Protect mini-split condenser from ocean corrosion?

I don't know that there's much you can do to protect it. The condenser's job is to exhaust the heat from inside your home so you can't really enclose it.

Having looked around some, the only thing I've seen that's of a DIY nature is to rinse your condenser on a regular basis. Maybe rig up a sprinkler with a hose and let it spray the condenser. That should keep some of the salt out and hopefully prolong the life of your unit. Beyond that, regular professional maintenance was the other common suggestion.


I would be on the safe side and use concrete.


Can you use a power drill with the exchangeable screwdriver bits on a manual screwdriver?

Screwdriver bits are generally considered consumable. Regardless of the brand, they eventually break/wear out. Hardware stores sell them in packs of 5-10 for exactly that reason. I wouldn't put too much stock in what kind of tool the bit originally came with.

The only exception is if you're using an impact driver you might want to be a little more picky. Impact drivers (or impact wrenches) put a huge amount of torque on the bit, and a cheap one could fail catastrophically. There are special "impact driver bit sets" you can buy that advertise high torque strength.


Reconnecting 50 amp service to outbuilding

You'll need a pull box and some insulated mechanical ("Polaris") connectors for this

You are correct that wire nuts and an ordinary junction box won't cut it here.  Instead, what you need is a correctly sized(6" by 6" minimum unless you have fatter conduit than 1", which will require you to go up to 9" by 9") pull box rated for the environment (NEMA 1 for inside, NEMA 3R for outside) to house the splices, and then insulated mechanical connectors (Polaris/Unitap/...) rated for the gauge of wire in question to make the splices.  You'll also need to use a torque wrench to make up the connections -- we're talking torques on the order of 10-20 ft-lbs here.  Last but not least, you cannot bury the box -- it must remain accessible so that the next bloke who needs to mess with those splices can go in and do so without having to demo part of the building on a junction-box hunt.


When filling a hole with loose earth, should there be extra?

They should have compacted the fill in shallow layers to speed up the settlement, in which case settlement would be essentially done in maybe a year.
If they just filled the hole, that will take many years to fully settle, and there isn't much you can do from the surface now.

For loose fill, that's probably about the amount of soil you need for it to eventually be level and not leave a dish in the yard.

Unfortunately, you'll need to rethink your patio plans. If they didn't compact it in layers, anything you put there in the next many years will seriously settle and be a mess.


Need help identifying function of odd looking switch/connection/??? mounted to 2nd story Fascia

It’s a photocell, to turn something on at dusk off at dawn.

Pictured here is Intermatics product several companies make look a alike.


Good way to clean Stainless Steel Railing

I would add a protective coating to it.  I personally have used Stainless Steel Defender.  I use this on anything from dishwashers, fridges, and bar-b-que pits when I flip a house.  I have been happy with the product but there may be other products that are better - this is the only one I have used.


What are the relative merits of stainless steel vs. granite composite sinks?

Your question verges on asking for opinions rather than a technical answer. The functions of either type are identical. Stainless has always been considered the best choice for longevity and durability. The newer composites are very popular, but somewhat suspectable to scratching from hard metal cookware such as cast iron. I have seen some disclosures on various brands that warn of staining from substances such as wine and dyes. They also warn against the use of certain abrasive cleaning products, so more care must be taken with composites. They are however, very durable, less noisy and can add style to a kitchen decor.

As far as installation under a stone countertop, this is typically not a DIY project. Granite fabricators take great pains to prep the mounting surface. The sink is dry fitted and the cutting and polishing the adjoining edges is done precisely to the individual units. They are then epoxied in place, usually with the counter upside down, clamped and allowed to cure. If done on site, install usually would have to be done from underneath,(unless the slab is small and can be flipped over) not the optimal way and very hard to clamp into place if not impossible. Ordering the counter with the hole precut and polished needs to be EXACT, or you will be in a world of hurt when you go to mate the counter with your sink. My preferred counter fabricator only changes $85 for installing a supplied bowl. I think that is a bargain and the bond is warrantied.


Electric shock through laptop case and LEDs stay dim but on when switch is off

The tingling is lethal. What saved you was high resistance on the rest of the circuit back to source.  This needs to be fixed ASAP.

It might be a leaking, faulty appliance.  Plug the appliance into a RCD protected outlet and next time it shocks you, it will instantly trip.  Into the trash the appliance goes.  If it's a PC, the problem is the power supply or power brick.

I wouldn't worry about the external RCD tester not tripping, that is the normal/correct behavior if the circuit does not have a wired ground. An RCD protected circuit doesn't really need a ground to protect you, just equipment.

Give your grounding system a very thorough once-over

It seems like you are doing everything right and still getting shocks, so the first place I go in that case is the grounding system.  It has 3 parts:

the grounding electrode system from the panel  to the actual earth. This consists of a fairly hefty ground wire from the panel's ground bar/bus/case to ground rods, Ufer or water pipe connection into the soil.  We Americans are fond of two ground rods.
The neutral-ground bond, which connects the ground bus inside the panel to the neutral bus also inside the panel.  In America this is often done whimsically, by just landing all the neutrals and grounds on the same busbar. But whatever.   It's more useful to have a distinct neutral-ground bond that you can put a clamp meter around.
the equipment safety grounds, which are the "third" ground wires from the panel's ground bus to all your sockets and equipment.

Search all of those, most especially the first two.


I would select non-flammable insulating materials such as rock-wool, or fiberglass (fully puffed up; mashing it badly hurts its performance).  To use these, you will need some sort of framing to hold it up.  It can't just be taped to a wall.
It's not out of the question to frame a room inside a rental house; I've seen it done. However this is the wrong year to be buying lumber and building supplies: COVID shut down the logging and milling earlier this year, meanwhile everyone stuck at home has gone on a remodeling binge, meanwhile new-home construction remains a very strong market.
However, you really need to work the normal insulation priority list: sealing of doors and windows first, window treatments second, then walls pretty much last.


How should I repair a broken exterior PVC outlet body?

This is THHN wire in conduit.   I do conduit pipe repairs and conduit-body replacements all the time.

That conduit body is not repairable.

You cannot splice inside a conduit body.  They don't have the needed space.   Also you need 12" of slack to even think about a splice in a junction box.

Mark and document

First, you make sure every wire is marked in a unique manner, typically by wrapping tape around the wires near the ends (both ends).  You may need to use diagnostic methods to suss this out, e.g. Unhook one white wire and see what loses power.  However in this particular case, it looks like your installer used a rainbow of wire, making this stupid easy.  This is why wire comes in 12 colors.

Then you document where each wire goes.  Photos and colored tape helps.

Easiest direction to pull

Then you decide which end has the fewest bends and will be easiest to pull.  Unhook all the wires and add a string to the mix, so you can pull the string through.  (it's not terribly hard to run a string through an empty conduit if you skip this step).  Pull them back to the defect point.  When they are near, wrap the bundle with tape, so they don't separate.   Pull off the string if  you added it.  When pulling with string, watch out for hot parts of your panel - this is why I don't like to do it.  Don't pull too hard, go back to the other site to correct any wire snags, so you don't rake the wire across a sharp edge.

Make repairs.  Try to work around the ends of the wires, if you must pull/push them beyond the work area, try to do this absolutely no farther than necessary so you can grab it firmly with needle nose pliers.  Otherwise things get harder, you must pull it all the way out and do a "proper pull".

Push and tease

Once repairs are complete, grab the wires.  Wrap the bundle  with wires staggered, starting at the first exposed wire end, to make the bundle as easy as possible to push through the conduit.  Bend the nose of the bundle so it doesn't hug the edge of the pipe (otherwise it will hang up on fittings). If you pulled a string through, add that string to the bundle, and pull.  Be gentle, if it feels like you might break the string, stop, and use the string to pull through a better string.

Or I usually push them back the way they came.  This can sometimes be tedious.  The answer here is not force but finesse.  Force will only bend/crumple the wires inside the pipe.  I do about 90% of my pulls with this push-tease technique.  This will be easy until you hit the first bend, then harder.  It can be near impossible after two 90's.   I am not beneath temporarily disassembling a bit of conduit to help things along, but mainly, I build conduit with a lot of access points.

If push-tease doesn't work, then break out the regular pulling tools - fishing tape, rope, bit of cloth and a vacuum cleaner, etc.


Your old pull-switch appears to switch both hot/live and neutral wires to your light and extractor fan.
Unless specifically required in your location (judging by the wire colors probably UK/Europe?) it isn't really necessary to switch neutral, so your new switch can be used here.
You'll need to connect all the neutral (black) wires together using whatever method is standard in your location (screw-terminal blocks, push-in connectors, wire-nuts, etc).
Then on to the hot/live (red) wires. The pair which are together in one hole on your old switch must stay together on your new switch.
You'll be using the Common terminal and either the L1 or L2 terminal. The paired red wires together on Common and the lone red wire on L1 or L2.


Can I use a cantilever TV mount the other way around?

I think overall that mounting a TV above a fireplace is a bad idea. It is far from an optimum location to be staring toward when watching the thing. You apparently already understand the viewing problem due to asking about how to mount the TV in the manner you ask about.

There are several other problems to consider about this as well. One is that if the fireplace is used the heat that is generated in front of it wants to rise up and could very well be detrimental to the TV. Also consider that often the wall space above the fire place does not have the normal type of wall construction with good strong studs to which a TV mount can be attached in a decent manner.

As far as the mount itself is concerned. The sidewise type mount that allows a TV to be folded out at an angle from the wall and then pushed back flat against the wall will be a tall hinge assembly that is constructed in a manner to take the weight of the TV in a vertical (down) direction that is at axial to the hinge action. This means that the hinge will move as you push the TV around but will stay put at whatever position you position the TV to.

