Why is this light fixture tripping the GFCI?

From your diagram it looks like the grounded (neutral) conductor connected to the light (that trips the GFCI), does not come from the GFCI device.  It looks like the grounded (neutral) wire is coming from the feeder to the circuit, instead.

Because of this, you'll have current flow through the GFCI device on the ungrounded (hot) conductor that does not flow back through it on the grounded (neutral) conductor. The GFCI sees this as a ground-fault, since the current on the ungrounded (hot) and grounded (neutral) conductors are different.

To remedy the situation, you can either not provide GFCI protection to the light, or connect the grounded (neutral) conductor from the light to the LOAD side grounded terminal of the GFCI device.

Essentially, this is what it looks like you have now.

Notice that the grounded (neutral) conductor bypasses the GFCI device.

No GFCI Protection

To fix this you could not GFCI protect the light, which would involve making a wiring change in the switch box. You'll have to move the wire feeding the switch from the LOAD side of the GFCI, to the ungrounded (hot) conductor feeding the box. The final circuit would look something like this.

In this situation, your original diagram would look like this.

GFCI Protection

The other option is to connect the grounded (neutral) conductor from the light to the GFCI, which would require running an additional conductor between the light box and the switch box. You'd then use the extra conductor to run from the grounded (neutral) LOAD terminal of the GFCI, to the grounded (neutral) terminal on the light.

If you go this route, your original diagram will look like this.

NOTES:

This answer is based on the assumption that your diagram is correct.
If local codes require the light to be GFCI protected, you'll have to do what is necessary to provide GFCI protection to the light.


Propane tank sizes peddled by various local providers

Propane is stored and shipped as a liquid under pressure. That makes it convenient to store and ship a usable amount without needing very high pressures.
The pressure in a propane tank is a function of temperature.
When you use propane, the liquified gas in the tank boils. As it boils, it takes the heat needed to vaporize the liquid (latent heat of vaporization, from chemistry class) from the air around the tank. In summertime it's not uncommon to see frost forming on a 20lb tank attached to a barbecue grill.
So, the pressure in the tank drops as the liquid in the tank cools, until it can get more heat from the air.
Thus, when you want to use a fireplace (it's cold out) that happens ot be the worst time to place a heavy draw on a small tank. The tank gets cold, the pressure drops until it cannot supply the pressure required, it gives up.
Your disused connections, if not leaking, have no effect whatever on this.
Your best bet if you don't like renting a tank is to purchase a tank, and the best bet for that is to have it (correctly and to code) buried, where it will be warmer than it would sitting out in the air during winter weather.
Otherwise, you need to have a large enough tank that the rate of gas use does not overcome the ability of that size tank to supply gas at a particular outdoor temperature. Even with a buried tank, the rate of gas use must not be too great for the size of the tank, or it will still self-chill and fail to provide adequate pressure.
You can also manifold multiple smaller tanks (so if you are really dedicated to 100 lb tanks, you could gang 4 or 5 of them together rather than have a 420 lb single tank, if your local supplier, who does not appear to be dishonest, is estimating correctly for your local conditions.)


I'm a cabinetmaker. One year I sprayed outside some awesome cabinets I'd made for a customer. I had fruit trees on my property. Within seconds I had thousands of fruit flies descending on the wet paint. The reason? The paint, particularly when sprayed and "atomized" is sweet smelling and the fruit flies go for it.  I've had it happen again at another location. Different paint, but also sweet smelling.

The solution: You'll have to screen off the area. Any open doors or windows and they'll find a way in.....


Why would turning off a sink faucet stop the shower?

The part of the mixing valve that keeps the temperature/pressure in check has failed or clogged. So when you reduce the water flow to the show by opening a sink tap, the valve reacts to keep the temperature/pressure constant. Then when the tap is closed, the valve again attempts to react, but since the valve is broken, it does not react correctly.

The good news is this is easy to fix. Take the handle and the trim cover off. If your shower valve was installed correctly, you should be able to turn off the water to the valve by turning the two screws to either side of the valve. If not, you'll need to turn off the water to the whole house.

Removing the valve (sometimes called a cartridge) varies. Some have a threaded cap nut on the front that you just twist off. Others have a circular retaining clip around the outside of the valve assembly or inside the front of the valve. Once you've freed the cartridge, take it to a plumbing supply store and they can give you a replacement along with any additional steps you need to follow, such as lubricating or replacing O-rings.

Assemble in reverse, but put a fat line of plumber's putty behind the trim cover along the inside edge (leave a 2 inch gap long the bottom).

Here's a good set of instructions with pictures: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=KH_PG_BA_Repairing_Cartridge_Tub_Shower_Faucet&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053


the 3 bulbs are 60W equivalent ecosmart compact fluorescent's

This may be your problem. Many CF (compact fluorescent) bulbs are NOT designed to be dimmed.

Try changing out your bulbs with "Dimmable" CFs.


How do you trigger the HVAC with wiring only?

A thermostat basically just energizes the individual circuits (G (fan), W (heat), Y(cool) ) which in turn (via the furnace controller) powers a relay which provides line voltage to the actual units (like the fan or A/C.  In the case of heat, it instructs your furnace to open the valve supplying gas).

R (or Rh  and Rc) provides the 24VAC power.  To turn on the fan, you'd connect R and G.  To turn on the fan and AC, you'd connect R and Y (or R, G, and Y on systems where the thermostat controls the fan).  To turn on the fan and heat (as you asked), you'd connect R and W together (or R, G, and W if you have say an electric furnace where the thermostat controls the fan).

If you make a mistake you could potentially fry your furnace controller.

As for finding out what is running - yes there should be 24VAC on the circuit if they are turned on.  However note that this is just instructing the logic board in your furnace to turn on the other components; your furnaces controller might not always obey this. For example, some units will keep the fan running for a few minutes after the A/C or heat is turned off (sometimes this is implemented in the thermostat too).

One other thing I will add based on your comment is about the C line.  This is essentially the neutral back to the transformer (or furnace), so you can use it to power your device (most thermostats use this these days).  You should have 24VAC between R and C.

Never connect R and C, this will either blow the fuse on your board or fry the board all together.


Water flow reduced after a few seconds in 2nd floor bathroom sink, cold side

A nearly-full-clogged cold water pipe. Pressure builds in time after the clog (giving the initial full blast) but it cannot sustain the flow (dropping to a trickle).


Locating a Weatherstrip for door that is NOT foam and vinyl

Metal weatherstrips used to be popular, and you can still find them, but there's a reason they fell out of fashion: they require very tight tolerances at the door/jamb interface, and even if you set them up perfectly, they still don't seal as well as soft weatherstrips. I'd look into alternate solutions, like installing a storm door outside the main one.


How to fix a leaking cold/hot water faucet

Step one: purchase the appropriate valve for your sink.

Step two: read the instructions that come with the valve. :)

Sorry, I couldn't resist.  Turn the water off to the sink first.  The faucet may have a cap that can be removed, either via a small screw in a difficult to see place (behind or when you lift the handle all open) or the cap is friction fit you can pop it off with a putty knife.  My best guess looking at this valve and because it's for separate hot/cold handles is that the cap is on the very top of the handle.  From there, you can remove the handle, usually with a screw or two.  Unscrewed, it should come right off.

And then the cartridge/valve is removed by unscrewing it.  However, this is the tricky part, and the one that took me the longest time to figure out.  At least until I got the replacement valve that included an adapter to unscrew the old and install the new valve (buying the valve first would have saved me an hour).

Before you install the new one, check if the instructions tell you to lubricate the o-rings.  If they don't specify what kind of lubricant, I think Vaseline is safe, though I've been known to use some chapstick in a pinch.  You should also clean out the hole in the sink as best you can, using an old toothbrush or whatever else you can get in there and not lose.  After that, you just reverse the steps you took to get everything apart.


New bathroom fan has 2 green wires but i do not know where to connect them

Green designates a ground (earth) wire. If the incoming wires have a ground wire (usually bare copper or green stranded insulated) attach the grounds to it with a wire nut or a crimp connector.


How can I shade my garage door opener keypad?

An easy visually pleasing solution would be to visit your local hardware or electronics store and look for a weather resistant box with a lid similar to the following (2-Gang Rectangle Plastic Electrical Box shown bellow) :

I couldn't find any dimensions but something of this nature will protect the keypad from the elements. It will require you to do some custom fitting ie: removing the keypad, mounting the box, running the ribbon through and then securing the keypad, but will definitely do the job.

Here is the PDF for the model you have provided that should help you with disconnecting / reconnecting the ribbon cable aka Signal Tail.

(source: imageg.net)


Each circuit has a minimum wire size.

Other than that, you can upsize wires anytime you want.   There's no restriction.

The wires must, of course, fit the terminations.  So if you use #12 Romex to branch off a 15A circuit, you will not be using backstsbs on that receptacle.

To reverse it, if your circuit is almost entirely #12, but has one bit of #14, it is a 15A circuit.


Why are cracks forming in my plaster and stucco near the windows?

I almost always agree with isherwood, but in this case, my take is a little different.

Diagonal cracks at the corners of doors or windows is characteristic of settlement due to doors and windows having double framing, which makes them strong spots.  The question is whether the settlement is old or new.  Even if it is old, cracks don't open unless things are moving or under stress.

The texture finish is the kind of thing someone might do to hide repairs, so this could be an old problem.  If they just skimmed an old crack without taping it, vibration from trucks going by or the garage door opening and closing could break up the old repair.  The lower drywall crack looks wider than just a hairline, though.  I wouldn't expect an old repair to open up that much.

The stucco crack would worry me more.  It isn't as easy to crack as drywall, and it's hard to make invisible repairs.  If it was previously repaired, you are likely to be able to see it if you look for it around the crack.  That's less likely to be an old problem with a disintegrated repair.

