Is there a way to build interior walls that are easy to change?

I've seen manufactured ones for use in offices, but there's different fire codes for home vs. offices, so I don't know they'd necessarily be allowed.  In those cases, a track was mounted to the floor & ceiling, then the wall panels and doorways were installed.

the panels were fairly lightweight (I'm guessing, they used metal studs, insulation for sound dampening, and possibly lauan or other thin plywood.  Some of the others were just large window segments.

I also remember hearing of a company in um ... Norway / Sweden, some Scandinavian country, where they had a mostly pre-fab house design w/ all load on the exterior walls, and some way of re-arranging interior walls.  I found "A House for all Seasons", an article in a 1990s Popular Science that describes something similar.  One thing they mention is that the wall panels are relatively narrow, which likely cuts down on weight, so they can be easily re-arranged.  (and they're using drywall, it said).

...

If I were doing it, I'd do :

attach a 2x4 to the ceiling and floor where I wanted the wall to be.  (and if it wasn't on an outside corner, leaving enough space for one section out, likely where they doorway was to be).
Make a series of panels with plywood sheeting, extending about 1 to 1.25" past the base of the wall at the top and bottom.
Slide the sections into place, then screw the wall sections at the top & bottom into the 2x4s.
Install the doorway (although I'm not 100% sure how to secure it).
Install baseboards & crown molding to hide the gaps at the top & bottom.
Cover & seal the gaps between panels with battens.

... although, I'm not even sure if it's legal due to fire codes.  (there might be issue with using plywood for walls, particularly in a bedroom).

If you needed electrical in the wall ... I'd probably go low, instead of high, and build a long chase first, then drop the wall sections on top of it.  (I don't know if there's any codes to keep you from having all outlets being inches from the ground; they allow 'em in the floor, so I'd think it would be okay).

... and that makes me think ... another good place to break the wall would be at chair-rail height, if you wanted to cut down on the weight of panels, as you could hide that seam, but I'd be worried about keeping it rigid at that point so the whole wall doesn't flex.

update : and I'm assuming this is for bedrooms only, not wet walls.


What would be a good option for a non-slip entryway surface in an anteroom where the door is very nearly flush with the floor?

One option may be to use a non-slip paint additive mixed with an epoxy or compatible tile sealant. I've used these on exterior pre-cast concrete stairs before with great results. There are also several brands that are specifically marketed for pool decks that are part of a "coating system" that is designed to be used over tile.  If you have a local pool supplier, they may be a good place to start.

Note - since the tile is already laid, I'd either use a spare (if you have access to one) to test the adhesion or trial it in an inconspicuous place before you go forward with the whole thing.


Does water in the water heater drip pan mean my heater is bad?

My thermostat stopped working, my electric water heater got too hot, and water boiled out of the T&P valve. I just had to replace the thermostat. Have it looked at by a plumber.
So yes, this can be an intermittent thing.

And yes, there could be a slow leak somewhere else.

What type of WH is it? Gas, electric? Please add this answer to the bottom of your post.


Do I need to seal the gap under shoe molding on new floor?

The gap is no different than before assuming the original install was good. Is this going over another floor or stripped down to the subfloor? You can use a backer rod stuffed into the back of the gap but generally you do not caulk the floor to the baseboard/shoe molding to allow for expansion and contraction of the floor


This is a discontinued brand/manufacturer called Valley. My faucet handle broke and I saw your picture while I was researching for a replacement. I was able to get a replacement today from Biard & Crockett Plumbing Service Inc in Orange, CA.


How do you remove hard water drop stains from (shower) glass?

CLR is best for removing buildup from calcium, lime, and rust. Just use it with care (well ventilated, and probably don't want it on your skin).


Those levers control a flap inside the duct.  If the handle is parallel with the duct, it is fully open.  If it is perpendicular to the duct, it's fully closed.  And you can set it anywhere in between to fine tune the flow.

If you have an area that you never use, you can close it off to save on the utility bills.  But don't completely close it because you want some amount of air circulation so it doesn't get musty.  You can also manipulate what is fully open and what is partially open to do more work in selected areas.  As Ed Beal points out, some systems are designed around one part of the house getting more flow than another, like a 60/40 split, and that mix being seasonally adjusted.

However, the heating and cooling system is designed around exchanging heat with a certain volume of air moving through it.  If you block significant air flow so less total air than intended is moving through the air handler, the system's operation will be less than optimal.  You could even stress the equipment if you block too much.

Sometimes, the system isn't well designed, and a room far from the air handler just doesn't get a lot of air flow.  It can be helpful to add a small vent fan in that room to pull more air.  I've used a little add-on fan like this and it helped a bit:


Can I make my own foil faced insulation?

Like @keshlam said, a quick search online will tell you what you need to know...

Seems like SilverGlo is a product designed by the Dr. Energy Saver company, which also was the company behind the video you saw. Apparently, this product is simply rigid foam board of the Expanded Polystyrene variety (EPS), covered with their radiant barrier facing. EPS actually has the lowest R-value of all the foam board types.

See: Dr. Energy Saver Rigid Foam Wall Insulation

If you want something with higher R-value, try using one of the other foam board types, like polyisocyanurate or Extruded Polystyrene (XPS). Polyisocyanurate usually comes faced with foil on both sides. You can easily find both at big box stores in a variety of thicknesses.

As for 3" thickness, they might not carry, but you can always stack and glue/mechanically fasten smaller thicknesses up to the thickness you require.

I would also check local distributors/contractor oriented stores that sell to consumers. They may have better pricing and also delivery services. From personal experience, a 4ft by 8ft standard sheet of rigid foam board does not fit inside the small SUVs (RAV4/CRV etc) they make nowadays...


Double Pole GFCI - Pool Rewire - 120V trips GFCI

The GFCI breaker is working as designed. As far as it can see, with neutral run directly to the neutral bar, there is a massive fault that might be trying to kill a person, so it trips.
If you want to feed 120V loads from that breaker you must connect its pigtail to the neutral bar and connect the load neutral wire to the load neutral terminal on the breaker. That way the breaker will be able to see all power coming and going and only trip on actual faults.


Can I add a neutral bus bar to my panel to allow more connections?

You CANNOT add a neutral bus. You can add a ground bus.
Neutral is not ground.
The essential difference here is that neutrals handle normal service current 24x7... whereas grounds only handle current during a ground-fault event.  So the neutral bars have thermal considerations ground bars do not, as well as, you don't want current to normally be present on the panel chassis, which is grounded.
So you cannot add additional neutral bars, but they provided enough neutral slots for your needs, so you are all set.
You can either add additional ground bars, or use the existing spaces as effectively as you are allowed to.  See below.
UL would never have approved what you claim.
Are you sure you have a 40-position panel?  If you have a 20-space panel, that does not mean you have 40 positions; some spaces are surely forbidden for tandem/double-stuff breakers if they only gave you 40 neutrals. You must heed those restrictions and not cheat around them.
In order to be approved by UL, a panel designed for n circuits MUST provide n neutral bar screw lugs, and also n / 3 (rounding up) ground screw lugs.  That is because NEC and UL both require each neutral be entirely solo on its screw... but up to 3 grounds can share 1 screw provided the panel labeling allows this, which it usually does.
Typically, on cheapie panels, they provide only neutral bars, and simply provide extra screws (1/3) on the neutral bars for the grounds, on the assumption this is a main panel.  If it's a subpanel, you are expected to purchase accessory ground bars ($4-7).
I do not believe for a New York minute that a 40-circuit panel shipped with 40 neutral screws only and no grounds.
That leaves only 2 possibilities:  The original installer squandered the screws by wiring many grounds solo... and you'll need to triple up the grounds (or otherwise follow label instructions) so that have enough screws to solo the neutrals.
Or, the panel has been illegally double-stuffed (e.g. using non-CTL breakers in a CTL panel) and it has more circuits in it than it can support.  That will need to be corrected, may be time to think about a subpanel.
Read the instructions carefully on accessory ground bars
Some of them do not allow 3 grounds per screw terminal, some only allow 2 or even 1.
However you must "stay within brand" of the ground bars; the panel labeling will specify specific models of ground bar, and they will bolt right up to the sites already drilled and notched for those bars.  Easy peasy.  You could use a 3rd party bar with AHJ approval, but it'd be an awful lot of work to drill and tap custom mounting holes for it. Not worth it for the $1-2 you'd save at most.


Home electronics break daily and wiring is OK. Any ideas?

No, 108V is NOT "within reason". You have all the symptoms of a VERY SERIOUS power wiring problem. You should consult a licensed electrician immediately before your house burns down. The symptoms you describe suggest that your power wiring could catch your house on fire at any moment.  Seriously, this is not something to fool around with.


wiring furnace blower to turn on when make up air damper is powered to open

I understand you probably have a tight house and when your exhaust fan is on you want the furnace to provide fresh air to keep the smoke out of the house.
I have used the power to the fan  to pull in a relay.  The relay and the furnace transformer to power the call for the fan just like if the thermostat was in fan only, this way if the call for heat or cooling is active when you are cooking there will be no problems with the controls. You will need to run a piece of Romex to a box in the area of the thermostat I have done this in the attic the hardest part was fishing the wires up the walls from the thermostat. I did this on the last house tract we built as one of the features of our buildings.

Edit for 24v operation after re reading.

Be cautious using power from separate systems , I re read the question and you could use a Separate 24 v relay that is powered from the damper 24 v to create a signal from your thermostat to your fan control signal.
then you would not need to tap the fan supply, when there is 24 v for the damper that same 24v can be used to fire a relay (think electronic switch) when the relay fires or pulls in it can send the signal to the fan the same as your thermostat so it won’t matter if the furnace is running or not.
when the 24v is there the relay turns on the fan.
I would caution from Using the 24 from another source can cause many problems including damage to your thermostat and or furnace control board , the fan is usually the green wire or G terminal at the stat or control board, the red wire goes to the R or V terminal this is your hot  if you jumper red to green the fan should start , now add the relay on the red Common wire for the relay and and the green to the NO (normally open) contacts for the relay then run some door bell wire or better from the relay coil a1 and a2 or input and the other end to the damper where the pressure switch powers it or come from the pressure switch itself. If your 24 v comes from the furnace it is much easier just take the hot to the green terminal as the common or c wire should be the same, if not powered by the furnace use a relay as I have seen folks blow up 800$ control boards & thermostats because they had 2 different transformers.


