Important features in electric screwdrivers for furniture dis/assembly

You need tactile feedback to avoid stripping the threads.
In my experience, Ikea style knock-together furniture has a fairly narrow "acceptable torque" range. This is easily detected by hand feel.  However, any power driver will give  you dead nerves.  You will not be able to feel the correct torque, and the machine will be a "bull in the china shop" and blast right through the correct torque before you even know what's happening.
Is it OK for disassembly?  Sure if you remember to switch it to "loosen".  Is it OK for "rundown"? Sure, but the final few twists should be by hand.
The best power driver I ever had was cheapie. But it was shaped like a screwdriver, with the result that you could effortlessly switch between power and hand operation at any moment.
However I have found a much more satisfactory method: a "Speed wrench" with a bit holder.

Now this gives me the speed and power of a power driver but the control and tactile feedback of hand driving.
They cost a little bit of money but y'know what? 5 years hence they won't be in the junk bin waiting to go to the electronics recycler.


Home Office Space using garage conversion room

A picture of the interior as it is now -- and an example from the Internet of what you want it to look like when you're finished -- would be really helpful.  Without that it's hard to suggest all the steps you need to do.
However, to remove the drywall, cut the tape with a utility knife.
It sounds like you need to replace the interior trim.  That's a detailed project for a beginner.  You may want to hire a trim carpenter to help you.


If the light fixture has no exposed metal parts then it doesn't need a gorund wire.

Many new fixtures are all plastic and hence are inherintly safe since there is nothing that can become energized.

Just coil the ground wire up and leave it in the box.


Okay, so you're keen on UV bulbs but don't really have any background in lighting tech.  That's fine.

E17 is a type of Edison screw-in base used with incandescent bulbs (and LED conversions).  It is the third most popular after E27 (standard lightbulb) and E10 (Candelabra). Many fixtures will apply effectively 120V to an E17 Edison base.

However, the E17 germicidal light bulbs require a very special controlled current and voltage.  You must drive them to specification. They will burn out if hooked to voltages intended for E17 incandescent bulbs.

F5 is not a bulb.  It is a very particular size of fluorescent tube.

G23 also is not a bulb and is a very particular size of fluorescent tube.

With both fluorescents, it is not enough to read the spec sheet and drive them at specification current. Fluorescents are not as simple as that.  The preheat filaments need to be warmed, and then an arc must be struck down the filaments. Commercial off-the-shelf units which do this are readily available; they are called ballasts. One should not reinvent the wheel.

Note that F5 and G23 tubes use a physical form-factor similar to other (lighting) fluorescent tubes (which have different names).  The compatibility of the form-factor does not mean the ballasts are compatible.  You must consult the ballast data sheet for which tubes it does support.

Your best bet may be to find a fixture that takes a visible-light fluorescent of the same form-factor, then change out the ballast to make it compatible with the germicidal fluorescents.


Is this an appropriate replacement for our current bathroom extractor fan?

It's difficult to say without seeing the current installation. Rather than answering the question directly, I'll give you some tools to make the assessment yourself.

There are a few basic considerations when seeking a replacement fan, aside from feature preferences...

Housing size
Housing mount type and location
Grille size (for coverage of the existing ceiling opening)
Duct size
Duct position

If any of those don't match, you'll need to decide whether the necessary changes are feasible and acceptable. That's mostly a matter of prerogative, so we can't say.


What does "1 Gang", "2 Gang", and so forth mean when talking about electrical boxes?

It refers to the width of the box.  A 1-gang box is wide enough for a switch or duplex receptacle.  The idea is that you can "gang" up electrical components in the box.

One gang

Two gang

Three gang

X gang

Common sizes


Connecting a single audio device to multiple outputs for whole house speaker system

EDIT:  This is to address the additional info the OP add to the question.  The distribution panel you linked to is straight forward and is essentially the same thing as the switch i referenced in my answer below.  You run speaker wire from your amplifier or receivers speaker output to the "input from amplifier" (the red inputs).
On the back of your amp you have speaker outputs, each speaker gets to wires,  the left has a (+ & -) and the right has (+ & -) .
These go to the red inputs box on the panel.
The left from the amp goes  to the (L + & -)  and  right from the amp goes to the (R + & -)  ALL connections are Positive to Positive, Negative to Negative.
Your existing speakers are wired  colored coded. As long as you use the same color for each terminal you are good. In your case you have the old terminal blocks with labels. In the photo the block is set up as follows,
Red is right +, Black is Right -. White is Left + and Green is Left -.
To wire each set of speakers you wire them to the terminals on the new panel just same.
(Red to right +, Black to Right -. White to Left + and Green to Left -.)
You need to get the colors the same on your new panel as they are on the old blocks because they all go to a volume controller and from the volume controller to the speaker in that + - configuration. If you get any backwards you will have reversed the polarity  of that speaker (s). (it needs to be positive to positive all the way from amp to panel to volume control to speaker.)
I would suggest that you contact the folks at Crutchfield  They are very knowledgeable and will be able to assist you. They can tell you if the panel you listed is the best option for what your system needs, plus they have amps.   Not affiliated just a customer.

Original Answer:

Connecting a single audio device to multiple 4-pole audio inputs for
whole house speaker system

While there are 4 wires in the one jacket of insulation it is not a "4-pole audio inputs" It two sets of wires for two speakers.  Each speaker takes only two wires, a +positive and a -negative. (there are speakers with 4 terminals for bi-amping that can use 2 or 4 when two different amplified signals are sent to the same speaker, you should look at the back of each speaker to make sure what kind they are. Bi-amp speakers are usually a more high end audiophile speaker.)

simply plug in an old phone with an audio app installed

First it is not that simple. Your speakers need to be supplied a powered signal and your phone in not capable of doing that.
There are several options to get music from your phone to your built in speakers, the simplest would be a small stand alone amplifier with RCA inputs and out ports for speakers. (you will need an adapter to go from the headphone jack to RCA.) There are hacks and/or adapters you can buy that you can add to a stereo to receive a bluetooth signal from your phone.
To get the most out of your music/speakers you should have DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) Many amps have them built in or you can get a stand alone unit.
You are not limited to a basic amp, you can use an old stereo receiver or a modern AVR (Audio Video Receiver) or even an old/new tube amp. You will want an Integrated amp unless you want to go with a pre amp/amp combo but that is more complicated then we need to get here.  All of these have RCA inputs to accept the adapter from your phone and speaker connection ports on the back.
You have quite a few speakers judging by the number of wires you have. If you only want to use one or two  pairs then an old stereo will work, an AVR will have more speaker outs, but maybe not as many as you need if want to use all your available speakers.
The system in your house must of  had a speaker switch box with speaker outputs to all of the speakers in your home. I have a Niles and it has connectors similar to the ones in your photo for 6 pairs of speakers. A speaker switch has the ability to select one pair of speaker, all of them or any combo the user desired, (volume is controlled by your amp/receiver.) You connect the speaker switch to your amps , receiver or AVR speaker outputs and it will send the split/send that signal to any speakers you select.
I suggest that you join and Audio forum were you can read many treads and have a back forth discussion with others.
stereophile
and
audiokarma  Are two but there are many.
I would suggest that you get a turntable and a good Integrated amp. Leave the iPhone for texting and making phone calls. :).


LED downlight remains on after switch is turned off

It could be the bulb circuitry going bad. LED lights are different in that most of the "bulb" is actually voltage conversion and a simple circuit system to regulate the LEDs.

This is just an educated guess, but what it sounds like is there's a capacitor inside that still has power in it. The light bulb itself probably has something that senses when the power is turned off and turns the LEDs off via software, letting the capacitor just lose voltage through attrition. If that part of the bulb stopped working, that capacitor could still power the LEDs for a few seconds before running out of power.

You can test this theory in a regular lamp. Just turn it on for a minute, then turn it off. I don't know that it's dangerous to let it keep on doing this (it's probably been doing it like this all along, just with the cutoff working), it's just not expected behavior. If it doesn't overheat in the lamp I wouldn't worry about it.


Fixing a Botched Exposed Aggregate Patio

Solution 1:
After a week of curing the base layer, add a second layer 3/4-inch thick of the same concrete mix. Start by setting 1 x 4 forms level with the intended grade. Prepare the surface by cleaning and wetting it, then brushing on a slurry of the mix material laced with DAP bonding additive. Then mix one bag at a time using a 9-gallon mixing tub and a paddle drill. Pour from the lowest point on the plane and continue upward toward the wall in a sequence of five overlapping contiguous rows. Working low to high should facilitate curing because water from later pours will leach toward material laid earlier, partially offsetting water lost through evaporation. Must work fast and continuous for the results to be seamless and strong.

This dirt-dauber wasp approach should facilitate a good bond and allow all 12-14 bags be done by a lone individual over a 2-3 hour time frame. Will integrate mixing/pouring with finishing/edging as indicated by the state of the material. I have to be very organized and vigilant, because no breaks are possible once the first bag has been mixed. Work is continuous until all 12-14 bags are finished and edged.

Using the same concrete mix, with a little bonding additive, for this second pour ensures a good bond, but it is essential that the base be clean, free of loose material and wet but free of puddles. (A dry base will absorb moisture, impeding the curing of the new material, weakening the bond.)

As always, I will cover the new layer with plastic and keep it damp for 7 days to facilitate curing.

I rejected using Ardex due to cost and a virtual absence of encouraging product reviews. I am familiar with concrete, a reliable time-tested construction material when used according to basic principles. In fact, after an extensive Internet search, I found not one good video illustrating a cost-effective solution to my problem of concrete-to-concrete bonding. Nor did I find one showing the results of Ardex a year or two after application. (I want to see long term results before trying something radically different or a project of this magnitude and visibility.)

In summary, the dirt dauber approach has three advantages: a) it should result in a stronger bond because it involves rehydration to offset water loss to evaporation while curing; b) it should be stronger also because of overlapping applications of a fortified bonding slurry (crisscross overlapping layers instead of a single layer on a flat plane that would invite cracking and separating); and c) it allows all the work to be done by a lone individual, thus assuring consistent high quality and lower cost.

