What would be involved in moving electrical panel a few inches?

If it were me, I would leave it alone. First, assuming that you don't have a disconnect outside of your house, (since you only have 3 wires coming in, I'm sure you don't) you will have to schedule a disconnect with the power company so that you can have access to your meter socket with it De-energized. You could then pull the wires coming from your meter socket to the panel out of the conduit. Cut the conduit above the breaker panel. loosen the panel from the concrete wall. You can then slide a spacer or whatever behind the panel then reattach the panel. Then you can put an offset on your conduit to make it reach out to the box, pull in the wire, make your connections and call the power company to reconnect you.

Fortunately, all of your wires come in the box at the top. As you move the box out from the wall a bit, you can move it up some too and your main wires coming in from outside will still reach. Looks like the most you would have to buy is an offset for your conduit and maybe some screws to fasten the box to the wall if you don't already have them. Oh, and you should get some anti-ox inhibitor grease for your connections since your wire is aluminum. It probably already has some on them, but I always put more on.

When you tighten the connections on aluminum wire, you should tighten, then loosen, then tighten, then loosen, then tighten, etc. Just like using a torque wrench. If you don't, with heat and cooling, the aluminum will become loose under the connectors as it is temperature sensitive. This procedure will keep this to a minimum or eliminate it all together. I have done it for years and it works well.

Good luck!


Why did the builder install an OSB Wall behind Drywall?

That is probably what's called a shear wall. It's laterally structural to support the building's side-to-side forces.

Penetrations in your shear wall must adhere to different restrictions than other walls and you may need to consult an engineer to verify. However, I suspect that if you're just removing enough osb to accommodate a small sub panel you're probably fine, you may need to block around it.


Fluctuations in electricity use while we are on vacation

Do you have any electrical convenience outlets on your house ? While your home's inside is secure, what about the outside ?

I would look into the possibility of the above.


Can I place a receptacle entirely inside a box and close it up?

That is called a bell box and yes you can add a receptacle to it if not on a GFCI circuit you could use a WR rated GFCI with a extra duty or in use cover and this would be code compliant. And yes it needs to also be tamper resistant. I use these boxes as junction boxes all the time with a blank cover but when adding the receptacle a special cover is required to keep the rain off or out of the receptacle.


They make specialized plates just for this need.

See: https://m.erico.com/category.html?category=R1154&country=us&language=en

Available sometimes at a big box, but always at an electrical supply house.


Should I keep a bathroom door open or closed to keep it from expanding?

Leave the door open to reduce humidity, better yet: knock out the hinge pins, pull the door  and lay the door flat on some sawhorses and give it a good glossy paint job paying special attention to the top and bottom edges.


Need suggestions regarding installation of a hand shower with an old style water mixer.

The nuts leading to the mixing valve is what is keeping it on the pipes. Undo those (after shutting off the water) and the mixing valve will come off.

Then you can install a new tap assembly. There are models that come with a diverter where a shower can be attached to. Those are often used for bathtubs.


Could a 130 volt bulb have overloaded a lamp specifying 120v bulbs?

You can pretty much rule out the bulb as the culprit unless the wattage of the bulbs exceeded  the labeled maximum for the floor lamp. What usually happens then is the wires feeding the socket become toast and short out causing a short circuit and possibly tripping a breaker.
Examine all the wiring in the lamp with a continuity tester or just junk it and get a new one if you're not familiar with re wiring a lamp. If it's a keepsake item you can bring it to an appliance repair store and they'll rewire it.


Is there some easy way to remove paper tape from gun-driven nails after installation?

Not really. Those nails are not intended for finish work, and unless you're driving them below flush so the paper is sheared off, it will be a hassle.

Maybe look for a third-party brand of nails that uses wire connectors instead of paper.


Do I have to wrap the wire around the outlet screw?

The way this picture looks is perfect.

The ground screw is all out there naked so a straight wire would slip out.

The electrical contacts have that plate and an obvious round molded place to put the wire in - it is made to sandwich straight wires.

Good job!


Triple 2x4 beam post bowing away from foundation wall

That's possibly just humidity warpage and not due to load stress. That nail wasn't intended as a structural component. It probably just held the post up until there was something on it. At any rate, no, you don't need to jack up the beam. That amount of bend results in approximately 0.0" of settling in the beam.

I'd watch it and see if it moves any more. If you're worried, run some concrete anchors in. The problem is that you can't drill for typical expansion anchors since the lumber is in the way. You'll need to use something with concrete-ready threads.

Another option would be a steel U-strap bolted directly to the concrete.


New vanity doesn't leave room for old J trap - how should I run the new pipe?

Adding a 45 to offset at the galvanized nipple and extending so a trap will fit  is the right thing to do. but do not raise the back side plumbing extend the tail of the sink. A straight shot down will flow better and have less bends to build up and create clogs. Even though I have all my threading gear I try to stay away from messing with old metal drains. There have been a couple of times on my own property I have started on a small job and ended up with all new lines to the septic tank. Putting in the 45 will take a little more room under the sink but it will be easier and less risk of opening a can of worms if the 40+ year old drain line crumbles. In my case it was a 1960’s home and even the cast main line was compromised. my guess that one of the prior owners had used a harsh drain cleaner regularly (this was back in late 90- early 2000 so that plumbing was only ~40 years old I haven’t seen new galvanized used since the early 70’s except in rare cases). So if you have metal it could be very fragile.


A water heater stays 100% full all of the time due to the fact replacement cold water (to be heated) is being added via the cold water inlet line at the top of the water heater each time a hot water tap is opened.


Can you replace valve stem packing without shutting off the faucet?

This a common problem with old multi-turn valves. The first thing to try is to tighten the packing nut on the shut-off shaft. Sometimes this will compress the packing enough to stop the leak.

Trying to fix this packing while the water is on is very risky. Even with all the water outlets in the house turned on, you will still be seeing 50 to 70 PSI coming in from the street. You are going to see huge amounts of water coming out of the valve body, and if the new packing or cartridge doesn't go in quick and accurately, you have a potential disaster on your hands.  I would recommend that you call the water company, schedule a street turn off and replace the valve with a 1/4 turn stainless steel ball valve. The swap over only takes a few minutes, and the water company can either wait or come back later in the day to turn the water back on.


Installing a wall vent when stud blocks the opening?

Exterior walls are load bearing walls. You can place a header over jack studs to bridge the overhead load to the bottom but for that to work properly the jack studs do need to go all the way down to the lower plate.


Are you supposed to leave the pigtail lead on an GCFI / AFCI breaker curled up?

There is no reason electrically to leave it curled up. You'll be perfectly fine straightening it out.   I'm assuming this is an add on to an existing panel.  If a new panel, I'd seriously consider a PON (plug on neutral) style panel.  This eliminates the need for the pig tail.  Last year I  wired my son's new house with a SquareD PON QO panel and loved how it turned out.   Very clean.


Retrofitting floor radiant heating under hardwood floors

Your choice of radiant heat is the best, no matter where you put it, albeit it will not be the most efficient under your floors as a retro fit.

The way radiant works is just that, radiant. Extremely different than forced air, where warm air is blowing out of ducts, dramatically changing the humidity. If warm air was blowing under your floor, yes they may shrink a bit. Just as a note, it looks like you have quarter or rift sawn floors, so the movement will be minimal anyway. The subfloor would be affected still.

I know it is an over simplified statement, but the radiant heat directly under your floors will not mess them up.
Make sure there is a reflective barrier installed directly under the PEX to keep the heat going up, rather than going everywhere else.

The only downside I can think of is the major portion of cold entering the house is through the windows and doors, at the exterior of the house. If the cold can be put in check there, the rest of the house will be warm.  In forced air systems, that is where the heat source (vents) are typically placed at the outside walls, preferably at the windows and doors. When the heat is added at the outside walls, it cancels the cold entering through the glass, gaps at the window sash, etc... When forced air is set up like this it reduces the effect of the room feeling cold at the outside walls and near windows because the heat is there "balancing" it. Let me exaggerate it by say, lets place the vents on an interior wall, on the other side of any room away from the outside walls. Pretty much the room at the outside wall will be colder than I expect anybody would like and the side of the same room would be warm as it needed to be. All I am getting at is the efficiency of the vent layout or perhaps in your case how the heat is laid out in the rooms.

In your case, when the heat source is all under the floor, the floors will feel marvelous, the room will be too, but when you walk to the outside wall, you may feel the cold radiating through since the source of heat is not concentrated at the outside walls where the cold enters in by. I apologize for the redundancy of my explanation, I wanted to try to explain it a few different ways, but still say the same thing.

One last thing to add, In my opinion, the amount of cold you will feel will only be on the coldest days, sitting in a chair at the outside wall. If your house is an older home this will be the case. If it is a newer home with newer windows and doors, with insulation that is up to par for the area, this cool that would be felt in an older home, will be minimized with your radiant floor heat.


Is my dimmer switch failing or is it bad wiring?

If wires spark enough to generate a burning smell, you'll hear the arc and it's also possible the breaker would go as well.

From the symptoms you describe it sounds like the dimmer itself is going. Since it has a burning smell, I would say it's unsafe to use and you should replace it immediately.

Of course, if you see any nicked wires, or any of the wire nuts are loose then you should fix those problems. Be sure to turn off the power at the panel when you're doing this (you should check with a non-contact voltage detector just to be safe).


Is there a better more flexible framing material for screens than aluminum kits?

Have a look for wood or plastic window frames. They have a mechanism for screen replacement.  Both are very flexible and robust materials.
You can remove one side of the frame and replace the screen then.

Comprehensive explanation to the picture can be found online


What to do with a new duplex outlet when the tester says Hot & Ground are Reversed?

Here's what's actually going on inside those 3-light testers.