Even if this is an old problem, that's only relevant if it was initial settlement that is now stable.  To me, the signs seem more likely to be an active problem.  I would expose the slab along the cracked area.  You don't need to go all the way to the footer, just enough to see what's going on in the area.  Look at how continuous and level the top edge is, and how serious any cracks are.  Use your judgment as to whether it would be prudent to have an expert look at it.  You could also post pictures of the stucco cracks and slab here.


Splitting 220v breaker to two separate GFI circuits

You tried to poach the second shed's neutral from the GFCI protection on the first shed, so its no wonder the first GFCI tripped
What happened here isn't as weird-sounding as you are thinking it is.  You just need to remember two fundamentals here: first, that electric current flows in loops (it always has to make it back to the utility, generator, battery, or so on) and second, that a GFCI has nothing to do with ground as it simply compares what went through it on the hot side with what went through it on the neutral side and trips if they don't match up.
This all adds up to this being a simple wiring error; namely, that you tried to tap neutral to the second shed from the load side of the GFCI in the first shed.  As a result of this, when you tried to use the receptacle in the second shed, you injected the charger's running current, taken from the red wire (which the first shed's GFCI has no clue about) into the load neutral terminal of the first shed's GFCI.  Said GFCI sees this inexplicable-to-it flow of current on neutral, goes "WTF?!", and trips, just as it's designed to do, thinking something is wrong, which is true.
Fortunately, the fix here is simple; you just need to move the neutral connection going off to the second shed to the LINE side of the first shed's GFCI.  Note that you'll probably want disconnect-rated GFCIs here if you don't have them already (they're denoted by having ON/OFF labeling on their buttons to go with the normal TEST/RESET labeling).


Depends on how exactly you store it. If you want to keep it around as long as possible without becoming a brick, put it in a seal-able plastic tub with desiccant packs and keep it in your house (as you said you were).

Too much effort in my opinion. Just take it back to the store, get your money back, and repurchase a new bag in the future when needed.

I've had bad experiences with them turning into bricks in a high-humidity basement; took about 6 months for it to happen.


How to extract heavily corroded anode rod?

If its corroded and enlarged all the way to the bottom you may have to cut it loose. In the tank it will continue being dissolved by the minerals until there's nothing left. And while that's happening the new rod will be in place.
You can try wrenching it out and probably break off chunk's of anode. This also shouldn't be an issue unless you plan on flushing the tank in which case there may be debris blocking the port. But these pieces will eventually dissolve. too.


How do I level a basement floor but not the slab underneath?

I can't imagine the sand idea working. I'd probably scratch that one off the list.

Is the basement dry? If you feel that you still need a sloped floor to deal with water issues, I think you want to tackle those first before thinking about finishing the floor.

Otherwise, your shimming idea makes the most sense. I don't think pebbles will work but some form of furring strips may work. Get treated 2x2s or 2x4s and scribe them to match the slope. Then cut them and affix them to the slab (adhesive may be enough...otherwise you can nail them with a power-actuated hammer).

You could apply the shims radially from the drain to accomodate any eventual water flowing to the drain.

For what it's worth, we have an old house and when we finished the basement I decide to be lazy and we stained the concrete floor. If you like the look, it's easy, cheap, and never any fear of a water-damaged carpet or subfloor.

While the floor can be a tad cool in the winter, once the space is heated it's quite comfortable--especially if you put a rug down.


In my neck of the woods it would be a "set screw". You may not find one with the exact cross pattern in the top (most are Allen or slotted), but it should still work. The important parameters are diameter and thread pitch.
I don't see those values specified in that document, so some trial-and-error may be required. If possible, take the part it engages to a hardware store and test with common screws for size, then look for a set screw with the same diameter and pitch. A properly-fitted screw will turn easily until it snugs against the surface below.


Deck, Connecting two beams to support cantilevered joists

While your approach is fine, but I prefer to add an edge beam as shown red in the sketch below. Then you only need to run the diagonal in between the beams.


How do you varnish a laminate kitchen worktop?

No. Laminate is meant to be impervious to liquids and oil finishes require the ability to soak into the surface.

Theoretically, you could apply a varnish (probably polyurethane)to the surface, but most laminate surfaces resist adhesion, so it may flake off on the sound sections and stick to the scarred areas.

You probably could sand down the surface to give it tooth and better adhesion for poly, but I think you would be better off just doing a light sanding and polishing.  If that is not enough think abut a new surface. Maybe a new piece of laminate.

It all depends on what kind of surface you want and the intended uses.


Removing rusted screw and wingnuts from toilet tank

When I had the same problem, I took a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder to the bolt heads. Just be careful and try not to touch the grinder to the porcelain. Also dont grind so long that you heat up the bolts to much and be careful not to melt any plastic bits in the toilet with the grinder spray. When you are done grinding, make sure you clean out all the slag and dirt that you generate. If you only grind inside the tank, you dont have to worry if you slip a little, any marks you make will be hidden when you close the tank lid!


Is it Code to support Class 2 (thermostat) wires using a gas line?

Yes it's okay and actually very very very very common. Even the armoured 14 2 cable can be strapped to the gas pipe. Here in Toronto we have the toughest codes around and that's the only way it's done. I'm a licensed gas fitter and electrician. It can't be NMD it has to be armored BX or Tek cable.


Insulation with multiple polyester layers instead of one

As long as you make sure that the sheets are packed or glued together so there are no air gaps then the insulation value will be based on the material and its thickness. If you allow the sheets to flop apart then the insulation value is not so good.
Having 10cm thickness is good - when we built we put 30cm - insulation material is cheaper than 50 years of heating (or cooling) costs.


How much sewage overflow occurs? If it's only a small amount, like a cup or so, then a blocked vent could be the cause.

As water runs down a drain pipe the air ahead of the water must be pushed out. If there's inadequate venting then the pressure build up in the drain can cause water to be expelled from the trap below the sink and tub. It could cause bubbling or splashing in the toilet, too.

To answer the title question "Can Air Admittance Valve under bathroom sink fix bathtub drain overflow?" -- no. An AAV allows air into the drain plumbing but does not let air out. An AAV could resolve a problem where the trap at a fixture is getting the water sucked out of it. As water runs down a drain pipe it creates suction in its wake. If there's inadequate vent or AAV then the suction literally vacuums the water out of traps.


Protecting PEX/UF-B/Ethernet from gophers with hardware cloth?

23 gauge hardware cloth strikes me as something that won't have a long life when buried in the ground.
I'm no gopher expert, but taking your word for it that some protection is needed even at 30" depth, I'd think about encasing the PEX and cables in something else:

solid-core SCH40 or even SCH80 PVC conduit or pipe. Not SCH20, class 200, nor foam-core pipe.
EMT electrical conduit
steel pipe

This is a little bit.. weird.. because it's not entirely obvious to what extent electrical code rules apply. A UF cable does not have to be in conduit, but if it is, then conduit sizing rules should apply. Inside a building a low voltage data cable cannot be in a conduit with a power cable. Few would even ask about putting a water supply in conduit with a power cable. Those all can share a building space (the cavity of a wall, for example) -- so can they be buried together outdoors encased in something, anything, that provides physical protection but is neither "earth" nor "conduit?" Is it OK if that encasement happens to be labeled as a conduit? Are there rules about shared non-conduit encasement? I'm not sure.
Electrical code requires a conduit system to be fully built first; wires or cables are pulled through as a second step (ie don't slide conduit onto cables/wires and build-as-you-go). I'd suggest that if you do choose to protect those direct-bury rated items inside pipe of some kind, that you size the pipe large enough and use pulling junctions so that the PEX and cables can be pulled into the pipe after it is assembled. In the case that a gopher does chew through the protection and damage the lines inside, you'd have a fair chance at pulling them out of the encasement and pulling in repaired or replacement items. You'd also be able to measure the distance to the damage point and dig in exactly the right spot to repair the encasement if desired.


It should work still. Just make sure not to overtighten when replacing if it is a glass lined tank.


How can I find replacement parts for an unknown faucet?

My local big box store (Lowes) has a catalog of pictures in the plumbing aisle. It contains a variety of parts for the brands they carry. You don't have to know what the part is just what it looks like. You may have to bring the other cap to match it for size. If you can't find a match replacement handles will be cheaper than a new faucet.


Can a dimmer switch be replaced by an electric outlet?

An outlet should never be on a dimmmer. Someone could plug normal equipment like a vacuum into it and it won't work properly.

They should be replaced with single pole switches or the receptacles should be wired hot.

Good luck and stay safe!


My dad has a Multimaster and it's truly awesome.

Like any tool, there are jobs it is good for.

There are quite a few tasks I've found where it would have been really useful - mainly in repairs and renovations, where you aren't ripping out whole floor boards or walls or anything.  Those are things where a reciprocating saw, jig saw, circular saw or even a dremel tool (a cutting wheel is always the wrong angle.) won't work well.

He used it to cut out windows of my daughter's playhouse after we put up the plywood walls, and it doesn't do a great job on long cuts like that - he was cutting blind from the inside along the studs and the cuts aren't perpendicular to the sheet (but it's covered with trim).


Need advice, Curtains, blinds, Shades? which to use, whats in currently?

While this question may be ambiguous or style based I will try to give the best answer I can and let more qualified hands cast close votes.

I would recommend sheers. They allow plenty of light in, but obscure the inside of your apartment enough to allow some privacy. In terms or hardware, they are extremely easy to set up, if you have a recessed alcove window, just an expanding dowel rod is needed.  However if not, you will need brackets, this is also true for all blinds and curtains. I find curtains and blinds either bulky or they close out too much light when closed and offer no privacy when open.Sheers are the happy middle. If you want even more privacy then the link shows, a easy to add more is to double the sheer up. The obscuring feature of a  double sheer is compounded and yet still allows ambient light in while providing absolute privacy. However in the bathroom and bedroom, its possible you will still feel more comfortable with a thicker blind in which case a underlying sheer with a solid curtain over it is best. To maximize the sheer, tie back the solid curtain during the day.

