How do I clean green and brown substances from the connectors of battery-operated devices?

First you'll want to have a good pair of gloves, this stuff can be nasty and you don't want it on your skin.  Once the batteries are removed, and disposed of properly. Mix baking soda and water into a paste, and apply it to the affected area using a cotton swab (Q-tip). Leave the paste on the terminals for 5-10 minutes, then wipe it off with a damp cloth. Repeat as necessary. Wipe the terminals with a clean dry cloth, and allow to air dry completely.

Once the terminals are clean, you can apply a contact cleaner like DeoxIT®.

Which will further clean the terminals, as well as protect them and restore their conductivity.

If the leakage is not that bad, you may be able to clean it with just the contact cleaner.  For heavy corrosion damage the baking soda paste should remove the bulk of the mess, and the contact cleaner will repair some of the unseen damage to the contacts.


Replacing an oddly sized French Patio Door

A pair of 32" doors should fit easily. Any slop at the siding can be trimmed out with a piece that covers the existing siding.

Go to a real door place. They'll be able to give you a reasonable price for what you want/need. And if you need a deeper jamb for the aforementioned overlap strategy, they're equipped to deal with that. I've hated every big box store door I've had to touch over the last 5 years.

I'm a little surprised that your contractor didn't tell you all this. (Well, except for the rant about big box stores... that might just be me.)

ps, if you must search online, use "64x80" for a size.


What is this black device on the wall of the furnace/boiler room?

If you are in the U.S.A. I would say it is a termination point for you landline phone.


Can you extend rake edge on existing gable?

Structurally it will not be an issue at all, as long as the overhang isn't huge. Up to a foot is good for adding on as long as you can get 2' back into the existing rafter (3' total). If the proposed overhang is shorter, that will not allow you to use a much shorter piece to tie in. At least for me it would not, the reason being, too short of a piece, with stress applied in one fashion or another, will readily split. With care on assembly, (predrill, screws and glue)you may be able to reduce the tie in to 18" with a 6" overhang (24" total)

Of course, the larger the tie in the better, but you don't need to go overboard. All things considered it will be easier to do this when the roof is to be replaced, that way when you do the tie in, you can remove a little of the sheathing an do the fastening with ease. Then the sheathing can be replaced all the way out to the new drip edge.

The last reason you may wish to wait until the reroof, is based on my experience and math. Roofing lasts a minimum of 20 years, at least hopefully. You figure that there is 8 years of life to it at the most. When the roof is over 10 years old, in your case 12, at least, the careful pulling of the fasteners holding the existing shingles to add the new ones under them, will be taking a big chance. This also depends on the adhesive that is particular to the manufacturer of the shingles that hold one shingle to the next. On my old roof, before I replaced it, and many I worked on, the sealant will separate readily in the cooler seasons, but would rip up in the summer, crack in the winter. On my new roof, I had to make a repair a few months after I installed it. Thinking cooler weather was needed, I tried it then, but this sealant was different than before. I found that summer heat was needed, and with great care to remove the course of shingles to make the repair. A heat gun with a light touch helped too. As a reminder I bring this up because you will need to separate the courses of shingles to remove the starter course to add more over the newly extended overhang.


Concerns about replacing a worn out light switch

Big box stores definitely carry different grades of light switches ("standard duty", "heavy duty", "commercial grade", "medical grade"...), but I can't attest to their relative endurance. For what it's worth, I've seen several light switches fail, so it's not like this is some freakish event. 3 years seems a little quick to me but of course these things are somewhat random and "the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'".

I would tape the switch off so that nobody uses it until you can replace it. Once you get it out of the box you may be able to see what the problem is... could be faulty wiring / a loose wire nut. If that's the case, you might want to give your electrician a call to scold them. Otherwise I would just write it off as an earlier-than-expected failure.


Can I replace a 4 wire ballast with a 5 wire one?

My understanding is that yes, you can. The 5 wire is simply a newer, safer design for a ballast.
However, should you? Unless you are working on one ballast in a large system, it may be wiser to upgrade to LED technology and solder/cone new fixtures into your workspace, then you'll never have to deal with those darn ballasts again!

Useful Diagram: http://www.electrical101.com/ballast-diagrams.html

Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeRkLdrMwqQ
(Unsure as to how accurate this may be, there are other online resources as well)

Disclaimer
I am not an electrician nor do I pretend to be one. I do a fair amount of DIY projects and home improvement but am not a professional!


Replace this panel before it burns your house down!

You need a new panel not a new neutral bar, as this panel is trying to cook you, your kids, and your house as I speak.  The FPE Stab-Loks are rife with trouble, and as you have seen, will attempt to burn your house down instead of doing their job.  In particular, at least one of your breakers is out of calibration i.e. not tripping on a low-level overload that should have eventually tripped it, and the excess current is slow-cooking your neutral bar, and who-knows-what-else in the house.  Also, that slow-cooked neutral bar isn't making good contact with at least one of the neutral wires, which is what is causing the voltage imbalance in your house, most likely.

Until then, keep your smoke detectors working and your fire escape plans practiced, as it's not a matter of if, but when this panel will ignite again...


How should I run speaker, HDMI and electrical wiring for my ceiling mounted projector theater room?

HDMI and speaker wire are basically signal wires, not power wires. Both the voltage and amperage is very low.  Indoors it is safe to run these hidden or exposed without channel or conduit if they are properly rated. See this Q&A for a discussion of proper rating.

When channel or conduit is used, it is either for convenience in handling, and to keep the wires away from other materials, or it is used to improve the aesthetics - channel can be painted and looks neater than cables.

There are limits as to how much signal wire can be run in cable or conduit, but this is generally a function of pure physical space and ability to pull wire, rather than heat or safety. Speaker wire can be tacked to baseboards or other molding if that works. be careful to avoid breaking the insulation or the inner wires when stapling, and if you put wire under moldings, be careful not to nail through.  Its not a danger issue, is a broken wire/no signal issue.

Power, including extensions to run a projector, is very different.  No code allows extension cords to be buried in wall. I don't think any codes allow extensions to be tacked to baseboards. Also power cables should not run parallel to signal wires - they can cause interference even though many signal wires (like HDMI) are shielded.

You need to bring a regular, properly installed power line to the projector. This can be properly installed NM cable inside a wall to an outlet box.  It can be surface wiring, but this requires standard metalic surface channels and boxes such as this and this:

One other note.  Lampcord is often used as speaker wire. It is the same as is used for AC power cords and small extension cords. If you are using such wire, be careful, if you are burying in walls or stapling, that it is speaker wire rather than power carrying wire.


When do plaster cracks get bad enough to have an expert look at them

The important thing about cracks is not necessarily their absolute number or size - though if you've got a particularly long one it can be a sign of problems, but whether the number of cracks is growing and/or the existing cracks are getting longer and/or wider.

A new crack should be monitored over a few days/weeks to see if it gets longer and/or wider and how quickly. If it's changing quickly then call in an expert sooner rather than later.

Who's an "expert" in these cases? Well for less serious cracks a builder should be able to advise you. For larger, wider, deeper cracks I'd go for a surveyor as they'd be more experienced in this area and should look harder for the underlying cause. A decent builder should also recommend a surveyor if they think things are particularly bad.


I tend to agree that if the paneling is simply installed over the existing framing that you would be better overall to remove the old paneling and install new drywall. The job to tape and mud the drywall is likely to be on a par with the job of trying to fill and sand the grooves in the old paneling.


Can an induction range cause interference in nearby Cat6 cables?

No, for two reasons:

Induction ranges operate at kHz frequencies.  Modern data transmission is done at frequencies that are thousands to millions of times higher.
Cat6 is twisted, and RG6 is shielded, to mitigate noise from electrical interference.


How to quantify the extent of this water damage?

One thing in your favor is you're not in a hot humid area and you have a better chance of the water from  one-time leak to dry up without mold growing.  The long  stained line you're talking about is a drywall seam that has been damaged due to the water. You should think about peeling the tape off and re-taping it as it won't cure itself. Any areas that have water stains should be wiped down with vinegar as a precaution as it's a great mildew/mold killer and it will soak into the material and kill mold below the surface. After the repairs are finished, prime, repaint and hope for the best outcome. Good luck.


Hmmm... not sure where you heard this, but as a general rule, the more teeth there are in a saw blade, the finer the cut will be, meaning the edges of the cut will be cleaner, less splintering. So 80 teeth is a "Fine Cut" blade and would be BETTER than a standard crosscut blade, which typically have 40 teeth. But this technically IS actually still a "crosscut" blade. There are really just two types of blades in that regard, crosscut and "ripping" blades. Ripping blades have even FEWER teeth (16-24), because they are meant for hand-held or table saws where you are going to cut ALONG the grain and the higher tooth count would clog up with chips and dust, resulting in burning of the work. Crosscutting is going ACROSS the grain, either perpendicular or at an angle (miter). Within crosscutting blades there are various degrees of fineness in terms of the finish of the cut edges. But with the fineness comes more contact and more heat, so the higher the tooth count, the slower you can cut without burning the wood. The lower count crosscut blades then offer a faster cut, like when doing framing work and the higher tooth counts are for finish work where the looks will matter.

For parquet flooring, you WANT a high tooth count. A step above that are what are called "hollow ground" crosscut blades. They are made of better steel that is machined to be thinner toward the center of the blade so that less of the actual blade makes contact with the wood and deforms the cut edges. Blades with carbide tips will do the same thing because the tips of the teeth, the cutting surfaces, are slightly wider than the blade itself. With each of these improvements in cut quality, the cost goes up so you have to decide where to compromise between cost and performance. If this is a one-shot project, I would opt for the 80-100 tooth standard fine cut blade. But I've also noticed that carbide tipped blades have become so cheap that in many places that is all you can buy, and that's fine, they are good blades.


Electrical Question for Receptacles in guest house

There is no requirement for GFCI receptacles anywhere.

GFCI protection is what is required.  That can be in many locations - a breaker, switch, deadfront or indeed a receptacle.  Further, each can protect downline locations so they too are GFCI protected.