You see there is a neon light between each of the prongs.  The red is between neutral and ground for instance.  The problem is, neon lights are not voltmeters.  They will light for a wide variety of voltages, and won't tell you which voltage except very subtly by brightness.
When they wrote the descriptions for the device, they were forced to come up with something for every light combination. They were optimised for the kind of mistakes seen in new construction... and so they're misleading and wrong when troubleshooting old work.  They're so horrible I call them "Magic 8-ball tester".  The testers are much improved by tearing the sticker completely off, and learning to interpret the raw data the lights are providing.
For instnace, a broken neutral with a load on the circuit turned on. Neutral is pulled up to 120V, so the outer lights light.  Interpretation: "Hot Ground Reverse" (unlikely). We've had novices waste hours trying to chase that nonexistent fault.
The ground-neutral tangle is a clue
If the green/ground wire is connected to neutral in any way, That Is Bad.  That is often done by incompetent hacks to try to work around a problem, typically one they created.
I suspect that somewhere upstream, the neutral wire is broken.  The previous hack decided to bootleg neutral from the ground wire, which is why he crossed them.
Generally, wiring problems are at terminations, and every one of those should be accessible.  However every once in awhile you have a problem with the wires proper, e.g. someone drives a nail through a misplaced piece of Romex.


Does flaw in asphalt driveway need to be repaired; and if so, how?

First of all, what you describe sounds like job done improperly. Perhaps you can even use the contractor warranty and have it fixed for free.

Asphalt pieces put from different loads will usually have perfect adhesion to each other - the previously put asphalt is still very clean when the newer asphalt is put, so new one will attach to it perfectly as if it was a single piece with almost no joints. Since you see asphalt peeling off there's likely a problem - most likely the asphalt or the base underneath it got dirty and that prevented good adhesion. No good adhesion - prepare for more peeling off as time progresses, especially since you have temperature variations and freezing water.

IMO it's worth cutting asphalt at the flaw spot deep enough and sealing it with a cold patch to prevent further destruction. If destruction progresses along the joint the same should be done along the whole joint.


Wood stove flue leaking water at wall penetration

If the pipe you ran on the outside of your house is single wall stainless steel and you are using the wood stove with a minimum combustion air or the outside temp is fairly cold the water could be from the flue gasses condensing and running down the inside of the pipe. You could also be condensing the flue gasses and the water gets into the inside through a pipe seam. Post a picture of flue pipe so we can get a good look at it. I hope that you used a good wall thimble or left a lot of distance from the flue pipe to any combustible material when you exited the outside wall of the house. There could also be other reasons for your problem.


What is correct way for radiator plumbing/connection in multi-story flat

The pipes should look like this:

There should be an unrestricted flow around the system.

Each radiator should be connected to both the flow (red) pipe and return (blue) pipe. The turnable value (or better still thermostatic valve) should be on the input to each radiator. There should be a simple on/off valve on the outlet which is normally set to fully open.


How can I adjust the depth to which a pneumatic toilet flush button must be pressed?

If your button is working on pneumatic air, shortening the line or the diameter of the tubing to reduce the total volume of space the gas has to compress into should work. However, air or liquid, I can think of 2 other options:

1) Find a way to increase the air pressure in the lines to just below what is needed to trigger the flush

2) Add height of your button so you don't have to push it so deep (the travel distance will be the same with this method). Do this by gluing a button right on top of your current one.  If you can't find an appropriate one, metallic one you could measure and design and have one printed using shapeways. Obviously, if you wanted a wood button you could just use a hole saw and some sandpaper and varnish to make your own.


The door is probably made of some type of composite pressed wood material. The screw holes have become mostly stripped out so they no longer can hold tight.

The best fix is to remove the handle temporarily and then clean out loose debris out of the holes. Carve a slightly tapered peg from a piece of pine board that is the shape of the hole and will just start into the hole by light touch. Coat the peg with yellow carpenters wood glue and then pound the peg down hard into the hole. Let the glue dry for a day and then cut the protruding part of the peg off flush with the door surface. To reinstall the handle drill new pilot holes for the screws of the proper size. Then screw into these fresh holes. Should be like new.


How to get a stuck Moen faucet cartridge out?

I have a Moen bathroom sink faucet Model  Number 4570.  It has been in place for about 25 years.  I am the original owner.  The cold water faucet finally failed and I ordered new parts from Moen (the cartridge plus various adapters and also their tool to aid in removing a cartridge nut.  After removing the faucet handle and the cartridge nut, I then tried to extract the cartridge using needle nosed pliers as per the Moen instructions.  After being in place for 25 years, it did not want to budge (not surprising).
I then looked on the internet to see if anyone else had experienced this problem and it looks like it has been a common problem.  I read all the suggestions and tried putting vinegar on it to no avail.  I was impressed with one proposal from an engineer in which he suggested attacking it from the underside by disconnecting the tubing and inserting a 5/8” rod and tapping it with a hammer.
I am 82 years old (also a retired engineer) and I did not feel like getting under the sink.  I then tried to attack it from the top.  I fashioned a loop out of some old pipe strap I had and I was able to attach the loop to the top of the cartridge with the screw that is used to attach the top extension to the cartridge.  I then fashioned a lever arrangement using a block of wood and the lever that goes on my floor jack.  See the attached photos.  With this arrangement, the cartridge just popped out with very little effort.
Here is a photo of the Pipe Strap loop that I attached to the top of the cartridge.  This photo shows the cartridge after extraction.

This photo shows the arrangement of the lever with the cartridge still in the housing.

I added some extra silicone to the two “O” rings on the new cartridge and then inserted the cartridge and finished the job.  The valve turns extremely easily – maybe I did not need the extra silicone.  Moen was very helpful in sending the parts (at no charge since I was the original owner).


Since moving into a new house we are constantly ill including both my dogs. Is this house the cause?

Sick building syndrome is common and comes in many forms. Here’s an article that explains it better:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indoor_air_quality

Also, it could be glue “outgassing”.

Formaldehyde (in glue) out-gasses for several months after it it is made into building materials. Products like particle board in countertops, OSB board in underlayment, etc. are likely items that can out-gas. See here:

https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/formaldehyde-poisoning/

You can have your house tested or there are home air tests you can do yourself.


Can PoE cause interference with neighboring non-PoE Ethernet cables?

No, not a bit. Twisted pair cables are HIGHLY resistant to interference pickup. Furthermore, DC does not cause interference, since it is basically an unchanging current, so there's no change in magnetic fields from it to cause interference (other than when turned on, and off - and the twisted pair cables will reject that interference by design, anyway.)

I have many bundles of cables including POE cables in my work role. Interference is not a factor.


attach an IKEA Lillangen cabinet to the wall above tiles

You can use the supplied mounting system if you put a spacer behind the bar that mounts to the wall. ( between the bar and the wall to bring the bar out to the same plane as the tile.)

The spacer will need to be the correct thickness,

I.E. measure how far off the wall the tile sits.

If you do not have a planer or table saw  You may need to sandwich a couple of things to achieve your thickness.

You need to make sure you secure the bar into structure (studs).

You could use double sided tape on the bottom corners to keep it against the tile.


Can I connect only two wires to GFCI receptacle?

It is perfectly to code to replace a two-prong outlet (without an available ground) with a GFCI.

Never, ever, make a bootleg ground by connect the neutral to the ground pin. It may seem to work, bug under some extreme circumstances, you could end up with lethal voltages on the ground pin.


Right Angle Hasp

(source)

This type of right angle hasp would negate the need for guide pins, but would be inside the box.

(source)

Flexible Hinge Hasp

(source)

My first idea, before I thought of those hasps.

Barrel locks on the inside that are thrown into holes that are drilled into the sides (shown in green on the left).

And doll rods or guide pins to prevent side-to-side movement (shown in green on the right).


Does anything need to be done to prep the ground before building a low height deck?

The biggest concerns I would have are things growing under the deck and critters moving in. I would grade the area to help with drainage so water won't puddle and spray the area with round-up or something similar.You might want to cover the ground with landscapers fabric so nothing can take root.Then spread a layer of crushed stone to hold it all in place.I would make sure the sides are covered with lattice maybe even put window screen behind it.This would still allow ventilation but keep out the critters.


Why would you hook up the heat output of a wood stove to the cold air return on an electric forced-air furnace?

I will assume this wood stove has a proper air jacket from which heated air can be drawn? The possibility of dangerous gases infiltrating into this jacket is a valid concern and entirely dependent on the integrity of the firebox. This can only be done by careful inspection and possibly some sort of pressure test. In theory, this can be just as safe as any other fuel burning furnace.

The purpose of piping the stove's heated output air to the furnace return air is that the furnace is then fed pre-heated air. This minimizes the amount of energy the furnace must use to raise it to the proper distribution temperature. It doesn't make sense to apply the wood heated air to the furnace circulating air unless the furnace's output temperature was deliberately reduced, relying on the wood heat to make up the difference. This would be very difficult to properly regulate since thermostatic control of a wood burning appliance is marginal at best unless you are burning wood pellets.

Whether the pre-heated air from the wood stove is bad for the furnace would depend on just how hot this air is. This is highly variable depending on air flow, fuel wood type and loading, as well as combustion air or damper volume. With adequate air jacket flow and typical wood stove firing practice, I don't see this being a problem for the furnace. But there's a lot of variables. It would be easy to misfire the stove and reach damaging temperatures.

Some sort of damper bypass system would be ideal, but the controls needed would be complicated to ensure adequate heat was delivered regardless of the stove's firing rate. Even then, it will require careful monitoring. It'll always be possible to over fire the stove during low heat demand conditions, wasting fuel.


How deep of a notch can I cut into fence post?

Based on the understanding that the second reference to post means a reference to rail, your approach is sound. You'll be removing the minimum amount from both components while retaining the maximum strength for both.

Removing half from each means that the rail will be offset in the post and not flush with either edge, which is not particularly a problem, unless the esthetics are critical.


Anchoring Aluminum Pergola To Paver Patio

Hiding the concrete with a layer of sand should be fine. I would want to make sure the concrete is not cupped (holding water) but slightly domed so the water will drain. Other than that I am glad you read the instructions for anchoring, I though at first you just wanted to glue it to the pavers , that would not be good and it would end up over the rainbow in OZZ with a good wind. Your plan to anchor and have a layer of sand on top sounds good to me.