Transferring anchor locations from the wall to plywood

IMO, the most accurate would be to create a template out of a lighter material, maybe builders paper, the thick brown paper that comes in rolls.  Create a piece the exact size of the ply, tape two together if necessary.

Tape it up on the wall, mark the edges and then the stud mounting points.  Move the paper to the ply and drill your pilot holes.  Hold the board up to the wall, match up your marks and then fasten away.

The sequence may not match your fastener type, but I hope you get my point.

I think this is the most surefire way to guard against oddly spaced and non-plumb studs.


How to get rid of a stinking wall color - paint over, remove/sanding or use ozone?

I'm willing to bet they used a basic latex primer, which will do little or nothing about the odor. Take the time to buy the primer yourself and make sure it specifically lists "odor" as something it will work against. Most oil-based primers will handle odor (although they themselves contain a strong odor initially). There are also some newer products that are water cleanup that claim oil-based features, including blocking odors (Kilz says this product will do it but I've never used it myself).


Since both old and new have problems, it is probably not a "bad" transformer, but rather something else that lead to the transformers failing.
Two things to check:

Mains voltage - Should be 120V (anywhere 110V to 125V is perfectly fine). If it is in the 200V - 240V range then you have this wired up to a 240V circuit instead of 120V and everything double and transformers release the magic smoke.
Short circuit - A short would cause a real problem. Check continuity on the doorbell switch to make sure it is not welded closed; check the chime (may get a bit trickier) to make sure it is not acting as a short (or near-short) circuit. A few hundred watts would be enough to fry the transformer but would not trip a 15A circuit. Keep in mind that while an electronic chime will keep ringing if the circuit is closed (until something burns up), an old style bell will give one ding (or dong) for each press of the doorbell switch. If the switch stays closed, you get one ding and then nothing...until something overheats.

Keep in mind that power (Watts) = Volts x Amps. Volts is easy - check (edits and comments indicate you did that) that the voltage is ~ 120V. In a typical residential situation, voltage will be pretty constant if the system as a whole (utility feed, breaker panel, etc.) is installed and functioning correctly. So that leaves current = Amps. That will depend on what is connected on the circuit. In the case of a transformer, the load on the secondary determines the amount of current flowing through the primary. (Don't ask me how that works - it still kind of baffles me - "physics"). So if you have a short on the secondary, the primary will try to provide as much power as it can, up to the value determined by Ohm's law - nothing is a 100% short circuit. On a DC measurement, each coil should show continuity (i.e., very low resistance). The rest of the circuit (in this case, on the secondary) is the key - if, for example, you replace the chime with a piece of wire then you cause a short circuit every time you press the doorbell. If you replace the chime with a 1 Ohm resistor, then Ohm's law says that at 24 Volts you will have 24 Amps = 576 Watts, far more than the 40 Watt (technically VA, doesn't matter Watts vs. VA for this right now). On the other hand, that 576 Watts divided by 120 Volts (nominal) is less than 5 Amps, so no breaker is tripped - but the transformer is fried.


Need help choosing wire for a detached garage

Conduit is your friend

Conduit is cheap, trenching is expensive, and putting fat conduit in now can save you more trenching later if your wires prove too small, as well as shielding the wire from mild cases of excavation damage which'd otherwise force you to dig up the cable and replace it.  So, I'd put fat (2"+) schedule 80 PVC in the ground now, using prefab wide radius sweeps for the horizontal to vertical transitions.

Fat aluminum is also your friend

All the bad things that you may have heard about aluminum building-wire do not apply to what you are doing right now.  The terminations you're working with (pressure setscrew lugs) are much better at handling aluminum wire than the wrap-type terminal screws or backstabs on receptacles and switches, the aluminum wire that you buy now is made from a different alloy with better properties for building wiring than the aluminum wire that gave aluminum its bad rap, and the busbars and lugs themselves on your breakers and panels are likely made from plated aluminum, too.

So, that said, I'd use 2AWG, wet-location-rated (THWN or XHHW-2) aluminum wire for both hots and the neutral with an 8AWG or 6AWG (8AWG works, 6AWG might be more useful for grounding electrode conductors though) bare copper ground wire.  That will give you 70A at the garage without coming close to filling a 2" conduit.

Big (slots-wise) subpanels are your friend, too

Furthermore, you'll need a subpanel at the garage for this, and again, it's penny-wise and pound-foolish to skimp now due to the labor costs of redoing things down the road.  I'd at a bare minimum put a small 20 or 24 slot, 100A panel in as the garage subpanel -- if you can afford something with more slots in it, do so, as often you can get kits with the panel, a main breaker, and some 15 and 20A branch breakers.  Don't worry about the ampacity of the main breaker in the subpanel, by the way, as it's only serving as a disconnect -- the 70A feeder breaker in the main panel provides the overcurrent protection.

Last but not least

You'll want to use an inch-pound torque wrench or torque screwdriver (depending on the specified torque) to torque all the breaker and panel lugs to specification when doing this -- the 2017 NEC actually requires the use of calibrated torque tools in 110.14(D), and it's a good idea in any case to make a reliable connection, especially on aluminum wires.


That's definitely power. Looks like ungrounded split-phase from the colors, possibly 10AWG commonly for dryers or hot water heaters.  Might be cordage.

That is just as scary as it looks IMO, and I would follow it back to source and decommission it with extreme prejudice.

As for the cable, shuck it and sell the copper, without a ground wire it's useless even for what it's listed for.


Can a Dremel Circle Cutter be used on 20mm thick wood?

As others have said, this will work, IF you have a sufficiently long bit, that will extend at last 2cm below the base of the jig. The problem is, most such bits for a Dremel tool are not that long. You may be able to use a Rotozip bit, which are longer than the standard Dremel bits.

Next problem is, even if you do find a sufficiently long bit, you need to deal with flexing of the bit, or breakage. These bits are relatively thin, so they can break off. Therefore, you will need to go slowly. Don't push it faster than it wants to cut. If you feel too much resistance, don't push as hard.


Should we install carpet before the baseboard and door casings?

It makes it easier for the carpet installer because they don't have the baseboards in the way when they're nailing in the tack strips next to the wall.

On the other hand, it makes things a little more difficult to install the baseboard later because the carpet and tack strips are in the way when you're trying to nail the baseboard to the sole plate in the wall.  This is much more of an issue if you're nailing by hand than if you're using a brad nailer.  (I've done it both ways; use a nailer.)  If you're doing a long wall, it can make lining up the pieces of baseboard a little trickier because the tack strip and carpet can get in the way.

On the whole though, I'd follow his advice and use a nailer to install the trim.


Would you replace these deck posts? How much life do they have left?

Hit them with a hammer to hear if they are solid. If the are rotting they will sound flat or hollow, if they are solid you can hear it.

You could also power wash them to get a better look at their condition.

From here they look fine. But then looks can be deceiving.

Good luck!


Proper amount of solar panels needed to charge batteries

I'm a little concerned with sizing here, but your math seems pretty solid.  1200W is 1200W, and the voltage of the battery doesn't change that.

So yeah, if you want to charge a 7200WH battery pack in 6 hours, that is indeed 1200W.  You're not going to get that out of 600W of panel, unless you wait twice as long.

Of course, you won't get 1200W out of a 1200W panel set except when it's square-on with the sun.


Size of electric wire needed to serve overhead projector and screen off 20 amp breaker

Unless there's a problem with power quality, which there shouldn't be over a 100' run. 12 AWG copper conductors should be fine for a 20 ampere branch circuit.

If the equipment draws 20 amperes on a continuous basis, upgrading to 10 AWG copper can increase power quality. But I doubt your equipment will draw anywhere near that amount of current, so #12 should do fine.


Is the control wiring for my boiler reversed?

Yes, this is backwards -- while leaving it as is is mostly fine, swapping it won't hurt either

This is indeed backwards from the conventional way to wire things -- normally, the switching is all done in the R wire, and C is used as the transformer return.  Putting the switching in the C wire, as the installers of your setup did, works, but has the undesirable side effect that grounding out the wiring from the zone valve to the thermostat or boiler control will cause things to turn on, as the C wire is usually grounded at the transformer secondary.   Oops!

Swapping R and C at the transformer won't hurt anything either, though, and probably is a good idea because it's far harder to tell with electronic controls whether they want to be finicky about which wire is which -- older electromechanical controls never gave a toss, which is why it worked just fine for all these years.  (My suspicion is that your new control won't be particularly picky, but I'm not a tech support guy at Tekmar, so I don't have any insider info.)


How to connect single-phase appliance to 240v feed?

If you're not using the neutral, you should have a NEMA 6-30 receptacle instead of a NEMA 14-30.

Other than that, it looks like you're all set. The black wire is one line (L1), the red wire is another line (L2), and green is ground.  You should have 240 volts between L1 and L2, since you have a 120/240V single split-phase system.

You don't have to worry about the three phase warnings, since you don't have a three phase system.


There is probably soap and hair plugging the drain lower down. a small hand auger might be the best bet to clean it out. Chemical drain cleaners partially open the drain then they plug up again much quicker and you end up spending more on chemicals than the cost of the auger.


Should I install vapor barrier over XPS insulation panels?

XPS does not need vapour barrier. I tape mine to the studs using technical tape (red vapour barrier tape). Fill gaps with expanding foam.
If you are getting this inspected, check first: climate and jurisdiction matters. As with vapour control and inspections: "opinions vary on the facts" if you get my drift.


Is there a way to unscrew a light bulb that has broken?