Trying to position the same type of bracket so that the hinge points are parallel to the floor will not work. This would put the supported weight of the TV at right angles to the hinge action and will make the hinge extend out to its greatest range of motion due to the applied weight of the TV.

They do make a different type of support for smaller computer monitors that allows the monitor to be positioned vertically. These either have counter balance springs to help hold the monitor at a given position OR there are hand tighten clamps that lock the arm assembly into place once the position is selected. They may very well make heavier duty versions of these for TVs but these are unlikely to fit particularly tight to the wall when the TV was raised to the upper stowed position.

Added Comments

I did a quick look online at articulating arm type TV mounts and virtually all are the type designed with the tall vertical hinge points that simply allow the TV to be pulled directly out from the wall and maybe even be positioned at an angle to the wall. From what I saw generally available there was a small selection that allow the smaller sized TVs to be tilted on the end of the swing out articulating arm to allow sight lines to be straight toward the face of the TV. Even these do not solve the issue to have to stare up at a TV that is inconveniently mounted over a fireplace.

Another thing is that none of the articulating arm style of TV mounts can be considered to be actually be a cantilever type of mechanism. The term cantilever is a misused term in the TV mount business. A true cantilever is a stiff arm or beam mechanism that is anchored on one end and then extends out over a solid support with the free end of the stiff arm supporting a load. The TV mounts are not built this way at all and the term "articulating arm" is a far more correct description of the mechanism.

The general selection of height adjustable TV mounts that have spring balanced articulated arms are designed for small TVs at up to maybe 15 pounds capacity. I did see one height adjustable mount that can handle TVs 36 to 60" size up to a maximum of 70 pounds capacity. As I said before this unit has a 6.5 inch profile out from the wall when in the folded up position and has the whopping list price of nearly 500US$. That unit also was claiming convenient single stud mounting but it would be fool hardy to mount a thing like that to a drywall covered stud.


Ecobee Smart Thermostat- Using Room Sensor as primary control

I have two of these thermostats installed.  When you set a programed time for the thermostat, you can also select which sensor is active during that time.  For instance, I have a sensor in the bedrooms and one in the main living area and then the thermostat itself.  The thermostat is in an odd location and I don't like the temperature it ends up reading.  So, for our "daytime" program, I have only the main living area sensor active.  The system doesn't care about the other two temperatures and just turns on and off to make sure that one sensor is happy.

For the "sleep" part of the schedule, I have the two bedroom sensors active, so the temp of the main living area doesn't matter.  I had a problem with one bedroom getting warmer than the other, but adjusting the dampers on the vents in the room corrected that so the rooms warm and cool at about the same rate.

There is also a setting to ensure the fan comes on for a minimum amount of time per hour.  This can be set so the air circulates even if the active sensors are at the "correct" temperature.


Botched grounding in receptacle junction boxes

The conduit's fine...but that ground wire sure isn't

While a properly installed conduit system provides quite solid grounding performance, the pigtail from the receptacle isn't what I'd call an acceptable level of workmanship by any stretch of the imagination.  I would get a proper 10-32 grounding screw and use it to attach the pigtail to the ground hole in the back of the box if I were in your shoes.


No hot water when cold is turned on elsewhere

With the new diagram, we can ignore A&B as they are part of the heating loop.

As for upgrading the 1/2" pipe feeding the water heater, yes, that should be possible, though it may not make much difference if all the hot water for the house is still being sent via a single 1/2" line after the water heater. Now, if you increase the pipe size to the water heater and provide individual PEX from the water heater to the fixtures, you should see some improvement, but it may also be limited improvement if the cold water is still being supplied from the 1/2 pipe in (or coming out of) the wall here. If you can increase the pipe size all the way to the water meter (or actual cold-water entry from the meter), that will help more, but a shorter section of 1/2 pipe is better than a longer section of 1/2 pipe if you cannot get all the way back to a full-sized feed line.


It is often faster and cheaper (particularly if you are paying for labor, so faster is cheaper, but merely saving your own time is good, too) to either cover the wallpapered wall with thin sheetrock, or bash out the wallpapered wall, do anything a sensible person would do with the wall open, and place new sheetrock.

This seems like a drastic, nuclear option approach when you are thinking "but I just wanted to remove the wallpaper!"

You can waste a lot of time and effort and products trying to get an old wallpapered wall looking as good for paint as a newly sheetrocked wall. Demo is messy (so is wallpaper removal) but quick. New rock is quick...and you can fix any wiring  or insulation issues in the wall. There's another wallpaper removal question where where one answer says they spent 6 nights doing a 10x10 room sure, it was the worst room, but tearing out and new rock would definitely have been faster, in my experience.


The normal way to handle this would be to put the oven inside a cabinet.  Many nicer microwaves also have an option of purchasing a "trim kit" that will make it look like a nice, built in wall oven, but as long as you follow the specs for side and top clearance, just an open box of a cabinet will be fine.

The other option would be to just install a shelf for it to set on, but you would have exposed shelf brackets.  A cabinet would be held onto the wall with internal fasteners, and really is the "correct" way to handle this.

As far as mounting it directly to the wall, some microwaves are meant to go over a stove, and will come with a mounting bracket for the wall, but they also assume there will be a cabinet above the microwave to carry most of the weight.

You also need to consider where the microwave will be plugged in.  You probably need to add another outlet, but that's a different question.

Here are a few links for typical installation documents that you need to look for when picking out a microwave:

PDF for random Miele trim kit

PDF for "Specifications" that has very explicit mounting diagrams


How can I lower furring strips / ceiling?

If it was just the ducting, I'd say go whack at it with a hammer until it bends upwards enough. However, you mentioned a waste pipe, which implies plumbing, which doesn't respond well to hammering. (Unless it's only hanging down by 3/8" or less, in which case I'd carve away the top side of the drywall.)

So, the simple answer is to cross strap on 16" centers. (Cheap 1x4 works well.)

The least fancy option is to simply nail it up without any regard for how uneven the existing strapping is. (You could screw as well if you wanted.)

The next fanciest option is to have a flat ceiling. This requires nails at the intersections so you can pull the strapping down to the point where it meets the string that you use to establish straight lines both down the strapping and across. After you've pulled the strapping down, insert shims and put another nail in.

The rolls-royce version is a flat and level ceiling. Again, nails on the cross-strapping, and you'll pull them down to meet the level of the lowest point in the room. Shim and nail as above. I can't express enough how useful it is to have a line laser and a story stick for this operation. (If you're putting cabinets into this room, flat and level might be worth it. If it's just an ordinary room, nobody would ever notice the level part.)


How can I remove paint left from an appliance dolly from the front of a washer?


What easily obtained material would work best to protect my LCD screen?

You could use a sheet of Polycarbonate Lexan, It will stand up well to projectiles.

When you no longer need it, you could convert it into a whiteboard as @Peter Bridger did.


How long and tall does a shower wall need to be to protect against overspray?

First off check your local codes to see if you have to comply with the ADA or other codes.

Otherwise, the width of the opening to enter the shower will dictate your wall length. Personally I wouldn't want anything smaller than 32" but that might just be me.

The height should be high toward the shower head and could be a little lower further out. Some of it depends on how tall you are. Shorter people would cause less spray up high.

I would say not less than 6 feet high but then, that might just be me again.

Good luck!


What is this disconnected cable with three wires in my outlet box?

The wire turned out to be a cable with three conductors. The insulation was melted almost 3/8ths of inch up under the white sheath.  the receptacle was indeed spliced 6 inches inside the wall. I removed the spliced section and remounted the box at 40 inches for ADA compliance.  Thanks to everyone who participated.


Polyurethane is the modern standby product. Water-based is easier to work with, but oil-based is more durable.

One coat, steel wool, another coat or two. Keep 'em light to minimize runs.


Loud circuit breaker pop with burned neutral wires. Need advice on next steps. Photos in description

I think the neutrals just have some soot from the flash on them. The damaged part of the black wire should be cut off and the wire reconnected to the other black. You might have damaged it when you screwed the cover on, screwed the screw into it. Direct shorts on a breaker are never uneventful and pops are common. Examine the wires closely for any damage but I think they'll be OK. The breakers are meant to protect the wiring.


How to keep a block wall from blowing out at the bottom

Blocks are very strong under compression from above, so if the walls are bowing under the weight of each course of blocks, that makes me think the walls are not plumb. You would need to tear down the walls and redo them to be plumb.

You say you want your walls to "withstand the pressure of the dirt." Are you burying the structure? Correctly-built block walls may be strong under compression, but they are weaker under pressure from the side. Tread very carefully. It sounds like you may want to involve the services of a masonry professional if you're not sure how to build a block wall in such a manner as to prevent it from collapsing under whatever loads you're putting it under. Built correctly, block walls are very strong. These blocks are resting on a concrete foundation, right? Ideally you would have a concrete foundation with rebar sticking out of it that you would place the blocks over such that the rebar goes through their cores, and then you would grout or concrete the cores to tie the blocks into the foundation. Block walls are very heavy. Without an adequate foundation, the structure is doomed from the start.

If your block walls are not straight, plumb, and tied into an adequate foundation, you'll need to redo them so that they are--end of story. If all of that is fine, there are a couple of ways you can reinforce your block walls to increase their resistance to exterior pressure from a bunch of dirt:

Put rebar through the cores and pour concrete in them.
Apply a layer of surface-bonding cement to both sides of the wall.

Do both, and the wall will probably outlast your great-grandchildren.

But again, I would strongly recommend hiring a professional to help you. You don't want to build a structure that's unsafe. Masonry is heavy. If it collapses when someone's inside it, that person is probably a goner.