Having more than one GFCI per breaker trip circuit indicates someone doesn't understand this concept and perhaps should not be designing wiring schemes.  Unless you have a very unusual situation, but that should only ever come up in retrofits, not new construction.

There are restrictions on bathroom circuits which are beyond the scope of this question. Bathroom lights can be on a receptacle circuit that serves only that bathroom.  The lights do not need to be GFCI protected unless they are in the shower area.

For the convenience of bathroom users, it can be helpful to have 2 or even 3 receptacle circuits (breakers) in a bathroom so someone can plug in both a hair dryer and a curler without tripping the breaker.  Each circuit needs a GFCI protective device.  That could be multiple GFCI receptacles; that is fine.


Toggle bolt stuck in the ceiling with mounting plate

To either screw it in or out you need to maintain tension on it to keep the toggle wing from spinning.

Pull down on your plate with light pressure until the wing stops spinning.

As it gets snug you can release the extra pressure.

Good luck!


Is there a Plastic Barb to PVC Pipe pipe fitting?

Sometimes the hose barb fittings on a pump or device are removable so you can swap them for another fitting that suits your use. Here, it looks like the hose barbs are molded into the plastic of the pump housing.
For this you can use a short length of vinyl or silicone tubing and a hose barb-PVC fitting of the proper size (shown here). You'd have a few inches of tubing connecting the pump's hose barb and the PVC's hose barb, then run the PVC you need from that.


electrical - preparing smoke detectors for rough inspection

The level of inspection depends on the inspector. Some get weird on a rough inspection with devices attached some love it. If your detector has a quick disconnect so it doesn't have to be unwired for the Sheetrock I would put it in. I regularly would wire outlets and switches that can be stuffed in the box when putting the Sheetrock up and the 2 main inspectors would ask if I wanted a cover or final because they had already verified my wire length & connection methods.

With this said I had 1 inspector that was a total nut case and went berserk with devices connected. After 3 hours on one occasion I called her boss she just had to find something. Only got her on finals after that. If the wiring needs to be disconnected to cover don't hook it up! Because this will be a waste of time.

Last but not least, four things they usually look at on rough inspection. #1 Make sure your wire lengths are 6" or more from the back of the box. #2 double gang or more boxes or a high wire count verify box fill. #3 make sure to correctly staple Romex flat and at proper intervals. Last all drilled holes 1-1/4 away from edge of board. These are the things I notice on rough inspection.

If the inspector fails you on any area ask for the code reference. I'm my state the inspector must cite the reference to write a violation. Whatever you do don't argue just take notes. That's the best advice I can give.


Are there motion light sensors available for multi-gang switches?

A 2-gang box simply holds 2 single-gang devices. You need the single-gang device, the hard part will be finding the correct faceplate to use.


Why does my GFCI periodically trip, especially after a few days' rain?

This one is going to be nearly impossible to solve without actually being there.  My advice is to call in a licensed electrician to have a look, he'll be able to trace the lines and likely find the issue quickly.


How can I remove the bolts holding down my utility sink?

Those look like concrete nails to me. Might have been hand-hammered in, but if it's somewhat recent, it was probably driven in with a powder-actuated system.

You don't usually try to pull these out. My advice is to cut/grind away the head. You can do this with a Dremel tool and an abrasive disk; it will take a while, but it's simple to do and easy to control.

Or, you can use an angle grinder. That will take away the head much more quickly, but it's a little harder to control. Make sure to use the screw-in handled if you do this.

Once the head it gone, remove the sink, and then either cut off the protruding fastener or just grind it away.


Need a window exhaust fan with louvers that close automatically

Plenty of manufacturers make louvered fans that only require air flow (or the lack of) to operate the louvers. If you don't want to screw the flange to the window frame, you can attach a smaller one to a plywood insert, cut to fit snugly inside the frame.

source


is there a way prevent backflow from my sink?

In the UK, we can get 'HepVo' waterless valves which are intended to be used instead of a P-trap.  These - the manufacturer claims - are good resisting high backflow pressures.  If you installed one of these or a similar non-return valve, it would prevent the flooding.

You'd still have the root problem - and your sink would not drain when the pipes are blocked - but at least you'd not get waste water in your sink.

You should encourage your neighbours to make sure that their own kitchen waste is properly vented and running freely too.  It might be that a bit of preemptive chemical maintenance (by them and/or you) on a routine basis would keep problems at bay for longer.


Your attic ventilation should be a loop from bottom to top, so that convection and draft work with the system. Soffit venting should typically be at least a third of the total area, which is why you often see alternating perforated panels in aluminum soffits. In short overhang scenarios I've used full venting.

Image source

You should consider closing your gable vents, assuming you have adequate ridge vents. The gable vents short-circuit the loop and can result in dead zones.

Basically it's like this: The airflow and natural thermal lifting in your attic result in outflow at the ridge. That creates lower pressure in the attic, which must be accommodated. You want it accommodated by the soffit vents, not the gable vents, so that you have a continuous flow across the entire attic area.


Yes, but be sure to bury it below the frost line and ensure that none of the backfill is large enough to puncture or damage the pipe.  A clean run of PEX is preferred but if you must use joints, follow the procedure from the manufacturer.
In the case of Sharkbite connectors, the manufacturer does support using them buried provided you follow their procedure:
Buried Sharkbite Connectors
I'll note that some prefer PEX crimp connectors for this application but if you don't have the tooling that can be cost prohibitive.


Motion Sensing Light Switch Requires Minimum Load of 60W - can I use with LEDs?

This is not really suitable for LEDs. Not only is the wattage too low, but since the switch has no direct neutral connection, it gets its power by trickling a small current through the light. With an incandescent light, the power would be so low that you wouldn’t notice it lighting at all when off. However, with most LEDs, you would probably notice a dim glow or flashing from the light with turned off.
Assuming you have a separate neutral wire at the switch (I have no idea how common this is in the UK), you’ll need to return this switch and get one with a third wire that connects to neutral. Make sure it’s rated for LED lights.


Are CAT 5 sockets compatible with CAT 7 cable?

Cat7 connectors are compatible with Cat5, with enhancements and caveats

Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat7 are physically and electrically compatible. It's when you try to do 10Gb/s or higher signaling on the cable that the Cat5e standard falls over. Even at that, though, Cat5e will do 10Gbps out to 150 feet.

The physical connectors for Cat6 and Cat7 cables are still RJ45 plugs, but they're shielded and the standard calls for much less untwisting at the ends of the cable in the connectors than what is permissible for Cat5e. It's "harder" to do a proper Cat6 or Cat7 termination.

Aside from the wire twist requirements, in order for shielded connectors to work as designed, the grounding conductor in the cable has to be permanently in contact with the metal shield on the plug or jack when it is connected to the cable. You'll also see shielded Cat5e in installations like outdoor radio connections. Properly shielded cables also open up a whole new realm of potential issues like ground loop interference, so all of your equipment needs to be properly grounded, as well.

Performance

Anyhow... if you connect your Cat7 cable to Cat5e jacks, presuming your Cat5e jacks let you jam the thicker Cat7 wires in (which they almost certainly will), you can expect Cat5e performance. Cat5e performance is 1000 Mb/s (Gigabit Ethernet, or about 125 Megabytes per second). Properly terminated Cat5e will handle 10Gbps out to 150 feet, and Cat6 will handle 10Gbps out to 180 feet. Cat6 is often more than a job calls for, and costs twice as much.

Just for reference, if you have a mechanical hard drive in your computer, it's going to struggle to push more than 120 Megabytes per second. Gigabit Ethernet is every bit as fast as your internal hard drive throughput. If you have an SATA SSD, you may see 500 Megabytes per second, which is "faster" than Gigabit Ethernet. With the right switch, you can aggregate ports to create a 2 Gb/s, 3Gb/s, 4Gb/s or faster channel, but any single copy operation will only be able to saturate one of those aggregated links. If you have a PCI express SSD, it may be able to push over a Gigabyte per second, at which point you would need a 10Gbps network to come close to supporting the full throughput of that drive. But in practice, it's rare that you would need that kind of throughput over the network. A RAID built out of PCI express SSD's will support an absurd amount of throughput, at which point you would need to aggregate multiple 10Gbps links to fully support the throughput of the RAID array. But you don't need anything like that unless you're a big datacenter with big SANs and heavy virtualized workloads.

Personally, just to future-proof, I would consider running at least 2 Cat6 or Cat7 cables to every room if I was pulling new cable. But the chances of ever actually needing all that bandwidth are pretty low.

10Gbps Ethernet still costs over $100 per port right now, which is expensive for home use (you could get an 8 port 10Gbps switch for about $850).

It's unlikely that you need bigger bandwidth at your house than what Gigabit Ethernet provides today. On the other hand, I'd check the cost of Cat6 or Cat7 jacks and if you can bear the extra cost, have those installed instead of the Cat5e jacks.

Bear in mind that if your installer doesn't terminate those Cat6 or Cat7 jacks correctly (properly bonding the grounding conductor in the cable to the shielding, wire twist rules, etc.), then they aren't really Cat6/7 jacks, anyway. Your installer might know this, and might not want to go to the extra trouble if terminating those cables in full compliance with the standard.

Future of copper Ethernet

By the way, copper network cable has plenty of life ahead of it, out to 50 Gb/s or 100 Gb/s (well over 10 Gigabytes per second), depending on the standard and the cable. Ethernet over optical fiber follows essentially the same roadmap--same speeds--running out for several years, then jumps to bandwidth like 400Gb/s and higher. Who knows if copper will continue to support those kinds of speeds. But are you really worried about being able to move so much data around your home network that 50Gb/s or 100Gb/s couldn't meet your needs? So you can install fiber if you really want to, but you're going to pay a lot more for every port for a zero or negligible benefit if you go that route.

Having said all that, I actually do strongly agree with the notion of running conduit so that you can pull new cable later. Because who knows what's really coming a few years out? One reasonable way to do this is to run the conduits straight up the wall channel from the wall boxes into the attic. You can pull cable straight up into the attic, then run it through the attic suspended from the roof trusses or even strung across the joists.