The above solution is based on research from a host of authoritative web posts, including an impressive one from WikiHow: http://www.wikihow.com/Add-Concrete-to-Existing-Concrete

Post-completion Results:

Here's a shot after pouring and a thoroughly exhausting 7 continuous hours  (11 bags mixed, poured and finished by hand.) Barely visible upper left is a 14-inch gouge caused by forcing a tightly wedged support when pulling forms. (Bad decisions happen when you're overtired.) Patching this will be tricky because I used a concrete dye, but overall I am delighted at the results.


Why does my toilet fill and slowly drain after showers?

Gurgling from the tub drain and/or slow draining showing could be from either a partial blockage in the drain line OR a venting issue. However, this should not raise the height of water in the toilet bowl assuming it's at the same floor level. The water level in the tub/shower would have to back up to an equal level for that to happen.
Unless of course you're flushing the toilet during or shortly after a shower.


Can I somehow wire my generator to my power pole?

Yes, absolutely. A 200A service rated transfer switch is exactly what you need. Most are outdoor rated so it can be placed right at the pole with the service equipment.

This switch needs to be matched with the generator you buy so it is not something you can just run out and get. Also, the generator must be able to handle the average load of your home since it will start automatically during an outage, so everything that is on at the time will be part of the load when the genset starts.

This is NOT something for a casual DIYer so please contact an electrician for exact details about your specific job.


Jennair JES9900BAS20 keeps blowing infinite switches on right front "custom control" element

I agree with Ecnerwal’s comment.
The element may ohm out good. 6-12 ohms or whatever the value but have a path to ground that you cannot see with a common ohm meter. In this case we would check the element hot to ground using a megger. A megger is a high voltage ohm meter I would be checking a heating element at at least 1000v. I would double check the wiring from the switch to the element.
As a megger will probably cost more than a element I would probably start by replacing the element itself if the wiring looks good.


I would first check that the missing hex nut is the same size as nut on one of the two output jacks. This can be done by removing one and seeing if it fits on the jack with the missing nut. This temporarily removed nut can be used as a sample for comparison when buying a new nut.

Nuts of this style should be readily available via online retailers such as Digikey or Mouser. If you go to a retail store it may be harder to find the nuts as an individual purchase item. You may find yourself purchasing a whole replacement jack and stealing the nut from it to replace the missing one on your speaker. Some of the really good (often older) hardware stores will have specialty drawers with various odd ball fasteners and nuts. You could get lucky and find your replacement nut there.

http://www.mouser.com/catalog/catalogusd/647/2952.pdf


Circuit breakers are not interchangeable amongst manufacturers or even within manufacturer lines (many of which are acquisitions).   There is no effort by regulatory agencies to do so.  There is little effort by manufacturers to do so, except that a few manufacturers make breakers for other people's service panels.


Flushing the water heater did the trick.


continuity between the two poles on power cord of my fridge

Presumably the inside of the refrigerator has warmed enough that the thermostat is calling for cooling.  Therefore, the motor is trying to start. That means it is attempting to pull "Locked Rotor Amperage" from the power supply, which is considerable. So Barry's answer applies; just change "transformer" to "motor" (since they are quite similar anyway).


Garage door needs a push or pull to start opening/closing

Though they're 20+ years old, they didn't miss the plastic bug. It's likely that your drive sprocket on the one is worn down & begin to miss. However, a little more specific & much less involved to remedy to your symptoms would be to play with the up-force & down-force adjustments.

Usually, clockwise is to ramp up & counterclockwise is to ramp down. The openers develop flat spots on the clutch & screwing-in or clockwise reseats the contact points. If it works it'll work for years, I'm going on 5-years now with my current one & two others I had before got 8 & 10 more years before adjustments didn't work anymore.


Those are round. They are not interchangeable. Elongated seats go on elongated toilets and vice versa.


Looks like the finish is releasing due to moisture or heavy use. The way the color comes off may indicate a lower-quality all-in-one finish, rather than a conventional penetrating stain/varnish overcoat approach.

I'd purchase a matching stain (somewhere in the mahogany or cherry range) and wipe that on. If it does well, apply semi-gloss polyurethane or acrylic varnish to the affected areas. You'll need to cover an entire board to get a reasonably good finish, so plan on masking off the inset panel and varnishing the entire frame (once you confirm that the sheen will be acceptable), or varnish the entire door.

For a really nice repair you'd need to strip or sand the old finish off, but with routed profile frames like this that can be difficult.


Prevent future holes in PVC vent pipe in walls

I believe that code requires it to be located at least 1-1/2 inches from the wall (or framing?) face or to be covered by at least 1/16" steel plates (similar to wiring, and for the same reason.) This is why (as implied in @John Gaughan's comment) wet walls are typically framed with 2x6 or even 2x8 rather than 2x4 lumber (that would be a "practice" in the spirit of your question.) Another method is to use 2 separated rows of 2x3 or 2x4 framing, which saves on a lot of hole drilling and lumber cost. Does not prevent the determined idiot from finding a pipe and drilling something longer than code expects into it, but nothing does, really.

On the whole, I prefer PVC - having dealt with corroded metal pipes (those can be drilled through as well.) Providing an actual pipe chase (boxed in, rather than trying to "bury it all in the wall") provides more protection (you can give them more space) and should help keep anyone with the slightest clue from drilling there by accident (because it's obviously a pipe chase.) Plus, you don't need to make the rest of the wall excessively thick.


Sill plate pushing siding off, causing gap for mice and moisture?

I'd be suspicious of the deck letting water in. If it was me I'd try to pull the deck off the wall, waterproof it and put it back. It looks like the siding is in bad shape and its really the only thing keeping your house dry on a sided house keeping the mice out is a whole different challenge. Those buggers can fit anywhere you can fit a quarter.


If it's not a huge pipe, hydraulic cement would probably do the trick. Hydraulic cement is designed to expand as it cures and is used for reparing foundation cracks.


How do I cut drywall on the ceiling accurately?

Utility Knife

Position a 2'- 4' level (or other straight edge) along the line you'd like to cut.
With the straight edge in place, gently draw the utility knife along the line. You don't have to press too hard, just enough to cut through the paper on the face of the drywall.
Draw the utility knife repeatedly through the groove you scored in the previous step.
Increase the pressure slightly with each pass.
Continue until the knife has cut through the drywall.

Once you score a line in the drywall, the utility knife will tend to follow the groove. So you'll only need to hold the straight edge in place for the first scoring pass.
Drywall Saw
You should be able to pick up a drywall saw at any hardware or home improvement store, for just a couple bucks.  These saws have a sharp pointy tip, which makes plunging through the drywall easy.  They also have coarse teeth, which make cutting the drywall easy.

They are often known as "jab saws", because you use them by jabbing them through the drywall to start your cut.

Place the tip of the blade where you want to begin your cut.
Smack the hilt of the saw hard, to force the tip through the drywall.
Carefully make your cut using a back and forth sawing motion.

Power Tools
You could also use a rotary saw, or oscillating Multi-tool to quickly and easily cut drywall.

WARNING:
Always be aware of what is behind the drywall, to avoid cutting into wiring, plumbing, or other hidden dangers.


Help me understand complicated junction / switch box -- with diagram

Any timer should suffice.

If the timer is a powered/active device and needs a neutral wire, the neutral wire is available there for you to use.


Leaving this as an answer with trepidation and the hope that a real tile expert will chime in.

My guess is that they're limestone or travertine. If you have spares, grind/smash/pulverize them to dust, mix that with a 2 part epoxy and fill 'er up. (Same for the broken chips at the door -- glue them solidly down with granite-safe adhesive and fill the cracks after the glue cures.) I don't have personal experience with this product, so not a recommendation (hopefully, someone else will chime in), but I'd be willing to try "Tenax Travertine Filler" (available on amazon).

Hope this helps.


I suggest both, but nails should be all you need, provided the pieces span to a stud so as not to break when you attach them. What is strange is there is no sheathing behind the shingles....hmmm


How should I dispose of material waste during home construction?

In my part of the world hiring a refuse service is standard and almost unavoidable. We had 30 cubic yard dumpsters (steel containers) on all our jobsites which were often emptied or replaced multiple times during the course of construction. Your contractor should have handled that. (If you are your contractor, now you know. :) )
They aren't cheap, so pack carefully and within the rules. Separate anything which can be repurposed or recycled to help save this ailing planet (and costs).


How easy is it to run coax cable with the given configuration?

You would just need a jumper from the COAX plate to the new box next to it. Or you could just run a COAX through a hole in the blank plate then up to the TV.

Question is, WHY do you need COAX at the TV? Do you not have/need a cable or sat box?

Typically for new TVs we just run one or more HDMI cables form the cable box/blue ray/game console/etc up to the TV.

You are lucky to have that sleeve from the floor area up to the TV.

(And my post is fine. Writing "COAX" does NOT come off as shouting. That's just silly.)


What is the silicone-like coating on CREE LED light bulbs?

It's done for anti-shatter, the silicone keeps the glass shards together.

According to their product sheet, "Safety coated glass for shatter resistance provides a protective shield to safely contain the glass if the bulb should break"

It first came out being used on incandescent bulbs for mechanic's trouble lights.


How do I make a 3wire splice with 2/0 wire?

Are you sure this is the right thing to do?  It's rather unusual.  If you are feeding a subpanel from a main panel, there would be no call for doing a 3-wire splice, you put a circuit breaker in the main panel and feed the subpanel off that.

You would only use a 3-wire splice off the top of the panel in the rather unusual situation of having 2 panels of equal rank; i.e. two main panels.  The new panel would never be called a "subpanel" unless the panel you're tapping off of is already a subpanel. And the panels would be right next to each other.  In those cases, you'd use either screw-down splice blocks, or dual lugs.

