How is the minimum conductor size (of some type) for a certain run determined?

The key is that a 100A line isn't 100A all the time

... Or, ever.

Go read the brochure website on any power plant, particularly a nuke or solar installation, it will say something like "this 1.5 gigawatt plant serves 1.5 million homes".   Um.   So they are saying the average home takes 1kw (about 4.1 amps at 240V).  Seriously?

Yeah, seriously.  They are saying your house spends most of its time asleep, drawing even less than 1 amp because everything's off.  The dryer pulls 23A but only 90 minutes a week.  Averaged through the year the A/C draws only 2 hours a day.

Your electric bill proves it. 1KW is 1KWH per hour or 720 KWH per month. At 12 cents a KWH, with fees, that amounts to about a $100 power bill.  If your house drew 100A all the time, your monthly power bill would be $10,000.  It's clearly not.

So you have to pause and think about your realistic load - the level of load you care about.   It really helps to have experience with a whole-house power monitor.  Then, in those odd moments, those excessive peaks when the dryer is running while someone is cooking and the A/C is kicking -- how much voltage drop can you live with?

There isn't anything wrong with heating a little wire in those 1-in-1000 moments.  As long as you follow the specs in those charts (NEC 310.16) it guarantees the wire cannot get too warm, no matter how much length or voltage drop you have.

Those voltage drop calcs are a menace...

... because they don't think about that.  One guy had a calc tell him to run #6 for a 20A circuit of only 135'. Datz kray.  I showed him for realistic loads, #12 would be fine and #10 would be overkill.

It's pretty much my "hat" here to have someone coming in complaining that the calc told to use 600kcmil for his 2000' run to a 100W pole light... And then I show him how to do it with 14AWG wire, the smallest size you can use on mains wiring.

So to start with, set your amp values to the realistic common number.   Put "acceptable percentage" to 5% just so it's not bumping you up a size just because the smaller size would be 3.06% (that happened in the 20A case).

Try a couple other numbers and up the permissible percentage.

Then do punch in the nameplate amp number, but put 99% for permissible voltage drop.  And see just how bad the worst case is.  If it gives you a gory number like 19%, then back the number off to 18% to force it to go one size larger at a time.

That said, why not provision for 200A?

I seriously doubt you plan to use 50-100A in the garage.  So why not go ahead and plan for 150-200A wire for the "main" circuit to the house?  That will certainly remove any concern of voltage drop at 100A usage levels, and give you the headroom to use your entire 200A panel capacity.  That would be 250KCmil aluminum for 2.64% drop at 200A and 1.32% drop at 100A and you never have to give it another thought.

By the way, a person wouldn't even think of using copper at these large sizes, unless they were tragically misinformed.  Aluminum has 12 times the conductivity of copper, when measuring by dollar of raw metal.  (and twice the conductivity when measuring by weight.)

I take it the generator will be in the garage?  Normally you're not allowed to run two parallel services between buildings, but a special usage like a generator is permitted.   On that, #4 aluminum will give you 3.06% voltage drop at 50A. **

** remember what I was saying about how those calculators getcha?  When you did it, you got #3 aluminum because  you told the calculator to limit drop to 3%, which 3.06% failed.  Passes in my book.  That's why I started by telling the calc 99% was acceptable, to see what it would say.

Oh and it's coincidence that it was 3.06% in my earlier example.  This last was an edit.  I just did the calc now.  This happens a lot.


Do I need a pump for my sprinkler zones that are minus 70 feet elevation?

From the position of the sprinklers you have 70 feet of head. You have shown that you have sufficient pressure.

What you need to consider is that if you have too many sprinklers then the pressure drops and so does the performance.

You will only need a pump if the area to be irrigated is too large and you need too many sprinklers....


This one has really good reviews on Amazon, for what it's worth.  It comes with 3 attachments: a hook, a mirror, and a magnet, all of which sound like nice things to have.  There are also extension cables available for going longer distances inside the wall (the included cable is 3 feet).  Here's a pic:

The price seems really reasonable at $160 (as of Nov. 2010).  My guess is that if you went to rent one, you'd be limited to more commercial-grade models and that if you wanted to keep it for a few days you'd be looking at something close to that just in rental charges.


Trying to install a dimmer switch for my light attached to my ceiling fan

The red wire powers the fan, yeah

The existing arrangement has separate power wires for the light and the fan running from the switch box to the fan box.  This is a great thing, because it means you can pretty much do whatever to control the light and the fan separately, instead of having to faff with fan remotes or being limited to setups that use multiplexed control if you want the fan and light to do something different.

In the existing setup, the "back wire" hole was used in place of a pigtail and wirenut to feed power from the incoming black always-hot to the red wire that powers the fan.  So, nut the red fan-hot wire from the wall with the black wire from the dimmer and the black always-hot from the wall (with the power off at the breaker of course!), and your fan will work again.


What size hole do I need for cementing in 2.4m 120mm pine fence posts into clay soil?

Depends on frost depth, height, and strength requirements of fence.

We generally drill 8" holes for a 3.5" square post 6" below frost depth or 30" deep in our area.  Minimum depth if frost depth is not an issue I would say is 18" for a heavy clay.  Deeper is better than wider.  This is for fences upwards of 6' high.  Higher fences we would probably set a deeper minimum post depth.

If we had a 120mm round, we would probably stick with the 8" diameter hole, but if it was 120mm square, we might up size to 10" diameter to ensure enough concrete around the post for it to stay intact.

If we needed more lateral strength, we would up size the hole diameter if we did not go any deeper.

For holes that layout cannot be adjusted and are not in the center, we enlarge the hole as needed to make sure there is adequate concrete surrounding the post.


If your question is:

"Can a lean-to shed be designed so that it can be supported with 3
posts on one side and only two on the other?"

Then the answer is yes, it can be done.  Is it too "risky"?  Too risky for what?  To support the expected snow and wind load?  The answer to that is:

"Yes, that too can be done."

I suspect, however, your real question is:

"HOW do I do this?"

The answer to that is:

Seek out some pre-designed plans for such a structure that will be acceptable to your local AHJ to obtain a building permit.
Get a design done for you by an architect or a licensed engineer that has been analyzed to support the expected loading in your area. (The AHJ will want this when applying for the building permit.)


From what you have described, I see no reason why you would not have adequate space in your sub panel.

As far as wiring, you are correct in that you will have two hots (L1, L2), a ground, and no neutral.

Without seeing the spec sheet for exact numbers, I can only suggest that you take the conservative approach and wire using a double-pole 30A breaker with #10 wire. If you are using some sort of conduit then THHN will be fine, as you suggested.

Note that the NEC also defines rules for supporting conduit and whips. There is no way to answer this without knowing more about the physical setup and distances between your heat pump and sub panel.


Building staircase from first floor to the attic with a Dorm window for headroom. Large 40 x 12 attic space.

You really need to bring in an expert to evaluate the building structure to see if what you have in mind if even feasible. There is little chance that your short text about your intentions can provide the detail needed to determine feasibility. Also since the area is probably enclosed from below at the present time pictures would likely not help too much here either.

Some things to consider:

Adding a 5 or 6 foot wide dormer opening into an existing sloped roof will likely require some major re-work of the roof structure in that area.

Many houses with attics have minimally sized ceiling joists that may not come close to supporting a floor from above. It is likely that some new joists between supporting walls will be needed to make the space safe but that could reduce your existing headroom to too much.

There are a lot of old style constructions that had center support posts under the rafters in the attic. If  your space is like that you may not be able to legitimately remove them.


If the pipe is exposed, you can enclose it with a small wall (several 2x4's for the framing and a little drywall).  Make sure at any cleanout openings, you include an access panel in the wall.  Then, before you install the drywall, put a bunch of insulation in there, surrounding the pipe.  Avoid having anything solid connecting the pipe to the wall since that will transmit sound.

Edit: A post construction idea is to hang something that absorbs sound on the wall, such as an acoustical panel frequently used for home theaters or even a tapestry.


Cost of replacing it now vs cost of replacing it later plus cost of cleaning up from its failure (anywhere from nothing to a whole lot). Throw in some kind of likelihood of it failing.

If it's a commercial property, just replace it now. If residential, a home inspector or plumber could probably take a look and give an estimate on likelihood of failure. Any corrosion, strange sounds, etc and I'd just replace it now.


Replaced my water heater and now I have very low water pressure both hot and cold


What's the signalling voltage on hardwire smoke detectors?  Mix and match?

All hardwired alarms are interoperable. If one alarm goes off it energizes the third wire and all other ones go screaming too. I have quite a few hardwired alarms and many of them are different brands.


Any "temporary" installation of a toilet should be treated as a permanent one.  That means if you need to temporarily build up the floor, the temp floor needs to be securely anchored to the sub-floor and the toilet securely anchored to that temp floor.

If you do not install the toilet as if it were permanent you risk the release of raw sewage onto your new construction materials.

Brick and mortar, as Chris said, seems overkill.  Secure some wood to build up the floor to the proper level and secure the toilet to the flange as well as the flange to the pipe.

This may result in you having to redo some plumbing around the toilet, if, for instance, you find you need to remove the flange to install the floor, although generally you'll cut the floor around the flange.


Do two circuits on one receptacle require shared trip breakers?

Yes, effectively.
Whether they are an MWBC or two separate circuits with their own neutral, same either way.  The fact that they are on the same yoke requires that they have the same shutoff.

210.7 Multiple Branch Circuits.
Where two or more branch circuits supply devices or equipment on the same yoke, a means to simultaneously disconnect the ungrounded conductors supplying those devices shall be provided at the point at which the branch circuits originate.