With the power off at the breaker, and verified with a non-contact tester, I've always just used a pair of needle nose pliers to grip the rim of the bulb base and turn it to remove. If the bulb is really stuck you might try spraying some WD40 around it.

A similar alternative, as others have mentioned in the comments, is to expand a pair of pliers inside of the base in order to grip the inside and turn it.


Does the amount of air noise generated by a portable fan depend on blade design?

It's more about the blade speed than it is the shape. The blades in common fans are not highly engineered airfoils, so I don't think you'd find one with an especially quiet profile. Though from an engineering perspective, that is possible, I just don't think you can find it in portable household fans. This article describes sources of noise in fans http://www.comairrotron.com/acoustic-noise-causes-rating-systems-and-design-guidelines, and also lists how fans are rated for noise. Perhaps searching on those terms will point you to quieter options.

For a given amount of circulation, choose the largest diameter fan that is acceptable for your purpose, and run it at a lower speed. At lower speeds you should also find any vibration noise minimized, but you can still isolate it from its supports. Such as placing it on a soft rubber mat for a portable fan.


What are the best option for French sliding door blinds

kelsham PlyGem Freedom 800 Clad French Sliders are amazing!!!!  French Sliders aren't regular sliding glass doors... They're expensive but WELL worth it!!

Dave I too have honeycomb throughout and just replaced all 4 of my French patio doors with the Freedom 800-I've had a set for 14 years and no issues!!!  I'm looking at room darkening generic Vertiglide blinds.

Here's the link..
http://www.blindsgalore.com/m/product/253981/bali-diamondcell-verticell-shades-blackout-midnight-and-legacy?siz.height=48&siz.width=48&utm_medium=shoppingfeed&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&gclid=CjwKEAiAh560BRDu-aD93r-J_zoSJACrxZG2gn460CjxGR51HMgBhA2qoAFkpoFb-uHvxwUHmHKxFxoCpKTw_wcB


How important is it to avoid nicking the center core of a coax cable?

The answer depends on the extent of the damage caused by the nick and where it is.  Severe damage to the center core can result in noticeable signal degradation.  In analog service applications, this can cause all sorts of weird visual distortions (e.g. vertical lines, dash lines, random dots, etc).  In digital service applications this is a bit more dramatic (e.g. drops in cable internet speed, voip service skips, etc).

Without professional tools to verify signal strength and clarity, it's going to be difficult to say for certain.  I'd venture to guess that if you don't notice any degradation in video quality, you're probably OK.

If you're going to be doing this multiple times, you might want to invest in cabling tools (e.g. crimpers, coax strippers, etc).  They can make the job a LOT easier and reduce the likelihood of nicks occurring.

There's also a good set of instructions here showing the different cabling technique for various coax connectors.

-M


Which one is the common wire on this 3-way switch?

Black is the common.

This can be confirmed with a multimeter on an unconnected switch. Testing for resistance, there should be infinite on the two brass terminals regardless of the switch position. The connection between the black and each brass should change from infinite to direct connection with the flip of the switch.


What is the best way to solve my unusual lighting and wiring challenge?

You mean single throw switches? 3 way and conventional switches are both single pole, 3 way switches are double throw. As long as the work was done correctly, there is nothing unsafe with using single throw switches even if there are wires for a 3 way setup.

If correctly wired for 3 way, there should be no problem converting to proper 3 way by simply installing 3 way switches. If you want to install lights where none currently exist, you will need to run some wiring, a wireless solution alone will not help since the light fixture has no power at all. You can mount switches where ever and they can communicate wirelessly with the light, but lights need power.

How difficult this would be depends on the specifics of your situation. If you have an accessible attic and the top plate of the wall where the switches are located is accessible as well in the attic, it will not get much easier. Less access means needing to remove finish material for access. Anything in the voids where you fish wires such as insulation or blocking also complicate things.


Can I add cement glue and sand into my concrete mix to repair my cenent garden statue?

I think that's a good idea, but you dont need to use concrete like the quikrete bags with big rock, make your own using portland and sand, and adding the glue will help!


No, that is not safe.  The 23W CFL limit means that you should not use a bulb that uses more than 23W of power.  A 30/50/150W 3-way will use more than that on its lowest setting.
If you don't want to use a CFL, and I don't blame you, please consider an LED bulb.  These generate even less heat than a CFL.  Use the ACTUAL power rating, which is likely to be in the 5-10W range rather than the "equivalent" power rating.


How do I wire challenging bath situation

You can do it using only 12/2 and 12/3 cables like this.

Or you could use 12/2 and 12/4 cables like this.

Because there will be so many wires in the box, you'll want to get at least a 34 cu. in. double gang box.  Like this one.

NOTES:

I've excluded grounding conductors from the images to increase clarity. Do not forget to connect all grounding conductors.
These images assume the incoming power feeds into the switch box.
These images assume that both switches are in the same box.


Is a gradual 3/4 inch rise acceptable under carpet?

There are shims made for these situations. Have a look

These are made by traxx. Ask at your local carpet shop or order on line

If you take a look at the link you will see a variety of options including one shim that is 24” in the ramp from 0-1”.
 In my opinion this is a good fix for a transition like yours and is easy to walk across.
You can of course ask your local AHJ about code compliance.


How can I fill hinge mortises and latch bores so I can reuse old doors?

1/8th" Luaun plywood from the big box store and a good chisel should let you cut out very tight fitting patch pieces with some practice.  That'll get it into paint shape.  For a stain finish, you would have to try to match the grain and color, which would be a bit harder.


It's fine in a single gang box if it meets fill reqs and the screws line up without modification.  Cover plates may be difficult to find, but they exist.

Use electrical tape over the terminal screws if it makes you feel good.  I do when the box is metal.


3 way circuit with voltage in the off position

This sounds like capacitive coupling, straight-up

Any pair of plates or wires next to each other will have a parasitic capacitance between them.  For a typical length of 14 AWG NM cable between two switches, we're talking about roughly 75pF to the meter between adjacent wires, such as the two travelers in a three-way switch.

As a result of this capacitance and the fact that mains electricity uses AC not DC, a tiny amount of current can flow through a three-way switch setup when the switches are configured to turn the load off.  For say a 10m cable length (750pF of capacitance) on 60Hz mains, we get an inter-traveler impedance of 3.5MΩ and an allowable current flow of 34µA with the load shorted.

This is an insignificant amount of current if you're an incandescent lightbulb; however, LEDs themselves require much less current to run, and the driver circuit in your LED fixtures is clearly finding enough power there to sustain operation at a low level.  (Some drivers have far larger capacitors in them, so they charge up, try to start up, drain out the large capacitor, shut down again, and then start charging again, resulting in flickering behavior instead of the dim glow you see.)

The 23V reading is similar -- a typical modern voltmeter has a very high input impedance (on the order of 10MΩ), and is going to read the parasitic voltage that was coupled across as a result.  (If your meter has a LoZ function, switching to that will cause the parasitic, or "ghost", voltage to go away.)


Removing broken screw from electrical box

While the rust was not helping, it shouldn't offer enough resistance to break a new screw. More likely the box threads either did not match the screw or the threads were damaged. I doubt you can get a screw extractor that small, so you'll need to drill out the broken screw. The proper drill size is ideally just a bit smaller than the root diameter (measured across the bottoms of the threads) of the screw. Try to drill accurately to not damage the box threads any more than they are.

It may take some fiddling with an awl to get all the screw bits out, or sometimes the cylinder comes out more or less intact. You may wish to treat the rust with  rust converter just to reduce its spread, it will not inhibit the next step.

To install a new screw that will not bind, obtain a self-tapping screw to anchor the outlet. Ideally it should match the threads of the outlet screws, but honestly any similar sized screw will work since it will be the final anchoring screw and can be reused any number of times into the future for future replacements or other service work. Use generous amounts of penetrating oil when installing the screw.

(I'm pleased to see the 'gap' I saw in your other picture was not due to an odd sized box, but due to the edge of the material beyond the box. Just what material is the edge we are seeing? Just curious, doesn't really matter.)


Can I vent a bathroom fan through the eaves?

You should use a separate outlet for the pipe as the existing vents won't be able to cope with the volume of air and you'll probably end up with steam in the loft.

Did you buy a kit or separate components?

If you've got a kit then there should be an outlet grille in that, if not you should be able to get one at the same place you bought the fan and flex pipe.


Can/should I replace this 50A breaker with a 15A breaker?

why not use the 50 amp for sub panel then come off the sub panel and feed the AC with 15 amp. You would then have 35 amps for basement circuits.


What kind of caulk to use around light fixture on masonite/composite/engineered wood siding?

The best thing to use is called "Butyl" caulk. It is mineral spirit based (meaning not water based) rubber like caulking so it will adhere to almost anything, it is flexible so it expands and contracts with temperature differences, and once dry, it can be painted. It can also be cleaned up with mineral spirits (paint thinner) if you make a mistake or get it on yourself. Butyl caulking however will last usually no more than about 10 years, so you must check it periodically and know when it is time to re-apply it.

Silicone based caulks will last longer than Butyl but cannot be painted and cannot be cleaned off of anything.


Can I replace this light switch with a switch/outlet combination?

The two wires from the old switch go on the two top screws, hot on left and switched hot  on right.

Add pigtails to the black and white and ground bundles with the wire nuts.

Black goes on hot side (left bottom screw).

White goes on right bottom screw.

Bare copper goes to green screw.

If there is metal link between the two screws on the hot side, then you could leave off the pigtail on the top screw.


How to Turn Off Water Softener Recharge Schedule

No, I owned GE GXSF40H, and it recharge every night and wasted 55 Gallons/day. This will cost 3 time higher to change water heater every 6 years (EXP:$600 / gas water heater /6 year x 3= $1800.  and cost for 55G/Day x 365 days = 20,075 Gallons = 26.8 HCF x $4= $108 x6 years =$644 + salt ?)
I don't see to save any money to use water softener!