In terms of absolute style, which this site isn't about, the cream color of the magnolia and the  brilliant white of the sheers is seen in nearly every home in architectural digest or living magazine. Also white allows you to use varying colors in the room as white nearly goes with everything. All attempts at trying to use heavily colored sheers or drapes have come out looking Victorian and heavy. Plus choosing too bold a color as a big pieve of wall space sets you up for disaster. Depending on the wood color you could very well get away with a cream color sheer.


As of the 2014 NEC code do tamper resistant receptacles need to be installed on a GFCI circuit?

With the latest code yes even gfci protected outlets require the tamper resistance feature. In fact outdoor gfci outlets that are weather resistant or stamped WR need the tamper resistant feature also. Got hit on that one last year.


How are electrical circuits routed in a kitchen island or peninsula without a knee wall?

Your options: come up from below or down from above
You have two choices as to supplying the receptacles for this peninsula: either you can come up from below into a wiring chase between the two sets of cabinets as SteveSh describes, or come down from above using pendant techniques.  Both work by Code, but have different caveats and costs.  Note, by the way, that while you can get away with one receptacle near the end of the peninsula space and one receptacle on the originating wall, you'll want a 3rd receptacle to efficiently serve the "corner" area of the peninsula as well.
Chasing up a cabinet
The wiring chase option appears fairly simple in that all you seemingly need to provide is a 1" gap between the backs of the two cabinets to run the wiring through; however, you'll need some way to mount the receptacles themselves, and that's where the tradeoffs lie.  Either you can use recessed "pop up" countertop boxes (such as the Arlington FL4400, Lew PUFP, or Hubbell RCT200), or you can continue conduits up through the countertop into threaded hubs or fittings on ordinary receptacle boxes above the countertop.
The former is the more elegant approach, and can be done with cable or conduit wiring methods, but costs you a bit of cabinet space due to box intrusion.  Likewise, flushmounting boxes into the cabinet endwalls (peninsula sidewalls) so that their wiring continues down into the chase is an option as well, but relies on a somewhat fiddly exception in the 2017 NEC (aka 2019 CEC) as the receptacles wind up below the counter, and doesn't alleviate the space-intrusion concerns.
The other alternative is to run pairs of rigid metal conduits up from the floor to each receptacle location, then use that conduit pair itself as support for a FSS or FDS type receptacle box.  This prevents intrusion into the cabinet storage spaces at the cost of having exposed, weatherproof-type (FD) boxes and conduit poking up from your countertop. Also, while this configuration is allowed by NEC 314.23(F), it does put more strain on where the conduits terminate in the crawlspace, so there's that to think about.
A variation on the previous theme involves using what's known as a FSY box (depicted below), which has a single conduit hub surrounded by a floor flange that can be bolted to the countertop.  This saves you some money on conduits (you can use PVC or ENT instead of rigid) and is also less vulnerable to mechanical injury than a FSS box on two conduits would be, but is not as easy to find as they're only made by Eaton (Crouse-Hinds).

No matter what you do, you'll need some junction boxes below the chase to make wiring connections to the cable or conduit "tails" coming out of the cabinet.  If I were you, I'd run 1/2" conduit of whatever flavor works for you between these boxes, instead of connecting them with a cable wiring method, in order to provide room for future expansion.
Dangling outlets
While it may seem that mounting outlets above your counters is a non-starter since you don't have upper cabinets to mount them to, there's a relatively easy way around this problem, called a pendant.  This is a setup where a special outlet box with an integrated cable-clamp designed for the job (Hubbell HBL3000 series, Leviton 3059/3099, or equivalent) is dangled from the ceiling on the end of a bus drop cable (which is a type of very heavy-duty cord).
Of course, you'll need a box in the ceiling that either supplies an appropriate strain-relief (wire mesh cord grip) if you're hardwiring the pendant, or a locking receptacle if you plan to use premade, cord-and-plug connected pendant kits.  You'll also need to make sure the receptacles are within 20" of the countertop surface in order for them to count as countertop receptacles.
As to that range...
Finally, we address the range receptacle.  Unlike the countertop receptacles, the only sane way to handle this is by coming up from below; fortunately, we can simply come directly up into a box in the range receptacle space though, instead of having to worry about wiring chases or anything like that.


In my experience the old mercury trip thermostats with the bi-metallic strip are wildly inaccurate. My experience was similar to yours, I had to crank the thermostat down as low as it could go to get the furnace to turn off and crank it high to get it to turn on.

I'd recommend going to the local hardware store and picking out an inexpensive digital thermostat. Here is a link to a good example. It doesn't have a ton of features but it will get you the accuracy you're looking for. They're pretty easy to install, only a few wires to hookup (2 for your furnace and 3 for central AC if I remember correctly).

I've installed a similar thermostat in every place I've lived in if a mercury trip thermometer was in place ... even rented apartments.

There may be a problem with your furnace but this is a good first step to take and even if it doesn't solve the problem it's a good investment for your place. Easy to read, easy to change and very convenient.


Running Wire in Updated Kitchen and Living Room

Electrical wiring must be in a "tree" topology for cables.  Most of the time it is in more of a vine topology, but that is a kind of tree. That is, you can split off branches anywhere that is inside a junction box.  You would then have 1 supply wire and 2+ onward wires for each of hot, neutral, and ground.  Since it's in a junction box, you could put a receptacle or switch there and join its hot and neutral also.

What you're not allowed to do is loop cables back onto other cables: branches of the tree cannot rejoin.  AC power actually kicks out very strong EMFs.  If power went out one branch and came back another, it would throw EMF all around the circle, which would be a serious problem that can cause vibration and inductive heating. But if all the wires in a cable add up to equal and opposite current, the EMFs cancel each other out.  A tree layout for cables ensures that.

Following up on that same rule, every hot needs to return current on a neutral or other wire in that same cable.  So when you branch hot, also branch neutral and ground  as well.  It is less critical for ground to be in a strict tree layout, since current only flows on ground during fault conditions.

Lastly, every branch must be inside a junction box, and those cannot be buried where you would need tools or disassemble the house to access the junction box cover.


Help with a Nest E install on a old HVAC system

Somebody misplaced the blue wire from the system to the thermostat

It appears that the previous installer, for some bizarre reason, connected the blue wire and the red wire in the cable from the indoor unit to the thermostat to the fat red R wire coming from the indoor unit.  Luckily, between the wiring diagram on your unit showing the fat brown wire as the indoor unit's C wire, and the fact we can trace the air conditioner control from the Y wire from the thermostat, to the red wire in a cable, with only a white wire returning to join up with that brown C wire, means that we can simply swing the blue wire from the thermostat over to join with the other wires connected to the fat brown C wire and put a replacement wirenut on the junction of the red R wires in order to get everything in order for your Nest to work.


First I "paint out" the brush (try to paint scrap material, cardboard etc.) until the brush is too dry to paint.  Then:

Latex paints

Assuming I have flowing tap water on site, I rinse the brush with lots of water, we're talking gallons.  Then when most of the paint is out of it, I start working in whichever hand or dish soap is convenient, both the clean the brush, and also my hands, and also the sink.  Fair play to use the brush to clean the sink.  Then I thoroughly rinse all the soap out.  Then I hang the brush.

Oil based (alkyd, enamel, varnish etc.)

First, do I expect to continue painting in the next few days?  If so, I wrap the brush tightly in plastic, and double wrap it.

I put 10mm of paint thinner into a soup can, and momentarily dip the brush just to re-wet it, and repeat the "paint out" procedure above.  Several times, until it seems like a lost cause.   Then I mash the brush around in the thinner, working the thinner throughout the brush especially the heel (where the bristles go into the ferrule).  You do not want paint accumulation there.  If there's a safe space to splatter, I whip the brush around to use centrifugal force to throw thinner out of it.

If I want it really clean, I get a clean can and put 5mm of thinner in the bottom and repeat the above.  Then I hang up the brush to dry.

2-part epoxy and urethane "paints"

I wrap the brush in plastic, and throw it in the trash.

Why?  Simple rule: Don't spend $5 in thinner to clean a $3 brush. Epoxy and urethane reducers tend to cost a fortune.  If you don't pay for the reducer, ask the person who does.

For throwaway brushes I like Redtree Fooler brand, they are a cut above, and sanely priced if you buy wisely.

If I expect to continue painting in the next few days, I will wrap the brush in plastic and throw it in the freezer (a dedicated fridge for this purpose).

When I say "hang the brush" I mean dangle it by its hole in the handle, on a nail, hook or wire, over somewhere where dripping won't do harm.  That way the bristles dry straight.


Valve left shut by accident in forced hot water system

Yes, it could.  It's good that some protection switch/interlock was saving you from extensive damage, so that may have saved you.

What normally happens is the pump/circulator transfers the electrical energy to rotating mechanical energy which is then absorbed into the water and life is good.  However, in your case where you were dead-heading on the valve, the water couldn't dissipate the energy transferred to the water via circulation so it builds up in a thermal manner, so the pump/circulator could have burned up.

Depending on what kind of pump/circulator you have, if you run it and it sounds like there are loose parts ("marbles") during operation, then you've killed it.  Otherwise, you may have shortened the life of the pump/circulator, or you got lucky and the interlock that protected you from operating in a dead-head case caught you before you damaged the pump.


Sistering is a common approach to this situation. However, if it's a multiple-floor building, you should have an engineer involved to make sure that the footings in the basement are now sufficient and that the repairs will properly carry the weight of all the floors. You will also need to figure out how to deal with the internal walls on each of the floors.

To answer your specific question, gluing the joists together and holding them together with bolts is the common approach.


Electrical circuits mixed in same conduit

It's a little tricky. You will get mixed interpretation about NM cable (including Romex brand) in a raceway, if you determine you can then you calculate the resulting percentage of conduit fill based of the size of the NM cable assembly as a single conductor, but bottom line just don't do it (unless you raceway is just a short protection sleeve), it's much easier to pull #10 stranded THWN wire than a large solid wire NM cable through a conduit that already has wire in it.