But in terms of future-proofing, take a look at the Ethernet Roadmap document from the Ethernet Alliance.


Tankless point of use water heater that only heats when inlet is cold

TLDR: they all do that, it's a safety feature to avoid scalding.

It takes a lot of power to make heat.

You won't get much heat out of a 120V on-demand heater unless you really, really, really restrict water flow, like, you could get a cup of tea out of it if you're patient.    Don't even bother with on-demand unless you are willing to run 240V to the heater and at least 20A preferably 30.

An on-demand heater made to run alone on a 15A circuit, is 1440W.  It will only embarrass itself and its entire class of heaters.  You will be disappointed, swear them off for good, and that will be a shame because they are wonderful when you size them properly.

As others discuss, they have safety controls to prevent outputting scalding water.  You should not set your on-demand heater to scalding to avoid legionella, legionella can't grow in an on-demand.   You should set your tank heater to kill legionella.


Inserting a Tee In 1" Pipe for an Air Compressor?

You should consider something like this. These are just pieces I have laying around. All are common, easy to source and inexpensive. The fitting in your link will work as well, you would just follow with a valve and a air tool fitting.

this is another way


Continuous power between multi-gang boxes with 3 way switches

Yes, that's fine.  From the box with the supply coming in, You can run a /4 cable between the boxes --

always-hot (e.g. Black)
neutral (must be white) - this works because all loads are on the same circuit
two travelers (red/blue, or red/white-red depending on if it's 12/4 or 12/2/2 cable).

However in this configuration, the onward power to the lamp must come from the other box.

If you want supply and lamp coming into the same box, you would need /5, and at that point, for availability reasons, you are better off using /3 and /2.  The /3 would be entirely dedicated to the spur 3-way, and its white wire would not be neutral.  Onward hot and neutral would be in the /2 cable.

As always, you are better off using colored tape to mark the wires by their purpose instead of being stuck with the default colors of cable, which are to distinguish wires.  The two travelers don't even need to be distinguished, I mark both with yellow tape.

In the /4 or /2/2 configuration, you cannot substitute two /2 cables for the /4.  You will get eddy currents and vibration between the cables if you do: fatigued wires, arcing, trouble.  The wires in a cable are bound tight together for a reason.


Why do small vents at top of garbage disposal blow out water when sink drains?

I ended up epoxying the holes closed and so far have not had any negative consequences.


How do I waterproof old hardwood floors in my bathroom?

I think that you should focus on the cause not the symptom.

So, what causes the toilet to overflow?

Is it a filling valve issue? have you checked?

Is the drain partially blocked?

Once you sort that then the floor should be fine.


Can I install a new hob, or will I need a larger circuit?

Straight up. If you only work on the cooktop and do not go into the wall circuits, fair game.


What are my options to replace my porch railing?

If you cannot find wooden porch rail parts long enough in your local home center, you can use stair rail parts. The handrail comes in lengths up to 16 feet, in oak or hemlock.

You would also need shoerail.

The center section of each comes out to leave a channel to hold the balusters.

All of these are unfinished, but you may be able to find primed versions.

Assuming you are lifting the shoerail above the porch floor (the most common style), you need to support the shoe rail in several places along the 9 foot run. The balusters will then support the middle of the rail.

You might also consider putting a newel post in the middle of the rail run to break it up and increase the lateral stability (toward and away from the house).

Fancier ones are also available.

All of these parts are unfinished and not pressure treated.  They do need careful priming and painting (including the cut ends) preferably prior to assembly.  They also need regular maintenance, but would give a great look.

You may be able to find similar materials in pressure treated lumber or cedar, both of which are more rot and weather resistant with more limited maintenance (but they do need some). However the longer runs may be harder to find.

If you are putting in a middle newel post, you also could use some of the prefab rail sections, either wood or metal since each section would be slightly less than 4.5 feet.


What screws to use to attached tie-downs from shed roof rafters to top sill?

You should use the device(either nail or screw) recommended by the manufacturer.

Simpson H10 installs With sixteen 8D x 1-1/2" Nails


How do I prevent a drop in flow in a system with a pressure tank, 40/60 pressure switch, filter and water softener?

I will usually feed the home with 1" but then drop down to 3/4" and have not had problems with flow. Most of the plumbing to your sinks is 1/2" and the orifices in the faucets are much smaller so even with the kitchen sink and a bathroom or 2 having there valves open you should not see much of a change in flow at all with 3/4". The one place that will affect the pressure is hose bibs or outside faucets these have much larger passageways in the valve than sinks do. Already mentioned the flow restrictors in shower heads, these are taken out at my house before even installing them. Not long ago I found a flow restrictor in a bath faucet, don't know how filling a tub slower would save water but that came out also. With my shower head restrictions remove our guests mention how nice our pressure is. 60 should be a big improvement over 50 but look at your restrictor if you have any build up issues like lime, scale or rust the head may need a good cleaning that and removing the showerhead restrictor will probably provide the results you want.


Is it safe to have two separate circuits hooked to the same outlet?

Sounds like they messed up and accidentally made a "ring circuit".
It's possible to have 2 circuits legally on one receptacle (the 2 sockets and frame called a "yoke").  However, if you do have 2 circuits on a yoke, the breakers MUST be handle-tied with a factory provided handle-tie.
Otherwise a maintainer could plug in a radio and shut off circuits until the radio goes silent, then pull it out and get nailed by the other circuit.
A 2-pole breaker (that's a 2-pole NOT a duplex/twin/tandem) will also satisfy the requirement since its handles are tied.  They're a lot easier to obtain than handle ties.
Generally, handle-tying implies that they will be on opposite poles of 240V service (i.e. 240V between the different hots).  This is one of the very few cases where a handle-tie on a tandem would be alright, but they don't make any such thing, not least because it would be bad in any other application.


If the mortar is crumbling and flaking, it MUST be removed.  It is a tedious job, bit to assure a good solid surface, you have to remove all loose mortar, key it, and point all the joints.  Let it cure a few weeks, be absolutely it is dried, then go for the finish. If you don't get to a solid base, you will be wasting your time and paint. Remember, the right way is the only way.


Conduit fill size when using multiple cables of different sizes

Stripping the jacket off the cables is not an option. The wires inside are only rated as part of a cable assembly, and cannot be used as individual wires.

I didn't check your numbers, but the process you followed is correct.

If you're dead set on installing cables, you might want to bump the conduit up a size. The extra space will make the pull a bit easier. Also make sure you use plenty of lube. Though since you're installing conduit anyway, consider installing individual wires instead of cables.

It also might make more sense to bump up the size of the feeder a bit, and eliminate the two branch circuits.  Increase the size of the secondary panel, and supply the 20 ampere branch circuits from there instead. This might save money on materials, make the pull easier, and reduce the size of the conduit (not sure about this, as I haven't run any numbers).


Why did my plaster walls stop half inch above floor and expose room to wall cavity?

Old houses that had interior plaster as a finish had what they called a plaster stop to control depth of the plaster. This was usually a strip of 3/4 wood at bottom of wall and around doors and windows. It looks like this strip was removed but normally it was always left in as a nailing strip for the baseboard. Your application of the foam is good idea.


Range Hood - external blower: Is the design different?

To answer your question, there is no difference between ‘pressure’ and ‘suction’. To point you in the right direction, get that blower outside the house in its own little vibration insulated metal shed. Roof or wall is fine. The main issue is noise. If you ever want to both cook and have a conversation at the same time, heed this advice. I have installed both types and I will never install an in-hood blower again.


How to wire black and white wires from new light to existing wiring

My working theory is that the old light was built without neutral wires, because the builder gained the kindergarten knowledge that equipment safety ground is typically bonded to neutral back in the main panel.  Therefore (neutral) current can be returned on safety ground if you totally disregard the purpose of safety ground and neglect the very serious safety implications of misusing it.

Often in a custom lamp, the lamp is 99% creative inspiration by a master of metalwork or other non-electrical craft, and 1% electrical wiring tossed in as an afterthought with no skill in the domain.


20 amp Circuit, 15 amp switch that controls receptacles ok?

Dean MacGregor is correct.

Here is the pertinent National Electrical Code Article.

  Article 404.14(F) Cord- and Plug-Connected Loads.  Where a snap switch or control device is used to control cord- and plug-connected equipment on a general-purpose branch circuit, each snap switch or control device controlling receptacle outlets or cord connectors that are supplied by permanently connected cord pendants shall be rated at not less than the rating of the maximum permitted ampere rating or setting of the overcurrent device protecting the receptacles or cord connectors, as provided in 210.21(B).

So, basically the switch needs to be a 20 amp switch for multiple receptacles on a 20 amp circuit.


how to wire 2 pole 240 v contactor/120v coil

Whoops, you blew it.

Having done a very similar thing with a timer for a hot water heater, you hoisted yourself by your own petard by buying a 120V coil.

There is nowhere to obtain 120V on your 240V device.   There is only Hot L1 and Hot L2 present.  To get 120V, there'd need to be a neutral wire there.  It's just not there.  (and no, you can't bootleg ground).

You need a 240V-coil contactor for this.   Or, if that's a problem for the float switch, then get 24 volt low voltage from the furnace or doorbell transformer, and use a 24V-coil contactor.


Is sheetrock/drywall required under woodpanelling?

If I am not mistaken I believe there are 2 things that are going to play a role in this when dealing with older homes from the 50s on back.

Meeting fire codes and
Will meeting fire codes endanger the integrity of the dwelling based on load bearing capacities.

For instance, many homes back then had rooms with wall to wall knotty pine, plaster in place of drywall, load bearing walls made of all bricks with 2 fireplaces to match. Not to mention, was the roof sheeted or were slats used.

That type of weight starts adding up real fast.

I think a private or city engineer and then/or a city inspector can tell you what the answers are.

Might want to see if you can access the prints of the home if you do not already possess them. It may save you some $$$.

