How can I run a new sub-panel directly from the meter base?

By modern code in the US you will need a disconnect outside, then both panels could be fed from that. Putting the disconnect close to the meter would be the easiest way and a disconnect that has or can accommodate double lugs to feed the other panel.


What are these metal ducts/tubes going into the attic used for?

Assuming your water heater is gas, those tubes are likely providing ventilation for the gas burner that heats your water.  If so, they should not be filled in, they were most likely deliberately added when the water heater was boxed in.

If you DO want to close them up, replace the door on your closet with a louvered door that have the louvers permanently open.

As for efficiency - the room for the water heater is closed up - so no, the efficiency loss is minimal.


Will a Toto Eco-Drake toilet with a 12" rough-in fit my 10.75" rough-in?

You may have seen, but the Eco-Drake comes in a 10" RI too. Here is the link

The 12 inch model seems like it may not do it for you. From the looks of the PDF spec sheet it only allows 3/4" space behind the tank as it is.


Is it ok to use a ground rod at a subpanel instead of a fourth wire?

To make this easier, consider the grounding conductor (the ground wire) as a backup neutral. It's not used unless a ground fault occurs, in which case it's only purpose is to provide a path back to the source so that a protective device will trip. (breaker, fuse, etc.)
Your grounding electrode system on the other hand, the ground rod here, is only used for over-voltages on the line such as static or potentially lightning. Although we bond the grounding system, they serve two different purposes.
So for your first question: no, it is not against code to install a ground rod at the subpanel. It is actually required by code.

NEC 2014 - 250.32(A)
Grounding Electrode. Building(s) or structure(s) supplied
by feeder(s) or branch circuit(s) shall have a grounding
electrode or grounding electrode system installed in
accordance with Part III of Article 250. The grounding
electrode conductor(s) shall be connected in accordance
with 250.32(B) or (C). Where there is no existing grounding
electrode, the grounding electrode(s) required in 250.50
shall be installed.

The only exception to that being that if you were only running a single circuit (or multiwire branch circuit) with a ground wire, then you would not need an electrode system.
Now on to your next question on if a metal stake/metal building works as an electrode: yes and no. There are a few conditions were these could apply, but they do have to have direct contact to the ground (the earth itself, the dirt or concrete below). Check out 250.52 (NEC 2014) for the list of electrodes that can be used.
Lastly, all new feeders to outbuildings must contain a ground wire. Previously they were not required, but this is no longer legal or up to code for new installations. However, modifications to existing 3-wire systems do not require the pulling of a new ground wire as long as it fits a few requirements for the exception; as seen in 250.32(B) (NEC 2014)


It looks to me like the switch on the right is a former 3-way.  The black and red labeled "no voltage" were the messengers, and the black labeled "voltage" was (is) the supply.

But we're not sure about the messengers or what they connect to.  If you can find the other end of the messengers, and establish that they are messengers, I would wrap yellow tape around all 4 wires (2 wires x 2 ends) to mark them as messengers.  They sell 5-packs of colored electrical tape for a few bucks. Don't mark them unless you can mark both ends, or you'll just make yourself confused later.

It looks like they did the trick of baring a part of the wire 6" before the end of the wire, connecting it to a screw on switch 1 (right) and then continuing it to switch 2 (left).  That will be a little hard to put on a wire-nut unless you cut it in the middle of the stripped area.  Which would be fine.

The other non-ground wires need to be capped, period.  You have no idea what they go to, and when you crunch everything back into the box, you don't want them touching a hot and "lighting something up" in the bad way.

Are you sure a switch out there somewhere hasn't lost power?  There must surely be a partner 3-way to this one.  If you now find a switch in your house doesn't work, take it apart and see if it is the partner 3-way to this one.  If so, mark the messengers (disregard position, messengers are the brass screws), then at this end, connect one messenger to supply and leave the other messenger capped.  At that point the other switch will operate in one position or the other.  If it lights in the "down" position and you find that annoying, come back here and switch messengers.

Lastly I see the screws are all the way out on your remaining switch.  That, and the hack-scratches on the loose wires, makes it look  like the installer used the "back-stab" wiring method.  That is a cheap builder trick to make wiring faster, but experience shows it is unreliable in the long term.  I recommend converting to either side-screws or go out and get the nicer Leviton "screw-and-clamp" type receptacles.


This should be fine

I would be comfortable adding the pool heater breaker (you'll need a HOM250) to this box; with only general lighting and receptacle circuits in it, I doubt you'll go over 100A here any time soon, and you have plenty of spare spaces here as well.  Also, you should be able to shut off the subpanel at the main panel, which means you can install the pool heater breaker and wiring with the subpanel completely de-energized.


I have a rectangular table. Can I cut it into 3 pieces to create a removable center leaf?

It is possible. Making good cuts is going to be the trickiest part.

If you have a large table saw that can accommodate the table top that will give you the best results. Otherwise you can use a straight edge with a sharp, fine toothed blade in a circular saw.  Use painter's tape over where you are going to cut. Mark the line then score the line a couple of times with a sharp utility knife to reduce chip out. If you can rent or borrow a good track saw that would be better at making a straight cut and minimizing tear out.

Next you'll need to attach hardware the pieces. Check out Woodworkers Hardware http://www.wwhardware.com/fasteners-table-hardware/table-hardware/table I've gotten a few things from there and they have good prices and variety. I would use a combination of the leaf alignment pins to align the leaf and the table slides.


Hook up propane fire pit to house hook up

What you see there is a male "flare" fitting, so you'll need a female flare to mate with  it.
It sounds like at the fire pit you'll need a male tank adapter.
I'm not sure you'll find that as an assembly, so you'll want to look into how to make and test gas line connections. You need either gas-tolerant PTFE thread tape or thread compound paste.


plumbing two sinks into one drain kitchen and bathroom vanity and have one vent

It shouldn't be an issue, especially if you're not using both sinks heavily at once. Obviously keep in mind that it's ideal to have a bit more drainage than the 2 sinks combined, just in case.

Keep in mind there may be varying codes depending on local which affect this solution.


You seem to have way more piping that you actually need. Some points to be made reference this picture:

There is freedom to rotate the whole disposer to optimize the piping.
You should be able to cut off a portion of the disposer tail piece at (A).
You should be able to eliminate part (B) and the elbow (E) to the left of it.
The sliding connection part of the p-trap at (C) can be directly attached at the cut off end of (A).
The other side of the p-trap (F) should be able to directly connect to the elbow piece at G enters the pipe at W on the back wall. Rotate the disposer and the amount that the elbow piece at the wall penetrates into the wall (W) to adjust the fit of the pieces going together. The amount you cut off of part A will be determined by what it takes to line up the opposite side of the p-trap (F) with the piece from the wall (G).
Note that the plumbing piece that you currently have at (G/W) will most likely need to be changed because the coupling at (F) is not normally a slip type joint. A p-trap can be purchased that has the mating part for the joint at (F) as a part of a kit.


Is rust inside a black iron natural gas pipe normal?

It's entirely normal.  There is always a bit of moisture in natural gas and there can also be small amounts of other impurities including oxygen.  This is enough to cause small amounts of rust in black iron pipes.
Obviously there is little danger of it rusting through any time soon since, as you've noted, it's been there perhaps 60-70 years and will likely be good for another 60 years or longer.


Can I put a shower pan where tile USED to be?

At this point you really should do it right.  Since this is the basement floor, you will be placing the shower pan on the concrete.  You'll want to adjust the drain so that it can connect correctly to the shower drain.  If this concrete is already sloped (and it sounds as though it may be) you may be able to remove the sloped part if it was poured on top of the slab. Otherwise you could use some leveling compound to create a flat surface for the shower pan.

I'm assuming now that the rotted wood was in the walls.  You should use a product designed to back shower tile such as a cement backer-board rated for this use.  Your building materials supplier should be able to get you the right product.  Follow the manufacturer's recommendation for proper installation and surface preparation needed before applying the tile.

Be sure to remove and replace all the rotted wood while you have this all exposed.  It won't get better on its own.


Do I want a common trip or independent trip quad breaker?

Addressing your points in turn:

1) Handle ties do not make a BR breaker pair common trip (2-pole BR breakers have an internal common trip mechanism) -- see footnote 2 on page 84 of Eaton's catalog.

2) Common trips are generally used in 240VAC circuits -- while what the previous installer did with the pump circuit is not wrong as per the 2014 NEC 240.15(B)(2):

  Grounded Single-Phase Alternating-Current Circuits. In grounded systems,
  individual single-pole circuit breakers rated 120/240 volts ac, with
  identified handle ties, shall be permitted as the protection for each
  ungrounded conductor for line-to-line connected loads for single-phase
  circuits.

common trips are generally used on all 240VAC circuits (it's hard to get a non-common-trip 240VAC breaker in a typical form factor), and are needed in mixed 120/240VAC circuits for the reason you observed, as per NEC 240.15(B):

  Circuit Breaker as Overcurrent Device. Circuit breakers shall open all
  ungrounded conductors of the circuit both manually and automatically unless
  otherwise permitted in 240.15(B)(1), (8)(2), (B)(3), and (B)(4).

(The exemption in (B)(1) is for multiwire branch circuits serving only 120VAC loads, while (B)(3) and (B)(4) are irrelevant to residential practice.)

3) You are correct -- this is documented pictorially in the table headings on page 82 of the Eaton catalog, so it's easy to miss.


Temporary Fix for Leaky Sink Gasket Washer - Putty?

To expand on the other answer. There is not going to be any fix that you can somehow kludge on top of the already leaking basket that will provide a reliable solution. The correct solution is to simply take apart the existing assembly and repair it with a proper sealant.

Note that on most sinks there is to be some plumbers putty installed under the upper rim of the drain basket that gets squeezed down against the rim of the hole from the top side of the sink. This putty is what really seals the joint that is leaking on your sink. The washer that you see underneath the sink is just a bearing surface for the big round ring nut that threads onto the outside of the drain basket.

In many instances the drain basket may be best replaced completely. They are not particularly expensive and can be purchased at hardware stores and home centers.

