The back and forth motion of the screed or float shakes the aggregates and makes the fine ones rise and the big ones sink, which gives a smooth surface. But the concrete has to be more liquid than what you did for that to happen. Then after screeding, before it hardens completely, spray some water on it and finish it with a float.
However if you put too much water in it, you'll have problems, like cracks. So you have to either get the water content "just right" or add some plasticizer which makes it fluid without extra water. You can also vibrate it, but that requires a special tool.
If you intend to tile this, then the rough surface is not a problem. It looks pretty good actually, since if the concrete will be covered, no need to bother with the extra work of making it smooth, all you need is to not have bumps. Tiles will cover roughness and holes just fine. If some aggregates stick out and the tiles stand on them, just smash the aggregates out of the concrete with a hammer.
If you intend to leave it visible, then you can spread a bit of mortar made with fine sand, or self-leveling, to make it smooth if you want.


Is my leaky faucet missing a valve seat?

There is a seat there on the hot side, unfortunately it has been ground flat. Most (not all) seats have an internal hex shape which facilitates removal with a seat wrench (I cannot tell from your pics if yours does).

You need to pull that seat out and change it. Another (less optimal) alternative would be to "grind and dress" the existing seat, in place. This sometimes works OK and sometimes it does not, and requires a special seat grinder/dresser tool.

Found this image of Jameco tub/shower seats (hex, not square, hole to remove with wrench)


Help, need alternative to dissolving cheap T-11 siding

Well after lots of research - I am going to seal new T-111 and replace the lower 4' on both sides, then I'm going to use the Hardy siding on the front where more insurance is needed.

In both cases I'm using a good moisture wrap - Felt Buster and adding pressure treated 2x6 sections in-between each stud to secure the new materials to.  This will lock the wall with the siding helping stabilize everything.

Lots of info on fixing T-111 on Youtube.com


Just stating the amperage required is not enough information for the electrician to supply what you need.

If you are asking the electrician just to run a 100 amp metered main panel with no additional circuits or outlets for appliances, the amperage, voltage (e.g. 120V vs. 240V vs. 480V, etc.), and phase (1-phase vs. 3-phase) of the electricity should be enough information for the electrician to run the wiring for the panel.

If you are asking the electrician to run individual circuits to your appliances, then the electrician will need more detailed information about each appliance which can typically be found on the face-plate or a label on the equipment.

If you give the electrician some more information about each major appliance (or at least the type of appliances you will need if you have not picked them out yet) and the type of work spaces in your kiosk (e.g. kitchen), that should be enough to help get the conversation going further. If that doesn't get the conversation going any further, then you may want to look for another electrician who is willing to work with you on the specific details of your needs.


You could use anti-friction tape.
The other thing you could consider is sheet metal.  You could get 20g sheet metal and use that to make cross bridging.  It might be rigid and thin enough to help support the bottom.
Another idea would be to split the interior drawer into two sections and use the drawer divider to pull up the bottom (either splitting the space side to side or back to front).
Outside of that you are better off rebuilding the drawer and using something reasonable as a drawer bottom.  Hard to imagine 1/4 MDF being used as a drawer bottom - did they run out of cardboard?


Should I paint copper pipes exposed to nature?

I would not paint the copper. If you ever need to repair it, paint would be one more problem on making a good leak free connection. If you want to cover the pipe, use foam. Remember, copper water supply’s are quite common direct burial, the sun and elements won’t hurt it. I suggest insulation, if in a location that the temps drop below 27°F.
(Yes water freezes at 32°, but it takes time, in most locations 27°F is where damage to pipes starts as it takes ~4 hours at that temp to freeze your pipe.)


Should one apply salt/antifreeze on the road right before it snows?

Well if you apply it before you will just be shoveling it away.

If you apply it after it will only help for the next batch of snow.  But it will also tear up your road.

I opt for nothing and dealing with the snow.


What alternatives do I have to cap/plug the kitchen spray nozzle

Since you did not provide the model of the faucet, here is a YouTube Video that shows how to cap a typical sprayer. In this situation, you'll likely need a 1/4" brass cap, some PTFE tape, and an adjustable wrench.


I further disassembled the heater and found a check valve flapper stuck in the heater coils.

I then realized that I had broken the check valve in the filter housing while vacuuming the water out of the pipes.


Eventually if water continues to fill the system, it will fill the pipes, and eventually come out the vents on the radiators.  I saw a house that got flooded when someone was adding water to the boiler manually, forgot to turn it off, and left - made a big mess.  Obviously that would take a long time with a slow leak.

I am not sure whether this also creates a safety issue.

There may be an automatic fill valve that isn't sealing off properly when the water reaches the full level that can be serviced or replaced.  I believe these can also be retrofit if there isn't one on your furnace.


I repaired my poorly-build stairs in just this manner recently. Here's what I did after removing the drywall:

Run a bead of high quality construction adhesive along all joints and laps. Every point of contact between stringers, risers, and treads should have one or two beads, depending on access. Use a protected finger or tool to press the bead into the corners and gaps, spreading it and enhancing contact.
If the stairs are at all springy, add 2x4 or 2x6 lumber to the stringers. You could even add two members to the center stringer. Use construction adhesive and 2-1/2" gold construction screws.

The result is a stone-solid staircase with no noise whatsoever. If you have any noises remaining after allowing a night for the glue to set up, tackle them on an individual basis. Chances are more glue and maybe some shims will do the trick.

Reinstalling drywall on the underside is trivial for your hangers. I doubt that they'd even upcharge for it, especially if they bid to tape that area anyway.


Should make no practical difference. I'd also suggest an accessible "secondary" shutoff if your "main" is a pain to get to. When it needs to be shut off NOW, you don't want to be facing a long crawl in a nasty hole before you can get that done. Plumbing in some gauges so you can see where it's set and if it's actually doing its job is also helpful in the long run, IMHO.


How can I stop gurgling at discharge outlet from sump pump?

If you have the clearance, you could put an air admittance valve at the high point of the drain. I'm not sure of the code on that, but since this isn't for a drain into the waste stack, it might be permitted. I would be reluctant to put it in a blind location though.


Can I use three-conductor #2 cable for a 100A subpanel if I add ground rod at the subpanel?

Just get the correct stuff and run it -- anything else you do's going to be a way bigger pain in the arse

Since you (presumably) have not put the wrong cable in the ground yet, your best bet is to simply get the correct cable (one with 3 insulated wires and bare ground) and run it.  If you can't return the incorrectly purchased cable, just toss it in with the next load going to the metal scrapper in your area -- you'll at least get a little bit of money back for it that way.


Can audio be transmitted over composite cable?

If I understand what you're doing, you want to put the chromecast on the projector on the ceiling, and use two of the RGB to run the audio out back to the receiver.

Yes, it will work, I have done this many times to re-purpose cables installed in home theater and commercial AV.  The RGB cables for component video (RGB) and composite video (yellow) are just 75 ohm impedance coaxial cables with RCA ends, same type typically used in red and white for stereo audio.  The color coding only matters to the person plugging things in.

Per google support (https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/6280276) you'll need a 3.5mm to RCA stereo adapter cable.


Can I run one pendant light off garbage disposal switch?

You can't connect up any kitchen lighting to any of the dedicated small appliance circuits. And any receptacle near a counter automatically becomes a dedicated small appliance circuit.
The solutions include:

New circuit - kind of crazy given the low power needed for modern LED lighting, plus the work involved.
Connect to existing lighting circuit - that is the most logical, but not always the easiest
Connect to a circuit in the kitchen that is not connected to any small appliance receptacles, like the garbage disposal or dishwasher. That's your idea, and it should work.

If I remember correctly, you can't normally have receptacles on a circuit that has 50% or more capacity used by hardwired loads. For example, if a circuit has a 10A garbage disposal or dishwasher then you can't put a regular receptacle on the same circuit. But you should be able to add more hardwired loads (like lighting) as long as the total does not exceed 80% of the capacity of the circuit (it gets a little more complicated than that, as only continuous loads (like lighting) need to be derated but not temporary loads (like a garbage disposal that runs for a few seconds at a time), but better to stay well within the capacity of the circuit).
There is another reason, aside from code compliance, to not put lighting on small appliance circuits: GFCI. The small appliance circuits require GFCI protection. Lighting generally does not, and in fact it is generally better to not have lighting GFCI protected because if it is protected and a ground fault occurs on the circuit, the lights go out! Leaving you in the dark next to a broken food processor or whatever.


Grounding metal box joining two BX cables without ground

If this is old armored cable, commonly reffered to as "BX". Then the armor was never considered an adequate grounding conductor  (at least not that I'm aware of).  A circuit wired with "BX" would be considered an ungrounded circuit, just like any other two wire circuit.

If you want to add a ground, you'll have to install an NEC approved ground.  If you just want ground-fault protection, you can install a GFCI device to protect the circuit.

If it's modern Type AC or Type MC cable, then you'll use the bonding strip or grounding conductor as the ground.


Diverter valve in Glacier Bay two handle kitchen faucet

Just above the upper threads is a black cap.  Insert a flat screwdriver slightly between the upper treads and the cap and pry it up.  Then use a coin to unscrew the diverter.  Replacement part number is A66G391, which comes with a removal/installation tool.


What device can I purchase to monitor my electrics long-term?

lots of different ways to monitor & record voltage, plugin board or usb for your computer sounds like the cheapest way to go to me they are cheezy but work ok to take the measurements you describe, I would tell your land loard he needs to have an electrician tighten the wires in your pannel the humming is a really bad thing and can be the start of arcing that can distroy the ends of the wires and terminals of the breakers, that sounds like where most of the problem may be from your description. here is a very inexpensive unit and there are lots of other options out there. http://www.dataq.com/resources/images/products/starterkits/di145-usb-data-acquisition.jpg


This is really a bad spot to be leaking considering that it's only about 12 years old. It's leaking where an attachment fitting is welded to the tank and with the amount of corrosion around it, a temporary fix isn't a good idea. It's rusted all the way around and it could start leaking a lot more without any warning since there is pressure in those pipes. You really need to think about getting that replaced.