It's difficult to infer skill from a question the size of a tweet. What concerns me is that you have the common case of adding a subpanel to a main panel, and you are freestylin' because you know that little about how this stuff works. I certainly hope not.

You use a breaker that snaps into the regular breaker spaces below the main switch, and you feed the subpanel off that.  It may be quite a large breaker, which may necessitate moving even more circuits.  Don't same-pole any MWBCs (and if you don't know what that means and why, you are out of your depth, and no, googling MWBC won't complete your knowledge.)


Stranded wire gauge too small for push-in connector(USA)

This cannot be a problem

The connectors are listed for a wide range of solid and stranded wire.  A wider range, in fact, than you are allowed to use inside fixtures, which must be no smaller than #18 for mains voltage - that's according to UL.

Now, if the fixture is not UL listed (or other NRTL), don't use it.  Especially if it's one of those foreign jobs obtained off Alibaba, AliExpress, eBay or Amazon.  Those are predominantly dangerous junk, and obviously they have not the slightest regard for our safety codes.  CE and CCC are not proper testing labs such as UL.

If it is a fixture of your own construction, that is between you and the AHJ, but you will at least need to retrofit the internal 120/240V wires to #18 or larger.


I've highlighted the C wire for you in the schematic.

And in the actual wiring


How should I support rectangular duct in wall?

I usually shoot a couple of screws through the sheet metal into the studs, if you have AC I like a layer of insulation to prevent sweating and dry rot potential, but have not really seen any problems when directly attached with no insulation verticly in a wall.


Patio natural gas fireplace with 1/2" pipe

You want a 150,000 BTU firepit? That's like a gas bonfire! Most gas fire pits I've seen are in the 30-50k BTU range, a few are 100k.

1/2" pipe run 55ft is good for about 70 cu. ft. / hour, assuming 2 PSI or less supply. At 1100 BTU per cu. ft., that will get you 77,000 BTUs, somewhere in the upper end of what I've seen for fire pits.

For 150,000 BTUs, you are going to need about 136 cu. ft. / hr so for 55ft you would need a 3/4" pipe, all the way back to your trunk line (I'm not counting your total demand on that trunk line)..


What is the right type of contractor to fix slightly damaged house siding corner

It looks like few new materials will be needed, so I would search for a recommended handyman in your area.

You could also call a siding and roofing contractor, but I would expect this to be much more expensive than a handyman.  If siding needed replacement, this would probably be less hassle.


Staples in LVL beams: okay or to be avoided?

Don't worry about staples in a beam. (These are beams that can have 3/4" holes bored in them -- at appropriate sizes/spacings, of course -- so a puncture would mean nothing.)

I suspect your friend's story was more about the holding power of the plate than weakening the LVL.

(edited to remove "substantial" and replace with 3/4" -- thanks SP)


GFCI Outlet trips when white and copper wire touch

GFCI devices work by comparing the current incoming on the hot wire to the current leaving on the neutral wire. If there's a difference, it means electricity is leaving the circuit somehow (a "ground fault") and the GFCI cuts power*. The GFCI doesn't do anything with the ground conductor—in fact, you don't even need to have one at all. One way of upgrading a 2-prong outlet (without ground) to a 3-prong outlet is by inserting a GFCI device upstream or using a GFCI outlet.

So I'm guessing there is a small amount of current in your scenario, and when you touch the white and ground together, some of that current goes into the ground and doesn't return through the GFCI neutral. Do any of you lights have timers, nightlight, etc.?

(BTW I'm not sure it matters for this question but your description of how the wires up is a little confusing to me. LINE and LOAD are opposite sides of the GFCI device, but you use them interchangeably. If you want a downstream device to be protected by the GFCI it must be connected to the LOAD side. Anything on the LINE side is considered upstream and is unaffected by the GFCI.)


How do I remove the carbon brush holders from my HD 77 Skil saw?

It is not quite clear to me why you want to remove the brush holders. Normally the brush replacement does not require much saw dis-assembly at all. You simply remove the cap part (item #46) and remove and replace the brush.

From looking at the exploded parts diagram it appears that the brush holder (item #50) is simply press fit in place and secured with the set screw (item #56). The brush holder does appear to have a notch on the edge for aligning the holder to the proper orientation in its seating in the cast housing. So it is very likely that the holder must be removed by pulling it straight out.

Before removal of the brush holder it would be necessary to understand how the electrical wire connections to the motor assembly connect to the holder and disengage that connection. Those connections are circled in red above.

If the brush holder is not able to be freely pulled out because it is siezed into the casting seat it may be necessary to make a tool to assist in working it loose. This could be done by making a hardwood stick that has a cross sectional dimension that matches that of the brush. A stick that was six or eight inches long could be inserted into the holder from the outside and used to apply some side to side rocking force on the holder to work it loose.


How to fix squeaking in carpeted stair treads

The squeaky floor repair kits have a special rod that you "drill" into the floor. If it slides up and down easy, you missed....move over and try again. Once you find the stringer, use the special screw, driver bit, knock off/standoff and drive the screw in. Break the head off and walk on,the step to see if it's fixed. After fixing the first step,  the next step will be easy to fix.


The snake is designed to be removable. Just insert the tail end into the opening and carefully push the snake back into the container. Use a twisting motion for the first foot or so to help the snake coil up in the container instead of wadding into a bunch.

You may need to remove the locking thumbscrew entirely to allow the tail end of the snake to slide past.


Is there an easier way to remove a double layer of drywall on the ceiling?

If it is nailed/ screwed only to the joists without any furring strips between the joists I would use a Sawz-all or a reciprocating saw. Cut or hammer a hole large enough to verify there are no cables or plumbing between two joist. Run the saw blade along the inside edge of the joists and remove the drywall in the largest pieces you can handle. When the only drywall left is the pieces attached to the studs you have two choices. Hammer the dry wall until it crumbles then remove the nails or screws. Or you could run the saw blade along the bottom of the joist using a demolition blade cutting the nails or screws and let the drywall fall off.


Yes, indeed it is a Belgian phone socket.

http://www.levoyageur.net/phone-country-Belgium.html

The four pins match the four holes in your socket. The fifth pin is there to make sure you don't put it in upside down. There's a hole for it too.

This is how it looks with a cover (except for the RJ jack that you may not have)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140716003426/http://www.p-wholesale.com/cn-pro/5/121to2/phone-jack-91449.html

Below I mark the five pins and the switch at the center. The switch is opened by the b and S pins indicating that the socket is used. This is common for phone sockets.


What should I use to cover the walls of an alcove for a water heater?

Cement board, tile backer board - or use the exterior siding flavor of "otherwise pretty much the same product"


Can I run two 6/3 NM cables up the same 2x4?

I've broken tabs on Cable Stackers, but a modification like that may not meet approval of the AHJ, or you can use Screw Gun Brackets between studs and (UL) Listed zip ties.


Looks to be a #2 square head driver. The box looks to be PVC metal from the edge overhang and probably contains branch circuits for the kitchen.  Or could be something different like a housing for low voltage cables.


I was not able to get a smooth finish on a shower pan, how can I smooth it out?

Tile setters use an abrasive called a rub stone:

But you could probably use a sanding block. After making it as flat as you can, apply a layer of thin-set mortar. Before doing this, read up on techniques for using thin-set.


What is a strong glue for bonding metal?

This-to-That recommends JB-weld or LePage's Metal Epoxy.  I've never used either, personally.

The important thing for this is going to be surface prep and clamping, I would assume.

You might be able to use a CA glue (ie, "super glue"), but you'll need additional reinforcement to keep the bond from shearing (eg, glue then bolt it in place, but 1/4" is kinda narrow to bolt through; also, I have no idea what sort of clearance issues there might be if there are bolts sticking out)


Can I repair the cracks between the bricks in my fireplace?

Sure, you can re-cement those. You'll want to dig them out as much as you can, rinse them out with water, let dry, spray with water to wet them & then force in the new cement.

You can put a batch in a Zip-Lock type bag & cut off a tiny bottom corner of the bag to squirt the mortar into the joints. Below, is what the Home Improvement stores offer. The Bucket is good for up to 3000°F & tubes are good for up to 2000°F.


Fire proofing walls with Aluminum Foil Tape

The type-X drywall is a great idea as it is a great barrier to reduce heat transmission to combustible materials beneath, thereby increasing the amount of time it would take for the underlying materials to ignite when exposed to fire conditions. Use drywall tape and mud to finish the joints and call it good. As @Tester101 suggests, aluminum foil will do very little at structure fire temperatures, in fact I would bet the tape adhesive would catch fire and the tape would melt.


How can I mount a deck gate against Hardie siding?

I would mount the gate with hinges on the 4x4 post on the right. It is structurally sufficient to support the gate. Make it an in-swing right, gate opens into the porch swinging to the right towards the railing.
Then all you need is 2x4 latch post attached to the side of the house for the latch.
You could attach the latch post with a couple of timber screws. (There is not a lot of lateral forces on the latch post but you could use some construction adhesive to assist the holding power of the screws if you are not into a stud).
Drill holes (three should suffice) in the 2x4 and then set it in place plumb and true, use a pencil through the holes to mark the locations on the siding. Drill pilot holes, just slightly smaller then the shank of the screws. You only want to drill just to the sheathing behind the the siding  to avoid splitting the siding. Use a stop collar or tape on your drill bit to so you only drill about 1/2" to 3/4" or so. (you do not know what is in the cavity of the wall like electrical so you don't want to just drill deep.) Also choose the length of your screw so it will only protrude into the sheathing plus a smidgen.
You do not know where the studs are in the wall and it is unlikely, but possible, that one is exactly where you need it. If you can locate it on a stud it would be best, then you could use longer screws  to go into the stud. You may be able to use a stud finder on the inside wall and then a tape measure to transfer that distance on the outside of the wall and see if it lines up with the 4x4.
Before you install the post with the screws, pump some silicone into the holes so that any moisture that gets behind the post is sealed out.