Keep in mind that if you should choose to ignore the advice here and attempt to fix the leak by globbing on silicon sealer, epoxy or other type of material you will make it much harder to remove the basket for the proper fix when the kludged repair fails.


Legrand USB Outlet (USB socket dead after minimal use)

Unfortunately these USB sockets fail regularly. We constantly seem to be replacing them. The irritating thing is that the failures aren't all from crap brands. Market leading brands like MK and Legrand fail just as much as the cheap china knock offs. I have never seen any of these sockets to be fused before. But, clearly they are overloading. iPads and other tablets seem to be the largest culprit as they draw way more than standard current. However, It's a disappointment from the mainstream brands that they do not have a self resetting overload function or at a basic level a simple fuse. Crazy how smaller electronics companies can make robust chargers yet they cant.

As for diagnosing. There really inst anything to diagnose unless you try a different cable and device to check for charging. Normally it will require replacement. I would ask though what are you charging in this device. And secondly do you have the socket part number as the socket will have a data sheet with its maximum rated current for the USB socket part.


Cracked grout at shower floor/wall intersections - how much do I remove?

Pretty 'rustic' finish between the wall and floor! General rule is to use silicone at every change of direction (wall to floor or wall to wall in a corner etc.) or change of material, (tile to wood or tile to glass etc.). As you said, aim for a clean square corner or 90 degrees between the floor and the wall. No need to go deeper than the surface of the tile. You'd have to go pretty hard (or be using powered tools) to hit the substrate under the tiles, so don't worry about that. Cleaning and sealing the grout (plus the tiles if they are porous) before the silicone sealant is best practice. Silicone is usually the last job (unless you're doing something silicone will not stick to).


Concerned about 3 circuits interconnected in 1 box

You're not supposed to disconnect wires with the power on. However, this can be a real problem in a promiscuous-neutral situation, where you don't realize another circuit is borrowing this circuit's neutral, thus putting current on it.  It won't even show up with a voltage tester until you disconnect the neutral, and then whammo.

Don't let your guard down around neutral (or any other wire that's "supposed" to be safe); this is a good example of why.

White wires normally handle current

Current flows in loops. That's why everything has at least 2 wires. Current is flowing out the hot wire, to the appliances, then returning on the neutral wire.  If you disconnect neutral, it'll spark because you are interrupting current.

Further, the disconnected side of the neutral will measure out as "hot", because electricity is trying to flow from hot via the appliance back to neutral, but it can't get back.  It's normal in this case to read mains voltage across the neutral gap. (in fact, this "lighting up" of neutral is a huge reason ground is separate!)

Absolutely NO promiscuous neutrals

Your box's current wiring has neutrals sleeping with everybody.  That's quick and lazy wiring, but it's very bad.  Imagine you run three 20A circuits, that just happened to return all their current on the same neutral. That neutral will flow how much power? Anyone, anyone, Bueller? 60 amps, that is correct.  Neutral wires don't have circuit breakers, so that's a huge problem.  The neutral will set the house on fire and the breaker will never know.

There are ways to exploit split-phase or 3-phase geometry to intentionally share neutral wires (so that neutral handles only differential current), but you don't appear to be doing it here.

Currents must be equal in every cable or conduit

This is another rule that outlaws the promiscuous neutral.  AC power kicks a heck of an electromagnetic field (EMF).  When two adjacent wires have opposite flow, their EMFs cancel each other out.  That's vital for safety - EMF causes eddy current heating, which starts fires, and vibration (which cracks copper and causes arc fires).

Imagine many ants running up and down branches of a tree. They never leap from branch to branch; they'll come down branch 1 and go up branch 2 rather than jumping.  At the end of the day all ants go home.  If you put ant turnstiles anywhere on the tree, you'd have exactly the same number of ants going out as coming back.  Mains electrical is like that -- if you wire all your cables in tree/branch topology with each branch being 1 cable, currents will inherently be equal in all cables.

See how current is not equal in that 10-8-12 sequence.  Current goes out the orange hot, but comes back on the red neutral via a different cable.

So... where hot goes, neutral follows. Always.

Now, with all that in mind, look at your drawing. Its hot (purple) serves two downline cables (OK so far) -- but it's neutral (red) serves two completely different downline cables (no, no, no!)

So pick and choose.  For instance have green neutral go straight across to that cable orange hot serves.   Then have red neutral serve the same cables that purple hot serves.    This is mandatory and you should do it immediately.

When you have two disparate circuits in the same box, it's preferred to partition them.  Or at least mark them with colored tape -- white and gray are allowable colors for neutral.

This may not solve all your problems, but at least this will be correct.

And to review: Hook up wires in order, and push them into the back of the box in order:

Safety Grounds (green, green-yellow and bare) first.  They go in the back, you're unlikely to need to disturb them later, and this heads off a common problem where a device has a ground fault. If you hook up ground last, then it seems like ground is the problem when actually the device is defective.  Hook grounds first.    By the way, grounds are promiscuous - hook them all together along with pigtails to the steel box and to any devices which mount there.
Then Neutrals (white or gray)-- keeping diligent separation.  I recommend marking, but use only white or gray, but don't go past middle gray, or it'll be confused as black on a switch loop.
Hots (every other color) on top.


How can I get this pump casing off the motor?

I figured it out.

It turns out that part 16 (gasket) and 17 (cast-iron seal plate) (which to me, looked like part of the casing (part 1) came apart to allow the casing to slide off. I didn't realize they were separate from the casing as they were flush with it and painted the same blue color all over. The two pieces popped apart fairly effortlessly at the gasket.


Why is my gas furnace now continually just blowing out cold air?

If the furnace is constantly blowing cold air, it's likely one of two problems. The first is easy to check and fix, the second will likely require a service technician.  Start by checking the thermostat, to make sure the Fan setting is not in the ON position. If the fan is set in the ON position, the fan will blow air continuously. Make sure the fan is set to AUTO, which will allow the furnace to control the blower.

The other reason a furnace blower will run continuously, it that the high limit switch is dead or dying. If the high limit switch fails, it will "fail open". This causes the furnace control board to think the furnace has overheated, so in response the control board turns the fan on to clear the heat.  The most common cause of high limit failure is constant overheating, which is usually brought about by dirty filters. You'll likely have to contact an HVAC Technician to replace the high limit switch, since it might be difficult for you to locate the part yourself.  In the future, make sure to check your filter and change them as often as needed.


How close can I put a fridge-freezer to a gas boiler?

It really depends on where the condensing coils are for the fridge. And how hot the boiler gets.
On the fridge the coils used to always be on the back exterior .I have one fridge they are under the bottom of the fridge and another one that they are under the metal skin on the left side.  I figured this out when cooling it down that side got quite hot. , you really don’t want any additional heat source around the fridge it could possibly cause problems including total failure (rare) but will increase the energy usage and shorten the life of the system.
I have had hot water heaters (some call boilers) that with a thermal blanket would have been ok  to go next to a cabinet it depends. I had 1 home with partial hydronic heating that boiler (water heater) was in a very small cabinet it was an electric model but it kept a modest addition to the house heated well (the home originally had ceiling cable heat and I was matching the no ductwork design)
Another “flipp” house had the water heater in the kitchen I put a nice thermal blanket around it and a cabinet floor to ceiling next to it and a door , by code the cabinet had to be movable because the space was two small but when I showed the inspector the cabinet could be easily moved it passed inspection.
There are multiple possibilities here that can be done keeping heat away from the fridge away from heat is best but if the boiler is like a standard low pressure system I am used to the fridge could be close but needs air flow in any case.
This may not be a complete answer but with the info provided may help you make your decision.


Typical water heaters/tanks do rust out over time, especially if the sacrificial anode isn't replaced periodically. If yours is failing, get it replaced. You'll probably get better fuel efficiently from the new one too -- and you can almost certainly improve efficiency if you want to spend more and switch technologies. (I switched to a highly-insulated, stainless-steel "indirectly heated" tank which is warmed by a loop from my high-efficiency boiler; NOT a cheap investment but unlike typical water heaters it comes pretty close to being a one-time cost and it does reduce gas usage.)

Whether that has anything to do with your itching, gods only know. Medical diagnosis is out of scope for this discussion.


How deep do I cement a 21' tall, schedule 40 galvanized steel pole?

4 feet is probably an overkill. The building code in my area requires 30 inches for deck supports where the load is much greater.

You don't need rebar or a tube, just pour Quikrete mix it with water in the hole while holding (or somehow supporting) the steel poles. In 10 - 15 minutes the concrete will set enough so you can remove the supports.


There is no way for us to tell for sure. It looks like mold to me and that's a strange place for dirt to just accumulate. So lets play it safe. Get a spray bottle of white distilled vinegar and spray the area thoroughly. The vinegar is great for killing not only surface mold but also going below the surface to the roots. Let the vinegar sit for an hour and then wipe off. You might need a second application. You can then rinse with hot water and let dry. Spray again and let the vinegar dry naturally, the smell of the vinegar will dissapate in a few hours. Don't use bleach, it's only good for surface mold.


How can I help pantry cabinets stay cool?

There is no magic; you are fighting thermodynamics.

You may be able to cool individual containers somewhat by wrapping damp cloth around them so evaporation takes away some of the heat. You could arrange some sort of drip or pump to keep those moist, and a fan to improve the evaporation and heat removal... And you'd basically have reinvented the "swamp cooler".

Or you could insulate thoroughly and reinvent the icebox (assuming you have a source for ice). Or insulate and run an air conditioner, reinventing the refrigerator.


Tandem Breaker is in half-off position. Unable to reset

It is tripped

The halfway position is the normal "tripped" position.

For more about what the breakers are generally, here.

To reset it, move it all the way to the "off" position, and then back to the "On" position. Don't make a habit of that.  Whatever you're doing to overload the breaker, stop doing that :)

Adapting from Euro power

You have 240V power on that side of the pond.  Here, we have 240V, however we center-split it (just like UK does on construction sites) giving us two "sides" of 120V. We use that for small appliances.  Unfortunately that includes kitchen appliances.