You do not need to add an additional ceiling joist to simply support the new garage door opener. Instead install some blocking between the existing ceiling joists similar to how it shows in the following picture. It may even be convenient to install two blocks to pickup both sides of the garage door opener top bar.

(picture image from build-my-own-home.com)

The blocking can be nailed or screwed in place through the two ceiling joists. Once in place the brackets or mounting bar for the door opener can be attached to the blocking.

Note that if the spacing between your existing ceiling joists is more than the nominal 16" or 24" then make use of a wider piece of material for the blocking to maintain it's rigidness even up to and including a piece of 2x12 material.


14-2 Tap Branched From 12-2 Feed on 20amp Circuit...What To Do?

You should re-feed this fan from a lighting circuit or other 15A circuit.

A ceiling fan CANNOT be supplied from a kitchen or DR receptacle circuit. Whoever did this was clueless with regard to codes and proper wiring.


Yes. There are books that can guide you step by step on projects while you are learning.

Normally, finish is done last because otherwise you might mar the finish while doing working on the piece. Also, finish should be on the exterior surface of the work piece only, not inside the joints. The only way to ensure this is to finish the piece AFTER the joints are sealed.


Found it. There's a round indentation in the shape of this part where the filter goes, it keeps the filter tight and in place.


What's the easiest way to cut a chunk out of a buried railroad tie?

I've used a sawzall type reciprocating saw with the 14" long demolition style blades for similar type wood removal in the ground.

Be prepared to replace the blade a few times as cutting into dirt can mess up the teeth after a while.

With the saw like this you should be able to cut completely through the old timber without having to do any chiseling in the hole. Just enlarge your hole enough to give access to permit cutting the wood back far enough so that it does not interfere with your pier form.


Can I replace a 30A breaker in my panel with a 50A breaker (and new wiring)?

This is a DIY project we see a lot here. Yes, it's OK to remove your 30 Amp breaker and replace it with a 50 provided that's what your EV charger is calling for. Same for the wiring, what's called for in the installation manual. As far as the wires that used to go to the 30 Amp breaker, cut the tips off (Harper cringing), cap with a small wire nut, fold and tape them together and tuck them into the side of your panel. It's always nice to leave a note saying what the wires were for for a future homeowner or to just refresh your memory. Post a picture of your panel so if anything jumps out at us, we can further comment.


What 4x4 lumber is appropriate for a skybed lounger swing?

Virtually any 4x4 lumber will be more than strong enough. Pressure-treated SPF would be fine, as would untreated pine/fir or cedar. You won't break a good-quality 4x4, as each is only carrying roughly a quarter of the load.

Screws are almost unnecessary here, but almost anything that fits the holes well is fine. They carry very little load and simply prevent the thing from falling apart when being transported. 1/4" lag screws or heavy construction screws come to mind.


Is it safe to wire regular receptacles to the end of an extension cord?

This would be considered to be temporary construction power equipment. According to OSHA rules (1910.305, 1926.405) there are specific requirements and the assembly is not for permanent use (running your hand saw for various jobs on the property vs running your freezer long term). Link to OSHA as they're not going away anytime soon: Acceptable Job-Made Extension Cords

The major focus is on using boxes meant for this type of use (boxes with no coined knockouts or that use screw-in knockout plugs), making sure all grounds are intact (including the metal box), neutral and hots properly routed so plugging the assembly in or items into the assembly will not reverse polarity and proper strain relief is supplied (no romex squishers) for the cord.

NOTE: While OSHA rules don't apply to DIY, the spirit of the rules is to increase your safety so Joe Electron doesn't escape through you!


The two power leads would be your black wire and your red wire. they'd go to your L1 and L2.  The white wire, neutral is probably only used if running the pump at 120V.


Protection of sensor and electrical wire conduits/trays from water

I have hundreds of sensors out in the rain, you just need to select ones rated for out door use. I preferr 24 volt models if your rack is 24 volt there is less chance of problems with water. The only one I could see a problem with is the thermocouple. If only high temp fiber insulation when the cable gets wet it can mess up your voltage and give inaccurate readings. This is solved with plastic insulationon the wires or the outer sheith. I like low voltage because I can have the wire going in free air to the mount where if 120v the eye or prox would need to be mounted in the junction box to protect the wires.


New doorbell stopped working, now not working properly

Apparently, the new doorbell is made to operate at 16 volts not 10. It seems to not work well under-voltaged.

I would install the new transformer and disconnect the wireless extender for a while until you determine if the new door bell is working properly. Just make sure you shut off the circuit breaker feeding the old transformer before replacing it. Double check to make sure power is shut off before replacing it.

Good luck!


Why, in the same light bulb, three of the six leds flick, and the other do not?

The reason this happens is that in some of the cheapest and crappiest LED lights large batches of the LEDs are all wired in parallel with each other. Each of the LEDs that are in parallel has a slightly different voltage threshold at which it lights up. Due to the parallel connection of all the LEDs the circuit causes the same voltage to be applied to all the LEDs. The LEDs with the lowest thresholds will be the ones that light the brightest whilst the ones with the highest thresholds will be the dimmest or will not light at all.

Flickering will happen with some LEDs that are on the very edge of being turned on. This flicker game is the fact that as those LEDs right on the edge that are turning on will have slightly increased temperature which changes the LED's threshold voltage some. This change in turn causes the current to change a small amount which pushes the LED on other side of the on/off edge. This results in a temperature decrease in the LED and starts the cycle over again. The relatively slow nature of thermal changes is what makes the flickering at a visually detectable frequency.


Replacing bathroom sink popup drain if sink has hairline cracks

I'm a bit confused by the depressed nature of those cracks, but I agree with UnhandledExcepSean. They're probably cosmetic. I've worked on some old sinks and have never had one disintegrate.

I'd look at the underside and see whether any of the cracks translate through. I'm guessing that if they did you'd have substantial leakage already.

Also, you could ask the property owners if they're willing to compensate you for expenses. You might get a new sink out of it.


How do I remove a pole that's rusted into a sleeve in the ground?

Instead of using a rope to wrap the pipe I would use a piece of heavy chain. The technique is to wrap the chain around the pipe several times and then connect the ends up short together leaving enough of a loop to poke a timber such as a 4x4 through the loop. Use a 4x4 about 8 to 10 feet long and use it as a lever over the top of a short fulcrum post. If the ground is soft you may may need to lay a 2 to 3 foot length of plank flat on the ground under the fulcrum. Arrange the chain loop so it binds tight against itself and around the metal post and use the long 4x4 as a lever to lift the post up some. You then repeatedly reposition the chain loop lower down on the pipe and lever again to lift a step at a time.


The breaker only switches the live, leaving the neutral connected on the load side of the RCBO.
When you cut the neutral and earth at the same time you shorted them together. This can cause enough current to backfeed from the other still live circuits through to the earth to trip the RCBO.
That will be the more likely reason that it tripped.


Laminate floors have a gap around the edges for expansion, which is covered by quarter round or a baseboard. You can gently remove a short run of quarter round or baseboards and measure the laminate thickness that way.

Since you're removing some of the laminate, you'll need to pull the baseboards/quarter round up anyway so you can lay your new flooring closer to the wall.

Or, as @diceless points out in the comments below, removing a floor register would offer an even easier hassle-free method for determining laminate thickness.


Can someone explain this interface of frigidaire front load washing machine?

Looks like from left to right:
Load size, extra rinse, soak, no tumble, Not a clue, Water Temp, Cycle length


Need help with 3-way wiring (diagram included)

What you have here is a line-side traveller loop.  The white wire in the leftmost 14/3 cable takes power out to the switch in Box #2, while the red and black wires in that cable are the travellers going back to the switch in Box #1, which then feeds the load.

The fortunate thing about this configuration is that it's relatively easy to hook your smart switches up to it.  You'll just need a couple of pigtails for the line and neutral on your new dimmer, and a couple of wirenuts to cap off the unused black wire in the cable between the two switch boxes.

Make sure the power's off at the breaker.
Remove the old switches.

In the first box:

Remove the white wire that's bundled in with the black wires from that junction and join it and the white pigtail to the existing bundle of white wires.  (These are your neutrals.)  Remove any tape or paint flags or markings on the white wire in the leftmost cable.  It will become a neutral once again, as it was a hot previously.
Nut the black pigtail into the existing bundle of black wires.  (This is your hot feed coming into the box.)
Connect the existing ground pigtail that grounded the old switch to the ground terminal on the smart switch if the old switch was grounded.  If it was not grounded, post a comment here and I'll update the instructions.
Connect the black pigtail to the line terminal on the smart switch.
Connect the white pigtail to the neutral terminal on the smart switch.
Connect the red wire from the leftmost cable to the traveller terminal on the smart switch.
Cap off the black wire from the leftmost cable with a wirenut.
Connect the red wire from the center cable to the load terminal on the smart switch.

In the second box:

Remove any tape flags or paint markings present from the white wire.
Cap off the black wire with a wirenut.
Connect the ground wire (if present) to the remote's ground terminal.  If no ground wire is present, post a comment here.
Connect the red wire to the remote's traveller terminal.
Connect the white wire to the remote's neutral terminal.
Put everything back together in both boxes.
Turn the power back on and configure the smart dimmer.


Troubleshooting a 120v load off a GFCI outlet

When I hear weird voltages and intermittent, I think LOOSE NEUTRAL.

The neutral bus in the panel that feeds the circuit your garage door is on is not securely attached to the utility company's neutral.

If you're lucky, the mistake is in a sub panel and easily fixed.
If not, it could be he main panel, though that is less likely because ground and neutrals are supposed to bond there.
It could also be behind the meter, or at the utility's transformer.

Go check some 'good outlets' that come from the same panel.  If you see voltages higher than 120, or really any odd voltages, shut off the main breaker, and fix the neutral.  A loose neutral causes voltages on each Hot to vary wildly depending on load, and can easily damage devices in your home.