This concerns maintenance shutoff, not common trip.  They don't care if they trip together from an overload, GFCI or AFCI.  They care that if you plug a radio into one socket and flip breakers until the radio stops, you have de-energized the entire yoke.
You can accomplish this with listed handle ties, but since those are hard to find, we generally recommend you just use a 2-pole breaker.
However if it is wired as 2 separate circuits on 2 separate cables,  and AFCI or GFCI breakers are in use, then you must use two separate breakers with a handle tie.
If, on the other hand, they are separate yokes on the same box, then there's no special requirement.  The electrician is expected to check for that.  When putting 2 circuits in the same box, do watch your "box fill" (cubic inches) and use a larger box if need be.


That bell transformer mounts on a mains power electrical box. The electrical code requires that all electrical boxes remain accessible and not be enclosed. This means that you will also not be able to cover over the box + transformer behind drywall.

You may have the option to move the bell transformer to a completely different location and re-run the low voltage wires to the doorbell. Then you could just insulate the wire ends in the box and cover this existing electrical box with blank cover which you then paint to a color to match the wall there by the ceiling. The result would be much less of an eyesore than the transformer hanging there with it's exposed wires.


Typically if drain plumbing is not done right, it will drain perfectly fine...  onto your floor.  For it not to drain, means you have a blockage.  Take the parts you fixed apart and do an inspection for any clogs.  If they are free, assume the blockage is farther down the line.  If that is the case, use a hand snake and snake out the drain before you put it back together again (make it easier).  Reassemble and see if it drains.  If it doesn't drain, try snaking again.  Typically the cost of a hand snake is cheaper than calling out a plumber.


Is mold remediation effective in the long term?

A good remediation company will do testing on both surface and air afterwards.  I would make sure there is a good amount of time past after cleaning to go through and do the tests - a couple weeks maybe.

Your main concerns are basement and bathroom, so make them prove those areas too you.  If there is a lot of ongoing mold on a wall the it is likely it affected the surrounding areas.  So make them open up walls to prove there is nothing.  If they don't want to then I would expect the worst and know that first you might have more big issues that are hidden and two that you might need to do a lot of drywall and finishing touch work after you demo sheetrock in areas.

Note: I would also try to put some of the risk onto the remediation company.  If I have to use one on flips we go over everything.  I get a price.  And then if they mess up they come out and fix the area for free.  For instance if they tell you that you don't have mold in a room but find it a month later they would come out and remove wall and fix area.  You have to get a reputable company and then you will usually only be given 3-6 months.  If you think the house was full of moisture/humidity for a long time then I would assume that most of my drywall has to be replaced.  For a 2000 sq ft house that is 10-15K.   Also know too, mold needs moisture.  If there is a little mold in a wall and it never gets more moisture, there is little to no harm...  I will say this, I rather deal with termites than big mold when buying a house.


Do I have to do anything special when laying a shed? Ie foundations/bases etc?

I'd use a foundation.

It doesn't have to be very deep - it could just be a set of paving stones covering an area slightly larger than the shed itself.

If nothing else it will keep the wood away from the ground and reduce the damp and moisture that will attack the shed, thus prolonging it's life.

It will also help keep the shed level.


How do I dismantle a Saniflo Compact to clean it?

There is a good Utube video that explains how to clean the macerator and explains how they get plugged with things like expensive toilet paper and dental floss on occasion moving the pump impeller with a screw driver can break things loose. There were several videos to watch.


Can I use a 3-wire+ground to serve a 240v and a 120v circuit?

Not in this case, because you can't put lights or outlets on a 30A circuit.
Note that also, you can't have receptacles on a circuit where more than 50% of ampacity is needed for hardwired loads.
So it could happen if, say, the numbers worked out (20A circuit, 240V/7A mini-split, then yeah, you could use both legs for 120V stuff).

Honestly, the 10/3 cable was a blunder.  Water heaters don't need 3-wire feeds.   You could, I suppose, fit a subpanel there, with a 30A breaker for water heater and a 15/20A outlet for lights -- however, you'd have to do a load calculation for outlets, because a water heater uses most of the feeder ampacity.
But for a subpanel feeder, for the same price as 10/3, you can get 2-2-2-4 Al feeder which is good for 90 amps instead of 30.


The bracket should be screwed into at least one stud and preferably two. Drywall just doesn't provide the support for a large TV.
In the video, the center holes were screwed into the stud and the two end toggle bolts went in the drywall.
The bolt sizes will depend on the bracket you buy. In many instances, the bolts and screws will be provided. If they are not, the instructions will specify what you need.
There isn't really a good way to check behind  walls without a stud finder. You can push a long finishing nail into the drywall a number of times to determine the stud locations and move the nail around in the holes to "see" if you feel any wires or pipes. Since you're a homeowner, you'll be doing a lot of picture hanging,etc. so you'd be smart to get a good stud finder.


What could be causing these oddities when replacing a power socket?

Sounds like there is indeed some sort of insulation problem along the line, causing both problems you describe. As Jodes said, call in a professional electrician to find the source of the problem before trying to fix anything.

When you have some sort of 'leakage electricity' while connecting the ground, it will trip the rcd (that's the very reason for having the rcds).


Outdoor LED lights runnng dim/flickering

This sounds like a poor connection, that is also crossing over into "arc fault".

It should be readily apparent; when you touch it, it'll be warm or hot.


Design choice and max weight+bending for cantilever

Design 1 does not look like a cantilever design. It looks like the ends of the boards are attached to vertical posts. No, I don’t think this design will work.

In Design 2, the two outside boards look like a cantilever, but the middle board looks like the end of the board is attached to something, but I’m not sure how it’s attached.

You could use a couple of 2x4’s (on edge) for a 6’ cantilever to support about 220 lbs. (half of total estimated weight) but how the connections are made are critical.

I’d use the vertical sheathing to stiffen the cantilever, but again, how it’s all connected is critical.

BTW, I doubt if your total load is just 440 lbs.  (Total load includes “live load” plus “dead load”.) Also, as you suggest, movement will cause the cantilever to bounce and put extra stress on the supports.


How soundproof is roxul / acoustical putty?

It's impossible to say how soundproof an installation will be. We can make a reasonable estimate if we know all the details, including potential flanking paths. A wall of this type may give you an STC 45 or something (wild guess). But even if it were STC 300, you'll still hear a screaming child due to flanking paths. Just how much do you need to hear? You're not going to hear them plotting their first great escape, but if a child is in trouble, you'll hear about it, unless the stereo or TV is up fairly loud.


Is the black wire always hot on a three-way switch?

Basic 3-way switches
When working with basic 3-way snap switches, the switch should have four terminal.
Common, COM, or C
This terminal will typically be black, or some color other than green or silver. It may be brass, in which case it will be labeled or marked in some way as common.
The common terminal will either be connected to the ungrounded (hot) LINE wire coming from the power source, or to the ungrounded (hot) LOAD wire going to the load (lights).
Ground, Earth
This terminal will typically be green, and will likely be either at the top of the bottom of the switch.
Travelers
These terminals will commonly be brass. These terminals are used to carry power between the switches, and will alternate being live.  Depending on how the switch is toggled, one of these terminals will always have voltage (assuming the circuit is working properly).
Smart switches
These types of switches will usually offer some extra functionality, other than simply turning the lights on/off. Because of this, the switch may also require a neutral wire.
Neutral
The neutral terminal on a smart switch will often be silver, and is used to connect a circuit neutral wire to the switch.

Wire colors
Wire color is meant to help determine the function of a wire, however, it can often be wrong.  White wires can, from time to time, be used as ungrounded (hot) wires (though they're supposed to be marked when they are).  Your best bet, is to never trust the person that installed the wiring, and always test the wires yourself.

3-way circuits
A 3-way circuit should look something like this.

3-way circuit
However, wiring in a building is not typically this straightforward. So you might find cases where power goes to the light first, or other strangeness.


Why does my toilet still leak after replacing the wax ring?

As alluded to by 'The Evil Greebo', there is an oversize (thicker) wax ring readily available. Make sure there are no obstructions on the toilet flange and bottom of the toilet.


How to get water to hop from patio over brick wall?

I would take a 4-1/2" angle grinder with a diamond wheel and cut out the mortar between the bricks down level with the patio surface, at like 5-10 brick intervals, creating a path for the water to flow out. Then re-caulk the joint tapering the caulk at each "drain".


Can water-based wood glue deep in timber joinery initiate wood rot?

Water based glue quickly drys out and has been used for centuries. If it created rot we would have no antiques as most very old joinery is held together by tight joints and glue only. Two much glue wipe the excess but it will dry if their is an internal puddle and won’t cause rot.


What can I do to make my downstairs layout better?

Moving the kitchen to another location is typically a rather large project because things like plumbing and critical electrical wiring have to move. Even swapping sides in a kitchen can lead to a lot of "down to the framing" type of work.

Your picture does not show the current kitchen layout so it is not possible to envision just what may be possible. Despite that, opening up the space between the kitchen and dining room may be the easiest thing to solve the long narrow kitchen plan as shown.


Why shouldn't different types of bulbs be used in the same fixture?

For a multi-bulb fixture the LED units do not want to be in the area where high heat is generated as would be the case with incandescent or especially with halogen bulbs.

CFLs have their own special considerations if they are used in situations with special types of lamp dimmers. Such special dimmers may not be compatible with LED lighting modules.

Another consideration comes in from the light quality and perception of what the lighted area looks like. LED lamps have a different light character than do other types of bulbs and mixing them together may be perceived as unpleasant in the extreme cases.