Now, let's have a word about US and EU appliances, particularly heat appliances.  In the EU (checks calendar, after Jan 31, yup) and Britain, appliances just use as much energy as they need for their job.  In the US, appliances are limited to 1500 watts, which is not really enough for a lot of jobs by EU standards.  However your breakers have an 1800W (120V x 15A) capacity, so it means you can't run 2 of them at once regardless!

So you either tripped it from running a Euro appliance or from running 2 things at once on the same half-circuit.

Two half-circuits

Remember how I said America splits the 240V to make 120V "legs"?  That circuit is a "Multi-wire branch circuit" which uses both "legs" to provide two half-circuits of 120V and 15 amps each.  Some of your receptacles (and possibly microwave) are on one half-circuit, and something else is on the other half-circuit.  If you can figure out which ones (an electrician can easily mark this for you), you can arrange your appliances so you have one big heat appliance on each one, and then you won't trip!


How should I set my furnace's DIP switches to allow thermostatic control of the fan's stages?

It turns out that it is indeed the DIP switch location and moving the 4th one to the left (the ON position) is the factory setting of 1 OFF, 2 ON, 3 ON, 4 ON. No other adjustments other than to the wiring between the thermostat and the furnace were required.


Do I need a stud on each side to install a swinging shower door?

You may be OK if you use proper anchors. I assume this is drywall. The shower door shouldn't be that heavy but you certainly don't want a bunch of glass raining down on someone. It would probably be a good idea to put a stud if you still don't feel the anchors will work for you.


There are lots of different kinds of asbestos and it’s in all kinds of building products. You’re right to be careful.

We’ve had our remodeling projects tested for many years (30+) and a testing agency just found it in the window glazing compound..the stuff that holds the glass tight to the wood window frame. That’s a new one for me.

I guess my point is you probably can’t remove it all...in fact there’s probably some in your in-laws house...they just don’t know it.

The good news: I didn’t see “chrysotile” listed in your report. I’d get a copy of the original report and have the testing agency explain the different types. Some kinds of asbestos you should worry about and some don’t matter. Spend some time with them until you understand the EXTENT of the area involved (I doubt if it’s the whole house.) We often re-test once we find some “borderline limits” or if we suspect a past remodel project that could limit the extents.

OSHA requires the construction work site to be free of asbestos if it’s disturbed. We have it tested, removed and then we have the air tested to make sure it’s a safe “work environment “ for the workers. Depending on what you’re doing (remodeling), I’d do the same.

However, it has to be above a certain level before it matters. Yes, you can have asbestos (or mold) in your house, but it won’t affect you or your children until it gets above a certain level.

Hanging a picture or two won’t be enough to cause a problem, but tearing out cabinets, could disturb enough that you may want that area abated.


So if I understood you correctly then you want to dig in the ground, raise the water pipe to a filter, then back down into the ground?

I have to say that doesn't seem like a good idea to me. If I were doing this I would just cut a pipe in the basement and put the filter there. In particular I would cut just the pipe going to the kitchen, and not the whole house.

But if you really want too...

For the enclosure use double layer (4 inches) extruded foam sheets including on the ground! Then cover them in some exterior-grade plywood on the outside to protect from damage.

i.e. build a plywood box without beams/poles inside it (put them on the outside), then glue the foam sheets to the inside. Lay some plastic on the ground with small holes for the pipe, tape the plastic to the pipe, then foam sheets on top of that, and put the whole plywood box on top of it.

You'll probably need a 3rd hole for some sort of support to hold the filters.

I would suggest you wrap the pipe first in electrical heating tape (they sell it to protect pipes from freezing, it's what you want) then in waterproof (i.e. closed cell) foam rated for underground use several inches think and bury it.

Taxes is rather large - if you happen to live in a place that doesn't get very cold then this might not be necessary. I checked and record low in taxes was -23F, but that's probably not where you live.


Good looking drywall, without mud and tape?

Hang everything horizontal.  Throw some 1x6s (using wider board will really cover any hanging mistakes - sure 1x4s would work too) on the main seams to make a faux rail.  A lot of decorators are breaking up rooms like this now.  The rail usually being white and different colors on top and bottom.  Your would also need something for the vertical seams.  You can go with 1x6s or 4s again.  This would look fine for the bottom section and could look fine for top but not common.  I guess it would have a alsace/swiss feel.

On corners, including ceiling joins you can use quarter round.  If you painted this well it wouldn't really be that noticeable. White for ceiling joins and the same color as surrounding paint for the other corners or seams.

This could be done.  It could look great.  You could even convince me if you were really good with wood work that this could be done in a similar amount of time as mudding.  But you will spend more time on materials and will have a style that not everyone is thrilled with.

On the issue with taping and mudding... If you apply your coats thin enough then it isn't messy at all.  I do 5 total coats.  I scrape with my knife between each coat.  After the 4th coat I might sand a little if I was messy - but not much.  It isn't messy or hard.  It is very time consuming I agree.


Do I need to anchor premade concrete stairs

Can you move the steps easily, say if you kick them do they move.

Concrete is HEAVY.

If installed so that they are solid and do not rock then it is unlikely you need to unless they in the path of say a car or snow plow that may hit them.

I would say no but you have not given us any info about them or why you think it may be necessary.

If you update you question with more info then that may change the answer.


A quick Google search found me this web page:

http://www.bamboo-flooring.com/bamboo-floor-maintenance.html

  14 Maintain relative humidity. Using a dehumidifier or humidifier to maintain relative humidity in the home at 30-50% will maintain the moisture level in the wood and help minimize cracks between the boards. Continued excessive humidity can cause swelling of the floor. Continued lack of humidity (below 20%) can cause shrinking of the planks and/or cracking of the bamboo strips.


Is there a way to determine the order of items on a circuit?

To figure out the order of items on a circuit:
(warning, tedious and laborious, but accurate)
First, sort out which items are on the circuit - i.e. what turns off/on with the breaker.
Turn the breaker off.
Pick any device on the circuit, open it up. If there's only one cable coming into the box, close it up again, noting that it's an end.
If there are two or more cables coming into the box, note exactly what is connected to exactly where, and disconnect one cable. Turn the breaker on and see what no longer works.  Note that those things are "downstream" of the item in question. Turn breaker off and repeat if there are more than two cables. Reassemble everything as it was, move to the next device location, repeat.
If you find any "backwired" connections, remove them and move that wire to the associated "side screw" when reconnecting.


Why isn't my water heater heating after element and thermostat replacement?

Is the water running? If the water is running faster then it can heat up it will always be cold. Close the valve so it can heat up.


What types of chemical products stick to masonite in flooring context?

The Masonite coverage was sufficient that replacement was not trivial. Since this is an apartment and not my own home, cost was a factor. The first good thing I did was take out those pieces which had water damage as no solution seemed to make good in that case. The board is just brittle and flakey, so it's not a matter of sticking, but of simple falling integrity.

I covered the rest with a fast drying primer, thinned down somewhat.

The replaced sections use  AC plywood, because I couldn't source enough Masonite and needed to finish the same weekend and move in. Now I have something to compare to and I can say both sections appear to be holding equally well.

So the answer is to use a primer over the Masonite and the leveling compound.

One note of caution, the underlayment was nailed down and the subfloor are planks, so it seems some nails were loose in the grooves. Also, I screwed down the underlayment which further pulled down the sheets. Over time I'm seeing small 'pimples' in the floor! I should have taken up these nails. Meh. What are you going to do?


PIR motion sensor interference by nearby CFL

If your wife's makeup area is now too bright for the closet light to turn on, you can use a piece of window tint if you have it or perhaps even a piece of dark panty hose (maybe your wife has an old pair) to cover the sensor area. Dark Panty hose is dark enough and yet has enough fine holes to allow it to attenuate the light (like sunglasses).


Paint is a sealer of sorts. If the paint is peeling, then the issue is the paint itself. Perhaps the wood wasn't prepared right, or there is no proper primer, or they didn't use paint specifically for foot-traffic (they make paint specific for floors/stairs that wears better with foot traffic).

Your best bet is to strip what's there and start over. Sand it down a bit, use a proper primer, etc.


This is a matter of personal preference, however that being said you should avoid direct line of sight with the strip.

For example, if you can see the LED strip while walking down stairs then it would be better to adjust the strip as to avoid this if possible as they are pretty intense on the eyes.

An easy to make wooden lighting rail that basically looks like a triangle would direct the light up on the wall which has a nice effect and also keeps the light away from the eyes.


Any one of a number main line manufacturers' valves will work in your situation.  You have what is called simply an in-wall, single handle tub and shower valve.  Some soldering will however be required. You could use a pex pipe type valve or even a iron pipe threaded valve that will accept either galvanized pipe or CPVC. However you are still left with adapting to the existing copper pipe.  Good Luck.


How do I replace this odd outdoor outlet and light setup?

If this was my home, I would do the following:

I'd flip  the appropriate breaker, take everything out and disconnect it.
I'd take off a piece of siding and get it color matched so I could fill the gap. That would either be with buying siding that matched; or buying white siding with the appropriate color matched paint to fill it in.
I would take off a piece of interior drywall to give me access to the studs and add the electrical box and the light the correct way, with all wires running through the interior wall.
I'd patch the drywall and repaint the section of the room (Again color matching off of a section of the wall that I removed in the process).

You could fish the wall; and I've done it. I used to install coax cable for several years and have probably done 500+ wall fishes. However, for a complex and messed up setup like this it is almost always faster to cut the drywall, patch and paint.

I would also REALLY like to see how the interior wiring of that thing was done on the parts you can't see. If someone was that creative getting the outlets there, I imagine there could be an interesting story behind the wall. Most interesting stories I don't want to find, but electrical can burn things down.. and therefore I most definitely would want to know.


How can I drill a grommet hole in my Ikea desktop?

Of course you can, and it's very easy to do.

All you need is an appropriate hole saw.

Drill from the top down.  If you can, hold or clamp a piece of scrap wood under where you are cutting.  That will prevent the bottom from splintering.