If you get bored or find this interesting here is a link to a live load and dead load calculator. You will quickly see that weight plays a huge factor that is often overlooked when you're talking numbers like 40 lbs per sq ft and a fish tank is in one corner.

http://www.awc.org/codes-standards/calculators-software/spancalc


Pros and cons of coupling vs. threaded when transitioning from copper to PVC

Even a properly installed threaded copper x pvc connection will eventually have problems due to the differing rates or expansion/contraction + plastic embrittlement as it ages. That is not to mention that rarely is a plastic x metal threaded joint properly done to manufacturers specs. The plastic usually gets over tightened into the metal, leading to an even faster failure of the joint.

None of those are a problem if you use a properly rated no-hub coupling. No-hub couplings are simpler to use, faster and less prone to failure.


How do I safely install a mirror on an Ikea Besta door?

So, I went with the mastic.

Bad news - between not boing thick enough, and the fact it's pressboard, I didn't feel confident using any kind of screws to hold the door. I went with a pure mastic solutions.

Good news - this in fact a door, so you can take it off. This lets you keep it horizontal, and put weight on it to help the glue hold.

So, I took the door off the hinges and laid it flat. I marked off the perimeter of where I wanted the mirror with blue tape (Blue Painters tape is one of my favorite tools). I thought the surface was a bit plasticky still, so I scuffed it up some with some sandpaper.  I put the mastic on the mirror, trying to keep the inch from the edge. By the time I was done with my pattern, I was almost done with the mastic tube, so I just emptied it. I put some 2x4s and other heavy things on top to help the glue hold (another advantage of having a mirror it on a door). I let it sit for the recommended 48 hr set period and put the mirror on.

The only downside I see so far, is the weight on the door. It seems stable, but the wardrobe didn't seem 100% level. What was OK before, what closed fine before, now stays open a bit with the extra weight. My next subproject is re-leveling the wardrobe.


Removing rusted screws from a gate-post attached to a wall

What has worked for me in the past is grinding the heads off with a Dremel tool and cutoff wheel or any other type of portable grinder.A hack saw might do the trick too. Then pry the posts away from the wall and then grasp the remaining portion of the screw with a pair of vise grips and turning it counterclockwise. Good luck.


Troubleshoot motion detector that turns on for only a few seconds at a time

Motion sensors don't like having power cut

You may think of a motion sensor as a stateless device: ”detect motion, turn on, how hard is that?"   But actually, there's a lot more going on.

To start with, how often do you see motion sensors coming on by daylight?  You don't.   That's because they have light sensors so they don't come on in the day.

Day. Night.  How hard is that?   The human eye has a complex iris that allows adaptation to a wide variety of light levels. Because of this auto-compensation, day is just day, and night is just night.   But to a machine, it sees only absolute lux to the sensor, and only on the light frequencies it detects.  Turns out a shady north facing location can have less absolute lux by day then a location with a lot of artificial lighting by night.  So the sensor must "see" a reasonable chunk of a day-night cycle to see what light levels will look like here.  And after having spent much of a day learning that, it will store that data for future use.

However, if you cut its power, you wipe its memory and it must start over.

So expect substandard performance from your motion sensor as long as you have it on a switch.  Nature of the beast.


stuck screw now stripped when trying to remove outdoor faucet handle

You could drill a small hole straight into the screw from above and use a screw extractor (or "ez-out"), it can be a difficult operation with varying degrees of success depending on experience and skill.

Or you could break off the handle, you could then get a grip on the protruding screw with pliers to remove it. The problem is you may or may not be able to procure a replacement handle.
You should probably start looking at replacing the entire faucet just in case your efforts to remove the screw are unsuccessful.


Non dimmable switch where dimmer switch previously was?

First question would be, are the LED's dimmable? This would be listed on the box it came in. Second question would be, is the dimmer rated for LED's.

Changing the dimmer out for a standard switch would stop the LED's from buzzing if the LED's were not damaged by the dimmer.

Hope this helps


You'll find out when all those pieces fall out while you're puling the old caulk out.

Judging by the crack, the wall behind there is shot, so there'll be nothing to attach a new tile to. This is a can of worms you'd better be ready to tackle if you do anything.


Can I still use my bathrooms if my sump pump is broken?

The sump collects water from around and under your foundation. It has nothing to do with your plumbing.

If you have a sewage ejector, that would be a different story.


Nothing weird about that.  Being hardwired, most likely it's a 204V air conditioner.

Wire colors are to distinguish wires.

Sometimes two wires are just instances of the same thing.  If you swap the wires, everything works.

the two "Messengers" in 3-way switch circuits
2/3 phases in NYC or Euro style mains power, e.g. 208V or 388V to an A/C unit
The two "hot" poles in 240V wiring of split-phase North American power

The wires are interchangeable and it's useless to distinguish them from each other.  But very useful to distinguish them from other wires with other duties.  Therefore, no reason to waste a color.

However, 120V line cords are sometimes ribbed

That said, cheaper line cords, e.g. used on 120V lamps, often have no inner colored insulation, just an outer sheath that can be split.   They distinguish sides with one side of the cord being ribbed. The ribbed side is neutral.   However in the above cases, it makes no difference.

Why do you expect them to be red-black?

Because of the stock colors found in multi-conductor cable.  They make each one a different color because they have no idea what your use will be.

/2: Bare Black White
/3: Bare Black White Red
/4: Bare Black White Red Blue

That makes sense. Why stock several color combos of /3, when we can just tape the wires to mark them different colors?

For instance, white/gray=neutral (as well as green/bare=ground) are the only mandatory colors. Other than that, anything goes. In house wiring, the convention of Black=always-hot and red=switched-hot works reasonably well for simple boxes.  But on a complex box it can get out of hand really quick, and that's when you want to do things like tape the messengers yellow, tape the second hot and neutral brown/gray, etc.


How can I remove faux brick from a kitchen wall?

You cannot remove this fake brick without damaging the drywall under. You will have to replace the drywall, best solution, or do one hell of a good skim mud coat over the damaged drywall.  You can use a Rockwell Sonic Crafter or similar tool to cut the drywall cleanly at the edge of the cabinets. replace the drywall, mud it in, and paint.  There is no easy way in this case.


Brand new Grout repair dried darker than existing brand new grout

Few things are perfect in this world, and that includes grout. Some variables:

Dye lot: Factory mixes can vary by batch due to variations in color compounds
Water content: A substantial difference is the water quantity between the original grout and yours could affect color
Water contamination: Do you have iron or other minerals in your water? Was the bucket clean?
Age: It's possible that a longer cure time will result in a lighter color


Selling house, and want to put in the easiest lowest cost patio in backyard

My recommendation is to not put in the patio.  Your efforts may lower the value to the buyer rather than raising it, especially if what you're planning to put in is the "easiest, lowest cost patio" rather than a landscaping masterpiece.

Like many kinds of projects, you will almost never get a financial return from the work and investment unless:

you understand the real estate market and know what will add value to your house
do those very targeted projects
have professional-level skills

Even worse, the buyer may have other ideas about what would be ideal for them.  You could end up saddling them with something that isn't what they want and doesn't meet their needs, or even something they then need to spend money and time on ripping out.

Even if you do the right projects, if you don't have professional-level skills, anything that comes out looking like a "homeowner special" will scare off buyers.

Putting your house on the market is a lot of work to do it right.  Don't wear yourself out doing projects that don't count.  Bring in a real estate agent or professional house stager to get advice on how to best prepare to showcase the house.  Putting in a patio isn't likely to be on the list.

You could even offer to knock the price down a little to reflect the savings and value of your time to not do a patio, which may be even more attractive to many buyers than your doing the work.


Handling breaks in the top plate for a long partition wall

Option A is acceptable for exterior walls and bearing walls, assuming a second top plate is installed correctly....lapped a minimum of 24” (See ICC R602.3.2.) and nailed properly. BTW, the top plate splice need not occur at a stud. (Nailing is complicated...it depends a lot on what seismic zone you’re in.)

Option B is allowed, but splicing (nailing) of studs together is important...and yes, it’s critical to keep your 16” or 24” wall stud spacing consistent, because the wall sheathing and interior gypsum board is laid out to those dimensions.

Oh, with regard to distance of rafters and trusses to studs, yes, they need to occur within 5” of a stud.


Connecting 240v 14-50R to multiple heaters in parallel

This is not legal or safe, but it's safe"er" at minimum cost.

Get a 120mm (4-11/16) junction box and lid, a cable clamp appropriate for that oven cord, 4 cable clamps appropriate for the heater power cables, and three rather large wire nuts, or alternately, 5/6-position lug splices that'll take up to #6.  Also 1 foot of bare 10AWG wire, and a #10-32 ground screw (style points for green).

The 120mm box has a 10-32 tapped hole in it, put the ground screw in there and attach the pigtail.
Knock out holes for all the cable clamps that will make sense when it's mounted to the wall, and fit all the cable clamps, screws out so you can get to 'em.
Permanently mount the box on the wall within cord's reach of the 14-50 receptacle.  Certainly do not leave it dangling loose. You'll pull cords out that way and give yourself a wallop.
Bring the dryer cord into its cable clamp. Tighten it down.
Bring each heater cord into a cable clamp.  Tighten it down.
Use a splice to tie all the following wires: a) the stove cord ground, b) the pigtail from the junction box, and c) 4 ground wires from heater cords.  There better be ground wires in those heater cords!
Use a splice to tie all the following: a) the heavy black wire in the stove cord, and b) one of the conductors from each heater cable (doesn't matter which).
Use a splice to tie all the following: a) the heavy white wire and b) the remaining conductor in each heater cable.  Yes, you heard right. White.
Put a wire-nut cap on the red wire, and tape it on so it doesn't fall off. Wire-nuts don't like to stay on single wires.
Put the cover on the box.
Plug in the 14-50 plug.  Light this baby up!

If you are getting the expected/advertised heat, then you are wrong about the heaters being 240V.  They are 120V. By hooking up this way, we just saved the heaters.

If they're all heating but the heat is 1/4 of what you are expecting, then you passed the test.  Unplug the 14-50 cord.   Reopen the box,  and redo the last 4 steps, but attaching the red wire to the heaters, and capping the white.  Now you should get the works.