Then with 4-6 current carrying conductors get de-rate the ampacity of the wire to 80%, so your existing wire may become under-rated.

NEC 312.8(A) Restricts pulling conductors through a panelboard cabinet to a maximum 40% cross section fill for conductors, and 75% fill for conductors and splices. A label must be attached to indicate closest disconnecting means for through conductors.


Furnace sometimes fails to ignite, despite extensive replacement of parts

I have found there is nothing more important than a good ground on units doing this and I mean "A GOOD GROUND". Run a second one if necessary to your burner manifold and ground it to the frame somewhere that will give you a positive ground.

Then do the same with your control board. Make sure the transformer is feeding the control system correctly too. Not trying to doubt you, but sometimes people wire the output and common wrong. I have seen it. If the igniter is still erratic, sometimes the diaphragm in the draft switch doesn't make the switch because of trash floating around in the thing and the nipple getting partially plugged. These are just things I have found on jobs.


What, if anything, can I do to fix this treadmill?

You bought it new a year ago, and the manufacturer appears to have a decent warranty. Contact them. Any "taking it apart to fix it" is likely to interfere with the proper warranty process.

For reference, it's probably something wrong with the motor; you can confirm by using a cardboard tube or the like to focus on specific areas of the treadmill.


Mini-splits have many advantages, so tossing them out wholesale is a somewhat puzzling response to a house with limited options for running ducts. If you don't like beige plastic boxes (who does, really?) there are several versions that are made to be visually unobtrusive, with the inside unit concealed in a picture frame, or a small inside unit that can be tucked in a ceiling, wall cavity or between the floor joists, either with a faceplate that is the register, or short ducts (a ducted mini-split, as opposed to ductless.)


Check the local hardware store paint department. Behr makes a series of deck products that are very good. They include a wood conditioner and mold remover, as I recall. These blotches are very hard to get rid of completely. I ended up restaining a deck once with a solid stain product to hide the black discolorations. Deck paint also works of course. I would investigate the latest wood deck reconditioner then stain or paint a solid color.


Can an expansion tank described as for a water heater be used for a boiler system?

Can a expansion tank be used to protect a hot water heater? YES.
Dose it need to be thermally listed? Not really if on the cold water feed and a check valve in the input of the pressure tank.
The thermal cycling water really won’t heat the expansion tank, as the water is not being used when the water heater continues to heat some hot water pushes back into the expansion tank the hot water in most cases only makes it back a few feet. The water heater tank is now hot and full. Slowly cooling, but the supply line rapidly cools. The water moved from the tans back to the water heater once the water heater tank cools the cycle starts over. I have installed several dozen small expansion tanks and have never used anything special. The closest my expansion tank has been is on the floor next to the water heater that did not have any problems many were 20’ away. So I just use a small bladder tank nothing fancy.


Can I use a rotary tool to sharpen knives and other blades?

First item in sharpening things. When you're sharpening chisels and knives, you don't remove that much metal that you require powered implements. Manual movement on broad, flat stones is sufficient.

Second item in sharpening things. Using a powered grinding implement will destroy any edged tool by heat buildup. A very light touch is needed, once you've exceeded the temper temperature, toss the tool.

A dual sided carborundum water stone will fill the bill for most people. The coarse side takes out the nicks (sign you're maltreating your edged tools) and the fine side puts the honed edge on the implement. Get some polishing compound and a piece of leather to make a strop if you want a really fine edge, it takes the burr off that forms during sharpening.

This is one of those situations where the beauty of having a tool spinning a grinding disk at 10,000 rpm will quickly cause the need for reacquiring everything you attempt to sharpen with it. Any heat buildup takes the temper out of the edge, ruining the tool. Typically, you don't have enough surface area to keep the edge straight either which destroys the straight edge needed on chisels and plane irons. They appreciate the broad, flat surface of any number of sharpening stones.

Same thing with axes, I've seen them destroyed with a common bench grinder, any time the metal turns blue, you've removed the hardness required to keep the edge, at which point, there's no point trying to sharpen it. Best to use a mill file for first sharpening and  one of those Norton Carborundum handled file stones for the sharp edge. These tools work best for axes and soil implements.

Start with the manual methods, learn control and what a properly sharp edge for that tool looks like. Once you've graduated up to where you're sharpening lawn mower blades and other blades (such as brush hog blades) that get driven into media under mechanical power, then start considering using a bench grinder. You need to remove larger amounts of metal to restore the edge, you also need to learn now to take a reasonable amount of material off so you don't overheat the edge and ruin its temper.


How do I add in-floor heating to a small area?

There are small radiant heat mats commonly used under tile in  bathrooms. These are electric and can be thermostatically controlled. They are safe to use under carpet and thin type wood flooring.  The mats are apx 30inches by 15 inches and can be connected together to cover the desired area. Both the heater mats and controllers are avail at the home improvement stores or any flooring specialty store.


Can I change my standard thermostat to a Wifi one?

Since you're using a line voltage thermostat, there should be no problems doing what you want.

Most folks run into trouble switching to a WiFi thermostat, when the power from the thermostat is supplied through a transformer in the furnace/boiler. Since this is a line voltage thermostat, both ungrounded (hot), and grounded (neutral) conductors should be present at the thermostat.


Exhaust fans installed in older homes that have not been upgraded are often undersized. Check your existing unit to ensure it complies with the following advice from a major exhaust fan manufacturer:

  A good general rule for bathrooms with 8’ ceiling heights is to allow at least 1 cubic foot per minute (CFM) of ventilation for every square foot of room size for bathrooms under 100 square feet.For larger rooms, the recommendation is based on adding 50 CFM for each toilet, bathtub or shower and 100 CFM for jetted tubs.

You can usually find a sticker or placard with model # and rating on the housing, if you remove the fan grill/cover.

If it does not meet the quoted spec consider an upgrade. Also make sure your existing unit is properly ducted to the outside of your home and that the duct is not pinched or blocked.


How to wire new pendant lights to an existing ceiling light that has two different switches and have them work independently?

I think by reading your question that you have one light fixture controlled from two locations with 3-way switches. If that is true then you should have enough conductors between the devices and fixture to do what you want if can you tap your new pendant fixture off of your existing lighting fixture.

You can replace the 3-way switches with standard switches and arrange the wiring to switch the existing fixture with one switch and the new with the other switch. It would be a matter of tracing, sorting and marking the wires correctly to achieve this task.

Of course I can't tell you exactly how to do it since your question doesn't provide enough information. That would require much more information and perhaps some pictures.

FYI - A "pro" as you say could probably trace, sort and mark the wires in less than an hour if knows what he is doing and was on site. Of course installing fixtures in an existing ceiling would take some time and depend on existing circumstances. So call a pro or try to sort your way through it? The answer would be based on your experience and ability as an electrician, and your willingness to take the time to do the research and post it on this type of site.

Hope this helps.


One solution I've seen people use is to get a fog machine, like are used for parties and start it up running in the area, then move around the inside and outside of the house looking for leaks.  It won't work so well for low lying areas, but for an attic it might present a good option.


Can I take power from the hot line on another switch in a multi-gang box?

Yes, as long as you return power on the same neutral that's partnered with the "hot".  (Why is that? Because if hot wires are protected by breakers, but neutrals are not - so if a neutral carries more than its load, that will not be detected.)

If you are converting to smart-switches, you should be able to convert the hot+2 messengers into hot, neutral, signal for the smart switches.


Sourcing a spacer / rectangular washer to prevent rotation of a carriage bolt in a round hole?

I would just call Curt customer service and request a replacement part. They should be able to get an exact replacement, and they might even provide it for free or low cost. Call (877) 287-8634 or the number in the installation manual.


How do I install a neon indicator for a light?

Your switch wiring seems to be a switch loop with no neutral at the switch location. In such situation it is possible to use a neon indicator switch that has a lighted indicator when the switch is OFF provided the light itself is an incandescent bulb. Other types of bulbs may not work correctly with this type of setup.

Your desired setup however is just the opposite. You want the neon indicator to be lighted when the switch is in the ON position. It will not be possible to safely wire up a neon indicator when there is just a switch loop pair at the switch location. In order to get it to work the way you want it will be necessary to run a replacement power cable from the light location to the switch that contains a neutral wire in addition to the two wires for the switch loop. When that replacement cable is in place the neon indicator is wired between the neutral wire and the switched wire that goes to the light fixture.

You would also want to double check that the other wire at the switch is the hot line. If it is not then the light fixture itself is wired up wrong and should be corrected. Proper switch loop wiring feeds the hot wire to the switch and the return back to the light and then the opposite side of the light to the neutral at the light location. This assures that when the light is off there are no live connections inside the light bulb socket.


While not an answer, this is the only way I can post a picture.
Here is what a properly installed lintel looks like, at least in my mind.  Note that the bricks overhang the lintel by a tiny (1/4"?) bit.


A good rental yard will have a "walk behind" surface grinder with which you could grind the surface level. Then you could resurface the whole thing with a liquid slurry asphalt resurfacing material, it will look uniform and new when you are done. Or... you could hire a reputable contractor to do it for you.

Pictures stolen shamelessly from the internet.


If the markings on the outside include "NSF-PW" the pipe is rated for potable (drinking) water use. Most "cellular core" pipe won't be so marked, in my experience, since it is only intended for Drain, Waste, Vent (DWV) applications, not drinking water.

I don't know if there's any real hazard to growing plants in them - certainly many plants are grown (or at least started) in plastic pots that are likely not plastic that is rated for eating or drinking from...


Why does the paint in my home scratch off easily?

Those pictures lead me to believe that the walls were textured maybe right before the flip and weren't primed and sealed prior to being painted. Now, you've just painted over a weak surface.


That concrete riser really should be buried, ideally. So give the idea of dumping a lot of dirt there some serious thought.

Disguising the pipe (and the riser if you don't bury it) has many possible methods, starting at the low end with painting it, since sewer-pipe green stands out quite a bit. As is, you might make the pair resemble a broken-off stump with a branch sticking up using brown/gray/black paints.