Then to make it really look nice (and prevent any future splinters) you'll want a desk grommet that slips inside the hole.  Make sure you match the size of the hole and your grommet.


What temperature can tempered glass withstand?

Borosilicate glasses such as old Pyrex and good laboratory pieces do well with both temperature and thermal shocks. Soda-lime glasses such as all current cookware only do well with temperature. Spilling cold additions to a hot pan onto glass is always going to have some risk of shattering.

The tempered glass you by in a store will not contain boron. So while it will easily endure high temperatures it will not withstand rapid changes in temperature. For example, you're sautéing some onions in a skillet and the bottom of the pan heats the glass to 600 degrees. You proceed to deglaze the pan with a nice white wine when a dog barks causing you to pour it onto the glass, which rapidly cools and breaks into a bunch of shards.

The root problem is that conventional glass undergoes a fair amount of thermal expansion. Borosilicate glass only expands about 33% of the amount another type of glass would when heated, so it's much less likely to blow up in your face when rapidly cooled. It's also more expensive, which is why Pyrex cooking goods are no longer made from it. (I'm guessing induction cooktops aren't either, probably using mass and fancy acrylics.) Nothing is stopping you from buying it (or a comparable glass) from a specialty supplier, just be sure you're clear with them about the use case.

A better bet would parchment paper or food grade silicone. Companies such as Silpat sell pan-sized solid mats made from fiberglass and silicone that you can use to prevent scratching the induction top. I believe you can also get carbon fiber pads sized to fit particular model ranges, for a whole-stove solution.

If you're committed to shopping at the hardware store rather than restaurant supply, how about a soldering heat shield? Metal grommets are out, but the flame retardant synthetics they're made from more than fit your bill. Pyron is good up to 2,500F and you can roll it up and stick it in a drawer.

One final thought, the typical temperature on an induction stove is well below the worst case. An empty cast-iron skillet, for example, will convert around 90% of the electrical power directly to heat. The cooktop itself has a bunch of mass and is a thermal insulator, you'll lose at least the mass with whatever you use. Silicone for example is good to 500F but can get gooey on high heat.


Wiring 100-amp sub-panel for 1hp pool pump and heater

I will answer your questions in turn, and then add a few notes at the end -- the code for pools is complex, partly because they are bespoke installations for the most part and partly because of how pool electrical safety evolved over time.

You actually cannot do this -- the wire run must be in conduit as per 680.25(A)(1).  You can use Schedule 80 PVC or RTRC-XW for the entire run provided the stub-up is protected from physical damage (i.e. being clobbered with a mower or whatnot -- 4x4 corner posts around the panel should do the trick, as would mounting it in a drained pump room or pit using an outdoor enclosure, provided clear working space is maintained).  Otherwise, you're stuck with RMC or IMC (NOT EMT) -- likely red brass to avoid corrosion.
That 125A number is overkill, requiring a 1/0 or 2/0 triplex in Al.  I'd recommend instead using individual XHHW-2 Al conductors instead of a triplex (with an 8AWG copper THWN-2 or XHHW-2 wire for the EGC, of course) -- this will be easier to get through the conduit than a triplex, and also isn't liable to short the neutral to ground unexpectedly if you're running it in red brass.  (Conductor/subpanel sizing advice is below, if you wish it.)
You are correct -- never bond neutral and ground in a subpanel.
Your overall plan seems sound, provided the subpanel is correctly placed (it cannot be within 5' of the nearest edge of the pool).

Additionally, given the type of pool you are dealing with, there are a few additional points to consider:

You'll need a convenience receptacle somewhere outside 6' but within 20' of the pool -- this can be at the subpanel, attached to the lighting circuit and protected by its GFCI.  (While you don't need GFCI protection on a lighting circuit that's feeding listed low-voltage ground-free luminaires -- it's cheap insurance.)
Your branch circuits will need to be run in conduit as well -- either red brass RMC or IMC, or Schedule 80 PVC or RTRC-XW if you wish to use nonmetallic conduit. In any case, you must run an insulated EGC with the branch circuit.
EQUIPOTENTIAL BOND ALL THE THINGS.  If it is conductive, not a hot or a neutral, and is within 5' of the pool, don't take a chance -- just hook it up to the equipotential grid.  In your case, since your pool is vinyl-lined, you do not need to run the grid under the pool, just as part of the perimeter paving -- 12" O.C. 8AWG bare copper is used for at least 3' beyond the sides of the pool, with cadwelded (i.e. exothermically welded) or otherwise listed connections.  You'll also need to hook this grid up to the pool pump motor's ground wire (which is where it'll tie into the electrical system's equipment grounding system -- for a double-insulated pool pump, just run an EGC down to the pump's j-box as normal and tie the equipotential bond wire to it there), and to an underwater equipotential bonding electrode made from corrosion-resistant materials that has a minimum of 9 in^2 of surface area and can't be damaged by pool activity if there is no bonded metal in contact with the pool water.  Also, I recommend running another bare wire from the grid to the subpanel itself, directly -- this is insurance against the EGC connection at the pump motor getting undone.

As to that forum that told you not to bond the equipotential grid to the house grounding system, whoever was posting that there is full of baloney, to put it extremely mildly.  NEC 680.26(B)(6)(a) explains it most clearly (strong emphasis mine):

  (a) Double-Insulated Water Pump Motors. Where a double-insulated water pump motor is installed under the provisions of this rule, a solid 8 AWG copper conductor of sufficient length to make a bonding connection to a replacement motor shall be extended from the bonding grid to an accessible point in the vicinity of the pool pump motor. Where there is no connection between the swimming pool bonding grid and the equipment grounding system for the premises, this bonding conductor shall be connected to the equipment
  grounding conductor of the motor circuit.

Finally, as to that 125A number, it's hooey -- the pool pump motor is 8FLA@240V as per Table 430.248 and uses a 20A breaker from table 430.52, not the whopping 60A fib that you were told.  In fact, that 60A number that they're giving you just for the pump is enough to leave 1200VA (600 per leg) for lighting and convenience receptacle loads after the 10A max load from the pool pump and the 40A number given for the heat pump -- which is well over three times the 180VA/outlet the Code tells you to allocate to general receptacles and outlets that aren't covered by other loads.

With that information in hand, we can run 4 6AWG THWNs for the feeder, just as you propose, and 14AWG for the pool pump as 430.22 specifies a conductor rating of 125% of FLA, or 10A in your case.  (You can also use 14AWG for the receptacle/lighting circuit -- nothing says it has to be 20A.)


I was always told not to install a floating floor over a floating floor.However I have done this several times in my house without any problems.One concern would be if both floorings have a sponge backing,the floor might feel excessively spongy.In hindsight I wouldn't have done this because I had to re-undercut the doorways and raise all of the base.


Will my existing deck support the weight of a new hot tub?

Double 2x8's spanning 10' @ 16" O.C. can barely support 160 PSF (safely) if they are douglas fir and the spa is centered on the joist.  150 PSF over ~50 Sq. Ft. would be about 7,500 lb.

As for your end beams, (3) 2x10's spanning 7' would support the weight of the joist ends with a 1.5 sq. ft. footing on each end of the beams; 4 total.

Just to stiffen things up, I would add (2) 2x8s between the existing joist evenly spaced ~5" O.C or so to help support the deck boards.  With the beams and the footings, this would give plenty of support to the SPA.


What is the best way to shorten legs on a table and chairs?

Put the table/chair on a very flat and very horizontal surface. Ensure and double check with a levelgauge.
shim the table/chair so that the top surface of the table/chair is level using the level gauge
Take a pencil and tape it on a small block that is about the height you want the legs to shorten. Ensure that the block has parallel bottom and top planes.
With the pencil on the block, scribe the legs of the table/chair and make marks all around.
Cut precisely and carefully with a proper saw. Which is probably the hard part. If you start on a corner of a (square) table leg, make sure you cut on the cutting line on two faces.

in short:

Watch this video by Chris Schwarz: level the feet of a chair or sawbench


Does code allow daisy-chaining these surface outdoor lights?

Since this is all on the same circuit, you can do this as it falls under 410.64(C):

  (C) Luminaires Connected Together. Luminaires designed for end-to-end connection to form a continuous assembly, or luminaires connected together by recognized
  wiring methods, shall be permitted to contain the conductors of a 2-wire branch circuit, or one multiwire branch
  circuit, supplying the connected luminaires and shall not be
  required to be listed as a raceway. One additional 2-wire
  branch circuit separately supplying one or more of the connected luminaires shall also be permitted.

See also 410.21 and the note thereto:

  410.21 Temperature Limit of Conductors in Outlet
  Boxes. Luminaires shall be of such construction or installed
  so that the conductors in outlet boxes shall not be subjected
  to temperatures greater than that for which the conductors
  are rated.

  Branch-circuit wiring, other than 2-wire or multiwire
  branch circuits supplying power to luminaires connected
  together, shall not be passed through an outlet box that is an
  integral part of a luminaire unless the luminaire is identified
  for through-wiring.

  Informational Note: See 410.64(C) for wiring supplying
  power to luminaires connected together.


How to (re)attach this baby gate to the wall?

My guess is that as the screws had come loose as they were so close to the edge of the wall with not much wall to hold them in place. Fixing the broken corner beading might not be worth it if you can cover it up with painted timber. As this beading goes all the way up the corner and if you pull it wrong, it may make it worse.
If you have access to the wall behind in the closet, try and see if you can securely add some timber so you have something solid to screw into.
Alternative Option : Have the gate at a slight angle. It looks like you can extend the sie of the gate to do this. This way you will have more that 1.5 inches to use.


Can I use mortar to transition a height difference between cement board and drywall?

In some cases I have wanted the tile base lower than the sheetrock. This way there is not a large ledge for water to collect on. You can float some thin set to the surface but make sure it is completely dry prior to tiling and make a large taper or it will be noticeable.


Can anyone identify this mystery outlet?

That is an older style UK "unswitched cable outlet", also known as an "unswitched flex outlet". The current style have a cable exit point at the lower edge, not the middle of the faceplate. They are typically rated for 20A.