With the meter pulled, I'd recommend you check all three lugs in the main panel, and in every sub-panel if you have them.  I've heard stories of "licensed" electrician forgetting to tighten down the lugs.  And once a service is live, nobody in their right mind is going to poke or prod at the service conductors in a panel.  So it'd be hard to notice.

While the mater is out, a utility person will be there anyway.  So ask him to check the utility's lugs too and check for a loose neutral on their side.

I'll also go on to note a couple mistakes in your original question that I'd like you to correct, or clarify.

  The other outlets after the garage door with the 88v have less than a volt on the neutral side but good 120v between ground as well.

On the neutral side.  What were you measuring?  From Neutral to what?
120v between ground.  Again, between ground and what?

  WP outlet

What's that.  Did you mean outdoor outlet with weather resistant cover?

  it is testing good 120v between ground and neutral.

That wouldn't be good.  That would be extremely bad.  There should be negligible voltage between ground and neutral.  Ideally none.  Certainly less than 1-2 and then only in a very large house.

  The other outlets after the garage door with the 88v have less than a volt on the neutral side but good 120v between ground as well.

Again.  Incomplete picture here.  When you give us a voltage, you need to say between what two points you were measuring.


How to adhere edge of bullnose tile to drywall as trim for shower/tub surround

The correct solution leaves a small gap at both ends of the bullnose to silicone to those surfaces. The correct way to adhere the bullnose is thinset in the hollow portion of the tile but that doesn't seem totally feasible in this case, you could reattach with polyurethane construction adhesive down the center of the bullnose or something like schluter kerdifix which is a tile specific adhesive using a small 1/8"spacer to keep the tile off the two surfaces. Then 100% silicone along the gaps at the drywall and tub face


Trouble is, the air is laden with moisture and will billow up around the outlet (whatever you use). This might cause staining, and even eventual rot.

Some of the roof tile vents are very neat and small these days (making assumptions here re. your tile type!) and run the pipe up to that? Best long term option.

Also, I'd try to run an insulated pipe (or surround the flat pipe with fiberglass) between the ceiling and the vent. Otherwise the hot air can condense on the sides of the cold pipe in the attic and run back.

If you must fit a plastic vent terminal, make sure it's well sealed to the eaves material to stop moisture laden air getting back into the attic (difficult if there are strip vents for the attic in the soffit or fascia board).

You could consider fitting the vent into a square of metal or plastic to protect the eaves material. I've used white perspex for this in the past.

Update
In light of the better photos and your note about being willing to drill a hole. I'll amend my advice. Go for the core drill. It's always preferable to installing in the eaves or the roof for future maintenance reasons. Plus it's usually the shortest distance from the unit to the vent which is best.

Plus, a vent in a plastic pipe fitted through a solid wall is virtually maintenance free by comparison.

You're unlikely to run into a problem drilling a core hole through old brickwork. You'll need to hire a large special drill and corresponding core bit for best results. You can chain stitch a hole using a regular SDS drill bit and then chop out the core but this is likely to damage the wall and/or plasterwork internally.

Core drills form extremely neat holes. But you must have a stable platform to drill from. The drills are large and the large size of the core bit means you need to be able to hold the drill very securely as they can snatch a little, especially if you're not holding it properly.

Pick up your vent parts first, especially the plastic 'drain' pipe which will go through the wall. Core bits come in various close sizes; 100mm 115mm 127mm etc. etc.


Should I purchase single tools, or a tool set?

Choose high quality for the most commonly-used tools.

There are a lot of crappy tools out there, many of them sold by Harbor Freight at rock-bottom prices. Those tools only make sense if you plan to use them very rarely, and if you will use them very gently, and if you can't rent them nearby.

For the tools you use most often, buy the best quality you can find. Working with good tools is a joy; working with crappy tools is very frustrating.

Don't buy every tool you could imagine using. While "the right tool for the job" makes the job go smoothly, buying all the "right tools" means you'll spend all your time organizing your extensive tool collection.

Buy tools that match the work you like to do. I haven't seen your bed, so I'm not sure how it's put together. It sounds like you plan on only very minor tinkering. With that in mind, I recommend you buy:

an adjustable wrench
a flathead screwdriver
a philips-head screwdriver

These 3 tools will let you do a lot of tasks. I'm guessing that will be enough for you. Beyond that, see the question that @NiallC linked to.

Regarding kits:

Kits sometimes sell on false abundance. That is, you see 100s of shiny bits and pieces and think "everything I could need, wow!". They may have duplicates (my socket set has four 10mm sockets!). They may have items you'll never use. And they may have low quality, hiding behind the size of the collection.

Kits often come in a nice case, making it easy to organize and store your tools. Unfortunately, if you need 1 more bit/socket/attachment/whatever than what comes in the kit, you don't have a good place to put it.


Why does my main water supply go down into the foundation?

This is very common, but not good. It's not good because it's under the concrete slab & expensive to get to, as well, these do usually fail very prematurely & first (30 to 60-years) because they live in harsh & moist conditions to be constantly under attack.

But, this is "normal" for basement baths & laundry sinks or laundry supply hook-ups. It was just cheaper, easier & shorter to run the pipes this way. A lazy Plumber that didn't care about the future & a crap builder that went along with it...just like today.

If you're saddled with a leak in the future, that's when you should see if you can run that piping up into walls, across ceilings & back down walls instead...unless you're doing renovations that can correct it sooner. This will double the piping's lifespan & be easily repaired in the future.


Where can I find these textured cast concrete blocks?

I can't find them offered online either. The quality/style has changed quite a bit since those were made, and I think they've been outmoded.

I found something similar: http://www.uticacast.com/Veneer.htm


How to convert 1 1/2 inch drain pipe to 2 inches coming from my basement floor?

If in your picture, the clean-out has a 1.5" to 3" adapter on top, which is glued to the clean-out and the 1.5" above, you will need to replace the clean out. It looks to be 4" bottom, 3" top. Ideally cut about 1" above the bottom of the clean-out, and cut vertical grooves into the remaining clean out and remove the last 1" with pliers. Hopefully if you do that you won't loose any 4" pipe, as you don't have much exposed. May need to sand/clean up the pipe for the new fitting. Then put in a new 3" to 4" clean out. Then you can put a 2" to 3" adapter in, and replace and necessary Ts and piping above to 2".


How do I install uninsulated halogen can lights?

The 3" clearance clause is referring to clearance to insulation.  However, no inspector will OK these if they are near insulation, even if you were to push it 3" away.  If you are installing in an insulated space you must use IC (insulation-contact) rated cans.

I've done this a couple times now (installed about 35 pots in my house) and it still takes me about 1hr per light.  If it's your first time, expect it to take longer.  A helper is very handy for fishing wire.

If you are unfamiliar with electrical wiring then it is best to leave this to the pros.

Assuming you are placing these in an uninsulated space, the procedure is not all that difficult if you have experience with wiring and basic electrical work. If you have never run wire before then this might be a bit of a challenge.

The particular cans you have are known as remodel cans since they can installed into a finished ceiling.

First, you need to lay out your design; it helps to do this on paper first. I've always followed the 24" away from the wall rule and 3-5 feet apart for each light rule, though it depends on how bright you want it.  Rooms like kitchens usually require more light then a den. You should also consider the bulb type (wattage) and the radius of light they throw relative to the ceiling height (typically higher lights need to be spaced closer together).

Mark your layout in pencil on your ceiling.  Next, use a stud finder to ensure there are no joists within a couple inches of your cans.  If there are you will have to shift your layout by a couple of inches. With either a drywall saw or hole cutter, cut holes in the location for each light - hopefuly the light manufacturer provided you with a template for this.

Now you need to figure out where you are going to get power from. If there is already a fixture in the ceiling, it is probably easiest to get power from this fixture. If not you will need to pull a wire up a wall - this usually involves cutting a small section of the wall at the ceiling and notching the stud so that you can run the wire in the space created.  If you are lucky there is already a switch you can take power from, otherwise you might need a brand new circuit.  If you pull from an existing circuit you must ensure there is adequate capacity for your load; there are lots of answers on this site as it relates to load calculations.

Once you get your line (power source) to the first can, you then just run a cable (14/2 NMD90 usually) from each light to the next, leaving enough slack for you to work with the wire.  If they are all along the same joists then it is usually just a matter of fishing the wire down the span.  If you need to cross joists then you will need to drill a hole through the joists and fish wire in between them.

Connect the lights in parallel to each other and make sure to test them before you push them up in the ceiling and secure them with the clips.

This is just a quick overview of the process - each step can be fairly involved.  The key to a successful installation is planning.  Make sure you know where you are going to get power from, where the obstacles are and how you plan to get the electrical cable to all of the cans.  Leave yourself enough time to complete the job, or plan it in stages.

One other tip I will offer is that higher quality cans are easier to work with than lower quality cans - the cheap ones from Home Depot are a pain to work with IMO and don't stand up very well.


It isn't.
120/240V is a 240V single phase supply, center tapped to produce a "split phase" with 120V between either side to neutral, and 240V between the two hot lines.
120/208V is two phases from a three-phase supply.  There is 120V from either phase to neutral, and 208V between the phases.


How Can I re-attach my bathroom fixtures which are hanging loose from the wall?

Escutcheon =  the cover plate used over a hole in a surface that exists to allow a pipe/fitting to go through the wall.

Your first picture looks like it's a simple case of the escutcheon needing to be re-caulked.  Using a scraper, clean the existing caulk completely from the wall, then apply a new clean bead of bathroom grade white silicon caulk around the escutcheon and hold it in place until the caulk sets.  In this case the caulk is both sealant and adhesive.