Why is this double switch controlling both light circuits from both switches?

You disregarded a feature these switches have, where one side of both switches are wired together.   They can be separated by breaking a tab, but you didn't.

source

This side is intended to be the "common" side, so you could accomplish the left side of your diagram with one wire. However you placed it on the right side,  where it shorts the output of both switches.

Just rewire to suit, or break off the tab.


Have an unused receptacle in the ceiling that used to have a fan. What is safe way to cap it?

You can leave the ground wire bare, it's fine. As long as the other wires are capped off so that no bare metal is exposed, then those are fine, too. You can bend the wires and stuff them all into the box, then put a blank faceplate on the box. You cannot cover the box with sheetrock or anything. You have to leave it accessible.


Hanging unframed stained glass-type panels

The glass bits around the edge are not fully encapsulated without a frame. This is a risk -- damage and / or injury.  I would recommend taking them to a picture-framing business and seeing if you can't get a reasonably cheap metal frame cut to size.  Obviously you wouldn't need a matte :-), but you might want some extra pads/shims to keep the stained glass panels from rattling in the frame.


How do I change the washers of this tap?

that is a hex nut at the front. don't use grips you could make a big mess. use a box or ring wrench of the appropriate size. or use an adjustable wrench but be careful.
I've tinted the part that comes off red and the part that stays blue


Is this a big problem? I assume the fan has been like this for 15+ > years. If it is, I will look into getting a duct there, which is complicated by the inaccessible attic space.

Moisture in the attic is a problem and the fan needs to be ducted to the exterior. I find it hard to believe that your attic has no access. Code requires one for many reasons including maintenance and for fire fighting.

  Should we stop using the fan until this gets fixed?

After 15 years, a little longer won't be a big difference in the overall picture and not using it can cause problems in your bathroom due to excessive moisture there.

  Should we be concerned about any mold etc in the attic as a consequence of this?

Yes. When you get the work done have them check for mold and decay of the roof framing members and roof sheathing


Can buried gas pipe conduct flame between two structures?

The possibility of the natural gas line transmitting the fire is extremely close to zero.  Yes natural gas requires air, about 20% mixture of gas and air (more air than gas).  Getting that mixture in a closed pipe, along the entire pipe, would near impossible without some pre-mixing first before the fire.

Also if fires could be transmitted via the gas pipe lines, entire cities would be at risk if just one house caught fire.


Dryer vent through cinder block and then through yard - is this ok?

You can get duct that is rated for underground use. It's more expensive of course, usually stainless steel.

Your MUCH bigger problem with this idea however is that you are introducing a place for ground water to enter your basement. There is no good way to seal something as large and flimsy as vent pipe penetrating a basement cinder block wall. This will result in a long term nightmare that will be very difficult and expensive to fix. The only possibility I can think of is to use cast iron pipe, like a sewer pipe, with an approved wall penetration method and all joints sealed against water leaking IN to the pipe and thereby into your basement. Making your dryer vent connect to the cast iron pipe may be a challenge, but creativity should win out.

But rather than that, I would call a "concrete coring company" as ask about them coring a hole for you in the stone wall. It's done all the time.


Based only on personal experience, not any sort of reference, 6" cover (so a 10 inch trench depth for a 4 inch pipe) is a reasonable minimum unless your lawnmower is one of those things that weighs as much as a small car.


Which mortise lock/brand I should get to replace this one?

The one on the right (the old one) is an old Russwin Emhart mortise lock. You can still purchase ones like it from Corbin Russwin but they are quite pricey. If you want to replace the Emhart with the Marks Metro, a few shims and a new strike plate as well as some alterations to the door/door jamb should do the trick.


How does one replace an adjustable back box lug?

I don't think you can replace the lugs. They're effectively T-shaped and the cross piece is thicker than the upright so that it can't be pulled out of the slot.

You're going to have to remove the old box completely and replace it with a new one.

The hardest part is going to be knocking the old one out without removing half the wall as it's been well plastered in. First remove any screws on the back. Then taking a reasonably thin cold chisel or old flat bladed screw driver dig into the wall around the box to remove a thin layer of plaster all around. When the box is loose, carefully pull it out.

The new box should fit nicely into the hole and the wall can be made good with a little filler.


Currently it appears you have 2 switches Providing power to the location and 3 loads,
On the fan. Normally all the whites go to the white,
the green and bare copper wires are connected ground there should be one or the other or a green ground screw to land the ground on.
Next try putting black with black red with red and leave blue disconnected to test.
Did the light come on with 1 switch and the fan with the other? Make note of what happened.
I usually connect the fan and light together on 1 switch if they are the ones that came on turn the power off again put them both on the same switch.
Now put blue on the other switch. Now when you are in the bath the light and fan will be on and only when you want heat turn the other switch on.
If this is a different setup possibly a timer or humidistat we might need to make more changes to the wiring but for a light, fan and heater this wiring would be normal with 2 switches.


You're going to have to put a trap in there somewhere.  If there's enough space in the cabinet, you could do something similar to this...

NOTE:: All horizontal pipe sloped at 1/4" per foot.*

If not, and you have access to the plumbing below. You could reroute the plumbing, so the it comes up the back wall instead.


Does 100 yr old concrete floor need replacing?

Concrete is porous, regardless of whether it's new or old. If you replaced it with a new floor, you could have a drain installed around the perimeter to stop most of the moisture infiltration. The best solution is to install a barrier around the perimeter of the exterior, which requires a lot of digging to get to the bottom of the foundation and installing a drain at the bottom to remove the moisture that gets to this barrier. A less intrusive solution is to install a French drain anywhere you have moisture problems around the outside of your home.

Regardless of how you decide to fix this problem, you should ensure that the yard is properly graded away from your property on all sides so that any moisture in the ground goes somewhere other than against the concrete foundation. This, combined with your work on the gutters, could be enough to make the moisture levels tolerable.


Can I get bathroom permit in old house (1950s) which doesn't quite meet modern codes?

The plumber most likely didn't bring it up because (1) he doesn't know much about the height requirements nor is he required to or (2) he is just there to do the plumbing or a combination of both 1 and 2.

Next, basically the general rule is that things like this can be 'grandfathered' in, so long as they aren't touched. Since you were code compliant at the time of installation or construction (or somehow got by), they can not require you to upgrade anything to meet modern codes. However, if you ever go to do any new work or renovation like this, anything that is done must meet the current codes.

I did find, and this copy of the code is old (Seventh edition - 2009), an exception to the ceiling height.

  780 CMR: State Board of Building Regulations and Standards

  5301.1 - Exception 2:

  Ceilings in basements without habitable spaces may project to within six feet, eight inches of the finished floor; and beams, girders, ducts or other obstructions may project to within six feet, four inches of the finished floor.

This exception may no longer be around in the current code, and even with it you might not fit within it's parameters.

(6'-8" overall from floor to ceiling, 6'-4" under the duct from floor to ceiling, but still 6'-8" regardless above the bathroom fixtures)

If you still do not meet this criteria (again, if and only if it's still in the code) then they do not have to permit the work and the job can not be done. I'd suggest talking to the town to see what can be done, they'll give the definitive answer.


Cutting acrylic bath panel to fit profile of baseboard trim

I'm guessing the "panels" will cover the existing (fiberglass?) tub walls? The skirting (molding?) from your photo looks to be made of MDF (medium density fiberboard). MDF won't last very long in a wet environment.   To install the acrylic sheets, if possible, remove the skirting and then measure the wall height and subtract 1/2-3/4 inch. The panels will easily install and the skirting will cover the gap.


Yes, the amperage draw for your 2000 watt water heater will be about 8.7 amps. To calculate the amperage of any heating element divide the watts by the voltage. If the amperage draw is too high for your application, you could exchange the heating element with a lower wattage element. Hope this helps.


Can i use 3 wire for service installation

Past the service disconnect you will need 4 wire and you will need ground rods at the cabin.


Should raw timber be treated for use as in-ground posts?

If the timber is recently felled, it is still too wet for any treatment to have any positive effect.  However, even without treatment these posts, because of their size, will give many good years of life as trellis supports.


There's several models of point-of-use tankless (search under sink as well). I found this unit on Amazon. There's several others as well.

The problem with a tank that small is that keeping it at temperature eats a lot more energy. A larger tank can retain its heat better. This is why a tankless is preferred for point-of-use. You only heat what you need.


How can I trim 1/8 off the bottom of an installed cabinet?

With my interpretation of your circumstances, I feel the tool for this task would be an oscillating multi-tool, found just about everywhere.

The attached blade in the photo may be the one you'd use, although the semi-circular one would give you a smoother entry. They cut relatively slowly allowing for precise control. You'd be able to build a shim under the cabinet to keep the blade in the desired position vertically as you run it over the areas to be cut.

Depending on the clearance you have, you should be able to get all the way to the corners (the blade can be mounted in various angles) or have to take the chisel to break the hold-outs clear.


How can I move sink supply lines from the floor to the wall?

If you have access to the space below this floor the best course of action would be to re-route these water pipes so that the riser portion comes right up under the center of the thickness of the wall that you show here. Then you would just be opening the drywall here to put elbows on the pipes to bring them out of the wall.

Opening the wall first from this upper side would be a good thing anyway because it looks like replacement of the wall board that was behing the old cabinet could be a good thing depending what it is that is causing the dark brown and black spots.