It is used for permanently-wired electrical-loads such as heating systems (boiler, immersion heater, etc). It is likely some device was removed from inside that cupboard and the cable disconnected. It might be a dedicated circuit with it's own circuit-breaker in your main panel ("consumer unit").


What am I doing wrong while finishing drywall inside corners?

I would say you have too much compound. You should be able to press very firmly and pretty much squeeze out the excess compound. The thin layer that remains will provide good adherence of the tape. You want the compound to fully coat the back of the tape, but no more.


How to install drywall over electrical box connected to rigid conduit?

On the metal box remove the ears, put up the drywall, then pull the box out sightly past the wall and reattach the ears.

If, in addition to screws in the "ears", it is necessary to to provide additional clamping of the box on the inside of the drywall, assuming the bottom of the box has no cables or conduit in the way, use the flat metal folding clips to hold the box to the inside of the drywall. Raco old work box supports. One drawback to the use of these metal box supports is that the end folded inside the box can touch the hot screw contacts. So if they are used, a good practice is to use electrical tape around the receptacle to cover the screw contacts. I suppose one could instead put tape on the part of the box support that is folded inside the box on the hot side. In this case the metal receptacle box is apparently mounted horizontally so the receptacle could be placed with the hot side up and away from the folded support.

But a neater way to securely hold the box on the inside of the drywall would be to adhere wood strips (such as 1/4" or 1/2" thick plywood) on the insides of the drywall opposite the ears on the box. This would give something for screws in the holes in the ears to bite into. If non-combustible materials are required, then metal flashing could be cut and secured to the drywall before it is screwed place to the wall. Then drill through the holes in the ears through the drywall, and through the metal for screws to hold the ears.


How can I extend the wires inside a transfer panel?

If it's inside the box, they CAN be spliced. But. You need splices that are up to the job, and depending on the type of splice you can get, you may also need a hydraulic crimper to set them. This might be a part of this job you'd be better off farming out to an electrician with the right tools and experience - a bad splice on a 200 amp cable can be all kinds of trouble you don't want. If the cable is aluminum, the range of bad things that can happen just increases.

If you are talking about a section of cable that runs between the boxes, the better approach is to grit your teeth and buy one long enough. If this is one of those "move the service entrance to put in a transfer panel that the generator can never really light up anyway" deals, splicing may be the only option, but it still is inferior to unbroken cable, IME. In theory, if done right, it should be fine - in practice, sometimes you get a failure years later that you would not have had if there wasn't a splice.


How can I keep my computers cool in a 100 degree house?

You need an ultimate-heat-sink OUTSIDE the house

Here's what you can't do: Server makes heat in box, A/C moves the heat out of the box and into the tiny-house, tiny house copes with ambient + solar load + server load + A/C load all stacking to make it so hot you can bake cookies.  At that point, the A/C, will break down due to not being able to transfer the heat from the Freon to the too-hot environment.

So every solution must remove all server and A/C heat entirely out of the building -- and if it removes solar load as well to make the place habitable, that is fine.

Put the box on an outside wall

In this case, you mount the air conditioner on an outside wall, and enclose the A/C cool side with the servers.  This will have a big problem: accessing the A/C controls.  A wired remote will cure that; a remote thermostat won't since the thermostat will be in the wrong place. A wireless thermostat may have trouble with UV line-of-sight. In this case the A/C unit needs 3.4 BTUs per watt consumed by the servers, just to break even, and that assumes ideal conditions.  So you would be wise to upsize the A/C unit somewhat.

A carefully oversized unit would allow you to open the house-side door to the server box, and let the unit cool the entire house.

Downside: It will be L-O-U-D all the time.  It will be like sleeping with a running vacuum cleaner.  Your neighbors won't like it either.

Big downside: When the A/C cycles off, you have a problem. It must wait awhile before restarting, due to a problem called "short cycling".  Meanwhile the box will very quickly heat up, and as it heats up, cooling fans/heatsinks becomes even less efficient, creating a vicious cycle.  The box could critically overheat before the A/C is ready to run again.  The way you solve this is  by having a much larger "thermal mass" to share the heat with. But water jugs won't cut it because they have too little surface area to interchange heat quickly.  You need something with a lot of surface area, like... the rest of the house.

Air condition the whole tiny-house 24x7

In this case you don't bother with a box, just mount the servers where convenient and mount the air conditioner(s) where convenient.  As far as air conditioner size, you will need the normal BTUs + 3.4 BTUs per watt of power actually consumed by the servers. So if you have 3000 watts of servers you'll need 10,200 BTUs additional, on top of the normal BTUs your tiny house will require.  That math works because servers convert 100% of their power to heat.

Downside: you are paying to cool the entire house all the time, even when you are not there.

Water cooling on the servers

In this case, you fit water heatsinks onto the major heat-making components, and plumb them so you can carry the hot water outside.

Skip through what these guys did.  They did a lot of mistakes and wheel-spinning that totally defeated the effectiveness of the project, because they are dumb and it was a stunt for a video.  But the principle is good.

I'm not a fan of how they use copper instead of cheaper stuff like PVC (humans won't drink it; no need for PEX).  In fact, the long uninsulated copper pipe runs acted as a radiator and dumped all the heat right back into the room,  completely defeating their project.  They also failed to design "high spots" for bleeding bubbles. All easily fixed.  Also, keep in mind these guys promote products for a living, so for instance they did a very stupid radiator design simply to use that manufacturer's units, which were totally unfit for the application.

A sensible person would go to a pick-your-part type junkyard, and obtain a radiator assembly off an SUV. Including radiator, shrouds, fans, thermal switches, fan relay(s) and wiring harness bits.  Wire it so when the thermoswitch closes, it starts up the fan(s), which you power from an adequate 12V power supply.  All this stuff is designed to live outside, obviously.

An SUV radiator is so large that I doubt the fans would ever need to run if it's not in direct sun.  That means the cooling system runs near silent.  The only thing running is a water pump.

Also, you would never use plain water, not least because stuff grows in it.  Use propylene glycol antifreeze (won't kill cats and dogs), or mineral oil.

Downside: This only cools components with cooling plates on them.  The rest of the components will still be adding heat to the box, and that too must be removed.  You could help that with another radiator inside the box, and putting it "first in line" for cooling: so the cooling flow is external radiator  -- in-box radiator -- CPUs -- VPUs -- external radiator.  Water cooling is so darned efficient that it won't matter if the water arrives at the CPU somewhat hotter.


How do you maintain good posture when working on things on the floor?

Don't spend more than 15 minutes in that position at a time. Get up, stretch your back, take a drink of water. Stretch forward, backwards, side-to-side, and twist both ways. Roll your shoulders forward and back. Stretch neck in a similar pattern. Be gentle to yourself.

Also, you can do some back-strengthening exercises (when you've recovered from this project) to get you ready for next time. See https://fitness.stackexchange.com/q/153/234


Replacing strips between subfloor and underlayment

The short answer is that you can use almost anything solid with a few caveats:

Whatever you lay over it needs to be able to span any voids you leave. If you fill with solid plywood, that's not a concern. If you use something else as sleepers, your underlayment needs to be able to carry typical floor loads across the gaps.
If you use sleepers and gaps, be aware of what's carrying them. Widely spaced sleepers with full-thickness subfloor over them, for example, should probably align with floor joists below.
Everything should be glued and nailed (or, better, screwed). Use proper subfloor/construction adhesive. Take all necessary precautions to avoid creaks and squeaks.
Fasteners need to be set flush or below. If you try screwing your selected material down and the screws strip out in the substrate and remain sticking up you have problems.

I'll leave my answer intentionally vague as such because then you're free to source what's available and cost-effective.


Testing my 2-wire home receptacles with a Southwire model 50020S-A

Use the Test Button on the outlet!

"GFCI testers" do indeed rely on a ground to provide a "controlled leak" past the GFCI so that it trips. The test you really need to be doing to test the GFCI protection is pushing the test button on the GFCI itself, as that leaks a bit of current line-hot to load-neutral (or vice versa) and thus trips the GFCI.  Also, the indication you get from the testing device when the button is pushed is indeed no good due to that open ground.


Water from bathroom basin taps flow changes

Since the hot water's flow rate depends on keeping the boiler pressurized, and this can only happen by feeding cold water to the boiler as you draw hot water, the total flow rate is limited by the flow rate of the cold water feed to the house.  You will see a similar reduction in flow rate if you open both the bathtub and the bathroom sink's hot (or cold) faucets, or any combination of separate water valves in the house.


Is this long drywall crack a big concern?

It’s not a settlement crack. Settlement cracks are diagonal or run at an angle.
It’s metal corner trim popping loose. It’s caused by the lumber drying out and shrinking. You need to re-screw the metal corner trim down and re-apply mud (joint compound).


Mount an LCD TV to 30 year old masonry fireplace

The main thing to worry about when mounting a TV on a fireplace that you might use in the future is heat damage to the TV. What I did before mounting my TV is get a good strong fire brewing in there for an hour or so, then get a good thermostat reading from the fireplace where the TV would be mounted. Make sure you then check that temperature against the allowed temperature range for TV operation and storage before you start drilling holes in the masonry.

Just because your TV operates on the mantle now does not mean it will be OK after it has a solid connection to the bricks, without that nice comfy air buffer in between.


Wire guage needed for standard stove/oven combo

A "standard" cooktop only, or a single wall oven, will typically be on a 30A-120/240V circuit, requiring 10/3 cable.
Keep in mind, I have seen many newer cooktop models that require a 40A circuit. It all depends on the kW rating.

A free-standing range, rated 12kW or less, can typically be wired to a 40A-120/240V circuit using 8/3cu or 6/3al cable.

A typical electric dryer, and most combined stackable units, will require a 30A-120/240V circuit using 10/3 cable.


How tall are your posts to start with?  A 6 foot above ground post should have at least 2 feet in the ground in your area.  I would be setting them in concrete so you have a good solid base and good ballast. A metal post in concrete won't rust as long as you dome the top of the concrete so water runs away from the post.

