Can I dig a foundation below flood elevation outside the Floodplain?

The flood plain issues I had to deal with is more about the openings in the foundation to allow water to exit. As others have said have a Survey, my current home was in the flood plain until the survey , huge insurance jump because the lender required flood plain insurance until the survey. I am planning on an additional 3 car garage the county is the one that issue the permits, not fema.
If the county asks show them the structure is not in the flood plain, when you get your permit build to your plot plan and you will be fine.
I have a friend that built a house on poles to put the structure above the flood plain his footings for the poles were well below the 8’ or more “level identified as the 100 year level” the county only required engineering stamps on the plans, just like roof trusses require in most locations.
He has never had to have flood insurance.
Don’t bring up issues that you don’t want to deal with because as you said they go to the ultra safe side because they don’t want to be wrong. After living through several 500+ year floods he started enclosing the lower section I have not talked to him but last time I was in Corvallis the entire lower 1/2 was enclosed.
Monolithic pours are not the only way to go but you are not in the flood plane so get your permit.
Make sure you plan for drainage like a French drain under the low side with a heavy footing above that for insurance that it will drain this doesn’t have to be on the plans.
So submit your plot plan to the county and pay the fee.
If they ask , show the survey.
When approved start building and enjoy your home.


Dryer & Stove share breakers in 1972 apt

One of the serious sparkys will know every detail about your panel, but it's obvious from the labeling that it has a pair on each phase, so the location of your 40 and 50 A dual breakers needs to shift down (or up, for the 40 that will be a 30 when you fix it right) by one space to actually supply 240V.
Which means someone highly unqualified has been working in this panel; there may be other problems I haven't spotted. That one is deer in the headlights blindingly obvious.


A “W Shape” steel beam is the wrong shape. It’s nearly as wide as tall.
I’d try a “S Shape” steel beam. They are “skinny” and can be installed in the wall correctly (vertically).
Give us an idea of the load and we can give a size. (A S8 will support about 14 kips for a 16’ span and has a flange width of 4”.)


If this pipe is just above ground level and is spewing clean water out onto the ground (or is otherwise unchecked), it is more than likely coming from a sump. This sump could be from a drain tile or the A/C drain. If you have access to the basement, this can easily be determined by tracing the pipe back from where it goes through the wall/structure, unless it is all behind sheetrock.

(NOTE: I didn't see Tester101 and Fiasco Labs comments prior to writing this. I'm basically agreeing with them.)


Reservoir tank continues to slowly fill and won't stop

Most modern fill valves you can turn off the water and remove the cap. Twist the upper valve part and it will unlock showing the seal and mechanism.  Place cup over valve tub slowly turn water to toilet on and run 3 seconds and turn off.  Reassemble valve by aliging tabs and twisting back on its only a 15 or 20 degree twist so be gentle. Turn water on and test.  If you live in a hard water or silty area or just have old galvanized pipes flakes get caught in there all the time.  I was buying new valves often till I figured this out.  Half the time a valve is leaking it's usually this I have found and you can't imagine the clients that are shocked to just get billed a minimum service call that took under 3 minutes and most of the time if they are close or in my current route of the day I usually don't even charge them nothing more than a bottle of water or a cup of coffee ☺


For Subflooring, what is the distance needed between screws?

It will create a mess if the particle board is not predrilled because the screws will at least break-out the backside of the particle board there by preventing the screw from ever drawing the PB flat against the plywood ... especially if the PB is not high density (heads will pull through) ... and especially if the screws are going into something as thin as 5/8" (low grade) subfloor grade plywood.

When predrilling, a depth stop will be essential to keep from drilling into the plywood because over-drilling by a mere 1/8" will leave less than 1/2" of plywood  for the screw to grip.  A small chunk of wood can be used as a positive (failsafe) depth stop.  It'd be best to layout the joist locations on the 3/8" PB and aim the screws to grab into the joists.

If adhesive from a caulking gun is used, the floor will end up wavy, not flat, if you were to put a straight edge to it afterwards.

Regardless, I can't see the job coming out well using 3/8" particle board. Sorry for the pessimism. Is 3/4" not an option?


Is it safe to block the hole in the wood in the basement?

I have no idea what the hole is for but feel free to plug them.


Vinegar is the best option to remove the mold. The vinegar will penetrate the porous surface and remove the underlying membrane as well as the mold growth on the surface. Spray the vinegar on the surface and let it sit for an hour, then spray again and wipe off. Bleach is only good for removing mold on the surface, it doesn't penetrate the surface to kill the roots.


What is the maximum 12/2 wire length from a 20A breaker to a baseboard heater?

Using the values from Chapter 9 Table 8 of the National Electrical Code, you can calculate the maximum circuit distance as follows.
Find allowable voltage drop
The NEC recommends a maximum 3% voltage drop at the "farthest outlet of power, heating, and lighting loads, or combinations of such loads" (210.19(A) FPN No. 4). So you'll want to start by calculating the maximum voltage drop as follows:
Max Voltage Drop = Voltage * 3%
Max Voltage Drop = 240V * 0.03
Max Voltage Drop = 7.2V
Calculate the maximum length
To calculate the maximum length of the circuit, you'll first have to know how much resistance the conductor being used has. Table 8 from Chapter 9 of the NEC, makes this simple.  If you're using 12 AWG solid uncoated copper, you'll find that it has a resistance of 1.93 ohms per thousand feet.

For the following formula, you'll need to know the resistance per foot. This is easily calculated, by dividing the value above by 1000.
1.93 ohms per 1000 feet / 1000 = 0.00193 ohms per foot
Next you'll need to know the amount of current flowing along the conductor. Since you didn't specify this in the question, I'll use 20 amperes as an example.
The formula
Length = maximum voltage drop / ( 2 * Ohms per foot * current)
Length = 7.2 V / ( 2 * 0.00193 Ohms * 20 Amperes)
Length = 7.2 / ( 0.00386 * 20)
Length = 7.2 / 0.0772
Length = 93.264248704663212435233160621762 ft.

tl;dr
If you have a circuit with 20 amperes of current flowing along a 12 AWG uncoated solid copper conductor, and you want to keep the voltage drop below 7.2 V (3% or 240 V). You'll want to keep the length of the circuit (one way) less than 93' 4". Unless may calculations are wrong (which they sure could be).
NOTE:
Since you didn't mention the actual current drawn by the heater. The above calculations are for example purposes only.

Using Ohm's law, you can figure out the current based on the wattage you've stated.

I = P / V
I = 2000 watts / 240 volts
I = 8.33333 amperes
You can then plug this into the formula above.
Length = 7.2 Volts / ( 2 * 0.00193 Ohms * 8.33333 Amperes )
Length = 7.2 / ( 0.00386 * 8.333333 )
Length = 7.2 / 0.0321666666666667
Length = 223.8341968911917 ft.


Apparently stripped holes in dryer door hinges

The hinge screws do not engage threads in the sheet metal of the front panel, they are bolts designed to be held in place by nuts, which fell down inside your dryer when you removed the door.
Well, not nuts exactly. The retaining parts are actually small metal plates, one per hinge, with two threaded holes each, that align with the holes in the front panel.
You will have to remove the front panel to install the door. Fortunately this is very easy: remove the two screws near the bottom of the panel, pull the bottom of the panel out, and slide the panel down to disengage it at the top. Disconnect the door switch wires and remove them from the front panel.
Find the retaining plates that have fallen down inside the dryer. It should be obvious how to use these to attach the door to the front panel. A dab of construction adhesive or contact cement might help hold the plates in place during assembly.
Don't forget to re-connect the door switch wires. Close the door before installing the front panel; this job does not require any comic relief.


Insulating basement concrete walls - anything missing?

Seems like a lot of work but. Why not just do standard 2x4 walls and insulate with fiberglass? I don't know conventional methods for your area but visualizing your description, it seems your wiring may be susceptible to puncture by screws. Make sure you use nail plates.


What is this strange strike plate and why does it move?

Interesting. I guess the point is that they "close slightly more easily than regular latches", yet they still require pushing down on the ADA-compliant lever handle to open.
I'm not sure in what way they're "not working properly", but I'd suggest taking the latch mechanism piece (the top two screws of the latch) out and taking a look at that part. I'd imagine that the little swinging plate isn't moving as freely as it should. With that part off, you may be able to determine that there's something in there jamming it, or it may just need a shot of dry-silicone or graphite lubricant to free up the movement.
I've use both of those in spray form and they can be a bit messy, so taking it outside to spray the latch means the mess is on the grass or some newspaper/drop cloth instead of all over the interior wall.
It could also be that the screws have either loosened or tightened with some seasonal wood swelling. (OK, fine, loosened, screws really don't tighten themselves.) You may want to ensure that screws are tight on the non-working ones.
You could, of course, replace them with "normal" strike plates, but that would probably require filling in the hole in the frame then mortising for the new strike plate (and would be the subject for a whole new question). I'm presuming none of the current residents need the adaptations. Of course, having these in place may well increase resale value if you're thinking of selling at some point in the future, so that's something to consider.


No
The breaker size is dependent on the wire size. If the wire was 12 AWG then it would most likely already have a 20 Amp breaker. Since it has a 15 Amp breaker, most likely at least some of the wire in the circuit is only 14 AWG.


Insulation foam inside PVC sleeve for silcock

I would make a 1" plug for each end so bugs don't get in. A hard foam ring would be what I would go for.

I would not fill with expanding foam or similar as that will glue the pipe in place.


Wrap indoor USB adapter into plastic bag for outdoor usage?

You say the adapter is behind the light shroud. I wouldn't be worried about that part. Besides you will have to poke a hole in the plastic bag for the plug and the cable thereby making it no longer moisture proof. Adapters and cables are fairly cheap and it should last for a while depending on your weather.
If the adapter itself shorts internally (which is not likely considering where you put it, and the fact that it is sealed) it could trip your breaker but probably won't draw enough current to melt or cause a fire.

