As Tester 101 said. It is a nuisance tripping AFCI (arc-fault) breaker. This is unfortunately quite common. More than likely there is no problem whatsoever.

Keep contacting the electrician or GC to come back and replace the breaker.


Pipe seized to inaccessible coupling - how to attach a new pipe?

As stated in comment, it's really very unlikely that the steam supply is high pressure steam (per the standard nomenclature of the industry) for a multitude of reasons - too hot, requiring a dedicated, licensed boiler operator, and the commissioning and annual inspections would have failed the copper pipes before it was ever fired up. Also, someone would probably be dead following a burst pipe (which is why there are all those restrictions on it.)

The short answer for your friend with the down machine and a seized fitting is to call a real plumber or steamfitter and get his operation back on-line, if (we presume) this is costing him money by not running and he's trying to save money by fixing it himself. Down-time is expensive (since the machine is not making money) and the expertise of a professional can cut downtime, making it well worth the brief pain of paying for professional help.


How can I cover the expansion gap for flooring near patio doors?

I had a similar situation when I redid my basement - couldn't put baseboard in to hide the gap between the doorway and the laminate flooring at the entry door. The most common solution I've seen in images I found on the web and in my chosen home improvement store was to use color coordinated T-moulding along the doorway right up against the bottom sill. I'd add an image, but I don't have one handy, alas.


What are these metal flaps protruding from my garage’s concrete sidewall?

It looks like a lead or aluminum damp proof course between the nib wall and the framing.
If that's what it is it can be trimmed, as DPC only needs to be between the concrete and the wood.


Should the panel in my mobile home be set up as a sub-panel?

You do not need to isolate your neutral and ground if installed prior to 1999 , (I just read something that said 2008 was the date subs had to have the neutral isolated).
In 99 4 wire feeders were required prior to that date 3 wire was legal so if your home is 99 or older the intermixed neutrals and grounds were legal on a sub back then.
Although internet electricians say you can not use water pipes rod pipe and plate electrodes are still in the 2020 code so if someone inadvertently cut your ground it can be reconnected using a crimp splice. Irreversible splices are allowed on the grounding conductor. And water pipes are still legal today current code requires a supplemental method and this can also be a rod pipe or plate electrode but with an older place you may only required 1 and there will normally be 1 at the main panel with a Mobil just splice that wire and you are good again.
Mobile are 50 amp feeders less than 20’ but all the relevant code is located in article 550 of the NEC since you are aware of some code , that section is only about 10 pages long, feeder 550.10,  branch circuits 550.12  grounding 550.16


Despite the hassle of pulling the unit out, I would say back, bottom, or top access is better. Front access is possible, but the whole shell (outer box) of the dryer is built around the front, side and top panels connecting together, and in the end taking the front panel completely off is going to be more hassle than it is worth. Usually a smaller bottom portion of the front panel comes off, and if that gives you the access you need then that is an easy place to start. Otherwise, again, go from the back, or bottom, or even from the top. On my dryer, the top swings up on a hing at the back, swinging up the whole top section and control panel. Look to see if yours similarly has a hinge at the back, about 6 inches down from the top back edge of the control panel. If so, that tells you the top does swing up. The trick is there are no screws holding it, it is held by metal clips. You use a metal putty knife or screwdriver inserted in the crack between the top and the front, at the right and left corners on the front. Push the putty knife in until it stops, then bump it in further with the heel of your hand to depress a clip mechanism that will free that corner. Do likewise on the other corner, and then the top should swing up on the back hinge.
Hope this helps.


You have a "single-pole" arrangement, i.e. one switch controlling the load (the light). You simply need to turn off the circuit breaker controlling this circuit, remove the two wires from your existing dimmer switch and place them on the two wire terminals on the new dimmer switch (the terminals that are NOT green). It does not matter which wire goes to which terminal.

There does appear to be a ground wire (bare) under a screw in the back of the box; if possible you should attach a short green or bare wire from the green terminal on the new dimmer to that same screw (or alternate ground screw) in the back of the box. This is not required for the new switch to work; it is a safety feature.

Attach the dimmer and cover plate to the box, then turn the circuit breaker on. Done.


I am willing to tackle most DIY jobs in my house, but I, personally, would draw the line at the hearth/doors/mantel on this one.

I'm not willing to mess around inside the fire box or chimney of my fire place, nor with the gas lines or any masonry that is not part of the facade.  When I do have to work on stuff like that, I either bite the bullet and hire a licensed/insured professional, or at the very least, enlist help from a friend or family member with true professional experience.