Apartment buildings are notorious for poor weatherproofing - especially around windows. If there is a gap that cold air is passing through you can seal it with a can of spray insulating foam. Better yet have the apartment super do it for you.
But the heat loss is probably the result of poor weatherizing. Those metal windows are heat bridges conducting heat out of your apartment. In an apartment you have no option to upgrade windows so the best answer is warm window covers (blinds or curtains) that can seal around the window and reduce your heat loss. They can be costly but at least you'll be comfy and reduce your energy costs. However, if this is just a short term rental, anything that has reasonable insulating properties that you can hang or tape over the window should help. Otherwise, wear a heavy sweater.


Need help removing recessed canister light without a screw

I found this picture of H572RICAT in a Halo catalog

and then I scribbled on it...
To remove the fitting you need to withdraw the curved springs at the base, a flat bladed tool may be used to lever the top part of the vertical part of the spring into the can
Doing this should allow the fitting to be removed and the mains cable accessed.


Try inserting a broom stick into the disposal and try to pry the round plate connected to the motor..... this will give you more leverage that the Allen wrench.


Spray foam insulation around wood stove pipe

That would depend on the pipe, and its required clearance to combustibles.

If it's 0" - no problem.
If it's 2" - get carving.


Should the main circuit breaker be AFCI, CAFCI or just standard?

Ground fault detection

Your idea is not weird.  The European practice is to have a whole house master GFCI (their term is RCD), but there are a few key differences.

European homes' current demand is much lower than ours, because their voltage is double and their houses are less "electric".
Their GFCI has a high 30ma trip threshold, which is good for protecting houses from burning down, but inadequate for life safety.  A 6 or 8 milliamp trip is ideal for life safety, but if a whole house had that trip, it would have too many nuisance trips from tiny leaks adding up.

Arcing fault detection

AFCI needs to be per branch circuit. It depends on detecting the "sound" of arcing on the lines, and if it's protecting too many circuits, the sound is too dampened to hear.

Arcing literally is a sound; in fact it's the same "crinkle crunch" sound you hear when hooking up speakers or sticking headphones in a plug. If you hooked plain, dumb speakers wound for 120/230V mains power, you'd be blasted out by the normal 50/60Hz "hum". If you added a notch filter to block that, you'd literally hear line noise and arcing.  This is easily analyzed by a 1990s era DSP.

Contemplate GFCIs for small subpanels

One cost-saver is to have the GFCI serve (or be the main breaker of) a small subpanel.  However you don't want that serving too many circuits, or you'll have the European problem of minuscule ground faults stacking to cause nuisance trips.

You would not be able to do this strategy with AFCI breakers, because 2-pole AFCI breakers of large amperage are not made.

An alternative to AFCI protection is to run the entire circuit in metal conduit. The metal conduit conducts heat very well, so it distributes the heat from series arc faulting, preventing it from concentrating in one space enough to start a fire.  As for parallel (shorting) arc faults, the metal conduit carries large amounts of current back to the breaker, assuring a trip.  Since such a failure is also a ground fault, it will trip a GFCI quite a bit sooner.


How easy is it to expand a door's rough opening?

The question describes this as a cosmetic change rather than a necessity, and it's in an exterior wall. It will be a structural change and a serious expense to expand the opening.  It will be much less expensive to find a door for your existing opening, or even get a custom door or modify a door.

Expanding the opening would not be a handyman job. You would need to provide plans, get a permit, and have it inspected (and it isn't the kind of work where you should think about bypassing that process; doing it improperly could have serious consequences, your insurance company wouldn't cover it, and it could jeopardize selling the house in the future). Have a general contractor give you a price if you're curious.

There are still options for dealing with the door.

Widen your search for a standard door you like.
The manufacturer may be willing (for a cost), to make a door you like in a narrower size.
A solid wood door that you like in the next larger size can sometimes be trimmed on the sides enough to fit the smaller opening.  If the rough opening is nice and square, it may be possible to make a slightly wider custom door frame that would reduce how much needs to be trimmed from a wider standard door.
A door can also be custom made from scratch to whatever exact size you need.

These options would be more expensive than a stock door, but they will still be much cheaper than widening the rough opening.


Nope. You can't run that cable through that conduit.

8/3 "underground Romex" as you call it, actually UF-B cable, is not permitted in that conduit because the cable is too large for the conduit.  So are most cables.   You are actually better off running the type that is already there, THWN-2 individual wires.  You will need 1 white and 2 of black or a color. Your existing ground wire is fine and may be reused, if it is 10 AWG.

Romex in conduit (which will not fit) is good for 40A.  THWN wires are allowed 50A.

Supply breaker ampacity is decided by the cable.

10 AWG wire - 30A
8 AWG NM or UF cable - 40A
8 AWG THWN wire in conduit - 50A
6 AWG NM or UF cable - 60A
6 AWG THWN wire in conduit - 70A

If the subpanel is main-lug, the breaker also can't be larger than the busing on the subpanel, however that won't be a problem if you listen to my "think big" advice above...

Don't scrimp on subpanel size

Install the biggest subpanel you can possibly stand to get.  Panel spaces are cheap.  Running out of spaces in a panel later is an expensive, frustrating problem.

If you aim to scrimp, then a) skip the main breaker. Your subpanel does not need it if it's in the same building.  And b) use aluminum wire, replacing #8Cu with #6Al... or #6Cu with #4Al. Aluminum wire is actually preferred at these large sizes. The subpanel input lugs will be aluminum!


Window leaks from hole in bottom of frame

Gutters would help a lot. I thought I saw water on the inside on the video. At the bottom of the window there should be 2 or more small weep slots / holes these allow the water that gets in the tray to drain out. I believe these are full of debris and probably plugged. If you open the window look outside at the bottom of the frame you should spot the weep holes or drain slots. now look inside at the same location they are probably full. A shop vacuum may help clean out the area but a small rag and a tooth pick can clear them. If you have horizontal lap siding it would be easy to take a piece of flashing and make a diverter slipping a few inches of flashing under the lowest overlap and fold it out so it creates a makeshift gutter and reduces the amount of water dripping into the window. other types of siding would be a touch harder to not look like a "back country red neck repair". Even a bead or RTV / silicone calking above the window 1' on 1 side in a straight line to just above the window may divert enough so it wont flow into the house once the weep holes are cleared. I would clear the holes it may take 20-30 minutes but this small fix could possibly solve your problem until it needs to be cleaned again. Good luck.


Would it work if I glued a new closet flange to an existing closet flange?

Usually if the flange is not high enough, a larger wax ring is used or stack two wax rings together. Yours sounds like it is lower than any I have ever encountered. A good plumber with an internal pipe cutter could cut it with out damaging the floor, add a coupler, and with some proper material to hold the flange at the right height, reset a new flange. Seal that to the surrounding finished floor, so if the wax ring DOES leak, it will show on the floor, not go down around the pipe.


Blower motor lost RPMs after reversal of fan direction

Could be as simple as not moving air effectively when spinning the wrong way, so no load (or small load) on motor. Spin the right way, air is moved, motor slows down, work is done. Try blocking off the intake or output and see if the lack of air movement causes the fan (& motor) to speed up again.


Have a GFCI that trips when the ground and neutral are connected to the breaker and no phase wire

That would indicate that the neutral you are connecting is either not the neutral for the circuit that you have not connected the hot conductor(s) for, or is connected (improperly) to another neutral elsewhere.
GFCI's trip on a difference between the neutral current and the hot current [or the two hot currents, +/- the neutral given it's a two-pole].
Thus, there is current flowing on this neutral, (and not on the hot conductors which you have not connected) which there should not be if it's wired correctly, so it's not wired correctly.


How do I identify my closet system (or do I even need to)?

search for "locking shelf pin" and you will get what you need.

They have a clip that holds the shelf board from tipping.

Most shelf pins are made for a 1/4 inch hole, but  not all. Take one of your pins to the home improvement center and compare it to the 1/4" ones there to make sure of its size.


Strengthen the supplied sticky backing with something better at all stress points (beginning, end, change of direction, near any switches or other places the strip will be handled).
Options:

double sided foam tape
A bracket made of a strip of wood with wood glue and/or screws
A metal bracket ... just a thin strip of metal that runs across the light strip and is screwed into the underside of the cabinet tightly.


Circuit to make Nest thermostat think there are separate heating and cooling systems

Original Answer Deleted: Can not support over on this forum.

You really have a couple of conflicting requirements here.

1. The NEST Wire Detection

Since the NEST is "smart" enough to figure out what wires are connected to it via some method and algorithm in the controller, which no doubt is proprietary, and since said testing happens only when it powers up, you can't just use a simple summer/winter switch.

Without knowing exactly how that works it is foolhardy to try to design a solid state circuit to augment the thermostat to monitor both lines and turn on your fan when either comes on.

Though I am fairly sure there will be a way to fool the thermostat into thinking there are two contactors attached.

2. Space

The "add two AC relays" approach will fix the issue, but suffers from the fact that 24V AC relays are rather large and you are adding a contact life issue into the equation. As such, unless your house or apartment wiring has an extra line that is not being used so you can hook up the relays inside, or close to, the heater/cooler unit, this is an "ugly" approach.

Recommendations

You really need to do some experimenting.

First: Despite what they are telling you, I'd be trying a jumper between the W and Y terminals. They obviously don't want to recommend that connection, but I don't see why it should not work. The isolation between two relays is not that great in the first place.

With your fan wire connected to one terminal, jumper the other with a small resistor say 10R. If it works and the resistor does not get really hot with no demand from the thermostat, you are golden. If the resistor gets hot, remove it immediately! If the NEST pops up an error code, or simply does not switch the line, then you know for sure it's a no-go.

Second: Failing the above, then you need to figure out how to fool the thing into thinking there is a wire connected. I would start out hooking up a fairly large resistor, perhaps 100K, between the Y pin and the C pin. If it does not fool it, try smaller resistors down to about 1K - 2 Watt. If you still can't fool it you will need a more "relay like" dummy load with inductance.

