins are really common in old houses as well compared to today. Maybe this is due to these houses being "higher end" in their day, and therefore they are the ones more likely to survive into today? More of a question for an architecture historian I guess.


I'm not sure why you would want to do that, but paralleling the 24V relay coil to the C and W wire and connecting the attic fan to the normally closed contacts on the relay would achieve what you want to do. I would use a RIB (relay in a box) and make sure all wiring above 50V is protected per NEC. Also make sure your control voltage transformer has enough VA to handle the addition.

Good Luck


Is a 100A breaker adequate for a garage subpanel?

Well, you asked several questions and if you search on this site you will find many questions and answers regarding sub-panels. We have covered this same subject many times. It may be the most asked questions from novices.

It would be a Code violation, and safety issue, to protect #6 wire with a 100 amp breaker. You will need #3 copper or #1 aluminum if you want to protect it with a 100 amp breaker. You can use whatever size panel you want at the garage but if you want to fully utilize it you should feed it with proper sized wire and protect that with a properly sized breaker.

You can drive the ground rod with a fence post driver they sell at the farm centers. If you have good soil they are easy to drive.

The #6 grounding electrode conductor connects to the ground bus and the neutral bus is kept isolated. Take the green screw (or the jumper strap) that came with your panel and throw it away.

Good luck and stay safe!


Can I add a three way switch to a light circuit when I only have access to light switch and it just cuts the power to the switch?

Yes you can. You need to replace the current switch with a three way.

Run the new three wire cable between the old switch box and the new switch box.

The wire that carries current to the old switch is attached to the common terminal of the replacement three way.

The wire that brings current to the light in the existing switch box is connected to one of the wires to the second remote three way switch. In the new switch box, this will be connected to the new switch's common terminal.

The other two wires are the travelers between the replacement switch and the new second switch.

NOTE: Be sure to mark the white wire in the new cable with black tape or marker on both ends. That wire will be hot.

Old Wiring

New Wiring


Can you run a pool pump with a cover on?

Sure, a pool cover doesn't bother the works at all.  Most outdoor hot tubs are designed to have a cover over them while waiting for bathers to show up.

If there are any aerators, I would close them if it will be running for more than a few days without the cover being removed—to keep it looking nice and smooth.  Otherwise big blotchy bubbles form.


Is the U bend in my A/C condensation drain needed?

Is the U-bend (in 1st picture) necessary? I'm guessing it's preventing backflow of gas from the drain.

It is required by code to do just what you said. It prevents sewer gas from venting into the A/C and then into the house. You would not want that.

Make sure it is not clogged, but do not remove it.


Subwoofer in a 5.1 surround Possible with outputs?

You should be able to connect this to your subwoofer output. The presence of the speaker outs means it has internal crossover networks to route the lowest frequencies from both channels to the sub while passing higher frequencies along to the other speakers. The fact that your receiver has already performed that separation means the crossover isn't needed... but it shouldn't do any harm.


I would get 2x8 boards and rip them to 6.25. It's the simplest and cheapest solution, and probably also the strongest.

If you go parallel, then you have to make sure that the new joists are directly on top of the old joists - otherwise, they're only being supported by the subfloor. But if you put them perpendicular, you can put them anywhere you want, and I'm guessing that the whole setup will be stronger overall, since the load on each upper joist will be distributed among multiple lower joists. So perpendicular is the way I would go.


How to get a straight line when painting wall with fillet to ceiling

I've had mixed results with tape.  Paint will wick/bleed under loosely bonded tape, especially if your surface is rough and well-bonded tape can damage the surface especially if you leave it on too long.  A friend of mine likes Frog Tape, but I've never tried it. I just free-hand it and switch to decaf coffee for a day!  I got good pretty quickly.  and it's not like tiling or something where you can't fix your mistakes.   If you don't mind doing touch-up the day after, it's usually faster than taping.

As far as positioning a line that goes with the flow of the ceiling, I would make a jig by screwing a few blocks of wood together that holds a pencil.  Use it to mark the wall and you'll have a visual guide to follow when you freehand. The yellow arrow in the sketch below represents the pencil and I would use a big enough block that averages out maybe a square foot or so of ceiling.  if you see sections of the line you don't like (because the jig hit a bump or whatever), just erase the offending section and use a long straight-edge like a 4-ft level or strip of trim to redraw the line.

Edit:
If your ceiling is very uneven, attach three (not four) "feet" to the top of your jig.  Doesn't really matter where, just position them away from each other in a triangle. This will prevent the jig from rocking on the high spots.


2 single switches; want to create three way switch

The problem isn't that you "already have feed in and feed out". The problem is that, unless you have conduit, replacing one cable (14/2) with another (14/3) in a finished space (easy in an unfinished basement or garage) is a royal pain. A few years ago that would have been the only practical option. But now we have...
Smart Switches
With smart switches, you can put the "main" smart switch in place of the existing single switch controlling the light. You then put a "remote" in the other location. Make sure to get smart switches that communicate wirelessly (not necessarily WiFi - there are plenty of other wireless systems, and a switch might have WiFi for internet control but use something else for local communications with other switches). Then you have two options for the remote, depending on the particular switches:

Battery Power - Just cap the old wires and stick in the switch. Change the battery every few years.
AC Power - Install the switch using "feed in" to power it. But it will actually talk to the main switch wirelessly, so it won't matter that they are on different circuits.

Of course, you will want to rewire the receptacle so that it is always on. That is usually not hard to do - if you have problems, post pictures and specific details.


Issue with older TV stand mounting hooks

Go to your local hardware store and ask for help finding aluminum or bronze sleeves (bushings) like so:

They should be the same length as (or slightly shorter than) the thickness of your brackets. They'll fill the gap between your screws and the bracket holes. Also get some suitable washers to enlarge the screw heads.


Sealing metal siding against window j/c channel?

I'm not a professional but I've replaced a few siding panels. In all the houses I've lived in (US), there wasn't any insulation or seal in the J or C channel. The one thing I wonder about is the colors. All of them I've seen the color matched the siding making gaps even less noticeable, I don't know if your channel actually has an orange interior. If there were a seal to be concerned about, it would be between the channel and the wall.


Living near a highway in SoCal with no standard windows - how to install A/C?

As mentioned in another answer, casement window air conditioners are available.

The portable units work okay.  Obviously they eat some floor space.  You may have to empty the condensate that collects.  You have to run a dryer type hose to exhaust hot air.  The units usually come with a mounting bracket that go in a window, but somehow these are always useless plastic junk.  However it's very easy to make a plywood window bracket for the hose.  It's not that hard to install a permanent dryer vent if you'll use the same unit in the same window every year.

You can buy air conditioners that are made to install in a permanent wall penetration, search for "through-wall air conditioner" - they usually have a sheet metal box that stays in place year round.  There is obviously some carpentry involved but it's not too difficult.  If you can place them below a window, usually you don't have to install a header over the opening.  If you don't want to DIY it, it's not something for a handyman, but an easy job for a carpenter.

I think the ductless will be your best option - they are a lot more money, but popular for good reasons and although definitely advanced DIY, DIY-able.

Flexible options for location of indoor units
Efficient electric heat for moderate climates
Quiet
No annual installation / removal
No cords
No compromise of security (break ins)
No drafts around window units
Adds value to home


Yes, that's fine. It needs to be of adequate size and properly connected. IIRC 12Ga should be adequate if that matches the largest wires you are running power on.