Allowed wiring methods for running power between two structures above a walkway

What you're after is called messenger supported wiring, and it's an established part of the NEC
The good news is that what you're after is quite possible within the NEC, using a wiring method called messenger supported wiring.  In short, this involves suspending a steel messenger wire between the two structures, and then using that messenger to support electrical cables or wires.  This works much the same way as overhead utility wiring; in fact, you could use a length of utility triplex for this job, but it'd be more trouble than its worth.
The bad news is that like an overhead utility service drop, you'll need to get some elevation on these wires to keep people from blundering into them face-first.  NEC 225.18 requires the lowest point of the wire to be at a minimum of 10' from the ground in a typical situation (using triplex). While this is less than what'd be required for an actual utility service drop, it would require some sort of mast.
However, given that you'll be running a UF cable on the messenger in all likelihood, you can use a metal strut channel or wood pole at each end with the UF and messenger attached to them instead of conduit and weatherheads, or even dispense with the mast altogether (with AHJ approval) as 225.18 may not apply to a fully insulated cable on a messenger.  This doesn't exempt you from providing a proper drip loop though!
When you're running the UF up on the messenger, you'll need to lash it to that messenger wire, or clip cable saddles onto the messenger and run the UF through those.  You'll also need to ground the messenger wire itself; this can be done by using a split bolt to clamp an 8AWG bare wire to it at the pergola end, then running that wire down to whatever you're using as a disconnect and landing it there.
Speaking of disconnects, you have a couple of options for that.  For a single circuit, a simple lightswitch, or perhaps a key-operated one if there are receptacles at the pergola, will do the trick.  A weatherproof box and cover would certainly be in order for such, though!  If your run is more substantial than that, though, you'll want to use a non-fused pullout disconnect box (air conditioner disconnect) instead.  Either way, you'll want a compression grounding wire fitting (sometimes called a "Kenny clamp") to bring the messenger ground into the box, and a second drip-loop + weathertight fitting/gland to bring the UF cable into the box via the bottom or side. (I wouldn't trust a NEMA 3R hub to seal properly against a UF fitting.)
If you want to use conduit instead
If you wanted to use conduit instead of a MSW run for such a short distance, that is possible as well.  Given you're only spanning 3' eave-to-eave, you could technically do this with LFMC provided it's attached securely to both the house and pergola eaves, as the NEC permits 4½' between supports for LFMC.  However, a sturdier wiring method such as rigid conduit may be a better choice given the potential forces involved.  If you do go with rigid conduit, though, NEC 300.4(H) means that you'll need to put an expansion-deflection fitting or two in your run, though, to take up relative motion between the two buildings.  (Which can be very significant indeed given what gets up to shakin' where you live.)


Why do I have low water pressure with more than one fixture turned on?

I am going to answer this assuming you get your water from the city...

Check to make sure your lines are at least 3/4".  If they are you should not normally lose a drastic amount of water pressure unless you had a lot of things running.  3/4" is the standard in the US.  Also make sure your water heater is not being fed by 3/4" line - I have seen this several times.  Every time the water heater needs water it sucks everything out.
Check the material of your main line.  If it is some steel material you could be dealing with a rusting/shrinkage issue.  You should replace this because this also has health side effects
If pipe checks out fine - copper and 3/4" or greater then next step is to a pressure test.  I have had the water company out several times to my house.  They do have a gauge that can check but the most common thing they do is firmly put their thumb over the first opening in the line.  If their thumb can hold down the pressure (water will come out but your thumb won't flip back) then there is a pressure issue.  I know this isn't exact science but it is something a home owner can do in a few mins.
So you need to figure out where your water comes in and see if there is something before your shut-off.  On almost all houses there is an outside hose tap in this location.  Use that to test.  Some houses it might be a laundry area.  Either way do the thumb test.
If you do not have adequate water pressure in step 3 through your first outlet, then you can call the water company.  They will come out and check the pressure coming out your connection to the main.  If they find a problem with the pressure it is on them.  I had this happen to me.  They actually had to replace a main piece on my street and had to dig up about 300 meters.
So they replaced part of the main.  Water pressure should be great now right?  While they were doing the main massive air pockets went into the line and my toilet was jumping up and down like that Goonies scene.  The next day they come by and test the main connection to my house.  They say it looks great... Good pressure in the house?  No.
So they replace the first elbow after my shut-off (very nice of them) because this commonly collects mineral deposits and causes blockage - water company said this fixes 20-30% of their pressure issues.  Did it fix mine?  No.
During their main pipe replacement they had pressurized air used for cleaning... This blew a bunch of crap in my line between the main and my house.  They hooked up an air compressor and blew out my line - the crap actually blew out of the elbow that they took off after the shut-off.  I was very surprised by the amount of big mineral deposits and crap that came out.

on a complete side note and still very relevant to troubleshooting pressure - I have about 120 feet from main to my house.  If you have a long distance like this you will not have the best water pressure on the block.  This is simply due to friction.  The longer the line the less water pressure.  Some people might suggest upping the line to 1".  That is if your city will let you.  And if they do (given you have a long line) - it will cost a ton.  It is doable and another option is a booster pump - also messy and expensive.  Just know longer line means less pressure - shouldn't be drastic but will be less.

OK now I have good pressure - clean pipes.  What if the pressure was still bad?  I would be replacing the connection between main and my house.  Who pays for this?  Depends where you live.  My city pays 50% I think.
Now going back to point #3 - lets say we had good water pressure at our first outlet, what do you check next?  The first thing you need to do is an audit.  You should have 3/4" or greater coming in.  The first thing you need to do is make sure you do not have 3/4" feeding any fixture.  If you do that is a problem that will cause pressure issues.

Next are there any low pressure zones?  If there are you may be looking at a valve that is restricting pressure.  You need to figure out if it is a house-wide issue or when you try to use particular zones in the plumbing.  Blockage at valves is the most common (still not real common with pex or copper) and then elbows next.
Last is about your expectations.  What do you think you can have running with a 3/4" line?  If you have 3 showers running off of 1/2" pipe (which is common) and all shower valves/heads allow for the full rate of water flow (not remotely common) then you would definitely not have enough water pressure.  One fully functional 3/4" line can feed a little more than two 1/2" lines.  In practice this isn't true though because valves slow down the water process and shower heads will have flow (low) controls.
If you have older fixtures you could have two issues hurting you.  First maybe your shower head has no flow control so it is just pumping out water.   Then older valves have two issues.  First they mix poorly, so any fluctuation coming to the valve will be magnified.  Then they often have filter that are blocked up, which slows water flow...
If other people have things to add just edit and add it if you want.


How do I check my upstairs bedroom for insulation in the ceiling?

If the house is old enough to have a plaster ceiling, there is a terrific chance there is no insulation.

You would be wise to cut an access somewhere and get rent a blowing machine for insulation. get about 16" up there. Taper it to the roof rafters so it does not touch the roof. It will allow the roof to get too hot in those places and deteriorate the roof prematurely. 2' of airspace over the insulation is recommended.

Be mindful of any added can (recessed) lights that were put in later, they need to be IC (insulation contact) rated or keep the insulation off them too.


Can I use this copper wire to add a ground to an ungrounded outlet?

Go for it

For a retrofit equipment grounding conductor, your case falls under NEC 250.130(C) point 2:

  (C) Nongrounding Receptacle Replacement or Branch
  Circuit Extensions. The equipment grounding conductor
  of a grounding-type receptacle or a branch-circuit extension
  shall be permitted to be connected to any of the following:

  (1) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode system as described in 250.50

  (2) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode conductor

  (3) The equipment grounding terminal bar within the enclosure where the branch circuit for the receptacle or
  branch circuit originates

  (4) An equipment grounding conductor that is part of another branch circuit that originates from the enclosure
  where the branch circuit for the receptacle or branch
  circuit originates

  (5) For grounded systems, the grounded service conductor
  within the service equipment enclosure

  (6) For ungrounded systems, the grounding terminal bar
  within the service equipment enclosure

So, your plan with the split bolt is good.  You can use green THHN without a conduit for this provided it's protected from mechanical damage and routed within the building structure, by the way, as per 250.120(C):

  (C) Equipment Grounding Conductors Smaller Than
  6 AWG. Where not routed with circuit conductors as permitted in 250.130(C) and 250.134(B) Exception No.2, equipment grounding conductors smaller than 6 AWG
  shall be protected from physical damage by an identified
  raceway or cable armor unless installed within hollow
  spaces of the framing members of buildings or structures
  and where not subject to physical damage.

If you do need to make an exposed run, though, a bare armored ground cable is going to be cheaper and easier to handle than having to run conduit just for a ground wire.


Do I really have to cut my wood flooring to a 1 inch width?

At this point, the answer is yes. You can plan to avoid this kind of thing in the design phase by ripping down the first row, but if you're already 99% done with the install, it's a bit late for that.

One final, if not ideal option is to have a really wide baseboard and add shoe molding to the bottom, which could conceivably cover up that kind of gap, but you'd have to commit to doing this on all the walls or else it will look funny.


where can I send a backyard soil sample for lead testing?

It seems that this document answers most of your questions:

Testing for Lead

In the document it states that home kits are available, but it has been shown that the effectiveness is not too reliable, and if you do detect lead, you will probably need to get soil professionally analysed.

otherwise you can find do-it yourself test kits on this link if needed.
DIY Test kit

Personally, I would inspect the soil for any traces of paint chips and if you find any, then get lab tests. however a sensible course of action would be to order in some top-soil for your garden, that way, your garden will look nice in a few weeks and you will have peace of mind in terms of contaminants.


Best way to source concrete for a long fence project

Delivery of ready-mix in a truck
This gets you a whole lot of mud fast. There are a couple of problems: First, the "short" (small) load fee may raise its cost by 50% compared to the per-yard price you were quoted. Second, they'll likely allow you something like 5-10 minutes per yard to unload the truck and may charge by the minute if you run over time. The unloading process may be sped up if you have several laborers running with wheelbarrows. Third, if the unloading is slow, not only might you pay an extra fee but you might also have the mud setting up in the truck (recall that concrete hardens through a chemical reaction, not through "drying"). This could be mitigated by requesting the mix have a retarder to extend its initial set time.
You-haul ready mix in a trailer
There may be a small-batch concrete provider in your market. They have little 1-2 yard mixer trailers; you bring a heavy-duty pickup truck and tow their trailer to your job site while it mixes. It's heavy; the empty trailer might weigh 3500 pounds and the concrete another 3700 pounds per yard. You could buy just one yard at a time (or even less) and make several trips to ensure that you have relatively fresh concrete throughout the job.
Portable mixer
Honestly.. this is the one I'd do. The main reason is that I frequently work alone or with one assistant, and this approach is the only one I consider practical for such a small "crew." Rent/borrow/buy a mixer large enough to do the concrete for 4-6 posts. (Could buy a used one and resell it when you're through.) Put a pile of sand and gravel on a flat bed trailer along with the mixer, bagged Portland cement, and a few buckets of water. Tow it around the parking lot as the job progresses. You can pipeline the job a bit by dumping the entire mixed batch out into a wheelbarrow or a few buckets -- then you can let the mixer run making a new batch while you're placing the concrete mixed in the prior batch. Size the batches so that the mixing time roughly equals your placing time and all of that is well below the initial setting time.