When you say brittle is it flaky?
It looks like shale if you hit it or drop it on a hard surface it breaks up that would be shale, I have used it because my grampa had a hill that was shale and we used pry bars to break chunks out it works good for walls because it breaks and you can chip high spots off so they fit better if you don’t get parallel top and bottoms most of ours was like layers but different thickness. But it made a nice wall over a couple of summers (I think grampa was just keeping me and my brother busy.


What kind of connector is this, or where can I get it?

You can find that connector at www.mouser.com in their connector search tool. You will need to carefully measure the pin to pin spacing of that connector to be able to locate the correct part. Some connectors are using inch dimensions while others use millimeter dimensions so be prepared to measure and do some conversions if necessary.

Be aware that the type of connector that you have shown is just a nylon housing and the contacts are separately crimped onto the wires in the power cord. The each contact is pressed into its appropriate slot in the nylon housing.

Be aware that to properly terminate the wires with the crimp on terminals it is necessary to have the proper tool. Those crimp contacts offer minimal strain relief as it is and improperly applied contacts could let the wire pull out of the contact and lead to a very dangerous situation. A properly crimped terminal will have two sections, one which crimps around the copper wire and the other that crimps around the wire insulation. The insulation crimp will not work properly if the insulation is too small or large of diameter for the contact. It is also not at all advisable to try to solder the wires to the terminals.


Is it bad to close furnace dampers in order to balance temperatures seasonally?

Yes, if you close too many dampers, you can overly restrict air flow which will burn out your furnace motor. However, what’s more likely is air flow will increase in the ducts/grills that have not been restricted. When this happens it could create a “whistling” noise because the ducts are too small for the amount of air being pushed down the duct.

When we design heating/cooling systems, we try to balance the air flow so more air can go where there is greatest heat loss/gain. Partially closing one damper will cause more air to flow to other ducts/grilles. So, yes, you can adjust your houses temperature in various rooms by changing (opening/closing) dampers.


Use wood stove in fireplae until the pipe is hooked up and chimney lined

I wouldn’t. If this is an insert, smoke will “leak” out around the insert and the fireplace opening.

If there’s a problem and it catches fire, the insurance company will void your claim because it wasn’t installed properly. (The Fire Department always wants to know the cause of the fire.) I’d get a Building Permit too. Then you’ll get an inspection and know it was installed properly.


I need to run electric past the dishwasher to the end of the peninsula cabinet

There's almost always an inch or two of space behind dishwashers. There isn't a standard depth, so the cabinets aren't built for that exact dimension.

It's usually fairly simple to pull dishwashers--two screws at the top or sides of the cabinet faceframe. Flooring set in front can make it challenging, though.


How can I calculate covered area under a single-slope roof?


Kitchen receptacle sparked and now has no power

Without any kind of electrical knowledge or experience, a tripped breaker or GFI are the two things to check.

From my perspective calling an electrician is the safest bet at this point. Especially considering the receptacle sparked. She needs to get this checked out.


In the end, I confirmed that that is not the normal way of working by checking the other bathroom (the thought of having one only occurred to me some weeks later, as I don't usually use it).
In that one, a cloth had been strapped on the top of the valve, so that water that would come out from there would not be able to go far but would stay inside, so I assumed the same problem had arisen and they solved it that way.
I thought of using the same trick, but I didn't because it would create a place for mold to grow and I wanted to avoid that. Instead I added a rectangular piece of plastic in the foam in the back so that the jet cannot reach the cover, and cannot go outside.


Is it really ground?

Look closer.  Some cables, that wire can be used for either neutral or ground.  If so, ask your AHJ whether they will authorize to re-classify it as neutral and retrofit an actual ground.  The best plan is to ask your local AHJ if they are comfortable with that.  You can't retrofit neutrals, but you can retrofit grounds.

If you don't get AHJ permission, you will get a very, very rude and expensive surprise when you sell the house.

All subpanels must be fed with entirely separate neutrals and grounds.  Avoiding this is out of the question.  But you don't need neutral for 240V-only loads.  All your heat-pump loads are 240V, that's why neutral was never run in the first place!

Is it really 120V/240V?

If it's a subpanel for the heat pump, then it's very likely that every single load is 240V, with no 120V or 120/240V loads present.

In that case, install a 240V-only panel.  Use a subpanel of your preference, get lots of spaces because every breaker will need 2 spaces, install a ground bar, remove the ground-neutral strap since it is a subpanel, and connect nothing to the neutral bar, it will simply float.  Then you install your usual 240V breakers - a 20/30 for the heat pump proper, 30/40/50/70A for the emergency heat, etc.

Label the panel very clearly "240V only" so some future handyman or HVAC tech doesn't lose his mind or do something stupid.

You could make it a 120/240 subpanel later by running a new main cable.

Oh, but I need a little 120V too

First, try changing your loads to 240V.  Motors can be had easily either way. It's easy to get modern lighting that happily runs on 120-277V, 240V being within that range.  Old sodium/mercury/halide lighting often has transformer jumpers for that.

Second, OK, you really need 120V. How much?  For loads up to 1200 watts, obtain a 1.5KVA transformer, or forget that, just bring a branch over from your main panel.  For loads up to 4000 watts, obtain a 5 KVA transformer used on Craigslist, typically $100.  Feed the transformer 240V primary from a 240V dedicated circuit (so you can turn it off).  Feed the 120V secondary to a tiny 30-space* subpanel with both 120V rails jumpered together. Fit your 120V circuits.

If you really need more than 4000 watts of 120V at that location, knuckle down and replace that heavy cable with /3+ground cable.  And get aluminum - the lugs are aluminum and this will reduce corrosion, also it's far cheaper.

* That's an inside joke.  I am one of several here who recommend rather large panels, so you avoid the major hassle of running out of space.  Feeding a 1.5KVA transformer a 2-space panel is plenty, from a 5KVA, a 4-space panel will suffice.


Long story short... The guy that installed this thing didn't follow the manufacturer's installation instructions, and did some UGLY plumbing.  I would not allow him back in my home.

Hire a new contractor, and pay them to fix this guys mistakes.


There are sound baffles that can be installed in your duct system.

Here’s a link that explains how they work: https://soundproofpanda.com/soundproof-air-vents/


Can a 60" x 30" x 79" shower/tub fit through 36 door?

Yes these should fit into any opening that is a half inch wider (tub measurements are for the outside).  However there are tubs that have a curvy outside shell or step-layers.  If your tub has something like this I would assume that extra width is not part of the tub width.  You can usually tell with a picture of the tub.

However we hardly ever bring tubs in via doors when doing a build.  We would simply just not nail in certain framing.  Then knock over the 2x4s, let the tub pass through (might do this for multiple walls and sometimes the only door we use is the front door), then nail up the framing after done.  This is just easier and keeps tub from being scratched up.


How many Amps in a Garage. AND how to maintain consistent lighting from an outlet (no flickering)

More current! What are you using for lighting - arc lamps?

As an animator and photographer myself I'd want to run the lighting as cool as possible. There are some great LED lights out there (or you could build your own). For small stages I've even used LED torches for highlights.

LEDs also have the advantage of running from a regulated DC supply (which gets around your droop problem). You can control intensity (PWM) and color temperature control (LEDs come in all sorts of colors).

Modern digital cameras (video and still) operate quite happily in lower light conditions giving well saturated color.

Just on a Health and Safety point

(1) Drawing a higher current than the wiring was designed to take greatly increases the risk of fire. You really do not want to cause a fire. The fact that your lights dim means that the system is straining to cope with normal demand.

(2) Hot lights can also cause fires. Especially with various artist's materials being used (bits of paper, paint etc.)


Are there any special considerations for installing laminate on a 2nd floor?

Utilize a high rated sound barrier to cancel noise.


Can I replace a GFCI plug with a regular duplex?

If the GFI was installed originally it is almost certain that it was required. Otherwise why put it in.

By removing it you will be creating a code violation and almost certainly have a less safe installation.

Just replace the GFI with another GFI.


Limescale removal in bathroom (not tiled)

You need to use a product with an acid that dissolves minerals found in hard water. Cleaners with phosphoric acid and newer products supposedly more environmentally sensitive with formic acid work nicely.

I think all of them will recommend rinsing, if for no other reason than to flush away the dissolved limescale.


This might possibly have been legal in your jurisdiction around the time Franklin tied a string to a kite. As you've figured out, it's not prudent.

I know you said you've ruled out the possibility of a GFCI being upstream, but have you tested with one of the handheld interrupters? Reason I ask is that GFCIs sometimes turn up in the strangest places.

The easiest fix I can think of is to replace it with a GFCI (using one of the hot legs and capping/continuing the other hot within the junction box).

I suspect your landlord is responsible for fixing this, but you'd have to check with your local powers-that-be. You might get points for fixing it yourself and charging the landlord for parts and a bit of labour.


You should vent to the outside. Bathroom fans are exhaust fans, why would venting to outside chill the shower? Presumably the fan unit has a flapper to prevent cold air coming in when the fan is not on. When the fan is on it will be pulling air from under the bathroom door and through the HVAC vent if there is one in the bathroom.

I think normally the bathroom exhaust fan is in the ceiling of the shower outside the shower. If it is on a timer, running the fan for 15 or 30 minutes would dry the shower enough to prevent excessive mold.

If the grout has long established mold, you might have to use bleach on the grout and then seal it.


As already mentioned an astragal is the door molding used to cover a gap between two side by side doors. They usually are preinstalled on pre hung doors. If you need to span a space between a pair of doors any molding with the correct width will do, as long as it is attached to just one of the doors.


Do I have to worry about condensation on plywood over rigid foam insulation in the attic?

I am sorry but this sounds like horrible advice.  Rigid or spray foam should not be used in large attics unless you just have money to burn.  For your $ fiberglass blown in insulation is perfect for your installation plus plywood.  (Fiberglass over cellulose since insects may love the coziness of the "wood boxes").