An alternative if you did not want to penetrate the wall of the house would be to
build a  handrail that would be up against the house but not attached to the house.
It could be two 4x4 posts attached to the risers of the steps and tied together with a solid handrail on top and a 2x6 about a foot under that to provide structural integrity, I.E. minimize racking.


i have cut my cement board too short for my shower walls

I'm going to speculate that you've set your cement board tight to the floor, and that it reaches two inches short of the height you'd like your tile to reach. I'm also going to guess that you haven't installed the drywall above the cement board.

Yes, you can bring your drywall down to the height of the cement board and lap the tile onto it. In fact, this is a more ideal scenario since it leaves you with a clean surface on which to terminate the tile. You'll probably want to finish the drywall and paint before setting the tile so that the grout or trim can lap over the paint for the cleanest lines.


Good diagnostic info!

What happened: there is a short in either the cable between outlet A and B, or in the receptacle at outlet B. Have you tested connectivity/resistance between the poles on outlet B? You might find the short. If this setup was kinda sketchy in the first place, other electrical work may have disturbed it just enough to cause a short; it's happened to me when working around around 75-year-old wiring.

If the current wiring was fished through the walls, it is possible to use it to pull new wiring. However, if it was installed while the walls were open, it will probably be stapled in. Horizontal runs are also not likely to be fished. So depending on the location of outlet B, it may be easier to run new wiring (e.g. down the wall into your basement) than replace the existing.


With self drilling screw should I use a drill or a driver?

No matter what drill or tool you use to set a self tapping screw, take it easy. Turn the screw at a moderate to slow speed through the entire process. Once the self tap "drills" through the metal the screw then begins to screw in. After only a few revolutions the screw will be set. If you are really spinning  the screw you can easily strip out the hole.


What's this metal thing in my wall where the studs should be, and how do I put a shelf on it?

Given that this wall separates two apartments in recent construction, the wall you're drilling is likely not to be "normal" familiar construction. It's probably some kind of "area separation wall" designed firstly to limit the spread of fire and secondly to limit the spread of noise between apartments. You might do well to seek information from building management as to the construction of that wall to ensure that you don't compromise its fire resistance characteristics.


Can the dryer's heating element be saved?

It doesn't matter where the break is. You cannot repair the element without shortening it, which will reduce its resistance, causing it to burn hotter than it is designed to do. If you are very lucky it will just burn out again right away before setting your clothes on fire.

Of course the appliance designer allowed some safety margin in the specs, because manufacturing tolerances vary, and parts can fail after installation. So you would think you could get away with a little fudging of the heater element length. But what you cannot know is how close your dryer was to immolating itself before you started messing with it.


The rafter is kind of structural, but it is hardly holding up anything. It can be cut on to a degree and still keep the rake board from sagging. The load that is in that end of the 4X6 may not be no more than a few hundred pounds over the whole length. The 1X4 spaced sheathing would a lot of the weight, but the roof would still sag, so the cantilevered beam keeps everything in line.

The one thing I see that helped advance the rot was the extension of the beam past the rafter, the more extension, the more water sets to advance rot. My first move would be to reduce, but not eliminate a major part of the extension, leaving about a 1/2". This will minimze the flat shelf that will harbor a lot of moisture, including dew. This should be done on all beams around the house, double prime and double paint for protection, and add a flashing cap for best protection, then the extension does not matter, just the fasteners needed to hold the rafter in place. Secondly that cutting will expose the condition of the rafter that the paint is hiding, and how far along the rot is. With that much done, I would cut an angle off the top of the beam to remove all if at least most of the rot and replace the triangular cut with new material prime all around, and prime the cut of the original beam too, and use a wood treatment on any remaining rot that may not have been removed by the cutting.

You could replace the wood with pressure treated material ut that will not hold paint until all the surface treatment leached out for about 6 months so the paint will stick.

With the angle depicted, the wedge will only need a few fasteners to keep it from sliding back out, otherwise, gravity and pressure from the rafter above would keep it in place due to the long angle of the cut.


how do I Replace a ceiling fan with dimmer switch for lights and on/off switch for fan

I,ll describe the process of elimination that ThreePhaseEel describes.

First, you connect earth to earth, because it's a world standard that green, green/yellow, or bare is always earth.  So that's easy.

If neutral is present, it must be white.   Neutral must by nature be present on both sides here, so the whites must be neutral. Connect them, done.

That leaves two colors from the wall and two from the fan.  Colored wires must be hot.  There are only 2 ways to hook them up.  We're not sure, but it won't be destructive to try one way and see.


What are the structural and health issues for a long-time slow-leaking toilet?

If there is mold on the basement ceiling, it is highly likely that there is mold growing behind the drywall where water has wicked up the bathroom walls -especially if this has been an ongoing, untreated problem. I personally would not try to save money at the risk of leaving mold growing in that area.

Mold can trigger a host of health problems, some very serious. I once met a woman who had a condition where she was debilitated by sensitivity to perfumes and artificial fragrances (contact or exposure could cause her to be be bed-ridden for months at a time. The weekend I had met her was the first time in three years that she had left her house (her home was a strictly controlled environment - air filters, hermetically sealed rooms, the whole nine yards. She explained that her condition was triggered due to living in a basement for about 8 months where mold was present in the ceiling (she didn't find out about the mold until after she came down with the health problem. I know this is an extreme example, but it is one example of what can happen if mold is left unabated.

Sorry about the verbose response, but take the repairs seriously and don't skimp out just to save time or money. Your long term health is worth the up-front cost of repairs.


Can I re-task a large conduit to hold a small conduit and low voltage cables?

Filling uncharted waters
While the use of innerducts (conduits inside conduit, basically) is not completely unheardof (NEC 800.110(A)(3) permits purpose-built innerducts for communications work, which is where they are usually found, and the Code is silent otherwise about "nesting" Chapter 3 conduit types within each other), the problem with any approach that mixes innerducts (whether Chapter 3 or purpose-built) and wires or cables in the same conduit is that there is no clear way I have found to proceed with evaluating such configurations against the fill rules, especially when it comes to the fill of the outerduct, as the 40% fill rule doesn't apply to comms cables.
Unsupported
Furthermore, the conduit support rules never envision Chapter 3 conduits being used in such a manner; for flexible conduits, one could argue that the outerduct forms a "concealed space within a building" that the innerduct is then fished through, as permitted by various exceptions in the NEC, although the wording is not consistent between said exceptions, so the validity of this argument depends on the precise type of conduit being used as the innerduct.
Matryoshka conduit bodies
Another issue you'd run into with this approach is that you'd need to "nest" conduit bodies within each other wherever you had to use a conduit body for a direction change.  This is a problem because it's not at all clear how one'd support the inner conduit body, as required by NEC 314.23, under the circumstances involved, especially since none of the conduits connected to the inner body can support it in that case. (Conduit bodies normally fall under the Exception to 314.23(E) when it comes to support.)
Terminal woes
The final issue comes when you go to terminate this assembly.  If there are no mains wires directly in the outerduct, one could use a bell end fitting for the termination if the outerduct is PVC and the innerducts are suitable for in-wall usage, but this doesn't work if you have to terminate into a box with dividers inside it.  In that circumstance, you have to field-punch KOs into the dividers and run the innerduct into a fitting mounted into the divider, which is not something Code particularly envisions, either.  (With a metal outerduct, one would use a threaded insulating bushing instead of the bell end fitting.)


How high can I stretch my washing machine drain hose?

An overflow of suds is what you get when you use too much laundry detergent, or when you use a cleaning compound that is not intended for use in a washing machine.

If you are using an appropriate product and you are getting excess foam (foaming out of the machine, or residual foam in the garments, or foaming out of the drain), cut the amount you use in half. If you continue to get foam, cut it in half again, and so on. For example, if you normally use 1 cup, reduce to ½ up, then to ¼ cup, and so on. Do this until you eliminate the foam problem.

If at that point you are not getting adequate cleaning, increase the amount by ½. For example, if you reduced the amount to ½ cup, try ¾ cup. If you cannot get adequate cleaning without foaming, your detergent is at fault. Get a better quality detergent and start over.

If you have a top loading machine, you can use any standard machine laundry detergent. If you have a front loading machine, you should limit yourself to detergents which are compatible with front loaders. These are often labeled "high efficiency" detergents. Foaming products, such as those made for manual washing of delicate garments, and other foaming products such as hand dish soap or soaps for hand cleaning, should never be used in a washing machine.

This answer is based on information I learned while managing a detergent manufacturing company and laboratory.


Do gfci's have to be on a 20 amp circuit, or can they be on a 15A?

The amp rating of the receptacle and circuit do not depend on whether the receptacle is a GFCI or not:

If you have a 15 amp circuit, you must have 15 amp receptacles
If you have a 20 amp circuit, you can either have 20 amp receptacles, or 15 amp receptacles if there is more than one (e.g. a duplex receptacle).

It's not unusual to have a 20 amp GFCI in a residential setting since kitchens are A) required to have GFCIs, and B) required to have 20 amp circuits. You don't generally see 20A receptacles elsewhere in a house since there are virtually no home appliances that require 20 amps @ 110V.


How can I rehabilitate the grout in my tile floor?

If the grouting wasn't well done (or was OK initially, but then not sealed), I would be tempted to remove it with a grout saw and redo it properly.

Whether you should do just the part affected or the whole lot is a question of whether you want to repeat the exercise for the part you didn't do in the future. These types of jobs half done, or in this case half re-done, always tend to come back to haunt you. As an example, if the part nearest the doorway is worst affected, then likely it's a problem of moisture/water from shoes on entry. And you therefore might be able to get away with just redoing that portion.

As for using a colorant, this might work, but if the grout is in general moisture affected, i.e., now not properly bonded, it's could likely come out at some point in the future anyway...

Hope this helps!


For phone jack, which terminals are used by modem?

You need to connect to the center two wires in RJ-11. Since RJ-11 is usually 6 pins, these are pins 3 and 4. If yours has only 4 pins, these should be pins 2 and 3. Leave the other pins unconnected.