This isn't legal because these are not permissible uses for flexible cords, and we're abusing the tap rules, and these heaters are not listed to be portable or temporary heaters.  The proper way would be a subpanel, 20A breakers feeding 6-20 receptacles, and proper cordage to heaters that are made to be portable.


The capacity of the sub-panel isn't what's important, you could put in a 200 amp panel configured as a sub-panel and feed it with 14 ga wire on a 15 amp breaker.  Not a good idea at all, but it could be done. The wire size all depends upon the maximum load and distance. in your case #6 ga copper would provide you with about 50-55 amps, depending upon temp derating. Are you planning on a 240v sub-panel? If so, that would require 2 hots, a neutral and a ground. If only 120, it would need 1 hot, 1 neutral and a ground. Running large copper that far would be expensive, you might consider aluminum #4gauge for that distance.  Don't forget the "goop" (NOALOX) compound if you go AL.   You could get by with smaller wires, but like I said, it's all about the maximum load and distance. There's tons of info here at SE on installing sub-panels. I suggest you do a search and you'll be inundated with answers!
EDIT: In reviewing my answer I find it somewhat incomplete, so here goes with the EDIT:  The panel must be rated for AT LEAST the maximum power supplied to it. There is nothing wrong with installing a sub-panel with a capacity LARGER than the supply to it. That is commonly done.   I have a 200 amp panel in my shop fed by a 100 amp breaker.  I did that just so I'd have enough breaker spaces for my tools.
For us to better help you, add up all the loads you can think of that might be running at the same time. Going big on sub-panels isn't very expensive...going big on wire (esp. copper) on a long run can really run up the $$$, so a reasonable assessment of the loads is important.   So get back to us with the info for perhaps better advice.


Can I replace / recreate a tri-fold garage door with three fiberglass flush doors?

If the existing setup works, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work with new doors instead. One down side to this setup though, is that doors without jambs aren't that secure and could probably be kicked in fairly easily. If it were my garage, and I didn't want a standard fold up door or a roll-up, I'd probably put in 2 larger barn style doors, or if you have the space, one of those sliding barn style doors that has an overhead track to slide on.


Can I use this old ChannelMaster antenna wallplate with Digital Antenna?

There is a lot of miss information out there concerning TV antennas and it mostly caused by marketing hype. Rabbit ears tv antennas made 50 years ago will pick up  broadcast from a  TV tower broadcasting a digital signal today if it is close enough. There are differences in quality and types, ( directional vs omni - directional- UHF, VHF etc. ). I currently have a set of rabbit ears with one of the "ears" broke off and piece of tinfoil ( it use to be my tinfoil hat ) attached and i get all the digital signals HD and non HD in my area.

It is all about placement, direction and distance.

some reading for those interested.

NO such thing as an HDTV antenna

10 things you need to know about Digital TV Antennas

All About Over-The-Air Antennas


In which direction do I unscrew this utility sink faucet to replace the washers?

Both of those screws loosen counterclockwise. Spray some WD-40 on them and let it soak in for a bit.  There is a washer or "o" ring at the base of the spout or in the base of the valve. hit that big nut with some WD-40 and turn it counterclockwise too loosen. you might have to loosen the supply nuts to get an adjustable wrench in there, a pair of Channellocks would just eat the nut up.


Level hardwood floor that was covered by baseboard

Make a cut using whatever small saw you have on hand--keyhole, reciprocating, oscillating--at each side of the opening just down to floor level.
Use a chisel or other sharp tool to split the grain at floor level, shaving off a thin strip.

_________ ___________________ ____________ <-- top of protruding board
_________|___________________|____________ <-- floor level
               ^-- chisel here
         ^-- vertical cuts --^

Alternatively, install some plastic feet on the front of your wardrobe and forget about it.


Removing a leftover oil-burner safety switch?

You could leave the switch as-is but then install one of various types of switch guards to prevent accidental switch setting changes. Here are a few examples...


Why are many shower hoses "explosion proof"?

I suspect you're seeing the result of poorly-translated product descriptions from China and elsewhere. For example:

  Advantages: Withdrawing life greatly improved. Should not damage the leaking. The inner tube using the nylon braided package EPDM more resistant wound.

Honory99 1.5m Pull-type Copper Core Explosion-proof Shower Hose

This product would probably be called "burst-resistant" or something similar if described by a native English speaker.

ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US!


Router bit suitable for straight cuts in pine 1/2" deep; Dutchman door patch

If you don't want it to take a long time, why did you purchase a low-end router? You won't be routing anything 1/2" deep with that thing successfully, I'll predict. Indeed, it's generally not a smart idea to try routing that deep in one pass with any router, but you'll be limited to nibbling away in tiny increments with a small-shank underpowered tool. If it's additionally plagued with poor bearings it will work even less well. And you'll be stopping to charge batteries on a regular basis.

More directly to your question:
Since you are using the tool you have purchased, and it only takes 1/4" shanks, you'll be looking for a 1/4" upcut spiral bit. And you'll be "standing there for hours," except when you are sitting somewhere else waiting for batteries to charge.

Or you'll buy a half-decent (or decent) plug-in router with a 1/2" shank and be done a lot faster.


Fast, easy and simple construction of a log store

In the past, I've used lattice layed over a 2x4 frame as a floor.  This works well to get some ventilation from the bottom.  I've also used lattice on the sides as well.  Don't worry too much about keeping the logs perfectly dry.  What you want is good airflow so that any surface moisture can dry quickly.  You probably also want to think about having a few sections, so that you can add new wood to one section, and take older seasoned wood from a different section.

I've also heard about people just nailing together four pallets to make a three sided box.  If you have a tractor with pallet forks, this also makes it easy to move wood next to the house as needed.


A surge protector for an AC split unit powered by a Siemens EQ Loadcenter

Surge protectors come in a wide variety of form-factors, and you don't even need to protect your whole house, you can protect particular circuits.  That is decided by where you place the protector.

The problem with "surge protectors in a circuit-breaker form factor" is that breakers do not interchange across brands.  You cannot put Brand X breaker in Brand Y panel, unless Brand X has specifically built that breaker for Brand Y panels and UL has tested and classified it for that use.

So you are probably better off using a "goes in a knockout" type suppressor.  This will let you use anyone's brand and a common $10 breaker, instead of paying a big premium for one specifically for your panel.  You can install this anywhere - it can go on its very own 2-pole breaker, where it'll protect the whole house.  Or you can install it out at the air conditioner shutoff switch (if it's wet rated).

If  you install it at the air conditioner, it will better protect the air conditioner (and the house from the air conditioner's own spikes) and less well protect the rest of the house from external spikes.

That's because long wire runs tend to weaken spikes also. By putting the spike suppressor at the air conditioner, the suppressor spends less of its bandwidth/capacity fighting surges that wouldn't make it to the A/C anyway, and 100% of its capacity on ones likely to affect the A/C.

Internal spikes are a thing. You can have one of your appliances damaging another, and large motor-driven appliances are a major culprit. Putting the spike suppressor near the air conditioner means it will "catch" any spikes from the A/C unit before they get near the rest of the house.  It will also do a better job protecting A/C electronics from A/C motor spikes!

However a suppressor at the A/C unit will do a lesser job of protecting your computer from external power spikes, obviously, since the long cable run will dampen its ability to neutralize those spikes.

Nothing says you can't install as many surge suppressors as you please, so you can fit 1 at the A/C unit and 1 in the main panel.


Can I use a bonding terminal on ground wire between ufer rod and panel

There's an easier fix for this

Get a Siemens EC1GB82 ground bar kit and mount it to the bottom-most set of ground bar holes in your loadcenter cabinet, with the large lug down.  Then, you can simply terminate the annoyingly short ground wire to the bottom bar's large lug and call it a day.

This works because all the ground bars on a panel are electrically equivalent -- the cabinet connects them all together, by virtue of itself needing to be grounded.


How can I isolate my bedroom from refrigerator noise?

.I assume that you will need to be able to use that passage and the walls as you said are soundproof enough.
Then you need something like a door or a hanging curtain.
To stop the sound you would need some mass and you can also add some absorption into your room.
I suggest you start with the following:
1 - place the refrigerator on a rubber mat - that will decouple it from the floor and cut sound transmission this way;
2 - hang a heavy curtain. you can use mass loaded vinyl  http://www.vocalboothtogo.com/acoustic-and-soundproofing-products-vocal-booths/soundproofing-materials/limp-mass-barrier-mass-loaded-vinyl-for-vocal-booth/6-17

or a Mass Loaded Vinyl with Acoustic foam (fire retardant) :   http://www.vocalboothtogo.com/acoustic-and-soundproofing-products-vocal-booths/soundproofing-materials/advanced-soundproofing-and-sound-absorption-panels/6-18

3 - when you hang the curtains you can hang them from BOTH sides of the passage wall this will have two-side effect - it will double the sound blocking mass and it will create layered barrier with layers of different density.
4 - make sure that your curtain overlaps the opening and creates a tight (as much as you can) seal around the edges. if you can see a light through your cover - the sound will leak through it.

5 - and lastly I am not sure looking at your drawings if the refrigerator  sits just in one corner of the room, but is you can you can enclose the refrigerator itself (just on the side facing your room with sound absorbing or sound blocking materials.  Do not enclose the whole refrigerator – in needs air exchange to function  But if you put another barrier in the direction of your room – it will help.

Good luck.
Jeff.


How do you calculate the weight capacity of a shelf?

There is a cool site for this:  The "sagulator" for computing this. It's intended more for freespan shelves (like a book case), but you might be able to use it to answer your question.  Hope it meets your needs. Ed makes a good point about support as well. With that weight it will need to be fastened to studs with multiple brackets.

Edit:  Forgot the link, here it is:  https://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator/


Why does all of my house water stop working when the washer is in use?

Most likely you have what's called a "vacuum breaker" or "anti-siphon" valve in your system somewhere that is intended to prevent water from being pulled back into your pipes when the pressure drops, and the washer feed is dropping the pressure enough to activate it.