My guess would be a carriage bolt, but it's impossible to tell for sure.  Take the nut off the inside, hit the bolt with a mallet and see what happens.

Edit based on addition of interior photo...

I wonder if that big black cylinder is some type of damper intended absorb shock and vibration.  Maybe the one on the other side failed and they replaced it with a regular bolt.  You might try a channellock pliers or such to take it off (if that's your goal).  Or post this to a boat forum and see if anybody has a better answer.


If the line from the wall to the power source is good, and the power source is good, then the problem will be in the wall.  It's hard to imagine how something could go wrong between the top of the wall and the outlet, but I had this very problem once and traced it to a mystery, unclosed box with the two unterminated wires in it in the middle of the wall for who-knows-what reason, completely hidden by drywall.

Is there a switch on this wall as well?  If so, the outlets are probably connected there to the power source.  If not, your best bet may be to start at the outlet and trace the wire back to the source through the wall.  This will involve removing wall covering, and the repairs and cleanup that that entails.


Why is it illegal to change temperature of water heater?

You can do this, but not as completely as one'd want to

The approach you describe (running a tank full-hot and then downmixing it to a scald-safe temperature using an ASSE 1017 central thermostatic valve) is indeed permitted by the Codes, although it does not negate the need to provide scald-safe fixture valves at showers and baths.

However, one drawback of this approach is that it limits the protection from Legionella growth provided to the hot-water piping system.  In most applications we consider here, that's not a huge drawback; however, it does mean that care should be taken to avoid "dead legs" of hot water plumbing, as those are common hangouts for pesky Legionellae.

The ultimate system uses an anti-scald mixing valve feeding directly into an anti-scald fixture at baths and showers, and an anti-scald mixing valve at bathroom (and perhaps kitchen) sinks as well, allowing untempered water to be fed to clothes washers and dishwashers to minimize the need for booster heating.  This is more commonly done in the more complex commercial/institutional plumbing environment, but is theoretically doable for residential work as well, although the standards for mixing valves are in a bit of flux at the moment.


Best/Quickest way to drain hot water lines from tank?

If you turn the supply of water to the water heater off you don't need to drain it , with the supply off you do want to turn the gas valve to pilot or off depending on the type of tank some have electric ignightors and don't have a standing pilot. The tank will be fine. After that I open the lowest taps in the home usually a bathtub if single level then the taps you want to change and the water in the pipes drain down to this level, a hose bib outside many times is at the lowest position for cold water. Now that you have the lines open would be a great time to add shutoffs to this fixture when installing the new faucet.


There is a system for connecting copper tubing and copper fittings that does not use solder. Just google "Propress" for an example. Some places rent the tool or you can purchase one. Before I retired the company I worked for used this tool for a lot of
 copper fittings from 1/2" thru 4". It works very well, is quick and does a lasting job.


what size lumber for a 8' horizontal span to hold a 250 lb. load

Depends on 1) Species, 2) Grade, and 3) Condition of use (wet location, etc.)

1) Some species of wood are stronger than others, (i.e.: Douglas Fir-Larch is much stronger than pine,)

2) Some grades of wood can be 80% more than others.

3) Wood, pressure treated, can loose 20% of its strength and if it’s installed outside in a rainy or high humidity climate, can loose an additional 15% of its strength.

So, for your chair outside with 7’-6” span, I’d recommend 2-2x6 of “Select grade or better” or 1-2x8 of “number 1 grade or better”.


streaks in polyurethane finish on freshly stained farm table

I would go to a finer grit after the 220. Yes you need to sand until it is SMOOTH. Do you have a random orbit sander? Wipe on poly (50/50 poly and thinner) is a good way to go. The coats are thinner so you need 2 or3 more. Brushing works well but with a GOOD brush or a foam brush.


Why is my circulator pump heating my house?

High probably you have non-insulated pipes or components in the area of the vent system.

If you do not want completely and professionally remounting the hot water pipe, you have various ways to reduce the heating of the air:

Insulate the hot water pipe as much as possible. There are suitable foamed insulations that can be easily pushed over pipes. But you have also to find suitable places in the ventilation duct for inserting.
What is the temperature of the hot water? You can set the temperature of the water to 55°C/131°F. Or lower if the system has automatic intermediate heating to combat of legionella.
Put a electric timer to the circulation pump. If you do not need hot water all day, you can limit the duration of the hot water pipes.


How should I install fence panels on posts that aren't level?

For a trivial difference like 3" (large sections of my boundary have at least 3' difference over 24'), I just wouldn't worry about it.  3" in 24' is 1:96, so nobody will notice that the posts aren't quite vertical. so put the posts in vertically, and then tweak the panels slightly so that they aren't quite square.

If you want to be really precise about it, sinking the fence into the ground is probably the best approach.

For a larger difference, you would need to staircase the fence, probably with shorter sections (to minimize the difference over each section).


Accidentally Used Topping Compound for Taping Drywall Joint. What To Do?

Topping compound is softer and easier to sand than regular mud. If everything is dry and and secure you may be ok. If you want to remove it just get it wet and topping mud should release and can be scraped off. If you haven't done very many joints I would remove it because it is not as strong. If everything looks go ahead and top and sand with topping mud.


1" S-Type Screws OK for hanging 5/8" Drywall on short wall in basement?

yeah, you should be alright with the 1 inch drywall screws. The optional way to fasten any drywall is to have screw head slightly dimple the drywall paper (not penetrate or damage the paper) so as to have a depression for the joint compound. It wouldn't be a bad idea as you noted to use extra screws. I believe the fastening method is 6 inches along the edges and 8-10 inches in the field. As an alternative suggestion you could install 3/4 inch plywood strips behind the soundproofing strips. The extra 3/4 inches would allow a  1 5/8 inch screw.


RTS in fire sprinkler rooms - normally-open or -closed? And its purpose?

Building plans don't call out every little detail
The differences in layout between the buildings are expected. You may be largely correct: the installations likely were done by different crews and without precise layout diagrams. That's normal. Plans for a building specify a variety of things like which plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, or fire detectors and horns/strobes need to be installed and approximately where they must be located. Most of the time the locations are quite flexible. Plans would not dictate exact placement of the pipes or electrical wiring. It's not practical. Likewise they would not dictate the precise arrangement of the furnace etc in a unit, nor would they dictate the exact placement of the various fire control panels in the riser room.
Fire alarms can work fine with either style of switch
Fire alarm systems deal with alarm events, tamper events, and supervisory events (sometimes there's no distinction between the latter two). Events cause notifications; virtually all events cause a signal to be transmitted to the monitoring service. A fire alarm panel will typically have multiple inputs. Some inputs go to detection devices and trigger an alarm; other inputs go to tamper or supervisory sources and only trigger a report to the monitoring service. Often an input can be configured for either normally open or normally closed operation. Whether NO or NC is chosen by the designer or installer depends on a variety of factors, but most often the detection job can be accomplished with either. Your RTS is offered in both NO and NC styles to accommodate this flexibility. Building plans often will not require a specific style of switch.
Why would a fire alarm system include a room temp switch, anyway?
A room temperature switch is not likely to control anything; its purpose is purely to monitor ambient temperature in a riser room, attic, etc -- places where a freeze could impair the automatic sprinkler system and could go unnoticed because the space isn't occupied. If the switch trips a signal would be sent to the monitoring service, who should then forward the information to the appropriate building management representative who should then investigate and correct the situation.
Inspection verifies it all works
The system should have been inspected and tested for correct operation when it was commissioned. Periodic re-testing may be required by law depending on where you are. It might also be required by a fire insurance carrier. Of course, testing may also be commissioned at any time by a proactive building owner who just wants to be sure that life safety systems like this one are dependable.
Practical difference in zone wiring for NO versus NC
It's true that NC and NO switches won't work exactly the same - the circuit as a whole has to be arranged differently. Suppose I'm a fire alarm installer (and I was, for about a year) and my work order calls for a room temperature switch on a supervisory zone of its own.
If I want to use an NO switch then I might use two-conductor cable to connect a zone input and common to the two terminals of the NO switch. I'd connect the end-of-line resistor across the switch terminals too. Then I'd configure the panel so that if the zone opens that's a wiring fault and if the zone shorts that's a supervisory alarm indicating the room is cold.
If instead I want to use an NC switch then I'd still use two-conductor cable from zone input and common at the panel. One conductor would connect to a switch terminal, the other conductor would connect to the EOL resistor, and the resistor would connect to the other switch terminal. I'd configure the panel so that if the zone opens that's a supervisory alarm indicating the room is cold.
The latter approach doesn't provide any electronic method of distinguishing between a wiring fault and a cold room condition. Maybe that's a little inferior, but if the job specs didn't require differentiating the two, then according to the job requirements the two approaches are equally valid.
As an installer I'd do either one based on which kind of switches I have on hand. Maybe I prefer to use the NO switch but somebody ordered some NC by mistake, or they were left over from another job, or the supplier was out of stock of NO so we bought NC instead..
It's impossible to guess why the systems were built with different style of switches, but yes it's wrong to expect that two similar ("identical" to untrained eyes) buildings built years apart would have their fire systems set up exactly the same way.