Using white cement + water to mould a part

How small, how dense ? Maybe a low temperature metal casting should be considered ( lead, tin, zinc, etc.). Otherwise cement + white silica sand will make a very strong part ( after a couple weeks cure). Mixing ratio is very flexible , commonly 20 % cement makes a strong concrete . Plaster of Paris ( calcium sulfate) will cure very quickly but is not very strong.


Will using a paint or sealer on a concrete floor damage it?

Once concrete is fully cured, you're not going to damage it with paint or other sealer.  On the first floor of a building chances are good that it is a solid concrete floor rather than a thin coat of something.  As far as the "type of concrete", that shouldn't matter much when you choose a coating.

What does matter is the prep work that you do.  When you decide on a coating, read what the manufacturer recommends.  In most cases it will call for a strong cleaner/degreaser and some type of concrete "etching".  Etching might sound like it could damage the floor, but we are talking a very mild etching that happens on an almost microscopic level.  Don't let the term scare you.

The amount of prep you do is directly related to how long the coating will last.  Skimp on the prep, and it will start to peel and flake off prematurely.  It's not going to hurt the concrete, but it could make the floor look very ugly.


The actual best way may be to hold your final payment to your painter until he cleans it up!

I'm not trying to be a wise guy. If you paid someone to do this it shouldn't be left like that.


What is this type of sink drain/plug called?

I have always heard those type are called pop up drain plugs , it looks like yours is missing the rubber seal. If when you press it it drops down and press again it pops up you probably only need to find the rubber seal.


Inside of Washing Machine smells horrible. How to fix?

First, let me say, you are far from the first person to have smell problems with washers, especially front-loaded ones. This has been the topic of many conversations resulting from home inspections and with concerned customers. I have had followup consults with factory reps, appliance repair specialists and the like.

The most common problem seems to be with the rubber sealing rings at the door. Water sits in the folds, mold grows in the folds and is untouched by the "washer cleaners" that are currently on the market. Wonder why they are so popular? some folks have been able to manually clean these areas with bleach and many rags. Others have had to have it replaced then keep it clean before the mold takes hold again.

Any closed reservoir can harbor mold and usually does. If you cannot access them to clean the mold out, that part usually has to be replaced. The other problem is if small amounts of water sit in the bottom of the unit and don't get expelled. this is easily treated with flushing cycles with bleach or cleaners.

Before you completely give up on the unit, see a Bosch dealer with a good service reputation. Several models from several manufacturers have been recalled or service bulletins issued for exactly the problems you are having.


Cold water coming out of hot tap - problem?

The mixing valve of the washing machine can let cold water into the hot line. Also single valve lavatories and kitchen faucets. You can tell which one is allowing the flow by turning off the cut-off valve to that point of use.

EDIT

This is only occurring when the hot water line is shut off. It is not a fault condition. It happens all the time with the single handle sink mixing valves.


The contractor is correct. The cord from the microwave will exit from the top of the unit, and should pass through the bottom of your cabinet, and plug into an outlet inside the upper cabinet.

The microwave is designed to mount flush to the wall and the bottom of your cabinet, thus you would not be able to plug the oven into an outlet mounted on the wall behind the oven.


Replacing 60-year old light switch - which wires go where?

Based on the photograph, I'd say the black wires are feeding voltage from the panel (hot) and carrying the voltage onto another switch or outlet. The red wire is presumably going to the light (load).

You need to connect the black wires to one screw of the new switch and the red to the other. Leave the green (ground) screw unconnected.

It's generally not good to put two wires under one screw as was previously done. Better to add a pig-tail: a third short wire to the switch. Connect the two blacks and the other end of the pigtail together with a wirenut.


Can I use concrete screws to mount storage racks through drywall into wall studs?

Firstly, I wouldn't use drywall screws (black oxide) to hang any load heavier than the small portion of drywall they're designed for. Drywall screws are very brittle and don't tolerate bending well at all. Gold construction screws, sure. Good quality deck screws, sure. Not actual drywall screws.

Then, concrete screws are often heavier in diameter and thread depth, so they'll grab the wood in your studs just fine. Even if they're lighter-duty 3/16" screws they'll be ok if you use enough for the load. You may want to pilot for them since they can be quite chunky. The only concern is length. You'd want to be into the wood at least 1-1/4" for anything of substantial weight.


How can I figure out where this water is coming from?

You have asked a lot of questions at once here.  Let's start by saying that it is very unlikely that you would be able to determine the exact location of the leak from the top, unless it is a simple problem with the sealing around the shower mixing valve handle escusson trim or an obviously loose drain flange. If the problem is in fact under the floor, then you will have to remove part of the ceiling to gain access to the drain pipes for inspection and repair. It is not uncommon for joint to crack or come undone. I wouldn't consider removing the shower floor until it is inspected from below.  Depending on how comfortable you are digging into a semi difficult project like this will determine if you want to hire a pro or tackle it yourself. It will most likely involve removing a section of the ceiling, repairing some PVC pipe or making a new joint with pipe and couplers, primer, pvc cement etc., then repairing the hole in your ceiling.


it won't let me reset it

If it used to work, and you have not changed the wiring:

It's either defective, or there is a ground fault. They do seem to fail on a regular basis in the long view (I average 10-15 years, from what I recall of my GFCI failures.) But a fault of exactly the sort they are designed to prevent is always a possibility, until it's eliminated as a possibility.

If it never worked or is newly installed:

There's the additional possibility that it's wired incorrectly - incoming power goes to the "Line" terminals, any power going beyond connects to the "Load" terminals. When wired "backwards" they don't work.


Confused by ~115VAC 5-wire cabling to UK thermostat

Beware Ghost voltages

Typical UK central heating is wired like this (Honeywell Sundial S-Plan)

It is not immediately obvious but essentially, the 240 live supply passes through a series of switches in this order:

Mains supply (there is often a wall switch plate for heating). Provides power to ...
Timer (AKA controller - ST9400A/C in diagram).  Provides power to ...
Room thermostat.  Provides power to ...
Zone valve (when motorized valve is fully open it closes a switch).  Provides power to ...
Pump and Boiler

Unlike the arrangements common in the US, all the above equipment operates at 240VAC.

Note that, so the switches in the timer and therostats don't have to switch the high currents needed by the pump, there is a separate (grey wires) parallel live feed to the mechanical relays in the zone valves. This doesn't change the fact that, logically, the units in the diagram operate in series.

Some commercial installations and some more recent domestic installations may have low-voltage to thermostats and may have intelligent thermostats that incorporate the timing functions. This doesn't seem to be the case in your installation.

As shown above, for installation convenience the equipment is wired radially and all connections are made in a central wiring box (often a backbox of the timer).
So physically star-wired but logically in series (with parallel branches for hot water and heating).

Normally the thermostat needs 240 VAC neutral, 240VAC live (from timer) and switched 240V AC live (to zone valve). Some traditional-type thermostats include a heating anticipator (a resistor across switched-live & neutral that warms the thermostat).

UK wiring insulation colours are

            old           current

neutral     black         blue
live        red           brown
earth       green         yellow/green

Earth wires are sometimes bare copper (as in "twin & earth" single-core cabling inside walls/floor voids etc) but inside a junction box, back box or patress should be covered by the electrician in a yellow/green sleeve at time of installation.

If your thermostat has a ground connection but no neutral connection, it is wrongly wired and you should consult an electrician if you are not confident working with lethal voltages.

If the timer (controller) is set to "heating: always on" you should measure 220-240 volts on live at thermostat. Some multimeters have a low-impedance setting to avoid "ghost-voltage" indications. An alternative might be to temporarily wire a 60W incandescent light bulb across live and neutral, using a connector block, then measure voltage when the bulb is on (fully).


splitting 3 phase from phase converter to three machines

Any junction box will work most industrial sites use Hoffman boxes the size of the box depends on the conduit size and number of conduits entering. For a small setup like this a 12×12×6 box would probably be more than enough for a terminal block or splices.


What is the best way to subdivide and heat a large room?

I was in a situation like this a while ago. I was also under a constraint where I could not make modifications of any kind (no nails, drilling, etc). So here is what I ended up doing.

Bought a bunch of C clamps. Since the room had open beam ceiling, I could use the clamps on the beams.
Put a clamp on every fourth or fifth beam so that the clamps were approximately 55 apart.
Went to a fabric store and bought several yards of the cheapest heavy fabric I could find. I also wanted something half way pleasent in appearance.
Cut the fabric in lengths that were the same as the height of the ceiling.
String rope (I used steel cable as it could be strong tighter) through the clamps.
Loop the ends of each piece of fabric over the rope and fasten the loop closed with safety pins.
Now you have a fabric divider for your room. It should keep warm air inside a section of the room.

With this method, you could have multiple layers of fabric for better insulation.


Why is my primer peeling off like plastic, and what can I do to fix it?

If the house is in the 100 year old range or older it be be a calcimide coating on the walls and ceilings. It is more of a white wash than paint. If you wipe your hand on the wall and you see a chaulky white powder on your hand, it may be calcimide. The powder prevents the paint from adhering. Sanding does not seem to help because the coating is absorbed into the porous plaster. It must be sealed or removed prior to primming. I have had decent results using Binz or Kilz first then prime and paint.


Can I put road salt into toilet/sink trap to prevent it from freezing?

Your plan is OK except that -20C is about the lowest you are going to get protection with NaCl (i.e. common salt).  Here is a graph of freeze point vs. concentration.  You really cannot get a higher concentration than about 23% since excess salt precipitates out.
I think you'll be better off using an anti-freeze product.


Can wallpaper be coated with a protective finish?

Generally, yes - you can help protect the wallpaper with polyurethane. However, once the paper is on, it's not coming off without a complete overhaul (sand it all off and redo it), and you should be aware that paper tends to fade and yellow after a while.

Also, if you use a brush to apply water based poly then you need to apply it kind of quickly and be (kind of) gentle because wet paper is easily marred.