Presumably you don't want tree roots right there, but some artificial foliage might help, or some annual vines trained on strings. Going more involved, you put a (removable) windmill or lighthouse (or other decorative motif structure) over them.


Can I cut the protruding conduit to the floor level and cover it with junction box?

It is allowable and you would not need to make it water-tight, however, there are neater ways to finish this job. If anything below seems too overwhelming, call an electrician.

Since you're going to cut the conduit, you'll want to locate the next junction box and pull your wires back from there before you cut. When you use a sawzall or conduit cutter, you should ream the pipe before putting on a new fitting (the wires will get in the way of this).

Here are my suggestions from easiest and least finished looking to hardest but best finished:

A) Use an LB to make a right angle at the floor level and then go flex into the cabinet.

B) If you can install a junction box in the crawl space or ceiling of the room below, do that, and run from that point to the range.

C) Use an adapter for going from metal conduit to flexible conduit, this may be buried.

If you have the ability to work under the floor, cut the conduit below the floor level, leaving yourself plenty of room for as gentle of a bend as possible. Plan a new route for your flex to come up from the floor under the cabinet and be installed in an accessible location within the cabinet.

If necessary, replace the existing wires with wires that are able to reach your new, concealed junction box location. Considering this is for a range, make sure your wires are the proper size (likely 6 AWG).

Pull the wires through the conduit, then slip the flex and fitting over the wire. Then pull the flex into the cabinet and install into the junction box.


Is there any such thing as a rectangular tripod mount or something like that?

Pro tip when hardware hacking: When you have to work this hard, yer doin it wrong.

Get two mesh pouches - like laundry bag but the size of a cell phone / external HDD.  Make sure they have draw strings you can velcro or knot shut.

Get a rectangular plate of thick mylar or thin aluminum sheet somewhat smaller than the HDD.  Put it inside the pouch.

Attach the plate to the bottom of the laptop tray with pop rivets or epoxy.   If glued, scuff-sand all flat surfaces.  This will trap the upper part of the pouch between laptop tray and plate. Free the lower part of the pouch from the rivets.

Put HDDs inside pouches, cords coming through opening.  Draw string/velcro to secure.


How can I clean and dry a lambswool applicator quickly?

When I did my floors I wrapped the lambswool with kitchen plastic wrap, the kind you would wrap a sandwich with. That kept it moist for at least a day. If I went several days between applications, I would just use a new lambswool. It's not good to use mineral spirits (or many other cleaners) bare handed. The health risks just are not worth it. If you don't believe that, get an MSDS sheet of the product your using and read it.


How to find the concrete beam in a sandy block ceiling?

Have you tried a stud-finder device? They are normally used with thin walls to find the wooden studs behind the walls. I think they are really ultrasound devices and they just look for the return time. They should work on any homogeneous material, as long as it's not too thick.


One of two Nest Thermostats won't run Fan Only, fan runs with heat though

To troubleshoot this, you can remove the Nest and use a jumper wire to touch the red and green wires together.  The fan should come on.  If the fan does not come on, then the system is not wired correctly on the other end.

You'll have to take a look at the air handler side of the wires to see what happens to the green wire.  If the wire was broken or if they were trying to get around a limitation of some other thermostat, the could have jumped the fan wire to the heat or cooling to get it to work at the expense of not being able to run with the fan only.

The fact that the white wire doesn't go to the W terminal on the Nest already proves that something is out of the ordinary.  It might not be broken, but there might be a combination of equipment that requires some odd workaround.  That or the person that tried to get it to work last time didn't know as much as they should have.


Can you leave cold water running (inlet) through gas water heater - with the heating element actuall OFF?

No problem, the water will just pass through if you turn off the gas supply.


How to move these disposal discharge connections?

OK, If you have to remove the copper piping, start with the trap, the "u" thing, which you need to re install with the new piping. Turn the two brass nuts counterclockwise to remove them from the down pipe and the main drain. The threaded fitting  at the wall should be able to be removed by turning it counterclockwise with a 12 or 14" pipe wrench. The problem is you might not be able to turn it unless you cut the pipe in half, between the 90 and 45 degree bends. It will depend on the clearances. If you can modify this to make it work, it would be to your advantage. Even try calling your appliance person and see about the size of a 1/2 HP disposal.
This will be tricky if you're not a plumbing person.


Using a second thermostat as a remote temp sensor

No, the stat needs 24vac for the wifi, which is supplied by the furnace from the R and C terminals. You can easily find on Amazon or other retail sites a "24vac C wire adapter" and you can install the thermostat anywhere near a 120v receptacle.


What's this plastic thing along my sidewalk pavers?

That is called Paver Edging. It is used to keep the pavers tight or to separate one section from the other. It's usually covered to the point that you only see a small strip of it. However, it looks like the installer didn't quite finish the job. I would probably do as you suggested and bury the edging deeper. You could also take up those few bricks that are outside the gate, level that area a little better and place those bricks closer to the edging for a more uniform look and to stabilize that immediate area.


Air conditioning unit sitting on the ground

Code requires outdoor condensers be installed on a reasonably level surface raised at least 3 inches above ground level.  If water pools in the lower part of the unit during cold weather and then freezes, the condenser coils can be damaged by ice expansion and that will often end the life of the unit, although the outdoor condenser can sometimes be replaced.

As Tester101 said, there are prefab pads made for this and if you can raise your unit without damaging any lines that are connected then you may be able to do this without an A/C technician.  Great care must be taken not to kink or break the refrigerant lines if you attempt this.  Otherwise, you will need an A/C contractor to recover the old refrigerant and disconnect and temporarily cap the lines; and then after you install an acceptable pad the A/C contractor will need to install a new refrigerant dryer, reconnect the lines, purge the lines with nitrogen, evacuate the system to a deep vacuum, and correctly recharge the system with new refrigerant.  If everything goes well this is around a half-day of work (not including installation of a new pad).

By Request:

2009 Uniform Mechanical Code 1106.2 "Supports and Anchorage" last paragraph:

  A compressor or portion of a condensing unit supported from the ground
  shall rest on a concrete or other approved base extending not less
  than three (3) inches (76mm) above the adjoining ground level.

Admittedly, this language does not use the phrase "reasonably level" and it is not the most current version.


How can I put a plastic sky-light in a shed roof?

Homemade skylights are a bit tough. But, you basically want to have the top & sides under the roofing & the bottom on top of the roofing. Set the panels in a thick bead of caulk, silicone or not & screw down either through the panels or with brackets.

The polycarbonate's channels would be best run horizontal to the pitch rather than downward with it. Membrane tape or even just aluminum tape the sides first then the top. Finally, caulk the roofing down to the sides & top of the panel & do a final caulking at the bottom of the panels to stop any capillary action or ice damming.


What is the correct way to wire a 4 prong oven receptacle?

That is correct.

See NEMA 14-50R

Source

G - Ground
W - Neutral
X - Hot
Y - Hot

If you look at the terminal screws on one of these receptacles, you may notice they are different colors.

The green tinted screw is ground.
The silver screw is neutral.
The two brass screws are hot.

This is a common pattern in most electrical devices, and can easily be remembered with a simple poem.
Black to brass, or you'll fry your ass.

As @HillBilly.Developer pointed out, since the red and black wires are both hot it doesn't matter which one is connected to X or Y. Each hot wire will have an electric potential of 120V to neutral/ground, and 240V potential to each other. This is because in US residential wiring, the house is fed from a transformer with a center tapped secondary. So the building is supplied using two hot legs (L1,L2) which are 180° "out of phase", and the center tap (N).

Because of this, any device in the house can be powered using either 120V, 240V or both. To supply 240V to a device, a hot wire from each leg of the system must be present at the outlet.

In our situation one leg of the system is the black wire (L1), and the other is the red wire (L2). So either way you hook them up, you'll always have 120V potential L1 to N and L2 to N and 240V potential L1 to L2.


Why is my roof leaking when it isn't raining?

When water leaks through ceiling it makes drywall week. Recently I replaced leaky hot water pipe in the house. A big area of ceiling was damaged. Not sure how big or a small ceiling portion is affected in your case. I would first make a small hole with a nail or at least 1/4” drill. If water is accumulated and comes out faster or more you may have to cut 12x12” piece of ceiling. (I would start their)
Let us know what is your finding. Making hole or cutting small portion of ceiling was suggested based on your info.


Water heater problems after water was shut off

Is it a leak or does water drain back from the tank when the main is
off?

If there was no leak before the water was shut off then there is no reason for there to be one as a result of it being shut off. (the pump overheating may(?) have caused problems to plumbing connections)
You will not be able to determine if the pump is still functioning until the water is back on and you can see it pumps water.

Is it a leak or does water drain back from the tank when the main is
off?

In my experience the  municipal water supply pressure  is enough to keep the tank full and will not allow a back flow, but i do not know anything about your particular situation and why you have a pump on your water heater.
You also will need to determine if the water heater itself was damaged from firing up without water in it. (did the service person say anything about that?)


How can I get a smoother finish when painting trim?

Getting a smooth finish without purchasing an expensive HVLP sprayer is fairly easy.  Start with any good grade paint, and treat it with Flotrol acrylic additive at a rate of about 1/2 pint per gallon and mix well.  If you get a real thick paint, you can increase the amount of Flowtrol up to one pint per gallon max.  I use and recommend Purdy brushes.  For trim, I like a sash brush, (angled style). Be sure to pick out a brush for latex paint, usually a combo of nylon and poly bristles. The ends of the bristles need to be very tapered and soft. Check out the Purdy ExtraGlides for latex.

Your technique is important also.  Always try to finish with long smooth strokes only using the very tips of the bristles.   Properly treated paint and the right brush used well will give you fantastic results.  Good luck.


why is CFL more sensitive to low temperature than the LEDs?

It's the way they work.