Light Fixture Junction Box with Remote Switch

When I see an odd voltage like that I think of the two usual causes: (1) ghost voltage reading and (2) floating neutral.

Ghost voltages are commonly caused by induction from nearby live wires and will disappear when a load is applied. Try connecting a lamp where you had the voltmeter. Try between hot and neutral, between hot and ground, and between neutral and ground.

Floating neutral would be caused by a break in the neutral somewhere in that panel romex. To test for it switch off all the loads on the same circuit breaker, and then measure the voltages at the panel romex again.

"Panel" hot to "panel" neutral: 43V, "panel" neutral to ground: 6.5V, "panel" hot to ground: 120V - doesn't really add up, does it? Either the neutral has a varying intermittent bad connection, or something is interfering with your voltage measurement process. You'll have to examine the entire run of the "panel" romex to find the fault.


Most (not all) dado sets run a bit smaller (you might use an 8" on a 10" saw)

You'll want to feed pretty fast to avoid melting.

This page suggests a sawing tooth speed of 1600-2600 feet per minute for Delrin (acetal homopolymer). That would require about a 2" diameter sawblade at 5000 RPM if my math is up to snuff. A 10" blade at 5000 RPM is 13,089 feet per minute. A 6" dado set (if you can find one to fit) is 7,853 FPM. 2" (which I've never seen in tablesaw blades, and most saws would not get above the table, I think) is 2,617 FPM.

You may want to find another method/tool.


Installing hot water recirculating pump on a tankless water heater

I have added recirculating systems on a few occasions and even on a tankless. The pump , timer and cross over plumbing to use the cold water line as the recirculating line can be purchased in a kit usually under 200$ For the basic kit. With a tankless a pair of check valves are needed to create the pressure drop/ flow to fire the tankless. It can be done but in my opinion eliminates the advantage of a tankless. I usually suggest a point of use small tankless at the bathroom these smaller electric units are on demand like the main unit but will warm the water until the main supply of warm makes it Once the water makes it they can actually help to stabilize the water temp and there cost is about the same as a pump, timer and crossover kit. The difference is the point of use usually requires a 240v 30 amp circuit to be run for the unit. This would be my suggestion and it eliminates the warm water in the cold line. The advantage to the recirculating system is in cold areas with the timer adjusted properly the recirculating system keeps pipes from freezing as both the hot and cold are used.


Light with 2 4-way switches and 1 3-way switch

A 4 way can be used as a 3 way, you just have to connect travelers to common colored screws, and attach the common wire (the hot or switch leg) to one of the other screws leaving its matching screw empty.
But seeing all terminals have wires this does seem unlikely. It would mean a fourth wire is uselessly connected to the switch and goes to the light unused or that it was routed to another junction box where another switch was intended but not installed.
You could test by removing one wire at a time from 4 ways looking for the wire that has no effect. Permanently insulate that wire and connect the wire it travels with to the common on the new 3-way. (If you do later find a mystery hidden three way it will act like a kill switch, only allowing the other switches to function when it is in the closed position.)


How can I protect my foundation when removing old retaining walls and regrading?

Let's address the safety issues first...
Working under your deck and porch obviously presents serious safety concerns. A wrong move here could be deadly. I'd follow these guidelines and good sense in general:

Block access to the deck during all work. No one should be allowed on it.
Work one footing (or maybe a few) at a time, relying on existing (and eventually replacement) posts for ongoing stability.
Excavate around the footing to the new grade, then set up temporary posts. These should be on solid bases, which can simply be crosswise lumber, to prevent settling if it rains. Use multiple posts, with one on each side of the deck. Be sure to leave adequate space to dig the new footing in below grade. Posts should be equal to the task. Two 2x4 boards in a well-fastened T configuration are ok, for example. A single 2x4 is not adequately stiff. Posts should be screwed to the beam at the top to prevent accidental displacement.
Once the deck is securely supported, remove and replace the original post and footing. Before cutting the post to length, evaluate the overall level of the deck and make any adjustments.

Then, about your foundation...
Barring any odd, unknown issues, your foundation does not depend on backfill for stability. It's stable with nothing around it. In fact, more problems occur during backfill and as the soil settles if it's not done properly.
However, your home may be taking advantage of the insulation and ground-source heat properties of the existing grade. Consider whether your energy walls are adequate to handle the new exposure to the elements lower on the wall.
I would advise you to work slowly and carefully and regularly check inside the foundation for signs of movement or other effects. Otherwise you should be fine.


Absolutely.  Those tiny tiles will chip or pop off as soon as somebody smacks it with something.  I assume you are thinking of some nosing like this and where I live, I would certainly go with something with some grip.