Oil based urethane should be easier to use (provided the ink doesn't bleed). You should test some paper separately (perhaps test your method on a cardboard box) before applying it to the nightstand.


Unplugged alarm panel - battery died - keypad says low battery

Well, it's either dead, and you need a new battery, or it will recharge and perhaps you don't need a new battery. Since the typical alarm is very "trickle" rather than active charge, it may take 2-3 days.
Depending on what its built in-protections for the battery are, a complete discharge might have damaged it (if no low voltage cutoff - lead-acid batteries HATE being anything like "fully discharged" - they are not NiCads) or not.
Alarm batteries are typically designed to protect in case of a power outage for a certain period of time - if the time yours lasted was particularly short, it probably needs to be replaced. You could check the actual voltage with a meter to see if it's alarming (11.99 or less; or 12.5 or less, depending who you ask. 10.5 and under are pretty clear indications that one or more cells have definitely given up the ghost) and if it rises before you check it again.
Unclear why you chose to do this - there are not very many reasons to, and several not to. Despite being nominally rechargeable, there's a rather small finite life to these batteries, and deeply discharging them eats into that.
Common recommendation is to plan on replacing on a 3-5 year cycle (how well the alarm "checks" the battery varies between alarms, and it may or may not give you any indication that the battery is useless before you have a 5 minute outage and the alarm goes belly up in 3 or 30 seconds - which can be one reason to unplug for a couple of hours once in a while, but not to the point of killing the battery unless it can't make it for a couple of hours and you replace it.)


Do I need a pancake box to hang a ceiling fan or can I use what is already in the ceiling?

Try to pull the wires out a little more and check the writing on the box. It should tell you if it's ceiling fan rated. Even if it is, it's always good to remove a few screws and make sure it's mounted securely to joists. If it's not rated for a ceiling fan, you'll have to replace it with pancake box or some other ceiling fan rated box. Make sure the power is off before doing any work. Even though you have the wires nutted, you'll need to remove the wire nuts to replace the box. I've seen people get knocked on their butt because they forgot to turn off the power before removing the wire nuts.


Tongue and groove floorboards - which way up?

It is thick side up, but to use that for flooring it was not milled properly. Yes the top is to be the thicker side but the thin side is too thin to hold up over time and not crack here or there. There should be a relief cut on the bottom face to help prevent cupping and where the nail goes through to keep the splinters raising the board off the subfloor.

Although I would not use it for flooring, and you are stuck with it, do not use an underlayment paper, use a good construction adhesive over the subfloor to hold it over the long haul and blind nail it down, letting the glue be the work horse here.


Can you insulate a brick veneer house by adding exterior layers of insulation?

Problem #1: When installing insulation, you should think “envelop”. That is to say, just applying slabs of insulation to exterior walls does not “help” the energy conservation of the building, if there are gaps between the slabs, around the edges, etc. there will be NO insulation qualities.

Problem #2: Moisture Barrier. I’m sure there is an existing moisture barrier. (Note: moisture barrier is different than vapor barrier. Let’s discuss moisture barrier first.) Moisture barriers are installed to keep OUTSIDE moisture from penetrating the exterior walls and causing dryrot, mold, etc. When you add another exterior layer, like insulation, it requires another moisture barrier. If moisture gets past this new moisture barrier it can get trapped and create dryrot, mold, etc.

Problem #3: Vapor barrier and Dew Point. Vapor barriers keep vapor from exiting the living spaces and getting into the insulation. Once in the insulation it can change into moisture through a process called “Reaching it’s Dew Point.” The placement of vapor barriers is important because vapor can change into moisture at the Dew Point and create dryrot, mold, etc. in the walls and ceilings. When there are two moisture barriers, this will often occur between them, depending on the amount of existing insulation in the wall.

Dryvit is a manufacturing company that has a system of installing insulation on the exterior of walls and then troweling on a coat of waterproof plaster. If you google it, you’ll see about a hundred lawsuits for these identical problems.

Be careful adding new “systems “ over existing systems.


What is the minimum flow required for a pressure washer?

Most consumer pressure washers require a feed at typical municipal pressure and at a flow rate of more than the washer's output.  Karcher appears to be an exception.

This video claims that their units can draw the water they need from a static source, like a drum or tank of water or a pool, using a siphon hose.  That water isn't under significant pressure (its own weight), but nothing limits the flow in that scenario.  If you feed it from a piped source, that source must be sufficient to feed it as fast as it needs it.

I would verify the requirements for the specific model you're considering.  The specs should tell you the input requirements, or you can check with Karcher customer service for an official answer.


Turn on one light, when another is turned off

A three-way, or single pole double throw (SPDT), switch should be able to do what you want.

Connect the ungrounded (hot) line feeding the switch, to the common terminal on the three-way switch.
Connect the ungrounded (hot) line feeding the main light, to one of the switched terminals on the three-way switch.
Connect the ungrounded (hot) line feeding the nightlight, to the other switched terminal on the three-way switch.
Connect the grounded (neutral) line feeding the switch, to the grounded (neutral) feeding the lights.
Connect all the grounding conductors together, including a ground to the switch and the box (if it's metal).

When the switch is in one position, the main light will be on. When the switch is toggled the other way, the night light will be on.

Crappy diagram of three-way controlling two lights


If you are experiencing low volume from  hot water in this valve and have not changed any of the mixing settings from when it worked properly I would suspect a partial blockage in the hot water supply line.

Carefully remove the cartridge from the valve body and look for debris. While cartridge is removed turn the water supply on a bit to flush out possible debris. Reassemble and test for normal operation. Good news your valve body has shut off screws for hot and cold water on it!

A valve repair video that shows a very similar type valve is found here


Instead of painting, another possibility is to resurface with a new material. You could use adhesive sheet melamine, which probably would be best for general wear and tear. If you dig a more modern look, a thin aluminum sheet (or brushed steel) would also fit in with some kitchen types.

In any case, you would need to take the doors off, remove the knobs, and peel the side strips off each door. Both knobs and strips (aka "melamine edging") would need to be replaced with color-coordinated items, once the main panel finish is in place.

It would probably be quite fiddly to get a good result, but not actually hard work at all. Just precision. ;-)

HTH


So what actually happened was that one of the main fuses tripped in the main electricity line. When I got a hold of an electrician via phone, their recommendation was to check those, along with a description of what they actually were and looked like.
Also an important thing I wanted to share that I hadn't seen here that those main breakers can often be replaced with different/wrong fuses, which can be a fire hazard. So I made sure to replace them with the same specs.


Because somewhere in your system is a powered switch that relies on leaking small amounts of current through the (incandescent) light bulb. When they are not lit, incandescent bulbs are effectively dead shorts.  LEDs are not.  The small amount of current being leaked is too little to glow an incandescent.  However it's plenty enough to glow an LED.

This posting talks about the problem, and one solution, and links to a "gory details" discussion.


Why does a water line behind wall of home have capped off areas above supply area that heads out to wall?

Sometimes we put in up stubs, they fill with air and act as a surge arrestor (helps to reduce pipe chatter).


The Uni Knot is a slip knot that is adjustable.

The Hangman's Noose is not typically considered adjustable.

The Hangman's Noose when the loop is under load is pulling on the top of the knot as well as conventionally on the bottom of the knot which is truly tightening the knot. They are typically only used with thicker ropes because otherwise you run a risk of pulling your knot out under pressure. Because they tighten down they can end up with a "permanent" loop larger than intended or may not be adjustable when load is removed.

The Uni Knot while the loop is under load is only exerting force on the line and bottom of the knot (more cinching the entire knot), so it puts load on the knot but doesn't really tightening it which also allows you to loosen or adjust it when the load is removed. Because of the complexity of tightening/securing the knot, this is typically used only on thinner lines and is a typical favorite among fishermen for attaching hooks and lures as fishing line is thin and has little friction. On line that can be stretched, loads on the loop and line can seemingly tighten the knot since the line is thinner(stretched) under load and make in not easily adjustable when load is removed; I say seemingly because the knot isn't considered tighter when load is reapplied.


Why do I have pocket holes in my new texture ceiling?

The miniscule openings you notice are from air trapped in the joint compound (knock down). It occurs when the compound is stirred or mixed rapidly or with a mixing paddle meant for a different material. Bringing the paddle blades out of the compound when mixing will add air. It may also be occurring if the surface has been previously painted or sealed. If the air in the compound can't penetrate the sealed drywall surface it has no other direction to go, but up through the compound. Some people claim that adding small amount of dishwashing soap decreases the air pockets by decreasing the surface tension, but I can't vouche for this .      Mixing slowly will decrease the air entrained compound. The simplest way to remove them is through sanding and then applying a lightweight compound over the holes.


Why don't conduit fill rules apply to cables encased in closed-cell foam?

The foam isn't the issue, but a lack of spacing can be

Foaming NM cables into a wall (or otherwise burying them in thermal insulation) isn't considered to be an issue, provided that the cables were originally run in a manner that maintains proper spacing between them.  However, not all installers are that careful, and for those who aren't, they find themselves staring at the third paragraph of NEC 334.80:

  Where more than two NM cables containing two or more
  current-carrying conductors are installed in contact with thermal insulation without maintaining spacing between cables, the
  allowable ampacity of each conductor shall be adjusted in
  accordance with Table 310.15(B)(3)(a).

This covers the issues with mutual heating that you allude to when the current-carrying conductors are actually adjacent to each other, such as when a bunch of NM cables are run together.  However, with the cables spaced out properly, they will sit separated by thermal insulation, which prevents the cables from heating each other up.