If you can`t jumper it and you can't fool it, you are stuck with the two relay solution or finding a different TSTAT.

If you CAN fool it, then you have two new choices.

Hook the fool-it resistor or circuit to both the W and Y pins so it powers up thinking both are connected, then use a summer/winter switch to connect the appropriate one to your fan as need be. Since the resistors will be in there always, the bigger the resistor you can use to fool it, the better.
Have someone design you a solid state circuit that incorporates the fooling device, monitors the W & Y outputs, and turns on the fan when appropriate.


Can anyone identify this device hooked to water pipes

Honeywell V5012 Kombi-DP Diaphragm Unit.  Details in the URL below.  To quote a section:

  It is used in systems with variable volume flows, for example two-pipe
  heating systems or district heating exchangers, and supports a
  hydronic balance by keeping the differential pressure over consumers
  at a constant pre-set level even under changing flow conditions.

Honeywell V5012


If you have disconnected all external wires to the control board with only internal wires to the unit connected and the fuse still burns, that very likely indicates a failure of the board.  With the fuse burning quickly, that often means a component in the power supply side of the board has catastrophically failed.  To verify this, you could disconnect all wires to the board except for the power connection and the door switch and test to see if the fuse still burns in that condition (make certain you are using a correctly sized replacement fuse, obviously).

Replacing a board is typically not difficult if you can find a compatible replacement.  Unfortunately, the wholesale price for these is often $200+ or higher.


How can I stop an air leak behind a cabinet?

Possibly caused by some problem with the dish-washer?

It seems to be structurally sound enough. (maybe 40% strength, but "enough")

Fill the void with expanding foam and place a wooden panel in the lower part of the back (do no get in the way of the drawer) to keep the foam in while it cures, the foam will glue it in place forming a new back for that cupboard.


Why does the well pump continuously draw large current?

The 1.5HP rating is the mechanical output power of the motor, not the input electrical power. The way these motors are specified is that they put out rated power at rated current and frequency when consuming the full-load amps. Your naive current calculation fails to take into account motor efficiency and power factor. In other words, the real calculation goes like this:

V * I = P / (eff * PF)

Where V is the operating voltage, I is the current, P is the rated output power, eff is efficiency, and PF is power factor. If you solve that equation for I, that is your expected current. But there is no need to go through the math, because the full load current is already listed on the nameplate as 9.2A. So if everything is working right, and the motor is putting out 1.5 HP, you would expect to see 9.2A.

Still, even though your expectation of  6 or 7A is wrong, it sounds like the motor is consuming more than the full-load current. It is unclear from your post whether this is something new, or if it has been doing this ever since it was installed.

I can think of three reasons you would draw more than rated full-load amps. Reason one is that the pump is running at a higher flow rate and lower pressure than it was designed for. (It may be counter-intuitive, but centrifugal pumps and blowers consume MORE power when there is less back pressure... they consume the least power when the back pressure is highest in the no-flow condition).

The second reason is that something is faulty either in the pump or the motor. Maybe the pump shaft is rotating in the wrong direction or a bearing has worn out.

The third reason is that the voltage is too high and the motor is simply being over-driven.

If you have the make and model of the pump, and know the total vertical head that the pump is working against, we could maybe narrow it down a bit more by comparing your operating pressure against charts in the pump datasheet. It would be good to know if the voltage was 250 at the time you measured the current.


Are dedicated neutrals required in conduit?

Yeah, that's fine.

However you are going to lose your mind if you don't color-code.  Get your lengths, then phone around to electrical supply houses for one that'll give you better price-per-foot wire than the atrocious big box prices.  Or just buy several colors of tape to mark wire ends. I would go

Neutral: white
Always-hot:  black
switched hot to fan: red
messenger group 1: yellow (both messengers can be the same color, no need to distinguish them)
messenger group 2: orange
switched hot back to light 1: blue
switched hot to light 2: red

Or any other colors, only rule is hots can't be white, gray or green.


Where should I install a Pellet Stove to supplement my boiler?

Have you considered putting in a wood furnace instead of a stove?  You can get models that incorporate a boiler, so with some clever plumbing you could use wood to heat the water going to the baseboard radiators.

And if you're not opposed to running some duct work, you could run the heat from the furnace to both floors.


Resealing or repolishing interior concrete floor?

Although you might have worn through the finish if you were aggressive enough or the scouring pad was course enough, try cleaning gently (to remove any residue) and then buffing it out with a microfiber cloth and water. If that doesn't work, you'll have to check with your landlord/super/apartment manager. Scuffing of the finish shouldn't be an uncommon occurrence.


Is my contractor doing a bad patch job on my framing?

The framing looks fine. It's a drop ceiling to hide the duct work; just don't hang any love swings off of it. None of it is structural so whatever. And rehab is never pretty, especially having to put drywall runners behind a finished surface that you're trying to maintain. I want to see how they're going to match that texture and blend in the patch. That's the hard part.

The project manager said the original framing was even "a little shoddy". It might still look shoddy but I can only assume that they did what they could to install supports where gaps in the ductwork permitted access to the joists.

All their nails seem to be in shear load which is good. The previously existing framing probably wasn't in some places, or it just lacked support where it could've been. Although perhaps they were a little over zealous: one has like 9 nails in it and it's now cracked - but with that little amount of working space, you get what you get.

It's rehab. Go away until it's done or you'll arbitrarily find cans of worms to open.


Each can was pig-tailed as the connections were made up. Since they failed individually, it seems that the individual wire that leads to the fixture's wiring came out of the wire nut that connects it to the incoming hot and the outgoing hot (at least at the earlier cans in the string), leaving the incoming/outgoing wiring sufficiently well connected to bring power to the one that still works.
Note that "sufficiently well connected" may still not be properly and safely connected, as the missing wire from the wire nut may mean that the nut is now loose and could allow for arcing which could start a fire.
In the box behind each can, there should be a hot (usually black), neutral (usually white) and ground (usually bare) (note: US wiring conventions, assuming cable, not conduit). At all cans except the last in the string, there will be a cable incoming from the previous can/breaker, a cable outgoing to the next can, and a set of wires that go to this can. It's likely that the "this can" wire has come out of the wire nut non-working ones prior to the working light, and that any/all of the nuts have come lose at the non-working lights downstream of the working one.
You, or your electrician, will have to pull each can and confirm that all the wiring is still properly connected.


How much wattage to choose for LED light when replacing flourescent light with LED?

A "22W" led bulb is typically rated as 22W incandescent equivalent. It would use only a fraction of that, likely 5 to 10 watts, and the light output would be similar. You can use the Lumens rating to compare the visible output of a bulb. A florescent bulb can also be rated as incandescent equivalent.

As to whether an actual 22W Led would be more efficient or not compared to an actual 22W florescent, it still would, in terms of how much of that 22W is converted from electricity to visible light instead of lost as heat.

Rule of thumb is incandescent produce 10 lumens per watt, florescent 50 lumens per watt, and led 75 lumens per watt.


Normally fire brick is not exposed to weather. The fire brick is only used to line the interior of fireplace and the chimney. Actual fire brick is more expensive than ordinary brick. I expect fire brick would be as weather resistant as regular brick unless you mean a porous insulating brick which would absorb water.


What kind of foundation should I use for this garden shed site location?

I would definitely keep the wood off the ground if you want to keep the shed around for the long term.  If you do decide to install pier or something similar, I think you have a couple solutions depending on how permanent you want the shed.

Permanent

This question must be related to your earlier question about post anchors.  In fact I would do exactly what is shown, using an 8" or 12" sonotube with a post anchor for 4x or 6x lumber. Upsides: You'll have a very solid base and won't have to worry about it moving around when/if you decide to put in a retaining wall.  Downside: your shed isn't moving.

Non-Permanent

Standard pier blocks with built in Anchors should give you all the strength you need for less hassle and cost.  Upsides: You could conceivably move your shed if you needed to.  Cost is probably half as much for the foundation.  Downside: Disturbing the soil around the pier block could move the shed off level when/if you decide to put in a retaining wall.  Of course you could probably jack up the shed and re-level it.


This would be completely and fundamentally unworkable. Air conditioners must be installed so that heat is pumped to the outside of the structure.

The entry room would become excessively hot and humid. Remember, water vapor condensed on the cooling coils of the unit is conducted to the outside of the a/c unit where some is re-vaporized and some drips as liquid. This heat and humidity could damage the walls of the entry room.

The temperature in the entry room would be much higher than the ambient outdoor temperature and this would greatly reduce the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle of the a/c. And there would be heat flow through the wall of the entry room back into cooled space.


Yes, generally you'll have a sump pump if the water table could reasonably rise to the level of the bottom of the basement.

The sump pump is most often used in combination with a drainage system around the foundation that directs water into a "sump pit".  The sump pump then pumps water out of the sump pit once it rises to a certain level.  If you have city sewer service, the water is usually pumped into the sewer system.  If not, it's usually just pumped up through a PVC pipe and out into the yard.


Is there an easy way to make a square hole in plaster/brick to put an electrical outlet box in?

A Fein Multimaster tool (or some knockoffs) work great for this type of work.  You have the ability to use a blade where you can 'stab' the wall and get nice clean lines and corners.

I would make sure they can handle brick though.  I believe they can with a good blade.


hanging a water hose holder on stucco... do I need to find a stud?

I would recommend just getting a stand. Once you get through stucco it's not sealed and moisture and air gets in and causes rotting behind the stucco.
Most carpenters and cladders may tell you to just spray foam or some sort of sealant will do the trick. But I am a restocking specialist, I have the carpenter and fire flood and mold restoration experience. I tell you to think of it deeply, the stucco acts like cement it stretches and shrinks there for once the sealant is cracked it's not going to expand or shrink with the stucco.
Some will tell you to fill it with stucco. But again unless you are the one who installed it to know the exact brand that was originally used there is different ingredients in different brands meaning again expansion and shrinkage are all off set. I know alot of people won't think it really matters one little hole. But moisture once behind the stucco becomes drops that can infiltrate the tightest spots and go far. Rotting everything behind it.
But that's just my 2 cents based on almost 2 decades of experience dealing with this stuff.