I would be more concerned with the cable to the camera and having moisture (maybe fog?) condense on the cable and drip into the camera. If you can rotate  the camera and have the cable enter from the bottom then any moisture will drip off the cable before it gets to the connection with the camera.

Good Luck!


Adding safety switch between meter and panel

There's no point to adding a switch here
Since you will have to move the meter-main anyway, which'll require PG&E to cut your service drop and reattach it at the pole, there's no point in adding the extra switch you describe.
So, why can't the new meter-main go where the old one did?
Well, the NEC simply requires clear working space (110.26(A)) around the meter-main, so why can't it go in the garage? The answer lies in the fact it's a meter-main, and thus invokes your utility's distribution rules about meter location.  In your case, they're found in PG&E's Greenbook, which states:

5.3.2. Prohibited Meter and Service Equipment Locations
The following locations are not acceptable for electric meters and service
termination equipment.

...

F. Inside garages for single-family residences.

So, since you'll need to move the meter there, and probably use a meter-main for that job, I would simply fit a Class 200 EUSERC meter-main, suitable for overhead service, at a suitable outdoor location. Then, you can have your 200A indoor panel set up in the garage as a subpanel from the meter main.


Multiple motion sensors for multiple led strips wiring

You can do this with four diodes:

But you need to find out what size diode part you need to dissipate any heat generated by forward resistance. This will depend on the current used by the LED strips.
This circuit isolates the sensor outputs from each other. If the sensors are tolerant of back-feeding when switched off, you can replace the two diodes marked "*" with wires.
If you can't or won't use diodes, you can use a 12V DPDT relay -- a very commonly available part.

Here you can see that when the "stairs upper" sensor is off, the "lobby" sensor controls the "lobby" LED and the "stairs lower" sensor controls the "stairs" LED through the normally-closed (relaxed) relay contacts.
When the "stairs upper" sensor is on, the relay steals the LED feeds from their respective sensor outputs and connects them both to the "stairs upper" sensor output through the normally-open (energized) relay contacts.


Should a smart switch (that requires a neutral wire) cause my non-contact voltage tester to beep?

ncv's will go off for just about anything. never trust an NCV with your life. cheaper ones will go off from shaking them.
i was in a house once where it went off in the entire upstairs. the house was also below large powerlines.
knob and tube , switch loops (where there is no neutral or ground) have a larger electric field. also a loose neutral could cause this.
check with a multimeter. place one contact one a "hot" screw and the other on the metal yoke or a ground wire. you should read a voltage. 0 is bad. 0 means the yoke isn't grounded and may carry a current.
I just checked and my NCV doesn't go off next to newer romex wired switches but does with the older switch looped switches. (klien ncvt-1).
my Commercial electric brand NCV will go off by rubbing it on my shirt. or when i put it back in my tool belt or when i walk around with it on in my pocket.
(ALso note that you only use a dimmer on one side of a 3way system)


Is it economically reasonable to cool the roof by water evaporation

Won't work.
The insulation is sufficient to reduce the heat loss from your apartment at 25c to the snow or ice at -15c to a reasonably low value.

Misters or evaporative coolers only reduce the temperature by a few degrees C, and most of the heat absorbed would come from the surrounding air, not your house.

I'd suggest awnings over the windows, drapes/shades, and an attic fan, and possibly an indoor mister.


How should we sand and treat our Victorian floorboards?

It might be better if you didn't stain the wood.

We have varnished the floors in nearly all the rooms in our circa 1900 house and in each case we used clear Ronseal Diamond Hard varnish - it's quick drying and "does what it says on the tin" * - and with three coats it still darkens the wood quite nicely.

It isn't necessary to stain before varnishing and most varnishes don't need diluting.

In a couple of rooms we stained the boards, but only because we had to replace some and the new ones were the wrong colour. In those rooms is was a case of two coats of stain on the new boards and one on the old. Any more and the wood becomes too dark.

The best thing to do is to stain a piece of board in areas with one, two and three coats plus leave an area plain, then varnish. This will give you an idea of what the final effect will be and you can compare the different levels of stain against each other.


Does it matter whether a bedroom door swings in or out of the room?

There is no code that tells you that your bedroom doors need to swing in for a bedroom.   But it is usually not a good idea for them to swing out.

as you mentioned the doors present an obstruction in spaces.  In hallways it might even be comical to wind your way around 7 open doors from both sides.
when you are talking about privacy the doors have swung in because of the hinge side would be protected.  For instance if you locked your door and the hinges were out someone could just knock the pegs out of the hinges and release your door.
and safety wise there is always a chance that someone will open a door on someone else.  But not many people stand next to the door in their own room.  But people could be passing by where ever and you could hit them.  This should be thought about in your case.
aesthetically speaking you will be showing the hinges on the outside.  I know it isn't a huge thing but a small design factor.

I have to say I have finished maybe close to 50 basements now (got to be close) and one of my favorite designs for a smaller basement is simply storage room with the bathroom towards the front and the other side is huge living room with an "extra" room with french doors in the back.  Extra room is big enough to house a pool table but could easily be converted into a bedroom (often we have a walk-in closet going from extra room to storage room).  We usually have the French doors swing out to the living room.  If the living room is small though we swing them in.  This is highly dependent on what you feel is going to be next to the French doors on each side of the room. (On really small rooms we use double pocket doors)

Another note:  Come to think of it the doors themselves play a big part of inside or outside.  If I have some nice doors - especially the wooden vintage french doors we clean up - well these open out.  Because we want to showcase the door.  If it is some big box generic french door set, we hide them in the room.


New Furnace won't turn on after trying to install thermostat

Jump red to green and see if the indoor blower runs, if so you have 24 volt power and the transformer and 3 amp fuse on your circuit board are fine,if not check the 3 amp automotive type fuse found on your circuit board.
If you have no fuse the transfomer may be bad from touching red to Common a direct short which fries the transformer. Is there a diagnostic light on your furnaces circuit board?  if so is it flashing or staying lit? is there correct high voltage as well as the 24 volts?
Breaker tripped?


How can I enclose wiring connections between a wall and a cabinet?

You have the right idea but you need a 2 gang switch/outlet box extension. They come in 1/2 increments. I prefer metal but I did see a plastic one on home depot for 3$  the metal ones run 13 to 32$.


Miele condenser dryer T8013C not drying, takes too long to dry, why?

I have fixed my problem. Here is what I did as reference for others.
After cleaning out all the lint in all the "air" filters, I found the condenser was completely clogged with lint.

The condenser is a long box. In the manual and online posts, the instruction is to rinse it with a shower head. However, there is so much lint stuck in the honey-comb-like structure, water from a shower head just could not flush everything out.
Ultimately after various attempts, I filled the bathtub with water to submerge the condenser, and moved the condenser vigorously back and forth to create strong "waves" in the bathtub water. The water pushed all the lint out.
Be sure to collect the lint before you drain the tub, so your tub doesn't get clogged.
Once the condenser was cleaned, the dryer was normal again.


Are there left hand cartridges for Delta two handle faucets?

Yes, there are cartridges supplied in left and right configuration. No, not all cartridges are interchangeable.


How to remove a bathroom faucet stem with an awkward fastener?

Difficult to be sure, as I've never met one in person before, but judging from what I can see in your picture I suspect there is a part on the threads, but there also appears to be a pin (on, I think, that part) through the side of the "fork" part, and I suspect you can pry the left (open) side of the fork to pop the hole in the fork off the pin, while pulling or prying to the right. Presumably there's another pin on the other side to get the "fork" off of before it will come free.
You might try unscrewing it a turn or two (I'm unclear if you have made this attempt yet) to make it easier to pop the "fork" off. My guess is that this arrangement is intended to allow the part on the threads to pass through the hole so that rather than having to turn the nut on many turns in an awkward location, the nut part can be pre-located close to snug, the faucet inserted, and the fork clipped on and tightened only a turn or two to hold onto the sink/countertop/tub.


Can I put drip edge underneath felt without removing roof?

It's virtually impossible to get drip edge under the bottom edge of a roof without redoing the whole roof.
You might be able to improve it by using flashing tape to seal the drip edge to the felt, if there's enough flex in the (shingles, I assume - you didn't say) on top of it to get that in without breaking the (shingles?)
You might also be able to slip a strip of felt (non-sticky) up under the lowest shingles on top of the joint, which won't require as much flexing if they are stiff, and can probably be shoved further up than the sticky flashing tape can be adhered. You'll want a few dabs of tar or other compatible roofing adhesive to keep that in place once it's shoved in as far as it will go.


How do I remove a push-pull tub drain stopper?

I had a drain in my tub very much like yours, never found a way to remove the stopper.  So I can't answer that portion of your question.

However, to remove the gunk/hair that continually clogged the drain, I found the plastic drain sticks to work really well.  I just snaked one around for a few minutes, pulling up some really nasty clumps of hair and other detritus.

The "good news" is that now that the tub is 20 years old, the mechanism rusted out and I can finally remove the stopper.


Trying to identify cause of minor leak from water heater TPR valve

It is fairly common for water heater relief valves to start leaking after you have manually opened/closed them. Sometimes it's due to boiler compounds on the seal/seat surface(s), sometimes due to seal/seat wear, damage, or failure.

I would not assume that it has failed, in that it would not open during an over-pressure/temp. event; however, it may continue to drip/leak which may be unacceptable to you.

The fact that it opened when subjected to the shock wave caused by the closing of the washing machine valve seems to indicate that it is functioning, albeit maybe it opened a bit prematurely because it's partially unseated since you "exercised" it. Then again, with the expansion tank operation potentially compromised, maybe the relief valve did it's exact job perfectly.

In any case, relief valve replacement is an easy job and they are relatively inexpensive. It makes sense to go ahead and replace, for your safety.


The burner and gas orifice are configured to give a proper air-fuel mixture so the appliance can safely be used to burn the gas completely into carbon dioxide and water.

With the burner removed, you won't even have the equivalent of a good propane torch or lab Etna and with an improper air-fuel mixture, soot and carbon monoxide can be part of the resultant combustion output.