Troubleshooting sprinkler system pressure

I have found broken pipes by using a dowel pressing to the ground then pressing my ear to the dowel, if there is water ruling you can hear it 5/7 heads is not that many and if there are no isolation valves it probably worked fine in the past, being built in the 60’s it is probably galvanized pipe, there are many possibility’s for low flow.
The first a broken pipe you have thought of, galvanized pipe also can corrode and build up on the inside limiting the flow of this is the case the pipes will need to be replaced and the pipes are old enough for this to have happened, the third thing I think of is the sprinklers may be plugged with sediment (or possibly a screen filter in line is plugged) so there are a few things to check, you stated you don’t know where the well is you can run water inside the home and use the dowel method to find the pipe (normally the well casing extends above the ground but I have seen a few that were buried (not good). Hope this gives you a way to figure out what the problem is.


It is both, termites are attracted to damp wood. Carpenter ants will do the same.


New door knob strike screw holes don't line up with old ones

If you try to use the existing holes, the screws won't sit flush with the strike. Shove a few toothpicks into the existing holes along with some wood glue. After the glue dries, position the strike, drill two small pilot holes and screw in the screws. Good luck.


Is 100-year old armored (BX) cable a safety hazard and should it be replaced?

I think you are over reacting With what you have provided original would be knob and tube it is still legal. BX is much safer If there is an issue it is inside the flexible conduit and that metal conduit is quite a bit of protection.
Replacing breakers may or may not be possible with your existing panel and again your wiring is in conduit so I would not be concerned.
Depending when and Or the type of panel You have we may suggest getting it updated (especially if FPE™, StabLock™, Federal Pacific™ & Zinsco™ are the leading panels that have problems). Some obsolete panels do not have arc fault breakers available but are still good panels.
Note I have seen more problems with skinned NMB than with BX, MC or AC.


How can I estimate the maximum load on shelves on a plasterboard wall?

Your wall probably is not just plasterboard.  Its much more likely that your wall has 2x4 studs (vertical boards) behind the plasterboard spaced 16" apart.

Knocking, by the way, is a remarkably unreliable method for finding studs. :)

The load bearing capacity of drywall/plaster/etc should be treated as practically nothing.  What you should do is find your studs - buy a stud-finder OR drill holes in a straight line horizontally across your wall spaced 1" apart, until you find one that is harder to drill into than the others.  Then measure 16" in both directions horizontally from that hole and drill again - and so forth to find your studs.

Once you know where the studs are, mount your shelving brackets into the studs using 3" wood screws (Pre-drilled holes please!).

Anchoring into the wood properly will ensure that your shelves will stand up to pretty much anything you'd normally see on shelves.


What are best practices to run wires from outside in?

If you don't use conduit outside, make sure you leave drip loops - where the wire runs down lower than the hole and is screwed in there, then back up to the hole.  You should see this on cable tv and telephone cables as well.  It prevents water from running along the surface of the cables right into the hole.

Make sure you use outdoor rated cables.

Make sure you measure twice and drill once.  You want to go into a hollow space in the wall, not drill all the way through a stud.

Don't make the hole any bigger than it needs to be, since that will be harder to fill and keep waterproof. Fill the hole with silicone caulking (again make sure it is made to be used outdoors).  Make sure the cables are all anchored securely before filling, so they won't get pulled out of the wall and pull the silicone out with them.


I'm assuming the terminal on the end is C, though the label is blocked in the photo.

If it is marked C, then the installation is simple.

Connect the unused blue wire to the terminal marked C in the furnace/air handler.
Connect the other end of the unused blue wire to the C terminal on the thermostat.

If that is not a C terminal. Please post the make and model number of the furnace/air handler, and/or a schematic for the unit.


Why are bulbs burning out quickly in newly installed light fixtures?

I would look for a voltage drop caused by a loose connection in a junction box they tap from or service panel if they all do it, or individually if only certain ones do it. Putting a 100watt lamp in a 40watt socket is a safety(heat)issue (how much heat the fixture is rated to handle), if the fixture cant throw off the heat it would affect the lamps life some, but not that fast.


How do I smooth a concrete pool surface after an acid wash?

Traditionally: Slap on a fresh coat of pool paint and let that provide the smooth surface.

(I grew up with a concrete-and-plaster pool. Our ad-hoc experience was that removing as much muck as possible from the bottom, shock-treating the heck out of it, starting the filter and getting the chemistry rebalanced seemed to be effective enough that we could skip the empty/acid-wash/refill cycle some years. I'd appreciate commentary from someone who understands the chemistry of the paint and plaster well enough to tell us just how unreasonable this was.)


Configuring a plug-on-neutral breaker panel as a subpanel

You'd have to remove the bonding jumper, and install a separate grounding bar.

Notice in this image, there are clearly separate grounding bars installed.


You've done the right thing with the plaster as you stated. You sent a sample to a lab and had it tested. That is the only way to know for sure.

We cannot tell you from a photo with certainty.


I think your Plexiglas would work but I would use Lexan polycarbonate sheet. Lexan is a few more bucks but will not crack when you drill it or something hits it, tree limb baseball ect.
You can heat polycarbonate with a heat gun and bend it. I would do this on the top edge at a minimum. Other than the material I believe your plan will work both short and long term.


What is the code-mandated overlap of welded wire mesh in concrete slabs?

Short version: Yes, 6” is adequate.

Long version: (and I have a keen interest in this topic...so it will be long): Rebar is placed (installed) for TENSION. We design concrete beams and slabs to “fail” in tension so it fails with a crack, rather than designing it to fail in compression so it fails with an explosion.

Tension occurs due to 1) bending stress, or 2) temperature stress. (Some would say “curing stress” too, but that is not correct, because the concrete is shrinking and therefore the steel is in compression. )

1) Bending stress is taken with rebar, not mesh. Mesh is too small to account for much tensile stress.

2) Temperature stress (usually in slabs) is minor compared to bending stress and mesh can “help” absorb this stress. (Installing control joints is another way of relieving temperature stress.)

The most accepted testing agency to identify how concrete and reinforcing steel reacts is ACI American Concrete Institute and is referenced in ALL Codes. They recommend 30 to 40 bar diameter for steel in tension, depending on the grade of steel and the grade of concrete.

Therefore, your wire mesh (probably #6 wire) is 0.16” diameter x 30 = about 4.8”.


These kinds of vents are common. However, understand how they work: they suck out hot air that's in the attic, and that removed air needs to be replaced by air that enters from somewhere else. If your attic was built correctly, the make-up air enters through soffit vents. If your attic was built incorrectly or shoddily (which is common), the make-up air will be pulled from the inhabited part of your house. If this is happening, you need to air-seal the barrier layer (usually the ceiling) between the attic and the inhabited part of the house. In many houses there are a variety of ways for air in the house to leak into the attic:

Ducts or mechanical equipment located in the attic
Attic pull-down staircase door that has not been air-sealed
Bath vents that have not been air-sealed
Chimneys and flues that have not been air-sealed
Ceiling lights and electrical boxes that have not been air-sealed
Holes drilled in wall top plates for electrical wires that have not been air-sealed

All of those can let air in your house into the attic, causing the roof vents to pull air that you've paid good money to condition into the attic where it's not doing anyone any good.


That is one option. A better option may be to replace the double-wye with a single wye and eliminate unnecessary potential future leak sources. The wye on the left is no longer needed. The fewer the joints, the fewer potential failure points.


First of all treat the rot with an appropriate fungicide.  You do NOT want one that coats, but rather penetrates.

Look for WEST -- wet epoxy saturation technology, or something like that.

In a nutshell:

Remove the clearly rotten wood.  Initially mix up small batches and paint it on.  If you find it leaking through use some fine mesh fiberglass cloth to seal it.

If the holes are large, wet blobs of fiberglass chop, and stuff in there. Paint the entire surface with the resin to seal it.

You can mix colourants into the resin. Since paint doesn't stick well, decide on a colour for the final coat or two.

It's been 25 years since I've read about this.  Details fade, and practices change.  But if the wood is only starting to rot, you may not need to replace it.


You will not have problems mounting the TV if it is under 150 lbs and into 2 or more studs.  Use proper screws and mounting system/plates.


Based on your picture and your description, you have what is known as a cathedral ceiling. The "1-2 feet of space" you mention leads me to believe that it's built with parallel chord trusses rather than solid rafters. Can you post a picture? Regardless, like most cathedral ceilings, yours seems to be insulated insufficiently and built incorrectly (ridge vents but no soffits vents? WTF?).

Right now your cathedral ceiling is semi-ventilated. If there is a way to add soffit vents, they should be added so that the ridge vent can actually do its job. This will increase the durability of the assembly substantially if you live in a non-desert climate. If you take this approach and build a fully-vented cathedral ceiling, you cannot fill up the extra space that you see with more insulation; the ventilation gap is critically important. How high the gap must be depends on the steepness of the roof. A very steep roof might be able to get away with a gap of only a few inches under the roof sheathing. It sounds like your roof has a shallower pitch, so 1-2 feet may be necessary.

The only safe and practical way to increase the insulation of your ceiling is to transform it into an un-ventilated ceiling. Step one is to remove the ridge vent. Step two is to either apply spray foam (open or closed cell; minimum 3" for closed cell or 6" for open cell) under the roof sheathing, or else remove the roofing material and then apply rigid foam insulation boards over the sheathing, usually 4"+ of polyiso. Step three is to fill the entire cavity under the foam or sheathing with as much as you want of whatever you want. Go wild stuffing as much insulation in there as you want. Step four is to make your ceiling as airtight as possible. Remove all can lights or replace them with LED models that have an airtight fixture, and caulk everything. You don't want inside air getting into your now-unvented roof.

The spray foam approach is likely to be more expensive, especially considering the access problems you mentioned, but does not require a re-roof; the rigid foam approach is better for the environment, will give you an ultimately higher level of insulation, and may be cheaper, but doesn't make sense if your roofing material is in perfect shape.


Can I use a fireplace that is setup for gas to burn wood?