How do I stop water from getting into floor vent?

A splash guard at the corner of the tub may be enough:

(image from Google)
They're inexpensive, and easy to install.


How do I calculate the size of the downspout I need for a gutter?

Size the gutters for the rainfall, but go with the largest downspout that will fit your gutters.

The issue for downspouts isn't water capacity in a torrential rain, it's debris that gets washed into the downspout.  The larger the downspout, the better debris will wash through.  Large downspouts are harder to clog, pass more water when they do clog, and are easier to clean out.


The main difference between your old GFCI plug and the new one you propose is that 2 wire only GFCI plugs lack what is called a grounded neutral detection circuit -- this circuit helps improve the GFCI's sensitivity to neutral-to-ground faults.  This grounded neutral detection is unnecessary but harmless when the load is ungrounded -- your situation is no different electrically than a 2 prong double-insulated appliance plugged into a conventional GFCI receptacle.


My first guess would be that the vent is blocked preventing air from entering the drain pipes and causing a sort of siphoning action.  Usually the vent is a PVC pipe that comes out of the roof.  Any chance that might be blocked (by snow possibly?)


How do I troubleshoot an electric furnace?

Couple possibilities I can think of:

Thermal switch in the furnace is broken, making it appear to be too hot, and the blower is running to cool it off.
Thermostat has the fan switch set to "on" instead of "auto"

Check the thermostat before trying to work on the furnace itself.


Square tube (or I-beam) is a trifle stronger than C-channel/C-beam. You may not need that additional strength, depending on exactly what you're building. C-channel is a bit lighter, which may not matter for your application.

(I'm using square-tube aluminum for the bike trailer I'm modifying. C-channel would probably have been fine for this application, but the weight and price differences were insignificant so I went for overkill.)


How many circuits should I include in a sub-panel for workshop?

This may not be worth the extra expense and work of installing a sub panel. Looking up some prices from the blue hardware store:

6/3 roll 50 ft       $102        12/2 roll 250 ft   $48
subpanel              $60        3 breakers         $20
3 subpanel breakers   $20        boxes and outlets  $25
main panel breaker    $20
12/2 roll 50 ft       $25
boxes and outlets     $25
-------------------------        ----------------------
total                $255        total              $93

I think 3 circuits is appropriate. One for the tool you're actively running, one for dust collection, and a spare if you need to be running two tools at once.

Edit: If you plan on upgrading to tools that will draw more than 20 amps, it may be worth the extra expense of putting in a subpanel. That way you can use shorter runs of 10/2 or 10/3 from the subpanel to the tools, instead of running all the way back to the main panel.


What size electrical breaker and wire do I need for a 230 volt, 40amp. cutterhead motor?

40 ampere breaker
8 AWG copper, or 6 AWG aluminum conductors (See National Electrical Code 2014 Table 310.15(B)(16)).


Is it unsafe if some three prong outlets don't properly test as grounded?

If an outlet has a ground terminal, it should be grounded.  No ifs or buts.  (And IMO, giving the illusion of ground protection is even worse than not having any protection.).  I don't think you can even get two-prong outlets any more, so I think you'll have to fix the wiring.  It sounds like you're still negotiating, so this is a good bargaining point.  And if you don't get it fixed now, when it comes time to sell, any potential buyers would be within their rights to make you fix it then.

An easy way to check that your wiring has a ground conductor is to open up the service panel, look for the breaker that controls those outlets, then trace the black-shielded wire to where the cable feeds into the panel.  (If it's present, ground is unshielded.)

If you have grounded wiring at the service panel, the next thing to check would be to look inside the outlets in question to see if the wiring there is grounded (it may just be a loose connection, and since it's common to daisy-chain outlets in a room, one faulty wire could affect several outlets).

If you have don't have ground at the outlets, but did at the service panel, you probably have a junction box joining the older ungrounded wiring and newer grounded wiring.  Time to go exploring in the attic or crawl-space / basement.

GFCIs detect a difference between current going out on the live terminal and current coming in on the neutral terminal.  If you're the easiest path to ground in an electrical fault, a GFCI will detect that and break the circuit; without a GFCI, you'd have to hope that you draw enough current -- and for long enough -- to trip a regular circuit breaker.  On the whole, though, I'd rather that current was running to ground through some copper that's intended for just that purpose.


How can I control a 240V heater from a pushbutton timer switch?

What you want is possible, but requires an extra box

While button-type (electronic) countdown timers that can switch 240V directly aren't a thing due to the limited market they would have; this is still possible provided neutral is available to the timer and you are OK with an extra box hanging around.  In particular, what you can do is use a suitable timer to turn on and off a relay (think "electrically controlled light switch" and you'll be on the right track) that then switches the heater on and off.

What you'll need to do this

You'll need a few parts to do this, as well as a bit of extra wiring:

First, you'll need a suitable timer.  In particular, you'll need an electronic, push-button type countdown timer that requires a neutral for operation, such as the Leviton Vizia LTB-1L; timers that do not need a neutral are not suitable for this application, as they will likely have a minimum load requirement which is not met by a relay coil
You'll next need a suitable relay.  The RIB2401B2G is probably the best choice here: its 20A rating is more than plenty for a 7A heater, and it can safely live within a wall as it's UL listed energy management equipment, suitable for use within plenum spaces
You'll also need to provide a suitable box for making the wiring connections and mounting the relay, as the RIB2401B2G mounts to a standard 3/4" knockout.  This usually isn't an issue with metal boxes, but many plastic boxes don't have knockouts, just NM clamps, so you may need to use an ENT-type plastic box, which does have standard knockouts, or cut your own KO in an existing NM box in that case.
And finally, you'll need to provide neutral at the box for the controls (timer and relay coil).  This can be done either by providing the neutral with the 240V circuit and running the controls off of one leg of the heater circuit while using a common-trip two-pole breaker for the heater circuit (as it's now a mixed 120/240V MWBC), or by running a separate hot and neutral from a 120V lighting circuit for the controls, with the 240V circuit providing no neutral of its own.

How this gets put together

Assuming you have the timer and relay in question attached to the same box, this wires as follows, assuming neutral is being run in with the 240V circuit:

The incoming and outgoing grounds are connected to each other, to the box ground pigtail (if the box is metal), and to the green ground wire from the timer.  Note that the relay in question does not have a ground wire, as it's all buttoned up inside a plastic box.
The incoming black wire (one leg of 240V) gets pigtailed to the black (LINE) wire on the timer and the purple (a COMMON) wire from the relay
The incoming red wire, then, gets connected to the yellow (the other COMMON) wire from the relay, as it's the other 240V leg
The red (LOAD) wire on the timer gets connected to the white/black (Coil 120VAC) wire from the relay; this means that the timer energizes the relay coil whenever it's marking time
The white (NEUTRAL) wire on the timer and the white/yellow (Coil Common) wire from the relay get connected to the incoming white neutral wire
The orange (a Normally Open) wire from the relay connects to the red (or white, flag it red if so) wire going off to the heater
The brown (the other Normally Open) wire from the relay then connects to the black wire going off to the heater
The red/yellow (3-WAY) wire on the timer (if present) is left insulated/unused
And finally, the white/blue (Coil 24VAC), grey (a Normally Closed), and blue (the other Normally Closed) wires from the relay are capped off individually with wirenuts, as they are not used here

If you are running a separate control hot and neutral instead, then the black (LINE) wire on the timer needs to connect to the incoming control hot, and the white (NEUTRAL) wire on the timer and the white/yellow (Coil Common) wire from the relay need to connect to the incoming control neutral.  The ground from the control power cable, of course, needs to be connected to all the other grounds, and all the other wiring remains unchanged from above.


What is the name of a coupling nut with a cutout?

I have no idea why, but an open coupling for a lamp is called a hickey...  As in 1/4" IPS Brass Hickey:

I've also seen this sold on some sites as an "open cast coupling" or "open cast hickey".


You need to calculate the outward force.

Assume 8' x 8' x 3' hot tub, filled to the top.

3 ft of head * 0.424 * 1(specific gravity of water) = 1.302 psi

That's the pressure at the bottom.  Obviously the pressure at the top is 0.
If I were to sketch the pressure gradient, it would be a triangle, so we can easily calculate the average pressure as 1.302 /2 = 0.651 psi.

That pressure is acting over an area of 8x3x 144 = 3456 si.

So the outward force on the side wall is 0.651 lb/si * 3456 si = 2250 lbs.

For tipping purposes, take this force to be acting as a point load at a height of 1 ft from the ground (Centroid of the pressure gradient triangle).

So, whatever you build will need to support an outward push of 1 ton on each wall.  You might be able to get away with it using some sort of steel banding, but I wouldn't consider it with just lumber -- your corners are going to rip apart.

Look into buying a pre-formed fiberglass hot tub liner.  That will support the outward forces, and all you have to do is build the appropriate frame to support it.


Should my dryer cord's neutral and ground be connected to the same terminal?

Sometimes you read something and can't help but shake your head. The answer is no, they wired the dryer wrong. The ground wire is supposed to wire to the ground lug of the dryer as shown in the manual on page 15.

The ground on the dryer needs to be wired correctly to provide safety for anyone who touches a metal surface if a short in the electrical system were to occur.


Apartment boiler system. Very hot water coming out of cold water tap

I agree with the other answer about the mixing valve/lack of check valve being the most probable reason.

However, I just had a first last night (which still has me searching online today, thus landing me here at this page)

I got a call for the same reason. 27 story building. The apartments are split into 2 zones for the plumbing and those zones have several risers for each stack of apartments. We only had this issue on one riser (10 apartments vertically in middle of building). Only these 10 apartments were affected, and it was only the bathrooms.

Most smaller buildings, the cold water is typically higher pressure, but this is opposite due to gravity (boiler room is on roof). After going through all 10 apartments vigorously, we isolated it down to one apartment. The bathroom sink faucet was feeding hot water into the cold line as other tenants on that riser opened up their cold.