Now, with regards to the colors (and correct polarity), this is country-dependent. Check this chart for reference. But, you can also try one way, and if it doesn't work, switch the wires.


Why do the evaporator and suction lines freeze when there is low refrigerant?

It's all about the temperature/pressure relationship, and how pressure affects the boiling point of the refrigerant. As the pressure of a refrigerant goes up, so too does the temperature and boiling point. When the pressure drops, the temperature and boiling point drop as well. Air conditioning (and some heating) systems take advantage of this, to cool (heat) the air inside a building.
Normal system
In a normal system, The compressor compresses the refrigerant vapor. This causes the vapor to be both high temperature, and high pressure. The hot vapor moves through the condenser coils, where some of the heat is transferred into the outside air. When the vapor finally comes out of the condenser, it's a hot liquid. The hot liquid moves through the liquid line, into the building towards the evaporator coils. Just before the hot liquid refrigerant reaches the evaporator, it's forced through a metering device. The actual device used depends on the system, but capillary tubes are common.
When the hot liquid is forced through the metering device, the pressure drops substantially. The pressure drop causes the temperature and boiling point of the liquid to also drop. As indoor air is forced over the evaporator coils, the cold liquid refrigerant in the coils absorbs heat from the air. The heat causes the refrigerant to boil, which changes it to a low pressure vapor. When the refrigerant reaches the end of the evaporator, it's a cool vapor. The cool vapor travels down the suction line, and back to the compressor where the refrigeration cycle can start again.
Low refrigerant
When the refrigerant in the system is low, the pressure; and therefore temperature, of the refrigerant will also be lower. In a normal system, the temperature of the refrigerant at the beginning of the evaporator will be right around the freezing temperature of water (32°F). As the indoor air moves over the cool coils, the moisture in the air will condense on the coils. This condensation will drip harmlessly off the coils, and into the condensate drain.
When the refrigerant is low, the temperature of the refrigerant at the beginning of the evaporator coils will be colder than the freezing point of water (less than 32°F). Because the coils are so cold, the condensation that forms on the coils will freeze.  As ice builds up on the coils, it restricts the air flow through the coils. Because of the restriction, the refrigerant can't absorb as much heat from the the indoor air moving over the coils. This causes the refrigerant to boil later in the evaporator, which causes ice to form further along the coils. This situation continues to progress, until the whole evaporator is a block of ice. Once that happens, the refrigerant will start to boil in the suction line. This cause the temperature of the suction line to drop, and just like in the evaporator, cause the condensation to freeze.
Eventually the freezing works its way all the way back to the compressor, which is where the trouble can really start. If allowed to operate in this condition for too long, liquid refrigerant can make its way back to the compressor. If this happens, the compressor can be damaged.
It should also be noted. Once the refrigerant level drops too low, the system stops working. So this problem only occurs in a "sweet spot", where the refrigerant is low, but not too low.


Are my cabling and bonding plans correct for a new subpanel?

Go for it -- just don't starve new the panel for slots!

You have plenty of headroom on your existing service to add the new feeder (the 220.82 calculation for your existing house comes out to a mere 45A, assuming your kitchen receptacles are on 2 circuits and your A/C is reasonably modern/efficient as I used a representative 13 SEER for calculation purposes), and a 60A feeder is more than enough for your guest suite, as NEC 220.82 pegs it at a mere 29A (given that it doesn't have its own laundry facilities -- even if it did, it'd be only 35A).

The wire's fine, too.  Even though 6/3 NM is only rated for 55A, you can't get 55A breakers, so the 60A breaker is fine as per 240.4(B), and the Article 230 provisions for service sizing don't apply to feeders.

One suggestion I will make here, though, is not to starve the new subpanel for slots -- something like a Siemens P3040L1125CU would be ideal here, even if it seems like massive overkill at first.  That way, there's ample space to arrange your load across circuits how you see fit.  Pulling the tie bar on the new subpanel here is precisely the correct move, as well -- neutral and ground never meet again, after all.


Light replacement for a complicated light ceiling cover

Usually, ONE of those clips will be spring-loaded while the other two are fixed (as shown in the photos).


Why would a gas water heater discharge water in the winter?

Actually, this requires a system analysis to determine if it's a problem of the water heater, or a problem of your system needing a expansion tank.

For instance, if your water supply is provided with a check valve or a pressure reducing valve/regulator on its input, a water heater full of cold water will cause expansion, and without an expansion tank or an open connection to a supply (which a check or regualtor is not) to relieve pressure, pressure in the system will rise as the cold water is heated and expands.

You may be seeing this more in the winter as your water supply may be colder, so it has more potential to expand.

The valve is a temperature and pressure relief valve, so EITHER overheating OR overpressure will cause it to vent. I'm going to guess that it's more likely a pressure issue, and would probably be easily resolved by adding a small expansion tank; but I can't be sure about that without more details about your water system, or actual measurements of the temperature and pressure when it's venting.


I am installing a Honeywell RTH6580WF with a TACO SR504

I had the exact same problem.  The 24volt term seemed to test 24 volts with the red wire and the COM tested 24 with the white.  It was wired with thermostat wires at Taco right red and left white.  4 thermostats and 2 days later the only solution was.  Wire all "common" wires to the COM terminal and reverse white and red on thermostat.  I did not want to rewire the TACO.  This worked perfect.


Unable to properly wire timer to old light switch with one “white?” Wire on top and one looped black wire

The double wire is simply power being carried onward to other switches.

Note the solitary black wire.   Follow it to see which cable that wire departs the box in.  Now look at that cable's white wire and follow it back to a bundle of all-whites... Add your smarts witch neutral to that bundle.   Do not remove any wires from the bundle, they are not spares.

Do not add it to any random bundle of whites you see. That will "seem to work" until you add a GFCI or AFCI, then will trip it.   Add it to the right bundle.


How to stop light fittings on chain stop rotating

No pun intended but anchor the chain. You could replace the chain with a pole.

Since welding's not an option try a few drops of clear epoxy on each link when you get the chain into position.


Why does my clothes dryer make a rattling sound after 5 minutes?

A dryer is a very simple machine.

There is a belt that turns the drum and there are bearings on the drum supports.The motor, the belt, or the drum bearings can have a problem - the drum bearings is what I suspect.

Sometimes the simple things are overlooked so with that said:

Another possibility is that you have something on the side of the dryer (like a dryer shoe rack) that starts to rattle against the machine after it is spinning up a bit, also check your venting pipes.


Bathroom Sink Handles - What are they called?

Faucet handles or levers.

If you don't know the brand and model it can be very tricky to track these down.  Perhaps the best thing to do is to take the lever piece off and go to a plumbing supply store and see if they can match it.  The problem I have run into is that I get something that works but not exactly.  So then you have to buy two levers and even then it isn't exact and you just spent $20-30 on something that isn't exact.  (I have also ran into this when I had model #)

I have had this issue many many times on flips and I simply just replace with a good working faucet.  Yours for instance I could pick up for $10 at a salvage store near me.  You could order something online for $30-50 that is brand new.


Circuit breaker won't turn back on after being turned off (not tripped)

The electricians came over.

The guy pushed the breaker into the wall and switched it towards the on position. That did it.

I guess the breakers weren't exactly 100% bad yet, but the springs inside are not the same as they used to be, so this trick worked.


You might as well figure out how to remove some of the pieces of this setup so you can have that inspection look. If something needs replacing it will have to be taken all apart any way.

If all the water piping is rigidly attached this will be the opportunity to cut the pipes and install union fittings so a future repair/replace is much easier. Note that if the water piping is all PVC pipe that can normally be cut back and spliced in without a union fitting.

Electrical conduits are not normally too difficult to free up at the motor end and pull the wire ends out of the junction box on the end of the motor. Make really sure that all power to the motor is shut off. That could be two wires to check if it is a 220VAC motor.


How do I replace missing drywall strips after an asbestos abatement?

I'm assuming here that they're not going to replace the ducts in the wall; if I'm wrong I'll adjust my answer accordingly.

Cut three or four pieces of 2x4's long enough to fit between the studs at the sides of the hole.
Toe nail or screw one in horizontally near the top of the hole, one at the bottom and the other one or two in the middle.  Provided your drill will fit in the space, screwing may be easier since you don't have to swing a hammer in a confined space.  If you use nails, it would be a good idea to drill some pilot holes first.  Use at least two at each side, one towards the front and one towards the back; ideally you would have them on the top and bottom of each cross piece too.
Cut a piece of drywall to size -- it doesn't have to be exact since drywall tape is 2" wide -- but should be fairly close.  If you have a drywall rasp, cut it a little larger than you need since it'll be easy to trim it down.
Place it in the hole and screw it into the cross pieces.
Apply some mud around the edges with the taping knife.  Press the tape into it, then more mud on top, and smooth it out.
Let the mud dry; sand it smoothish, then apply some more mud on top, spreading it out further.  Repeat until it looks OK.

Tools:

electric drill
hammer (if you use nails)
saw to cut the 2x4's (mitre saw is quickest, handsaw would do),
drywall tools: craft knife, mud pan, taping knife, option drywall rasp (quicker to trim the piece of drywall down to size than using a knife), sander.  (A few years ago, I bought a combination toolkit at Lowe's with all the tools you'd need this kind of job; it was a lot cheaper than buying them all individually).

Supplies:

drywall
drywall screws
3" (approx.) nails or wood screws,
one or two 2x4's,
mud (there are mixes that you can get that will dry in 30 minutes or so, but I'd recommend getting a bucket of all-purpose joint compound since this is your first time).
drywall tape (I prefer paper).
sandpaper (for the drywall sander)
plastic sheeting to cover the nearby area (sanding drywall makes a lot of dust that you don't want in your vacuum).

None of the jobs takes particularly long, but you need to let the mud dry between coating and sanding, so figure a few days to get the wall ready for its finish treatment: texturing, painting, etc.