I'll share a clever trick that works well and is very fast.  After digging your hole for the post, set one or two bricks in the bottom of the hole to set your post on. You will of course have to adjust for height and plumb the post. Then simply pour an 80 pound bag of Sacrete premixed concrete mix around the post dry, right from the bag.  Now just pour apx 2 gallons of water on top of the mix and leave it alone for 24 hours.  You will have a solid concrete base for your posts without having to mix concrete.  Mixing concrete is good, even better, but this little trick is fast and easy.


What are my dimmer options in this switch configuration?

This is a plain old "bootleg 3-way".
What happened is the installer got cheap and used /2 when they should have used /3.  For neutral, they are simply bootlegging neutral off of ground.
This is completely illegal and it cannot continue in this configuration.
Unless you're willing to rewire all these cable runs, you're going to have to get pretty innovative to rescue this one.
Generally it looks like you'll need to re-task both former travelers to be actual always-hot and neutral, except at the very last location before the light.  That will be a smart switch "master".  The others will be smart-switch "remotes" and you will need to choose products appropriately.
What's more alarming is you may have a houseful of this kind of stuff, and a fair amount of work ahead of you.  This stuff is dangerous and should be corrected ASAP.


There are building code requirements for a porch: In the USA, if your porch floor is less than 30 inches high from the ground, a porch railing is NOT required by code. In Canada the maximum height from the ground is 24 inches.Sep 20, 2014.

Other parts of the world may have different codes or none at all.  So your question will have different answers depending on your location.

Since you live in Qatar I would use international building code which states the following

  On a stair, since handrail must be between 34" and 38", the handrail and the top of the guard can be one and the same. In commercial applications, the IBC requires a minimum height of 42". On stairs, once there is a 30" drop, a handrail will be required and placed between 34" and 38" above the nosing.

Short answer is that unless Qatar has codes that vary from international standard you don’t need a handrail for 600mm (23.62”)


Does this violate electrical code? (UF run plugged into GFCI to use smart outlet)

It does violate the NEC (assuming that you are in the US and the NEC applies to you). UF cable is not designed to connect to portable cord devices, portable cord devices are not designed to accept UF cable. Article 110.3(B) states: "Listed or labeled equipment
shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions included in the listing or labeling." You will not find any instructions with the listing or labeling saying you can do this, ergo you cannot.


I had 2 builders come out to survey and both pointed out that I had recently reinsulated the loft. The issue was that there was no ventilation in the loft so the damp air was trapped up there by the new lovely fat insulation I had installed. The solution was to install roof vents to allow some airflow in the loft.
It cost me about £1500 to get this done but that included some remedial work to the chimney to try and address a penetrating damp issue in one of the bedrooms.
It's been about 6 months and I was told it would take some time to clear up so I'll recheck it again in the new year.


Can I replace my face mount hinges with hidden ones?

Yes it is possible. You would need Face Frame hinges similar to the one shown below. They come in many sizes depending on how much of an overlay your doors will have over the cabinet frame.

The drilling instructions differ with the type of hinge you will use so you'd want to figure that out first. Also, I would recommend borrowing, renting a drill press because each door will need two 35mm  blind holes drilled into it.  Good luck


Do electrical junction boxes in the attic that are mounted above the insulation and on the roof truss require a cover plate?

Yes, every box requires a cover plate.  You can't have a cavity with individual wires and wirenuts enjoying a view of the attic.

And a steel box needs a steel cover plate.

Blank cover plates are readily available for less than a buck. There are only a few styles and sizes and I just keep one or two on hand.


How far down should sheetrock come in a shower tub installation?

Ideally, drywall should be in the next room, or at least around the corner. Tile backer board (not green drywall - cement-based products in 3x5 sheets) is much better for the job. If you think you simply can't do that, stop the drywall at the top of the tub surround or shower enclosure and switch to backer board from there down. And use moisture-resistant drywall, at least.


How to remove markings from laundry sink

I had a similar problem after using a drain cleaner for a bathtub and for a sink.  I used Glass Plus, a multi-purpose cleaner found in the window-cleaner aisle of the grocery or big-box stores.  I sprayed it on, let it sit, and scrubbed it off with a sponge.  It is non-toxic.

After finding that it cleaned a litter box and neutralized the urine smell, I sent the bottle and a roll of paper towels with the 7-year old boy to clean his toilet splatters!  Since the success if that, we have learned that we can put half water and half Glass Plus in the spray bottle, and we use it routinely to clean the outside of their toilet and the floor around it as well as their bathroom sink and tub.  Adding the water is just an economical way of making the Glass Plus last longer.  It is not expensive anyway, only about $4 a bottle, but there are 5 toilets in this house, with 6 people, 3 of whom are boys under the age of 13, who do not have specific aim when using the bathroom.  It is important that we use that spray to disinfect as well as to neutralize the smell of urine.  All our boys can clean their own bathrooms, and get sent to do it whenever they need to behave better.


Moving main service breaker panel lower on wall exposes feeder wires non-sheathed

Can't do it. There must be at least 1/4" of sheath past the cable clamp.  No cable clamp.

Also there are painful limits on number of jacketed Romex cables in conduit. You can't just cram 'em in.

Only if you put a junction box at the top of the conduit

Fit a junction box there, then use a less-than-2-foot run of conduit called a "nipple".

Consolidate all the grounds into a single ground wire (of the largest size) that you carry through the conduit.  If you use steel boxes and EMT conduit (if indoors) or Rigid conduit (if outdoors), then the conduit itself carries the ground, and you can terminate at the junction box itself (get a box with a raised nub for the ground screw).

Given that all your cables are 14/2, each cable splice takes 8 cubic inches (2" x 4 wires), and you lose another 4 cubic inches for all cable clamps and all grounds.  That means:

A 4" square box takes 2 splices
A 4-11/16" square box takes 4 splices
A 6"x2" box takes 8 splices
A 6"x4" box takes 17 splices

"But I'm not splicing! I'm rolling the individual Romex conductors right on through to the panel!"  Yeah, that's not allowed by Code because those individual wires are not rated for conduit use.  You're meant to splice to another wire type (THHN).  I don't seriously expect you to do that... however I want to make sure you already have the cubic inches in the junction box, in case you get flagged and are forced to do them.  If you don't have to replace the junction box, then you could do it one pair at a time and not get too confused.  Otherwise, what a mess!

One thing you really must do, in any case, is bundle/group your wire pairs/triples.  You can't simply have a spew of blacks and a spew of whites raining down from the conduits.  You have to mark, in the main panel, which hots go to which neutral.   That's as easy as wrapping the pair/triplet with electrical tape positioned so it'll be visible in the main panel.

As mentioned, grounds can be consolidated in the junction box to a single wire (of the largest size), and if metal, can simply be pigtailed to the box itself.

This may be moot, though.  Outside may be mandatory

The upcoming NEC, 2020, has only been adopted by one state (Mass.) AFAIK. Once your state adopts it, you must put the disconnect outdoors.  Mind you, all the existing houses are grandfathered, and aren't required to retrofit a disconnect... but even under grandfathering, any step must be in the right direction.  Once NEC 2020 is adopted in your state, the disconnect will have to be outside.  Word to the wise: get that permit pulled soon if you want it indoors.


What is the best method for strong timber wall inside tin shed

Your sketch is more or less what I pictured. I'd make a few adjustments:

The primary stress will be at the points where the diagonals connect to the end studs. The entire horizontal load vector of the wall's contents is supported there. I'd double the end studs.
Bring those connections up to at least half the wall height. I'd even go to 2/3 to reduce the bending load on the end studs.
The top plate has to carry the horizontal load of the center portion of the wall's contents outward to the end studs. I'd double that, too. Maybe consider a 2x6 or 2x8 up there for stiffness.

That's really it. As long as the bottom ends of the diagonals are slightly further from the wall than the center of gravity of the wall's contents, you should be dandy. Don't go crazy mounting it all to the floor. Friction will do most of the work.


Is silicone caulk an appropriate sealant for keeping smoke out?

Any caulk will seal an area. I would refrain from using silicone, since it does not take paint.

A decent grade painters caulk will do you very well and can be painted too when the color scheme needs to change. If you want, it is also available in clear. Typically it goes on white, then dries clear, and is water cleanup, another advantage of painters caulk over silicone.

Silicone does have its place, here is not one of them.


Beside air, could anything else be causing the noise?

Depends on exactly what the noise is, but I would be on the lookout for thermal expansion.  If you have long, straight runs, the pipe can expand significantly when heat is delivered.  If there are places where the pipe binds on the supports, it can make pinging and popping noises as it alternately binds and frees itself. If it's attached to a loose metal airflow director, it can rattle.

Because this noise isn't coming from inside the pipe, pulling or shifting the pipe as you turn it on will change the sound significantly, but shouldn't make much of a difference if there is air inside.


Can't replace hardwood floors, what are my options?

Yes you can use the existing floor as a subfloor, but I humbly submit, that the brittle cement based self leveling underlayment would not do well sandwiched between two wood surfaces, and a slew of fasteners driven through it. I seems to me the vibration, the fastener shooting through the cement would start cracking up the poured underlayment. I believe it is done a lot as a standard operating procedure, so it is accepted. I would not want a bunch of cement chips holding up my floor. But once it is done, it is always out of sight, out of mind, I guess has been the norm too. I am not trying to slam anybody out there, I see that the accepted "norms" are changing. If I am wrong please say so.

If your floor is under the interior walls and most of the damage is in the middle of the rooms where all the foot traffic has been, and you know your existing floor is 3/4", I would cut out the sections of damaged floor and leave the existing intact flooring, as much as possible, to pass under the walls. Wall supported by joists (perpendicular) are not as critical, you can remove the flooring as close to the wall as you like. It's the flooring where the walls are supported in the direction with the joists. Keep the existing flooring intact for at least two joist spans and cut out the rest, replacing it with 3/4" CDX for 16" centers or 3/4" T&G for 24" centers. You could use T&G for all of too if you like. If your existing flooring is 7/8" or 1" thick, add an appropriate shim on the joists before you lay the new subfloor. Where the plywood meets the second joist back from the parallel wall, at minimum, add a 2X4 nailer,  slightly elevated to make the new and old surfaces flush. Glue the nailer in place, using screws or nails to hold it until the glue sets.