Your main problem is that you're trying to use a camp stove/hiking coffee maker on a kitchen range.

This device is sized for use with alcohol stoves, butane burners, their propane canister kin or propane camp stoves which all have a small burner diameter.

The best bet would be a sort of conical chimney that sits over the kitchen range burner on top of the grate and funnels the heat up to a smaller grate that your coffee maker sits on. If you look through the various online camping forums, you might find someone already makes these.


Switched outlet has open neutral when switch is off

Some dopehead put the switch in the neutral wire, which is forbidden by Code as it's a shock hazard.  You'll have to turn power off to the circuit, and then pull both the receptacle and the switch out.  If you see a white wire going to either the brass screws on the receptacle, or any screws on the switch, that's your problem, unless you have a switch loop; in that case, look for a black-flagged wire (or a black wire) wire-nutted to a white wire.  (Someone also could have left  the black paint or tape flags off the switch loop's white wire, and then some dunderhead later on screwed it up without realizing what he was doing...)


NEVER JUMP A LIMIT SWITCH TO ALLOW A GAS APPLIANCE TO RUN. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SAFETY IN THE SYSTEM AND IS REQUIRED FOR PROPER AND SAFE OPERATION OF THE UNIT.

Limit switches may only be jumped by technicians to test and rule out certain components and are not to be left bypassed.

Your furnace seems to be going off on High limit. When the fan runs for long enough after the furnace shuts down on high limit, it will cool the limit switch to the point where it can close again and re run the heating cycle. This is why the unit is cycling.

There are many things that can cause this. Listed in order from most common to least common:

Blocked or dirty furnace filter (Most common)
Plugged heat exchanger (causes heat exchanger to over heat)
Blocked or dirty air conditioning coil
Faulty high limit switch
Blower motor will not run (can be numerous causes)
Blower motor not spinning fast enough (Cause by dirt and dust getting into motor)
Faulty control board

Always check your furnace filter first. This may save you the cost of a service call. If your filter is clean then have a licensed HVAC service technician look at and repair the unit. This problem will either be a very very minor issue, or a very very major issue.


How do I remove the plastic at the tip of my faucet handle?

It will pry out, you will need a razor knife with a heavy duty blade to start the gap to finish prying it out.


Septic system was designed for 3 bedrooms but we need 4, what are my options?

There are a combination of rules for septic systems.
The size of the tank is one of the things but it is not the most important.
The drain field has more to do with the size of the system and the percolating rate or how rapidly the water from the field leaches into the ground(or not).
I have built homes where 75’ was enough for each bedroom and others took almost 200’ per bedroom (heavy clay but the soil met the minimum percolating rate) both had the same size 2 chamber tanks.
It may be as easy if you have enough property to add a distribution box on one of your existing lines in the field and create a larger field.
Check with your local building codes office (where you get the permits) they may say on an existing system no problem or if the area ok known for problems or close to a stream , creek or listed county drainage area it may not be possible.
I have turned 2 bedroom homes into 4 bedroom with this simple (but kind of yukky) addition to the existing field. I have also been told no it would require a pumped / mound system (very expensive) and they did not even really look at the lot map they also did not get the permits and extra taxes for the improvements oh well.
So it may be possible and not that difficult check with your county offices and maybe it will only be 100’ of lines (put in 200 so your home would be legal).


Can I use metal masonry device (switch) boxes in a stud wall?

Masonry boxes are metal because concrete can get wet and conduct electricity.  The box can be grounded to prevent this becoming a problem.  Code allows you to use items that are MORE safe than is required.  For instance, if code requires 14 gage wire, you're OK using 12 gage (but not 16).  The same holds here.  You're proposing using a more safe box than is required.  As long as it physically fits, you will be OK.


how to design and buy materials for breakfast bar/standing desk?

I like the enthusiasm, that's great.  A couple suggestions:
1. Start off with a solid design, including what sort of materials might work. Let the wood material options drive some of the design which would help to save costs.
Explore the wood section at the depot and see what is offered.
Wood can get expensive.  So let the options of wood drive the design.

Break down the pieces into their own distinct unit and determine the best way to connect them.  It sounds to me you want a lot in your first project, so break it into pieces and build the breakfast bar first.  This way the project wont take weeks to complete.  You build the bar, it gets installed and you can work on the other pieces.
Decide the finish, if you plan to paint, the quality of the wood can be less as it will not be seen, however if you plan to stain, the quality needs to be higher.  For example a 2x4 can be painted and look great, but try to stain over the ink stamps and its awful.

As for legs, be creative, since you don't have any saws, get a hand saw at least, and be creative.  I bought a bunch of 1 inch square 36 inch in length pieces for some furniture pieces I was building.  They worked great as the legs and were cheap, and already precut.

Final suggestion is to go slow, as this is your first project take your time, plan accordingly and have fun!


Replacing a spanned "beam" with a cantilevered beam

OK first let me say that if you're going to be making major structural changes to a building (and this counts as a pretty serious structural change in my mind) it would be well worth your while to get an engineer or other qualified building professional to help you with your design. If you just "wing it" you may be endangering the house and its occupants. There may also be legal or insurance-related ramifications to doing this outside the proper channels. However, let me offer these pieces of advice:

Do not confuse "service loads" (the day-to-day loads on a structure) with "design loads" (the loads the structure is built to withstand — typically much higher). Whatever condition you observe on a given day is probably not the worst-case scenario.
Deflection (stiffness) is not the only consideration when designing a structure, you must also consider its strength - i.e. how much weight it can take before it breaks. Strength and stiffness are both important.
I don't know where you came up with the 4500 lbs quantity, it sounds somewhat arbitrary since you haven't provided any background info. The amount of weight you design the structure for is based on your local building code, which includes factors like snow loads, wind loads, etc. which may be difficult for you to estimate. The weight of the roof itself is only a portion of the load you must take into account (usually less than half). These loads are typically specified as pounds per square foot (probably in the range of 30psf to 60psf) in addition to the weight of the roof.
Your existing 2x6 situation sounds weird, I wonder if someone added an addition and the columns didn't quite line up. I would not assume that it's OK as it is now unless you see some reliable documentation. You should design your new solution for the geometry of the house and the requirements of your building code, not just matching the existing solution.
Stresses on a cantileved beam are more complicated than a simple span between two supports. You haven't described your proposed cantilever at all but the backspan is an important part of the design. And again, you must consider the strength of the beam, not just its stiffness.


What type of outdoor breaker/disconnect for two buildings?

Well, you didn't say what your service is.  Whether it's 320 Class service (400A; 320A continuous) or whether it'll be 200A.  Your breaker requirements will be slightly different depending.

But what you're looking for is straightforward enough: It's called a Meter-main.  Some of them are simply a meter and a main breaker - in separate compartments so the power company can stick their seal on their side.

Some of them get more sophisticated, and give you a meter, a main breaker and 2-8 breaker spaces on the downline side of the main breaker.

For a Class 320 service, I'm not sure how meter-mains handle it; I've never seen a 400A breaker; they usually provision 400A service by splitting it to two 200A main panels.  So sadly, you may wind up with 3 boxes in that case.  Think about if you want any power here at this location; if so, look at a meter-main with extra spaces for one of the circuits.

Fork it

If your service is 200A, there is nothing wrong with fitting dual lugs (or splitting with Polaris connectors) and sending full 200A to both house and shop that they effectively share.  The split is after the main breaker, of course.

By the way, your wire only has to handle 83% of the breakered value, so only 166A. 4/0 Aluminum will be just fine.  (DO NOT use copper for long feeder like this; it's a total waste of money and the lugs on both ends are aluminum, so you'll create a dissimilar metal problem.)  What's even sadder is when people spend a fortune on copper, and then chintz out on conduit, ground wires or panel spaces.   2 years later, they're back going "panel is full" and the photo shows they could have fit a much larger panel for $40 more, and they wasted $700 on copper feeder. Talk about false economies!


Should I install vapor barrier in a seasonal cottage?

Presumably you are going to have heat early/late in the season, when it gets cold at night. If you ever want to heat the cottage in the winter, it's also significantly easier to do now than it is later.

I would install a vapour barrier in this case. It's needed when warm meets cold; in cold climates, on the warm side, to prevent moisture from forming condensation in the insulation. It also helps prevent air flow (drafts) which can otherwise make insulation fairly ineffective. You should have a continuous seal around the building, meaning the vapour barrier should be taped and sealed with acoustic caulk.

Buildingscience.com has some great articles on this, I highly suggest you check it out. For example, this speaks to the purpose and how different wall constructions work: http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-0412-insulations-sheathings-and-vapor-retarders/


What's the best way to add a neutral wire for smart switch?

If you're going to run a neutral after the fact, you'll pretty much have to trace out the circuit, and run a new wire / cable.  This could be a real project.

As mentioned in another answer and the comments, you could put the wireless switch in the circuit somewhere ahead of the lights where the neutral is present, and just splice the wires from the driveway switch.  There are battery-powered switches such as the Lutron Pico that you can install in a cover plate - you could mount that in the driveway switchbox, and things would operate as they always have, along with other wireless control.

Of course Lutron makes some Caseta wireless switches that do not require a neutral.  They "bootleg" their neutral return on the ground wire, which is generally verboten, but UL allows it for the tiny currents these devices draw.


Yes, that's fine. If yearning for extra certainty or lightning resistance, unplug the strip (leaving everything plugged into it.)


You do want your return larger this will not be a problem and allows room to install it then sheet metal or a flexible seal can be added. If things are two close it makes it tough to sweat the fittings


How To Sand, Patch, Prime & Paint Exterior Foundation?

If you want to remove the existing paint, the simplest way short of blasting is one of the combination stripper/paper products such as Peel Away. Boiled down to basics you apply the stripper and cover it with a coated paper, then after a wait pull the entire sheet off and dispose of it. You do pay for the convenience though, you can go cheaper and messier with lye solutions. One benefit of masonry is you can use caustic strippers instead of solvent based ones.