Not knowing what kind of traffic the stairs get and what your climate is like (how often it freezes - how often they are wet), it's hard to make a more informed recommendation, but those thin small tiles will not take much abuse.


Will this plumbing setup result in galvanic corrosion?

Looking at your photo I believe I see the upper 2 pipe unions appear to be dielectric unions, notice the orange insulators.
Dielectric unions isolate the copper to steel and would be the industry standard way to connect copper to galvanized pipe.
The lower pipes are flex pipes most commonly nickel plated brass with a plastic liner so no problem there either. It appears if anything the wrong type of nipple was used those fittings are for compression type not pipe thread thus the most probable reason for the leak. And the mass of Teflon tape that they tried to seal things with.
Ball valves can get sticky due to contaminates in the water (no corrosion statement would point to this) even the cleanest water and non use of a ball valve can cause a failure.


How can I know if my home has soffit vents

That's unvented soffit. The vented variety has a pattern of slots punched into it on the flats.  My guess is that there's plywood underneath, and it wasn't deemed necessary to open it up before covering it with maintenance-free aluminum soffit.

You may be able to do this to get venting in place:

Remove the aluminum soffit by detaching the fascia and pulling the nails along the bottom edge that secure the soffit panels.
Cut a channel in the original wood soffit. Whatever you can conveniently remove with a circular saw will probably be adequate. It's a messy, gritty, upside-down job, so have some eye and respiratory protection on hand.
Reinstall the aluminum soffit and fascia, but replace every other panel with vented soffit. You could also use all vented panels, or the variety that's partially vented. Since you (presumably) don't have taller energy heels on your rafters, that'll be plenty of vent area.
In the attic, install vent baffles. These create a channel up over the wall plate and along the roof sheathing, past the level of the insulation.
Install additional vents near the ridge to meet modern standards based on attic area. Do not install gable vents or vents lower on the roof. You want as complete an airflow path along the roof as possible.

Note that this would need to be done on eaves (at wall level), but not on rakes (on gable ends).

As a lower-cost (but somewhat less effective) solution, Use a hole saw to cut through both the aluminum and plywood soffits, then install round louvers every 6-12 inches.


These combination switch and outlet devices typically have four screws:

1 silver screw connected to the neutral side of outlet
1 brass screw connected to one side of the switch
2 dark screws: one is connected to the hot side of the outlet, the other connected to one side of the switch.  There is a removable tab that connects the two dark screws together.

The silver screw needs to be connected to the neutral (white) wire.

Leaving the tab in place, you have two ways to connect the hot (black) wire:

To have the outlet controlled by the switch, connect the hot (black) wire to the brass screw.  The dark screws then become a switched hot that you can use to control another device.
To have the outlet always on, connect the hot (black) wire to one of the dark screws.  The brass screw is now a switched hot for controlling another device.

If the tab is removed, then your switch and outlet are disconnected from each other.  Wire them as separate devices.  If you want to control the outlet with the switch, you'll need to run a wire from the switched side of the switch to the hot side of the outlet.


Legal requirements for generator installation?

They claim that "code" requires that either we install a generator capable of supplying the entire 400 amps that the home's panel could be configured for (the current service is, if I recall correctly, 320A and this is more a by-product of having the service split into two panels, because we have a detached garage with bonus room above, so there is one panel for each building), or we can instead hire an electrician to install a power monitor for a month and then size the generator based on the results of that monitoring.

No
Sounds like an effort to "upsell". You can have as small or large a generator as you want. Quite often a generator will be sized for critical loads (e.g., refrigerator, air handler for furnace) + a couple of convenience circuits. Or "everything but the air conditioning and the electric dryer". Or anything in between. Or "everything".
It is entirely up to you. Just understand that if you put in a generator that can't handle "everything" and then try to use it for "everything", you will run into trouble. Which might take the form of "generator turns itself off because it is overloaded" - and then you have nothing running at all.

They claim that, in spite of the statements by the manufacturer (e.g. "Can Be Installed Just 18" From a Structure - Capability to be installed 18 inches away from a structure, ideal for areas with tight lot lines. Generac's is the only manufacturer of standby generators to have 18" offset on most of its residential lineup."), we will be required "by code" to locate the generator a minimum of five feet from the building.

Maybe
There may be some truth to that. A state, county or local building code may place additional requirements that override the manufacturer's minimum requirements. Or they may be citing old requirements that have been superseded by Generac's 18" capability and they just don't know it. Or they may be just making it up - e.g., perhaps to try and sell you on a separate pad for the generator instead of being able to use concrete already in place next to your house.