LEDs are entirely solid-state and DC.  Apply power, zing, light comes out.  LEDs don't care about temperature (though the AC/DC converter behind them, might.)  The LED lights as fast as the power supply/driver can self-test, sync with its dimmer, and come up. That varies by power supply.  For a 12V battery feeding a light strip, it is instantaneous.

Fluorescents are a type of arc-discharge lighting (like neon, metal halide, mercury vapor, high and low pressure sodium, etc).  They have a long pressurized tube full of magic gas, and they "strike an arc" down the length of the tube, which ionizes the magic gas and makes it emit light.  The gas is not a particularly good conductor of electricity, so getting that arc started is tricky. And this process is rather sensitive to temperature, operating frequency, and the sophistication (i.e. cost) of the ballast.

An instant-start fluorescent blasts an extra-high voltage to try to force a start, but this accelerates bulb wear. To remedy this, a rapid-start fluorescent (ballast) adds an intentional, fixed delay while it heats up small "filaments" in the end of each bulb.  A programmed-start ballast detects when the bulb has warmed enough to strike - but that can be 3-4 seconds in extreme cold!

Electronic ballasts are also able to operate at the ideal frequency for fluorescent bulbs - unlike old ballasts which are chained to the far-too-slow 50Hz or 60Hz power (visible to some, and to everyone when the lamp is struggling due to cold.)

Any discharge lighting will struggle in the cold.  However, the "high intensity discharge" family (metal halide, mercury vapor, sodium lights) operate VERY hot, so ambient temperature quickly becomes irrelevant.


trouble shoot air conditioning thermostat

Test the thermostat

There's a couple ways to do this, the "professional" way, or the "caveman" way.

Label and remove the wire connected to the Y terminal on the thermostat.
Set your multimeter to test continuity, or resistance.
Set the thermostat to cooling, and reduce the set temperature until the unit starts to call for cooling (may hear a click, and the unit should indicate that it's calling for cooling).
Touch one of the meter probes to the R terminal on the thermostat.
Touch the other probe to the Y terminal on the thermostat.

The meter should show continuity, and/or a low resistance. If not, the thermostat is bad, or not configured properly.

If the thermostat checked out, reinstall it and move to the next test.

Alternatively, a caveman would simply touch the "yellow" wire (the wire connected to the Y terminal) to the "red" wire (the wire connected to the R terminal).

This should turn on the A/C. If not, continue to the next test.

Test the wiring

WARNING: This test requires you to open up the furnace/air handler, and work on live equipment.  If you do not feel comfortable, contact a local licensed HVAC technician.
Next, you'll want to make sure the signal is getting to the furnace/air handler.

Carefully open the furnace/air handler, to expose the control wiring.
Set your meter to test AC volts.
Touch one probe to the R terminal.
Touch the other probe to the Y terminal.
Have a partner turn the thermostat to cooling mode, and reduce the set temperature until the unit starts to call for cooling.

Initially; when the thermostat is not calling for cooling, you should read about 24 volts.  When the thermostat calls for cooling, that should drop to 0 (or very near 0, depending on how sensitive the meter is).

If this checks okay, move to the next test.

Test the contactor

WARNING: This test requires you to open up the condensing unit, and work on live equipment.  If you do not feel comfortable, contact a local licensed HVAC technician.

Open the condensing unit to expose the contactor.

Using a nonconductive implement (broom handle, etc.), push the contactor closed.

If the unit does not come on, it's likely time to contact a local licensed HVAC technician.

If it does come on, move to the next step.

Test the contactor control wiring

For these tests, you can pull the disconnect for the condensing unit.

Label and remove the control wires from the contactor.
Set the meter to measure AC volts.
Touch one probe to each of the wires you just disconnected.
Have a partner turn the thermostat to cooling mode, and reduce the set temperature until the unit starts to call for cooling.

Initially you should read 0 volts. When the thermostat calls for cool, that should jump to about 24 volts.

If everything to this point tested okay, it's time to contact a local licensed HVAC technician.


Can someone explain this wiring configuration to me?

They are buses

Hang onto your hat.  This is one of the few times wire color codes actually mean something.   In this case (not often repeated):

Black is always-hot
Red is switched-hot
White is neutral (well, that actually is fairly common)

All those wires have simply been bussed to all locations.  Remember

Supply needs always-hot and neutral
Dumb switches need always-hot and switched-hot (but neutral must be present)
Smart switches need all 3
Lamps need switched-hot and neutral
Split receptacles need all 3

Here's a drawing I did of a bussed arrangement for sharing motion sensors.  It's exactly the same deal.

Nevermind my error with the ground wires.  You get the idea.


How can I wire a GFCI receptacle and a combination switch/receptacle device?

Equipment grounding wires have been omitted for clarity. Don't forget to properly connect all equipment grounding wires.

Connect the white (grounded, neutral) wire from the feeder to the silver screw on the Line side of the GFCI receptacle.
Connect the black (ungrounded, hot) wire from the feeder to the brass screw on the Line side of the GFCI receptacle.
Connect the white (grounded, neutral) wire from the cable feeding the combo device to the silver screw on the Load side of the GFCI receptacle.
Connect the black (ungrounded, hot) wire from the cable feeding the combo device to the brass screw on the Load side of the GFCI receptacle.
Connect the white (grounded, neutral) wire from the GFCI receptacle to the silver screw on the combo device.
Connect the black (ungrounded, hot) wire from the GFCI receptacle to the black screw on the switch half of the combo device.
Break the tab between the terminals on the combo device.
Connect a jumper (red) from the brass (switched) screw of the combo device to the black screw on the receptacle half of the combo device.
Place a "GFCI Protected outlet" sticker on the combo device, and all downstream protected outlets.

With this setup the receptacle on the combo device will be controlled by the switch on the combo device, and will also be GFCI protected.  In the drawing above, I've also included a pass through GFCI protected feeder. This pass through can be used to power, and protect down stream devices.


Connecting the 2 may make things worse. Trying to control 2 different systems I have done but interconnecting the ducts would need to be done on the supply and return with dampers to be able to adjust them. An 8" duct is not going to provide a lot of change over that distance. I use 6-8" ducts for single bedrooms with just a short feed from a trunk line. My concern would be the system efficiency could be reduced for example sending cool air upstairs to the 2nd unit could cause that evaporator to freeze up. But if dampers in the duct were added you could possibly improve the mix I would just be concerned about freeze ups.


Attach drywall directly to framed soffit without plywood/osb

There is no problem attaching drywall directly to the framing. Drywall is more heat resistant than wood and the temperatures in conventional HVAC are not extreme enough to be an issue.

The only other consideration is whether you want insulation around the ductwork to improve the efficiency of the system. If you do, either fiberglass batts or foam panels could be inserted between the 2x4s before you install the drywall.


Can I use an outdoor 8/3 wire to hookup lights outdoor?

I would use the cable to feed a small sub-panel. Then you can feed your new circuits from that. This gives you a lot of flexibility.

Where was the hot tub? Where is this cable exactly?


Is it possible to reduce a 1" thick board to 1"/N boards?

Theoretically, yes. Reasonably? That depends. You're describing what's termed "resawing", for obvious reasons. And you're absolutely correct on the basics: a properly tuned bandsaw with enough room for the width of the board you're resawing, the right blade, and typically the saw's fence (or a homemade jig) to keep the board properly on it's edge, at 90 degrees to the table.

So in practice, especially when you first start learning this skill, what happens a lot is that the blade will start cutting off to one side or the other. So you're constantly trying to steer the blade and the workpiece to bring the cut back to center. You end up turning one 1" board into 2 boards that range from 1/4" in some spots to 3/4" in other spots. Then you run these wavy-surfaced boards through the thickness planer a few times, and you end up with two 1/4" boards and a whole lot of sawdust.

If you're trying to build your skills, then I don't mean to discourage you. It's an important skill to have if you're gonna do some advanced projects (Google "bookmatching" for example). But if this is a one-off project for you, I'd recommend repurposing the already purchased wood and buying the actual thicknesses you need from a local hardwood dealer (i.e. not HD or Lowe's). Or as another response above mentioned, you could at least thickness plane this wood down and use it for your 1/2" needs. Good luck!


There is mold in my bucket of paint. Can I still use the paint?

Try using a spatula and clean off the moldy area, it might just be some rust, without disturbing the rest of the paint so you don't mix the mold/rust in. Once it's cleaned up, stir the paint and determine if the texture seems right and then paint a scrap piece of wood and see what it looks like. The fact that you don't have the acrylic smell means the chemicals that keep the paint liquid and spreadable have weakened and that's not a good sign. You've waited a year, try a test spot and see what it looks like...


Under NEC 2014, you can leave the conductors alone and add (retrofit) a ground wire.

It is not necessary for the ground wire to follow the same route as the conductors. However the ground wire must go to the ground bus in the same panel the heater is powered out of.

Circuits which come out of that same panel can share ground wires.  So you don't have to home-run all the way back to the panel, if  you can reach the ground wire of another circuit also served out of that same panel.  However the entire route of the ground wire must be as thick as the conductors, i.e. at least 12 AWG in this case.

If your jurisdiction hasn't adopted NEC 2014 yet, well... I don't know what to tell you.  I would investigate whether they're likely to.


Is this gap between foundation and siding supposed to be here? If not what should I fill it with?

You can buy rolls of 'bottle or bristle brush' type material in different diameters. Essentially plastic bristles with a twisted wire core, simply cut to length and pushed up into place.

Originally designed to deter mice, but it'd work for crickets just as well.


You don't need a 60A panel.  In fact it's a bad idea.

Your panel needs to have a shutoff switch*.  It doesn't need a main breaker.  Although... a main breaker happens to work as a shutoff switch.

Since you're using it only as a shutoff switch and not as a breaker, the breaker size doesn't matter at all.  You can use any panel you please, and in fact, we recommend a large one.  That way you have enough panel spaces for all your needs and on into the future.