Will a horizontal 2x4x16 sag with only compressive force on it?

Yes, it will sag. I'd guess anywhere from 1-3 inches over time, depending on the moisture content and grain.

Whether it's still able to resist compressive forces isn't dependent on that, though. It'll fail laterally (on the thin dimension) before it'll fail vertically due to sag. You should use a T configuration or a heavier (or metal) rail.


Apartment building's thermostat located in unheated common area is cooking the tenants

I am assuming you own the building and can make these changes, but depending on the amount of money you want to spend:

Turn down the temperature on the thermostat
Move the thermostat to one of the apartments, probably in a locked box so the tenants can't actually control it, but it at least reflects the real temperature.  You can also get thermostats with remote temperature sensors, in which case you could install the sensor in the apartment
Install a radiator in the common area, so it at least somewhat reflects the temperature of the apartments
Install a multi-zone system, with a thermostat in each apartment and independent solenoids that control heat to each apartment. This is obviously the most invasive and costly option, but would put individual control to each apartment and possibly reduce your overall heating costs. Using programmable thermostats would also help, as it could lower the temperature at night and possibly during the day while no one is home. The only problem with this is you can probably only do it with individual tenant control, and if the tenant is not paying for the heating costs they don't really have any incentive to lower the temp at any point (unless they like it colder at night).


Regular outlet vs bootleg ground vs ungrounded GFCI vs grounded GFCI

A properly grounded 3-prong outlet protects against these types of faults:

short to neutral or ground should trip the breaker.
open neutral will not cause a hazard.
a heavy load will raise neutral voltage (due to wire resistance) but ground will remain at 0V.
in addition, electronics will be properly grounded and surge protectors will work properly.

A bootleg ground will protect against a short but

open neutral may put full line voltage on the ground (through the device plugged in) producing a lethal threat.
a heavy load will raise ground above 0V, causing a hazard.

A grounded GFCI will provide the characteristics of a grounded standard outlet plus

current flow between hot and any ground (presumably through a person) will trip the GFCI and prevent electrocution.

An ungrounded GFCI simply removes the grounding for electronics: some sensative devices could malfunction and surge protectors will not work correctly.


Using 12/3 non-metallic cable to carry 2 circuits

This is a MWBC - a multi-wire branch circuit. It is perfectly fine, provided that:

The two circuits are on different legs - i.e., 240V between the two hots. If so, the neutral is the difference between the circuits instead of the sum of the circuits. In other words, if you have 15A on one circuit and 10A on the other, the neutral will actually have 15 - 10 = 5A, not 25A.
The two circuits have common shutoff - i.e., if you turn off the breaker for one circuit, the breaker for the other circuit always turns off at the same time. That is important because otherwise the shared neutral could have current on it from the other circuit when you think everything is off because the breaker for one circuit is off.

There are also complications when it comes to wiring up GFCI on an MWBC, but if installed correctly an MWBC is perfectly safe. Depending on the configuration, you may want to install a dual-pole GFCI in the panel (advantage: one location and "done"; disadvantage: long way to go to reset) or you may want to install receptacle/GFCI devices at the point of use (advantage: easy reset when needed; disadvantage: depending on how/where the MWBC is split, this may not be practical or may require other changes to the wiring).


Pulling out a 1222 moen shower cartridge that won't turn

I ended up asking a plumber to come. He tried a bunch of approaches with chisels, screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, to no avail. Then he got a metal cartridge extractor and it pulled out the cartridge within a minute.


water pressure regulator releasing a tiny bit of water

Normally these are non reliving so no water leaks when the pressure changes, this may cause your pressure to shift a few psi on occasion but not more than a few psi.
I am wondering if you got a reliving type regulator.
These regulators release the over pressure ( normally caused by water heaters) the pressure is vented thus the leak. Most of the time a pressure tank is used to absorb the pressure created by the water heater and a non reliving regulator is used. If you purchased a reliving type you don’t need a pressure tank but it allows some water to be leaked out to maintain the pressure.
This is if the water is coming from the regulator from the looks it might be condensation.


How can I replace ceiling gypsum board and loose fill insulation at the same time?

Hoisting the insulation with the drywall panel is a bad idea. I would instead install fiberglass bat insulation between the joists. You could use the kind that is faced with paper and staple it to the joists for added support. If just plain batts are used then you may need to add some type of staple on stripping to help hold the batts in place. Install all of this except for one small area where you can go up and put in more of the loose insulation above the fiberglass if that is desired or needed. Finally close off the small area by pushing up an oversized bat that covers the opening from above and then install the final piece. If using the paper backed staple that in place. If the ceiling previously had some type of vapor barrier you need to install similar material on the bottom of the ceiling joists.

Now you would be ready to install the new ceiling drywall.


Frost Free Silcock - At Grade - Problem in Winter?

The frost free or freeze proof part keeps it from freezing outside the house envelope. If the pipes in the crawl space get below freezing for a few days they could freeze but I would not be worried about the Silcock as snow actually acts like insulation.
 Ever heard about people sleeping in snow caves? I have done it at -20 and been quite warm.
It sounds like you have the crawl space well insulated and heated so I would not be two concerned about the Silcock freezing at all.


HVAC: hot attic, system off, heat leaking in from supply vents

A tale of misplaced insulation, leaky ductopi, and lazy builders
The problems you are seeing here are due to a combination of three problems:

Vented attics in hot climates get scorchingly hot
Your ducts are in the attic (and are a lazily-installed "ductopus" of flex, at that)
Your ducts, sadly, leak (somewhere)

Fixing the leak will stop the hot air from coming into the house, but it won't cure anything else that's wrong with this setup, as the unstretched flex hampers airflow through the ducts and the R8 or so duct insulation is nowhere near enough to keep attic heat from warming the cold air in the ductwork, either.  Considering that there's no ice dams in SoCal, hence no reason to vent the roof deck otherwise, I would go to an unvented conditioned attic, or "hot roof", configuration.
You can either have a couple thick layers of rigid insulation board laid down with the gaps staggered and an overdeck laid over that next time you replace your shingles, spray foam applied to the underside of the existing roof deck if you want to do the retrofit now, or a mix of the two, provided you achieve the R-value you're after.  If you are doing spray foam on the underside of the existing roof deck, you'll also want to put some 1/2" drywall on the underside of the rafters to provide a thermal barrier between the foam and any sort of flare-up that might happen in the attic (some folks use a sort of paint-on coating instead, but the drywall is easier to get right and maintain I reckon).  Of course, the attic venting will have to be removed and replaced with solid materials instead, and supply and return grilles added to the attic so that the air conditioner can cool it.
While you're at it, you'll want to have that "ductopus" of flex replaced with a rigid trunk-and-branch duct system, reducing the amount of work your air handler has to do to push conditioned air through the system.  Between these two upgrades, you'll be able to take a good 10-25% off of the energy usage of your air conditioner, and may even be able to downsize the A/C next time you are shopping for one, since your house no longer wastes effort trying to cool outside air that's just going to get vented anyway, and your air handler no longer has to push as hard to get cold air to you, either.
(As a sidebar: it is possible to "bury" the ducts in attic insulation, but that's trickier than cathedralizing the attic due to condensation issues; it requires careful spray foaming of the ducts in order to keep the dewpoint on the outside of the vapor-impermeable section of the system high enough that humidity in the outside air doesn't go off and condense on the outside of the ducts, creating a moisture problem.)


Use a grounding clip to attach the ground wire to the grounded metal box.


If it occurs during summer, and days when you run your air conditioner, its likely they fed the condensation drain pan to the house drain. Try turning off your AC for a whole day and see if you ever hear it.

Its also possible that its someone else's AC unit that is drained to your drain, or in a multi-unit building, the common drain that happens to run through your wall.


What breaker size for box containing two GFCI circuits?

The breaker feeding the sub-panel must be sized not exceed the rating of the sub-panel. So, if you install a 60 amp sub panel you can't protect it (fuse it) any higher than 60 amps. Ditto for 100 amps.

The conductors should be sized large enough to carry the load of the sub-panel and be protected by whatever breaker they are attached to.


No.

The only time you should be moving a piano alone is if you can pick it up.

Whatever you're thinking about doing with a basketball is absolutely bat crazy.... I kinda stopped reading after that.


What caulk should I use for the lip of a slide-in range?

Typically no caulking is used when setting a range top into a counter, however in your case where you are getting water from the sink under the lip, a small amount of silicone would not be a problem. The very outside mounting flange of you cook top should not get very hot. If you can touch it when the range is in use, then a standard silicone would be fine. If for some reason you determine a high heat material is needed, a fire rated caulk is available right off the shelf at most home improvement stores.  It is usually red in color and used for sealing holes in walls and floors where a fire rating is required. Use a very thin bead of caulk and wipe off excess immediately with a damp cloth.  One caution, silicone can stain some types of natural stone counters, so if you have marble or some other type of stone, test the sealant in an inconspicuous place before using.


Can I use 18/2 and 20/2 in the same lamp?

When you state 20/2 and 18/2 are these cables? 2 conductors of fixture wire would be the way I would go high temp rating and easier to fish through the fixture arms. 25w on a 120v circuit would draw less than 1/2 amp 2017 NEC 402.6 states fixture wires shall not be smaller than 18 AWG. Table 402.5 shows 18 awg as 6 amps max.


How do I fix small chips and scratches in a melamine table top?

Scratches that are not all the way through the surface you can polish out, or sand out and leave a matte surface that will not show scratches so easily.

Chips can, at best, be filled with something that never quite matches, or you replace the table-top, as it's the only actual fix for those, IMPE. The canonical product that never quite matches is called "Seam-fil" evidently.

The simplest effective solution is called a tablecloth.