Also in large attics you ONLY insulate near the top floor ceiling.  Insulating the roofline is useless.


Can I use vodka to clean my wine cellar?

I've drunk some cheap vodka in my time ($US3 per liter was the cheapest) but I still wouldn't use it for cleaning unless that was the only option I had.  Vodka is not pure alcohol so it will leave varying degrees of residue do to flavonoids etc

If I was going to use an alcohol based product for cleaning I would tend towards a Rubbing Alcohol that, while still not 100% pure alcohol, minimizes the amount of other ingredients and carries no perfume oils etc


What is the role of re-enforcing mesh in plastering, when is it required, and which mesh types are prefered?

The only place I seen that fiber mesh used in the Exterior Insulation Finish System (EIFS) system of stucco. It goes over the insulation board, folded over the edges and mudded in with a product for the EIFS. It is similar to thinset for tile work, but I believe it is a different product. After that is coated in, the finish layer is applied. It serves to toughen up the insulation board. This is quite an over simplification of the whole system, but it gets the idea across I hope. I have never seen this used in the 3 coat process for stucco, only for the EIFS system. I have seen the EIFS system used on cement board without the mesh over the whole surface since the joints only needed a narrow tape. In the comments I see tahwos uses it for plaster repair, and touched base about the other more narrow mesh. The mesh I was referring to earlier was like the material you have pictured that come in a 38"X 150' roll(s)

You have asked about plastic mesh too. The only place I have seen plastic mesh used, is a much heavier gauge for landscape and roadwork primarily for earth stabilization. There may be others in the group that may know more on that.

The metal lath is the only base material I have seen the 3 coat stucco being used. Also, back in the day, when plaster was in use or even towards the end of its popularity, the metal lath was used in plaster repair and bathroom shower stalls and some tub surrounds too whenever tile was going in place. Of course I have seen whole walls plastered with metal lath as the base, but only in one house over my 47 years in the trade.


Can I use a ballast that is rated for four 32W T8 bulbs with a different number of 15W T8 bulbs?

No. A ballast provides a method of creating an arc to ignite a plasma; once the strike happens, the resistance of the tube dives, so the ballast controls the maximum wattage. If one lamp failed to ignite, the other lamp would be allowed to be driven at 2x the current, and this can cause the driven lamp to explode.
Each lamp needs to be controlled by the proper sized ballast.


clarification as to how it is supposed to work.

There are so many variations within and between countries that it is hard to answer without knowing more about your system

Where I live, a very common system is Honeywell S-Plan and variations of this

L = hot/live
CH = Central Heating to radiators (pumped hot water).
HW = Hot Water to faucets/taps for sinks/basins/baths etc.

In S-Plan, electric power only reaches the furnace (AKA boiler) after passing through a series of devices:

power from the supply is connected to a timer/programmer
during set times, the timer/programmer allows power to the room thermostat
when temperature is low, the room thermostat allows power to the zone valve
when the zone valve is fully open, it allows power to the pump and furnace/boiler

Some furnaces/boilers have an independent power supply and control the pump so that they can overrun to circulate water to remove residual heat from the furnace/boiler.

None of the domestic systems I've had in my homes have ever needed to start the furnace/boiler unless the thermostat is calling for heat. I changed my room thermostat to a model with an indicator light that comes on when it is calling for heat.

The system described above is a high-voltage system, I believe many US systems use a completely different low-voltage control arrangement.


It sounds like you have three different issues.  One is sunlight, which doesn't directly affect your problems, but could be remedied perhaps with something like this: http://sunpipe.monodraught.com/#new-sunpipes-by-monodraught (there are other brands and I've even seen DIY versions)

Next is fresh air, in your case it sounds like you're going to have to offset the building blocking your windows with fans to increase the airflow.  Maybe something as simple as a box fan in the window?

Lastly, humidity control... If a dehumidifier isn't practical for you, there are dessicants that are sold for camping, or boating. They're often just containers of silica gel that absorb moisture and can be dried out in the sun or a stove when they are "full".  Perhaps some of those where you store your goods that are prone to getting moldy.

Hope this is helpful...


Mark 2 points on parallel walls directly opposite each other

Why not buy the pipe, and make the marks based on that. That is, have a level, hold the pipe up and level it, then mark where it touches the wall. A friend would help, so might hanging or otherwise supporting the pipe from either above or below as you do this.


How to patch a wood lath plaster rounded corner?

Since this got ZERO love, and I have finished the job, figured I would post what I did.

Simply bought some wire mesh from the local home goods store, and screwed it directly into the wood lathe after breaking out the hole a bit more.  That gave me a good base for my 20 minute hot mud to mushroom through.  As for the rounded corner -- it was nothing special, just took a minute or two of using gentle rounding strokes to make it match the existing radius.

In hindsight, probably give it a minute to set a bit more before doing the radius.  Also -- I needed to apply the mud even CLOSER to the outline of the electrical box.  I left it a little shy of the box, and the regular sized plate cover did not cover the hole, and I needed 1 more trip to the store to get a 'JUMBO' cover plate.  Turned out great.


I have a 6" insulated duct what size t should I use?

A 6" duct should feed a 4x10 or 3x10 standard adjustable floor register. The round duct has a cross section area of about 30 sq. in. In a well designed duct layout there would not be excessive pressure at any register, so closing the adjustment vanes any amount should not be a problem.


Installing Leviton Smart Switches on 4-way Circuit

Nope, can't do it.  All the smart switches need neutral, and neutral does not exist at all in this circuit.
The black and white between lamp and first 3-way is

White = always-hot  (must be re-marked with tapeto be black)
Black = switched-hot (I suggest re-marking with tape to be red)

You'll need either a very carefully chosen dimmer that does not need neutral, or replace that cable run with /3 cable (black, white, red).


Which Transformer for 220v to 24VAC for Heating Smart Thermostat

My plan worked perfectly and I called Emerson Sensi customer service to check that it will not cause any issues and the confirmed.
The 2 wires to the 24VAC relay that control the baseboard get connected to the Rh and W terminals on the thermostat.
I cut the jumper between Rh and Rc to ensure I wouldn't cause a short by adding another power source
I used an external 24VAC transformer, connected to Rc and C to provide power to the thermostat.
In essence this is not a parallel circuit situation, but 2 independent circuits.
One circuit from the external transformer provides power to the thermostat. The other circuit controls heat activation.


Can I use a wider sill plate than what was originally used?

The sill plate is used as a transition from the wood walls to the foundation for vertical loads AND horizontal (shear) loads.
Yes, you can use a new sill plate placed on the inside of the wall (with anchors in it to hold it down to the foundation wall,) but the exterior wall sheathing needs to fasten into it too.
Horizontal shear is to resist wind and seismic events....and keep your house from floating away if it floods where you live.
Do you live in a high wind area or seismic active area?


Why is my stove is no longer receiving 240V of power?

Like Ecnerwal says, you lost a phase.  99% of the time this is the power company's problem, and they come out and fix it for free.  Simply report an outage.
But why aren't half my circuits dead?
Because the two phases are shorted together.
OK it's not a dead-short, it's a low-resistance short.  If the power were working normally, this thing would be making an awful lot of heat.  But it hasn't burned the house down, so the heat must go somewhere non-destructive.  Where could that be?

Oh, hello.
Yup. All the 120V loads on the dead phase are being supplied from the other phase through the water heater's heating element.
Some time after you lost the phase, the element in the water heater cycled on for normal re-heat, and it didn't work normally because of the lost leg.  However, being in series with your small 120V loads such as lighting, cable box and the like... the big resistor made some heat.  Water heaters are stupendously well-insulated, so running through the whole day, this small amount of heat was enough to re-warm the water in the tank, masking the most obvious symptom: total loss of hot water.
But I don't have any 240V appliances that could do that.
Your neighbor does.  And you're both on the same side of the wire break.
Call the power company and report an outage. Unless your area just had an ice storm, you'll be at the top of the dispatch list and they'll be out in an hour or two.  20 minutes on the poletop fiddling with connections and you'll be right as rain.
Now, if you want this to go faster, be within shouting distance while the worker is up in the bucket. Be the "gofer" to alert neighbors and shut off main breakers so the worker doesn't have to come down.  They ought to send 2 people, but, y'know.


Where the bench meets the base it's the same as where the wall meets the base. so there's not going to be a problem there.


Is sanding hardwood floors really necessary?

Wall to wall carpeting is usually attached to the floor using carpet tack strips around the perimeter like these

The raised tack points grip the edges of the carpet.

Once you pull up the carpet,  there is probably a padding that is just laid on the floor without adhesive. If it is rubber backed, the rubber bottom surface sometimes sticks to the floor underneath. Rubber residue can usually be scraped of with a plastic putty knife without damaging the surface of the wood underneath.

The tack strip can be pried up and there will be a few nail holes per strip that can be easily filled.

The real issue will be the condition of the finish on the floor once you get to it. If there is glue on the surface, this may be difficult to remove without serious sanding.  Often the finish is fine and a cleaning is all that is needed.

If the finish is slightly worn or lightly scratched, a light sanding followed by a coat or two of polyurethane should restore it. Professional finishers have a light abrading process using large buffing machines that can do this easily and quickly. However it can be done with an orbital sander and lots of time and elbow grease. Very thorough vacuuming and wiping of all dust is essential for a good finish.

If the finish is badly worn or deeply scratched, a serious sanding and refinishing is called for. Again, it can be done by the DIYer, but this is a big job, sanding with power hand tools is very tedious and the professional sanding machines are difficult to use for the novice.


Is it safe to use this dimmer on LED bulbs?

Nope

From this LED compatibility guide on Lutron's site, the following output.

Further, The service manual you link states clear that

  CAUTION: Use “AY-” or “TG-” models only with permanently-installed
  120 V incandescent or halogen fixtures. To avoid overheating and possible damage to other equipment, do not use to control receptacles, fluorescent lighting fixtures, motor-driven appliances, or transformer-supplied appliances.