There's nothing worse than running out of spaces in your panel, and now is the time to avoid this - before you buy your panel.  Spend a few extra dollars and get one with a lot of spaces.  Most likely, its main breaker will be larger than 60A.  Like I said, that's fine.

Your wiring will be protected by the feed breaker in the main panel.  For 10/3 w/ground cable, you must use a 30A breaker.   That may suit your needs.  However if you run 6/3 w/ ground cable, you can use a 60A breaker.

Remember you must trench direct burial cable to 25", so you have 24" cover over top of the cable, with sand or sifted dirt around it so a rock doesn't dig into the cable.

Also you will need grounding rods at the garage, even though you are running a ground wire.  You must do both.

* It needs a shutoff switch because it's in a detached garage.


How can I drill a hole 8 ft deep through hard sandstone with a rotary hammer?

The roto hammer is not designed to drill any where near that deep.  You can try to drive the ground rod with the roto hammer. They rent an attachment.  If it is indeed sand stone and not too hard it may drive it through.  Other wise be content with the trenched ground rods.  This method is widely and successfully used. You could contact a highway construction company and find out the going rate for a rock boring drill.


The only way to test a circuit breaker is to present it with various loads and see how quickly it pops, and measure whether that matches the formal specifications for that breaker. Theoretically, the folks selling refurbs SHOULD have done exactly that testing, and the manufacturers should have done so at least on samples from the production line... so this becomes a question of now much you are willing to trust your supplier..

Quick tip: I too have a breaker box that takes a format of breaker which is no longer easy to find. However, many houses in my town were (re)wired at about the same time and use the same breaker, so while the major electrical suppliers don't stock these the local hardware stores DO. You might want to check locally before assuming that refurbs are your only option. (My electrician knew this. My solar installer's electrician didn't, and wasted a few hours until someone clued him in.)


Extend radial circuit with new socket - diagram

It's a radial as
(a) it does not return in a ring to the consumer unit
(b) it's 20A on 2.5mm cable. A ring would be 32A on 2.5mm cable. A radial circuit at 32A would have to be in 4mm cable. Except for pyro cable which is completely different

On a radial it doesn't matter if you 'spur' off a 'spur' as the circuit protection is sized for a single cable, provided you extend in the same size cable as the rest of the circuit.

The former standard circuit with 20A fuse or MCB protection with 2.5 mm² live and 1.5mm² protective conductors was allowed for a floor area of not more than 50 m². I think under 18th Edition IET regulations the floor area is now advisory.

You still have to consider disconnection timing and Zs if you are running long cables though.

Edit to add, following comments

This isn't a ring which needs to be "returned" and continued. On a radial circuit you can spur off any-old-how. There are no restrictions provided you use the same size cable throughout. The cable is fully protected by the supply circuit breaker.

In fact what you propose would increase the total circuit length by twice the distance which would be significantly less favourable than teeing off a single cable to feed the new socket(s), as well as having two junctions instead of one.

However, you should be sure whether it's a ring or a radial. If there is only one set of conductors at the MCB it cannot be a ring.

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Testing_a_ring_circuit

On a radial circuit (2.5mm / 20A) you can tee off any-old-how. On a ring circuit (2.5mm / 32A) you can only spur off one single or double socket as an unfused spur.


When you see multiple wiring diagrams in a ballast's instructions, it means there will be a table of supported lamps, which will indicate which diagram applies to that particular lamp.

This lamp is NOT on the ballast's list of supported lamps

Well then, that’s that.
You either need to use a lamp that is on the ballast’s list of supported lamps, or use a ballast which lists your lamp. I suspect you’ll want to do the latter since your goal is a UV light.
We’ve been getting a lot of these questions since early March, one guess why... and the fact is that while the UV lights share the same sockets as fluorescent illumination lights, they have very different electrical characteristics and require diffferent ballasts.  (This isn’t anything new; T8 and T12 lights share the same base, and require different ballasts).
You can’t just hork together mismatched sets, or at least, you’ll get failing or compromised performance if you do.  And unless you’re an elf or halfling, you probably can’t see UV-C, so how would you even know it was working?  Using reputable matched parts and observing on-spec current draw is your best bet.
Speaking of “reputable”, you’ve done an amazing job dodging the sea of dangerous, cheap Cheese junk that Amazon is awash with thanks to the dubious Amazon “Marketplace”.  However, they nailed you on that line cord.  For a line cord, simply buy any UL Listed extension or line cord at any local shop or from your cord drawer (my favorite is that surplus of PC cords we all have)... and lop the socket end off.
Given that this is a homebrew rig, you should put serious thought to grounding; your future ballast’s spec may even require it.


I agree with ThreePhaseEel, no. If the unit is not in use, then there should be no reason to preventively treat the condensate drain-line.

However, you may benefit from adding water alone to the condensate drain-line monthly, if it's connected directly into the building's sewage system. If the condensate dumps outside or into a sump-pit or sink, then not even water is needed.

If you're adding bleach and/or vinegar to somewhere else, then stop it immediately as you should not be doing whatever you're doing...even if it's a humidifier. Otherwise, monthly to the condensate drain-line is not ever needed and only annually is more than sifficient.


strange behavior from LED that replaced CFL

This is G24Q, a dedicated FL mount. It means it's wired to a FL ballast and starter, has a reflector to catch omnidirectional emission pattern of a FL - basically all the infrastructure to run a FL. While it is technically possible to build a LED that can work simulating a FL, it's counter-productive.

If you want to have a LED light, then do it right all the way: remove old FL fixture and install a LED fixture. Incandescent, fluorescent and LED are very different in their principles of operation and every time when you see one tech trying to disguise as another it's a shitty, ad-hoc solution that made compromises to squeeze into wrong niche. Even light emission patterns are vastly different, so the light source not only has to be powered by proper electronics but also positioned right.

BTW, there is very little point of replacing FLs with LEDs. Power efficiency is so similar that costs of the switch are hardly recoverable. LEDs have faster start-up time, so it makes sense to replace ones that are often flicked on and off, but for lights that stay on for long periods, I'd keep FLs. If issue is with light color quality, then look for a better FL. Worst LEDs are much worse than worst FLs here, while best FLs still have an edge over best LEDs. None can come close to an incandescent light, though.


This is about load bearing and claims. The pressure associated with 2 ft of dirt is probably well within the load bearing specification of the blocks in question. 3 feet may not cause any issue, but you cannot hold the manufacturer liable if it collapses and/or if someone gets hurt.

If you exceed the manufacturers specifications an inspector might have a problem with it too. I would recommend adding weep holes, french drains, and possibly a deadman. And since much of the weight comes from moisture, the backfill could be gravel, to improve drainage. In fact there are lots of ways to shore-up a retaining wall, but the onus would be on the "engineer" if something were to fail.

Here's a good picture of some retaining wall features. Source: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd/youyourland/soil.htm

Edit- A tie back is used on block walls. Screw types and anchor plates are common, but there are probably many ways to accomplish the act of tying or holding the wall in a similar fashion.


Can I use CPVC to make a solar water heaer?

Sunlight resistance is not a problem if you're going to be painting it anyway.
The real problem is temperature. You're not clear as to how you intend to design the system, but, unless you take specific measures to prevent overheating (e.g. by having a pump that turns on and flushes pipes periodically), pipes can get very hot. Solar heaters are traditionally copper, which can handle boiling water just fine. On the other hand, CPVC is only rated up to about 200 F. Maximum temperature varies depending on pressure and pipe dimensions, but, generally speaking, at 200 F, CPVC piping is barely strong enough to withstand normal water-main pressure. ("Hot water" inside your house is rarely hotter than 140 F.) Other plastics are as bad or even worse (e.g. ABS and PVC are both rated for lower temps than CPVC and PEX).
The link in the other answer suggests that PEX might handle 230 F, but it depends on your system (I don't see any pipe dimensions there).


A compact florescent (CFL) definitely heats up and needs to have room to dissipate that heat.

It is not nearly as hot (25–33%) as an equivalently bright incandescent, but the radiation pattern is different too.  An incandescent has most of its heat coming out the bulb with only a small proportion from near the narrow base.  A CFL has electronics in its base and those are responsible for a good amount of the bulb's heat.

The different heat pattern would explain why an enclosed base of a CFL would get crispy hot.  If that were combined with stagnant air and warm ambient temperatures then yes, it could be a fire hazard.

However, your pictured light fixture probably does not confine the bulb's bases and was made for—what? 225 watts of incandescents?  It should be fine for three 40 watt CFLs.

Do this experiment:  fill it full of CFLs at or above the wattage you'd want to run.  Close the cover and turn it on for at least 20 minutes.  Take the cover off and feel inside.  If anything is too hot to touch (120 °F/ 50 °C or greater), then it probably is not safe.  If parts are warm to the touch but not verging on painful, it is most likely fine.

LED bulbs would be completely safe.


Should I use a centrifugal or axial fan for server room ventilation?

Is this a datacenter (raised flooring, proper precision air conditioning, fire suppression, etc.), or a server room (tiny space with heat producing machines that happens to have its own AC unit or duct leg)?

If you're talking about a small server room all you want is a fan that moves the volume of air you need to move through the length of duct work you need to go through, and preferably does it quietly enough not to annoy anyone.

As a general rule direct exhaust (or short straight duct runs) can use either type of fan, but for longer ducts, curved/bent ducts, or anything else that's going to increase resistance to airflow you want the extra force centrifugal fans generate.

Also as some folks mentioned in the comments, make sure you're pulling out hot air and not messing up your airflow -- cool air should be blowing in to the front of the servers, and the exhaust system should be pulling hot air from behind them.
A draft detector (or a cigarette if you're so inclined) can be useful in making sure air is going where you want it to (test with your AC on and off).

If you're talking about a real datacenter with raised floors and precision air conditioning you I beg you not to do this (or at least don't DIY) -- Proper datacenters are usually sealed environments, and adding exhaust systems to blow off hot air has lots of fire suppression and climate control implications.