Does wifi have any effect on one's health?

Compared to holding a mobile phone against your head, the exposure levels are very low.

So, even if non-ionizing radiation is found to be a health concern in the future (current studies show no reason for concern), wifi isn't going to be the primary source of exposure for most people.

If you are concerned, locate your router somewhere other than directly next to a desk.

Some router configuration software also allows you to set the transmit power level, so you can lower the power levels to a place where you still get acceptable bandwidth in the areas of the house where you use wifi.


What are some good ways to identify cracks that bedroom insects come from?

Seeing cracks on the walls or ceiling is fairly obvious, but the common hidden gaps that let insects in are usually hidden from sight.  They are usually around light fixture electrical boxes and under moldings around windows or exterior doors.

The best way to stop these unwanted pests is to remove device covers and light canopies and caulk around the electrical boxes.  A thin carefully applied bead of painter's (latex) caulk (do not use silicone caulk because it can't be painted) can seal up gaps around window and door moldings.

Not only will you close up places for bugs to get in, but you will help stop outside air from entering the room, thus lowering with your heating and AC costs.


How do you remove the stick-on child safety locks from appliances?

I had these on painted wooden cabinet doors. I slid dental floss behind the plastic part which cut the plastic latch off, leaving the foam adhered to the door. Then I peeled the foam off by hand and it did no damage. I couldn't believe how easy it was! I thought it was stuck for good.


How can I prevent rain from dripping off the roof rake edge?

That is not unusual if you live in an area where the wind /rain are blowing at an angle to the home. Even with no real wind it can happen and a photo would be helpful. It may be a slight difference in the stagger of the shingles or possibly the overhang has a slight sway or droop there we usually leave a bit of an overhang on the sides and I probably would not worry , but a photo might reveal an issue that we can point to.


reducing pipe size between well pump and pressure tank!

That should work fine - in some ways better than the old setup. Ideally you'd maintain 1 inch, but practically speaking it won't make enough difference to notice over that distance.


Find the switch, before somebody else does and spoils your plans!

The problem with this plan is that someone will find the other switch, flip it to turn the light on or off, and inadvertently disable your now-single-pole light switch in the process.  Either that, or your single pole switch won't work to begin with because the "hidden" 3 way switch is flipped to the wrong position, energizing the capped off red traveller instead of the connected black traveller.  Moral of the story: find all the switches on a circuit before doing anything to it.


Is there a way to find out if my living room ceiling has insulation?

Interior walls aren't typically insulated.  But to be sure you could just drill a small hole (make sure you're not on a stud) and if there is insulation it should come out on the drill bit.  But be very cautious if there is plumbing in the area, you don't want to pierce a water line or drain pipe.  Other than that, this won't hurt anything since the ceiling is already water damaged.  Just putty over the hole before you repaint.

Though, if there is significant water damage you should probably replace the section of ceiling anyway as it may be weakened and/or also have mold growing on it.


Need to keep pressing the unlock button on a reciprocating saw: is that typical?

The trigger lock is a mechanical safety mechanism that prevents the trigger from being pulled.
It needs to be depressed before the trigger can be pulled.
I would not activate the two buttons at exactly the same time, because I do not know it that would cause any wear on the unlock mechanism.
The trigger lock button is only used to allow the trigger switch to be pulled, so it does not have to be held when the trigger is pulled.


Turning on GFCI breaker on subpanel trips main breaker

Check to make sure your spa heater is configured correctly for 240V operation
The Balboa VS501Z uses a solid-state control board that is configurable for 120V or 240V operation; however, when in 120V mode, it requires a hardwire jumper from neutral to a L2 (red) connection on the board to configure it, as per the manual.  If that jumper is present on a VS501Z connected to a 240V supply, your breaker will trip immediately due to the jumper being a dead short from L2 to N, as you are observing.  (If you're wondering why the breaker in the main panel trips but the breaker in the spa box doesn't trip, that's because what you have is basically a race condition between the two breakers, and whichever wins is determined by factors that are beyond our effective control.)


It looks like a fungus to me see the light fuzz. Here in the PNW it is fairly common in dark and damp areas. I have seen this on carpet and Sheetrock many times. Even though our humidity is not extreme like back east we do have many mold and fungus problems because of our moderate temperatures and year round moisture. I find the least offensive method to kill it is a 3% hydrogen peroxide and water solution will kill it (use caution as it can discolor some materials even at this dilution) but it doesn’t stink like bleach. Note this will also take care of mold & mildew you may find in your window tracks& sliding door tracks that very commonly grow “gunkies” in our area.


Do I need to increase my HVAC trunk line size?

I'd go with option 4 to begin with. I'd recommend it for a number of reasons:

It's a separate unit, so will act as a separate zone in your house, meaning you don't need to run it when no one is down there (saving you money).
modern direct-vent gas fireplaces with built in circulating fans are quite efficient and pretty much act as a furnace...especially if you get one with a thermostat remote (as we did).
fireplaces look nice (especially in a basement, where it can get especially dark during the winter months). A nice gas fireplace can certainly be a selling point.
for the reasons you mention (no need to run new ductwork, no need to replace the existing furnace, etc.)

We have hot-water baseboard heat, so thought that running an entire new circuit in the basement, while nice, would be a challenge and expensive. We felt we might eventually need it (given that we went with bare, stained concrete as the floor) but thought we'd try a fireplace first.

We installed a direct-vent gas insert (we had an old wood fireplace already) with a built in fan. We also added a ceiling fan to the main room when we finished the basement.

When we want to use the basement in January (we're in MN) we just turn on the fireplace and ceiling fan for maybe 10 minutes and the place warms REALLY fast...even the concrete slab. It works amazingly well. Granted, it will all depend on the size and layout of your basement.

For the most part, we just use it when we are down there (it's the family room, so after dinner TV and the like). If we know it's going to be especially cold for a few weeks, we set the thermostat remote and let it cycle by itself on and off.


Close up drafty gap between wood beam and concrete wall?

The amber stuff looks like construction adhesive. Particularly Liquid Nails.

If the void is not load bearing and protected from moisture, then you can fill it with just about anything. The foam filler is a good choice since it's easy to use


That would be a Hex head #8 3/8"  sheet  metal screw.

Take your photo with you to the hardware store and find one.

I am not sure that having a blunt tip is a necessity. It is ?

Maybe you can steal one from elsewhere on the unit where it is not critical.


Can an ERV push air through an existing HVAC system

As far as an ERV and if it is needed depends on how tight your house is.
How much do you need?
This again depends on your home. A newer home built in the last 20 years with a central heating system they can replace the make up air intake save a little of the outgoing heat pull the excess humidity out and improve over all air quality.
To really do this they need to be on more than the furnace or ac usually runs and on all the time is the normal recommendation. Without the radon concerns I recommend when occupied, with radon concerns 100% run.
A 150 scfm is a lot that is more than many bathroom fans running all the time this will increase your energy cost for both heat and cooling (the erv is not even close to 100% efficient)
this is one area I tell people don’t be over sold. Yes they recover energy but what size make up air do you have on your house now?
It’s easy to measure the duct size vs the wind speed. A simple handheld anemometer can provide the existing flow.
If you don’t have make up air now do you even need 150?
If you don’t have makeup air now and many homes do not going hog wild will increase your utility bills and a smaller system will probably improve the air quality.
The air handler is moving the air through the house not the erv.


How to transition between 2rooms when gap is wider than standard 2" " t molding strip laminate

If you did the flooring & have excess pieces you can cut the flooring to fit in there. If not, then really anything of the same thickness will do with a staining polyurethane combo. If you want an actual & obvious transition because it's a doorway separation sort of thing, then a Door Threshold might be the best option.


How can I improve second floor HVAC performance?

I would guess that modifying the duct work in a 1920s masonry construction home will be prohibitively destructive and involving removing or damaging irreplaceable trim that contributes to the building's character.

Mini split heat pumps:

An alternative, which will not be inexpensive but may be significantly less destructive, would be investigating installing a multi head mini split ac unit with one head in each bedroom.  Such a unit costs perhaps $2500 to $5000 for the unit, installation extra and depends on the difficulty of install.  If you live in a heating climate, especially one with cheap electricity in the winter or might install solar and have sunny winters, you should likely invest in the heat pump versions.  Models are available that operate down to -13 F now (Mitsubishi M-Series) in single head.  Supposedly multi-heads that operate that low are coming out this spring.

Advs:

Individual temperature control for each bedroom
- Really high efficiency available for both heating and cooling
- Avoid destruction of interior trim

Disads:
- Potentially a lot of $$$
- Still a newer technology in the US (used all over Europe and Japan).  If you plan to sell soon, recovering your investment at resale could be a challenge
- Some people hate the look.

Other than minisplits:

Air leakage:

I'd suggest you have a blower door test performed. All the insulation in the world doesn't matter if you are changing over the air in the house too quickly.  If you didn't air seal the attic before filling it with cellulose, you could have this problem.  An infrared gun on a cold night can help show these leaks too.  Insulation installers will say things like seals in air but cellulose, fiberglass insulation, and mineral wool insulation are actually very air permeable.  If you find that is the problem, you could move insulation out of the way in the attic to use canned foam (get a commercial gun, much nicer job to do than with home depot cans).  If you can't move the insulation, you could install a vapor permeable sheet membrane like Tyvek or a smart vapor retarder like IntelloPlus on top of the insulation to block air movement. Do not use a vapor impermeable barrier like black plastic or visqueen (clear plastic); you could trap moisture and cause a mold problem.  Attic access hatches are also causes of large volume air leaks.  There are special hatch covers you can buy or build to address this problem.

Duct work in unconditioned space:

Do you have any ducts in unconditioned (uninsulated) space like an open crawl space or an unconditioned attic?  If so, you could be losing huge amounts of heat to the crawl space or attic.  If your ducts are older, they likely aren't air tight either.  You could use specialized foil tape or duct mastic to seal the joints and you could insulate this duct work, though it won't be fun work.  If your ducts are really leaky, you could get big gains in system performance from this work.