Your second picture - how loose is the tub spout?  Caulk won't hold it in place - too much water pressure on the spout - there should be some kind of set screw or other means of getting the spout up tight to the wall.  Once you lock the spout in place, seal it with caulk like with the escutcheon.


Do I bond an Air Admittance Valve to the pipe?

If the AAV is threaded, then you need to get a coupler that is threaded on one side and smooth on the other. You need to prime and glue the push-fit connector. The threaded connection does not get primed/glued.


Wall air conditioner not operating with outlet

This is an easy answer with the information provided. It is new Take it back!. This the best advice I can give as a licensed electrician, & having universal HVAC licencees. If additional information of the model and a better description of flashing lights we may be able to give a better answer.


will unmodified thinset stick to hardiboard?

From what I see on their websites FAQ, unmodified is actually recommended, just mix it to be a "fairly fluid consistency".  As far as sticking to hardboard, it will.


Barring some of the other issues, like what is holding the hollow block up over the window, and are the bolts through the double ledger going into the core of the hollow block or....I usually smooth out the rough spots with a grinder so all side are flat and reasonably plumb and level. It really needs to be flat. Then I set in place a pressure treated 2X8 cut to go across the bottom and one for the top. For the sides, I cut each side really snug so they need to be driven in with a beater block to help keep from splitting the wood and a hammer. Before hand, most pieces need to be dry fit to make sure they set well to the surfaces, since polyurethane construction adhesive will be smeared, shot, gunned, squeezed over the surfaces that will touch the wood before it is set in its final, permanent position.
Hold the PT material flush to the outside wall, since the inside can be filled with ripped material during the finishing stage. Before the window is set I would use a liquid applied waterproofing membrane to seal the outside from water infiltration. Then set the window, then seal that too. Then the outside can be trimmed out with PVC trim to finish it off, covering all the waterproofing that was applied....neatly.


Push button lock unlocks when knob turned

It sounds to me like something in the knob has worn out (eg, a metal locking mechanism has broken off or been worn down). If this is the case, there's not much chance that you'll be able to [easily] fix it.

If it was me, I'd just replace the knob. You may also be able to swap it with another knob in a location where you don't need a working lock.


Can a home rest permanently on two steel beams?

Those steel beams will still rest on the clay which is still shifting but they are used to reinforce the house and allow it to move off to the side for a bit while the machines go and drive in the piles and pour the new foundation.

On note of the piles, they may not actually reach down to bedrock but instead go down and hold a chunk of clay. This means that more ground needs to move before the house itself will move.


Installing aluminum window in block wall

Your assumption is right. You should fit the lugs to the masonry.
As shown in this video at about 2m25s : https://youtu.be/bFsW1rh1r3I?t=145


How do I fix a dishwasher leak and repair damage to surrounding cabinets?

If the dishwasher itself is leaking from a crack in the side of the tub, then it cannot be repaired and needs to be replaced. If it's just leaking from the door, then there's a door seal that can be replaced. You'll have to contact Whirlpool or an appliance repair guy for that -- appliance repair is something that we don't really cover around here because it's not really a DIY thing.

It sounds like the cabinets had a veneer that was then painted. You should be able to glue the veneer back down with some construction adhesive or epoxy. Unfortunately, many of the cabinets that Lowe's sells these days are made from particle board, and the cabinet itself might need some repair or shoring up before it can be used again. We can advise you more if you post some pictures.

I hope they didn't get any of their deposit back!


Solar Power System Circuit Breaker and fuse Amps

You'll need to read the specs of those breakers to see if any of them can play with DC.  For instance of many lines of breaker used in North America , precious few do (e.g. QO, but those only fit QO panelboards, they are not standard DIN rail like Euro panels).  Speaking of DIN rail, there are loads of designed-for-DC breakers, just at  EE/design type electronics shops  like
Mouser, not home improvement stores (except for the odd nuts like QO).

Also given the loads you want to run, you should really seek ways to run these direct on 12V  DC.  Inverting 12V DC to mains merely to power a wall-wart  that makes 12V DC isn't even stupid. For instance if your TV can't take 12v direct, loads of other  TVs can... get one of those.


To clarify, this staircase is entirely brick, correct? If so, you absolutely don't want to use concrete. Concrete is harder than the brick and will eventually damage the bricks.

You want to use mortar. If it's an older staircase, it's likely sanded mortar (mortar + sand).


Mounting an electrical box to screws drilled into the ceiling

You pull the wiring out of the box enough to allow you to attach the screws safely without nicking a wire.  It really helps to hand-drive the screw with care, not just smash it in with a power-driver.

If you don't like all that care, then you use a type of junction box that has ears on the outside, like this.

Or a metal box which, while you do not see any ears, they come in the accessory kit and you can attach them one of several ways.


How can I get my upper level to be as cool as the lower level?

Here are my generic suggestions based on a few decades of home ownership in a climate that routinely ranges from -30F to 100F with dew points approaching 70:

Fix up your insulation. Cooling is usually more expensive than heating, and while hot air rises, heat does not. A hot attic with poor insulation means a hot ceiling, which means radiant and conductive heating of your living space.
Be sure you have appropriate window treatments. Dark-colored blinds or curtains absorb radiant solar heat and conduct it to your living space's air, as well as re-radiating into the room.
Balance your system seasonally. In the summer, your lower-level supply vents should be mostly closed. Your returns will draw air from throughout the home and keep things circulating, and cool air will naturally drop from the upper level. You don't need much (or any) conditioned air feeding to the lower level.
Use ceiling and portable fans to augment HVAC airflow and improve human comfort. Moving air evaporates sweat much more effectively.
Have reasonable expectations. You may not have been trying to achieve 72 degrees as an indoor temperature, but that's quite cool. 76-78 is much more attainable on very hot days, and generally feels comfortable with adequate airflow.


A furnace only has a drain if it's a high efficiency condensing unit, or it contains an A/C evaporator coil.

If it's an older non-high efficiency unit, and there's no integrated air conditioning. Then it probably won't have any type of drain.


How might I attach pieces of lumber between two garage ceiling joists for the larger goal of mounting a punching bag to the lumber?

You'd have to install some more supports to your framing in order to prevent damage to the existing framing members. I'd also suggest mounting the Heavy Bag as close to a wall as possible rather than mid-span.
The ceiling joists will be carrying most of the weight and jolts. The ideal support would include a vertical supporting member under each joist and between the heavy bag. But this may not be convenient or appropriate. The (3) 2x6 boards in you picture should be installed to the joists 'on edge' and not on their 'face' (flat). They'll be able to hold greater stresses and weight.
The instructions don't mention this but it is shown in the web sites picture which shows it mounted to 2x10 joists.
I would think at a minimum you'd should sister in (2) new ceiling joists, one to each of the existing joists; spanning wall to wall. Than bridge between them with a doubled cross piece spaced for the size of your spider hanger. Also some single pieces of bridging spaced at appropriate intervals would be wise. Use 3x9 inch deck screws to join all lumber.


Questions about subfloor prepping for LVP

You will most likely need to a mix of fixes. At the edge where the piece is tilted you may simply fill that with a trowel grade floor leveler. If I am thinking correctly, that is subfloor only, not an underlayment you can pull up. The walls are sitting on the floor you see now. Modulars are built as light as possible for towing to the building site so quite possibly if you pull up the floor, you will expose the insulation and floor joists.
The gap in the first picture will definitely need sanding, and perhaps over a large enough area to lower the other side too, but take no more than 1/8" or less off of the surfaces or you will weaken the subfloor too much.
The gap in the 3rd picture can be filled with floor patch as you suspect. If the floor is thick enough it may be able to span over the gap with no filler, but it would be better to fill it.
Typically each maker of laminate floor has their own "flatness" recommendations. It runs from 1/8" over a 5" span to 3/16" over an 8' span and anything in between. Your last picture with the level "ramped up" to measure the end is not the intent of checking for flatness. The straightedge or level used as a straightedge need to be "balanced" over a hump or depression and the ends are checked over humps or the middle is checked over depressions. The way I see the edge at 1/2", may in reality only 1/4...
So again, sanding will be your help on some of the fixes, but do not go down to far. If there is still a dip or ridge that is too high following the before mention guideline, use trowel grade floor leveler to finish the task.


Why do the lights near the wall in my media room have a separate switch?

There may have been plans for a desk/workspace there
There may have been plans for a bar or cabinetry/countertop there
There may have been plans for a display shelf there
There may have been plans for ...

If you can procure the original design drawings it's probably mentioned what the plan was.


Fixing a large (1/8"-wide) crack in a wood exterior door panel

Though the crack is diagonal it looks relatively straight. In this case I'd take a piece of wood the approximate thickness of the crack at it's widest, cut it to length and then taper it so that it fits quite snugly - you should have to use a mallet to tap it home. Don't worry about the thickness too much - but obviously it should be fairly close.

Once this fits use wood glue to bed it in and fill the imperfections, though you might get a better finish using wood filler for this. Basically put more glue in than you need so it gets squeezed into every nook and cranny. Clean it off before it sets, then leave the repair to set.

Once set use a chisel to remove the excess from both sides of the panel and finally sand to make it flush with the panel. Fill any remaining (and hopefully small) holes, prime and paint.

By making the fit tight you minimise the chances for it to move, and therefore crack, further.


Installing floating floor and keep getting gaps

I haven't worked with the newer Pergo; the last I installed was in 2007.

However, check the installation basics (from here and here):

Are you installing in the correct direction?  The tongue facing upward should be on the floor and the next piece goes on top of it.
Is the floor flat?
Is the flooring material acclimated to between 65 °F and 72 °F for at least 48 hours?
Are you alternating seams so they are at least 12 inches offset from each row?
Are you not tapping from the sides?
Are you providing 1/2 inch clearance from the walls, pipes, and other fixed objects?  (3/8 is for rooms smaller than 40 feet.)
Are you damaging the tongues or seams?
Are you using T molding across the width of the room?  See the instructions for rooms longer than 40 feet.