Codes vary, but most datacenters use clean agent flooding for fire suppression, so exhaust systems have to have integration with the fire alarms (usually electro-mechanical or magnetic drop-dampers). That integration is a job for a licensed and insured HVAC contractor, because if something goes wrong your insurance company is going to want to sue somebody and you don't want it to be you :)


What actions should be taken after water heater supply pipe damage?

Turn off water supply to water heater, turn off (not pilot) gas to water heater. If the cold water shutoff to the heater is beyond the break, turn off the main water supply valve.


Bathroom Light / Fan Switches - Changing Switch Controls

So the short answer is you can take one of the wires out of the nut and swap it with the red wire of the fan, and that will do what you want.

The medium answer is you could do what Harper suggested and replace the single switch with a double switch and control all three independently. You would take the bottom wire from the switch and place it in the brass terminal, and one each of the 2 wires going out to the lights in the 2 silver terminals.

The long answer is, your drawing only shows "hot wires". They should all be black or red. My guess is that nut of 4 wires is a hot coming in, a hot going out to the next outlet or switch, and the 2 pigtails that "energize" the switches. The neutrals are either at the fixtures themselves and were never routed in your switch box, or what you think are the ground wires are your neutral (are they bare wires or white?). The ground being the metal clad sheathing of the wire that is common in older homes.


Respirator for spray varnish on oil paints!

I have several different types , it depends on the job, the longer the job the better quality you want. I use for example painting a meat locker with an alcohol based paint I was expecting 6 hours so I paid more for a brand that had a lower resistance (work of breathing) that took all the nastys out. And similar with high VOC paints, their are times we need the really nasty paints (I say nasty because what they do to the body until cured). I am a big guy so I need a large frame mask, for a high quality mask there is really not a one size fits all. on my best mask I was professionally fit for size , they break a vile containing banana oil? I think it was because we can detect it at small amounts and found I needed a large even though I thought a medium fit well. You probably won’t need an air supplied version but I know a couple of people that work with toxic gasses that use fresh air pumps because it ends up being cheaper than regularly replacing filters, many filters expire x hours after they are opened, some allow for a total exposure time. So these things need to be considered in your choice also but start with the paint name and MFG SDS then make your decision based on that.
I added the additional information on size because I thought I was a medium until being professionally fit , a quick test is to seal the cartridge hole and breathe in then hold your breath and see if the mask leaks air and expands it is not comfortable to do this but it was one of the quick checks before using the banana oil.
I hope this helps.


Connect all 3 switches in a 3 gang to be controlled by a single switch?

Sure.

Just pigtail a short piece of wire to the three wires feeding the lights and terminate it on the switched terminal of the switch you want to control them.

Good luck and stay safe!


How do I caulk where a caulk tube won't fit?

In addition to DA01's suggestion, there are also smaller tubes of caulk that may be thin/small enough to angle into the casing corner. More costly, but you only need a little (if it fits).


Cleaning them:

If I have good access from outside I push up screen (or remove), close window and hit it with a hose or power washer - from a decent distance.
Open window and get everything wet.  Soap and hot water.  With one paper towel you can take away 90% of the dirt on one window.
Use old toothbrush, old butter knife, and a washcloth on the rest.
Dry them with a clean rag.
Apply a marine wax (here is a brand I have used with good results).  By waxing it you are not ridding yourself of window cleaning.  However I have found that a lot less stuff will stick to your window sill/track in the short term (6 months).

Aside from shuttering up your windows, you will always get dirt in thise area.


Can't make progress with a hammer drill into 60 year old concrete

Are you using it on the hammer drill setting? Some hammer drills allow you to turn it off and use it as a regular drill. Old concrete becomes very very hard and without the vibration of a hammer drill, you basically can''t get into it.


In a light switch, how can I tell if the black wire is really hot and the white wire is really neutral?

In a perfect world, black is hot and white is neutral. Unfortunately,that's not always true. I have seen houses wired opposite, against code. I've seen part of the house wired opposite. What you need to do is get a meter, not a wonder stick, and test your black group for voltage to ground. You should get 120v +-, then test white group to ground and you should get 0. If you get 0 when testing the black and 120V when testing white, then it's backwards and you or a pro should figure out why. It could be wired correctly and maybe whoever installed this switch decided to switch the neutral instead of the hot. Once you determine hot and neutral, you can think about installing your outlet.


Why not consider a rim lock. This is a surface mounted lock and door latch that was typical in 19th century houses.

It is mounted on the inside surface and requires only two small holes drilled through the door - one for the knob spindle and one for the key.

There are old ones around, but you can find reproductions that work the same way.

Images and links are illustrative only, not an endorsement of goods or sources


First recommendation; put labels on stuff.  Sorry, nobody needs a Monday Morning Quarterback.

Do you have a meter?  I would try metering out which wire gets voltage with the lightswitch going on and off.

My guess, based on the two way switch, is that the three black wires are; Line ( from the breaker ), feed to the outlet, and feed to the switch.   The two whites in the wirenut would be the Neutral to the breaker box, and the outlet.  I am guessing that the single white wire is a carrier from the switch, or in your case, switches.  With this premise in mind I would check the voltage with a meter on the single white against ground while blinking the switch.  If the meter blinks with the switch, then put the fixture black onto this wire, and white with the wirenuted whites.

If this guess is wrong, I have more questions.  Did / does the outlet loose power when the lightswitch is off?  If yes, then it's probably wired with all blacks together and all whites together.  But again, I'd check with a meter before closing in all the boxes.

good luck, let us know the outcome


How to handle painted backsplash that now has bubbling paint

There is a reason that painted surfaces are generally not used for backsplashes, and you have discovered it.

The standard approach to both counter and backsplash is to have an impervious surface and a seal between them. This is virtually impossible with paint. Occassionaly you will find heavily sealed wood (clear epoxy, marine varnish, etc.) used for either the counter or the backsplash, but they need constant monitoring and repair if scratched or chipped.

You should consider using tile or metal as a backsplash (as suggested by hortstu in his comment). It should also be sealed to the countertop at the base (clear silicone at the bottom edge of the tile/metal).


Can I install two thermostats on one furnace/act unit? I will be using one in living room, the other in a hallway

I'd suggest looking for a thermostat that supports remote sensors. I personally own ecobees which support up to 64 wireless sensors per unit. You can decide which of the sensors participate in measuring the average temperature for each time slot of the day. I believe Honeywell offers thermostats that support sensors as well in both the wired and wireless variety.


This may get you on the right track:
"The Forty-Eight Insulations Company was founded in 1923 in East Aurora, Illinois. Forty-Eight sought to produce high-quality insulation." "Forty-Eight used asbestos until 1982, long after it was known that the mineral was toxic. The Forty-Eight Insulation Qualified Settlement Trust was created to compensate the victims of Forty-Eight. Two separate amounts were placed into the trust fund. The first was $39 million to resolve existing claims. The second was $15 million for future claims."

You have a local testing lab that can sample the material and give you an answer.  In my area the test runs about $50.


One red wire on one screw, right? And two black wires under the other screw (or poked into those dang quick-connect holes I hate so much)? If so, that's an ordinary switch, not a three-way. If it actually has three screws on the body of the switch, though, it's a three-way... and given your description of things, there's no really good reason for that.

If indeed you have a red wire "going to one location" and two black wires "going to another location", then ONE of those black wires should be the power feed and the other should be power continuing on to the next switch ON THAT FLOOR, unswitched, so as to supply power to the next lighting area. The red wire should be the one headed to the light fixture.

Might not be, though. Sparky guys wire all sorts of things in different (often incorrect) ways, so if you run into an ambiguity it's Best To Test.

To verify my suspicions, could you post a quick photo of the wire connections to that first switch?


2 gang boxes installed side-by-side; How do I fix this?

Assuming the 3 switches for recessed lighting are on the same circuit (same hot wire) replace them with a 3-in-1 switch. I have those for light /fan /heat in my bathrooms but there is no reason they can't be 3 light circuits.


How can I attach a top plate for a wall that falls between joists?

You plan is sound.  You really only need blocking every four feet or so, and at each end. The rigidity in your top plate will keep things from moving if it's securely attached to the blocking.

If, by chance, you have no insulation in the attic you could install blocking from below. Cut some 3" by 8" slots in the drywall inside the wall line for access, and insert the blocks through there. Install them either spanning the slot or adjacent to it.


What is a good method to seal a baseboard to stop an existing draft?

If the gap isn't too big, regular caulk will seal the gap between it and the wall.  If you're using it at the top of the baseboard and can get it in the same color as the baseboard, you might not even have to paint it.


You should try TFE pipe thread joint tape. This tape is a thin white film that you wind several times around the externally threaded part before screwing the parts together.

I would suggest cleaning away as much of that dope material as possible before re-assembling with the the TFE tape. Also it may be well to look at the possibility of using a new PVC part. That particular one looks a little bit low quality as the molding marks show that the two halves of the mold did not line up perfectly which leads to the slight misalignment of the threads at the mold line plus the mold line itself. This may be contributing to the leak problem.


What to use to clear paint a few pieces of brass?

I believe that crystal clear enamel or brass lacquer (actually not a lacquer- it's polyurethane) may be what you are after (enamel connotes painting metal). Please pardon the product recommendation, but Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel works pretty good, but Mohawk Brass Lacquer is specifically for the job.

Spraying it on makes a physical difference- it is more durable... aerosol is closer to being a vapor deposition. The trick is to use 2 light coats. But I suppose that you could use any old brush-on polyurethane; for what it's worth, I think an oil based one might be a little more durable.

Don't use shellac, as it is actually made for penetrating wood, so it won't work on metal (although what people call shellac and lacquer are often acrylics or polyurethanes). There are a variety of qualities regarding epoxy. Some epoxies will become cloudy or yellow with age, so if you don't want that, aim for something that is used more for finishing rather than sticking things together. Also, be aware that an epoxy might be more difficult to remove. Overall, I think epoxy might not be the best choice for you.