Humidity control:

Have you measured your humidity when your system is running?  If your humidity is high in the winter or summer, you will feel colder or hotter.  Your humidity could be high in the house for many reasons (improper shower venting) but dirt crawl spaces are a big source in the summer (not in the winter so much).  Seal off the dirt crawl space to eliminate humidity, mold spores, radon, etc. from getting in the house.  A radon membrane company, in areas with radon, might be a cost effective contractor to use.


How do I cut a brick fireplace hearth to allow for a laminate flooring expansion gap?

While this will not directly answer your question, I'd like to offer an alternative solution.
Modify Existing Molding
If it were me. I'd get some transition molding, with a profile like this.

I'd then set up my table saw to rip the piece, to remove the angle profile on the back edge.

Which would give me a profile like this.

Once I had my molding ripped to size, I'd create a border around the hearth using 45° butt joints.

When installing the flooring, I'd stop short of the hearth to compensate for my expansion gap and the thickness of the moldings leg (the piece that hangs down). Once the flooring was installed, I'd install my molding.

The molding allows the floor to expand and contract, while also providing an attractive transition between wood and brick.
Note: If you match the molding color to the flooring color, the transition will be less noticeable.


Garbage disposal drain is slightly higher than drain pipe

You can buy t shape pipes. Look for double sink drain plumbing. Extend your p trap down more. It will still be an uphill battle. I might also suggest opening the wall at the drain pipe and below. See if you can lower the pipes there.


Does commercial wiring differ from residential wiring downstream from the main panel?

You use conduit pretty much universally unless your AHJ says you don't have to.  Metal conduit is the ground. AC is not.

You also work in THHN/THWN wire, and you use stranded wire unless you're a masochist.  Shucking Romex is right out, except for pigtails.

We tend to use 12AWG because being stranded, it is cake to work with, and AHJs like 12AWG, and that means no backstabs, ever.

And you use a lot of colors.  A residential romex-flinger only ever sees 3 colors: black white red, and you know that guy's been around when all the THHN in the conduit are  Nazi flag colors.  You definitely should buy every color under the sun, especially gray, which is the alternate color for neutral.  Taste the rainbow!

Choose colors for clarity!

Romex people are habituated to using different colors for things that are actually the same. If your 3way circuit is supply-3w=3w-lamp, red and black for messengers? Use yellow and yellow. The two messengers are the same thing. (And maybe red or orange for the lamp run since it is a switched hot). Same with 2 hots in a 240 circuit - black and black, you don't need to tell them apart.

Here's a great example of what not to do: Two parallel conduits, 8 wires in each.  One conduit has 10AWG wires: 4 red and 4 black, for 240V circuits.  The other conduit has 12AWG wires: 2 red, 2 black, 4 white. The marks have all fallen off.  By cut lengths it's obvious he meant each 240V circuit to have 1 red and 1 black, but you can't tell them apart!! UGH!   I'm pulling it all out, and with minimum wire replacement, rearranging it thusly:

10 AWG: Each conduit gets 2 red and 2 black. 12AWG: each conduit gets one each of white, gray, black, and red or blue. (That's how I tell the conduits apart.) Now it's stupid-easy to distinguish all wires.  How do I distinguish the two 240V circuits in each conduit? Easy, The two blacks are circuit 1,  the two reds are circuit 2.

It's a mind-blower, isn't it?

Tape is also your friend.  Get multicolor tape and don't spare it.  It's good for grouping and good for marking.  You're not allowed to remark hots to neutral or ground, so white, gray, or green on hots is just a marker.

The realistic max for conduits is 4 circuits, and there are only 2 neutral colors.  So tape your gray neutrals white, and your white neutrals gray, for 2 more colors.


Is it safe to stain some small wood pieces with Danish oil in my basement?

Oil finishes have been used on wood in homes for years, I have done several hard wood floors with this same brand it drys fairly quickly but you should make sure to have adequate fresh air for several hours, a couple of boards may not be much but some folks are very sensitive to the odors. Make sure to follow the mfg instructions and by following  them the product is safe to use.


Countering/Filling countersink in a metal component

Conical washers M3 seems to get some of the kind you don't want, and some of the kind you do want.


Is this hole at the corner of the foundation major issue?

You may want to ask whether the hole is for a sump pump that removes water from the basement in wet weather - it could exist specifically to prevent further water issues (such as the one that caused the water marks) in the basement, in which case, filling it in would be inadvisable.


Is it ok to fasten a shower surround to Schluter Kerdi curb?

The kerdi curb won't hold your screws.  You can try putting a screw on a piece of scrap and you should be able to pull the screw out by hand.
It is designed to be used at the bottom of the shower door just to hold the tiles and good enough for a person to step on it.  The side hinge of  the shower door must be mounted to a stud.
Kerdi curb and boards are not substitute for the framing.  They are like drywall+kerdi membrane all in one to reduce installation time.
To seal the screw holes, drive the screw in half way, then squeeze some kerdi fix in there, and drive it all the way.


Why would an iMac computer cause lights on a circuit to flicker when it goes into sleep mode?

A few things that can cause this:

Faulty iMac supply.
"Hot fault" in the wiring... A bad junction somewhere, or a physically damaged wire, or wires that are too small for the current draw (and the fuse or circuit breaker!).
Exotic interference.  Is there an electronic switch or timer, or a low-quality UPS, or one of those infernal "SpySmart Meters" somewhere?

Note that for items 1 and 2, you should see a voltage drop -- measured at the outlet that the iMac is plugged in to. A drop from 120V to 110V yields roughly a 16% drop in incandescent brightness.  A drop from 120V to 100V, causes about a 31% drop in brightness.

What iMac model is it? What specs does it list for power?  iMacs usually run at about 80W to 200W, but I read once that they can have short, peak draws of 1000W.

A surge protector will do nothing in this case, but a battery backup with brown-out protection will protect the computer and may lesson the flickering.

If it is a "hot fault" type problem, there is a very real danger of fire.  A fuse or circuit breaker cannot guard against such faults either, but you should immediately verify that the circuit breakers are properly sized for the wire gauge(s) of each circuit (the smallest wire gauge, if more than one was used).


Why is my dryer squealing even after roller replacement and lubrication?

Were the shafts clean? On dryers that I have replaced rollers there has been residue from the original roller. This residue increases the friction and may be the cause of your noise , the rollers I have replaced did not have bearings but were like a dense plastic with graphite impregnated they were not supposed to be lubricated if you have similar you might try cleaning with some isopropyl it sounds funny but a lubricant may cause problems in this application, if a lube is needed a grease would be more appropriate.


Is it a problem that I have two of each color wires on my Honeywell thermostat?

The answer is yes; it was a problem. The wiring wasn't done correctly. I had an HVAC guy come out. He suspected that whoever installed my thermostat cheated by using some lower grade wire and doubling them up. Sure enough when he untwisted the wires from the old thermostat and checked the voltage with a multimeter we saw that the pair would give us the necessary 24 volts but an individual wire would only give us about 17. Nice.

Anyway, I shelled out about $100 to have him run a real HVAC cable. (I had him use 10 wire just incase I want to make use of more of the new thermostat's features in the future).


Should I fasten brackets to the wall or desktop first?

As you're just asking about which order to attach the pieces, and not different methods, there is very little difference.

Mounting the brackets to the wall first may make it easier to ensure you hit studs, but you'll have to be careful to make them exactly level with each other. Attaching them to the desk first ensures they are level, but you'll need to measure more carefully to get the spacing right so you hit studs. Neither is really difficult to get right, just different considerations.

It may be slightly easier to hold the brackets in place without a heavy desk on top.

If you are using any kind of joinery to attach the brackets to the desk (other than screws into the underside of the desk), you'll want to do that before mounting it to the wall, of course.

Another consideration is how much clearance you have below the desk; with little or no clearance, you'll have to attach the brackets to the desk first.


I don't agree with any of the comments.  It is impractical to move it.  First unless you use big equipment the chances of it breaking are solid.  But lets look past moving it and say that is "easy".  Where are you moving it to?  The bottom is probably all over the place meaning that unless where you are moving it to has very similar ground characteristics then this thing will probably not sit the way you want it to.

Added Note:  When we are breaking up big slabs like this we often break up concrete.  Move the concrete out of the way.  Dig down another 10-12 inches (I know it is hard work but doesn't take long).  Then put concrete back or at least most of it with about 4-6 inches of dirt over it.  You will be left with some dirt left over and maybe a little concrete.  You will spend time digging but not time hauling concrete.  Also the extra dirt is usually easy to dispose somewhere in the yard.


Can I use a PVC ball valve for the water main at the street?

I would not use a PVC valve. Those components need to be heavy-duty, as they're buried and remain in place for decades. Failure means expensive water waste, time and messy effort.

Your water line is probably polyethylene (Pex), and not PVC. Pex is much more flexible and durable than PVC. This calls for clamped connections to brass/bronze hardware.

To give you some idea what I mean by heavy duty, here's what happened to one of my properties last year. My neighbor's brass shutoff valve sprung a pinhole leak. The water jet fanned out and cut through the metal over time. It created a thin slice through the coupler that appeared as though it was made with a hacksaw.

Once the leak grew strong enough it dug through the soil for several inches and ground all the way through my property's valve, with the aid of sand from the soil, creating a large divot in the brass.

I wouldn't mess with PVC unless you want to do the job again in a few years.


What is the proper way to remove plywood subfloor?

If you find the lines of nails/screws hard to spot, try a magnet. They should be pretty easy to figure out, as they will spaced much more closely along the joists, and should make lines that show you where the joists are.

Don't set your saw too deep - it's problematic to cut where you can't see.

One method is to use a small hole saw and drill around the nails, just the thickness of the floor. Then (after getting the sheet of plywood up) you end up with a bunch of small plywood plugs you can break off the screws/nails fairly easily, and enough nail/screw to get a grip on for removal.