Burning wood in a gas fireplace constitutes a serious life-safety hazard.

In General

Using a fuel other than that for which a fireplace is designed may ignite a structural fire in the surrounding construction and/or discharge toxic gasses into habitable space.

Discussion

Gas fireplaces are fuel burning appliances. Each fireplace is constructed to handle the heat and other products of combustion produced by specific fuels. Each fireplace is designed to distribute heat and discharge the products of combustion safely both in the moment and continuously over the life of the building.

A gas fireplace operates within well defined parameters and is an engineered system. It is not designed to handle the byproducts of a wood fire, it is not designed to properly draft a wood fire, and is not designed to operate over the range of possible temperatures that a wood fire may produce.

Sure, Anything is Possible...But

If sufficient resources are devoted to conversion, it may be possible to 'replace' the gas fireplace with a wood burning one. However, doing so is likely to entail significant demolition, construction, time and energy.

Creating a safe wood burning fireplace will always require experienced expertise and substantial craftsmanship.


Cat 5/6 in same conduit as power: is NM-B required, or is THHN acceptable?

You mean 800.133.  And this very concept of mixing comms and power is highly improbable.  I know you're casting around for a way to do this, but this sort of "hopeful reading" is very highly prone to confirmation bias.

NM-B is always useless in conduit

Using NM-B in the conduit wiring method is not illegal, but buys you nothing but headaches.  It's very difficult to wrestle, and takes up way too much space (counts as a round wire of the wide dimension).  It's not going to bring you closer to running comms and power in the same conduit.

As a rule, NM cable in conduit doesn't buy you any advantages at all.  This is one warning that you may be barking up the wrong tree.

800.133 only affirms a case that's already allowed.

Elsewhere in NEC there is a rule that you can run low voltage or comms wiring in Class 1 methods, and commingle with power lines, if and only if the entire comms circuit, every inch soup to nuts, is wired in Class 1 wiring methods.

It's not even really an exception.  You see, Class 1 wiring has no minimum voltage. If you want to install to mains spec and then run 6V on it, be my guest.  Nothing says you can't use class 1 wiring to convey signal instead of power, and that's exactly what happens between some smart switches, for instance.  The only exception being made is use of smaller than 14AWG wire.   Here's an example:

  We have a furnace which is built to include an air conditioner.  It
  includes a 24V transformer.  Power to the furnace uses the conduit
  wiring method as does power to the air conditioning unit; the route between these units is continuous class 1 wiring method.  We can run
  the 18AWG, 24VAC air conditioning control cable through that conduit because the entire 24V circuit is insulated for mains voltage and entirely contained in a
  Class 1 wiring method.  That's an open-and-shut case for the exception, right? Right?

  Oh wait, the thermostat. That is not rated for mains voltage and the wiring to it uses a non-class-1 wiring method.  Since its wires connect conductively to some of the aforementioned wires, this is no good.  None of the circuitry can share conduit with mains wiring.

Presumably, you want your ethernet cables to exit class 1 wiring methods at a faceplate, then proceed via the decidedly not-class-1 ethernet cable to your most definitely not class 1 Ethernet card or dongle.  So like my thermostat, your entire comms circuit is not in class 1 wiring. That is exactly what you can't do.

Also I believe Ethernet cable is not insulated well enough and not a large enough wire diameter.


Suppose I were to ask a master chef how difficult it would be to assemble some dish of theirs? Of course, for the expert it is trivial. But for me, who has no serious knowledge of fine cooking, it might be quite a bit more work. What in the name of god and little green apples is a roux anyway? For some, dicing up an onion is done in a flash, a matter of seconds. For others, it may well involve a spot or two of their own blood spilled. The same may be true of any task. Much depends on your level of skill, upon your willingness to learn, upon a variety of factors.

In the case of a door, how is the door assembled? Is it joined with glue, that must be taken apart and then later reassembled? Are bolts truly the only method of attachment? What species is the wood? Will you find a new piece of wood that is an adequate replacement? Do you have the tools to cut that large piece of wood accurately to the proper size? Is there any rot in the wood that must be repaired before it goes back together?

You might try taking the door apart, then if you can remove the damaged (split?) section, take that piece to a dealer in hardwoods. Don't just go to the local Home Depot and expect to find a replacement. It won't be a match in terms of species anyway, and the wood you will find there is of poor quality, expensive for what you get, and may well warp on you anyway. All wood is not the same. Your local hardwood dealer will be able to find a match for your board, and for a very reasonable fee, even cut it to size for you.

Finally, you must know that new, freshly milled wood will often have a very different color and patina than old weathered wood. For example, fresh walnut or cherry both look VERY different from aged wood of the same species. While it is not always difficult to achieve a match, this too can take some expertise. Practice on a scrap piece before you go near the final work.

In the end, yes, you can probably do this task. It will take you a longer time to get it right than it would if done by an expert, but with persistence, a willingness to learn, and a little guidance you can get there. And once you are done, you shall be satisfied to say it was you who did it.


Thanks for the suggestions, I finally figured it out. This is a new one for me. Several lamps on the top fixtures were loose (still working fine but loose). When I opened the fixtures to check the grounds the noise reduced by the time I got to the last one the noise was gone. My wife thinks when we loaded the hay loft in June we must have shaken them loose. The loft is on the other side of the wall. I have never run into this in the past so it can be something to look for once all the lamps were reseated in the fixtures the "static noise" is totally gone. No other problems found. I did check the ground rod with a clamp and the ground was a solid 2.4 ohms.


How should I insulate garage ductwork when no gap exists between ductwork and ceiling?

There are different profiles of duct available.  In height restricted areas you can switch to a rectangular flat profile which might give you the ability to better insulate.


Electric water heater overheating very quickly

If the water heater has never been flushed and is rather old, there could be severe deposits built up inside the tank at the bottom, partly insulating the bottom sidewall where the lower thermostat is meant to sense the temperature.  You might be able to compensate for this somewhat by turning down the lower thermostat to a much lower setting.  "Popping" noises are common when a water heater is full of mineral deposits and corrosion from a spent sacrificial anode.  Look for the UL label that shows the unit's date of manufacture.  If it is 10+ years old, then it is very likely at its End of Life.  It is doubtful replacing the heating elements will make much difference.


How can I add 120v circuits to a 240v sub-panel with no neutral?

You should contact a local licensed electrician.  You should not do what you're  attempting, as it may be a code violation and/or dangerous.

The circuit supplying your A/C and water pump, is likely sized to only supply those loads.  Adding more loads to that circuit will likely overload it, and cause you headaches in the future.

If you want to supply the garage, you'll want to install a properly sized feeder between the main panel and the garage. This may require an additional panel in the garage, and will require properly bonding and grounding in the garage.

If the panel feeder is large enough to supply the garage, and all you need is a neutral.  You'll have to run a properly sized neutral, from the main panel to the subpanel. You cannot use the grounding conductor as neutral.

As it sounds like you're a bit over your head, you might want to contact a professional to do the work properly.

As a side note... In a 120/240V single split-phase system, you should measure 120 volts between ground and either of the hot legs. You should also measure 120 volts between either hot and neutral, 240 volts between the hots, and 0 volts between ground and neutral.


Is the box grounded?

Just because it's metal doesn't mean there's a valid grounding path back to the service panel. They often used metal boxes simply because they're more durable and better able to contain thermal energy from a short.

If the box isn't grounded, don't install a 3-prong plug, unless it's a GFCI with "No equipment ground" label.

You don't need a permit to swap a receptacle

And attaching the ground wire is part of replacing a receptacle.  No big.

If that box is grounded, it may have a single hole tapped for #10-32. They make special ground screws for that (with or without pigtails), or any 10-32 screw will do. You can tap your own hole but it must be #6 or larger and -32 or finer thread pitch, in order to engage enough threads.  Using a sheet metal screw is right out.

There's a chance the receptacle is already grounded through the yoke.

The yoke is the metal outer frame, that the mounting screws go through.  If the box is grounded, AND the yoke is run down hard against the steel box (with no plastic bits in there), that's a legal ground path.

It's not a legal ground if the ears are holding the receptacle above the box e.g. against drywall, and there's some length of screw thread still unbottomed.

It's also not legal if paper, plastic or paint is trapped between the box and yoke.  This often happens from the square of paper/plastic they put the screws through to "capture" them.


Why does my Paloma tankless water heater turn off randomly without errors?

After calling Paloma, they suggested disconnecting the thermostat. I noticed that the filter was dirty and cleaned it as well. So far it seems to be working again. If I don't have problems in a week, I'll try reconnecting the thermostat and see if the problem was just the dirty filter.


Why are 4 circuits connected to a single switch?

I will copy this as an answer as I believe it is most probable.
You may be detecting phantom voltage.
I have seen 2 circuits crossed in the field but never 4.
The chances of this are very remote. Read up on phantom voltage and you might find why you detect voltage. For them to be connected all 4 would have to be odd or even breakers.
if some are odd and some are even it will be phantom voltage because if connected odd and even would be a direct short. There is a possibility of a back feed through a 240v device but this would be as rare as all 4 actually being connected in the field. So the most probable answer is phantom voltage.


Voltage drop in receptacle circuit - options?

The answer is yes, you can mitigate voltage drop by running a larger wire to the first outlet, then normal size wire from there.  Voltage drop is additive.

Let's say you run 10 gauge 100' to the first outlet and 12 gauge 60 feet to the last outlet, and you have the full load of 20 amps on a duplex receptacle at that last outlet.  (Very unlikely but just as an example.)

You'd drop 4 volts on the #10 to the first outlet, then another 3.8 volts on the #12 to the last outlet, for 112.2V - that would be marginal, 6.5% voltage drop.  (Just used an online calculator for these calcs, but they seem about right.)