As a practical matter I wouldn't suggest any variety of chemical stripper if you're going to repaint though. You'd be better served by an angle grinder with a wire cup. A 4.5" grinder should take less than a day while being more useful for other tasks than a 7" one. The grinder is also useful with a grinding or sanding wheel for the occasional rough spot or protrusion.

If the patches are going to be 2" thick or more there's no reason you can't fill in with concrete provided you apply a bonding agent first. You should also dampen the old work in any case to prevent it from leeching moisture from the new work before it cures.

If the patches won't be that substantial then you're better off with a type S mortar if water isn't an issue or a hydraulic cement if it is. The lime in mortar makes it stickier than concrete mixes so it's a bit easier to apply, but it also makes it softer so it's not ideal for large patches.

Cosmetic touch ups are best done with a vinyl patching product, which combines polymers and cement. They're typically sold in plastic jugs alongside masonry mixes. The good news is the polymers allow you to apply them very thinly without cracking, for shallow depressions and small cracks. The bad news is you're typically limited to applying them fractions of an inch at a time.

The exact choice often boils down to experience (and what you're going to mix anyway). From the sound of things mortar may be your best bet, but maybe paste a picture of the large hole to get more informed opinions.


There are two kinds of archways: 1) superficial archways, and 2) true archways.

1) Superficial archways are merely regular openings (with a header and support) that have archways framed down to mimic true archways.

2) True archways create a thrust outward that needs to be resisted with supports starting from where the arch starts. This support can be another arch (like the Roman aqueducts) or just an extended wall.

Your house could have archways if you designed an adequate size beam (header), support posts at each end, and adequate size footings under each post.

However, you cannot have a true arch in the up and down direction because there is nothing to support the outward thrust. (You might be able to have a braced wall in the side to side direction.)

Regardless , you’ll need to carefully calculate all the loads transferred down from above on each arch, then determine the load transferred down to the footings.


How to use network patch panel in new house

From this photo:

Cable modem is likely attached to the cable at the lower right corner.
Cable modem network jack goes to the internet port on your router.
Lan ports on the router are connected to the patch panel in the center.  The yellow cat5/6 wires are networking to the rooms.
If you want TV's in different rooms, you can swap out which white cables are plugged into the top splitter (or get a different splitter with more ports, but the fewer times you split the signal, the better the signal is). The bottom splitter is the first split to the cable modem to give it the best signal. Yellow cable line is most likely the source, and white cable lines go to the various rooms.
Blue wires should be for telephone. I don't see where the external connection is, so if you don't have a dial tone, it may not be connected to the demarcation outside. If that's the case, either the last owner never used it, or they plugged in a voip box into a network and phone jack elsewhere in the house.


How should I connect the ground wire for my light fixture?

The instructions for the fixture are only correct for a metal box.  If a metal box was used, the box itself would (should) be grounded.  The bracket that holds the light would then be connected to the box, which would make the bracket grounded.  Finally the ground wire from the fixture would attach to the bracket, grounding the fixture.

In the case of a plastic box, the box is not grounded.  All ground connections must be made by connecting the ground wires together. So in your situation you are correct, you'll connect the ground from the supply to the ground from the fixture using a twist-on connector (or other approved connection).


What is the correct way to install a washing machine drain pan?

Go with your second approach of getting the right size fitting except don't bend the pipe, just deal with the angle. You pan lip should be higher than the ending (with fittings) top of the drain pipe so it can drain but that's all you need.

Why? PVC fumes are extremely toxic and you have a significantly better chance breaking the pipe than fixing the angle; then you'll have to tear up the floor to fix the pipe. A washer machine drain pan is used for worst case scenarios, not day-to-day use so as long as water can drain you'll be fine and a slight angle may actually decrease the minimum height of the drain anyways.

As for drilling the hole in the pan, mark it in place and drill it somewhere else with a sacrifice piece of wood/etc. underneath. You don't want to hold it up or anything because you'll need a decent amount of pressure to hold a bit in place and plastics like to fracture if not properly supported.


When I use drain cleaner the whole house smells like sulfur for a couple hours

I would advise against Drano. The sulfur smell you are smelling is because it is mainly composed of Sulfuric Acid. If you smell it throughout your house it might be damaging your pipes.

To clear a clog I would recommend a plunger and a drain snake before resorting to any acids. If those do not work I would recommend a plumber.

However, be cautious now. If you are manually clearing your pipes, anything that you pull out might be covered in acid, so make sure to use hand, eye, and nose/mouth protection.


It sounds like the neutrals for the lights and receptacles, which should be all combined (they are) and have one wire going back to the main panel, don't have that main wire working correctly. It could be cut somewhere, but most likely it is disconnected either at the last receptacle or light on the circuit that works or the first one that doesn't work. If NOTHING on the circuit works then it could be disconnected at the panel.

So somebody got smart and said "neutral and ground are bonded at the panel anyway, so what's the difference? I'll just combine them here and everything will work."

There are two problems (aside from it being against code):

1 - There are situations where something could go wrong such that this extra connection between neutral and ground will result in a very dangerous condition, where instead of ground acting as a protection in one location it ends up causing dangerous levels of current to be present elsewhere.

2 - The ground wire is a bare wire (not good for normal neutral) and may not be the same gauge as the neutral is supposed to be. If it is thinner than the neutral is supposed to be then there could be a situation where all equipment is working properly (no short circuits) and the total current is below the circuit rating (15A or 20A) so the breaker doesn't trip, but over time the ground-as-neutral overheats and causes a fire, which is not a good thing. I am not an expert on the code requirements - a quick search shows 14 & 12 gauge for 15A and 20A circuits for ground, which would be the same as neutral. So I could be wrong on this specific problem, provided the ground wire is the correct size, but fix it anyway for all the other reasons.

This must be fixed. Disconnect the ground from the neutrals. If you know the wiring sequence from the panel out to the receptacles and lights, start with the last one that works and check each connection. If you don't know, check them all. If you can't find the problem anywhere then it may be at the panel - in which case you may be better off calling in a professional (which is what I would do - I'm not an electrician and my skills at the cover of the panel).


A butt splice connector, or twist-on wire connector would be fine. Just make sure you use connectors that are designed for the size, and number of wires being connected.

Technically, you should probably either pull all new wiring, so that it's continuous from HVAC to thermostat. Or put the connections in a junction box, that is left accessible.


Seebeck generator to run a fan on a radiator

I have a feeling their data sheet is optimistic, but let's go with that.

I've got right here a computer fan, moving a stream of air which is miniscule compared to most home radiators I've ever seen. It is consuming 1.6W of power to accomplish this feat.

Let's say you're already actually doing a really good job of moving air away from this radiator, and so its immediate environment is 25C. You stick a giant whopping block of copper on the back side of this generator, and end up with just a 5C rise over ambient on the cool side of the generator. (After, of course, coming up with a very thermally conductive connection between your round pipe and this flat object.) The chart says you need your steam pipe to be about 150C to get 1.6W out.

As I understand it, steam in homes isn't that hot. So you're not going to get the power you want, even under the above generous assumptions. And I don't think the air circulation you'll get from 1.6W of fan would even be worth it.


How do I stop the dripping noise from my gutters?

I'm surprised the dripping is that loud but there is a simple solution. Drop a some rope, such as heavy sash cord, down the drainpipe and attach top end in such a way that at least a couple of inches of the rope is sitting inside the gutter itself. The way this works is that the water will tend to run along the rope, which should ensure the water runs along the wall of the drainpipe instead of falling through the air.


How to hang a projector screen from a thin horizontal part of slightly curved ceiling

For a damage-free install, I would forget about screwing anything in to the wall or ceiling. Make a free-standing frame out of lumber.


Most architectural designers recommend a mix of lighting types (ambient, task, accent) to give a room balance. You should research design ideas.

I would think that your LED strips would be used for ambient lighting, and as such there are some standards to follow regarding minimum lumens for a particular room type (like, 20 lumens per square foot). Since you already have specific strips in mind, calculate total lumens needed and design your strip layout to meet that. Then you can add accent and task lighting depending on room function and layout.


Wiring a fan and recessed lighting to a double switch

Possibly.  They do make gadgets designed to control a ceiling fan + light separately, using wiring meant for a light only (which is your case even though it's a fan only). They include a control module which goes behind the fan shroud, and an intelligent light switch.  The module doesn't care if the fan and light are separate items.

They also make lights designed to depart a ceiling box underneath a fan shroud.

By the way, that setup is currently not code.  Code requires every habitable room have a switch at one entry which works a light.   If it switches an overhead light, the light must work and not be only a fan.   The rule is designed to benefit house guests and first responders.

Speaking of that, not all ceiling boxes are rated to support ceiling fans.  There's a big difference both in weight and vibration.  So while you're up there, make sure your box is in fact labeled for a ceiling fan.  It will say right on it.


Ground level deck - how to attach bearers to concrete

If possible, I'd put posts at the ground level side, even if you have to dig out a little.  Even if it's just a few inches below the beam, it's easier for the very reason you mention.  It will keep the beam drier.  If the post ever rots, it's a lot easier to replace the post than the beam.  You may be able to make the posts integral with rail posts, too.


Finally got a plumber out.  Apparently the device should have been removed when the previous owner redid the bathroom, so now it's sort of "stuck" or a part of the tub.  It can be removed, but will be fairly costly to remove.  The plumber actually broke his snake trying to get down to the clog, so it wasn't just me having problems.  Fortunately, the tub seems to be draining a bit better these days.


How can I relocate the primary lockset bore in a door?

Your choices with regard to this depend greatly upon the materials, construction and finish of the existing door.