That's it.  It's not "not saying" about LEDs, it's saying very specifically about LEDs, since it allows only incandescent and halogen (which are incandescent).  Open up "See Aridani/Toggler model numbers", and open up "Dimmers" (the only category), i.e. here, it lists several categories and the results in each echo the above.

Welcome to the world of off-label usage.  Which means UL has not tested this equipment for this usage. It might work, might not, might get magic smoke, it's all on you.

So the ultimate answer to your question is, shrug...


Are solar panel films for windows ready for the end users?

Photovoltaic windows are not commercially available. Most examples of this idea, including the SolarWindow to which you linked, are made of organic photovoltaic (OPV) materials. OPV is, compared to other PV technologies, in a very early stage of development. Laboratory cells still have quite low efficiency and very short lifetimes compared to more mature PV technologies.

The 3M solar films you linked to are barrier, backsheet, encapsulant and reflector films. They are made as components of solar panels and they do not produce electricity.


No, a sediment filter will not remove calcium -- the only thing that will is a water softener. These use a media that only needs to be replaced every 10 years, and a brine tank with salt, which you have to refill periodically depending on water usage and hardness levels: anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months. There's really no other regular maintenance that normally needs to be done on a softener.

Softeners substitute hardness (calcium carbonate) as well as some heavy metals, lead, manganese and low levels of iron with sodium ions (salt). The drawback to this is that increases the sodium levels in the water, which can be a concern for people on low-sodium diets. The amount of sodium added is entirely dependent on the amount of hardness removed.

For this reason, people often run a bypass to the kitchen cold water tap so it gets hard water, as well as outside taps used for watering the lawn and garden.

Before you purchase, you should test your water for hardness. The easiest and cheapest way is to buy a hardness test strip kit: you dip it in the water, match the colors and it tells you the hardness level. This will help you sizing the softener to buy. It's also good to periodically check so you can ensure the softener is set correctly. You're on city water, but depending on where they get the water from the hardness could change seasonally.


I would be sure and get rid of the source of the mold as the kilz did not stop it.  I am not a handy person, but, for mold I would consider a thorough job is essential to the existing mold not just painting with kilz as there are future unforseen health concerns.


Moving light fixture- what are these extra wires?

To answer your questions in turn:

A) Top right in your diagram (and in your photo) is the switch loop to your wall switch -- the white wire on that cable should be tagged with a piece of black tape to mark it as a hot. One of the other black wires is the (un-switched) line originating in your panel. The remaining cables go to other branch circuits.

B) Just put a blank round cover of the appropriate size on the junction box here after removing the light, so that the next bloke who has to work on the box can get to it.  Don't forget to remove the silly green pigtail connecting the nuts!


How can I tell if soda blasting was really done?

attic rafters

soot and smoke removal

underside of first floor from basement on suite after cleaning

basement on suite before cleaning finished

They definitely did not soda blast the wood  they simply painted it over. this reply  is a bit late but i think your insurance company would still like to know that they as well as you were defrauded by  said contractor. and it may still be possible to  have them  return the money amount that was supposedly  the cost of said falsified work they did. soda blasted wood  has a almost glass like smoothness to it this ultra smooth surface finish will be reflected in the overcoat. it will be a smooth almost gloss enamel finish if done right.


How can I remove dried paint from carpet and leather?

Carpet
I'd give up on the carpet and order a replacement.
Leather
The usual techniques for removing paint from leather are to try one of the following treatments in a small inconspicuous unpainted area of leather first to see if it harms the leather (there are a variety of ways leather is made, so results can vary), then try it on the painted leather, keep trying treatments until you find something that works.

vegetable oil (cooking oil)
vaseline (petroleum jelly)
warm soapy water (and a non-scratch scouring pad used gently)
nail polish remover
rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol)

You'll probably need to follow up with some leather conditioner.


Can the Distance of a Subpanel affect Outlet Tester Results

The distance from the panel should not affect tester results for any reasonable value of distance and wire size.  Yours are reasonable.

Even if the distances were outrageous, it should still ring out properly if the tester is the only load.  E=IR, and if I is very small, E is small for almost any purchasable value of R.

That tester is a mystery

Standard 3-lamp testers simply put a neon light between each pin on the plug.   The legends are useless (I call them "magic 8-ball"), but they are an easy way to make 3 lamp tests at once.  You can identify this type because 2 lights on is "good" and a third red light coming on is "bad".

This particular one has an onboard microcomputer.  Most unfortunately, the computer is intervening between the wires and the lights, which means you are only looking at the simple computer's interpretation of what it sees.  Even worse, they have chosen to bring its indicators out to three lights, which fools people into thinking it's a 3-light tester.

Obviously the marketers of this device want to fool you, and think they are doing you some great favor of giving you a better circuit analyzer.   They are not.  They have only succeeded in making the legend problem even worse.  Now we must spend extra time reverse-engineering why the computer thinks the ground is bad.   This is a waste of time.

I myself would exploit Home Depot's ample returns policy and then acquire a quality voltmeter, 2-prong neon tester, or simple 3-light tester.  One that is made in my home country.


White

obvious

Green(s)

Look to see if any ground wires are present in the junction box.  If any, attach to them and also attach the metal box to them.

If no wires but an obvious metallic pipe entering box, then attach to the metal box via a #10-32 screw; they sell suitable green-painted screws 10 for a buck, or 10 for $3 with cute little ground pigtails attached.

If no evidence of any ground, then hmmm. Leave it detached; this is better than "islanding a ground", which wouldn't actually ground anything and would only cause the islanded locations to share ground faults.

Blue and Black

One of them powers the fan.  The other does nothing; or it powers a light which you haven't mentioned.

If you want the thing switched by the switch, attach it to the switched-hot wire.  Your other option is to connect it to always-hot and let it run 24x7 or control it via another means.

Given that you only have one light switch, it appears you must switch fan and light together, unless you want to obtain some sort of remote or smart switch with a companion fan module up there, and use that to separately control fan and light. In that case, ask how to wire it - it'll be quite different.

Building Codes absolutely require that a light switch, in the obvious, usual location, operate a practical light in the room. That is not to save you from yourself, that is for the safety and benefit of your guests and to help first responders do their job.

The only exception to the "light switch" rule is if you are willing to hardwire the lighting on and burn it 24x7, but a nightlight won't do, it needs to be practical room lighting.


Is it possible to use a scaffold ladder as access to loft?

This appears to be in a separate building, a shed, and would not qualify for a living space, unless it has all the other amenities. If OP use "building a loft in the shed", would this be any different than building a wooden ladder to the loft area?

If the item has the height to your loft, It looks good to me.


It sounds like the range hood duct wasn't quite airtight, and some grease has escaped into the guts of the structure it was running through.  This type of IAQ problem is basically a nuisance -- it's easy enough to fix by removing the culprit grease buildup from wherever it is, although finding it may be a hassle and may require management to dispatch someone to help by getting into the wall/ceiling cavities (which is where this grease buildup most likely is, either that or inside the motor).  Also, seal the range hood duct with some high-temp foil tape while you're at it, and make sure there aren't random greasy buildups behind the stove or wherever.

I wouldn't focus on IAQ monitoring -- the best approach to air quality problems isn't to monitor, lab test, or even ventilate, it's to follow your nose to the source and eradicate it.  Quoting Max von Pettenkofer:

  If there is a pile of manure in a space, do not try to remove the odor by ventilation. Remove the pile of manure.

For more information, I would suggest reading the work of folks who have more experience with this than I, namely BSI-017 on why IAQ problems aren't going to be fixed with fancy tests, and BSI-070 on why venting isn't an answer to everything.


Draft Inducer replacement motor part number

I got a response from the seller, an HVAC technician.

"The 'A' was used by Carrier on some older model motors produced and is irrelevant. The parts produced currently by Carrier/RDC no longer reference this character."


Depends on the kind of ceiling tiles. My inspector told me that the ones in my place are a variety that would indeed let me screw drywall in place directly over them. That isn't going to be true of all types, and I don't know how to tell what type one has just by looking.

(I too have a mix of ceiling heights, but that is because the house was built in two stages 50 years apart and the conventions differed. There is an area where the renovations overlapped the old house and the ceiling was lowered, admittedly; basically just the dining room and part of the kitchen.)


A few questions about installing engineered hardwood

The installation instructions for that product which are provided on Home Depot's web site indicate that this floor is intended for either floating or glue-down installation.
As such, no nails or staples are appropriate or necessary.
The instructions also specify a 1/2" expansion gap.

The fact that you're asking about taped underlayment strongly implies that you're not intending to glue it down - so (unless you're planning to go against the manufacturer's recommended installation instructions and nail it anyway) you should be doing a floating installation over the underlayment.

Some underlayment has pre-glued strips along one edge which you use to stick the pieces together, but obviously this doesn't always cover every join, so you'll probably need at least a little tape to finish off.
You should be able to buy this tape along with the underlayment.


Do you know what this "connector piece" is called and where to buy it?

1/4" quick connect fitting available all good plumbing and hardware stores, just make sure you cut the tube square and it is pushed in all the way.


If you install two thermostats in series, they'll both have to be calling for heat for the heating to come on.

For example if thermostat 1 is set to 80, and thermostat 2 is set to 75. When the temperature drops below 78, thermostat 1 will close and call for heat. However, the heating will not come on.  When the temperature drops below 73, thermostat 2 will close and call for heat.  At this point the heating will come on, and will stay on until thermostat 2 is satisfied.

In a situation like this, thermostat 1 will never be satisfied, and will always be calling for heat.  You'll basically be bypassing thermostat 1. So the temperature near thermostat 2 will be comfortable,  while the temperature near thermostat 1 will likely be somewhere less than 80.

Keep in mind, however, if the user of thermostat 1 figures out what you've done. They could turn their thermostat way down, and the heating would never come on.


16-year old Trane central AC one package unit is not cooling well?