So while a bad mixing valve or check valve issue is the most likely culprit, there is a chance it is one little faucet in the building that is screwing up everyone.


How to Wire New 1 Way Switch From 2 Existing 3 Way Switches

I am afraid that the way the photos are taken I can't clearly see what wires go where.  But I have a fairly safe guess for your answer.

When you have two three way switches on a light, you have a circuit like this:

Note that the common terminal on the switch on the left is connected to the constant-hot power source (let's call it the line side), and the common on the switch on the right is connected to the light or whatever, let's call it the load side.

(The actual physical layout, wire routing, and the color coding may be quite a bit different than the picture - the illustration is just to show how the circuit is put together.)

It sounds like you tapped the wire going to the common terminal on the middle switch to connect to the new switch on the right, and switch happens to be on the load side of the 3-way switch circuit.

If that switch happened to be on the line side of the 3-way switch circuit, and you tapped the wire on that common terminal for your new switch, you'd be getting constant hot at the third switch, which is what you want;  that new switch / dimmer alone would control the new light.

But as it is, you're supplying that right-side dimmer switch with whatever is coming through to the load side of the middle 3-way circuit - no power, full power, or dimmed power, depending on the position of the switches.

There is of course one hope for an easy solution.  If the three-way switch on the left happens to be on the  line side of that three way circuit, you can tap the common from that switch instead, and you're set.

If you don't have a constant hot in the box - just travelers for the three way circuits entering the box - you have a bit of a challenge.  You will have to either run another cable to supply power, or you'll have to convert one (or both) of the three way circuits to some kind of wireless switching, freeing up the travelers.  Then you can use one of those wires for constant power.


Guidelines for poured concrete over corrugated metal

This is not a complete answer to the question but it is at least a residential example of this kind of construction. It shows how a front porch is put together.

So it can be done although the backgound of whether this was a custom  engineered project or how else the design was arrived at is not clear.

Steel C-channel is used as "joists" (the C-shape is facing down):

Steel deck pans are installed. These do look generally similar to roofing but seem like a purpose-made product:

The pans are cut to fit and overlap to some extent:

Concrete is poured over the deck pans:


Is it worth it to replace the stock blade of a miter saw?

While I can't speak to the quality of all manufacturers blades, in general the blade that comes with the saw is of no lower quality than any other blade offered by the manufacturer.
Most miter saws come with a 24 tooth FTG (Flat Top Grind) blade, which is good for fast course cuts. If you're looking to chop 2x lumber, this blade will work fine for you. If you're planning to use the saw to make fine cuts, you'll want to upgrade to a blade with more teeth and a grind that reduces tear out.

More About Circular Saw Blades.
Number of teeth
In general, the more teeth a blade has, the finer the cut it will produce.  A blade with 24 teeth; for example, will remove more material with each blade than say a 40 tooth blade. because more material is removed more quickly, the quality of the cut is lower.
Grind
The grind of the blade, describes the shape of the tips of the teeth.
Flat Top (FT)
As the name describes, the tips of these teeth are flat, or straight across. These blades produce the courses cut, and often result in lots of chip out.

Alternate Top Bevel (ATB)
The teeth of these blades alternate between a right, and left handed bevels. If you look at the teeth, you'll see that one is beveled one way, while the next is beveled the opposite way. These blades produce a finer cut that FT blades, and result in less chip out.

Combination (COMB)
These blades consist of groups of teeth, where one will be FT with the rest being ATB. Typically there will be a group or 5 teeth (1 FT, 4 ATB), where each group is separated gap (gullet). These are more general use blades, and do fairly well at both ripping (cutting along the grain) and crosscutting (cutting across the grain).

Triple Chip Grind (TCG)
The teeth of these blades alternate between a FT tooth, and a double beveled tooth (bevel on left and right, with a flat top).  They are good for cutting hard materials, so are often used to cut MDF, plastics, and laminates.

High Alternate Top Bevel (HiATB)
These blades have alternating beveled teeth like an ATB blade, except that the bevel angle is much greater. An ATB tooth is typically beveled at 10-20°, a HiATB tooth will be beveled at 25-40°. These blades are good for extra fine crosscutting, and reduce chip out to a minimum.

freud blades used for example purposes only, because they show the tooth configuration on the blade. I have no affinity towards freud.


With one of these: Enamel Repair Kit

You simply sand out any rust in the chipped enamel, then paint on a new enamel coating. The finished repair should be permanent, and if well-done nearly undetectable.


I guess nobody else is going to take a swipe at answering this, so I'll give it a shot.

Will the desk bow in any way?

Depends on load and construction details. With the items pictured, even a pretty lightly constructed one will probably not bow/bend/sag much, and there are ways to frame it so that a much heavier load could be supported. What you need to do depends on what you anticipate possibly happening to the desk - if people might sit on it, it needs a good deal more support than if it's just holding a modern lightweight computer and sundries. But if you might set a box of papaer or books on it, then it needs more again...

Is it too wide?

No, subject to adequate framing.

Will the frame suggested be sufficient?

Color me dubious on that front. While it's sufficient for the purposes it was built for (evidently) it's more fully supported than what you are proposing to do, which allows it to be not so robust - but again, this is also load dependent, though having the desk break IF someone sits on it (even if you don't intend it to be used that way) can be somewhat annoying.

Does any one have any other thoughts?

Stressed skin panel construction offers some interesting possibilities, depending what you are up for, and what you are looking for.

How will I attach it to the walls?

Multiple options. Ledger boards on each end are a good approach if you don't mind them being visible. File cabinets and no wall attachment as with the linked plans are another approach, but evidently not what you want. Huge shelf brackets as you mentioned in a comment are another option. Much of this comes down to YOUR concept of a "floating" desk or how important it is that the desk slab appears to be sitting there with "no visible means of support" and whether that means "nothing visible when standing 6 feet away" or "nothing visible when lying on the floor."

In the "can be effectively invisible" line, you attach angle iron to the side walls, build a thick-ish (you can thin the front edge) slab, cut slits in the ends that slide over the angle irons and slide it in place. That calls for some precision crafting. The slab needs to be thick-ish both so that you can have a non-contributing part below the angle iron to conceal it, and so it's stiff enough to span 2 meters while only being supported at the extreme ends.

Less drastically austere solutions allow for a cross-beam below the desk surface but beyond/above where your knees would hit it, and visible supports on the end walls that the desk slab sets on top of.

The giant shelf bracket approach is arguably "not really floating" but does have no "feet" or "legs" down to the floor.

All will hold the desk slab up. Different ones require more or less structure from the desk slab itself, due to greater or lesser spacing between support elements.


Fixing holes in drywall using glue patches

There are many ways to hide small holes in Sheetrock and plaster. One is toothpaste as jsotola suggested but some land lords or slum lizards use black lights to find this as tooth paste many times has whiteners, these show up and my friend Got tired of finding crappy hidden fixes. For these small holes most of the time I would say he was an AZZ , then when I saw 1/2” and larger holes I started to understand!
A bit of joint compound pressed into the spot , maybe watered down a bit to fill the small void is legal and he cannot keep the deposit , but toothpaste he can be identified , my friend just got tired of crappy fixes and toothpaste = no refund of deposit. Just saying. A quart of premixed mud can fill hundreds of nail holes , fill the hole then wipe with a wet sponge. This is the best advice I can give after having several rentals and working for a friend in a college town.


What is a reasonably economical way to heat a basement bathroom?

A space heater or baseboard heater with its own thermostat should be sufficient, one with a schedule timer would be ideal. Just like a central HVAC system it'll keep the room warm when you are likely to use it and not run the heater at night or beyond a certain temperature.


Many incandescent-only dimmers do not require a neutral wire. If that's the case then you will have hot, switched-hot and ground connected to the existing dimmer but not neutral. The new dimmer will likely require neutral. Neutral may be in the box in which case you have it easy. If not then it should be nearby and the challenge is to make sure that you have the correct neutral and bring it into the box, split it and pigtail to the neutral on the new dimmer. Code now requires neutral in all switch boxes but that has not always been the case.

The above is a general dimmer/smart switch/etc. issue.

Now for the specifics: Based on the UPC code of the package, this is a Lutron LECL-153PH-WH dimmer. I found the spec sheet for it and it explains the wiring. For a single switch (i.e., you have one dimmer switch controlling the lights and no secondary switch at the other side of the room):

Hot (typically black) to black wire of dimmer.
Red of dimmer to switched-hot (typically black or Harper's preference red)
Green to ground (green, bare or screwed to grounded metal box)
Red/white of dimmer capped - i.e., put a wire nut on it so that it isn't connected to anything.

The Red/white and Red are used together as travelers for a 3-way switch (2 switches controlling the same light).


I think you answered your own question... "I don't especially care about being able to rekey the lock myself".  If you don't want this feature, don't pay for it.  Pick up a good sturdy lock from a trusted manufacturer, that has the features you want.

If you want to use the same key for all the doors in your house, you may be better off buying new locks for all the doors.  Most hardware stores carry sets of locks; where you'll get 2 knobs and 2 dead bolts that all use the same key, so you can set up 2 doors to use the same key. You may be able to get sets for more than 2 doors, but they might prove more difficult to find.


What is causing a ticking noise in my electrical outlets?

Here are some possible scenarios:

True story: I was called out to troubleshoot a chirping outlet.  My first thought was just a bad GFCI outlet.  To my surprise the outlet was indeed chirping and not a GFCI.  The source was 5 computers, monitors, and other electronic devices all daisy chained off one outlet that had become loose or was never tighten good.

Electronic devices will "chop" up the electricity, some worse than others.  And apparently can become audible with the right conditions.

Easy fix: just tighten the screws on the outlet or replace the outlet all together as it may be defective.

Also keep on mind some GFCI outlets will make a buzzing noise, and sometimes but rarely will chirp very loudly due to the internal parts failing.