I am getting #6 wire to keep 120V at full load of 20 amps under the NEC recommended 3% voltage drop.  Nobody would do that but that's the actual worst case.  In reality it's pretty rare to see voltage drop problems with #12 wire in residential systems.

Is it important to keep the voltage drop to 3%?  Would 5% be OK?  What's the limit?
 Depends on what the utility delivers, it may be under or over 120V.  Lots of things run fine on a wide range of voltage, others are very fussy about voltage.

Will the load really be 20 amps?  Maybe every morning with a space heater and a hair dryer running, more likely well under that.  Could you get by with a 15A circuit?  What will the actual load be?

Can you route the cables differently to shorten the run?  Could you run it more staight line to the first outlet through the basement or attic, or maybe just bore holes higher in the walls to miss the doors?

If you really want to keep voltage drop really tight, your might have to  consider rearranging things with a subpanel at the other end of the house.  That will take some effort and expense, and you'll have to find a spot for the subpanel, but you may offset that with savings on wire and long convoluted pulls, and it will free up some space in your main panel.


Is it OK to have more than one neutral wire in the same connection on the neutral bus bar on a main panel?

Neutrals must be one to a hole. No exceptions.

NEC 2011:

  408.41 Grounded Conductor
  Terminations Each grounded conductor shall terminate within the panelboard in an individual terminal that is not
  also used for another conductor.

Since this is the main panel there is typically no separate neutral and ground bars, although additional bars that attach directly to the back of the panel box MUST be for grounds only. The metal panel enclosure CANNOT be used to carry current.

As long as both existing bars are connected by a link bar or other path you can use either side for neutrals. Grounds typically can be two and even three conductors to a hole, sized #14 or #12 and sometimes #10, and must be the same size. So if you need to make room you can double up on some grounds.

Neatness is all well and good, but fanaticism at the cost of convenience and logic is silly. Keeping the grounds and neutrals on separate bars in a main panel makes absolutely NO sense at all. IMO it is neater when all the wires don't cross from one side to another.


Can I run electrical raceway on a baseboard?

This is fine

Article 388 sets out the usage conditions for non-metallic surface raceways such as yours, and I seriously doubt that being at a baseboard is going to subject your raceway to the "severe physical damage" mentioned in 388.12 point 2.  Considering that it's an exposed application, indoors where temperatures are presumably benign, your raceway is UL listed for power service (to 600V no less), and not subject to any other significant restrictions from Article 388 (definitely not hazard classified or in an elevator hoistway!), you are good to go running 120V power wires through this raceway setup.  One note though: you will want to run individual stranded THHN wires for hot, neutral, and ground in the raceway instead of a NM cable -- NM doesn't go around your average raceway elbow well at all.


How should I reinforce the center of my desk?

This sounds like a quick hack kind of desk -- no shame in that, but as you are finding out it has compromises.  Melamine is just the stiff plastic glued to the woody stuff underneath and provides no structural rigidity.  And the kinds of things melamine is glued to, particleboard and fiberboard, have very weak resistance to breakage.  I would not put a CRT monitor on a particleboard desk surface without reinforcement for example.

Strips of mild steel or hardwood screwed to the underside of the desk and running the entire long axis might help and be unobtrusive.  As an extra step, and one that also solves your edge chips, aluminum angle trim can be glued and screwed to the edges of the desk to reduce flex.  It won't be enough to prevent flex all by itself, but it will help.

If you need to build another desk like this, I would recommend 5/8" plywood as a superior alternative to particleboard, and real wood is best of all, as your finances and skill permits.


The AR861 doesn't provide that functionality, sorry!

Unfortunately, the AR861 does not provide a C wire from its internal transformer, so you'll have to use an external transformer on Rc and C with the supply from the AR861 connected to Rh on the thermostat.


Low voltage vs. regular lighting for closets: What are the technical and code considerations?

There are some requirements for mains voltage lamps in a closet NEC 410.goes over these requirements.
The advantage to These low voltage Low wattage lamps is the instructions allow them to be surface mounted without conduit. The transformer or supply can be used as a plug in or box mounted there is a switch in the model you listed. Code allows and even requires you to follow the manufacturers instructions so in that case where it may not be allowed with mains lighting it is possible when the instructions are followed.  So is one way easier?
Yes a simple system like you have can be run on the surface without conduit. Mains voltage requires boxes for splices these handy low voltage connections do not require boxes even if you run them inside the walls. I use low voltage rings for data and cable all the time a WBF-1 low voltage box eliminator provides a mounting surface for a low voltage Jack or plug in.
When it comes down to efficiency that is based on the quality of the LED 160lumens per watt is an efficient LED but smaller lower cost may only have 110 lumens per watt and that can be the same low voltage System or standard mains voltage lamps. The advantage with low voltage is plugging in & surface mounting with just double stick tape in some brands (yours has screws).


Ok for garage door chain to sag on one side when door is closed?

Yes, that's normal because the drive is putting some tension on the other side of the chain and that leaves a bit of slack on this side.


How to fix plaster on ceiling due to screw coming loose?

I'd use a few pieces of wood up in the ceiling, to have something for screwing the vent to. The plaster is getting a little worn-out there. I wouldn't trust anchors or make anymore holes for them, nor use toggle bolts; that plaster is about to go and you're about to run out of room (hide-able hole). -I just really don't like wall hangers and I wouldn't want to be pounding some in at that location. It's also not going to be the easiest thing to line up all 3 holes' anchors.

You may get lucky and rotate it just right to find something to bite (don't rip the duct) or just get some shims up there and be done with it. If you do rotate it and find undisturbed plaster to screw to, use drywall screws and not the silver ones you probably have from the vent (larger thread; better grab -do not over tighten them).

Judging by the number of holes, this is the fourth time it's come down; shim it.


How can we allow wind to pass through but prevents outsiders from seeing into

Why not hang a bi-fold louver door on the inside. You would hinge it on the opposite side of the door jamb from the existing door. Then, when you open your regular door, you slide the louvered door into the opening and use a hook latch to keep it closed.

 Links are examples only, and not an endorsement of any product or source.


How can I have it stay open until I want to close it?

Generally, the solution to this is to adjust the hinges.

For example, European style cabinet hinges have adjustment screws which allow you to make small adjustments to the position of the hinges.

(adjustment screw indicated with blue arrow. The clamping screw AKA locking screw is the one to the right of it)

If a cabinet door has hinges on the left hand side and tends to swing shut, you can position the bottom hinge further towards the back of the cabinet. Loosen the clamping screw and push the bottom of the door inward a tiny amount. It may turn out to be easier to do the opposite at the top.

As well as adjusting in and out, you can also make small adjustments left and right. This is usually for setting the gap between doors for the right appearance but it can also affect the way the doors close. If necessary I would try to adjust the bottom hinge to position it further to the right (rotate adjustment screw clockwise) and maybe adjust the top hinge to the left. You need to loosen the adjacent clamping screw (silver in pic) before turning the adjustment screw.

I would make small adjustments until the cabinet door behaves as desired.

Hinge details vary, check online (including Youtube videos) for guides for adjusting your specific hinges.

In the worst case you could add a friction-stay (sliding stay) to the top of the door but that really shouldn't be necessary.


Refrigerator Sparks when it touches the water line

DO NOT USE THAT RECEPTACLE UNTIL IT IS EXAMINED CLOSELY BY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

What you likely have with that poor, maligned GFCI is a situation called a "reverse polarity bootleg ground", where neutral and ground are both connected to the incoming hot and  hot is connected to the incoming neutral.  This situation is extremely dangerous, even on a GFCI protected circuit, as the miswired ground puts the chassis of whatever's plugged into it at 120V in a way that cannot be disconnected by the GFCI receptacle.

What you can do to test for this is use a non-contact voltage detector -- place its business end next to the receptacle but not in the slots.  If the receptacle ground is live -- this means that the entire receptacle mounting yoke is hot at 120VAC and will set off the voltage detector.  On a normal receptacle, this won't happen -- the only way to get the detector to go off is to stick the tip in the hot slot on the receptacle.

If that's the case, then you'll need to have the bootlegged "ground" removed (it may be upstream of the receptacle and quite hard to find) and the receptacle polarity corrected as well.  If the receptacle comes up clean, then I'd use the non-contact voltage detector to check the copper water pipe -- if that's hot, then there's a bonding problem and an equipment fault, which is a combination you'll want a qualified electrician to fix.  (Not the least because trying to fix that DIY puts you at even more risk of the 60 cycle shuffle than you're already at!)


How to remove plastic anchor from brick?

Pulling it out with long nose pliers is one option, but it often comes out in pieces if you do that.

If you want to pull it out with a screw, you need to engage the screw enough to grip the plastic, but not enough to make it expand. This position may not exist, or if may be further out than you think. Sometimes a screw engaged just 2-3 turns will give you something to get a grip on with pliers or a claw hammer (not under the screw head but near the tip). A very slightly undersized screw can help with some fixings.

Drilling it out completely is tricky. Once it breaks into pieces they tend to go round in the hole rather than drill.

It looks to me, from the fact that there's still some sticking out but it won't pull out, that the hole is too tight (drill too small). The universal plastic fittings often call for different hole sizes for different materials.


Wall light switch in pantry, moving to cabinet side

You have two questions.  To the first question of how to get the wire out of the existing box, you would mount a surface-mount box on top of the existing box and put a blank face place on it.  Then the plastic wire mold could come out of the raised, blank box and run to the new raised box.  The wire must always travel inside an approved box or conduit.  You can't just have wire coming out of a hole as you have described.

For the number of wires that you need to run, the current National Electric Code (NEC) guidelines say that all switch boxes need to contain a neutral.  If the existing switch box contains a neutral I would use a "4-core cable" which is sold as "14/3 w/ground" (14 gauge, three conductors) or "12/3 w/ground" (for 12 gauge - not common for lighting) to run to the new switch.  If the existing box doesn't have a neutral, I'm not sure what code and local rules would say.  I would think with such a minor change, you could just extend the wires as they currently are, and you are right that the white wire would need to be marked with black tape for the switch loop.