Based on a few decades of replacing fuses in multimeters blown by students, you are attempting to measure the wrong thing (or slight possibility these days that you have a very poorly made cheap meter that does not function correctly, but really, slight .vs. applying the meter incorrectly.)

Typical cause is attempting to measure amperage in a manner that makes the meter a short-circuit until its fuse blows.

Amperage is only measured in series with a load. Voltage is measured in parallel with a load. Power requires measuring both, and is most easily achieved with a purpose-built plug-in power meter that can measure both at once, and can't be hooked up wrong.


How to permanently get rid of old cigarette smell from previous resident?

I had a house I purchased that had previous residents that were very heavy smokers. Everything in the house was covered in a yellow brown film. Steps I had to take to remove the smell.

All hard surfaces were washed twice with TSP in hot water. This was necessary because the yellow gunk was so thick that the first washing just could not get it all off. Changing the wash bucket often was also necessary.
Pop corn type ceiling texture in the whole house had to be scraped off. Then the ceilings were sealed with two coats of a roll on sealer and a new ceiling texture sprayed on.
Complete stripping of the finish on all of the kitchen cabinets and re-finishing with new stain and polyurethane.
Every wooden door and trims were washed with TSP and then repainted with four coats of new paint.
All carpet and padding was removed. Open floors were left for a week or so to air out before new carpet was installed.
Every wall surface was repainted with at least two coats of new paint including inside of closets. In the worst rooms, such as the kitchen, vinyl wall paper was installed instead of painting. Bathrooms also got the wall paper treatment because those rooms were almost as bad as the kitchen.
Had to go into the attic with a shop vac and clean away years of smelly dirt and dust. This was an old house in warm climate and so there was no insulation in the attic. Thus replacement was not needed.

There were probably other things I did that I do not recall as this was over 30 years ago. As I did most of the work  DIY the cleanup and redecoration of the house took almost a year and a half. After that there was no noticeable old smoking smell.


What SEU cable size is required for 100 amp?

Depends if it's your entire service...
Normally the answer is "#1 aluminum".
However, if the 100A is your entire service, a "discount" kicks in: 310.15(B)(7) says you only need wire large enough for 83% of your service ampacity (83A obviously) so that allows use of #2 aluminum wire.
And you are better off using aluminum because the service drop itself will be aluminum, so why create a dissimilar metal problem?
... and if you want a "Heavy-up" later.
Honestly I'm a bit surprised that any power company is offering 100A service these days.  Usually, they want you to take 200A service.  And you may want to take it later.
And you know what: the difference in wire size cost outlay will not be large.  So it may make sense to spend the extra coin today so your wires are ready for 200A later.
For 200A service, you will need 4/0 aluminum (or 2/0 copper).    That's assuming again that it's your whole service and 310.15(B)(7) applies.
If the 200A is less than your entire service and you can't use the 'discount' then full-boat ampacity requires 250 kcmil aluminum or 3/0 copper.
Just to be clear: you never do this hot
To do any work on the service entrance cabling (weatherhead to meter) the power company must remove their service drop wire.
One option that can reduce downtime is to install a new, parallel weatherhead and meter pan right next to the existing one.  Have the new meter pan be a meter-main (required anyway in NEC 2020) which then allows you to de-energize everything downline with the flick of a switch.  Then, the power company is making 1 visit, and you can quickly punch over the.  However, some power companies will want to see that the new work has passed inspection.  Once the service drop is moved to the new weatherhead, the old weatherhead is stone dead, and you can easily de-energize the meter-main obviously.


How do I set up a massive spider glue trap like the one found on Reddit a week ago?

My problem is camel crickets more than spiders.

I personally put the glue boards near the wall anyplace along the basement wall that gets wet the most often, and near the door to the outside.  Basically, it's the places where I've seen evidence of them, pushed up against the wall.  Under sinks and places of moisture tend to be the best locations in my experience.

As for where to get them ... um ... there's a website posted on the picture, but it looks like their catalog is more geared towards stores buying a display worth of product rather than just a few of 'em.  I've seen glue boards for sale at the local Home Depot, and I've gotten them at online before.

As for the question of cover, there are some that are designed so that it gets folded up into a little triangular tent-like shape, with the glue on the inside.


Will a TV antenna pre-amp reduce channel dropout?

An amp will probably make things worse, not better. Modern TV signals are digital, meaning they are compressed. But their new compressed nature also makes them highly susceptible to interference (such as your fog).

In older analog TV signals, the problem was often a weak signal. An amp could help reduce that loss between the antenna and the TV. But digital signals are often made worse by amps, because they introduce a small amount of interference. As such, you lose information and, thus the signal entirely (digital cannot make use of partial information like analog could).

I had to set one up for my mother and found that the amped antenna performed worse than an un-amped antenna. The only time you generally want an amp on your line is if you need to make a very long run of wire (if you're considering it, I'd just buy a separate un-amped antenna for the additional TVs).

Something else to consider might be an external TV tuner. TV manufacturers often skimp on the ones they install. I've even seen some that work with your wifi so you can get a solid signal in one location and then broadcast it over your house to streaming devices.


What Wire Gauge and Conduit Size for 15a Cicruit Extension?

#14 is not adequate for a 175 foot, 50% circuit capacity load. Voltage drop is a function of resistance of the wire in series with the load. Extending a #14 circuit with lower resistance #12 is completely acceptable and does accomplish reducing the accumulated resistance that causes voltage loss on the extension.
5% is the total drop generally considered the maximum acceptable. Figure a distance to the gate of 100', add your 75' extension, you have 175', with an 7.5 amp load (a worm drive saw) you have a 3.5% loss just getting to the gate, then an additional 3% getting to your new receptacle. But if you reduce the resistance on the extension by using #12 you will get only about 1.5% loss on your extension, bringing you back to 5%. (Numbers get dramatically worse if you exceed the 50% circuit capacity that I used above.)
The 18" cover requirement is adequate for most conditions, be aware it is 18" of "cover", meaning the conduit is to be below 18" of material. Do an internet search for table 300.5 that could identify conditions that could change depth requirements.


Why do my under the cabinets lights dim after they are on for a short while?

The internal power supply, probably a 120V to 12V stepdown transformer, is starting to go. It is probably located at the end of the fixture and it's doubtful you would be able to fix it. Best bet is to replace the fixture.


what is the proper way to re-roof a home with exposed wood decking all around it ,so that nails will not protrudethrough the decking?

All roofing manufacturers require a certain size fastener (manual or pneumatic) shank size and head size. They also specify the minimum thickness of roof sheathing. This is primarily to resist wind blow off.

Depending on where the installation is located, the minimum thickness of sheathing is either 1/2” or 5/8” (for high wind areas).

You can buy the correct size (shank diameter and head size) and specify “shorts” (1” long) so they don’t penetrate the decking. These “shorts” exceed the roofing manufacturers minimum penetration.

If you use the wrong size fastener, you’ll void the warranty.


If you zoom in, this looks like a Phillips head screw. The discoloration around the head of the screw likely comes from rusting of the screw.


What causes tub drain to gurgle when toilet flushed?

Two options. Air is going in, or air is coming out.
"Gurgle" is caused by air being forced through the water in a fixture's trap. It's similar to the "glug" generated when you pour milk quickly from the milk jug.  It's air being forced through liquid, in an attempt to equalize pressures.
Air in
Vents placed strategically throughout the plumbing system, typically provide an adequate amount  of air. If the vent(s) get clogged/blocked/restricted, pressure differences inside and outside the system will develop.  If these differences in pressure are large enough, air will be forced through fixture traps in an attempt to equalize the pressure.
In this case, clearing vents; or adding additional vents in the case of improper venting, will usually resolve the issue.
Air out
If a large enough object (liquid and solid waste) is moved through the system fast enough; in such a way that the object blocks the entire internal pipe diameter, a high pressure zone can be generated on the front side of the object.  This high pressure zone may be able to force air out through fixture traps, as the object travels through the system. Think of it like the plunger of a pop gun.
In this case the solution is to increase the diameter of the pipe, eat less fiber, use less toilet tissue, or decrease the flush power of the toilet.


From your picture it appears they are paralleled.

To be seriesed the cold water would enter only one of them and the hot output from that one would be fed into the other's cold water input.

That is not what you have here. The cold water feeds both of them and the hot outputs are tied together. That makes them paralleled.

If you shut the gas off to one of them, the water to that one needs to be shut off or cold water will flow through the heater directly into the hot lines. You will need individual water shut offs installed on the one that is shut off. ThreePhaseEel is right, there should be individual isolation shut offs on each pipe of each heater.

Happy Turkey Week!


Distance between edge of concrete for anchor bolts?

The Code requires an edge distance based on the size of the bolt:

1) 1/4” = 1 1/2”

2) 1/2” = 2 1/2”

3) 5/8” = 3”

This is based on standard grade concrete, (i.e.: 2500, 3000, etc.) If you use a “high-strength” concrete it can be reduced. (See ICC Chapter 19, Table 1908.2)

Generally, I see “J-bolts” installed after the foundation wall is poured. This is primarily because we want a smooth surface for the sole plate to rest on. The bolts can be wiggled into the concrete and twisted so it hooks under the top horizontal rebar, which should be approximately 3” clear down from the top of the wall.

Yes, 10” anchor bolts are now required with 3” square washers in any high-wind or seismic area.


Old pivot rod assembly, unsure how to remove

What you're looking at is corrosion, not a packing substance. You want to pull the rod out and if it's reusable clean it up with a decalcifying agent. Try vinegar but you might need something stronger like Kaboom or Limeaway. Since it's not engaging the stopper it might be beyond repair in which case you'll need to replace the rod assembly and depending what you find when you open the drain the entire stopper assembly might need replacing.


Should this Grasslin UWZ48-L hour counter in my septic pump box be rolling or ticking over?

That is an hours meter, it is not a timer.  (The Omron device next to it is a timer, capable of various modes of operation depending how it's installed.)  The hours meter is like the odometer on a car.