16 years is good , it would be hard to give an exact # but based on the size and the age of the system even I could give an idea based on the size and it is still functional, 5 ton 10 lbs R22 simple top off at this age if a couple measurements prove the system is healthy and only needs a charge that may last 7 years , I base future at 1/2 if only low on charge bigger system more refrigerant smaller system less.


Bushing OK or need clamp? NM-B 6/3 going into breaker box

You'll need a 3/4" snap-in NM clamp that can be installed from the inside of the box

You do need a NM clamp (vs a mere bushing) here, first off; a simple bushing does not provide the clamping of the cable jacket required by NEC 312.5(C) for cabinets or 314.17(B)/(C) for boxes.  This NM clamp also needs to be installed from the inside of the cabinet, and that limits your options; in fact, the only product I know of offhand that fits the bill is the 3/4" Arlington NM95X, which maxes out precisely at 6/3.


Are you sure your numbers are right? You say your kWh usage has about doubled, but your bill has increased 6x.

Anyway some utilities only do an actually meter read ever 2 or 3 months, then they estimate the bill for the other months. That can lead to extremely high bills if they've been underestimating and then they finally do an actual read and bill you for the extra that you've used. In theory the company is supposed to track your usage over time and get a good estimate but in my experience they can be wildly inaccurate. Your bill will tell you if the meter read is actual or estimated. Also note that some utilities increase rates in the summer when demand is high, so you may be suffering more if they just switched over to the summer rates.

If the problem is not just odd billing practices, you will need to dig a little deeper.

To help you narrow things down a little more, I would try to keep a log of your meter. E.g. try to write it down every day, or even twice a day to find out if your electric usage is constantly high or is intermittent. (Note that reading an old-fashioned dial meter is a little counter-intuitive, since each dial spins in opposite directions. See How to Read Your Electric Meter).

If you're really using 1000+ kWh extra each month, that's an average extra draw of 1.4 kW, which is pretty large. You should be able to see the meter spinning very quickly. Try shutting off circuits one by one to see what will slow the meter.


Remove LDR (TL116) toilet fill valve part under cap to flush

Not sure why you need to flush out the new valve. Sounds like the valve is not getting enough pressure from the float to shut off completely, until it gets a little more water in the tank. Try lowering the float so that the water shuts off half an inch lower than you have it currently set.


Securing heavy steel shelving unit (sitting on floor) to walls (earthquake prep)

I'm not an engineer, but I've built and destroyed a great many things in nearly half a century of living. Here's what I'd do.

Fasten a continuous 2x6 to the wall behind the top of the shelving units. It should extend past each unit to the nearest stud, and it should be fastened to each available stud with at least two fine-thread construction screws.
Secure each upright in the shelving units to the 2x6 with 5/16" eye bolts and a loop of 3/16" chain. Use threaded chain links to close the deal. They don't need to be tight. In an earthquake everything's moving somewhat anyway.

Plan view:
 _^_______________^_______________^______________^_____  <-- screw locations
|______________________________________________________| <-- 2x6 board
     *   *                                 *   * <---------- chain
     *|-|*                                 *|-|* <---------- shelving upright
     *****                                 *****


Figuring out electrical connections for THREE electric baseboard heaters with single pole thermostats

Red vs black wires don't matter, you only use red and black because those are the colors chosen when the cable is manufactured. When wiring in conduit, I would use black-black...  They are both hot wires, and they are interchangeable.

I have no idea why he ran /3 cable, heaters don't need neutral so you normally run /2 cable and remark the white to be black.

sequence of red vs black on the circuit breaker does not matter.c
both outputs on any given circuit breaker should measure 120V to safety ground, but 240V to each other.  A common mistake with these heaters is using a half-width duplex/twin/double-stuff breaker, which notably does not have the switches ganged, they are independent.  These will have 120V from each leg to ground, but 0V between them. This will not work.
if you measure between the thermostat contacts, you will see 240V when the thermostat is off.  When the thermostat is on, you will see near 0 volts.
Nobody cares what color the thermostat switches.
That is three cables' worth of wire. One cable is from supply, one goes onward to the heater. What is the third doing?  the additional wires go to?  On that subject, what's happening with the white (neutral) wires?


How do I wire this GFCI receptacle/switch combination device?

You are correct that the red should be power to the light, except the other side of the switch should take off from the line in side of the GFCI, there is no requirement for lighting to be protected by GFCI, so do not connect to the load side. The GFCI tripped because there was a mismatch in the currents between power wire and the neutral wire attached to the GFCI.

This is based on my best guess based on the information you provided. To be certain, you should examine the wiring in the other switch box to ensure the black is unswitched power, white is neutral, and the red is connected to another wire leading to the light. The main uncertainty is how the other switch plays into this scenario, as there were not enough wires for a 3 way setup with power to an outlet as well.

Incidentally, I would suggest avoiding the push-in terminals if binding screw connections are available. Doing so is more work, but it provides a better more reliable connection, provided the binding screw is properly used.


Part of the answer to this will be determined if you are pushing in the unit from the side of the stairs or from the taller space into the lower height wedge space. Fixed casters may be more appropriate for the side access because there will be benefit to the guided straight in/out positioning where the storage unit will be higher on one side than the other.

It is common to put fixed casters on one end of a moveable item and the swivel casters on the other end. The best advantage is having the swivel casters on the end you push/pull from so that you can steer the cabinet into its final location. It may help to envision a grocery cart that is usually equipped with fixed + swivel wheels. Sometimes you just have to get ahold of the front of a grocery cart to back it up into a tight spot.


When properly sized the breaker is sized to protect the conductors and will not allow you to overload them.
Consequently, you can put as many receptacles on a circuit as you want and if the circuit is overloaded the breaker will protect it.
You don't need a switch, especially if you only have one welder since you can't use more than one receptacle at a time anyway.
Just parallel the outlets and you are good.
Just to add some context here are some pertinent Code articles:

210.19(A)(2) Branch Circuits with More than One Receptacle.  Conductors of branch circuits supplying more than one receptacle for cord-and-plug-connected portable loads shall have an ampacity of not less than the rating of the branch circuit.

And

210.21(B)(3) Receptacle Ratings.  Where connected to a branch circuit supplying two or more receptacles or outlets, receptacle ratings shall conform to the values listed in Table 210.21(B)(3), or, where rated higher than 50 amperes, the receptacle rating shall not be less than the branch-circuit rating.
Exception No. 1: Receptacles installed exclusively for the use of one or more cord-and-plug-connected arc welders shall be permitted to have ampere ratings not less than the minimum branch-circuit conductor ampacity determined by 630.11(A) or (B) for arc welders.

This last one means if the welder has a duty cycle the circuit can be downsized.
Good luck and stay safe!


Can I apply polyurethane to my hardwood floors in sections?

Surface finishes are notoriously difficult to get smooth when the process is interrupted.  The glossier the finish, the harder to have sections blend.

If you are talking about preliminary coats, especially if they will get a light sanding between coats, this is probably ok. For the finish coat, I would strive hard to do it all in one shot.

If you simply cannot, try to find a transition area that will be less noticable, such as an area covered by rugs or furniture.  You also might try cutting the transition from one section/session to another along a long board line, but this is hard with poly.


One of my dad's words of wisdom to me was "Don't mess around with chainsaws."  While he meant be careful when using them, I'd say it applies here.  While you could try to repair the chain, if it caused something to bind and caused kickback while sawing, the results could be disastrous.

And new chains are cheap compared to prosthetic limbs- $20-$30.  So do yourself a favor, throw the old chain away, and buy a new one.


3-prong to 4-prong conversion - EXTRA MISLABELLED WIRES - Dryer cable upgrade and installation

No, No, No! In this day and age you never hook green (ground) wires to white (neutral) wires. That's why you're going to a 4 prong from a 3 prong... so you can separate them. You need to determine where those green wires are hooked up that appear to go behind the terminal block to make sure they are not jumped to the neutral, white wire. If they are, disconnect them and just remove them completely as they are not needed because of the new ground wire in the plug.


Can I reduce the size of a chase, to more closely fit the ducts within it?

Certainly, assuming that 1) the cavity isn't actually in use as something else, say a return duct, and 2) you're sure you won't need to use it for utility access to other parts of your home in the future.

In fact, you may be able to move the duct entirely into the adjacent wall and eliminate the cavity altogether.


Water always coming out of my perimeter drain around my house

There is water in the ground, and the drain is moving the water to the gutter at the curbside. Your builder is correct, the drain is working.

The real question is: where is the groundwater coming from? Have you had a lot of rain lately? Are your neighbors running their sprinklers in the winter? It's also possible that your (or your neighbor's) potable water main is leaking. You also could be the lucky owner of a home that is built on or near a natural spring.

Did your builder do any sort of percolation test or evaluation of the ground water situation?


Solar panel to DC heating element to pre-heat water before on demand water heater

Sadly not much. 100W would not effectively heat a 40 gallon water heater, let alone an 80 gallon. Also, remember that the panel likely won't really put off 100W unless your element has the exact right resistance for your specific panel.

You can do some simple calculations if you're curious how much heat that will produce...
If you use 100 Watts for 4 hours, that is 400 Wh (Watts * hours = Wh)
It takes approximately 2.4 Wh to heat 1 gallon of water 1 degree Fahrenheit.

So 400 Wh per day could heat 10 gallons of water 16.67 degrees. (The equation is [(Wh) ÷ 2.4 ÷ (#Gallons) = (change in degrees). So in other words, if your water comes into the tank at 70° (pretty warm) and you use 10 gallons per day, the theoretical temperature it could produce would be 86° (not very impressive is it?). This will somewhat reduce your draw on the on-demand but not by much.

So doing a little math the other way, if your water came into the tank at 50° and you wanted it to heat up to 120°, that is a 70° increase. If I used -say- 30 Gallons per day and I wanted to heat it up 70°...
The formula is (Wh)=(Change in Degrees)*(#Gallons)*2.4
So that would be [Wh = 70° * 30 Gal * 2.4] which comes to 5040 Wh. Spread that across 4 hours and you can see that you could do it with 1260 Watts.