If it is a solid wood door that will end up with a painted finish then it is possible to clean up the existing hole and make a surface to surface plug of wood that is glued into place before starting the drilling for the new 2 3/4 inch backset.
If it is a door that has a wood laminate inner and outer surface but a particle board core it can be possible to perform similar steps as outlined above for solid wood doors. Truing up a particle board inner core can be harder to get good glue surface, particularly if the original hole was cut with a coarse toothed hole saw that chewed up the inner surface of the hole.
For plastic or steel clad doors the most likely thing you are looking at is to replace the whole door with a new one. I have seen some types of tricks used for doors of this type that add brass plates to both sides of the door that are secured to the existing door surface. The added plates are used to support the new cutout and bridge over the old one.


The general recommendation for repairing a chip in a porcelain tile is to fill the chip with an epoxy that has as close as color match to the original tile surface as possible. When you go to purchase the epoxy make sure to select a type that indicates that it is suitable for use with porcelain.

Prepare the chip area for patching by wiping the chipped area and surrounding surface with a microfiber cloth to remove all dust and dirt. Then thoroughly clean the are area with rubbing alcohol to make sure that all oils, remaining dirt and other deposits are completely removed. It is important to let the area full dry after the alcohol wash.

Mix the epoxy according to manufacturer directions on the package. You can use a small discardable container or old clean bottle cap to hold the epoxy while mixing. (Note that if you are working in multiple areas that will take an extended amount of time you may want to prepare the epoxy for only part of the project at a time).

Use a matchstick or toothpick to apply the epoxy into the chip area a small amount at a time. Work to fill the chipped area level with the surrounding tile surface without overfilling the damaged area.

Protect the area from traffic or use until the epoxy has completely set up. Some epoxy materials could take till over night to fully harden.


Can paneling and wallpaper be textured with drywall mud?

The previous owners of my house did this. Drywall compound will stick very well to wood paneling (please resist the urge to get "creative" with the texture...). Wallpaper, less so, and even if it sticks well, if the wallpaper ever started peeling off, it would take the top part of the wall with it. If you're going down this route, I would highly recommend scraping off the wallpaper first, and only then covering the whole wall with a skim coat of drywall mud.

Or, you could just cover the whole mess up with 1/4" drywall. If you're prepared to do a skim coat over the entire wall and can acquiesce to the necessity of scraping off the wallpaper, simply putting up new quarter inch thick board might be easier and cheaper than going down that route.


Why do my led bulbs state: not for use in totally enclosed luminaires?

Yes, it is because of the heat buildup in enclosed fixtures, and no you should not use the bulb in that ceiling fixture you listed unless you are willing to accept shortened bulb life.

Your options are:

Use the bulb in that fixture anyway and accept that they may burn out or dim prematurely
Get LED bulbs that are approved for enclosed fixtures, e.g. many of the newer Cree and Philips bulbs. They will say on the packaging.
Replace the fixture entirely with a LED fixture that doesn't have bulbs at all. E.g. this similar fixture from Home Depot.
Use a CFL or old-fashioned incandescent bulb in that location and put the LEDs elsewhere.


The Honeywell video describes the process, when the thermostat is used to control a forced air furnace. Since your situation is different, this may not work for you.

If you want to try it, you should proceed as follows...

Disconnect the green wire in the second photo from the G terminal, and connect it along with the white wire to the C terminal.
At the thermostat, move the green wire from the G terminal to the C terminal.

NOTE: This may not work in your situation, and may void the warranty of the equipment.  Proceed at your own risk.

In this configuration, the thermostat will not be able to control the fan. And depending on the thermostat, the C wire may have to come from the same transformer as R. Using C from the Rc transformer may not work.

I've labeled the wires, to hopefully help you understand what's what.

This is what you have now:

This is what it will look like after you switch the green wire.


CFL Fixtures: one lamp stays constant, the other cycles on an off

Continual cycling of fluorescent lamps on and off was once a symptom of a bad thermal starter switch or a dying fluorescent tube, but if your daughter's house was recently remodeled, it's very unlikely an ethical contractor would have installed such a lamp.

If this is truly a CFL (compact fluorescent lamp), designed to fit an incandescent lamp socket (Edison base, e.g. E26 in USA), just replace both lamps with modern LED lamps, which are more efficient, longer lasting and less expensive, and come in a variety of colors such as this "warm white" (2700 K) model.


Options for covering an in-wall safe removal?

Just put a piece of drywall in and give it a first coat of mud and tape.  Seriously this is 10 minutes and no mess.  Big box sells little kits for $10 or less for stuff like this.  Then when you get around to selling no one will really mind a little patchwork to do in closet.


Screw Sizes for Electrical Connection box lids

Most hardware stores I have been to had a specific electrical screw section in their fastener area. They should basically be labelled as electrical box cover screws, and you can find them in all kinds of versions: long/short, metal/plastic, and different finish colors.


Should I try to remove backer board and leave the plywood subfloor in place?

If your question is, "Should I try to remove the backer board and leave the plywood in place?" the answer is, "Yes."

Unless the plywood is warped or damaged, that would be my first choice.  It should be relatively simple to pull up the backerboard from the plywood, although there will be a million fasteners.


Should I get a condensing boiler or atmospheric boiler for cast iron radiator system

The ONLY argument in favor of the inefficient boiler would be IF it's so basic that it will run with the power out, and thus might help prevent the house from freezing in a long winter power outage (though that would be a limited level with no power for the circulator pumps.)
Otherwise, efficiency favors the condensing boiler. If long winter power outages are a thing in your area, a gas-powered (the same sort your boiler presumably uses, not gasoline) backup generator sufficient to keep the boiler and pumps and fridge and freezer operating would be a solution that does not require throwing a bunch of heat up the chimney, and has more side benefits in the form of the fridge and freezer still working, as well as some lights.
If the chimney is suitable (it may not be) you can get the "not freeze house" and "operates with no power" functions from a wood-stove attached to the chimney for use when the power goes out for a long time in the winter.


What is the typical (N.American/ UK) cost difference between greenfield installation of hot water heating and warm air (HVAC) ducting?

Real pricing would depend on the actual type of installation of each system you would choose to install. For example; Hot water systems could be as simple as a series loop system or as costly as a zoned system where every room had it's own thermostat to control the temperature of that area. Simple and cheap would be finned tube baseboard radiation. More costly would be convectors, wall mounted or recessed into the wall, to the very expensive cast iron baseboard or cast iron radiators. Forced air would also have many options, including zoned or a non zoned system, the use of different types of filters, including electronic air filters, humidifiers, ultra violet lights to kill bacteria.,standard or designer registers and grills, insulated or non-insulated ducting, choice metal thickness for the duct-work. Lastly would you also like air-conditioning with that. So, my suggestion would be to consider the actual type of system you would want and have contractors give quotes for your chosen system. Just asking for a price comparison of hot water vs. forced air is similar to asking how much a vacation to somewhere would cost. Answer is " it depends" I hope this gives "food for thought".


What cable do I need to run from my main breaker in the house underground in schedule 40 conduit to my garage?

Have you tried searching the site? The panel feeder size question has been answered many times. Here's one such example.

Is you're planning to pull a cable, you'll use 3-3-3-5 USE cable with copper conductors (1-1-1-3 for aluminum). If you're pulling individual wires, you'll want four 3 AWG THWN wires (hot, hot, neutral, ground)(black, red, white, green) (1 AWG for aluminum).  If the run is going to be really long, you'll want to calculate the voltage drop and adjust the conductor size accordingly.

If you use the 3-3-3-5 USE cable, you don't need conduit. If you want to install it in conduit, you'll need 1 1/4" schedule 40 PVC. If you use individual THWN wires, you'll also use 1 1/4" schedule 40 PVC.

You'll have to keep the grounded (neutral), and grounding bars separate in the secondary panel.

You'll have to install a grounding electrode system at the garage, and bond the equipment and grounding conductor to it.

NOTES: This is a very broad, and generalized overview, which lacks specific details for your particular situation. You may need the advice of a licensed Electrician, to provide a more detailed plan based on the actual job site.


Vertical gap between wooden floor and baseboard trim: how do I fix that gap?

Baseboard molding is typically trimmed out against a wood or tile floor using a small molding called a base shoe. Example in the picture below. Due to minor variations in floor height or flooring material thickness over relatively short distances it is not usually feasible to get the wider baseboard molding to push nicely to the floor covering material. The base shoe, being a narrow molding, can flex over distances of a foot or two and fit down snug to the floor.

Note that when installing the base shoe molding it is nailed into the baseboard and not into the floor. This permits the natural expansion and contraction of the flooring to let it slide in and out from under the base board and base shoe moldings. You would not really want to try sealing the gap under the baseboard down to the flooring material due to the fact that flooring does this expansion and contraction thing.

If you already have the base shoe molding in place the then correct fix is to remove it and then re-install it against the floor. I have found such job much easier to simply replace with new base shoe molding. Base shoe can be pre-finished and then cut and installed. This eliminates the normally less than effective need to try to mask off on both edges if trying to finish in place on the wall. A pneumatic brad nailer is an ideal tool for fastening base shoe into place.

Base shoe installation requires a miter saw and a coping saw. The coping saw is used when making inside corner joins using a coped joint.

Note that base shoe is typically not used with carpet installation. The carpet tack strip is typically installed about 3/8" from the baseboard and then the carpet is trimmed to the wall and the edge tucked down behind the wall edge of the tack strip to make a nice clean edge up to the baseboard. Sometimes in older houses carpet is installed over wood floors and in such cases the base shoe is removed before carpeting. New owners sometimes come along and "discover" the older wood floors and decide to rip out the carpet and do a floor sanding and re-finishing. In these cases new base show is the final order of business in trimming out the room.


Clarification on the question may change this, but I took a look at the Wolf "Ventilation Guide" on their site, and it does recommend their PRO hoods for the dual fuel ranges.  The 36" model calls for a 900CFM hood, but for the introduction to the page it says:

  Ventilation performance is measured in cubic feet per
  minute, or CFM. The chart below provides CFM suggestions specific to the Wolf cooking appliance and ventilation
  system used.