Using an adaptation of this process, you can even flatten the floors a bit while the damaged floor is up, you could sister the existing joists with 2X4's to eliminate the sag that the existing joists have created over their years of service. You will not need to add the shims then, just raise the sistered joists high enough to make up the difference in the thicknesses as well as creating a new flat surface. A scrap of 3/4" plywood will set the ends right, and a string line through the middle, raised slightly above the nailers at the ends will get the center of the room flat. There is a little more to it, but I am trying to keep from writing a novel. This should get you going in the right direction.


What Solutions are Available for Marble Floor Etching / Corrosion

That's too deep to grind flat.  It's somewhat of a "natural" look, so you could consider leaving it as-is unless the holes are big enough to be a hazard.  In that case, I would look at just filling the holes.

You can use clear resin, which will sort of keep the natural look.  A variation is to fill the holes with a mix of resin and marble dust.  If you can find a small piece of marble of a generally similar color (doesn't need to be an exact match), you can make your own dust with a grinder.  A marble supplier may also be a ready source of dust from other jobs.  That will look a little more like natural patterns in the stone (like the light colored blotches that are part of the existing stone).

When it hardens, you grind the filler level and polish it.  Experiment first to learn how the material behaves, and adjust your mixture to achieve the appearance you want.  Buy a few marble scraps to play with.  You can use a Dremel tool to grind out some holes to mimic the floor and practice on that.  Work with small batches so you have plenty of time to get each repair right.

You can also buy kits for repair of marble and other stone.  They tend to be epoxy with colorants that you mix to match the color, or an acrylic gel that you color.  Here are a few links (there are lots of options that a Google search will show):

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-Travertine-Repair-Kit-TRAVRK/203919972
https://marblekareproducts.com/products/mk-hole-repair-kit-white?variant=553746433
https://countertopguides.com/shop/countertop-stone-repair/granite-marble-chip-repair-kit
http://acrylicrepair.com/high-quality-do-it-yourself-marble-repair

Disclaimer: I've never used any of these products, they're just examples as illustrations.  I mix my own.

If it's just a few tiles, you might be able to replace them from a marble supplier.  You won't find an exact match, but you might find something close enough (or what you think is a better match than a few tiles with patterns that don't match the others).

One other thought: If you use the resin and marble dust approach, that material will be almost a tough as stone and you may need an angle grinder and a collection of successively finer grinding heads or pads to smooth and polish the surface in a reasonable time. If you use one of the kits that are just colored resin, that material is much softer. It will scratch more easily, but you will be able to finish the surface quickly with a collection of successively finer sandpapers.

With the resin-only approach, you can put down a shine layer on the whole floor.  There are products like Pledge Floor Care that are a clear acrylic solution that dries to a film. That will get the abuse and you just periodically clean it off and apply a new layer rather than polishing away the repair over time, which would eventually leave dents.


Can GFI breakers or GFI outlets allow grounded outlets to be used?

Yes, you can protect those outlets with a single GFCI per circuit and put three-prong outlets in the boxes. There will still be no ground wire and no actual grounding in those outlets.

(You cannot connect the ground terminal to the neutral; this is a code violation, and dangerous since it puts current on the ground wire, specifically causing the ground wire to act as a live conductor if there's a fault in the neutral, and will energize the screws on your face plates, energize the housings of grounded power tools and grounded appliances like toasters, etc.)

Technically, all un-grounded outlets that are protected with GFCI are supposed to be labeled "GFCI Protected/No Equipment Ground" (GFCI outlets will usually come with a little sheet of adhesive labels in the box for this purpose).

I agree generally with the comment about using GFCI breakers, although you certainly can replace the first outlet on a circuit with GFCI and protect everything "downstream" by connecting the downstream part of the circuit to the LOAD terminals on the GFCI.

Square D 20A GFCI breakers cost about $35 each. GFCI receptacles probably cost half that.

GFCI and grounding are two different concepts. GFCI's will protect people against electrocution, but they do not provide grounding, so they don't provide any protection to equipment that really requires grounding.

For some appliances this probably isn't an issue as the GFCI will provide protection against electrocution and there aren't other noticeable effects that matter to you.

For more sensitive electronics, like computers, TV's, radio and sound systems, running without a grounding conductor can subject your equipment to irritating (at best) effects like ground loop interference (which might sound like a background hum through speakers, for instance) and may or may not cause problems or damage to the equipment itself or even danger to your structure. If you have satellite equipment, there are explicit code requirements for grounding. Also, connecting surge protectors to a circuit without a ground probably won't allow the surge protector to be fully effective.

Inside the GFCI there are identical little inductive coils around the hot and the neutral conductors, and the GFCI circuitry trips if it detects any imbalance in the current between the hot and neutral. The neutral carries the same amount of current as the "hot" in a circuit with a load on it. If the neutral is not carrying the same amount of current, that means current is leaking to ground (a ground fault) through some other path, which might be a person. But the GFCI doesn't have anything to do with grounding the circuit.


Professional grade Expandable and Contactable tubing - similar to Slinky Pop Tubing

I use extendable rain-gutter downspout extension tubes during the rainy season. Very similar to your "pop-tube" but 3"-4" diameter heavy vinyl (and made to "send water through". They support their own weight reasonably well, but would sag if fully extended. If you only expanded some of the folds (like every 3rd fold?) it would increase rigidity.


how to fit restrictor in toilet pan inlet

Actually, let's start with some disambiguation, as we may be separated by a common language. I've been assuming you mean the lower portion of the toilet when you say "pan" - is that correct?

Given low detail and no picture in the question, I'll go on first principles and guess that a "toilet pan inlet restrictor" would involve removing the cistern/tank from the pan/bowl (generally a couple of screws or bolts, plus the plumbing) inserting the restrictor, and reinstalling the tank/cistern on the bowl/pan. And I'll second @bcworkz's comment that you should really make sure the outlet is not restricted - an anemic (restricted) flush into a bowl/pan with a restricted outlet is a recipe for a lot of clogs and flushes that fail to flush.

An easier version might install by simply lifting the flapper/flush valve and dropping it in place below the valve. But you may have an "outlet siphon" instead of a flapper valve, since your terminology appears to be British. That most likely does involve removing the cistern.


How do I close this hole in the HVAC vent?

If you're talking about the seam (circled in red). Then yes, foil tape is appropriate.

However, if you're talking about sealing around the pipe (circled in orange). You'll want to use Duct Seal, or an equivalent product.


Fence post hole near utility lines, digging advice

To follow up, I ended up just paying a fencing company to do it. So the headache and stress became their problem. Plus if I hit the line and hurt myself or had to pay to have it repaired it would have negated any savings of doing it myself; it didn't seem worth the risk.

The crew got nice and close to the property line, and hand dug near the proposed marked lines. They only went 36 inches down though in those areas, and never came across any lines. Although CAUTION should always be taken for anyone digging as all scenarios are different.

So I guess the answer is, as a DIYer you have to weigh the pro's and con's of the risks. In my case the con's began to outweigh the pro's and paying a company was better for me as I ended up going with a nice white cedar fencing with 5/8 thick and roughly 6 inches wide pickets. I used an oil based stain called, "Ready Seal" which I brushed on for a nice, thick, coat, and it turned out beautiful.

Had I done it myself, I was going to use the pressure treated cheaper material, which wouldn't have looked as nice. Also, I started to brainstorm workarounds trying to avoid the buried wire, and there were too many exceptions.

Anyway that is my follow up.


Most(all?) screws have a corrosion delaying treatment on them, what used to be considered outdoor decking screws are now constructions screws (the gold screws) due to the change in pressure treated wood chemicals.

The corrosion delaying treatment on modern decking screws has been changed to accommodate ACQ treatment, which is significantly more corrosive than CCA (the old way to treat lumber). This is also why when building a deck you have to use hot dipped galvanized (HDG) bolts and brackets as opposed to electro plated zinc (the shiny ones).

You'll notice on construction screw boxes a red circle with a bar across the letters ACQ, this means they are not suitable for pressure treated lumber as the chemicals with quickly corrode the sacrificial layer.

As an aside, drywall screws are also heavily used in cabinet making because of their thin shafts, it removes the requirement of a pilot hole.


Are these blue spots on stove coil cups poisonous Verdigris?

Try a magnet - dollars to doughnuts, those are somewhat peeled and rusted chrome plated steel, and the blue is a normal steel oxidation color, and not toxic (also, were you planning to drip food down there, scrape it off and then eat it? If not, nothing to worry about regardless.) They are stunningly unlikely to be copper, though there may be a minuscule amount of copper plating as part of the chrome plating process

This is reinforced by the purple color, which is a slightly different temperature in the steel oxidation colors (we use them for determining temperature when tempering hardened steel.)

Image from Maille Artisans International League website

While you could waste money and effort replacing them, you could also make them more efficient (reflect heat better) and easier to clean by applying aluminum foil to them (shiny side up - you want to reflect as much heat as possible.) As a side effect this would also contain the non-toxic steel oxidation. When something is too badly burnt onto the aluminum foil, remove it and replace with new foil.  Mold the foil to the pan, wrapping over the edges - cut stars in the openings and fold the cut parts onto the backside.

FYI - stainless steel will also blue, at slightly different temperatures.


How should I treat and store an unused water heater to protect it?

I would be 100% sure that the power is disconnected (or the gas supply and controls are turned off), then drain it completely. Water heaters should be drained annually anyway to purge sediment, so this won't hurt a thing.

Take precautions to be sure that power won't be reconnected until the heater is completely full of water to avoid damage to heating elements.


You need a flush mount cover for that box

What your electrician did was install a standard NEMA 1 (indoor) enclosure/pull box there, and these by and large come by default set up to be surface mounted with their back to a wall, for use in industrial applications and utility spaces.  However, for a finished application, you need to fit a flush mount cover of the correct size to the box instead of the stock surface mounted cover.  It looks like you'll also have to unmount and remount the box, with the breaker for that circuit or circuits off, so that it is actually flush with the finished surface, instead of being recessed slightly, as the flush cover won't fit properly otherwise.