Plugging up ceiling vent hole...using backer wood to attach drywall

Using backer strips to hold on drywall patches is a standard repair technique. Often the screws holding the backer boards are inserted through sound plaster or plasterboard from the finished room side.

Your approach seems fairly sound, but I would add a few screws from the good side, being careful not to crack the plaster too much as you install. Since you seem to have real plaster, I would predrill the holes, although when screwing through drywall, it is not necessary.

Finally, are you making some arrangement for a real vent to the outside? Moisture vented to an attic space is simply wrong, leading to possible moisture damage and mold. Closing off the bad vent is a start, but not the full solution for the problem. As @JamesOlson points out in his comment, an openable window is adequate ventilation; but if there is none, some other exterior vent is needed.


Can I straighten a twisted wooden pergola post?

As noted in the comments, you can't twist it back.

You could probably plane it to square without massively diminishing its strength.

You could clad it in some thinner material, but you'd probably want that for all the posts.


Problem deciding where to use ceiling colour and wall colour

I had this exact situation in house #1 and ended up putting wall paint on both the side and underneath the ducts.

I first put ceiling paint on the underside, but it looked very strange from certain angles -- like lying on the bed -- where you could see all four surfaces in alternating colors.  Then I painted one small section of the duct all ceiling, and another section all wall paint, and decided the wall paint looked better overall.


Tips on keeping window screen in window sill

Without knowing exactly how the screen fits into the window, I'm not sure that this will work, but here's what I did (I had exactly the same problem - the cats learned that they could get out by pushing against the screens.)

In my case, the screens had an aluminum frame - I took a few small finishing nails, and gently hammered then through the frame, into the channel in the window frame.  I made sure that there was a bit of play in the nail so that they could be pulled out in an emergency (some of the windows were in bedrooms).


As shown in the manual Jeff Cates provided a link for

The manual suggests turn anticlockwise while pulling lightly downward (i.e. the opposite of installing it).


What is 'Cellular Core' or "Foam core ABS' pipe?

What you have is not solid.  There's a foam or cellular interior to the pipe with two thin layers of sold ABS on the outside.

It costs less and weighs less than solid pipe.  Thus it's popular at home stores that compete on price.
Not every jurisdiction allows use of cellular pipe.  However it's common in the USA.
You need to be careful about backfilling such pipe with sharp rocks, which can pierce the thin shell.
When gluing, it's a good idea to coat the ends of the cut pipe, as the foam can and will slowly transport air and water (for the same reason, this pipe is never suitable for pressure applications).
You can't use it for pressure applications: this is meant only as drain pipe.
The pipe is fragile if dropped (take a section and stomp on it, chances are it will shatter into fragments, where a solid pipe would just hurt your foot).
It's more flexible than solid pipe, which is good in some cases, but causes sagging in others.

Here's a picture from a pipe vendor, where the foam core has been made white to show the detail.  The pipe I've seen in stores all has a black core that mimics solid pipe at first glance:

Look around you'll see various opinions on the stuff.  Some plumbers say they love it because it brings them repeat business.  The vendors all claim various advantages to the pipe.

It's definitely not good in freeze/thaw weather if the ends are exposed (as they might be for a drain waste vent, or the end of a drain pipe run).

Foam core is regulated by ASTM F-628 Foam Core, and ASTM D-2661 for solid pipe.

Here's video on bursting of such pipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWoTGu5s1Ys


Enclosing an attached carport w/ concrete slab. The slab is not completely level. Pour concrete over existing floor or install wooden subfloor?

Comfort is generally better with a wooden subfloor, if you have the room for a wooden subfloor. That also allows adding insulation to reduce the heating/air conditioning load (which may be minimal from the floor, given your location.)
Plenty of old houses have floors that slope a lot worse than 1.5" in 20 ft (0.67% if I got the math right) and they work as living space, so not "fixing" it at all as Alaska Man comments is certainly an option, particularly if it's an "even" slope.
i.e. any properly built porch has 1% to 2% slope and most people are unaware of that.


You will need a ground wire running back to the house.    Since you have upsized the wire beyond bare minimum, a fudge factor gets applied to the required grounding wire size, so the required size is #6Cu or #4Al.  If it is aluminum, it must be in an insulated jacket; copper can be bare. The ground rod is not enough.

You always need the ground wire back to main.  Because it is an outbuilding, you also need an 8 foot ground rod.  In fact 1 ground rod is not enough unless you have done a resistance test and confirmed <25 ohms.  If you have not, you need 2 ground rods.  None of these are a replacement for a ground wire because a 25-ohm ground cannot return enough current to trip a breaker.  (At 120V, 25 ohms won't flow more than 5 amps, which will certainly not trip any breakers.)  Dirt is a very poor conductor of electricity, which is why we mine copper :) The reason for ground rods is equipotential bonding and ESD discharge, not fault-current return.

That subpanel is awfully, Very Tiny small.  You are going to use up those 8 spaces faster than you can blink, and will end up with a huge surplus of wire capacity you can't use for lack of fitting breakers.  On this forum we very forcefully recommend using "huge" (by your standards) panels, because bigger panels are cheap and regrets are expensive.  Also because modern AFCI requirements makes double-stuffing breakers no longer possible.

Nothing sucks worse than having to hork-a-dork something, or change a panel, because the last guy installed too small a panel, saving the price of a couple pizzas on a $1000++ project.  I sure hope he enjoyed that pizza.  Given the amp service (150A fully credited), get a 24 bare minimum.  ThreePhaseEel and myself would fit at least a 30, having dealt with full panels too many times.

The subpanel need a master shutoff switch before it.  The best/cheapest way to get that is to use a panel that has a main breaker.  The size of the main breaker does not matter, since you're only using it as a shutoff switch.  But it's a waste if the subpanel's main breaker is smaller than the feeder wire's capacity; and that feeder wire is good for as high as 150A. (135A textbook, then round up to next breaker size).

So you will definitely be replacing that subpanel.  If you have any aspirations to put this outbuilding on its own generator, I recommend Siemens.  Regardless, a generator here cannot backfeed the house, because it is then impossible to interlock with utility power.

That circuit breaker most likely needs to be AFCI, GFCI or both.  This will be true of most of the breakers in the panel.  So if your plan was to rely on the "8 space 16 circuit" marketing of the panel, that 2n circuits number is a blatant lie.  That relies on double-stuff breakers, which are not made in AFCI/GFCI, so you can't hardly use them anywhere.

Separate ground bar; good choice.  Neutral must be isolated from ground in a subpanel.  When people think of bonding them in a subpanel, I worry that they failed to run a separate ground wire along with the conductors, but you say you ran a #4Cu which is excellent.  #8 would be required for 100A wire, but you fit 150A wire so #6.  #4 is more than is required and will assure rapid main-breaker trip should that be necessary.


MDF "restored"? This is not a term I see used in reference to MDF. Visible surfaces of MDF are always covered with some sort of solid material--plastic, formica, etc. I don't think paint or stain would make an acceptable finish.

You might consider gluing on thin plywood (1/8") with a fine layer on one side.


Floating commercial dance floor over concrete

If I were doing the floor and not knowing what the manufacturer recommends the last thing I am doing is putting PT wood in there.  The PT wood needs to dry and will bring moisture to the plywood.  I know there is a lot of weight involved but I would worry about warping.

I would just swap out the PT wood for rigid foam insulation sheets - 2 inch variety.   You can get really large sheets at the big boxes in the US.  This will taking care of minor moisture issues and offer an escape route out.  Also it might give the dance floor a slight bounce.


Wiring a 220v pump with 2 hots to a controller

Ok, hold on.  Are you sure you followed the instructions? Is your model number the same one in the instructions?   Reason I ask is, having to bring out neutral just for this is stupid.  That transformer inside the relay ought to be 240V.

So I think you got a defective one, or at least the wrong one.

Normally thermostat circuits are 24V, though this transformer may be doing something a bit different - I'd consult the factory.

The more standard way to do this is a 40VA 24V junction box mounted transformer (for about $11) which can mount anywhere, common thermostat cabling, and then a common air conditioning relay (about $13) inside a large junction box ($9).  This has several advantages: it will switch both poles, so when the equipment is off, it's really de-energized.  It operates on standard thermostat voltage, so you can use more readily available standard controls.  And if you have a furnace with surplus 24V power, you can just poach power off that instead of using your own transformer.  Also it's made to switch inductive loads, which is not necessarily true for relays like this.


Any time you have heating ductwork in an unheated area, it is very wise to insulate it. There are several products, but I tend to go with the high density, foil backed fiberglass wrap most of the time. The exact type differs depending on the shape of the ductwork. (round vs rectangular) I always seal any seams in the insulation with foil tape.  To solve the uneven heating problem, you will need dampers in the shorter runs. By adjusting the dampers, you can balance the amount of hot air delivered to each register.


Why do my Christmas lights have a white polyester filament inside the thin rubber wire?

The filament is there to add strength to the cord. Everything else stretches more than the poly-fiber so when you pull on it(the cord) it strains against the fiber instead of the delicate electrical connections. As far as splicing it goes...you could tie a knot in it if there's enough slack or just ignore it and be careful with that spot in the future. And keep your cat away from it:)


Is it worth "piling in more insulation"?

As noted in the comments, it's a good idea to have more insulation. Our contractor recently performed some remodeling and suggested to re-insulate our entire house while insulating the remodeled section. The existing insulation had been trampled, pushed and bunched up all over the place. The new, blown in stuff must be eight to ten inches deep over all the old stuff.

If nothing else, the house is more uniform in temperature, but that might have also been the result of opening up the new room to normal air movement.

You can use an IR thermometer on the old insulation area and take a reading when the A/C is running, to have an idea how much cold is seeping upward. Alternatively, read the ceiling temperature under the sparse locations, then compare those same readings after you apply your insulation.

I have a cheap HF IR thermometer. It matters not how accurate it is, as you're looking for differential readings. It's also fun to do this sort of test with an IR camera on an iPhone or similar.


What wire gauge should I use with a 30 amp breaker for a 220V welder?