Now the use of the word suggestions tells me that these are not hard requirements.  Another section of the manual has this to say:

  The appropriate airflow capacity is determined by the
  cooking space and cooking style. ... Greater exhaust capacity is required to handle the moisture
  generated by boiling large pots of water or the grease and
  smoke from grilling or frying. Cooking with high heat or
  cooking aromatic foods may require additional CFM and
  increasing the capture area...

That shows that they can't possibly give you a hard requirement because the variables are all usage related and also depend on the space the range is going to be set in.

These luxury brands also live on customer experience, so if anything they are going to pad any requirements to make sure they meet expectations.  You don't want someone spending $15,000 on a stove to complain to their friends when the boiling spaghetti pot steams up the kitchen.

So, I say get the best hood that you can, but if you're not going to do much cooking, 300CFM will be fine.  If you do end up hosting a party and the stove goes into overdrive, you might get more odor or moisture than you would like.


What can I do about a missing row of tiles when preparing a floor for vinyl planks?

I would not pour anything there.  The chances are it will not be exactly level and may get on our under existing tiles.

I suggest you glue down some pure vinyl tiles right next to it with the same height.  Then when you lay your floor the pattern should be crossing the current pattern.  I would also suggest a good underlayment for you vinyl planks that should hide inconsistencies but the ability to use underlayment vary by manufacturer - but you can call them and even if it is outside their specs.


What could cause dripping noises when I turn on my central heating?

My guess is that it's a vent pipe from your heating system that's resting against a part of the wood joist in your ceiling. As the vent heats up, it expands, and the expansion causes a dripping like sound as it slips and sticks against the joist. If this is the case, it will start slow when the heating cycle begins, speeds up as the hot air starts to come out of the vent, and then slow down to a near stop when the heating cycle has been going on for a while.

The same thing can happen with plumbing drain lines. I hear it all the time when the dishwasher dumps the hot water.


No Room to twist and change Florescent Bulbs

Are you quite sure these tubes twist off?  Some of them go straight in.  Look closely; if you see two slots, don't twist them (much).


Securing a new wooden floor to a steel framed horse box

You need to consider the spacing of the steel frame.

If the floor, for the loads you expect to put on it (you have an idea?), is not to bounce or sag then you may need to add joists. You don’t mention any and horses tend to be heavy with a small hoof print so it may be ok if you are replacing like with like.

If your new flooring is different then you should check if it will be suitable.

I would fit joists - fix them to the steel and the floor to the joists... but that is my opinion, based on doing a truck for 3 musicians years ago... storage, fold out kitchen, fold out beds etc


The thermostat in your unit is a bi-metal type and probably way out of adjustment. Some, however, are not adjustable. Check with the manufacturer to see if there is a way to adjust the thermostat.


Replace stacked 3-way switched on separate panel circuit

All duplex devices, receptacles, switches, combos, etc, have a small tab between the hot (and neutral if present) terminals. You certainly can take a duplex/stack/dual 3-way switch and isolate the two switches on the device. Just break the small tab between the gold screws.

See the small tab with the slot between the screws?

A 3-way/3-way version of this switch will have four black screws on the opposite side.


Holy smoke, this is a "Rule of Six" panel!

A Rule of Six panel has a "Main Breaker" area with up to six main breakers. All must be shut off to shut off the power.  All six have their buses energized at all times.  Then, one of those breakers feeds an "internal subpanel" area with any number of breakers.

In this case, your panel is built as a "Rule of Three".   The first two breakers are #1 in the upper left, #2 an essentially identical breaker in the 2 full spaces in the upper right, and #3 the mid-left breaker marked "MAIN".

Note that the #3 breaker actually sits in the subpanel area and is fed via those two fat wires.  It is backfeeding the subpanel area.   Those two wires are hot at all times and cannot be shut off without pulling the meter.

You are saying "But wait. The #2 breaker is not as you described.  It is narrow "double-stuff"  breakers not a full-sized one."  Yes, and I don't want to know what kind of black magic got you there.  It looks like someone broke off some of the physical gating to separate the Rule of Six area from the subpanel area.  It is bad.

Look at the dryer circuit.  It has one leg in the Rule of Six area, and one leg in the subpanel area.  If you shut off the "MAIN" breaker, half the dryer would be hot and half dead.  Very bad!

So it's worse than "need to squeeze in another breaker", it's actualy you need to move the dryer breaker away  so you can restore the breaker in that location to a traditional full-size breaker as is required by the diagram.

Honestly at this point, you might as well go "in for a penny, in for a pound".  Install a subpanel right next to this panel, relocate the dryer feed to it, relocate the garage subpanel feed to it, and add any new circuits there.

Feel free to use a GE Qline panel that supports double-stuffs, so you can keep using the same breakers.  However you will probably not be able to use double-stuff breakers going forward because AFCI or GFCI is required on almost every circuit. So get a realy, really, really big subpanel!  Spaces are cheap.

Bonus points if you plan it so you can cut over the subpanel to be a future main panel.

Adding a main breaker here is simply not an option (it already has 3) and this panel is obsolete (being Rule of Six, nothing wrong with GE Qline).

By the way, whoever the genius is who stuck numbers on the breakers, did not read the panel labeling.  It indicates the numbering.  Note how there is only 1 number for the upper  right breaker, that is because the listing and labeling does not permit multiple breakers there.

Also whoever put the double-stuff in the upper right, don't invite him back either. he clearly mutilated the panel in order to make that dryer breaker go there.


As well it should.

Normally, loads are connected between hot and neutral.  Appliances are not supposed to connect hot or neutral to ground; ground is only a shield.

The GFCI compares current on the hot and neutral wires.  They should be the same.  If they are not, current has found another route, possibly through the grounding system (which isn't supposed to happen) and potentially through some poor human.

Circuit testers are trying to test whether ground is connected... cheaply.  They mis-use "hot" as a power source, by connecting a light bulb between hot and ground.  If ground is connected correctly, this will light.

In other words, it intentionally creates a hot-ground fault (by sticking a light bulb there).  This is exactly the condition GFCIs are designed to detect.

I'm not talking about any ground-fault-test the tester may also have.

So why do testers often work?  With a perfect GFCI, they wouldn't work.   I suspect it is because GFCI's have detection thresholds above zero, and that is often enough for these testers to "get away with it".  I even think there may be a tacit agreement among manufacturers for this, but obviously, lower sensitivity impinges safety.  Remember a shock which only stuns you can kill you with secondary effects like falling or drowning.

So either your GFCI is pretty good, or your tester is pretty bad.


I can see a SquareD logo on the side, and the red indicator window on the front makes it look like a Square D QO 20-Amp Single-Pole Circuit Breaker, model #QO120CP:

The overall shape of the breaker and orientation of the contacts on the back seem to match your breaker.


How do I form and pour long concrete steps for an exterior staircase?

You need to construct shuttering (usually timber) to hold the concrete in position while it cures. You'd usually have the shutter that forms the face of the stair "open" to allow concrete under to the lower step.

( This shows the principal )

If you use a stiff mix of concrete, it won't flow under the shutter forming the face of the stairs, but you will have to work harder to compact it to get a good finish. If you do find the occasional air void when you remove the shutter, you can fill in with a cement mix.


OK first, nobody has a chance to figure out that Egyptian Spaghetti (black red white bronze = Egyptian flag).  So let's hit up the electrical supply house for some tape, and re-mark the colors so we can see what's going on.

Normally I use the same color for both messengers, but in your case, it matters.

Normally, a 3-way works by a 3-way connecting always-hot to one of two messengers (the other is dead).  Then the other 3-way connects one of two messengers to switched-hot.  If the switches agree, switched-hot is energized, and the lamp gets switched-hot and neutral, and lights when switched.

Now, you just horked on another lamp and 3-way, as if this was Insteon or something.  Look what you did.

The original 3-way circuit still works normally.  Bulb B gets always-hot and a messenger.  No neutral in sight - that's a big problem.  If switch 1 agrees with 2, you have 120V on both sides of bulb B, and no light.

If switch 1 is the minority report, then it's talking to a dead wire, and no light.

But what happens if switch 2 is the minority report?  Follow the loop:

Always Hot - Bulb B - switch 1 - dead messenger - switch 3 - bulb A - neutral

You have put bulbs B and A in series.   Now if bulb B is an efficient LED/CFL, and bulb A is an incandescent, A will barely light.

How do you fix this?  Easy.  Get switched-hot and neutral to  bulb B.  Notice that neither one is anywhere near bulb B.  The wires in box 2 are all the wrong wires.  Literally every wire except the two you need.    So you need to run a cable from bulb A, because that's where switched-hot and neutral coexist.

If you want all 3 to work as multiple control points, then you need to fit a "4-way" switch for switch 2.  A four-way takes two messengers on the left, and two on the right, and either passes them straight through, or swaps them.  You would feed always-hot at switch 1 instead of 2.

Or junk all this, and go Insteon or other smart switches.


Why did my electric bill climb suddenly?

You might ask your electric utility if they have been getting meter readings every month or if they have been estimating. I used to live in a house where they only collected "true meter readings" once a quarter, the other two bills were estimations based on past values. If that high month was the last one they read, that might explain the high values.


What are the pros/cons of installing glass doors over a whirlpool tub?

The metal guide track is only annoying if you really don't like the looks. that is a personal thing, but every tub with doors has one and millions of people live with it.  The vibration from the jets will not adversely effect the glass doors at all, especially if you select a quality door unit. I prefer to install suspended type doors like the Kholer or Sterling. They suspend all the weight from the overhead bar so there is no weight on the bottom guide. they operate very smoothly and are easy to keep clean, especially the ones with treated glass.


How can I get replacement floorboards to match existing floorboards?

Before doing anything else, give part of the new board a swipe with paint thinner. Dampening it gives you an idea of what it will look like under a clear varnish, and paint thinner evaporates quickly enough that it doesn't tend to raise grain or otherwise interfere with the rest of the finishing process. That'll give you some idea of how much the color really needs to shift.