The display is hours to two decimal points.  If it is working properly it should be ticking every .01 hours, or 36 seconds, when the load runs - probably the pump motor.

If the tank is alarming and it's not moving, that indicates the motor isn't running or maybe short cycling, so there's a problem - couldn't say what.

This time of year (summer here) my first guess is heat, maybe the overloads for the pump motor were preventing it from running during the heat of the day but came back online when things cooled at night.  But that's just a guess.


What is this material on my interior foundation walls?

Two common types of things are sprayed on basement walls.

What I suspect you have there is a white "waterblocking" coating - something like UGL Drylock (not an endorsement, just an example. I prefer waterbase version)
(source: drylok.com)
 It can be brushed or rolled, and a vigorous rolling may well provide the spatter you see. It's also becoming common to see sprayed-on polyurethane foam in basements (it's better put on the outside, but if retrofitting, putting it on the inside doesn't involve excavating all around the building) but that's usually a bit thicker and somewhat yellow (plus it's obviously plastic when you touch it.)


How to insulate garage walls from the outside?

I see no problem with your plan. I asked about vapor barrier in a comment, and since you're not using any that concern is moot. It makes no difference which side you install fiberglass batts from.

I would make a minimal number of strategically-located cuts in the housewrap. If you can cut over lumber you'll be able to tape them (using approved housewrap tape) fairly easily. If you can't, I'd consider installing strips of housewrap across the cuts and taping those edges over framing, where you can press it tight for a good seal. Lap all joints with water flow in mind, of course.


Can I double excess heat tape on a pex pipe?

I would not double back. I would consult your heat tape/cable directions. If you no longer have the directions, I would google the make/model of your heat tape/cable to see what the manufacturer recommends when it is too long for what you need.

In general, if it has a plastic piece at the end (as the one I used did), I would not cut it. If you can't cut it, just put it a little longer and use a small electrical cord staple to affix it to the joist beyond the pipe.

It should be perfectly safe to put the tape/cable next to wood, most of these heat tapes/cable are designed to keep the temperature just above freezing, and are self-regulating to prevent them from getting too hot (as long as you don't cut them when they shouldn't be cut :-). I would definitely do a little research to get the manufacturer recommendations.


Is it safe to turn off dehumidifier by switching power off

Refrigerant cycle dehumidifiers have some sensitivities, and I would recommend operating in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations.

I operated several types of conventional and LGR commercial grade dehumidifiers for many years. I don't know what your machine needs, but there were several reasons why our machines needed to be operated properly.

Since we don't know which type of machine you have, we don't have enough information to tell you why it might be a bad idea to operate it contrary to the manufacturers recommendations. However, there are a few reasons why it may be a bad idea to unplug a unit rather than turn it off properly. There are additional reasons why turning the machine off and on via a smart switch could be a bad idea.

These reasons could include:

The need to dissipate heat before the machine shuts down completely (from the directions you quoted it sounds like your machine has a blower that operates for some period after the "Power" key is pressed)
The need to let the remaining water collect before purging the drip pan (depending on how your machine collects and purges water)
The need for a compressor delay between on-off cycles (many machines handle this automatically)
The need to protect sensitive electronics from voltage spikes


How can I keep leftover drywall mud from drying out in the box?

I don't have any experience with boxes, but have quite a bit with the 5-gallon buckets of compound.  Without knowing much about how those boxes seal, I'd recommend going with a bucket- the buckets/lids seal air tight which is important for keeping the mud from drying out.  The other thing I'd recommend- every time you close the box or bucket, put a piece of plastic sheeting over the top of the mud.  This traps the moisture in against the mud, and prolongs its shelf life.  The buckets come with a round piece of plastic sheeting on top of the mud-
I just fold it in half (to keep any bits of mud stuck to the plastic from being exposed to air) then when I am done for the day, unfold it, and put it back on top of the mud in the bucket.


The old motor had two hot wires in addition to the white (neutral) so that the SPDT switch could select high or low speed. The new motor is one-speed, though you could replace the switch with a variable speed fan control if you want to adjust the speed and noise level. N.B. The link is just for illustration, that particular control might or might not be suitable.

If you don't mind a one-speed fan., then simply wire one or both switch wires to one black motor lead and the other black motor lead goes to the white (neutral) wire. If you connect both, there will be two ON positions and one OFF, but if you connect the wire for the middle position and cap the other lead, then there would be two OFF settings and one for ON.


If the pressure is going down, you're losing water somewhere.

If you have a main shut-off valve on your tank (usually between tank and rest of house) shut that:

If the pressure keeps going down, it's probably the check valve (submersible) or foot valve (jet pump), but could also be a leak in the pipe either going to or in the well.
If the pressure drop stops, there's a tap open or leak in your house somewhere.

Alternatives to a main shut-off valve are certain types of bypass valves on softeners, carbon or iron filters (the type with two valves to turn -- if you just turn one, it shuts off the water), or cartridge filters are often installed with shut-offs so you can service them.

Diagnosing interior leak

Unless you can isolate the problem to your well, go around your whole house and shut all valves (including toilets and outside taps) and inspect for any leaks.

The time of year is also a hint that you might have had a frozen pipe that burst, and has now melted and is now leaking, so you should definitely take a close look at areas near pipes on/near exterior walls and at any outside hose bibs.

Diagnosing leak in well

Almost certainly this will involve pulling the pump/foot valve out of the well. You'll have to turn off the pump and drain the pressure first.

Before you pull it, see if you can spot an obvious leak above the water line (eg, at the pitless adapter at the top). Pro tip: use a good spot-type flashlight or a mirror to reflect sunlight so you can see down.

Once you pull the pump out, inspect all the fittings for any signs of damage. By far the most common problem is the check valve at the top of the submersible pump sticking open (either spring or other parts corroded, or something actually lodged in it holding it open).

If you still haven't found anything, this starts pointing at a leak in the line going to the house, which is significantly harder to deal with (involves digging), and in worst case, involves digging the entire line up. In my experience, this will usually be:

Pipe was above frost line, and froze. If you know a spot the pipe isn't buried deeply, this is a good place to start.
Lightning strike. Lighting will travel across trees/fences/etc to get to the water/power lines on its way to that giant metal casing in the ground. Usually where it hits it'll burst the pipe open, and it'll following the most direct path possible.
Bad/broken fitting. There should only be one fitting undergound, which is at the pitless adapter where the pipe meets the casing. It's possible there's another at the entrance to the house, but it's best practice to just run lines inside and do the connections inside. It's also possible there's a coupler somewhere in the middle of the line if the installer was being lazy/cheap.


Does Nest utilize all the benefits of a communicating furnace

Nope

The Nest can only control furnaces that use "on-off", 24VAC control systems, such as conventional and two stage furnaces.  Fully modulating communicating systems (such as your Lennox iComfort, or the Carrier Infinity) use proprietary serial protocols that the Nest doesn't know how to speak.

This means that in order to get the full benefits of modulating operation at this time, you need the matching system thermostat -- otherwise, your furnace is simply a rather good single or two stage furnace, not a modulating furnace.


Best way to protect a new fence from weather before it can be stained

Cedar does not need to be stained, if you don't mind it weathering to gray; that's part of the point of using cedar.

Or you can stain it after it has dried out a bit.

No rush.


Is there any reason to not span entire deck with boards?

I've done a few decks, including my own, and have always spanned the entire deck with the planks. This depends on the length of the deck and if the size is available. For DIY's, hauling the longer boards could be a problem but sistering the joists where a smaller lengths would be connected is more of a chore in my humble opinion.


HazardousGlitch had a good suggestion. I don't think I was drilling into to top of a stud because I had tried several holes before posting.

Opened up the wall more so I could position the drill closer to the drywall and went through easily. Above I posted the wrong photo that didn't have the deep hole. Now you can see the deep hole (left bottom) and the successful hole (right by the old wire). You can also see my other failed attempts.

Thanks for the help!


Why would a GFCI fail in one outlet, but not another?

Shouldn't this be physically impossible? Maybe in theory, but let's come up with some real-world hypotheses.
There is a phenomenon of GFCI "nuisance tripping" when the current flow is noisy, or contains higher frequency components. I believe it's because the differential transformer that senses imbalance in the line and neutral currents, is not so perfect at cancelling our those two currents at frequencies above 60 Hz.
So, first hypothesis: loose or corroded connection in the line or neutral wire feeding this outlet. The simple outlet tester or basic voltmeter, would not detect this, so you may have to just repeat your experiment, remembering that the fault could be in this outlet, or anywhere upstream toward the distribution box. Power lines are often "daisy chained" through several outlet boxes. Identify all outlets on this circuit and repeat your experiment on each. That might help determine where the poor connection lies.
The other hypothesis, less likely, is that there is another appliance on this circuit, like a motor with sparking brushes, causing noise on the line. Again, knowing what this branch feeds, you should be able to disconnect any possible culprits and repeat the experiment.
I'm interested to hear what you find.


How can I repair water-damaged hardwood countertops?

I'd really need to see a photo to know, but more or less...

A lot of your options aren't great for food prep surfaces: for a non-food surface, I'd use turpentine or Restor-a-Finish.

Start with baking soda, warm water and a green scrubber to get the gumminess up. You might try washing soda or dish detergent if the baking soda alone doesn't do it. Fill a small bucket with warm water, sprinkle some baking soda down, scrub it up, wipe it up with a wet dishcloth, rinse the dish cloth, repeat. I've heard you can alternately use white vinegar. You probably won't scratch the wood but it never hurts to go with the grain instead of in circles.

Either way, don't leave standing water on the counter, clean it up as you go.

If it is really nasty you might wind up with a few rinses. Once you get it clean, oil it with mineral oil or refinish it.  If you go the mineral oil route, you pour a small amount on (small) and rub it in (with the grain) and repeat.

UPDATE: I just happened upon a blog post which suggests that a bowl of hot water, a few tablespoons of  murphy's oil soap and a pad of steel wool will go along way. With steelwool and sand paper you definitely want to go with the grain, always. Never ever go in circles. Add the soap to your hot water, scrub with the grain, rinsing often as you go. Change the water as it gets grimy. Keep some rags handy to dry up with so you aren't leaving standing water.