Definitely looks like you pulled a surface finish off the wood. Either the original stain was a surface-stain, or the water and cleaning may have pulled the color out of a shallow penetrating stain.

You're best option for a quality finish is going to be stripping back the whole table and starting fresh.

Assuming that's not an option, you could try finding a similar color finish at the hardware/home store. If you know what kind of finish was used originally, you should match it. Wood finishing is as much an Art as a Science, so the usual warning apply, but in this case, an imperfect patch may be better than the bare wood.

Sand away the affected area and an inch or so around it, so you can feather in the patch. This kind of patch will never look perfect, but may be "good enough". Apply your stain with a brush or a clean rag, following the instructions on the container. The longer you leave the stain on the surface, the darker it will be. Once you feel it's matching, wipe away the excess stain. Stain is for color only, and won't provide any long term protection. You can apply stain in multiple passes.

After patching you can blend the patch a little by using one of the antique furniture restorers (Restor-a-Finish), which will also help the look of the rest of the table. Just make sure to wait several days, or you'll pull the new patch out of the wood.

As a note. You can try an all-in-one stain+finish, but these products don't always work, and controlling the color can be difficult. In this case, you may want to skip the actual protective finish coat, and just try to stain it to match.

As always, try out any finishing on a less noticeable area first, like the inside of a face frame or drawer.


What can cause a wet patch to appear on an outside wall around an external tap?

My first guess is that the threads where the valve is screwed onto the pipe have started to leak. Even with the water turned off, there will almost certainly be water in the line that would leak. With the water turned off, you can try unscrewing the valve from the wall (as long as the plumber didn't solder the threads, it should come off). If the valve is relatively new and the threads are in good condition, then you can clean the threads, apply plenty of pipe dope to the threads, and screw the valve back on.

Note that if you don't see any mineral buildup around the pipe or threads, then the problem may be inside the wall and require removing drywall to locate the problem. If that's the case, I wouldn't delay in opening things up, since a small sign of water outside could be concealing lots of water inside.


LED lamps are heat-sensitive, and have a high failure rate if confined in a fixture too small or with insufficient ventilation. Putting a large lamp in a small fixture will likely damage the lamp after a while, and possibly create a fire hazard (though the fixture itself might be designed to survive the higher heat output of incandescent lamps).

There are surface-mount LED light fixtures with built-in (non-replaceable) lamps of 2,700 lumnens and more, which might be a better choice. Also check the color temprature. The lamp referenced above is 5,000 K, a somewhat bluish-white. Other lamps have color temperatures from a reddish 3,000 K to actinic 6,000 K.


Basement shower drain backing up when washing machine runs

You likely have a partial blockage down the line from these two drains, or maybe where the two lines are joined.  First thing to try would be a long snake to see if you can clear the line from either of your drains.+


Turn the knob all the way and hold it there, insert a small stiff object into the collar hole to depress the knob retention tab while pulling outward on the knob. It will slide off into your hand.


What could be causing vibration in my furnace?

I'd suspect the new inducer (exhaust) motor if this sound begins to occur just before ignition; before the HSI ( hot surface ignitor) gets hot. A gas flame makes more of a roar than a hum. I've had less than stellar inducer motors in the past, with questionable bearings making it sound like rum-rum-rum-rum...

I've also had duct work vibrate at the unit; go around putting pressure on things until the sound changes. I still believe the sound is caused by the inducer; though it's not necessarily the source of the sound.

Take the furnace's top-section of the faceplate off, and try grabbing stuff; beware the 120v wiring. Tighten down the clamps that lead from inducer motor to the plastic pipe. Also try putting little pieces of insulation where piping might be resting on things.

It's not unheard of that replacement parts be less than spectacular. Encountering this exact problem, I've lived with a (now a little less) noisy replacement inducer for 10 years now.


Restore small section of OSB behind inner wall

When I have a small hole in a wall I will use a strip of wood (1x1/2x~8”). Slip the piece into the hole and using screws. Put at least 1 screw in each end of the board. I put one on each side of the hole then put the piece in and screw the square to the strips I just installed. I have even used paint stir sticks when making this kind of repair in drywall, but for plywood or OSB like something a bit stronger. I have used silicone on the wood to seal the patch at the seams. This would be the best advice I can offer with the information provided.


On dual transformer systems, Nest expects the common wire to come from the cool side (Nest Pro Guide, bottom of page 20); look towards your A/C not your boiler.

If there is a common terminal on your A/C control board and

18/5 wire bundle - use one of the extra wires to connect the common terminal to your Nest
18/3 wire bundle

Use Venstar Add-A-Wire (or equivalent) or
Run a new common wire (might make more sense to just run a new 18/5 or more bundle)

If there is not a common terminal on your A/C, you'll need to find the wiring diagram and locate the 24v transformer. Pull a common wire off the negative side of the secondary side (24v) of the transformer and connect to common terminal of Nest (or use Venstar Add-A-Wire). You'll need to verify that the added load of the Nest won't exceed the VA rating of the transformer (it shouldn't). If this is over your head - call an electrician.


Why are my new switches tripping the circuit breaker sometimes?

That sounds like a short to me, and a potential fire or electrocution hazard. Leave the breaker off while you fix this. With a 3-way light switch, you'll have two possible paths between the switches (which is why there are 3 screws + ground, 1 line/load, and 2 switched). My guess is that one of the two switched wires is grounding itself. Remove the switch that you worked on, and see if the ground wires are coming into contact with any other wires.


What cabling should I run for LED panels with a 0v-10v dimmer?

I would use 1 run to the fixture then daisy chain them just like any other install.  The low voltage can run in the same cable because all the conductors are insulated for 600v so that would be code compliant. Make sure when you connect your 0-10 you connect them all the same. reversing 1 can damage that one and prevent the lights from going full power (a short takes mine down to ~10% light output) took a while to figure this out as the apprentice only mis wired the last 2 of 20.
All the lights came on at a low level 1 fixture damaged 1 ok. The damaged one no longer was dimmable but works at full power so we put in an area we did not vary the lighting.


Is snow piled against the outer wall likely to cause damp?

Here in Alberta this turns out to be a non-problem.  What tends to happen is that the snow slides off the roof, stacks against the house.  Within a day or so, heat from house melts a finger sized crevasse and the snow is no longer touching the house.

Assuming that there is reasonable siding on the house this is a non-worry item IMHO.

If however, the ground is impervious to water penetration, and you start getting a pool of water at the base of this crack, then watch that carefully that it doesn't get above the foundation course.  If this happens, you need to create drainage to take care of it.  I've not seen this happen in our climate.


How should I connect my new WiFi Smart Switch?

There's a nice video at that link which covers things pretty well. You connect the blacks to the two blacks that connect to your current switch.

The white from the new switch can be bundled with the cluster of white neutrals in the box, though it appears that the nut on it is already quite full. You might need to split the bundle and connect two smaller bundles with a jumper.

The green ground wire connects to the bare ground wire bundle in the box.


Should I use concrete, or some other method to fix this entry area?

Since you are inside, if you properly compact the sand prior to pouring (rent a compactor) there's no reason you can't just pour the concrete right onto the sand as far as I know.

If you were outside, it'd be a different story.


How-Where should I end this partial skirt-board at the stair? (I have more wood to re-cut a new piece if need be)

I think this is a perfectly good solution as pictured. You could, I suppose, run a little longer at the yellow arrow, but I don't think you'd want to go all the way to a point.

The only thing that offends this trim carpenter is the direction of the grain... I'd have done it in line with the angle of the stairs. (So no end grain on top.)

But a bit of paint, coupled with the fact that this is the stairwell to the basement and anybody else looking at it will think it's marvelous... well, I'd say you're done.


If you explicitly stated you wanted the tile seams to be random, then no, it's not unreasonable to ask them to redo it.

That said, at 24", I don't think you'd actually like the look. That's a really short tile for random joints. Note that actual hardwood floors not only have random seams, but random lengths of boards. Even engineered wood at typically 4' lengths can look a little odd when you try to emulate the random seams of actual hardwood flooring.

FWIW, I actually like how it was laid. So maybe compromise and ask for a % off the bill?


Outside Ceiling Fan Problems: Light But No Fan

There are a couple of things you can try to fix it before thinking about getting a new fan:

All the fans I've seen will make a slight humming noise when they're turned on, whether they're moving or not: if you don't hear that noise, you may not be getting power to the fan.  Turn off the circuit at the service panel, take down the fan from the mount on the ceiling and check all the connections.  Once everything is checked out, remount the fan, turn the circuit on and try again.

Second, does the fan turn easily if you move it by hand?  If it doesn't turn easily, then something is wrong with the mechanics and the motor might burn out trying to turn the fan.  Try spinning it a few times to free up whatever might be sticking; if that doesn't help, then I think it's time for a new fan.


Why am I getting no power to the branch circuits with a new sub-panel?

Start by shutting off the breaker in the main panel that feeds the subpanel.

Using a multimeter set to check continuity, test the continuity through the main breaker in the subpanel. It's possible that the main breaker in the panel is bad, and needs to be replaced. The problem is, it's usually cheaper to buy a whole new panel then to get a replacement main breaker.  If this is a new panel, and the breaker tests bad. I'd contact the place you purchased it from, and ask them what your options are.

While the power is still off to the subpanel.

Check all the connections to make sure they are tight.

Check the continuity from the bus bar through each branch circuit breaker.