How to drill plastic without the bit "grabbing" it?

Sandwich the workpiece between two pieces of wood, clamp it all together, clamp the whole assembly so that it can't go spinning off into oblivion, then drill through the whole thing.  You'll also want to use really light pressure when drilling through the plastic, but don't go so slow that you melt the stuff.

If you have some, you could use a step drill instead of a twist drill.

If you have a bunch of in between size bits, you can simply start small and slowly work your way up to the final size. However, you're still going to want to properly brace the material. Adding support behind the piece is also a good idea.

If it's within your budget, a drill bit designed to drill plastics might work. However, you're still going to have to secure the workpiece while drilling. I'd also recommend using a wood backer, to support the piece as you drill.


I expect that the sprayer hose is attached to the body of the valve with a fitting that would allow replacement of the hose. If so, you may be able to get a plug that would replace the hose in its entirety.


Can I use drywall screws to stop floor squeaks?

I prefer working from under the floor when possible. Although it is easier to screw loose flooring down from the top, it is often difficult to fill the holes and make the color and finish match. Using the top down method is a last resort, especially if you have a large area to secure. The Counter Snap screws mentioned in the previous answer are great devices, but commonly used to secure squeaky sub-floors under carpet. They will work on wood, but prefer a counter-sunk finish screw. With finish screws, you can control the counter sink depth and the head is about the same size as a finish nail.

Using blind screws from the bottom is a common way to attack your problem. The method of "pulling" the finish floor snug is important. I have used drywall screws many times with great success. You have to be very careful to calculate the thickness of the subfloor and finish hardwood, so the screw does not protrude through the floor. If in fact the subfloor is pine or soft wood, a drywall screw may be a bad choice as they can be aggressive and counter sink themselves too deep. Remember, the goal is to pull the finish floor down snug. This can be done by predrilling holes in the subfloor at the same or 1/32" larger than the diameter of the screws. That way, the screws are only threading into the finish floor, not the subfloor. When the screw head contacts the bottom of the subfloor, all force pulls the finish floor down to the subfloor. You can use a collet or a piece of tape on your drill bit to gauge the depth of your holes and not go into your finish flooring. Rather than a countersinking screw, like a drywall screw, use a #8 panhead screw sized to only penetrate the finish floor 1/2" (for 3/4" flooring). Just tighten the screws enough to make them snug, don't try to over-tighten them as that may cause them to strip out. Plan on using quite a few screws. I usually start by spacing them 8 to 10 inches apart. In stubborn areas where the squeak just wont go away, you may need to add a few more screws.   Good Luck.


You would first need to change the breaker from 50A to 15A.
Your 50A circuit needs to be one with a neutral (in terms of a typical range outlet, a 4-prong, not a 3-prong.)
At that point, not a problem (assuming you are on normal USA/Canada 120/240 split-phase, 120V to neutral power.)
However, you might find more use in putting a sub-panel fed by the 50A breaker, which could then have the 15A breaker you need to protect your load (which you cannot just hook up to a 50A breaker directly.) You could power multiple other things from the sub-panel, if you have other things to power.
"Current imbalance" is not a concern - you have that any time you have a single 120V load running, and it's mostly a consideration when you have two such loads that you expect to be on at the same time, in which case, it's good to put them on opposite hots.


What can I do about my new driveway that is higher than the garage floor?

Looks badly done - grass should have been removed before paving, grade fixed if needed so water won't run from driveway into garage.

For a crude fix, place a slot drain right up against the garage to divert water, and infill with lots of "cold patch" to make the slope inbetween as smooth as possible, rather than this huge drop at the end of the pavement.

For a better fix, hire a different paving contractor...


Leveling subfloor joists – plane joists or remove support from below

Since the floor is needing to be replaced with plywood to get a good base, I would remove the rest of the existing subfloor and plane down the high spot, if it is truly high.
Over time. joists will develop a sag in the middle, so where though it may be truly high in the area you suggest, it may actually be level with the rest of the floor at bearing walls. You could plane down the high spot in the immediate area, but the floor sweeps up at the perimeter. This is VERY typical of any wood framing.
One suggestion would be if you find that other places are level with the high spot, you could add carefully tapered shims on top of the existing joists, or perhaps an easier way would be to "sister" 2X4s to the sides of the existing to flatten and level the surface the new plywood will rest. This tactic depends of if the plumbing will allow this, since it changes the dimensions that the new plumbing will reside. If this idea will work, use construction adhesive and screws to hold the new 2X in place. This will allow adjustments if needed if and when problems are detected.
I just noticed in your sketch that you have reference points of level. a 1/4" over a long run isn't terrible, perhaps just planing down the high spot you reference is the only thing needed, but it is worth checking the spans mid run.