Is the open grate in the ceiling between my garage and attic necessary?

Your attic definitely does need ventilation.  However, it seems really odd to me that it is vented down into your garage.  Is there any kind of gas powered appliances nearby?  If not, I would:

Install some roof vents and maybe an attic fan.
Install soffit vents or some way for air to get in.  (you want to create a FLOW all the way through your attic)
Drywall over the vent in your garage.


Remove the 6 tabs (at 6am, 9am, etc.) and it should stop any automated on/off actions.

It's hard to be sure from this vantage, but it appears that 3 of the tabs are light colored, and 3 are darker. The light ones are used to set "on" times, and the dark ones for "off" times.


How can I find the hollow cavities in a concrete block wall through stucco?

If you are looking for hollow cells, as opposed to filled reinforced cells, I'd use an infrared heat detector. It will expose both vertical and horizontal. (By the way, some concrete blocks are 12"...used as pilasters, etc.)


How can I fix a bathtub that was not set properly?

If you look at the underside of the tub (through your proposed hole) you should be able to tell if it was meant to sit on the subfloor or not.  Some kind of wooden frame will be partly embedded into the fiberglass to help support it.  If there are "skids" that should touch the subfloor but do not you can use shims to support them.

I had a shower enclosure that was not well supported underneath.  It eventually cracked and leaked on the ceiling below.  When I removed it, it was obvious that the enclosure was sitting on the floor in the front and hanging from the wall in the back.  The reinforcements on the bottom of the enclosure were not touching the floor.  I don't know if they were meant to or not.


Can a multi-meter be used to test home theater receiver speaker output?

Yes, flip the meter to "AC".  You should detect a fluctuating AC voltage when sound plays.  Some amplifiers also put a DC bias on speaker circuits, you can check for that too by flipping the meter to "DC".


Does a portable fan work for drying the bathroom?

You need a dehumidifier.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehumidifier
If there is no way to blow the humid air out, run it thru a dehumidifier.  You can keep it in the bathroom running on a timer or roll it into the shower to run after you wash up, and let the collected water go down the drain.


#1026 - Side Cutting Pliers - 3/8" Jaw Width

Sargent seems to still sell something like these, called Side Cutting Pliers. They also have a variant without the cutter, called parallel action pliers.


Two lengths of 12/2 romex to substitute for 10/2

You only need one run of 12/2, so why waste money?

12/2 is already legal for 20A so you're all set.

At 100' you will have 0.2% voltage drop per amp, or 4% drop if you redline the circuit at 20A, which you should not do, as a rule; you should only plan to run 16A (80%).   You do not need a wire size bump for voltage drop at 100', and your run is actually 65' so you are all set. Figure on 0.13% voltage drop per amp. So at 20A 2.6V drop, no big deal.

For anti-dimming, use LEDs or fluorescents with modern ballasts

Specifically look for LEDs or fluorescent ballasts made for multi-voltage 100-240V (world voltages).  Those will automatically adjust to voltage "on the fly" so dimming will be minimal/nonexistent; the device will simply treat a startup sag as "oh, we're in Japan now ok".

Common 15A receptacles can only be on 15A or 20A circuits.

As soon as you put a 25A or 30A breaker on it, you can't have receptacles anymore.  Unless you feed that circuit to a subpanel and distribute it to one or more 15/20A circuits.

Every breaker is dual thermal/magnetic.

They all have a permissive curve allowing some seconds for a 200% load, some minutes for a 1.25x load, and instant trip for a 1000% load.

If you want that feature local to the shed, feel free to install a subpanel. This can be fed with 120v (mine is). You can then use a 30A breaker to get full use out of the #10 wire, and local breakers of appropriate sizes for the circuit.  Subpanels are as cheap as $20 and breakers are typically $5 if you're not subject to AFCI/GFCI requirements.

There can be only one

One NEC rule is that you can only have one circuit of the same type and usage.  So sticking two 120V circuits out there isn't allowed, unless, say, one of them is controlled by a light switch from the house.

However you can have a 120V circuit and a 240V circuit, 120/240V split-phase circuit, and an MWBC (all at once even).

So have one of your two 120V circuits switched from the house.  Or run a larger 120V circuit and have a subpanel.  Or run a 120V/240V circuit and have a subpanel. Or run a MWBC.

Wait, what's a MWBC?

It's 2 hots sharing a neutral.  It must be punched down into a 240V common-trip breaker, you can't use a duplex/twin or you'll overload the neutral.

Say you run 12/3 cable and punch it down onto a 240V 20A breaker.  You now have 2 full 20A circuits worth of power available to you.  YOu split one 20A/120V circuit off black and white, and the other 20A/120V circuit off red and white.  Great for saw on phase 1 and dust collector/lights on phase 2 for instance.


Why does my desk lamp(LED) seems to flicker very fast when capturing through camera lens?

There can be several reasons for LED lights to flicker. Most were mentioned in comments above. I’ll summarize them in one answer. (Note that the one actual answer, “All LEDS flicker” is wrong.)
LED brightness is controlled by the amount of current that feeds them. Usually that is controlled with supply voltage.
A cheap power supply can have voltage fluctuations, which will cause the brightness to flicker.
A REALLY cheap power supply might use half-wave rectification, which clips off the negative half-wave of the AC supply, causing the LED to flash on and off with the positive half of the AC sine wave (60 Hz in the US, 50 Hz in much of the rest of the world.) It’s also possible the power supply is low voltage AC, and the LED just blocks the negative half of each cycle. The effect of either of these would be for the LED to be on half the time and off half the time, probably at the frequency of your AC power.
Some LEDs lights control their brightness using pulse-width modulation (PWM). This varies the percentage of on time to off time to change the average brightness. Usually this is done quite fast, and and our eyes perceive the average brightness. If the PWM frequency is high enough (10s or 100s of kHz) it takes a very fast camera shutter-speed for it to show up at all.
Other LED setups like calculator LED displays and other grids of LEDs multiplex a large number of LEDs by lighting them in groups and cycling between those groups rapidly. At any instant only a fraction of the LEDs that appear lit actually are lit.


What are the pros and cons of covering a basement ceiling with drywall vs. panel board?

For insulation (either thermal or acoustic) use batt insulation between the joists (e.g. Roxull or other mineral wool type which seem better for sound insulation purposes).

For additional soundproofing and a finished ceiling, you may want to consider a resilient channel ceiling, with some kind of removeable tiles (e.g. http://www.homedepot.ca/product/resilient-channel-x-12/968159).  This could lose you less ceiling height than a drop ceiling.

One consideration for having the ceiling be removeable is that you may want to run wires/pipes for the finished area of the house in future.


Alternative designs for a load bearing wall

You should balance the expected savings from a more optimal design with the cost of hiring an engineer to do an alternative design.

Supposedly, the 10k includes their time to design the structure, build, including materials.

An assumption here is that the majority of the cost is labour and design, neither of which you save on with a more economic design (moreover, more complex but economic designs might be more labour intensive). If this is the situation, just get other quotes for the design you like.

If this assumption is wrong and the potential savings on materials is greater than the cost of an engineer, it might be worth getting an alternative design.


Can the water heater be damaged if the gas has been shut off?

That depends. If the water heater in question has a pilot light, as opposed to an igniter, then probably not, but if there is an igniter and not a pilot light, the fuse for the igniter could blow as the igniter tries to light a nonexistent gas flow. As far as physical damage to the water heater itself, I don't see how. A fuse is a pretty minor fix. And if you turn the thermostat all the way down, you shouldn't have to worry about the fuse either.