Are ungrounded three-way switches dangerous?

This looks to be wired correctly prior to the current code 2014 with the exception the white wire in the second box should be marked with tape black or red just not green or white. If there are metal boxes and the boxes are grounded things would be fine but you probably have plastic boxes so adding the ground to the switch would be a good idea. You did not mention if there is a ground in the second box there should be. And it should be connected to the switch also. The main difference in your wiring and current code is that the neutral needs to be run to the 2nd box with the ground and other 3. With the grounds added to the switch(s) it would be safe, with the whit leg identified as a Curren carying conductor, this would be up to code prior to 2014. your state may be on an older version of code so depending on that it could still be up to date with the changes.


Flooring a concrete deck, without raising the floor (much)

Rubber tile or mat would be one simple approach - see duckboards for another method/approach in polymers or sometimes treated wood.

Given a solid, correctly sloped concrete substrate, pressure-treated 2x4 sleepers and a deck with no posts, etc. should work just fine - the 2x4's can even be laid flat, since the concrete deck is taking the load directly.

Paint on or pour on rubber (acrylic/polyurethane, possibly with rubber granules) coatings as for pool decks or perhaps tennis courts might also work, and might cost less.


Bury empty conduit next to electrical conduit for future tech?

I would say it is a good idea to use the same trench. The other cables such as internet and cable are insulated well enough inside the conduit to not get interference from the power cables which would be my first concern.  When placing the conduit in though, if you can have them spaced a couple inches apart, that should help as well.


Stop being a cheapskate and get a box, will ya?

What you need is a surface-mounted ceiling fan box, either of the saddle or the pancake types.  Wiring a fan without a box is a great way to drop a ceiling fan on the head of an unsuspecting guest, as well as a fire hazard if a splice ever fails!  Just make sure the box you get is rated for the fan load you have...


Is make-up air required if all gas appliances are direct vent?

There's no air to "make-up", so likely no need for a "make-up air" supply. However, you'll have to check your local codes to determine if you're still required to have one.

Direct vent appliances will have an exhaust outlet, as well as a combustion air inlet.  They draw air in through the combustion air intake, use the air for combustion, then expel the exhaust through the exhaust vent.  They should be completely "sealed", when it comes to combustion. They'll also have safety sensors to insure that enough air is coming in, and enough exhaust is going out.

As for the gas range... You'll have to check local codes to be sure, but commonly a range hood that exhaust to the outdoors is required where gas ranges are used.  If this is the case, you'll need some way to replace the air that's exhausted by the range hood. If the home is not sealed up really tight, leaky windows, doors, and other openings should provide enough air. Though if the house is sealed well, you'll need to provide an intake vent.

Again, you'll have to check with your local building department, as codes can vary from place to place.


Replacing drywall panels: butt or tapered edge?

Finishing a taper to butt seam is no more difficult than any other seam. Don't worry about it. (Especially if you've got a pro doing it.)

Any paper that lifts should be removed.


You want to clear water from the system and the backflow valve.  It looks like the hose bib is a tee off the irrigation feed with its own valve.

If there is no inside shut-off valve dedicated to what comes out of the wall, follow these instructions:

Close valve 3 (turn perpendicular to the pipe).
Leave valve 1 open (parallel with the pipe).
Attach the compressor to port 4.  Turn the port 4 screw 1/4 turn so it's parallel with that stem.
Assuming you have an irrigation controller, cycle it through each zone for several minutes in each zone.  A "test" cycle may be long enough.  Water will spray from the irrigation heads, then it will turn to mist as the water is cleared out of the zone.  You want to pressurize each zone until there's nothing but air coming out of the last head in the zone.
When all of the zones are done, open port 2 (turn the screw 1/4 turn so it's parallel with that stem), and close valve 1.  Give it a few seconds to empty any water in that stem.
Remove the compressor from port 4.
Open valve 1.  Any pressure trapped in the system will escape through the open ports.
Close the two ports by turning the port 2 and port 4 screws perpendicular to their stems.
Leave valve 1 open and valve 3 closed (that will protect the backflow valve, which is expensive to replace).

You're done.

If there is a dedicated inside shut-off valve, follow these instructions, instead:

Close the inside valve.
Leave valve 3 open and open the port 4 valve.  Open the valve on the hose bib.  Close valve 1.
Attach the compressor to port 4.  Blow any water in the feed pipe out through the hose bib.
Leave the hose bib valve open and complete steps 1 through 8 above (including closing valve 3 and reopening valve 1 in steps 1 and 2).
Modified step 9: leave both valves 1 and 3 open.

BTW, you want a compressor with a lot of CFM or a large tank, but it doesn't need to be high pressure.  The compressed air will drain pretty fast when you're blowing it out of open ports and lots of sprinkler heads.


The problem you are having is not uncommon. It is a basement floor so I'm guessing below grade. There should have been a layer of 10mm poly under the floor when it was poured but either way concrete leaches moisture. This is a contributor to your problem.

If you didn't thoroughly wash the floor (I mean powerwash) with a bleach based cleaner you will have a hard time getting any product to last. If you can't pressure wash, scrub as best as you can and use an etching acid or solution. Kilz will dry, unless there's moisture or dirt underneath. Will have a harder time overcoming moisture as it doesn't have near the penetrating properties as a specific product like drylok does. But for a floor, I prefer the lasting quality of a concrete epoxy.

I know it's not your most favorable thought (starting over) so ultimately it's up to you. The right prep and technique with a product specific to the job may save you the hassle of ever doing it again. Best of luck!


Why does my new switch keep tripping the breaker?

You have a new-style switch loop -- the current (2014) NEC now requires switch loops to have a neutral, not just a hot and a switched.  Switch the black and red wires on the light, and the white and red wires on the switch -- this means the light goes to red and white, and the switch goes to black and red, with the white wire in the switch box capped off with a wirenut.

(The reasoning behind the new requirement is to allow future timers, dimmers, and other such "smart" switching devices to be designed in a more sane manner where they can draw power for their own operation in a normal way, instead of trying to turn their load on slightly at all times or sending that working current back through the equipment grounding system.)


What jig or template can I use to be able to drill in place through horizontal fence boards to be dead on holes in a steel post?

Pegboard comes predrilled in a 1" grid, just like the holes on your posts. Cut a strip out of a sheet, line it up with the holes on the post, and attach a reference block to the top. Et voila, instant story board.


The best way to speed up hot water to the tap is through the use of a booster heater, also known as a "point of use" hot water heater. This is a small (~4 gallon) hot water heater installed very near the sink. If you need a lot of hot water and you want it to start fast you can install the hot water line as the supply for the point of use heater. That way you will have 4 gallons for immediate use and if you use that up you will be drawing hot water from your main hot water heater. If you don't need more than 4 gallons of hot water at the sink you can just use cold water as the supply. Here's an example of a point of use water heater for sale at Amazon.com.


Why would a dimmer start buzzing when some lights are broken?

Dimmers have a minimum rating (as well as a maximum rating) and it is possible that one 35W fitting might not have been sufficient to reach the minimum.

The final lamp breaking might have been a result of the flickering.  Flickering incandescents are not good as it is like they are being turn on and off repeatedly and each time an incandescent lamp is switched on there is an extra rush of current as the filament is not at it's running temperature and therefore has a lower resistance and as a result each time you switch one on it dies a little.  A flickering light is being "switched on" lots of times and dying a little each time.


Why am I getting shocked when my breaker and switch is off?

Might be this.

This is called a multi-wire branch circuit, common on US split-phase though it can occur on any multi-phase-with-neutral service.  Multiple phases or poles share a neutral, the neutral carries only differential current.

It has special rules and you see why.

Neutrals must be pigtailed, for the same reason as grounds - removing a device must not interrupt the neutral wire for other legs of the MWBC.
The breakers must be handle tied -- the issue is not common trip (overcurrent on one leg is no reason to shut off the other leg) -- but rather, to assure maintenance shut-off will shut off all legs. Even with neutrals pigtailed, a fault in the neutral wire will cause any leg to energize all other legs.


How to fix a small faucet leak at the base

The part of these faucets that the output spout connects to have O-rings inside at the approximate locations shown by the red lines below.

These O-rings seal the gap to the central post of the faucet around which the spout assembly rotates. Leaks can develop when:

An O-ring is torn for some reason.
Hard water deposits such as a calcium or lime deposit from evaporated hard water gets into the O-ring and breaks the seal.
The O-rings can get old and dry out so they become hard. Thus losing the rubbery compliance that is needed to create a seal.
Sometimes there is lubrication added to the zone where the O-rings reside making the rotating part move smoothly. If the lubrication loses its effectiveness it can cause the O-rings to wear and thus allow for a leak.

You can check these O-rings by removing first the faucet handle and then the upper part of the center post assembly (after first shutting off the supply valve at the wall under the sink). This should allow the spout assembly to be removed by pulling it up while at the same time rotating it back and forth some. Once removed the O-rings can be inspected. If they are hard, dry, torn or worn they will most likely need replacement. If it appears to be a loss of lubrication that can be restored by using a small amount of food grade petroleum jelly.

Note you may find the O-rings reside within a slot inside the spout assembly or they may be in a groove that surrounds the upper and lower area of the center post portion of the faucet.

Typical Moen Kitchen Faucet exploded parts assembly:


Wood stain is used to color the timber, it may also be designed to offer some protection from sunlight.

However, if the timber is outside in the sun, wind, rain and snow then another protection will be needed. One is varnish and I tend to find the (more expensive) yacht varnish most hardy. But nature is relentless...


Chimney cleanout full of water. Basement leaking

I added a chimney cap, and the leaking was significantly reduced during rains.

(Image from http://Lowes.com)

I later noticed that during rain, water was pooling on the ground near the chimney. So I built up soil against the base of the house. This made the rain water run down and away.

After both fixes, there is no longer any water leaking in, even during heavy rains!