Make sure the main breaker in the subpanel is fully closed. If you turn it to the ON position and it has a little wiggle to the handle, this might mean the breaker is not actually setting when you turn it on. In the ON position, the handle should held tightly in place. If the breaker will not set, it means the breaker is bad and needs to be replaced.


Can I install a 60A main breaker in a load center rated for 125A?

Yes you can get a 60A main breaker for this panel

Your panel uses what is known as a QOM1 main breaker frame size -- this is standard for Square-D panels up to 125A.  While an ordinary Homeline 60A breaker won't fit there, the good news is that Square-D does make a QOM60VH -- so simply install that into your panel as per the supplied instructions, and you'll be golden as far as your main breaker goes. (Some other panel makes would require you to use Harper's approach of using a backfed branch breaker for the main, instead.)

You'll also need a PK15GTAL ground bar or two, as this will be a subpanel instead of a main panel.


Can you connect a 14 gauge electrical wire with a 12 gauge?

You can do this, but you must make sure the breaker for the circuit is a 15A breaker, not a 20A breaker. It is also possible that someone in the future may look at the 12 gauge wire coming out of a 15A breaker and think "I can up that to 20A by just replacing the breaker", so labeling it properly on the panel is important.


This is an obsolete socket type called a parallel and tandem socket, and is designed to accept either standard parallel plugs without a ground or older tandem style plugs (again without a ground):

None of the connections is a ground - it consists of 2 pairs of hot and neutrals, one oriented vertically, the other horizontally. If there is a ground wire to the box (which I doubt), this can be replaced with a standard 3 prong outlet. If not, you'd have to find a way to get a ground into the box.


What should I do after topping up the oil in a lawn mower with petrol by mistake

Drain the oil.
Refill with new clean oil.

Check the manufacturer's documentation for oil change procedure, and type of oil to add.

Looks like the drain plug on your mower is just below the oil filler tube.

To change the oil:

Remove the spark plug cap.
Tip the mower so that the oil can drain without flowing across the deck (Make sure the mower is secure before proceeding).
Put an oil pan under the drain (use a funnel if necessary).
Remove the drain plug (be careful not to drop it in the oil pan).
Allow oil to drain.
Replace drain plug.
Set mower flat.
Fill with recommended oil to fill line indicated on dip stick.
Wipe up any spilled oil.
Replace spark plug cap.

TIPS:

To prevent accidental starts, always remove the spark plug cap before working on a lawn mower.
If the drain plug has a gasket washer on it, moisten the gasket with a bit of new motor oil before installing the plug.


Can I add cords to recessed light fixtures to make them portable?

The NEC doesn't care what type of light fixture you cord-connect as long as you aren't burying the cord
The NEC's provisions for using cord-and-plug connections for light fixtures (luminaires) don't discriminate between luminaire types.  So, as long as you are using correct clamps in the fixture knockouts to strain-relief the cord to the box, mounting the fixtures securely so they don't strain the cord, and leaving the ceiling unfinished, you should be good to go.  Just keep in mind that if you ever do decide to finish the ceiling, you'll have to swap the cords and receptacles out for ½" KO face plates and fixture whips.


How exactly do you set these post holders into concrete?

That base goes into a hole drilled into a concrete slab, and is then attached with epoxy. The base of the bracket bears on the cured slab. Follow the epoxy manufacturer's instructions regarding hole clearance and cleaning procedure.


Wiremold Ceiling Fan Box not compatible with Harbor Breeze mounting bracket. How to fix?

The Wiremold Solid Base Fan Box Fitting (part number V5783AF) is specifically designed for fans that have a fan bracket with holes on a 3 3/16"(81mm) spacing. If your fan bracket does not have this spacing then you will not be able to directly mount up the fan without doing some type of adaptation of modifications.  From looking at the Wiremold installation instructions it would appear that would not want to modify the Wiremold unit itself.

As you can see in the following diagram from the installation instructions that some fan mounting brackets have long slotted holes that accommodate a range of stud spacings.

This picture from a typical Harbor Breeze fan installation guide shows how the fan hanger bracket normally mounts to the electrical box using screws into the tabs in the electrical box. In the case with the Wiremold box the studs from the Wiremold back plate have to go through the slots in the fan bracket and then nuts are used to secure the fan bracket instead.

So if the slots in the Harbor Breeze fan bracket that you have do not have the 3 3/16" (81mm) spacing you will have to get another solution. Since it appears that you are committed to the Wiremold products for the electrical delivery to the fan site you will have to search for a fan that has a bracket that uses the correct spacing.

Note that it is not recommended to try to modify the parts shown here in an attempt to kludge together a solution. The safety of hanging the fan does require using the hardware as designed.


How to put a support bed under an already installed bathtub?

I have done this with plain Plaster of Paris, which I consider to be the best option - it's stable, but easily removed if/when the tub is replaced. I had planned to set the tub, pull it and place a pile of plaster, then reset it, but setting it the first time was such a chore that I did it from the other side of the wall instead.

It will be a bit messy, so prepare for that. With plaster you need to keep the relatively short working time in mind (it sets fairly quickly) and be sure to push enough in from the side you can access to support the opposite side. I ended up mixing several smaller batches so that I could get them placed before the plaster set, and filled in from the far side to the side I had access from with successive batches.


It is rough-in for central vacuum. Pipe and two wires for distant turn on vac. Some special outlets, central vacuum should be installed if you gonna use it. And hoses, connected to outlets, have switches.


How do I fill in the holes in wooden window frames?

If the window frames are made of wood, I would use wood filler to fill the holes.

You won't be able to conceal the holes from a forensic crime-scene examiner but that is not your goal. You need to restore the property to a state that will satisfy a reasonable owner that you have looked after it and kept it in good repair so that it can be rented out once you have terminated your lease.

It is always wise, before drilling holes in someone else's property, to ask the owner.

If in doubt, ask the owner what she would like you to do.


Installing a chimney rain cap with no exposed flue

There are a couple of different ways, but you probably would need a custom cap made up:

1 - You can mount the cap to the brick from the side as in the first picture:

2 - You can mount the cap to the top of the chimney:

Pictures from: https://www.riversidesheetmetal.net/chimney-caps/

To mount from the side of the chimney, people normally use anchors, such as these or these. You need to drill the side of the cap or get it made pre drilled for this.
You can also glue it down if you want, either mounted from the top (more common) or side.

A lot of people like to use something called liquid nails for that (top mount). If it was me I'd probably do both (depending on how much you actually pay for a cap, its not a bad idea) just to be sure, but if not, then I would anchor it from the side. Liquid nails is quicker, just make sure you get something appropriate.


What issues should I be aware of when buying a 60's house that hasn't had anything done to it since it was built?

As much as I'd like to think I know what I'm doing when buying new properties, I ALWAYS hire a home inspector.  If you are concerned about Asbestos, you aren't going to be able to negotiate on price or to get it fixed unless you have a home inspector come in.  The added bonus of hiring an inspector is that if they miss something that should of been caught during the inspection, like termites, they are insured to cover it for you.

Further, if you suspect Asbestos, you should work testing for that into your P&S contract. The tile floors and ceiling plaster are just as likely to be asbestos.

Moreover, an untouched house from that era is likely to have a leaky roof, and a leaky roof means you have mold (another reason to have an inspector).  The air ducts may / may not be full of dust. The intake plumbing may be made out of led. The cast iron waste lines may be rotting and depending on water quality you may even need to verify the that the copper piping doesn't look like it has any pitting. At this point, the the foundation likely has a few cracks and you'll wanna test for Radon if you are in an area prone to in.

I just noticed Jasper posted while I was writing this. While I agree with him, you'll likely want to update your windows. The electrical capacity probably isn't as much of an issue as it would have been a decade or two ago now that people are moving to LED bulbs and laptops. Similarly, if your appliances either work or they don't - This isn't a 60s specific thing. Moreover, I'd argue appliances were better built and easier to repair back then, so if they are in good shape may even outlast a modern one.

TLDR; Don't do it your self. get an inspection!


What to do with wobbling laundry machine?

An uneven or unbalanced load of laundry can send a washing machine "walking" across the floor in some situations. For a machine to function correctly it should be situated so the case is level (horizontal plane) and plumb (vertical plane). The easiest way to check this is to use a carpenters level. Set the level on the top and adjust the glides up or down. Hold the level on the side of the case and adjust like-wise.


Looks like they might be commercial quality, hence the 5 year limited warranty.   More specifically, according to Delta Customer Service, HDF stands for "Heavy Duty Faucet."


New circuit - Eaton Combined AFCI/GFCI Breaker Trips when any switch is thrown

Found it.
After about 30 minutes of troubleshooting, I found the problem. It is amazing how sensitive the breakers are. This 1/16" exposed neutral from the push in connector wasn't touching the metal box, but was really close to it, maybe 1/32"-1/16" away and it was causing it to trip. Ironically, I hardly ever use these push in connectors, as mentioned, except for grounds in some cases and this happened to be the ONLY non-ground joint that I used a push connector in. I had pushed it into the connector and then thought, wait, I don't want to use that on the neutral, but had already pushed it in so figured one wouldn't hurt. Wrong. Removed from the push in and put it under a nut and problem has been solved.


Is clearance to an electrical panel required to the sides?

The clearance is 36" in front and 30" side-to-side -- but that side-to-side clearance does not have to be centered on the panel as long as both edges are accessible.