However, even if that is the "obvious thing to do" or "what most people would do", it might not be legal or proper, so you'll need to get clarification on that.  If you have a neutral, extend it to the new switch and you'll be ok.


How can I fix a window with cracked glass?

I had a similar problem.

It was easy enough to remove the window, and take it to my local glass shop.  They had a new pane put in by the next day.

If it's a screened window, you can do this when the weather is nice.  Otherwise, you'll need to cut a piece of plywood to block the hole while it's being repaired.

Taking it into the shop allows for considerable savings over having the truck come to you.

Call ahead and book a time.  You might have it done in a couple of hours.


Can I add a patio sealer to my polymeric sand patio?

It's normal for it to loosen a bit the first season or two as things finish settling. If you're in a freeze/thaw cycle climate that can also cause that.

You should be able to apply your sealer over the sanded joints, though it may not prevent this issue from happening again. Patios take maintenance. I had to re-apply a new layer of sand every few years to fill in the gaps here and there.


Calculating a main floor load bearing wall for 4 story condo

If you are thinking of replacing/removing walls in a home that may or may not be load bearing, consult a structural engineer or an architect. You do not want to make a mistake that you can not correct in removing something that should not be removed without the necessary supports. Once a mistake is made it may be too late to correct that mistake. Just my  2 cents.


Identify Hot and Neutral Line on Vintage Clock

After more research, I realized that this question has been answered already -- I just didn't have the right terminology for it. When the prongs of a plug are the same size, they are "non-polarized" and don't have a hot and neutral.

I am looking to convert a non-polarized plug to a polarized one. According to this stack exchange thread it doesn't matter which way I wire it when going from non-polarized to polarized, so long as my gauge is the same or larger on the new plug so that it caries the old electrical load safely.


When they say fixtures are "bulbless", they really mean it. There are no replaceable bulbs in the fixture.
The reason is simple: LED emitters are the most reliable thing in the lamp... probably more reliable than the enclosure.
The typical failure point in a 120V LED light product is the electronic driver module, which is responsible for delivering a constant current to the LED emitter.  Those go bad  because of cheap construction and the finite life of capacitors.
You've managed to pry out the emitters, but they're really not made to be replaceable because the builder never imagined they would fail.  They are not a "bulb" in any sense of the word; there is no non-proprietary source for "ones just like that".
The driver, however, is a different story.  You will find an electronic driver module with 4 wires going to it, and fairly easy to exchange.  It will have a semi-standard form-factor (physical shape).  It will have a very specific current output of a relatively standard value, e.g. 350ma, 700ma, 1050ma or 1400ma commonly, and a working voltage range at which it's designed to do that.  If you shop carefully at electronics supply houses, you have a pretty good chance of finding one that ticks all the boxes of form-factor, voltage input, exact current output and output voltage range.
After all, the light manufacturer is not in the business of making drivers; they just grab a commodity OEM driver.


Do tiles look darker when hanging on a wall than they'll appear when layed horizontally on the floor?

It's neither strictly true nor a myth. It's an oversimplified (and arbitrarily quantified) suggestion that has some merit. Check color in your room with the lighting it'll actually have. It's more likely that color will vary due to light source color and reflected color from other elements of the room's design than installation orientation, though.


Many professional painters use a compressor and a paint gun to paint (usually) common latex paints in homes and apartments.

Here's a couple videos about professional sprayers and another about residential sprayers.


Hot water flow is slow from 3 L/3KW instant geyser (hot water heater)

30°C temp raise (10°C to 40°C) for 1L/min requires about 2,1kW of power. So with a 3kW POU you can't expect a big flow. An 'adequate' shower consists in about 6L/min. These are the numbers. Especially if main water is cold, instant POU are not enough, better to install a under-sink tanked heater (10L), it delivers much better flow even at higher temperatures.


Would insulating a basement prevent it from passively cooling the house in the summer?

Yes, insulating the unfinished basement would limit the cooling effect in summer and increase your cost of air conditioning. On the other hand, the uninsulated basement cools your house in the winter. The question is, which one would be less expensive if you want to keep your house comfortable in both summer and winter?

The only way of avoiding the tradeoff is likely impractical, you would need to build in an extensive air plenum behind the insulation which would allow you to extract cooling when desired by blowing air through the plenum. This is actually a form of geothermal energy.


How do I know if my subfloor is fire retardant or preservative-treated?

The concern is probably that adhesives won't bond to treated plywood, or maybe that color will leach out and stain the new flooring. You're right that you're seeing paint overspray on your subfloor. It looks like standard raw BC plywood.
Single-family residential subfloors are rarely treated, in my experience. This may not be true in some high population density communities with more rigid fire codes.
Fire-rated plywood is going to have that mentioned in a stamp on the bottom. There may not be a good way to determine whether it is from above. If you can find access to the underside from a basement ceiling you can probably see it.
Plywood treated for rot resistance is almost always green, and it's not readily available in tongue-and-groove configuration.


I am wondering can I add a new electrical connection for a gas range to this line?

Given that the gas range only uses electric for clock and ignition you will be fine (given 20A circuit).  Being fine and passing inspection are two different things though.

However the real question is what the oven and disposal require and the size of the circuit.  In the manual for oven and disposal there should be information about circuit requirements.   My disposal for instance says that for a 20A circuit it may be shared with one other outlet.

So read the manual to see if this will work for you.  If you gave us the exact models we could answer better.  If this is permitted work, then just ask your inspector.  Your configuration is very normal in my area but not normal in others.


How can I plug a hole cut in a window pane for a portable A/C unit?

I highly suggest what I would call the 'board up method' I've seen in places, but executed classier of course. I would create two rounds (squares would also work) roughly an inch larger than the diameter of your hole. I would suggest some nice 1/4" plywood or similar. Then drill a hold in the center of both pieces and use a bolt and nylon locking nut of sufficient diameter to pass through the bits you've cut + the thickness of the glass.

Then with a little help from a friend or a particularly sticky piece of tape, have one round on the outside of the glass, one on the inside and both through the holes of the cut pieces and gently tighten the bolt.

Then you end up with not a plug so much as what I'd call a "cap". Pieces of felt, cloth or similar would help keep the pieces sealed to the window and prevent any scratching.

These rounds could then be painted to be less obvious and help prevent them from weathering in the even that they were rained on from the outside.


How can I repair a split copper pipe in place?

This is a complex product; easy to mess up. Hence the reviews.
A complex product like this depends on correct installation and usage.   It must be installed sloping toward the outside (or it won't drain).  The valves proper at the back of the hydrant must be inside the house's insulation envelope, and actually receive heat (or obviously the valve proper will freeze).  Nothing must be connected to the valve spigot except when the valve is in use (Because the only way for the hydrant extension to drain is if the vacuum breaks work properly; and if you leave pressure or water on them 24x7, they freeze up). Leaving a hose on it all summer is a no-no. Controlling it with a valve at the end of the hose is a no-no if you walk away from it at the end of the fun day (because the hose remains pressurized even after you close all the valves, and good hoses can hold pressure for weeks).  Letting it freeze in that state is doom of course, and here's the problem: people underestimate late night frosts.
That item is bundled with an anti-siphon; it may be necessary to remove that too in order to comply with the valve's instructions.  Complicated product indeed.
So you must read reviews with a skeptical eye:  Take the one who said "It flooded my basement" -- who, clearly, left the hydrant turned on 24x7 in direct violation of its instructions.  Another said "By fall, it failed" ... Fall, eh? I think we know what happened there lol.  They left a hose on it through the freeze, or had done so earlier and ruined the vacuum breaks, preventing them from draining.
These reviews are further corrupted by a supply problem at Amazon.  They love "commingling" their own and 3rd-party goods, but this is a backdoor to counterfeits and used units. That explains the "used item" reviews.
All that to say, the reviews may not be all that helpful.
You have to fix it properly, though, or it'll happen again.
Now, if you yourself violated the rules, then you brought this trouble on yourself.  In which case, own it, and make necessary corrections.
That may require reinstalling the valve properly (to correct slope, or to place  the valve base inside the house's insulating jacket; it appears it is not right now).  If you don't do that, and just try to patch it as-is, it's just going to fail again next fall so don't even bother.
I note that these double hot-and-cold valves have a rather limited selection in terms of hydrant depth.  You need the hydrant depth that you need, and if it's 18" or 24" that's what you need fullstop.  A shorter product will not work.  So you need to figure that one out or you'll just be here again.  There isn't a way to put extensions on hydrants.
So yeah, most likely you will need to do some construction to correct the deficiencies in this one's installation.  I would either decommission the hydrant permanently, or replace it with something that is viable.
Consider a plain hydrant and a hot-cold mixer behind it
Note that 2-valve hot-cold mixers are a bad idea if you have a tanked heater that you properly run at 140F to stop legionella bacteria, because this valve lacks any anti-scald feature.  If you ask for only hot, you will get scalding.
One way to "kill 2 birds with 1 stone" is to use a plain hydrant that's long enough to get inside your insulation envelope; these are readily available in longer lengths.  Then, behind the hydrant well inside the insulated house, have a hot-cold thermostatic mixing valve that will assure it can't be hotter than 110F or so.  How would you control the mix from outside? A simple "bowden cable" as found on a lawnmower throttle.


Wiring a new IKEA light into old ceiling junction

What you show on the lamp is L for the switched supply and N for the neutral.
Is is possible to put the switch in the neutral line theoretically but that can put someone in danger as the lamp will always be live.
Get a multimeter and check out the connections, this is not an opportunity for guesswork.