I understand that your goal isn't to heat your water exclusively with the solar but the numbers show how to do the basic math. For example, if I really do use 30 Gallons per day and I heat it  70° above its original temperature, my total need would be around 5040 Wh so if I offset it by 400 Wh (100W for 4hrs) then I would be offsetting apporximately 5/63, (or 7.9%) of my usage

Please note that this doesn't account for a myriad of factors that could affect it, such as heat-loss, inefficiency, or the derating of your solar panel... These numbers should some idea but don't expect them to be exact. Please let me know if this was helpfull or if there is anything I could explane better by leaving me a comment.

Thank-you,
Maxfield Solar


Water pressure drops bad when using 2 appliances

I would look at your pressure regulator. The device between the meter and check valve. Since it sounds like your pressure is good it could be debris built up limiting the flow. I have worked on many homes with 1/2" plumbing and a toilet should not take a sink to a trickle in fact 2 sinks open should not affect each other as the orifices in the valves are much smaller so I would look to find what is limiting the flow and in my experiance this has been debris built up at restriction points.


If it's not part of the house then electrical codes for buildings don't apply to it.
That said you should meet or exceed the safety that electrical codes aim to provide.
It sounds like you are going to use a suicide cord to power it? DON'T! There is a reason they are called that.
Instead use an (singular) inlet or wire an power cord with plug into the structure, and make sure it's not a tripping hazard.


what causes a ceiling fan light to blink

It sounds like the K&T wiring definitely got compromised. A blinking light almost assuredly means that an intermittent connection or intermittent short has occurred. This could have been caused by some pressure or pulling exerted on the K&T wiring. It could also be due to some poor connections at or in a nearby electrical box getting jostled around.

In any case intermittent connections are something you do not want to have happening. The connecting and disconnecting of live circuits can lead to sparking which can cause a fire. An intermittent connection can also be a high resistance point in the circuit and cause the conductors to heat up and also lead to a fire.

Your immediately action should be to cut off any fuses or circuit breakers to the disturbed circuits. In my estimation your next course of action should be to fully replace the K&T wiring in at least the affected circuit area.

If your installation has the following types of things going on you should be greatly concerned.

Frayed Insulation

Non-Boxed Junctions

Dust and Insulation Covered Wires

Free Range Romex Connections

If your decision is to not heed the replacement advice above then your trouble shooting can start with opening all the electrical boxes on the affected circuit and check that all connections are good. Once that is achieved then you have no choice but to start opening up walls to trace the K&T wiring and look for where something has gone wrong. Pray tell that you do not find some in wall splice of the wiring that was done outside an electrical box that has now become a poor connection. Note that if you have progressed this far it is probably a wise choice to reconsider the replacement suggestion.


How can I modify telephone Cat5 cables and jacks into Ethernet ports?

First obvious problem- you haven't wired it correctly. You have proven connectivity works with the long Ethernet cable so the fact you are failing to get lights shows that you need to sort this.

Also getting signal on all the wires shows something is connected somewhere. Could be a splice as Steven mentioned, or some other problem. Is it even cat-5 cable?

In general what I do is use the existing wire as a pullthrough and replace it with known good cable.


Honeywell TH6320R1004 Wireless Thermostat with Two Transformers

I was able to get the system working by switching the thermostat from 2h/1c Heat Pump mode to 2h/2c Conventional Heat mode. The Honeywell's 2h/1c heat pump mode didn't support 2 transformers (and there wasn't a 2h/1c mode of any sort that did).

I had to swap the Y and the W wires on the thermostat (since it was set up that cool controls O/B which is opposite from conventional heat mode).

My biggest concern now is that the Em-Heat function is not available with this mode but is replaced by Stage 2 Heat and it looks like I can't control when Stage 2 Heat comes on.

With Em-Heat, I had Droop Control and set it to 5 degrees, but this is not an option with Stage 2. I've read that Stage 2 automatically comes on when there is a 2 degree drop, which isn't going to work. So I think I need to spring for a new thermostat.

The Honeywell THM5421R1021 EIM (using thermostat THX9421 or THM5421R1021) seems to have a heat pump mode supported with two transformers. Anyone have suggestions of a better thermostat solution?


How to chain two recessed lights together?

You've got it.  Just make sure that in the light fixtures you use all black in one connector, all white in the second and all bare wire in the third (from your hand-drawn wiring, it looks like that's how you plan to do it).  That way, the lights are wired in parallel so that they both get the full mains voltage across them when you turn on the switch.

Also make sure that the switch is connected to the live (black in this case) wires in the two cables, which means that no electricity can reach the light fixture when the switch is off (which could save your life if you accidentally touch the live terminal in the fixture when changing a bulb).


Why did the neutral wire burn out in my electric shower?

Rip that thing out of the shower. You do not want mains power in a shower even on a good day.


How to further disassemble cordless drill/driver chuck?

Presuming that this type of chuck, sometimes known as a Jacobs chuck, is assembled in a manner similar to that found on drill presses, one can expect that the outer retaining shell is a press fit to the body.

The trick on such a small chuck is supporting the outer shell while applying extraction force to the jaws.

Many videos abound on the 'net using the terms "restore jacobs chuck" and all of them should cover the extraction process. I found one creator who used a hammer and a vise:

https://youtu.be/hCgWNpE-STk?t=111

but with the thin shell on your hand drill chuck, that doesn't seem quite stable enough. One video creator had a piece of scrap(?) steel tubing with just the right inside diameter to allow him to use a ram type press to gently force the mechanism free.

View many of the videos you'll find with the above search and you will have a more solid approach to your goal.


If you don’t have water coming inside don’t sweat it! But yes a new toilet and rock packed around the line may have provided a new drain path for the water. If the basement is dry I would be happy the work helped the drainage.


How can I reduce flex/sway in my pergola?

Triangles are stable, squares are not.
Finish the knee braces.
You might be able to make them more simply by making them from narrower material that will fit between the beam members as they are (ie, they don't need to be the same width as the post, so they can be the same width as the cut-down section of the post the beam is wrapped around.)
Depending on height and why you have double posts on one side, you could also X brace on that side between the double posts.


Bathroom faucet handles no screw or cap to remove. Help

The top of the faucet handle is probably a cap that covers the screw that holds the handle in place. See if you can can get under the lip of the cap (just before the top decorative curve) and pop it off. A putty knife or similar would work.


How can we prevent the upper floor in a split-level home from getting too warm?

Usually we have dampers to adjust multi level homes in winter pushing more heat down stairs and less upstairs, if there are no main trunk dampers individual room vents usually have dampers or are adjustable. I never recommend totally closing a duct off because I have seen ducts split and flex line blow off when vents were closed too much. Opening the lower vents and partially closing the upper vents will help.

I have also found that keeping the main fan running in low can also help as the air is moved constantly so the upstairs won't have the heat naturally moving up.


How can I air seal around a brick chimney with a metal flue liner?

I would use that Flex Seal, unless you have high heat.

Check it out, can buy it in stores now 14 colors.

https://www.getflexseal.com/?MID=6169906


Quikcrete makes fence post mix that does not require mixing, but after you pour the dry into the hole, you then soak it in with water.
http://www.quikrete.com/AtHome/Video-Setting-Posts.asp

You might want to enlarge a holes a bit.


What would a circuit labeled "Heat Trace" be used for?

'Heat Trace' is a subject of replenishing the rate of 'Heat Loss' taking place from the hot surfaces to be kept heated for the specific needs at required temperatures. These heat loss surfaces are generally 'thermally insulated' to reduce the rate of heat loss taking place, and this prevents around 80% to 85% heat loss rate occurring. 'Heat Trace' function is to replenish the 15% to 20% rate of heat loss taking place; the effective drop in temperature from the heated thermally insulated and 'heat traced' surface is zero. Applications for 'heat trace' in Commercial / residential buildings would include, but not limited to are: Prevent water pipe from freezing in sub-zero climates; to maintain domestic hot water pipes at above 60 deg.C to prevent formation of dangerous bacteria such as Legionella; in a centralized hot water distribution piping network to maintain water temperature during no-flow condition such as during night time, ensuring instant or quick flow of hot water to taps, and prevent wastage of cold water flowing through hot water taps; comfort floor heating during winters; heat trace gas pipelines to prevent condensation of gas in the lines. It is also used prevent condensation taking place at locations such as freezer doors to prevent ice formation.

For industrial application, heat trace of pipelines, vessels and tanks is carried out for handling difficult fluids having high viscosity, high pour point temperatures to prevent solidification and plugging of lines. Also for prevention of condensation.

Heat Trace is carried out by means of Electrical Heating cables of low watt density, by Steam and hot circulating fluids. For commercial applications, Electric Heat Trace is generally carried out. As the electrical heating cable or the Steam tubes or heated fluid tubes are fixed to the Pipe surface and runs along its length, like tracing the cable or tube along the pipe length has been termed as 'heat tracing' and hence called 'heat race'.

If you search on the Net for 'Electric Heat Tracing', you would find lots of information from many of the manufacturers of heat Trace cables.


Can I repair the floor in the water heater closet with an old street sign?

Can I use an old aluminum road sign as a replacement floor for my hot
  water heater closet?

I'm sorry, but that made me laugh.

First thing you should do, is find what is causing the floor to rot and fix the leak.  What is "spongy"?  The floor or the joist?  If the joists are rotten, you need to replace them, then put a new floor down.

After you fix the leak problem and install a new floor, you could install a Water Heater Drain Pan under your water heater, which will catch any leaking water and drain it away (with the proper plumbing hookups)


Can I branch a shower's water supply for laundry sink?

You will be fine to tap the shower supply line there is no code issues doing this. The only problem may be and you have noted this is someone using the sink and shower at the same time. Its the same scenario as when someone flushes a toilet while the shower is in use there may be a change in water temp depending on the type of shower valve and supply line size.


Water hammer arrestor location (vertical vs horizontal)

Straight into the arrestor is ideal. The cause of water hammer is the mass of water traveling towards the valve that was shut - the more directly that connects to the arrestor, the better.