As far as the warping goes, you probably can't do much except plane it, is a recipe for making everything worse if you don't know what you're doing. Are you moving soon or just starting to realize you maybe need to be more conscientious?


What is the neatest way to run power to Somfy motorized window blinds?

In the end, the best way to solve this was to request replacement Somfy motors with longer cords. The factory can supply them at any length, and they arrived within a week.

I have now had them installed and there was no junction box needed, since there is no join in the cable behind the wall. There is now no visible cable whatsoever.

I hope this is helpful to others who run into the same issue.


How do I stop a rolling chair from rolling on a warped floor?

There are three general approaches that will fix the problem:

Make the floor level.  It isn't clear what you mean by "warped", but if the floor doesn't have any structural problems and you're talking about localized dents rather than general sloping, you could add a rigid laminate layer on top (like Pergo).  If the floor is dented, a plastic chair mat will quickly conform, so the chair will just roll on another layer.
Lock the wheels.  Replace two of the wheels with locking wheels (not very practical in use), or use wheel chocks as ArchonOSX suggests (might become an inconvenience).
Greatly increase the friction of what the chair rolls on.  Use a dense rug, as isherwood describes, or a very soft mat.  But this approach will also make it harder to move the chair when you're on it (and if you put a plastic chair mat on top to make it easier to roll, you're back where you started).


How can I further diagnose my central air conditioning compressor fan motor and capacitor?

I ended up pulling the capacitor and testing it with my ohm meter.  It was dead.  I could have easily gone to the local HVAC supply, purchased a new capacitor for $30 and installed it myself.  But, because I also wanted to have the pressure tested, I called in the guy who installed my furnace.  He affirmed that I "did good", it was the capacitor.  And because I had done most of the diagnostic work, he cut me a good deal.

In the end, the most important bit, on a 95 degree day when the humidity is 70%, a happy wife is a blissful life.  ;)


Valves carry a variety of markings, some of which are ratings.

  Common (sometimes older) ratings are WOG and WSP (or sometimes SWP).
  WOG stands for the water, oil, and gas rating for the valve and reflects the maximum pressure capability of the valve at 100 F.

  WSP stands for working steam pressure and reflects the maximum pressure rating for the valve at the highest temperature rating.

  Acceptable working pressure for all equipment decreases as temperatures
  increase. The WOG rating is always higher than the WSP rating for a
  valve or fitting.

Definitions:

  SWP: Steam Working Pressure: This designates the maximum recommended steam pressure a product can operate at.

  CWP: Cold Working Pressure: This designates the maximum non-shock pressure a product can operate at. “Cold” is generally defined as a
  range between -20°F to 100°F.

  WOG: Water, Oil and Gas: This was an older, generic pressure rating call-out which has been largely replaced by CWP. In this
  designation, “Gas” refers to any non-flammable, compressible fluid in
  a gaseous state. It does not imply a product’s suitability or
  third-party approval for use with flammable gases. Similarly, in this
  designation, “Oil” does not imply a product’s third-party approval for
  use with any petroleum products.

Some valves are governed by API Spec 6A which will carry the WOG mark, and is a little broader than the above.  In this spec the WOG rating is the working pressure of the valve at whatever temp class it is in.  These valves come in 2,000, 3,000, 5,000, 10,000 15,000 and 20,000 WOG ratings with temperature classes from -75F to 350F.

Bottom line - yes in principle you do need to make sure the valve you select is going to have a pressure & temperature rating which meets or exceeds your requirement. But in a residential plumbing or hydronic heating situation, the pressures are normally << 100 PSI and temperatures < 180 F, so many WOG rated valves would exceed this by far.

(Source 1)

(Source 2)


Can I use only one phase out of a triphasic cable?

If there is a provided neutral wire, for most countries it should be fine,

Consequences:

If it was a large load, e.g. an outlet, you would need to make sure the load on each phase was reasonably balanced,

Having a lighting circuit on a different breaker to the rest of the house lighting is frowned at, as if that circuit trips, the light goes out, equally someone later on perhaps wanting to replace that light socket will switch off the lighting breaker, if they fail to test the light socket afterwards, they will have a nasty surprise.


I need to enclose this porch. What are the things that I can expect to have to do?

Aside from local code, building the walls with proper header(s) for door(s)/window(s), electrical outlets and switches, you are on the right path. Big issue I see is the concrete slab. That will be a heat loss issue. You could potentially build it up with some insulation inside the cavity, but you might be limited in height to have it the same as the current room floor.


Want to purchase electric range unassembled

I Googled for a few minutes and can't find anything you might be interested in, unless it is something like this (an unassembled "stove"):

Of course for any given range, taking off the oven door is something housewives are expected to do for deep Spring cleaning.  That removes a couple inches off the depth which should make the side profile about 24 inches.   Here is a side view of our GE Profile range:

Those handles stick out 2.1 inches.  The oven drawer and door slide out and can be removed without any tools.  The knobs stick out 1.0 inches but they easily slide off leaving shafts which don't protrude any more than the ridge below it.  This is a gas oven and range, but the female connector on the back doesn't extend beyond the chassis, so without a gas appliance line, the fore to aft distance without handles is 24.25 inches and 26.35 inches with the handles.  So this as large as can be standard size appliance (30 inch) would easily fit through your door—sideways.


I would wager even odds the problem is temperature related. I've no idea about this model, but these sort of devices no longer use mechanical contacts. The knob is typically connected to a reluctor wheel and a pair of sensors detect the notches in the wheel going past to increment or decrement the timer. There's different types of sensors, one type uses a coil of superfine wire. The wire can develop a break, but as long as the temperature is right, contact is made and it still works. A change in temperature starts to open the break and it works intermittently. More change and it stops working.

These sensors are not repairable, they could conceivably be replaced, though I'd be surprised if you are able to get spare parts for this machine. Furthermore, if you happen to reassemble the shielding incorrectly, you could create a very dangerous condition where the device emits high levels of radiation completely undetectable to you and your family.

Even though you may be quite mechanically adept, between the radiation risk and the probably unavailability of parts, I suggest you simply find a replacement unit before this thing fails completely.


Need to add traction to existing polished concrete surface

You can make the surface a bit rougher by using an acid etch. Muriatic acid & water is commonly used to clean concrete prior to sealing or painting. A strong solution allowed to sit will actually etch the slippery surface away. It's much easier than grinding.

Once the surface etch is deep enough rinse with fresh water if the first solution did not etch enough add a higher percentage of muriatic acid. I would start with 4 parts water to 1 part acid. Remember to always add acid to water.

Most big box stores sell muriatic acid for this use and pool supply stores have it for balancing the pH in pools and spas so it is easy to find and not very expensive at ~$10 per gallon.

Added per comment: we always add acid to water to prevent an exothermic reaction. If water is added in some cases it causes the water to rapidly heat and can boil and splatter the acid from the reaction. So to be safe remember AAA always add acid


Electrical terminology in the breaker box

Answering your questions in turn:

Liv/Kit LTS. indeed means "Living Room/Kitchen Lights"
FAU could be a small on-demand water heater (FAUcet according to Harper) or it could be a Forced Air Unit (air handler) as you are thinking
The circle with two lines through it is the de facto North American standard electrical plan symbol for a duplex receptacle, so that line is short for "Kitchen Receptacles"
Comp. most likely is short for a trash compactor if you have one.


No, I would not recommend nailing through carpet. Whether or not you prefer to, cutting the carpet and pad and removing them (under the wall) is the only right way to do this job.

Baseboards on top of carpet will look like baseboards on top of carpet. If that's not how the rest of the baseboards are done, they will indeed look "off;" especially in the corners where the two types come together.


Is there an advantage to a heater with a ceramic heating body?

According to the Wiki post regarding ceramic heaters, the heating element in this type of device has a positive temperature coefficient (PTC). This means that as the device gets hotter, the power it accepts is reduced, making this a self-regulating heater.

Resistance heaters using nichrome wire or other high-resistance wire are also PTC but according to the same post, the level of temperature required is much higher.

The ceramic heater would have a greater perceived level of safety, although most of these devices have safety features for tip-over protection.

It's possible (but not researched) that ceramic heaters have a higher production cost. It's also possible that these heaters enjoy a perceived high-tech aspect, as resistance (hot-wire) heaters have been around for decades.


Fan in (UK) fan oven scraping against heating element

It sounds like the problem might be with the fan. You may need to access the fan from the back (outside) of the oven; or maybe to access the fan you would unscrew the screws circled in red.

Edit- If the fan is not the problem (and the warranty is expired) then I would order a couple more of those retaining clips. If the clips don't come with screws, then you could probably use high temperature screws (like for stoves).

Edit2- Manuvering the element while is it hot and pliable would be the best way to avoid cracking it. Generally speaking, this is kinda dangerous; if you do this you should be prepared. Have a friend ready to call for an ambulence. Of course you should wear gloves. And if you don't get hurt, you might still need to order a new element.

But (that being said) you could try heating it up and manipulating it with a couple pairs of pliers or channel locks.  After repositioning the element and allowing it to cool off, you would then intall the extra clips.

Edit 3 if the price for the element is cheap, then I would get another element rather than try to fix the old one... or if you tell them it warped after a couple weeks, they might give you a new one or some kind of discount.


There's nothing wrong with overdesign.   Tearing out 100A-rated cable simply because it's "too big" is just wrong.  I'm not saying you should oversize every wire, but if you are in an situation where the existing wire is larger than needed, it works in your favor.

However there is something wrong with overfusing.  Fuses and breakers protect wiring and equipment.  A breaker which is too large will not protect the equipment.  That's not a worry if the generator has its own breaker onboard.

If the generator has its own fuse or breaker protection that is correct to protect the generator, then the input breaker in the panel is allowed to be larger than the generator.  The original setup was fine.