The calculator you referenced is only appropriate for voltage drop and makes the disclaimer that the results of the calculation do not account for current specs or NEC. Any circuit fused for 30 amps must use a minimum of 10 ga copper or 8 ga alu. Longer runs may require an upgrade of wire size.  In your case, use at least 10 copper for your welder regardless how far it is from the breaker panel.
I'm sure one of my buddies here will have a NEC ref for ya.


How much current should I expect this motor to draw when it's running steadily?

You can't determine the actual amperage from the maximum. If the manufacturer did not provide this information (which is usual) your best bet is to use a device like a Kill-A-Watt (disclosure: I have no affiliation with this product nor have I ever used it, the name just stuck in my head). This device plugs into the wall and you plug the appliance into the device. It measures the amperage that the appliance draws.


Is the Shark Bite product illegal in Vermont?

The major reason for plumbing items to be forbidden (specifically in Vermont) is that they are not "Lead-Free" which Vermont has been an early-adopter state in requiring.

The following from Shark-Bite would appear to indicate that this should not be a problem with any fittings that have not been sitting around for 5 years or more:

  SharkBite Push-to-Connect Fittings

  The SharkBite push-to-connect range is made from Lead Free DZR Brass
  and all products were converted as of October 2012. The standard
  material versions of SharkBite push-to-connect fittings are no longer
  in production, but we do continue to offer a small range of 5/8″
  fittings in standard material, specifically intended for radiant
  heating applications. As a running change, these fittings will be
  converted to Lead Free in due course. Our SharkBite 2XL Large Diameter
  fittings have been Lead Free since their introduction in February
  2011. SharkBite PEX/barb fittings

  Our PEX/barb range is made from Lead Free DZR brass and all products
  were converted as of October 2012. We have also implemented an
  extended range of engineered polymer barb fittings.


Quickest way to fix a wet carpet that smells

What you really need to do is extract the water, then dry with fans. Rather than renting a cleaner again, borrow or rent a large wet/dry vacuum. Use the floor attachment and move slowly across the carpet in overlapping rows, giving the vacuum time to draw the water out of the pad and carpet.

Once you've removed as much liquid water as you reasonably can, get fans going. The more the better. Then, exhaust the damp air from the building using bath fans, window fans, and the HVAC system. Run the heat a bit higher than normal to assist drying and move air.

Finally, apply a carpet freshener according to the instructions on the package to remove and cover odor.

Time is of the essence at this point as mold and mildew are well established. Good luck.


How best to cut & tie into cast iron pipe

I would consider cutting the whole mess out at the bottom end and connect A new “ABS”  black pipe with a “no hub”
 it is a rubber connector with bands on each end to tighten then tie into the upper area .
This will be much easier than packing oakum and poring the lead on top;  everything can be fitted together prior to gluing so you know it is right where you want it then glue and know u fixed the mess.


I would use a pocket screw joint.  It is generally considered to be a stronger joint, and you can remove the clamps immediately after driving the screws (as opposed to waiting until the glue sets).

Along with the strength and speed, it also makes the construction process easier.  You don't have to drill 2 separate holes, and then attempt to get the alignment just right.  You drill the pocket hole in one piece, align the joint, and then drive the screws.  Makes for a more accurate assembly.


These Jacks can be difficult and are often a one time install product. The wire may not simply have 'pulled out' from it, the copper conductor may have actually broken off inside the unit OR the tabs that make contact with the conductors could be broken inside.

Even if you able to push in newly stripped wires and have them 'grab tight' and stay mechanically connected, there may be conductors inside the jack that do create a closed circuit.

You'll spend far less time and energy replacing with new, than troubleshooting and/or repairing these mass produced units.

Good luck. Let us know if you have a solution.


Best way to secure a cat enclosure to the ground?

Cats are just as capable of digging as dogs are. Dogs are capable of digging to get to a trapped and tasty treat.

The best thing I can recommend, after years of work to contain psychotic dogs when they're outside, is to have a full enclosure -- top, bottom, all four sides.


What type of vapor barrier and concrete should I use for bare earth in basement?

A vapor barries usually cosist of 4-6 mil plastic, followed by 1" down to pea gravel stone by up to 4" thick. This will help with weed, mold control and drainage. Local codes may influence this, so I would check with your local building inspectors office.

The concrete utilized should be a 3500 psi strength, since it's in a basement, and your not driving on it. If you decide to use concrete (over plasic and stone), it should be 4" thick ( 3 1/2" nominally). Good luck!


I seriously doubt you'll find "limecrete" as a ready made product, but the lime you want (which you can then mix aggregate into) is "Mason's Lime" - unless you are abnormally brave and silly and want to risk playing with quicklime, which is VERY nasty stuff. Type S or SA (air-entraining - makes small bubbles which help various properties of the product) are probably what you want, and will be able to find at any well-stocked masonry supply.

From the second link below:

  Hydrated limes used in building applications are divided into four
  types, as described in ASTM Standard Specification C 207 (Hydrated
  Lime for Masonry Purposes): Type N – normal hydrated lime Type NA –
  normal air-entraining hydrated lime Type S – special hydrated lime
  Type SA – special air-entraining hydrated lime Types S and SA are
  differentiated from Types N and NA principally by the unhydrated oxide
  content and their water retention value. Type S must meet a water
  retention value of 85%, while Type N hydrate lime must have a water
  retention value of 75%. No distinction is made based on the nature and
  source of limestone. The maximum air content of cement-lime mortar
  made with Types NA and SA is 14%; with Types N or S lime, 7%.

Type s and sa mason's lime described.

National Lime Association

More about type S


Gap between top mount sink and new counter

If it is warpage (that should be a word)... you can sand out that area given this isn't stone.   You could sand a groove for that and set the back into it.  I am just look at a picture but it looks like the back of the sink has a little bend on it (is the other side look exactly the same?).   The first 80% seems straight though.
So I am not sure if that bend is causing it not to sit flat or if there is something next to the sink that is protruding where it shouldn't be... or both.   Can you wiggle the sink around?   If it is ultra tight your cutout may need to be a little bigger.
Just FYI - fire clay sinks always have small deformities.   Most too tiny to notice.  I did get one where the bottom was jacked and basically at a 15-20% angle - you know where you connect your plumbing.   I had already secured it to the top weeks before and had to hit it with belt sander for about 20 mins before it was flat enough to not leak.   You can sand the sink but I personally wouldn't given the picture here.
In the end this isn't the end of the world.   The gap isn't humongous - yes bigger than normal or bigger than you want.    When caulking this (clear silicone) fill in the voids on the first pass.   Let it dry a couple hours.  Then go through with finishing layer.


The furniture screw connecting bolts appears to be a correct answer but posted in the form of a comment. A quick search for the term results in many ambiguous results, but there are some specific solutions as well. Search for cap nuts for connector bolts:

http://www.rockler.com/cap-nuts-for-connector-bolts

You'll find the same site also carries the bolts in various finishes and lengths:

http://www.rockler.com/connector-bolts-statuary-bronze-connector-bolts


Hot Water Running Out in Large Home - Tankless Gas Unit with Tank?

We have a large 3600 sq ft vacation rental that typically houses 10-14 people. We have a 50 gallon gas tank water heater but guests have complained that the hot water runs out after a while.

Only the maximum number of people is relevant so if you say it's good for 14 people in your ad, that's the number you worry about.  You need about 10 gallons tank per person based on recommendations for regular household use, and about 7.5k Btu per person.  If it's for holiday use there may be considerations like people showering every time they swim to take into account.  It's theoretically possible to supplement your system with a tankless heater, but the control would be complicated and the tankless heater would still need to be sized to cover the maximum load you want.

We have three full bathrooms as well as three sets of washer/dryers.

With tankless heaters, you size the heater as close as you can afford to the maximum reasonable load.  As soon as you draw more water than it can heat, output will cool down and be noticed, but your guests might tolerate not being able to shower, run the sink hot and do dishes and laundry at the same time as long as everyone gets a hot shower before they throw in some laundry or soak some dishes.  Because a tank heater can store significant amounts of heat, much lower Btu ratings are acceptable.  This means if you want to use a tankless heater you might need to upgrade your gas line.

We are contemplating installing an additional gas tankless water heater in addition to the current gas tank unit.

Another simpler/more reliable option would be to use the current unit to feed say one bathroom and one laundry and one kitchen sink and adding another unit of whatever type to feed the other fixtures.  This will also help with flow limitations since if your water heater is missized so badly it may mean pipes are also not sized for so many fixtures.

Would we run this in series (i.e., both units would be connected) and if in series, which unit would you install first? (i.e., would you have the tankless unit preheat the tank or would you have the tankless unit only kick in when the tank unit was depleted)

You could have it in series or in parallel.  In series, it would come before the tank heater and only start heating when the output dropped below a set temperature.  In parallel, when the tank heater temperature got too low it would switch in and close off the tank heater.  I personally would favor series as you wouldn't need the extra solenoid valve, just electrical control.  You would want to have the temperature controls for the system carefully set.  That said, Your existing tank system is sized for roughly 4 or 5 people, so the pipes into and out of it probably are too.

Also, a plumber suggested installing a thermostatic mixing valve to give us more capacity. If we were to install this, where would we install it in the system?

I'm not sure how price works out on those, but if you use one on the output of the tank, it allows the tank to store water safely at a higher temperature.  (Make sure you get a fail safe one intended for domestic use.  The total output volume of "Hot" water is a mixture of really hot water and cold water.  If pipes were inadequately sized, it would theoretically give you more total hot water throughput to put smaller thermostatic mixing valves closer to the fixtures.
To verify your pipes are adequately sized, you can let the current heater heat up and then turn everything on at once to verify everything is hot until the hot water runs out.  That would simplify things.


Best way to create a 2" wide * 6" deep channel in conrete

Cut both sides of the channel with the concrete saw and break and clear out the concrete between the cuts using a jackhammer with a wide chisel bit, don't mess around with a hammer drill.  Both tools are readily available at most tool rental places and should make relatively fast work of these cuts.  Make sure you get a saw that can do the depth of cut that you want.