If you have some scraps of the old floor and of the new wood, a good paint store may be willing to dab the latter with samples of several different stains to see what they'd recommend as a good match. If in doubt, remember that you can always apply more stain in successive passes.

In my case -- and I'm not sure this is a recommendation, just an observation -- I went with a very cautious approach. Oil varnishes, especially older ones, tend(ed) to add a strong yellow tone to the wood. I was going to use water-based poly, which hardens clear. I applied multiple passes of dewaxed shellac (which I happened to have on hand) to the oak thresholds to achieve that color shift, then applied water-based poly as the protective layers. I stopped short of getting a very close match, but it's close enough that the thresholds don't stand out. I'm sure a real stain would have gotten me there faster and more exactly, but this was good enough for my purposes.


How do I determine how efficient my furnace, A/C, and windows are?

As mac has mentioned, an energy audit is a logical starting point.  I would shop for a "blower door" test that measures actual system air leakage.  The other test would be a thermal IR scan, that will reveal relative hot/cold spots.  Some utilities offer discounted audits.


Does turning the air conditioning on and skipping its "fan" setting damage the air conditioner?

Typically the blower motor or fan on a forced air AC or HVAC system only run when the AC is running (this is also referred to as the "auto" mode). Turning the fan to the on position only runs the fan, but not necessarily the AC itself, giving you some air circulation, without the extra power required to run the AC compressor.

With a window unit, you also have the option to allow outside air in with the fan, which can cool a warm room if it's cooler outside, without running the AC at all. The fan is also useful for homes where some rooms get especially hot between the AC cycles, so you can constantly run the fan instead of lowering the temperature on the thermostat, but if you do this for extended periods, I'd suspect it actually increases power consumption rather than decreases it.

As for whether you would damage an AC by skipping the fan setting, that would be highly unlikely since the fan automatically turns on when the AC is running. What you can do to damage an AC is rapidly turn it on and back off, since this can result in a pressure differential in the coolant lines that could prevent the compressor from starting normally, burning out the motor, and it could be in a state where the lubricating oils in the coolant are not at the compressor motor where it's needed (this is also why you don't turn a refrigerator on immediately after it's been tilted from shipping).

As for why the fan setting is found between off and cool on some thermostats, this is likely for convenience. It's either off, you want fresh air, or you want fresh air and cooling.


Priming spackling in preparation for repainting room

Priming those small areas could be a factor, but not likely the sole or primary causal factor of an undesired issue with the final surface treatment appearance. The difference in the surface texture at the repair sites will be your nemesis.

The way the light reflects from the surface (look up hold-out factor) will change the way the repair areas look compared to the previously painted areas. In critical applications, professional decorators would skim coat the entire wall with plaster to avoid this issue. All is not lost, however. Flat and low-sheen paints are much more forgiving than glossy paints. Walls where the light strikes perpendicular rather than at an angle makes imperfections hard to see. Use of a paint roller with a bit of nap will really help hide surface imperfections.

And there is always texture. You could use a plaster-base texture material to completely hide the repair, or use a textured paint additive.

In the end, if this is a normal home with normal people looking at it (as opposed to a museum, showroom, executive suite, etc.) you will probably be the only one who sees it.


Service Wire Type coming out of weatherhead

If you mean in conduit up to the weatherhead the that is perfectly fine. It has a W rating (THWN) for wet location and is sunlight resistant.


Can I install junction box on a basement rim joint from inside

You can place the box on the rim joist as long as it is not covered at a later time the box needs to be accessible.


Which 240 volt circuits must (or should) have a neutral in new construction?

Probably not, but check the nameplates to be sure, and a neutral can be a good idea anyhow

For a dedicated circuit, the power requirements are determined not by any paragraph in Code (it's legit to have a 240V-only dryer or range/oven circuit if said appliances don't need 120V, or not have circuits for a dryer or range if they run on gas), but by the nameplate on the appliance the circuit feeds.  So, you need to check the specs on what you're putting in to be certain you're running the correct circuits for them.

However, for the common-cases of the appliances you listed, you're likely to be correct -- electric dryers and ranges generally require 120V for lamps, controls, and the drum drive on a dryer while running the heater from 240V, while the rest of the appliances in question run their controls either directly from 240V or from a Class 2 control transformer, and all the motors in them are 240V as well.  Granted, running a neutral alongside the 240V may be a good idea, even if the appliance doesn't use it, so that 120V receptacles and luminaires can be provisioned for service purposes -- this is particularly important for the well pump and compressor/outdoor unit, but may be wise for the hot water heater as well.

(P.S. the trick with the neutral is to replace the normal disconnect box with something like an 8 or 12 slot subpanel -- this lets you have circuits for lights, service receptacles, and the like to go with your well pump, compressor, or whathaveyou without having to pull a zillion wires out that way.)


Bathtub drain has hole in it and the pop up drain is also stuck

At my house a slow bathtub drain is from my wife and granddaughters showering. the pop-up assembly usually unscrews if it already has a hole and you can’t unscrew by hand get a pair of pliers and unscrew it if it is still draining slow. unscrew the drain nut a basin wrench is the correct tool but I use 3 screwdrivers all the time.
Hold 2 screwdrivers in the drain cross bars and the 3rd in me other hand and use that one to twist ccw. Sometimes they are tough but once broken loose they usually unscrew easily. Slowly pull the nut up and you may find a plug of hair about the size of a mouse.
If you have a rubber seal I just reassemble, if it looks like a paste or silicone it is normally plumbers putty and needs to be cleaned out and fresh putty installed.
Plumbers putty is cheap, roll it like play dough to make a ring around the hole let the ends overlap put the nut back in and tighten. Some of the putty may squeeze out that’s ok just get it tight this is the seal.
Check to see if it flows normally, if it dose quit using drain cleaner it really is a waste on slow moving drains as it just goes down the drain. If needed get a new pop up or just a cheapie rubber tub plug or disk.
I would question any plumber that jumps to $3000 fix before cleaning a drain. And then running a auger or jet down it this may be repairable in 10 minutes. I have done it to my house many times and one of the things I check on houses we flipped in the past.


How do I safely bleach basement cabinets?

First I had heard of using bleach to restain but makes sense. Whether you use bleach or stain remover, ventilation, gloves, eye wear and a mask are important. A mask like https://www.amazon.com/3M-Bleach-Respirator-Non-Valved-Disposable/dp/B001G8WRJM should be ok or you could go with https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JZ1NIM/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?psc=1 and buy the appropriate cartridge.

I’d recommend trying bleach and stain remover on a small surface area first. Chlorine bleach should be ok and will remove dye color from wood, but not the wood's natural color (exactly what you want). In either case, you’ll likely still need a fair amount of sanding.

Compare the results to see how things look. Please post here too, would love to see the difference.

Regarding basement ventilation, open any windows you have in the basement or near it and run fans.


Using portable generator with transfer switch

Yes
Sure, that ought to be possible. That looks like an automatic transfer switch.  It was set up on only one of the two 200A feeds to your house.  Presumably whoever wired your house was conscientious about putting important loads on that panel.
However, the switch is not hooked up.  The wires bypass the switch.  They left you some slack, but not enough slack to hook it up.   Note that the wires you see go between the main panel (which is right there) and the house. One wiring run must be replaced with new wire.  Obviously that should be the 3 foot run between transfer switch and panel.   The installer will know this.
Knocking out a KO at the bottom of that panel and sticking a NEMA 14-50 inlet there won't be a problem.  I would have the contractor do that, since it's cheap/easy work.  If you want it somewhere else, you could DIY extend it to another location using Rigid conduit and #8 THHN wire.  Rigid is hella expensive, but it only needs 6" burial cover so you can trench it with a garden trowel, which makes it very DIYable. No trencher rental.
The contractor will also need to add a manual "Util/Gen" button to the ATS, so you can throw it manually between Util and Gen.  That will require understanding of the ATS, so hire someone who knows the system.  This might bypass the electronic controller on the left wall, or use it.  Don't be surprised if it also requires installing a battery.
I'm presuming you'll have a contractor do it. If you want to DIY this whole kaboodle, you'll really,  really need to do the research on that ATS very thoroughly.  Adding the switch button is non-trivial. I would mount the button outside the ATS rather than carving up the ATS case.  If you need momentary pushbutton switches, a variety exist, including those made for the GE RR7 lighting system. Those fit in a standard form-factor and can take a weather in-use cover.
The future
Honestly, long-term... solutions like the Tesla PowerWall (well: better than the Tesla PowerWall) are coming up so very fast that installing a big 15+KW generator may not be the way to go by the time you're ready. Heck, even today, if you homebrew it, you can install an enormous battery+solar system for the price of the bigger generators.
Even if the solar is unavailable, just get a portable generator like that one. Such a system allows a small generator to punch way, way above its weight class.  For an all-gas house like mine with light electrical loads, you get to run the generator an hour a day at the time of your choosing, just to top up batteries.  For big loads, the battery starts and carries loads the generator couldn't possibly; the generator's only job is to keep the battery topped up, and it runs at full power/peak efficiency until that's done, then you shut it off until needed again.
It's a sweet combo, really. And most of the time the solar carries it anyway; and when power isn't down, you have the solar backfeed onto the grid via whatever arrangement your power company will accept. So you're making money on the deal too.
You  have to look at the various systems available and how they install; many will want a setup like that ATS you have.


The fill mechanism is worn out and needs to be replaced. If the reservoir fills up to where the water leaks out from the handle then the overflow pipe is too long and needs to be cut down. The newer type fill valves are adjustable for the height of the water in the reservoir. I prefer the fluidmaster but you can choose you own brand.


It seems like the easiest solution would be to just put up a gutter and then move the lower ladder to one of the other walls, no?


Reverse Osmosis will desalinate water.
If you apply a RO system expecting well water or municipal water to raw seawater desalination, you will very likely experience short membrane life .vs. a system optimized for that job, which might have many more pre-filters, for one thing.
Likewise, as far as I recall from not very recent research, RO membranes intended for use with well water are different from those intended for use with municipal water (in the context of the vast majority of United States municipal water being chlorinated, and well water usually not being chlorinated.)