What are the best options for rock, for french drains?

That's a pain, but I think the standard advice for outdoor french drains applies. 3/4-inch minus rock and def filter or landscape fabric (not the plastic kind, the woven kind). But from a quick bit of browsing, you might want to layer filter fabric down first then rock then a socked pipe (keep the sediment from even getting to the rock, like an outside french drain.

You are going to get some sediment in your sump bin. Just make it large enough to justify the work and perhaps be able to get a secondary backup sump in there comfortably (either a battery back up or water).

Not quite the building code information you were seeking, but it does sound a lot like you would benefit from thinking this is an outside drain in clay soil.

https://www.ndspro.com/french-drain-installation


Can I wire a refrigerator and dishwasher on the same circuit?

Maybe.
Branch Circuits Required

National Electrical Code 2014
Article 210 - Branch Circuits
I. General Provisions
210.11 Branch Circuits Required.
(C) Dwelling Units.
(1) Small-Appliance Branch Circuits. In addition to the number of branch circuits required by other parts of this section, two or more 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits shall be provided for all receptacle outlets specified by 210.52(B).
III. Required Outlets
210.52 Dwelling Unit Receptacle Outlets.
(B) Small Appliances.
(1) Receptacle Outlets Served. In the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, dining room, or similar area of a dwelling unit, the two or more 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits required by 210.11(C)(1) shall serve all wall and floor receptacle outlets covered by 210.52(A), all countertop outlets covered by 210.52(C), and receptacle outlets for refrigeration equipment.
Exception No. 2: The receptacle outlet for refrigeration equipment shall be permitted to be supplied from an individual branch circuit rated 15 amperes or greater.

210.52(B)(1) Exception No. 2 specifically says that you can put the refrigerator on a dedicated circuit (that can be 15 amperes instead of 20), but does not require it.  The rest of 210.52 says that you have to have at least two 20 ampere branch circuits to supply all the required receptacles in the kitchen, and that those circuits can only serve receptacles in that same kitchen (with some minor exceptions).
If you can meet the provisions in 210.52, and still end up under the load calculations in other parts of the code.  AND the dishwasher is cord-and-plug connected, then it is possible to have the fridge and dishwasher on the same 20 ampere small appliance branch circuit. Whether or not this is recommended is subjective, and can be debated in another place.
Load Calculations

National Electrical Code 2014
Article 210 - Branch Circuits
II. Branch-Circuit Ratings
210.23 Permissible Loads.
(A) 15- and 20-Ampere Branch Circuits.
(1) Cord-and-Plug-Connected Equipment Not Fastened in Place. The rating of any one cord-and-plug-connected utilization equipment not fastened in place shall not exceed 80 percent of the branch-circuit ampere rating.
(2) Utilization Equipment Fastened in Place. The total rating of utilization equipment fastened in place, other than luminaires, shall not exceed 50 percent of the branch circuit ampere rating where lighting units, cord-and-plug connected utilization equipment not fastened in place, or both, are also supplied.

This means that the refrigerator must be rated less than 80% of the branch circuit rating,  for it to be connected to a 20 ampere small appliance branch circuit. This would mean the fridge must be rated less than 16 amperes.
20 amperes * 0.80 = 16 amperes
It also means that the dishwasher (assuming it's not a portable unit), must be rated less than 10 amperes.
20 amperes * 0.50 = 10 amperes
If it's a portable dishwasher, it can be rated up to 16 amperes just like the refrigerator.

tl;dr
So if you have:

A cord-and-plug attached dishwasher fastened in place that is rated 10 amperes or less.
Or a cord-and-plug attached dishwasher not fastened in place that is rated 16 amperes or less.
And a cord-and-plug attached refrigerator not fastened in place that is rated 16 amperes or less.
And you meet the provisions in 210.52(B)

Then it is possible (though maybe not advisable) to have a dishwasher, and a refrigerator on the same small appliance branch circuit.


Courtesy of @lsiunsuex in chat: http://www.tecotested.com/techtips/pdf/tt_plywooddesigncapacities

Max Live Load Deflection = span/240,
Max Total Deflection = span/180.

So for a 24 inch span, the deflection should be <  ~1/8 of an inch. (2.1333 sixteenths)


Which type of paint for a surface with slight imperfections?

I wouldn't use oil-based paint. More expensive and harder to clean up. I'd use acrylic latex (water-based) paint.  No primer is required. Make sure the door is clean, (I.e.: no oil, grease, crayon marks, etc.). Quick drying and easy clean up.


How come the temperature is sometimes not maintained?

If this is indeed two independent systems in one house (as it sounds like it is), the symptom you describe actually sounds like a common furnace problem, and you happen to have both doing it at the same time.

Flame sensor problem (I've had this happen myself)
The flame sensor is a usually L-shaped piece of metal that literally sits in the path of the flames, and detects their presence. It is a safety shut-off feature so if there are no flames, it turns the gas off. It gets dirty over time, and at the beginning will happen only occasionally, and will gradually happen more frequently as it gets dirtier. Cleaning it with some steel wool once a year will usually solve the problem. It is usually connected to the control board using a white high-temperature wire.

Igniter problem
Could be a bad igniter, which will cause the gas not to ignite at all. This could happen intermittently.

Exhaust blocked/backflow
There are sensors to detect when exhaust gas isn't being vented properly, so if your chimney or vent is slow or clogged, it may be causing this sensor to trip and shut off the furnace. This is less likely to be an intermittent problem, but is worth checking out.

In all cases, when there is a problem, the furnace will not try to start again until you cycle the control signal on the thermostat or cycle the power to the furnace itself.


Would a 20 amp 240 volt panel from the main panel be enough for a laundry room?

If the laundry room does not have an electric clothes dryer, then yes, 20 amps at 240 volts should be adequate.  That could be arranged as a pair of 20 amp 120 volt circuits:  one for the clothes washer and an iron, and the other for the motor of a gas or propane clothes dryer.

However, if an electric clothes dryer is needed, that alone should be a 30 amp (or larger) 240 volt dedicated circuit.  Another 120 volt circuit at 20 amps for the clothes washer and iron, etc.  The total is at least 50 amps.


Cracks in a newly constrcuted basement wall?

Those are not cracks. It is where the concrete was poured and had a chance to set for a while, perhaps while another part of the foundation was being poured. The concrete chute or hose then returned to the area in question, and resumed pouring, allowing the coarser aggregate to show at the joint.

It may also be a cold joint, where concrete was started, then finished later in the day or a different day.

It may also be where the concrete was not vibrated enough in the area to settle in the coarse aggregate. Vibrating concrete helps eliminate air pockets along the form walls. Sometimes air gets trapped, creating what is called "honeycombing"

Any of these conditions although not great, since they are really small, will not create leaks in the basement. Concrete is a big sponge anyway, soaking up moisture, and releasing it to the dryer side, always trying to find equilibrium. The foundation needs a good layer of foundation coat to keep water at bay.


What tool do I need to remove a round nut with slots in its face?


How to run low voltage wire from one side of kitchen hood to the other?

I've done this myself with both conventional range hoods and over-the-oven microwaves. Just drop the hood and cut one in. Avoid the areas where mounting screws will need to go, and avoid damaging your vapor barrier (if present). There's no need to patch the drywall.