If you are a little more adventurous and or experienced with a jackhammer you could do a shallower cut or skip the concrete saw altogether.  It won't make as clean of an edge, but will be much faster, and depending on your circumstances it can be good enough and be covered when pouring the new concrete to refill the trench.

You'll want to do a wet cut with the saw to keep the dust down and cool the blade.

Depending on the amount of rebar you are anticipating you may want an abrasive blade (better for rebar) rather than a normal diamond concrete cutting blade (will cut rebar but will wear down the blade if cutting a lot of it).  Depending on the rental place you may need to buy your own blade.

You might also want to consider making the cut wider than 2".  This will give you room to work if you need to make up joints or otherwise manipulate the pipe and will also allow you to put some horizontal rebar into the remaining concrete (this is where you use the hammer drill) to better tie your new concrete back into the existing structure.


Here's my order:

Make any changes to the walls, upgrade wiring, lighting, etc. I prime my walls at this point, it cuts down on dust and gets paint in places you can't reach later.
Cabinets
Counter top (this will take time)
Backsplash
Paint
Flooring (I prefer flooring outside of cabinets)
Install appliances
Trim (typically painted separately and touched up after installing)

I personally move the refrigerator and microwave into another area as a temporary kitchen. Then either rig up the sink with a temporary setup (old piece of counter top or plywood) or use a bathroom.


Is this a 3/4 in. regulator, or a 1-in. regulator?

I don't see any indication that the pressure reducing valve is a different size than the pipe. What part do you think is the threaded adapter? If the pipe is 3/4 and the home was built this year I don't see why they would've used a 1" PRV with adapters.

Can you find a part number on the PRV anywhere?


Can I safely deal with an open ground receptacle by replacing it with a GFCI?

Receptacles should pick up enough ground via the mounting screw heads to have a 3-light tester report grounded.  However, if you are pushing somewhat on the receptacle when you test it, you can actually push it off the mounting screw heads enough to break that ground contact.  That's why it's not allowed for receptacles as a grounding method.
The proper method is to either run a ground pigtail to the metal box, or use a receptacle UL-listed as "Self-grounding". That means it has an extra brush to reliably pick up ground from the mounting screw shaft.
If even that does not ground it, then "metal conduit" is a lie, and the branch was installed substandard for Chicago.


Common recipe

2 c salt
6-8 c slaked lime
1 gallon water
Mix salt in water.
In part of the water mix the lime until it's a stiff paste.  Add water slowly.  Think gravy.  Making it thick initially keeps lumps from forming. Add the rest of the water.

Whitewash will look very thin on application.  Multiple coats 1-3 days apart work better than single thicker coats.  This allows the carbonation of the hydroxide to proceed.  If done in warm dry weather, the use of a binding agent that slows drying is necessary, or misting the coat.

Recipe 2:  This one is low in salt by comparison to most.

12 c lime
2 c salt
4 oz elmer's glue.

Recipe 3:

12 cups lime
4 cups salt
2 gallons water

For additional durability: ONE of

2 tablespoons powdered alum OR
1/2 cup hide glue flakes OR
1/2 gallon skim milk

I suspect the glue gives the best durability increase.

From de Gruchy's Lime Works

A Lime Whitewash / Colorwash Recipe

10 lbs St. Astier Natural Hydraulic Lime 2 (NHL 2)
2 gallons of water
¼ cup of casein powder dissolved in hot water
½ cup of Borax (Won't allow mold & helps repel insects along with the lime)
3 lb common table salt (Salt is proven to only be beneficial to lime whitewash to harden it. Don't use salt
with any Portland Cement based materials.)
¼ teaspoon laundry bluing for extra whitening or approximately ¾ lb of iron oxide pigment for a color
of choice.
Add 1 oz Alum to help make the pigment become more colorfast

I've also seen 1-2% linseed oil added as a binder, up to 1/8 raw linseed oil for the liquid.

A whiter colour and increased mildew resistance may be added by adding copper sulfate.  This does make the paint more poisonous in quantity.

Traditional pre-made whitewash had fine chalk. (CaCO3) Since whitewash 'hardens' by Ca(OH)2 + CO2 => CaCO3 the addition of chalk reduces the amount of hardening needed. Too much chalk however and there's not enough binding to hold everything together.  Chalk doesn't need to be roasted in its making so it's a lot cheaper.

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitewash

Good article:  http://pachamamatrust.org/f2/1_K/CBu_build/Se01_whitewash_KBu.htm

This latter mentions several other binders, and is oriented somewhat to conservation applications.


Why doesn't my toilet flush completely outside summer months?

This screams frozen vent stack.

To keep your drains flowing, you need to equalize the pressure. The problem is your sewer lines contain harmful gasses you don't want in your house. As such, you have a vent stack, a common drain pipe that allows gasses to vent out of the roof.

In deep winter (i.e. well below freezing, which is common in Michigan) what can happen is that the warm(er) water has some vapors that will head up the stack. Due to the extreme cold, the vapor condenses as it leaves the top of the stack. It then strikes the cold pipe, freezing to it. And now this makes for a nice perch for snow (image source)

There's a couple of things to do

Insulate the vent stack pipe inside your attic. This helps a bit in that the water vapor loses less heat as it ascends.
Install something designed to keep the vapor from freezing to the top of the pipe. There's a number of products that do that by either passively absorbing heat from inside your home and transferring it up, or by being made of material that absorbs solar heat to keep the surface above freezing. You can also install a traditional pipe heater materials at the top.


Trying to add a 240V circuit to the breaker box -- is there space?

Read my answer here that talks at length about what "spaces" are and how duplex breakers work.

It appears that you have one space left.  Any 2-pole (240V) breaker needs to sit in 2 spaces so something special will have to be done.  The article I linked should give you plenty of ideas, e.g. using a duplex breaker for two 120V circuits to free up a space.

If you expect to add any more circuits in the future, you may be better off just adding a sub-panel.

Lastly while you're in the panel you might look at a few minor problems.  First, some of the white wires going into breakers are not neutrals.  They should be taped or marked at both ends to indicate they are not actually neutrals.  Second, it looks like too much bare wire is exposed on most of the wires going into the breakers, probably too much insulation was stripped (there's a "how much to strip" guide printed or embossed on the breaker.)  It can be easily trimmed back.


What type and size plywood is appropriate to reinforce a box spring for 425 lb user?

Where is the damage in the box spring (middle/side edge/corner) and how much of it needs reinforcing?  If the damage is in the mattress with seemingly good supports all around, just about any plywood half inch or thicker is going to work fine for this purpose.  Since its going to be 100% non-visible, buy the cheap stuff.  If its on the edge or corner, half inch would probably still be fine but I would probably buy something thicker just for added durability.

As an alternative, and since this is a DIY forum, I feel I must mention that box springs are pretty simple structures and it would likely be pretty easy to just repair your current one.  They are mostly exactly what the name implies (a wooden box full of uncompressed springs covered with fabric).  I would encourage you to take the back covering off (its held on by staples most likely so its easy to re-attach) and assess the real damage.  Post pics of what you find here asking for advice if necessary but you are probably just looking at replacing a couple of broken 1x2.  Take a piece of the broken ones to the lumber yard with you to make sure you get the same kind of wood (or something with similar strength) and replace the full length of the broken piece (don't try to replace just a section of it).  If re-breaking is a concern, you can reinforce as necessary after the repair is completed or you could always add the plywood between the mattresses as well just for added assurance.


How to hang modern fixture over old square recessed box?

If that was installed in 1958, the wire may or may not have PVC insulation. If it's the old rubber insulation, it's going to be brittle. Bending the wires could crack and compromise the insulation.

Also, it's virtually guaranteed that there is no ground wire in that fixture. You should check local electrical code to make sure that replacing the fixture doesn't require you to bring the whole circuit up to code with new wire. If it does, code requires a grounding wire everywhere, every metal fixture must be grounded, and you'll have to have a neutral in the switch box.

Personally, I would be looking to pull new wire to that spot, rip and replace the ceiling box, and enjoy the confidence that I didn't create a fire or electrocution hazard. That is unless I could inspect the existing wire and the underlying box without damaging it, and gain an assurance that the existing wire will be safe and will reach appropriately into the new ceiling box. You can't make splices inside walls. If the wires aren't long enough, they have to be spliced in a junction box. (There are devices for splicing NM cable inside walls, but I doubt they're approved for use with 60 year old wire that isn't constructed with modern materials).


With "damp", your enemy is humidity, or water which is dissolved in the air.  Warm air can disolve a lot more water than cool air.  When warm, water-saturated air moves to a cooler place, it cools the air.  The water cannot remain in the air, and must condense, typically on a cool object.

A heater raises the air temperature, which temporarily increases its capacity to carry water. Since it is laboring to keep the water in the air, it must do that continuously.  A dehumidifier removes the water from the air, so it only has to do that job once until the air changes.

As a bonus, all the electric energy the dehumidifier uses, does go to warm the room.  Not the most efficient if you were only looking for heat, but for removing water it's not bad.


I need 30 amps in a single room to run vegetable grow lighting. How to accomplish?

Since you've got conduit, and since most lights are not designed to be directly on 30A circuits (normally in the US designed for 15A or 20A circuits), run two 15A or 20A circuits through that conduit instead. It will take more spaces in your panel - if that is a problem, upload a picture of the panel for help.
Note that 2 x 15A is perfect for the lighting. Each 15A circuit should have no more than 12A of continuous use. In order to have additional stuff on the same circuits, you would need to bump up to 20A circuits - that would give you 5A total, 4A continuous additional on each circuit. But if the lights are hard-wired and the other items are plug-in then you really should have a 3rd circuit for the receptacles, as you should not put receptacles on a circuit that has hard-wired loads > 50% capacity.


Can new cabinets be installed with old floor tile cutouts?

Are you ordering custom cabinets? If so yes they can be mad to fit. If ordering premade cabinets. If the cabinet is larger the tile can be cut to allow the cabinet to fit. If the premade cabinets are smaller molding can be added to hide the gaps matching grout colors is almost impossible. Depending on the size of the kitchen the above choices may save a large amount of $.