It depends, but 2-3 feet is likely ok

I have build many decks and fences and in doing so I have had to set a lot of posts. My standard response would be to a 4 foot hole with a 10 inch diameter construction tube but that would definitely be overkill.

You need to figure out if you want to be able to remove them at some point, if that is the case definitely use construction (Sono) tube. Or if you plan on doing something else with the posts, ie flag pole, net for volleyball or badminton ... Also length of line will be a consideration.

Depending on the width of your footing I would say that anything in the 2-3 foot range is likely a safe bet but again remember there are many variables in play and it is always easier and safer to over build and you can be sure it will last forever. It never hurts to check local building codes, while you may not find much specially about posts for clothes lines you many come across something that helps.


How do I meet the 7 feet high ceiling requirement after finishing the basement?

Per the wording of that code, you can't be adding anything to the floor or the ceiling as you'll be under the 7' minimum. You could consider a super-thin flooring (stain the concrete? Linoleum?) and then, as you suggest, put the sheetrock between the joists (though that sounds like a finishing nightmare).

Alternatively, raise the foundation (likely cost prohibitive).

All that said, I echo B Mitch...what is the concern of not meeting the code? The main drawback would be that you couldn't advertise it as finished square footage when you sell.

The first thing I'd do, though, is have an inspector come out and ask what the odds would be in getting a 1" variance or so. They may count it as 'close enough' and let you get by.


How can I mount a television with wiring in the wall behind?

The only way to be absolutely sure is to cut an access hole and get a visual on it. If you hit a wire, it will need to be opened up anyway. If you have access to a small inspection camera, you could get away with drilling a much smaller hole.


A metal bucket is much MORE prone to be attacked by acids in general than most plastics, especially those commonly used for buckets.

As it's "waste acid" throw in a box or two of baking soda and you'll neutralize it right then and there. Preferably outside due to the release of carbon dioxide. Or use marble/limestone chips or dust.


Could I safely use a dimmer switch on an air filter fan?

Light dimmers are designed to drive loads that are largely resistive in nature like light bulbs. They are generally not compatible with loads that are inductive. Most, if not all, AC motors are inductive type loads.

That said, whether a dimmer switch will work safely with your fan or not depends entirely upon the type of motor on the fan.

There are some types of AC motors that can work to gain speed control via a dimmer switch type of circuit. These motors are often found in AC corded power tools such as electric drills and jig saws. Just as often these tools come with a variable speed capability via a proportional squeeze trigger. These tool speed controls work just like a common lamp dimmer. The motor type involved is generally the type with brushes.

Common low cost fans do not use brushed type motors. The usage life time would be just too short and non-brushed low power motors are often way cheaper to manufacture.

With this information in hand you may be able to evaluate your fan and decide if it is suitable for use with a dimmer. I suspect that it is likely not compatible.


How do I level a sloping floor that has been tiled?

There's actually no need to level the subfloor to install a hardwood or laminate floor. The subfloor needs to be flat, not level. Now, leveling out the floor may have other benefits, of course. But, strictly speaking, it isn't necessary for the type of flooring you want to install.


Connecting 4-wire supply to 3-wire outlet for bathroom fan timer switch

I believe you are in the UK?  Every country has different standards... so not sure how to address your issue.  I went to the site you provided and found their instructions rather lacking... (https://www.venmar.ca/DATA/DOCUMENT/243_5_en~v~installation-manual.pdf) It almost appears that the motor/unit gets the power.  THEN, a "type 22/4" wire (per the installation instructions) goes from the motor to the "push button" controller.  Those strange codes of "OL', 'OC' and 'I" are on terminals in both the motor unit and the controller switch, and all you need to do (if I am correct) is make sure that you connect the OL from the motor to the OL of the switch, and the OC of the motor to the OC of the switch, etc.


Paint on stranded copper wire twisted together with a wire nut -- dangerous?

Paint can act as an insulator so is it a hazard not normally. Wire nuts cut into the wire slightly so the nut itself makes contact if nothing else.
Best practice would be to use a bit of sandpaper or scotch brite to clean the paint off and provide a better connection.
In motors the red varnish is really thin. A 3m rep showed how well scotchlocks (there wire nut brand) did in creating good contact with varnished wires (sales pitch) but in my experience all the brands do about the same as long as they have the metal.
So scrape the paint for best results, tighten the nut until the wires twist below the nut according to the brand you like instructions.


Toilet supply line/tube sprays water from below the coupling nut

Remove the supply flex and make sure there is not an old rubber cone washer squished up into the fill valve, leftover from the old supply line.

Inspect the new line while it is unattached to ensure the washer/gasket/o-ring is in place and undamaged.

Reattach using minimal torque, hand-tight should be enough (with maybe just a bit extra on it with pliers...), do not over-tighten.


How do I support vertical runs of round ducting?

If you put a couple of sheet metal screws in the joints, and tape them with foil tape, you should be able to do a 5 foot vertical rise with support at the roof boot or where you contact the rafters. You could use straps, but usually the boot if sized properly will be fine if the bottom of the run is supported well.


Edited; I have only read testing reports and wired abatement pumps. I modified my answer based on the feedback. As I have said in other posts granite especially pink or rose can be a significant source of radon.
I would not run the system while you are away, I probably would open the house lower level windows or vents when you arrive. You may even want to set up a automated system that you can remotely turn on the abatement system the day prior to your arrival.  Exterior vents at the lowest level with make up air for a while would purge the home of this gas and purging and having the system running prior to arrival might work fine but test to verify if the numbers are low this can save $$$!


120/240 Multi wire branch circuit - failed inspection because of uneven loads?

According to 210.4.c of the NEC MWB shall supply only line to neutral loads. With 2 exceptions. #1 supplies only 1 utilization equipment. #2. All ungrounded conductors opened are opened simultaneously by the branch circuit OCD.
Because of this wording many inspectors won't allow line to line to be used but it is legal , if you have a NEC hand book you can even see an example exhibit 210.2 that I have used in the past for an air conditioner and standard outlet in my case it was a 20 amp 240/120 outlet. How do they know what you are going to plug into it?


What kind of screws for crawl space vents?

Doesn't look like there is anything special here.. The vent itself is not sealed, so not sure why you would need to seal the edges with caulk, but it won't hurt if you do.

I don't really see any reason any special screws are needed if it's just wood around the outside. I would just probably put in some #8, 1 1/4" to 2" screws.


How do I get rust stains off my driveway?

Use a cleaning product called CLR also known as calcium,lime and rust remover. It is available at hardware stores and home centers.


Can a vapor barrier follow the profile of floor joists?

No, I do not think a vapor barrier should follow the profile of ceiling joists.
Condensation occurs when vapor reaches its dew point.
Placing a portion of a vapor barrier on one side of an insulation space and not on another side (where the wood joists occur), will stop the vapor from penetrating the insulation space but not the wood joist space.
Wood is porous and vapor will penetrate the wood. As it travels through the wood (vapor moves from warm to cool) it will hit its dew point and turn into condensation... causing the wood to turn into dryrot.
If you can’t remove the ceiling material, maybe you can paint it with a good finish paint material. (Paint is a vapor barrier too.)


Can you pull air from an unfinished attic into a closet with a clothes dryer?

If you're in the coastal area, the attic air during the summer will be hot and humid, so it won't be nearly as effective at picking up moisture in the drier.  Outside air won't be much better.

The drier doesn't operate many hours per week, so in the long run, you aren't wasting much conditioned interior air; plus the conditioned air will dry the clothes faster.

I wouldn't mess with trying to feed outside or attic air to the drier.  Unless you add vents that seal when air is not being drawn, you will introduce additional load on your heating and AC that will affect your energy use year around.

If you live in a desert area, the outside air could be better than conditioned air for drying.  However, that would be worse of an HVAC load without keeping it sealed out when the drier is not in use.  I suspect that the cost of trying to use desert air for drying would far exceed the value of shorter drying time, or at best, would be such a small benefit that it wouldn't be worth the cost and effort.

A couple of solutions that don't require major work or piping in external air:

Just run the drier with the closet door open, and close the door when it is not in use.  That doesn't require any changes.
If you want to be able to completely close the closet door when the drier is running, it doesn't take much gap around the perimeter of a door to provide adequate air.  There is typically a decent gap at floor level.  Look at your other interior room doors.  If there isn't a similar gap on the closet, you may be able to raise the doors a hair, or trim the bottom edge.  If the gap is similar, it will be adequate and not noticeable.


How to properly pigtail a second light source from existing light switch

It sounds like you connected the dimmer to the fan speed control output.  Don't do that.

In fact, just go ahead and bypass the dimmer and wire it cable B neutral to neutral bundle and cable B black to the bundle you think is "always-hot". This will make the light go on 24x7.   Then, operate the fan speed control and see if the lights are affected, If they are, you got the wrong black bundle. Switch.

Once you're sure of the black wire, then install the dimmer.


How do I find whether I got the right AC?

The labeling on the box and the unit not having "2020 series" doesn't mean a thing, that an advertising thing. The remote being different could be a clue. Run it by your installer. Also, get the serial numbers, not the model numbers, off of the units and get with customer service and have them check the records. Verify the warranty cards.


Are all of these wirings code-acceptable for 3-way switching overhead lights?

Michael Karas is correct the 2011 NEC added the requirement for a neutral at all switch locations IF they are inaccessible after installation. If your garage has open framing and will not be drywalled then you don't have to do this.

However, it is always better to have the neutral at the switch for future use. You may want to install a switch with an occupancy sensor or add a receptacle next to the switch. If you don't have a neutral the occupancy sensor has to trickle current on the ground and that is what the NEC is trying to eliminate.

If you stick with your second drawing (first one with the 2 three ways) then you will have the neutral available at all locations. Less boxes less splices = simpler installation.

Wire is cheap compared to a simpler installation and less headaches.