Use any rigid or semi-rigid tubing that meets your size requirements. Obviously you'll want to position it so that it aligns with the holes you drill in your cabinetry.

UPDATE:
From your comment I see that you'd like the wire to be under the upper cabinets. This is what I expected. My wire route usually goes through the side of the cabinet adjacent to the range hood, down through the cabinet floor at the rear corner, and wherever it needs to go underneath the cabinet, concealed by the recess. Sometimes it's necessary to clip a very small corner off the floating shelves, but it's not really visible from outside.

Of course, you can always run your conduit in the wall level with the cabinet recess since you're working on the wall anyway. The "right way" is what makes sense in your case. It's not a code issue.


What to do with a gap in the countertop next to kitchen sink?

You can put a piece of wood on the edge, scoot the sink over by 1/8", and epoxy and caulk.  If this sink is highly utilized I wouldn't expect this to look pretty after six months.   You have the weight of dishes and water in the sink, you have dirt and grime, just nothing that will hold up like a countertop.

Even thinking of a weird solution that could cost you $10-20 to look crappy, a good sink can usually be had for $30-40 so I would personally install a bigger one.


Wifi Thermostat, No C wire on HVAC unit. No control board? Condo

After looking at the schematic for the unit and your picture of the wires with the transformer,  I can help identify what "would" have been a c terminal if it was brought to a connection screw.
In the middle of the schematic,  the wire on the secondary side that is "common" to the relays is referred to as the c wire.
Now in your picture of the transformer is writing on the transformer which identify the secondary side wires.(primary is the high voltage, secondary is the low voltage)
Of those 2, the blue wire connects to the red wire of the schematic (not the c wire), don't touch. The yellow wire connects to the white wire from the schematic ( this is the c wire).
Obviously before you start , be sure to turn off the power to the unit!

And be sure to set the correct system settings in the thermostat. Thermostat electrically behaves differently set for a heat pump vs fan coil vs furnace.
Good luck!


Can I do multiple neutrals and potentially make a bad situation worse?

You can add another to the connection of existing neutrals, you will likely need to change the yellow connectors on the neutral and ground with larger (red) connectors. Most yellow connectors are only NRTL Listed for 3@#12 or 4@#14.
The existing switch should also have a connection to the grounds, you will need to make sure you connect to the ground of your new switch.


can I combine electrical cords and their dimmeers?

Short answer is no, not a good idea to do this.

First, splicing cords is a bad idea as they become fire hazards.  A splice drastically weakens the cord possibly allowing the conductors to separate which then will cause sparking.  The other, is the dimmer.  The manufacture of the lamp most likely used the cheapest dimmer possible to run the lamp.  Putting three lamps on one dimmer will most likely overload it.

I recommend looking for a new lamp that provides the lighting you need in a single package.


What light switch combination do I need?

This is two three-way switches from the looks of things, but wired in a nonstandard fashion
From the wires you have, this does appear to be a fairly basic three-way switch circuit with both switches on loops from the light fixture, but with the way the second switch is wired, and the way you were able to get it working, it's not a standard three-way switch.  Instead, it's what's called a "California" or "Coast" 3-way setup that brings always-hot to a traveler terminal on both switches and switched-hot to the other traveler terminal on the switches, then connects their commons together.  This yields a working 3-way switch arrangement, as depicted below (illustration courtesy of Wtshymanski/Wikipedia), and has the advantage of providing always-hot and switched-hot at both switch locations, but has the downside that you can't add another switch to it.


The ground prong is important. If a failure occurs that connects the hot to the parts of the vacuum that are supposed to be grounded, a functional ground prong means the circuit breaker trips. Lack of it means you get to play with electrocution. Devices that do not have a ground prong from the factory are "double-insulated" meaning that two separate failures would have to occur to connect the hot to the case (and in most actual product, have non-conductive plastic casings so you cannot touch any metal parts)

The plug overheating is an additional reason to replace the plug and would be even if the ground prong was intact.

So, replace the plug.


Does a refrigerator compressor need settling time after being laid on its back or side?

As a certified HVAC person I can tell you it might work after standing back up and plugging in but depending on the system the oil drains from the compressor. On many units it takes time to make its way back to the compressor (if it can at all). I have seen brand new window AC units that were shipped on their side and turned on after several hours that blew the breaker. The oil went into the coils, and because of the design, the oil was trapped enough so when the unit was plugged in it destroyed the compressor.


There's no point

First, a GFCI receptacle can protect regular receptacles downstream (that's why there are LOAD terminals on them downstream).  Second, connecting two GFCIs in series creates a race condition if a ground fault is placed downstream of the 2nd GFCI -- it's indeterminate which one trips (it's even possible for both to trip on the same fault, as Tyson points out in his comment).  Third, modern GFCIs require power to reset, so you'd have to reset them in order when they do both trip.  All in all, it's a needless pain in the arse that's best avoided.


What is the correct Air Flow change per hour for my house?

Building Air Standard (BAS) is sometimes referred to as BAS - ACH This appears to be a (I begin to think deliberately, after quite a few vague web results) slippery number to track down, but it appears to be essentially an estimation of "natural air changes per hour" based on the blower door test. Simply calling it "Estimated ACH" would apparently be too straightforward for whomever came up with "BAS"...

0.35 or below is "tight" (requires mechanical ventilation below that to maintain indoor air quality.) It might be a good target to shoot towards or near, though that may be difficult on an older home. Some newer builds are evidently shooting for 0.06 and then mechanically ventilating, but that's a new build where you can take steps at the design and build phase to make things tight. Retrofitting is more difficult.

As such, 1.2 is better than 1.4, but not all that great, or all that much improvement. i.e. you still have significant air leakage.


You could extend your brace further toward the middle and use corner joist hangers at the wall.


Is it a good idea to add oxidizer to my septic tank?

If your tank and box are completely filled, your drain field is plugged up and no longer draining properly. It is not in jeopardy, it is done. While it could have been worse, it is still bad. Unless this was caused by a temporary overloading condition, or the main line was simply blocked at one point, you probably will need to build a replacement field soon, if not now. It's conceivable, that giving the field a good long rest with little or no waste load, that some sort of product that accelerates waste breakdown could help temporarily get the field partly working.

But if the field isn't draining, the product will not get to where it's needed. Some of these products are snake oil and do nothing. Others will help accelerate breakdown, but given enough time, breakdown will occur naturally, special products are not needed, but may be helpful. Every guy with a pumper truck sells something like this because it's easy money.

If your field is partly draining, and this Oxidizer Plus (many similar products around, btw, shop around) stuff really is actually beneficial, it may be worth a try, as the real solution is very expensive. It will be important to drastically reduce waste loading once a product is distributed to let it breakdown the obstructions with out adding on more work.

The same results can be achieved with no product at all, but it may take longer. If you do get the field draining, it will still be in a very fragile state. It could be easily overloaded again with even modest inflows. You should also determine why the field became obstructed in the first place. A properly sized, constructed, and maintained system should last indefinitely.


Installed outlet for Tesla charger but get only 8 amps out and the breaker is 50 amps

only 8 amps come out, and the Tesla charges one-third as fast.