What is a reveal cleat (and why do I need it)?

It appears to me that the reveal cleat serves two functions.

It keeps the oven set in the middle of the opening  so that the reveal on the face frame of the cabinet is equal on both sides.

The reveal is the amount of the narrow strip of face frame that is visible between the trim of the oven and the edge of the face frame opposite it.
It maintains an equal space between the side of the oven and the cabinet sides. ( inside the space of the cabinet )


Keypads of home security devices from Ademco and Honeywell

Normally (if a wired alarm) the battery is in the alarm system box (typically a 12V gel-cell or AGM lead-acid battery.) If wireless, every [expletive] thing will have a battery to replace.
For reset instructions look up the model of the main alarm panel (not the keypad) for instructions. Start with the lazy option of "try the factory default" since many people don't bother to change them.


Remote pump house power supply 220v and 120v

the "I own a copper mine" version

If you own a copper mine, wire cost is no object. Sell your copper at market and buy aluminum.  Assuming we're running just the lump at 10A, and aim to confine voltage drop to the stock-advice 3%,  we will need 3/3/3/6 aluminum cable.

If you also want to run an honest 20A of loads in total, we will need 2/0-2/0-2/0-1 cable ($3000).

If you want a full 30A still at 3% voltage drop, you'll need 4/0-4/0-4/0-2/0 cable ($5000) .

We need neutral because you have 120V stuff to run that apparently you cannot source in 240V for some reason.

We need ground because using a ground rod instead does not provide fault current protection.  You also need a ground rod.

You will need a disconnect at rhis location .  This is as easy as using a subpanel which has a main breaker. Size does not matter as long as it is>= the supply breaker.  Remember it must also have separate ground and neutral bars.

The stock advice, no-brainer version

See "I own a copper mine" .

The "I do not own a copper mine" version

in which cost is considered worthy of attention.  Ok, 2.4 KW for the pump, somewhat less for heat and light, say we can get this done in 5 KW.  5 KVA transformers are often seen on Craigslist for $100ish, we need two. Probably 480V transformers, if possible get 600V, popular in Canada.

The transformers will be used back to back, to step up transmission voltage, reducing voltage drop dramatically. At the far end, it will give 120/240 split-phase.

Amps will be 10.42@480V or 8.3@600V. We are going for 6% voltage drop at max power since draw will usually be half that (and thus 1/4 the drop).

Either way, #8 Al will suffice or #10 Cu ($500).  We only need 2 wires.

Why no neutral? We will be manufacturing neutral locally. Why no ground? Irrelevant since the transformers double isolate the service.

Since our final output transformer has no earth ground reference, we must provide one with a local ground rod.  All this would make this a main service in need of a main breaker, and as a main service, neutral would be tied to ground here.  The technical term is "separately derived service" .


How to convert from Downdraft cooktop range to hood

Without a photo of your existing setup we can do a little guessing. It sounds like you are on a wall not an island with cabinets over the counter.
The main part of installing a hood (or possibly a over the stove microwave/ hood combination) are the same removing cabinets if on a wall and the exit location , through the wall or into the attic and thru the roof.
You have identified the cabinet modification will be needed , how close are we to a window? With exterior wall stoves going out the wall is the easiest/ cheapest way to go, interior wall through the roof. I mentioned the microwave/hood option because modifying the cabinets will be the most expensive part so I basically eliminate the cabinet and have the microwave there, as far as modification this ends up being a plus for selling if you do not already have a built in microwave.
Modifications all depends on the spacing above or how the cabinets are built 1 piece built in place can be modified but will be the most expensive option. If your cabinets are segmented (most common) and the segments are split on each side of the stove all options are open. Installing a low profile hood not that hard moving the bottom of the cabinet up a foot adding some brushed stainless , copper or brass cladding on the cabinet sides and behind the stove top a lady catcher when selling.
Similar with the microwave option but less cabinet repair (shorten the doors etc)
These are the things I have done on flip and my own homes currently moving from downdraft island to wall overhead hood.
The homes I added the overhead microwave where there was not one really helped them were not high end homes but this really helped the sale.
On one home we installed a low profile vent hood and modified the cabinet then used hammered copper cladding on the cabinets and behind the stove, I thought it looked nice but we ended up with multiple families bidding on that 1950’s cracker box house and it sold above our asking and the realtor said it was the kitchen. New matching appliances sink and that cladding were all we really did.
There are lots of options and a couple of us that have done remodels could be more helpful with a photo.


Why would my Kenmore laundry center have black/yellow oil/grease sprayed across the inside walls?

The only thing in a washer that has significant amounts of oil is the transmission. At this point, if the machine seems to be running normally, then let it be. That is what the appliance repair guy was talking about.

If the transmission dies later, the worst that can happen is you burn up another belt. So unless you want to spend the money on a new transmission now, just wait until it fails.


How do I mount a TV on 1 inch of plaster that is on top of fire-board?

Neither plaster or fire-board has sufficient strength to support serious loads. Even lightweight TVs are too heavy for this kind of mounting.

Consider building a mantle and placing the TV on its stand on the mantle.

One possible alternative is to hang the TV from a beam in the ceiling, if one can be located near the face of the wall.


This can be done using a multi-way fan/light controller system such as the Lutron Maestro series.

You (or your electrician) will need a MA-LFQM package, which includes the master wall module and the canopy module, and two MA-ALFQ35 accessory controls, as well as normal wiring supplies (two and three conductor cable of the appropriate gauge, wire nuts/connectors, etc).

The controls should be wired as per the diagram in step 12c of the instructions, and the canopy module as instructed.  Note that you can't mix standard three or four way switches with these controls as they use power-line communications between each other and the canopy module to provide speed control and dimming, and you also will no longer be able to use the pull chain controls on the fan.


It's either a loose connection, a bad switch, or a poltergeist.

Turn power off to the circuit.
Verify power is off.
Remove the cover plate from each switch.
Remove the screws holding the switches to the box (should be two, one top, one bottom).
Pull the switches out a bit.
Inspect the wiring and connections, looking for loose wires, charred/burnt/melted parts, and any other damage.
Pull the lights down, and inspect the wiring there as well.

If you don't find anything, try replacing the switches. If there are 3 switches controlling the circuit, then you'll need two 3-way switches and one 4-way switch.

If you don't feel comfortable doing this type of work, contact a local licensed Electrician.


Can I convert a gas log fireplace to wood burning?

There is no way to convert a gas fireplace to burn wood, unless you are very lucky and the gas fireplace is an insert in a properly functioning solid fuel fireplace (in which case you basically just remove the insert, and have the fireplace inspected).
In situations like this, you have a couple options.
Install a Solid Fuel Stove
This option will require the least amount of work, though can still be quite expensive and time consuming.
You'll have to follow all local codes that deal with this type of project, but for this example we'll use National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards (NFPA 211 Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances).
Clearances
You'll need 36" clearance from combustible materials on all sides (top, left, right, front, and back).
Floor protection
You'll need a floor protector under the unit, that extends 18" in all directions (except up/down, that would just be silly).
Listed Stoves
The floor protection requirements will be provided by the manufacturer, for listed stoves.
Unlisted Stoves
For unlisted stoves, the floor protection requirements are determined by the length of the legs on the unit.
0" - 2"
Stove must be placed on non-combustible floor.
2" - 6"
4" hollow masonry laid to provide air circulation through the layer, covered with 24-gauge sheet metal.
6" and Greater
Closely spaced masonry not less than 2", covered with 24-gauge sheet metal.
Reducing clearances
There are ways to reduce the clearances, by installing special materials around the stove. Check your local codes for methods to reduce clearances.
Stovepipe
You'll need 18" clearance around the stove pipe, as well as a stovepipe thimble where the stovepipe passes through walls/ceilings.

Chimney
If you don't have a proper masonry chimney to attach the stovepipe to, you'll have to use a factory built metal (A.K.A. prefabricated, Class A, all-fuel) chimney. You likely won't be able to use the same pipe used by the old gas fireplace. You also don't want to connect the stovepipe to the chimney used by your other gas appliances (furnace, water heater, etc.).
Build a masonry fireplace
If you've got the cash and time, you could have a proper masonry chimney/fireplace built (or build it yourself).  This option will require modifications to the building structure, lots of masonry skills, a healthy bank account, and a good bit of time.


What is a suitable mold material for a concrete bar top?

1/4" birch underlayment plywood (Tecply) should take that bend even without kerfs, moisture or heat. I'd probably double or triple it (without fastening together) for stiffness.

Build your form out of lumber, then either rabbet the lumber for the plywood to achieve a flush joint, or lay plywood all the way down the 2 sides adjacent to the bend.


My hot water stopped working in one bathroom, what can I try in order to fix it?

If you're getting hot everywhere else, but not in the bath, then the hot water flow has been interrupted.  Check the shutoff valves in your house - the most likely suspect is that someone's turned one off (possibly as a prank).

If all the valves are confirmed open, then the next question is, what kind of water lines do you have?  If you have galvanized pipe, it's known to corrode, so a possible culprit would be a buildup of corrosion in the line to the bathroom to the point where no or almost no water flows.


Ceiling box has 2 black and white wires but fan/ light only has 1 of each

Here's what I think is going on.

The box in your ceiling is not connected to any switch.  It was used as a splice box. That is, when two wires are connected, the connection must be accessible, (not behind drywall) and in a properly rated box.  The blacks are always hot, and it carries on to another outlet or switch in your home.

If you want your ceiling fan and light to be controlled by the pull chains, then it's simple.  Simple attach the black and white wires in the fan/light to the same coloured bundles.  I recommend using a pig-tail to do this.

If you want it operated by a switch, you'll need to do some wiring, which can be awkward.  I'd ask another question for that.

The other consideration is weight -- You need to make sure the ceiling box is sufficiently supported.


Could the black and white wires in a three-wire cable both be used as hots?