Graphically, originally from Mike Holt:


.5 inch copper pipe leaking at slab, .75 inch pipe from water heater enters

Ok, so I got this sorted eventually.  I cut a hole in the wall to expose the manifold behind the water heater, found the line feeding my leaking pipe, cut and capped it.  That resulted in stopping the leak but also cut the hot water supply to 2 bathrooms.  I then followed the wall with the leak to its end and cut another exploratory hole in the area where it abutted the hallway wall, and found more copper exiting the slab.  After some more fiddling, I discovered that the 3/4 copper coming out of the slab was feeding the bathrooms that were missing their hot supply, and that the 1/2 copper tee off of that line that dove back into the same hole was the pipe that led to the leaking section.  I then reattached the pipe at the manifold behind the water heater, cut and capped the 1/2 inch pipe in the hallway wall, replaced the drywall and borrowed a carpet cleaner to extract as much water as possible from my brand new carpet.

So the answer ended up being that there were no fittings under the slab, the pipe was merely run under the hallway to the opposite wall where it poked out to a tee which was run under the slab down the wall.

Builders ought to have to file the complete plans with the city. Figuring out the plumbing and electrical runs in this place has been a nightmare.  Thank you all for your insight. It was helpful.


How to Hang Projector Screen from ceiling against wall?

Rather that attaching into the drywall or cobbling up short mounting blocks I would strongly recommend that you mount a board to all the existing studs that is just a bit longer than the width of your screen.

This board can be a straight forward 1x6 pine board (actual dimensions 0.75" x 5.5"). Since you want the screen up near the ceiling anyway just slide the board all the way up against the ceiling and attach it with screws right through the drywall and into the studs. This will make a nice sturdy place to attach the hangers for the screen. Once it is all attached in place the board can have holes filled with filler or spackle. Then prime and paint to a color that matches the wall.

Note that once the screen is hung in front of the board it will hardly be noticed that the board is there and it will still look nicer than other kludge solutions.


How can I fill and flatten unneeded hinge mortices for painting?

If your doorframes are MDF any patching is going to be visible to some degree. I would try filling it (with slight overfill) with wood putty and sanding it as smooth as you can using finer grit (220) for the finish. It all depends how particular you are - it's very difficult to get a perfect mend on this.
The only other option is replacing that side of the frame which would take considerable time and effort since it's structural to the door. In case you or a future homeowner wants to put a door back in you need to make sure it's attached properly and shimmed.


Is it safe to soundproof a bedroom that doesn't have an air vent?

How big (in m3 not m2) is your bedroom? What I mean how much air is in there? I’m not sure that there is a danger that you will run out of air? Although it is a good thing to have source of fresh air.


How to cover up ripped drywall with minimal effort?

If you're just looking to cover up the wall, a sheet of 1/4" or 1/2" plywood (4x8') would probably work.  You can get them at the big box stores for $20 or less.

I'm not sure how much drywall costs where you are, but my big blue store carries a 4x8' sheet of 1/2" drywall for $8. If you've already got a level and a utility knife, you can cut it to size (score with the knife and snap). If not, those are things you should probably own as a homeowner anyway, so now's as good a time as any to get them! If you want to get fancy, you could get a drywall square; my blue store has one for $12. Throw in tape and a tub of premixed compound for $15 or so, and you're out the door for just more than the plywood. If you've got more than one of these areas to do, you'll only need more drywall making it cheaper overall.

If this is the only place you're needing to fix, it looks like a single 4x8' sheet would cover that whole area, with little left over. In that case, the plywood might be slightly cheaper, but if you need a second sheet for another area, the drywall starts to become cheaper.

Of course, you could just put up the drywall without any compound, making it much cheaper than the plywood.


Excessive Water Running Alert (Left the Hose On)

What you are looking for is a remote water level monitoring system. It is all up to cost on how elaborate of a system you want. Here is the google search.


How do I add an outlet to the end of a circuit that terminates with a recessed light fixture?

Two options:

1) Replace the ceiling fixture with a pull chain model, plus an outlet.  Bypass the present switch.

2) Run a new cable from the outlet to the switch box.  Your picture shows white color NM cable, so presumably it is 14/2 (black, white, ground, 15 amp maximum). Obtain more wire, and hook three wires (black, white and ground) into the respective positions in the couplers.

Read up on basic electrical safety before attempting any of this.  The bottom bundle, as you wrote, is the incoming hot.


We hear a constant bass subwoofer like thumping noise every night from about midnight to 7 am

Listen, sound patterns travel in the weirdest ways.  My house is on a hill and there is a college a block away.  Every night my house was shaking from bass and I was like "what the hell".  I am thinking the kids were cranking up their bass so I ventured out on a recon mission.

After a few nights of visiting the parking lot area I did realize it was a few kids.  But their music was kind of loud but really not bad at all.  The sound waves just climbed right up the hill and bam hit my house.  I just asked them to move literally 30 feet over behind a tree and have never heard them since (and they still hang out there).

For your issue you have to get rid of all of your power for a night to make sure its not you.  I believe you when you say its your neighbor but check yourself first.  I did have a roommate in college that slept with semiloud music on all the time.

As for traveling through pipes... I doubt it.  Unless their system is setup right next to the sewar lines or main stack really there is no way.  Most bass back echos.  So if they have a system that is facing away from your house in their room facing you, that would make more sense.

I would talk to the neighbor.  Your options for making this sound go away on your own probably involve a tree or fence which I am not even sure is possible.


What is best place to place TV unit in the living room so that it will comfortable to the view?

The way that I solved the "best viewing" dilemma was to purchase a flat screen TV console similar to this one:

The console came with a full tilt and swivel TV mount bracket that attaches to a post on the center back of the console. The TV in turn mounts to the bracket.

Placing the unit in a corner like shown below allows for a great variety of furniture arrangement and the swivel mechanism allows the TV to be rotated slightly to favor a certain viewing direction if needed.

The center shelf of the console works very well for placement of a sound bar and the lower shelf can accommodate video player and cable box if required.

Best things of all. No hacking of the walls and the console can be moved and easily adapted should you ever decide to step up to a larger sized screen.


Simply put...you missed the stud location when you made the hole.

You could try using a wire in the wall up, down, right and left from your hole to locate the actual stud location.

Note that stud locators and never deterministic for every situation.


To;dr - Yes, and probably.

Copper has been used for a couple thousand years now for piping and as a part of brass for plumbing fittings and handrails. It is naturally anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. You don't need antibiotics or cleaners on real brass handrails.

The Romans used it for plumbing and although they really didn't know anything about bacteria it kept them healthier. (Unfortunately, they also used lead which is poisonous and may have contributed to insanity in their upper clas population.)

Copper is also used in asphalt shingles and as a paint additive, as an inexpensive anti-fungal and anti-mold agent to prevent moss, mold, and mildew growth.


To get the floorspace and some light, I guess you could paint the attic section brilliant white, or mirror-line it (the light-pipe idea without restricting the size to the size of the light-pipes - perhaps using builders aluminum foil) put a "skylight" on it in the upper bathroom ceiling and put floor-load and fire-rated glass panels in the bathroom floors. Save a corner of the shaft-space for ventilation duct if there is not an independent means of ventilation for these bathrooms.

One reason for the decline of laundry chutes (however awesome they are ;^) ) is that they are a fire hazard (or a fire traveling quickly through your house hazard, more accurately) as a big penetration in the floor assemblies - to a fire, it looks like a chimney.

If keeping it a a chute, I guess you could still get some light and reduce lost socks by making the walls mostly glass.


Windows won't close and have broken locks -- how to fix?

I won't address the "broken locks" part of the question because the answer is self-evident.

You have what is commonly called a tilt window that uses spiral balance mechanisms to keep the window up when you open it. Common reasons for these windows to become difficult to fully close are worn or damaged spiral balances or worn or damaged balance shoes.

The balance shoe is a part that rides up and down in a frame channel on the side of the sash, the window sash connects to it at the bottom corners. Sometimes you can just lubricate the channel that the balance shoe slides up and down in, to make it easier to open and close the windows.

Check out this video to familiarize yourself with how and where the balance shoe operates. There are many more online informational resources to find by searching spiral sash balance.


I guess you could try putting some thin foam or felt stick on pads on the inside of the door frame where the door contacts it. This should lower the sound of the wood to wood contact.  If the knob hardware is also loud, try using some dry silicon spray lubricant on the moving parts and on the door hinges.  Sleep well.....


Where do I connect the ground wire in the disconnect?

If you only have three wires coming from the meter, and four going to the "main" panel. Then you're going to bond the neutral in the disconnect enclosure, so the direct answer to your question is all 3.

If there's a grounding bus bar in the enclosure, you'll terminate the grounding electrode conductor (the other end of which is attached to the grounding electrode) at the grounding bar. Otherwise, you'll just pull it into the box.

Next you'll bond the box itself, by connecting a conductor from the box to the grounding bar (or grounding electrode conductor, if there's no bus bar). This may be done already, depending on how the bus bar attaches to the box.  If the bus bar is bonded via the attachment method, you're done with this step.

You're also going to bond the service neutral in this box.  This will be done via a bonding jumper between the neutral bus bar and the grounding bus bar, or by connecting a conductor between the neutral bus bar and the grounding electrode conductor.

You'll connect the grounding conductor going to the "main" panel, to the grounding bus bar or the grounding electrode conductor.

When you're done the service neutral will be bonded, so it should be isolated from the grounding conductor everywhere else in the building.

You'll end up with something that looks like this.

Click for larger view


cheap hot water tank failure after 3 1/2 years - expected, luck, installation problem, acid water, pressure cycle?

Given that the last two also failed in the ~3 year timespan, I'd say either

you and the last guy have a strong affinity for bottom-shelf big-box cheapies
there is a quality problem with your water
there is a quality problem with your fuel

Assuming the pinhole developed in a non-combustion area, that would point to the water.  I would have it tested (which water treatment sellers will often do for free).

I would also have a close look at the anode.  If it is relatively intact, then changing the anode won't help. If it is massively corroded, then you'll need to make "changing the anode" an annual affair!