The electrical circuits in your home can't restrict the amount of current they deliver, other than to shut off completely if you exceed the threshold for the breaker by a certain amount over a certain amount of time. If you are getting any current at all, the only thing that could be limiting that current is whatever you have plugged into it.
In the case of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), this would be either the charging station itself, or the settings in the vehicle. You appear to have the Tesla "Mobile" EVSE, which when attached to a 240V supply should provide much more than 8A of charging. However, it is compatible with both 240V and 120V, and the 8A is consistent with it being plugged into a 120V/15A supply; their documentation says it will charge at 3 miles/hour, which works out to about 1 kWh, which at 120V is about 8A.
Your photos don't show what kind of outlet you have, nor do you indicate where in the world you are located. But if, as the 50A (or 60A?) breaker suggests, the circuit is supposed to be supplying 240V, the first thing to check would be to make sure there is in fact 240V at the outlet; if not, then it has been wired incorrectly. You indicated in the comments that the car is telling you it's connected to a 240V supply, which I would think would be authoritative. But there's no harm in double-checking.
Of course, the other thing to check is the car's charging settings themselves. Many Tesla's include a "geo-fenced" configuration for charging, meaning you may get different charging rate settings in different locations (based on GPS). It's possible that in your new location, you haven't adjusted the maximum charging rate. Or maybe it just got set lower for some reason at some point.
Finally, keep in mind that the charging rate slows considerably when the battery is nearly empty or nearly full. You won't see the fastest charging rates under those conditions. Rates are also limited depending on battery temperature, but a) the Tesla actively manages battery temperature to minimize this effect, and b) from the photos it looks like you are probably charging in an enclosed area, so I wouldn't expect temperature to be a major concern.
I think it's highly unlikely that there's anything wrong with the EVSE or the car's charging components themselves. But if you've gone through and ruled out all of the possibilities above, it could be time to contact Tesla for support. It would be easy enough for you to take the EVSE to your local service center and have them verify it operates correctly, as well as have them check the car itself.


Is 40-amp breaker enough for my new range?

According to the NEC, any household cooking appliance rated at 12kW or less can be served by a 40A circuit. Yours is over this so bumping up to a 50A would be required.
The code on this can be confusing, but trust me, it's there.

I am interested in where it says a 40A circuit is acceptable.


How does my geothermal heat pump heat my hot water tank/UV filter and softner

It's heating the existing water in the tank. And the tubes between the pump and the tank don't carry water; they carry refrigerant. The pump heats the refrigerant using the latent heat of the well water. The refrigerant goes through a large coil in the tank, heating the coil. The coil is immersed in your soft/clean water.


tiles getting spongy and water coming up between the cracks

It does not sound at all normal to me.  I would call the handyman first, since you haven't pinpointed the problem to piping.  If you have to rip up flooring you'll need a handyman to put it back together anyway.


Furnace and Water Heater Ventilation pipe

A chimney cap is a good idea, as it reduces the water heading down.  Water can affect the flames and rust the pipe.

For better answers we need to know what type of pipe (ceramic? metal? plastic?). In general chimneys are not to be insulated.  Tap on the pipe, what does it sound like?  Post pictures.  What era are the heating appliances: that matters also.  Old ones send a lot of heat up the chimney, drying it out.


The vent duct being clear is a good sign but it's possible it's still causing restriction and that's contributing to the heat / smell. You should be able to look up the maximum duct length for your dryer (you'll probably need the exact model number, not just the product line).

Barring more stringent requirements from your manufacturer, you should shoot for a maximum 25 foot vent, minus 5 feet for every 90˚ elbow (2006 IRC). So for your double bend, the total length of the ducting should be less than 15 feet. (If the duct is less than 4" across or is made of that flexible foil material that will add additional restriction. But if you have a foil duct you should really consider replacing to reduce the risk of fire.)


Problem with Screws/Hinges on laminate door

You need a bigger pilot hole for sure. If needed, point the holes inward a bit but not much.


What to use a 90 and when to two 45s in copper piping?

When to use a pair of 45° versus one 90°? Most in the construction trades work according to these guiding principles:

Use as few parts as possible, because handling more parts takes more time
Get the job done with whatever I have on the truck, because trips to the supply house and back to the job site waste time

With that philosophy in mind one would use a pair of 45° elbows only if using a single 90° is impossible given building constraints, or if a 90° isn't on hand.
As for the mangled fitting: that's not a coupler. It's much too long; there's no way a person could bend a coupler without kinking/crimping it shut. This looks like a 45° elbow that has been twisted about half a turn. Perhaps the faucet was installed upside down and somebody, working from the outside and assuming that faucets are always connected with a threaded adapter, decided to just twist it around to fix the orientation.


1972 York Furnace wiring to a blower motor

The wiring diagram is printed on the side of the motor.

Brown, Brown/White
The Brown and Brown with White wires go to the run capacitor. If the old motor did not have a capacitor, you'll need to get a 10 microfarad 370 VAC capacitor. Mount the capacitor, and connect these wires to it.
Yellow
The yellow wire is one of the line wires. It will either go to L2 or neutral, depending on the motor and the system it is installed in.
Black, Blue, Red
These wires are the speed taps. You'll connect one of them to power at a time, to make the motor spin at the desired speed. Black is high, Blue is medium, and Red is low speed. In some furnaces/air handlers, you'll simply park each tap at the corresponding terminal on the fan control module.
Rotation Direction
This motor also allows you to select the rotation direction, by simply connecting four wires in the appropriate configuration.


I think the red wire is to control the attached light via a switch.

Try the link below for more info.


How do you install a slide lock when the door frame isn't level with the door?

The best solution, of course, would be to fix the door frame, but this would take a lot of work.

It appears that the door jamb is metal, and slightly wider than the part of the lock that accepts the slide? If so, find a piece of filler material (perhaps a layer or two of metal bar stock/billets), that will thicken the door jamb to meet the door. Use some longer sheet metal screws to attach the part to the door jamb. Be sure to drill holes in the filler material so that the screws easily go through the metal stock, so that they can dig into the door jamb itself.

Note that you may need to use fairly large screws to fully secure the lock. If smaller screws are used, one could easily kick open the door as the heads off the screws will easily pop off given reasonable force.


How much does EMT conduit installed vertically on a poured concrete interior basement wall have to extend beyond the top of the concrete?

4 inches was a good call.  It gives you room to get above the schmutz from pouring concrete and get an EMT coupler on the pipe, and gives you some spare distance in case the pipe's end gets damaged and needs to be cut back a bit.

The ruling factor is whether you can get an EMT coupler on it. For that I'd recommend at least 2".


Two GFCI's on the same circuit in my RV. One works. One doesn't

I've recently started working on a similar issue with an inverter from one of our work trucks. The built in GFCI failed, so I replaced it, but no luck.
It turns out that Modified sine wave devices often cause problems for GFCIs because, apparently, of the harmonics that exist when it is not a proper sine wave.
I found, after much deep googling, a couple older articles from Xantrex, the manufacterer of my particular inverter.
This article is from 1997. It states that you should not test a GFCI when it is active and not under load as it will definitely trigger the GFCI. However, all GFCIs since 2015 are required to be selftest.
This article is from 2005 and talks about how even with non-self-testing GFCIs, some will work with some inverters and not others because of the peculiarities of the individual circuits. It contains a chart where they have done some testing with their array of products against a variety of GFCIs. Unfortunately, that was 13 years ago and of course, none of those part numbers are available any longer. Again, all manufacterers were required to make all GFCIs self testing by UL 943 effective June 29th, 2015.
I have been attempting to make contact with an RV technician to find out the scoop on what they are doing currently, but so far have had no luck.
For your situation, I feel that this explains why the one GFCI works when you feed line power or when you installed it in the house. I'm not sure why you're not having a problem with the other one. Are they the same model? Perhaps it's just luck of the draw manufacturing variances.