This is no good

What's happening right now is that the bare grounding wire in the 10/3 feeder cable is being abused as a neutral by someone who clearly didn't know any better (as no-grounding-conductor feeders have not been Code for new installs for a while now).  You're going to need to re-terminate the cable (and probably use a box to splice some extra length in at one or both ends) and use it properly (black for one hot, red for the other hot, white for neutral, and bare for ground) in order to make this safe and Code compliant.

Also, if this is run using 10/3 cable and being fed by a 2-pole 60A breaker, then it's vastly over-breakered, and that breaker will need to be replaced with a 2-pole 30A unit while you're at it with this.

Now that you've mostly fixed it...

There's one last thing I'd like to point out, and that's the thing that looks to be a hole in the bottom left corner of the cutout box.  That hole should be able to take a 10-32 machine screw and pigtail, which you can then bundle in with the rest of the ground wires to ground the box.


How can I divert down spout water above ground to a different location?

These are the things you need to consider:

the pipe diameter would need to be at least the size of the downspout or larger. So we are talking three to four inch diameter.  Two possibilities that come to mind are:

four inch diameter drain pipe with sleeve, not perforated
PVC pipe in four inch diameter

both are not pretty to look at and detract from the appearance of your house
in both cases you must ensure that there is a grade or drop of at least one inch over four feet. See here for details. A rough calculation for the twenty foot length indicates that the end of the drain would have to be five inches lower than the start of the drain.  If you fail to have a consistent grade water will pool in the pipe and freeze in the winter. This could deform or break PVC pipe.
there is a risk that the pipe will not be able to accommodate the quantity of water a "once in a hundred year storm" could supply.  Weather is unpredictable, if your pipe fails, then it fails next to the house.  The idea of drains is to get the water away from the house as fast as possible.

So, you could do what you describe and it might work fine, or you get a bad rain storm a few years from now and have the water dumped in a window well and into your basement. Who can say?

Here are similar questions with some excellent answers.  As well consider a french drain, this is an ideal solution to your problem.


How to soften the recessed lights without replacing them?

Consider that any film you put across the opening of the can will hold heat in. Heat is the enemy of the electronics in the driver for your LED bulbs. Well, heat is the enemy of all electronics. It will also hasten the death of other types of lighting, and could, potentially, trap enough heat to start a fire.
I would consider a dimmer, allowing you to adjust the brightness to the situation - sometimes you'll really appreciate 3600 lumens in your living room, other times you'll want a tiny fraction of that.
I'd also consider a different color temperature bulb (if you have replaceable bulbs). You say that the lights are "bright white" which means they're in the 4500-6500K temperature range. A 2500K bulb will be a much yellower light (more light incandescent) and won't be quite so harsh on your eyes. However, it will seem to be dimmer, even at the same 900 lumens, when doing any sort of detailed work. Somewhere in the 3-4000K would probably be sufficiently bright, while still being easier on the eyes.
The ideal would be a bulb that is both dimmable and can change color temperature. Usually, these are controlled by a phone app and/or a home automation system.


How is installing roof sheathing horizontally stronger than vertically?

The same policy goes for roof sheathing as for hanging drywall, you get more strength by spanning more rafters/joists/studs and offsetting the joints. This solves two points of weakness.

The main one is the structure turning into a parallelogram where the studs are no longer perpendicular to the ground. When you think of using a diagonal brace to support a wall, you want to get both ends as far apart as possible. If you install vertical, then that gives you the support of a diagonal brace spanning 4' worth of studs. But by staggering the joints and going horizontal, you get the equivalent 12' or more of studs braced.

The other form of support you get is for vertical load on a roof segment. If you stand between two rafters and the sheathing was laid vertically, you are closer to a seam where the nails could pull away under load and you can fall through. Holmes on Homes had an episode where they were replacing a leaking roof and the builder laid a patch where the owner decided not to go with the skylight option. The patch was laid vertically, and they almost fell right through the roof.


Fixing IKEA Stolmen into concrete ceiling

This is one of the few applications where the nature of the anchor doesn't matter much.

All of the forces to move the piece are lateral, and the main factor is the shear strength of the screws. There is no tension pulling down since the piece is fully supported at the base.

Tapcons have their advocates, but I find them difficult to get them just right. I might use other masonry anchors, such as lead anchors, less flexible than plastic.

As long as the screws are strong and the fit is pretty tight, any system should work.


Trying to add a 'C' wire to my thermostat

When working in the blower compartment note that furnace power is shut off automatically by a safety switch. You can override the switch by pressing it in, and must do so in order to take meaningful voltage measurements with the compartment door open. When bypassing the safety switch take care so that if the blower motor were to turn on any long hair, clothing, or other items would not be sucked in and cause injury.
There's a legend in the schematic that says B/C is common (a box at the right-hand edge, middle section). The schematic also shows the 24 volt transformer TNS connects to the red and blue wires in that white 12-position connector (positions 7 and 11 according to the pinout diagram at lower-left).
The easy test is to measure voltage from R to B/C -- if it's around 28 then yes, B/C is probably your C terminal and you could use that spare yellow conductor to carry it up to the thermostat.
If you want to be a little more cautious in confirming the idea, measure AC volts between the R terminal and first the red, then the blue wire. You should find 28 volts from R to one of those and 0 volts from R to the other. The finding should be opposite when measuring B/C to the wires: 0 volts to one and 28 volts to the other. This confirms that B/C is common or "C wire."


If you do not want to remove drywall to add wood structural support to the inside of the wall you could take a piece of cabinet grade 3/4 plywood and attach it to to the wall so it spans two studs and is bolted to the the metal studs, stain finish it or paint it to match the wall. You could use dimensional lumber as well if you are not as picky about appearance.

Cut it wide enough to span the studs, 28". Attach it to the studs with toggle anchors, at least 4, one at each corner, but 3 per side would be better. Then you can use heavy duty toggles to secure the mount to the wood.


From the provided product manual:

(Proper surface preparation is required.) All surfaces must be clean,
sound, dry and free of any dirt, oil, and grease. Uncoated Concrete or
Masonry Surfaces: Allow new surfaces to cure 30 days. Clean and etch
surface using a product such as a muriatic acid etcher (read and follow all
manufacturer’s label directions) to achieve a textured profile similar to 150
grit sandpaper. Previously Coated Surfaces: For a painted surface in sound
condition, use a product to clean and prepare the surface. If the coating is
failing or peeling, use a paint stripper to remove old coating or scrape/sand
down to a sound concrete surface. Scuff sand glossy surfaces. Clean and spot
etch any exposed concrete. Remove all dust with a damp cloth, allow to dry.


How do I prevent an interior door from latching?

Change the lock to either a magnetic one - which will always open with a push or pull or a spring-loaded roller one that will do the same.


I decided to unplug the stove to see if it would stop. It did. @isherwood was closest with his suggestion because the sound was coming from near the clock housing where all the mechanical components are located. Go figure... Thank you all for your suggestions to help pinpoint the issue.


Where could this green residue that is clogging fixture screens be coming from?

Green clogs in fine filters is usually due to algae being sucked up from the bottom of a holding tank. This is not uncommon in a water heater. This is a good reason to drain holding tanks annually to get rid of sediments. Also a good reason to never use water from a water heater to cook with. A water heater that is set below 130 degrees F is a breading ground for bacteria if not cycled often or allowed to set unused for several days at a time. (like when away on vacation) It could be copper oxide, but that would be very uncommon unless you have copper holding tanks.


How to deal with a dishwasher height issue without tearing out cabinetry when installing flooring?

Can you keep a section of wood flooring separate in front of the dishwasher? Or, if the floor boards will be parallel to the front of the dishwasher, you would just have to remove a few of those to get the dishwasher out. ( Keep extra floor boards in case you damage the originals and need to replace them?)

Just an idea.

(Never done this or seen it done.)


You should turn off the breaker feeding that receptacle just because you will be taking the cover off.

What you do is get a new small piece of sheetrock, but larger than the hole, cut into a rectangle with nice clean edges. Then trace the outline of that new piece over the hole and using a "keyhole Saw", cut out the wall in that shape, so that the new piece fits in snugly. Then with the piece out, get some small pieces of thin wood, like lath / furring strips or even the old paint stirring sticks (but not plastic ones) and using construction adhesive like Liquid Nails, glue those sticks to the BACK of the wall so they are across the hole.* Let that dry and harden over night. Then put the cut piece back in the hole so that the wood slats are keeping it from pushing through, and use wallboard tape and mud to fix it in place and blend the texture back into the wall. Wait a few days for everything to dry before repainting.

https://www.lowes.com/projects/repair-and-maintain/patch-and-repair-drywall/project

If you CAN, make the new hole go over the 2x4 stud a little, then you have a more solid anchor for that new piece.


Plumbing connections for basement bathroom

Yes, you are in an excellent position to add a basement bathroom.

Definitely involve a competent plumber in this process. Properly venting and properly attaching the new waste drains to the existing waste drain will be important to prevent the basement bathroom traps from being sucked dry when waste is leaving the upper floors. This is an easy part to mess up in a renovation like you're suggesting.


The only appropriate answer is that you need to get your landlord involved.  The fix involves stucco, primer, paint, etc.


Do I need a sump pump in my new construction sump pump pit?

Sounds like your water table is right at that pipe level.  I have a higher water table when it rains so my basin gets filled frequently  (which then turns the pump on every 30 mins roughly. ) Be safe and keep the pump. Also talk to your neighbors and see if they have sump pumps.


Need to push fridge back but don't want to squish water line

If the arrangement is typical, it will look something like this:

Perhaps from this, you can see how the copper tubing can be bent to be flat against the wall and form a coil like this:

Arranged this way, it is okay to move the fridge all the way back, pressing the tubing into position—which helps keep it from rattling.  There should be no sharp or pointed surfaces on the lower back of the refrigerator.  If there are, maybe you can cover them with heavy tape or cloth.