They are often only applied after a problem is noticed, in which case getting them in any which way is common.


How do I clean a stainless steel gas cooktop without harming the surface?

Try white vinegar with 5% or 10% acidity first. Weiman makes some great cleaners for stainless steel you can try too.

When I've burned food into my stainless steel pots the only thing that would get it out was to manually rub them with varying roughness's of stainless steel wool. This of course is going to alter the surface..


I don't think you can safely infer it, but what I would recommend is to find an area in your house that has some cable with slack and the wires exposed - maybe the breaker panel.  Take note of the diameter and overall appearance of the cable, and then check the wires themselves.  As @lqarry said, you can use wire strippers to see what gauge the wire fits.  Now compare that to the cable in question.


How remove front bearing in dremel 398 rotary tool?

This bearing looks like it was pressed on from the splined end of the rotary shaft. Pull the shaft, tap it gently with a brass rod or a socket which fits around the bearing but won't score the shaft. Do this and the bearing should come off.

Edit to add to my earlier question based on the new image:
On a splined shaft as seen on your third image there should be a means to disconnect it safely from the plastic hub (or potentially clutch). Because the inner race of the bearing will be to large to fit around he non-threaded or splined portion of the rotary shaft the only means to replace the bearing is to entirely disconnect the shaft. That said, smaller splined shafts like this often only go back one way so be sure to make exactly how it is in its assembled orientation.


Pump installation in dedicated recirc line to water heater

The pump you purchased is way oversized for the application.Instead of the "UP 15-29" pump you should have purchased a UP 10 or a UP 15-10, the smallest pumps they have. Make sure the pumps are made of bronze or stainless steel. Iron or steel pumps should not be used on domestic water.  The UP 15-29 moves too much water and may "wipe the elbows" (wear out or wear through) due to the high flow rate. You only need a very low flow rate to insure almost instant hot water flow at the faucets. I have 3 zones for the 3 bathrooms in my home. A check valve at the take off tee for each dedicated return line is imperative to stop "back flow" from the other dedicated returns. I would not use spring checks and use only angle checks due to required head needed to lift the spring checks. I would also install a timer to run the pump only during the day when your household is awake. No need to run the pump when everyone is asleep. continuous running pumps are only used in hospitals and large commercial buildings due to their constant hot water use.


Electric range burner functions erratically

You may want to get an Appliance Repairer, they are worth it. Otherwise, you need to take stuff apart (with the breaker[s] off) just to know the right part to get. These are symptoms of a bad switch, it could be the $20 switch or the $90 switch... see


Can I use lag screws, lag bolts to hang swing vertically from a wood beam?

No, I would not trust those welds to hold for long under the loading effects due to swinging.

I would get bolts / hooks (3/8" dia min) that bolt through the plate which I would also have as 3/8" thick.

Edit, how about these:

Link to source https://www.easternjunglegym.com/heavy-duty-ductile-swing-hanger


Receptacle spacing when one is mounted tv

There is no height requirement for outlets other than 210.52.4 . This limits the height to 5-1/2' to be counted in the spacing. as no point more than 6' away from a receptacle or 12' between them measured horizontally along the wall.
If your contractor won't drop one down the wall from the TV outlet (at a extra charge for the additional outlet time & materials) I would complain. But at 5' and within 12' measured horizonaly along the wall this outlet meets the minimum code standard.


How should I cut these speaker stands down to size?

The bases of the stand look as if the pole is welded to it. Unless you have welding skills, cutting at the base probably will not work.

The top appears to consist of a thinner pole that the speaker is attached to, inserted into a slightly larger pole that is attached to the base. In addition, there is a locking knob that seems to go through a threaded hole in the outer pipe, which probably presses on the inner pipe, allowing the speakers to be raised higher.

You probably need to cut down the outer pipe the same amount that you want the speakers to drop. This will eliminate the adjustable mechanism, but you may not care. If you need adjustable, you could drill and tap (thread) the outer pipe lower down, but that is a hard job needing specialized tools. You could solve it by drilling a series of small holes in the inner pipe and using a small rod (even a large nail) put through one of the holes and resting on the top of the outer pipe.

Depending on how long the inner pipe is, it may not allow the speaker to drop to the newely lowered outer pipe level.  In that case, you need to cut a section off the bottom of the inner pipe.

Several other answers address how to cut the pipe. Many of them will work, depending on the tools you have.

Once you insert the inner pipe into the shortened outer pipe, you may have some rattling since you have eliminated the locking knob.  This can be cured by wedging a small sliver of plastic between the inner and outer pipes (sometimes even cardboard will do). You also could create an alternative locking system by working out a clamp at the top of the outer pipe, but if you are not adjusting, that may be too much trouble and would not look as neat.

SUPPLEMENT: Based on the additional picture, you have a plastic grommet that tops the outside pipe. Once this is inserted in the cut down pipe, it will probably eliminate any rattling. If it does not, you still can wedge a small wire or plastic piece between the inner pipe and the grommet to tighten it up.


You can call U. S. Boiler company Lancaster, Pa. 888-432-8887 or 717-397-4701 or  "GOOGLE" U S Boiler and tell them what you want. They can tell you where to buy the radiator. You can also "GOOGLE" used cast iron radiators. New radiators are quite expensive so I would have a steam heating service company check the existing rad to see just what is leaking on that rad. Depending on where or what is leaking, the rad may be able to be fixed.


How do I wire a 2 way toggle switch to a flourescent fixture?

The white wire (neutral) coming in should be directly connected to the white wire on the lamp.

The black wire coming in is the hot line. The toggle switch is used to either break or connect the hot line. The black wire coming in to the lamp should be connected to one of the black wires of the switch. The other black wire from the switch should be connected to the black wire for the lamp. It does not matter which black switch wire goes to the hot (incoming line) or the fixture black.

While this arrangement will work, it does not comply with current code, which also requires a white wire (neutral) at the switch. Some switches, other than simple toggles, may need a neutral connection and the code tries to ensure that the wiring is available.

Depending on local code, if there is an inspection, you may or may not pass. The neutral has nothing to do with safety, only obsolescence.

Additionally, in a fairly modern, well wired system, there should be ground wires (geen or bare) at all fixtures and switches. If so, connect these as well to each switch and fixture.


I will install shoe molding, caulk, and paint

It will look natural and caulking will do the sealing


Overstuffed and undergrounded
Your first problem is that a pair of 12/2 UF lines simply won't fit in a ¾" schedule 40 PVC conduit.  Encore Wire's UF specsheet says that their 12/2 cable is 0.195" by 0.415", or 4.95 by 10.5 mm when converted to metric.  However, NEC Chapter 9 Note 9 says that we need to use the width of the cable as our diameter when computing fill for non-round jacketed cables, which means that one of our 12/2 cables takes up 87.3mm² of fill:

(9) A multiconductor cable, optical fiber cable, or flexible
cord of two or more conductors shall be treated as a
single conductor for calculating percentage conduit or
tubing fill area. For cables that have elliptical cross
sections, the cross-sectional area calculation shall be
based on using the major diameter of the ellipse as a
circle diameter. Assemblies of single insulated conductors without an overall covering shall not be considered
a cable when determining conduit or tubing fill area.
The conduit or tubing fill for the assemblies shall be
calculated based upon the individual conductors.

Given that a Schedule 40 PVC conduit only supples 131mm² of usable fill area at 40% fill, your conduit is quite clearly overstuffed, even if you're permitted to use a 40% fill factor, as pulling two cables thru a conduit might be treated as the same as 2 wires, which forces you to a 31% fill factor instead.
Worse yet, upsizing the conduit won't save you, because the pool pump area itself is considered to be a "corrosive environment" by NEC 680.14(A):

680.14 Corrosive Environment.
(A) General. Areas where pool sanitation chemicals are
stored, as well as areas with circulation pumps, automatic chlorinators, filters, open areas under decks adjacent to or abutting
the pool structure, and similar locations shall be considered to
be a corrosive environment. The air in such areas shall be
considered to be laden with acid, chlorine, and bromine
vapors, or any combination of acid, chlorine, or bromine
vapors, and any liquids or condensation in those areas shall be
considered to be laden with acids, chlorine, and bromine
vapors, or any combination of acid, chlorine, or bromine
vapors.

Assuming this is a permanently installed pool, this then combines with the pool pump motor wiring requirements in NEC 680.21(A)(1) to forbid the use of UF cable, with its bare copper grounding conductor, for wiring in the vicinity of the pump:

680.21 Motors.
(A) Wiring Methods. The wiring to a pool motor shall comply
with (A)(1) unless modified for specific circumstances by
(A)(2), (A)(3), (A)(4), or (A)(5).
(1) General. Wiring methods installed in the corrosive environment described in 680.14 shall comply with 680.14(B) or
shall be type MC cable listed for that location. Wiring methods
installed in these locations shall contain an insulated copper
equipment grounding conductor sized in accordance with
Table 250.122 but not smaller than 12 AWG.
Where installed in noncorrosive environments, branch
circuits shall comply with the general requirements in Chapter 3.

As a result, you're simply better off pulling individual insulated 12AWG THHN conductors (two black hots, two white neutrals, and a green insulated ground) through your conduit.  This handily fits in your ¾" PVC, using up a mere 42.91mm² of fill, and provides the insulated grounding conductor required by the NEC for that corrosive-area situation.


Do gas fireplaces need chimney cleaning?

Creosote from wood fires is the main reason, so no, cleaning from that standpoint isn't needed.


3 white wires and 1 black wire in ceiling fixture

The black wire is the hot wire, the white wires are neutral and ground is ground. You need to connect the black wire of your light fixture to the black ceiling wire, the white wire fixture to the 3 white wires, and the ground wire to the ground wire. You have to maintain the connection of the 3 existing white wires. You may need a larger wire nut to connect your fixture white wire to the existing 3 white wires. It may be better to use a jumper wire and 2 wire nuts to connect the 4 white wires together.