How can I fill this gap between two areas of flooring

Upper Picture - there is a saddle, but it is not doing what it is supposed to do - transition fully from one room/floor to another.  You could remove that saddle and get a wider one that covers the full gap. An issue may be the relative height between the two areas.  If they are uneven, you might need to put a filler under the saddle that levels them.  This should be a molding made of the same wood as the saddle and stick out slightly beyond the saddle on the lower side (maybe 1/2" to 1").  it needs to be tapered to avoid a sharp transition.

Lower Picture - There does not appear to be any saddle creating a close seal between the bottomn of the door and the floor.  This is an area that needs attention to avoid insulation problems, moisture seepage and even insect incursion. There shoudl be a saddle that reaches the outside floor level. Again, uneven levels require some build up generally under the main saddle. The gap is less of an issue than bridging the gap.


Why does Lutron motion sensor light switch have low amp?

2 amp is really small for a 120V switch type replacement. The ones I use for a single fixture are rated at 6.Amps. you might want one that is larger switch this is 800W a little bigger. With that said the total draw needs to be less than the rated value to use them. I usually like to use 50-75% of the rated value so they will last longer. Power in watts / Volts = Amps, add up the wattage total you will be switching and that will give the minimum size of the switch to use.


How to fix an ineffective Extraction Fan setup in bathroom

There should be ducting the entire way. As it is moisture is able to collect on your insulation, lumber, etc. This can result in mold and rot.

That said, I doubt that your exhaust venting will be improved by installing full ducting. If airflow is poor it's likely due to a crudded up fan or weak fan motor. Check the fan for collected lint. Clean it thoroughly. You can often remove the fan cage and wash it separately with water.

Yes, the electrical connections must be in an approved, enclosed junction box. Should anything go awry the compartment can help contain sources of fire.


Moisture barriers when finishing a basement?

I would NEVER put up plastic on the outside basement wall. All you will do is trap the moisture in the wall and create an environment perfect for mold. Especially with batt or blown insulation behind it.

EPS actually breathes water vapor and is better than standard insulation for vapor passage.

Moisture from the wall has nowhere to go but through the wall and needs to dry to the inside. The ground outside is already full of moisture so it can't dry to the outside.

Check this website here.

Read the various articles on vapor barriers and mold. These articles are written by experienced individuals, some with PhD's in building construction like this guy.

These people know a lot more about construction than any site I have ever seen.

Good Luck!


How can you add a standard light fixture to a ceiling fan?

Yes, the interesting bit you call a "lamp" is actually a lamp shade.   The guts with emitters and wires are pretty boring and look about the same.

Lamp shades are easily interchangeable on all sorts of lamps.  They simply own a fan that already has a light on it with the usual standard lampshade hub, and changed the shade.

However a shade on a fan had better be ready to deal with some serious vibration.  So that thing could have failed a week later and they just forgot to post that  fact on amazon.  People on social-media post their successes, not their failures.


Adapter for small 1/4" ratchet screwdriver to take Leatherman bit tips

The Leatherman bits are standard hex sized only flattened.  They should fit in any standard hex that is open or deep enough for the double sided bits to fit.

However be warned, without the custom sided attachment to grip the long thin side, the reduced surface area is more likely to round off the bits or the tool under significant torque.

Although Leatherman apparently doesn't think it's a problem as their bit extenders have a standard hex on the end and show it holding these bits.


They don't look particularly rigid, and solid doors are heavy. plastic wedges are cheap. wooden wedges are even cheaper (easy to make on a drop saw), I'd be putting wooden wegdes and panel adhesive ("no nails" etc) and nailing through the jamb and the wedges into the framing (before the glue sets)


Can I install a Subpanel (in a seperate building) using a 3 wire connection (2 hots and 1 grounded neutral)?

You can use a 3 wire feeder to supply a separate building, if...

The installation was in compliance with a previous edition of National Electrical Code (existing premises wiring).
An equipment grounding conductor is not run with the supply to the structure.
There are no continuous metallic paths bonded to the grounding system in each structure (bonded water, or gas piping, other conduit, etc.).
Ground-fault protection of equipment has not been installed on the supply side of the feeders.

  National Electrical Code 2014

  Article 250 Grounding and Bonding

  II. System Grounding

  250.32 Buildings or Structures Supplied by a Feeder(s)
  or Branch Circuit(s).

  (B) Grounded Systems.

  (1) Supplied by a Feeder or Branch Circuit. An equipment
  grounding conductor as described in 250.118 shall be
  run with the supply conductors and be connected to the
  building or structure disconnecting means and to the
  grounding electrode(s). The equipment grounding conductor
  shall be used for grounding or bonding of equipment,
  structures, or frames required to be grounded or bonded.
  The equipment grounding conductor shall be sized in accordance
  with 250.122. Any installed grounded conductor
  shall not be connected to the equipment grounding conductor
  or to the grounding electrode(s).

  Exception No 1: For installations made in compliance
  with previous editions of this Code that permitted such connection,
  the grounded conductor run with the supply to the
  building or structure shall be permitted to serve as the
  ground-fault return path if all of the following requirements
  continue to be met:

  (1) An equipment grounding conductor is not run with the
  supply to the building or structure.

  (2) There are no continuous metallic paths bonded to the
  grounding system in each building or structure involved.

  (3) Ground-fault protection of equipment has not been installed
  on the supply side of the feeder(s).

  If the grounded conductor is used for grounding in accordance
  with the provision of this exception, the size of the
  grounded conductor shall not be smaller than the larger of
  either of the following:

  (1) That required by 220.61

  (2) That required by 250.122

Changing from a 30A breaker to a 50A breaker can only be done, if you also change the wires to 6 AWG. In which case you'll have to follow current codes, and install 6/3 with ground. Breakers (and fuses) are always sized to protect the wire connected to them, so you can't change the breaker size without also changing the wire size (unless you're going down e.g. 50A to 30A).

However, depending on what you're doing, you may not have to change the breaker at all.  If the planned circuits in the structure are not going to be fully loaded, you may well be able to supply the subpanel with a 30A breaker. Just because the subpanel has 50 amperes worth of overcurrent protection, does not mean the supply breaker has to be 50A.  Whether or not you actually need a 50A breaker on the supply, depends entirely on what the subpanel will be powering.


Adding a 24" closet door to interior shear wall

We don’t design for what’s normal. We design for the unusual. Just because you don’t have wind storms too often, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take precautions for high winds.

Structural shear walls are usually at the exterior (perimeter) of the house. However, perimeter shear walls can only resist a certain amount. If the house is more than 3:1 length to width or if it has an unusual shape (like “L” shaped) or a split level house, then interior shear walls are often required.

You call the diagonal brace a “beam”. I call it a diagonal shear brace. (The code allows diagonal shear braces, in lieu of plywood shear walls.)

I suspect the diagonal shear brace is structural, because someone went to a lot of work to carefully cut the studs for the diagonal brace. One way of checking to verify that it is structural is to 1) verify that it extends from the top plate to the sole plate, 2) verify that a diagonal brace or shear wall (plywood or OSB board) extends up to the roof in the attic DIRECTLY above the diagonal brace, 3) verify that a diagonal brace or shear wall extends down to a CONTINUOUS footing. (Are those 2-16 d nails into each stud?)

If any of these conditions do not apply, then it’s not a structural shear wall FOR WIND OR EARTHQUAKES. (However, it could be for lateral stability for stairs or some other element. To verify that, we’d need more detail.)


I think you had a switch loop and put the lights in series because the switch leg was a hot white and black switched. I don’t think you hurt the lights, as any load that was turned on in series with this load caused a low voltage situation, and the driver was trying to fire but did not have enough voltage thus the flashing. This also possibly could be due to leakage but the same in either case your lights are fine.
Your lights did not have a return path but had voltage so they flashed or were connected in series, so the voltage was too low, but there was a return path via the other load.
Glad you figured it out but I think your lights are fine.


How can I extract rusted/painted outdoor screws?

Apply heat.
A heat gun simultaneously softens paint and temporarily causes the metal in the screw to expand slightly. Once the paint starts to bubble and drip, your screwdriver should have no problem getting properly slotted. Start with a minute or two of heating on the low setting and test with a screwdriver. If that doesn't work, try again with higher heat. Unless the head was already stripped, you should have no problem getting your screwdriver engaged. As the screw cools, it should also loosen up and be easier to remove.
Heat guns are inexpensive and useful for a variety of projects. Before I bought a heat gun, I used the following steps:

Remove the paint/rust from the screw head.
For paint, I've found a gel paint stripper to be effective.  As you point out, naval jelly or a penetrating oil can be used on rust.  You can also try using a rotary tool fitted with an abrasive brush to quickly clean the screw head.

Use a manual screwdriver to get the screw started.
Too often, I've gone straight to the power screwdriver and stripped the slots in the screw head.  This is particularly common with Phillips head screws.  Using a hand screwdriver reduces the risk.

Re-slot the screw head.
Using a cutting disk attachment on a rotary tool, it's possible to either add a slot or deepen an existing slot on the screw head.  Aim to create a single groove deep enough for a flat head screwdriver to engage.

Drill or chisel out the surrounding area.
If all else fails, you ought to be able to extract a screw by drilling out or attacking the area around the screw with a chisel.  (Presumably you could use a rotary tool for this step as well, but since I obtained one I haven't need to go past step #3.)  If you dig out enough material, you might be able to grasp the screw head with a pair of pliers.

It probably goes without saying (but I will anyway) that you should wear proper safety equipment such as gloves and goggles when handling harsh chemicals and using high-speed rotary tools.


If you're not renting (ie, you own your room or whoever you're living with doesn't mind if you make modifications to the structure), consider the following:

Type X drywall:  While mainly designed for fire rating, it's very heavy, very dense, and helps in blocking sound.
QuietRock:  Designed for soundproofing, but very expensive.  Consists of a viscoelastic polymer sandwiched between two layers of gypsum (or gypsum and cement board).  There are different grades of QuietRock.
RSI clips:  Resilient sound insulation clips help decouple your drywall from the studs.  Genie Clips are very popular.  You will need metal furring channels (aka hat channels) for the installation.
Green Glue:  A soundproofing compound that basically lets you make your own homegrown version of QuietRock.  Hang a layer of drywall, use a 28-oz caulking gun to dispense the GG onto the back of the second layer, and then put the second layer up over the first.  Stagger the sheets.  Green Glue's website will give you instructions on application.
Acoustical putty pads:  If you're super serious about soundproofing, apply these putty pads around the back of all your switch/outlet gang boxes.  If you don't, all your soundproofing efforts will be in vain as sound will just travel through the hole in your soundproof wall and out the back of the gang box.   QuietPutty is one such product, though there are more.  See this question of mine where I show how I ended up soundproofing my outlets after the wall was installed.
Acoustical caulk:  Use this in the space between your door frame and the studs.  You may soundproof your walls, but what's the point when sound will just sneak through that gap?
I'll also add that your soundproofing endeavors will be futile if you don't actually soundproof the door itself.  Hollow core doors are useless.  Get a solid core door with a nice, dense frame.  You will also need some heavy duty hardware like cam hinges, perimeter seals, and door sweeps.  If you're crazy into soundproofing, you can even try making your own door.
Roxul SAFE'n'Sound:  Again, if you're serious and want to really soundproof your room and you plan on removing your drywall, replace all your regular insulation bats with Roxul.
Also, if you have someone below you or above you or you're over crawlspace or have an attic above you and there's someone in the next room, you would need to soundproof the ceiling and floor.  Otherwise, if you're on a slab, you won't need to soundproof the floor.  If you have no attic above you, your need to soundproof the ceiling is greatly reduced.

You can also combine many of those options.  For example, you could go all out and soundproof a wall with Roxul insulation, RSI clips, and a double layer of type X dryall with Green Glue in between.  I did that with my room and the results have been fantastic.

Edit:  Well, I didn't realize this question was three years old.  It showed up on the first page, so I answered!


Garbage Disposal only starts when manually kickstarted

Sounds like the motor is fine (once you have spun it up), but the motor starting switch/circuit has failed.

In today's market, replacement is probably the way to go.

Several decades back it might have been practical to take it to an electric motor shop and have the broken part only fixed, but in many places you won't even find such a shop any more.


Refrigerator big temperature difference between bottom and top shelf

Another cause of this temperature difference can be over-filling of the refrigerator. Refrigerators rely on air movement for heat (cold) distribution. If overfilled, this can impede air movement.


Since I was the commenter in question ;-)

Doubled wedges are just wedges put point-to-point and driven towards each other - the wedge is one of the basic machines if your history class even touched on those.

I'll be very amused to see alfreema try what alfreema has written. The wedges described there are at a very steep angle and would be quite difficult to make work in practice. Something more like a 1:12 angle works a lot better - if you have a 4 inch gap you need to be a 5 inch gap, you put 3 inches of blocking flat, and drive two 1.5" thick (at the fat end) 12-18" long wedges point to point on top of the blocks.

If making the wedges daunts you you can buy plastic wedges for felling trees at a logging supply, or you can use cedar shingles or shims, which are sawn with a taper (they are rather soft for some heavy jobs, but would be up to the railing job) - you may need to use a sizable stack of those since each one is quite slim - but you can do that - and they are 16-18" long with less than 1/2" of taper, so the wedge angle is low (which makes it powerful - at least until the force is so great the wood crushes, where a harder wedge would be better.)


Will this DeWalt #8 screw countersink bit be good for 1/16" aluminum?

Generally speaking you can use the same tools you'd use for wood to work with aluminum. I've done a number of projects using aluminum bar and angle stock with my woodworking tools, including a miter saw.

However, since the metal is much harder, you'd probably have an easier time doing the drilling and countersinking separately. I'd drill with a standard high-speed bit, and use a countersink like the Ryobi you linked to finish.

On a related note, you'll not have much room for error when countersinking 1/16" stock. You might be better off with pan-head screws.


Retaining wall next to tree--how to fix or rebuild?

The question was bumped, so this has probably been overtaken by events.  But I'll add a couple of thoughts for anyone else in a similar situation.

My first thought is to question the tree root cause.  That's a pretty massive concrete wall.  If it had proper footers, I'm not sure roots could tilt it.  The growing roots would expand in the easiest direction, which would be into the soil.  I doubt that the roots could directly push the wall out of plumb.

Tree roots do create channels in the soil for water, and it's common for roots to result in the supporting soil being eroded.  If the roots are the cause of the tilting, that seems more likely.

If you really want to retain a concrete wall in that area (as opposed to say replacing it with a section of wooden fence to match what's visible in the second picture), there are a few ways to do it.  One is to re-support the wall with helical piers.  Another is to jack the wall back into position and get some good footers under it.  Since you don't want to damage the tree roots, that can require a creative solution based on exactly where the roots are, so it wouldn't be practical to speculate here.


Do plugged in chargers always use up energy?

This is one of those questions without any clear answer.
One person will say they measured the draw, and came up with .05 watts per device, which adds up to  something like 5-6 cents over a year.  Someone else will come around and say "But my device charger gets WARM, I measured it at 5 watts, so that means it'll cost $5 per device, times 10 chargers, that's $50!!!!
Both of these made up people aren't wrong, but neither are really right either.  In this case the phrase "Your Mileage May Vary" is really quite applicable.
So I'd say the short answer is "it depends".  Phantom draw has gotten considerably better over the years as the charger industry has gotten better at this.  There's actually an initiative to reduce standby power called the One Watt Initiative that aims to reduce standby power of appliances (and apparently chargers) to less than 1 watt by 2005, and .5 watts by 2013.
In other words, if you have some old chargers, you may want to look into replacing them with something newer.  If you have newer ones, they might not be as much of an issue.  But unless you either measure the usage yourself or lookup the specifications of standby power usage, it's not possible to generalize since the power usage varies by factors of 10 or maybe even 100.


Water is pouring out of our Aprilaire humidifier

Here is a diagram of that model from Aprilaire. The drain tube (#9 in the diagram) might be clogged. Look on page 11 section 9 for further instructions about the drain tube. Also, check the main water outlet where the tube connects to the bottom of the pan to make sure drainage isn't restricted. Check the pipe that the drain tube is connected to. It could be clogged as well.


They make tiny gray and blue wire nuts that ought to work, you could strip and twist all four wires together, trim, and twist on a wire nut.  You could cap each wire individually, but I'd splice / short them all together.

I have heard two different schools of thought about "safing off" unused wires, especially wires you want taken out of use.  With line voltage, some say it's better to short / splice them and / or bond them to the EGC, others say cap them separately.

I'll leave that discussion for another question, for a phone cable, it doesn't matter much.  One wire nut on four conductors will hold more securely and less to look at.

If you can identify it, you should disconnect and cap it at the other end as well - probably in your house's telephone NID (network interface device).

If you want to be really thorough, tag it in the NID with a label where the other end is, just in case someone needs it in the future.


YES! You can build it exactly like the picture shows but with feet (on both sides) proportionally larger depending on final height and wind resistance required.

To ask what is wide enough "to keep it from falling over in the wind" is not answerable because it is too subjective; the right (wrong?) wind speed could take down almost anything. It would depend on materials used, method of construction, and wind load you would expect it to withstand. You could certainly build it with the knowledge that you do not know what conditions would tip it, and move it to a safe location whenever there is significant wind ("significant wind", again subjective).

If you were to finalize the construction details (material, height, width, design details) a civil or structural engineer might be able to give you a ballpark wind shear resistance number.


basement bathroom flooring options in old 1929 house

Your options are pretty much infinite. I'd favor gypcrete to raise, level and provide a nice base, then tile. Nothing to rot when the next leak happens (it's a bathroom, there will always be a next leak.) I'd also put radiant floor heat tubing in place in the gypcrete pour, and if there's enough room for sleepers (now), XPS [extruded polystyrene] insulation on top of the concrete floor, under the gypcrete with radiant floor tubing in it.

If the present floor is rotted, it's probably not cementboard - that doesn't rot.


Protecting multiple outlets with one GFCI; is it possible with this wiring scheme?

I take this to mean that there is one main wire that circles the perimeter beneath the floor, and right below each outlet there must be a junction box with a separate wire going up to the receptacle.

This sounds most likely, however, if done to code, junction boxes shouldn't be hidden in inaccessible locations (walls/floors/ceilings that do not have access panels over the box). If there is a floor beneath the floor or an attic above, this is the most likely location of the junction box.

You may be able to find an outlet further upstream which supplies power to the other outlets, but in comparing the price of a combination GFCI/AFCI breaker (~$40) with a single tamper-resistant GFCI outlet GFCI (~$20), I personally wouldn't spend any more time investigating for the additional $20 and would just swap out the breaker.


How can I remove the residue that is building up in PEX tubing?

Nobody knows how to clean PEX tubing, because it's a plastic pipe. On your side I will think about repiping all your the clogged lines. PEX tubing prices have become close to nothing.


Cooker Hood Shorts When the Outer Cover Touches a Wall Bracket Installed to Stabilise the Cover

I have a feeling you are in UK or Europe and your MCB includes RCD/RCBO functionality.**

The problem is that your device has residual current leakage, or what we in the states call a "ground fault".   It is leaking current in a way it should not, and which could stun/harm/kill a human. Being stunned unconscious onto a hot cooking surface would not be fun.

When you install the cover, you are causing the problem to manifest in a way that doesn't involve bloody mayhem.  This is a good thing.

The temptation would be to defeat the symptom, but the real problem is the hood is defective.  Sorry.

**if not, tripping the main circuit breaker and not the branch circuit breaker would require an arc flash brighter than the sun, and I'm pretty sure you would not be typing!


Yes. In fact, I had to do this exact same thing in a house in MN that had baseboard copper freeze and burst in an attic. I ended up replacing the cooper between the boiler and the baseboards with PEX.

I'd suggest using SharkBite connectors to transition between the copper and PEX. They're designed for that and it's super-easy to install.

As Ecnerwal points out, be sure to use PEX with an Oxygen Barrier.

While doing this, be sure to fully insulate the PEX. PEX can withstand freezing, but it's best to avoid freezing in the first place. If you can move it into conditioned space, that'd be best. If not, wrap it in quality pipe insulation (not the cheap stuff but the ones that self-seal).

The biggest challenge might be finding just the small amount of PEX needed as they are often sold in large rolls. You may want to check with a plumbing supply warehouse to see if they'll sell you a remnant piece.


Replace permatreated 4x4 Hand rail post on step where concrete holding it has cracked?

I'd remove the wooden post, do a full repair of the broken step, and install a bolt-on steel or aluminum post with a vinyl cover on the step below.

Of course, this requires a rebuild of your rail assembly to extend it, but it should be full-length anyway.


How can I remove a stripped lag screw from wall framing?

If you want to remove it cleanly you will probably need a drill and a stripped screw extractor bit (grabit combination drill and extractor, twist drill bit, or screw extractor).

You might have luck with vise pliers but it all depends on the head size and how much is initially exposed.


How to connect 1" PVC pipe to 1" push fitting

That's likely the wrong fitting for the job.  Shark bite style fittings typically are for pec, Cpvc and copper.  Below is the list for branded products.

Copper pipe hard drawn Type K, L and M and annealed Type M not to exceed 3/8 nominal, complying with ASTM B88
PEX pipe complying with ASTM F 876 or CSA B137.5
CPVC pipe complying with ASTM D 2846 or CSA B137.6
PE-RT pipe complying with ASTM F 276


How do I get acceptable water pressure when using two faucets on my 1/2" water main?

1/2" is a very small "main" - the only truly functional approach would be to upgrade it to a larger main.

If your multiple-water use scenarios are of short duration, you could get some benefit from placing a pressure tank (as used in well pump systems) in the house to provide a few gallons of buffering, but after a few gallons (variable with size of tank and variation in pressure) the stored water runs out and you are back to what the main can supply.