How can I remove studs and screws from the inside of drywall when installing a pocket door without needing to do paint and patch work on both sides?

I would go ahead and open the wall from the side you are planning on replacing.

Once you open the wall, you might find out that the drywall has been glued to the studs, in which case your best bet would be to make a clean cut and plan on replacing both sides.

If there isn't any glue, you could proceed two ways:

Use a magnet to find each screw and back them out. Done carefully, this would leave a small hole to patch and paint for each screw. Done un-carefully, there will be an ugly chunk of joint compound to patch.
Once you have access to the inside of the wall, you may be able to use a vibratory (or "oscillating") saw to cut the screw heads between the studs and the drywall. The cutting motion on the screws might still cause the paint and joint compound on the screw heads to crack and fall off leaving holes to patch, but you might get lucky and end up not needing to patch and repaint EVERY hole.

Personally, unless there is something unusual about the wall you're trying to save, with special wallpaper, wainscotting, etc., I think it would be quicker to just cut out and replace the drywall on both sides. Drywall and joint compound is cheap; having a professional come out for a patch on both sides of the wall will not be much more than just the one side. Even if you do the drywall yourself, the time spent in trying to save the wall will be longer than just replacing it.


The lights seem to dim when we plug anything into the bottom part of the outlet in the kitchen. Wondering why this could be happening?

First possibility, a bad receptacle or bad wiring connections to the receptacle. Deal with that fast -- it burns down houses.

Builders often use the cheap 60-cent receptacles, and they are also fond of using "back stab" connections to those receptacles which are terrible.  Replace with a $4-tier receptacle which has side screws or screw-and-clamp.


How to enter surface-mount main panel from back w/ a 1/0 Al SER cable?

On a seemingly unrelated topic, I like to see houses have LOTS of spare breaker panel spaces.  Spaces are cheap, and in the future stuff always comes up, and nobody has ever said "Oh no, I have plenty of breaker spaces available, whatever will I do?"
Hold that thought.
Now, given the thickness of the cable, I do not see way to make that bend.  What I advise doing is installing a LARGE junction box on the inside of the garage wall. Now your SE-R cable can enter that box vertically, transition into individual wires, and go through a conduit nipple from this inside box to the outside box. At that point we're only concerned with radius of individual wires, and that's no problem.
Now let's price that.  Splices of large wires require very long, tall boxes.  We also need splice connectors for 1/0 wire (four of them)... Hold on a minute.  What's a LARGE box that comes with big lug connectors, that's cheap?
Why a subpanel, of course!
So if extra breaker spaces wouldn't be useless, the best answer may be to fit a large subpanel on the interior of the garage.   "Large" because you want full width, and enough height to handle the large wire bends. A 14" wide psubpane gives you
And that's exactly what I'd do. Select a 200A-bussed, main-lug but convertible subpanel of 20+ actual spaces (not circuits).
I'd arrange the new panel back-to-back with the existing panel, using a "nipple" to connect them that is as large as the knockouts allow.
Downhill from there.
If the SE-R cable's internal conductors have their own markings (as XHHW conductors) then you can enter the new subpanel with a grommet/cable clamp, then pass right through the new sub and into the original panel - at that point you're just using the sub as a giant junction box.


Depending on the door construction and your own comfort level, you might be able to modify the door you have by cutting an 8" section out of each vertical stile in the top or bottom of the door, somehow attaching them back together, and then reinstalling the screen in the smaller opening.

Given how simple a screen door is though, and especially on an outdoor shed where things don't need to be perfect or ornate, I'd recommend returning the door you bought and just building your own.  You can make the frame out of a double thickness of standard 1x4s or 1x6s, laminated with glue and brads.  If you lap each corner you'll end up with a frame that's quite strong.

For the screen, I'd use a mounting system like Screen Tight; I believe it's sold at both Lowe's and Home Depot.  It works great and isn't too expensive.


Hopefully those holes are actually sloped upward the entire way, but I would not count on it.

Silicon would be OK, especially deep in.  But there's a product called Mor-Flexx which is specifically made to look and work like mortar. A tube of this would work better than any mastic, as you can really squirt it far in.  Plus you can touch up any other cracked masonry you might have around the house.

I might also solve this exact problem using rapidset mortar in a pastry bag (to get the mortar deep into the brick).  But this can crack brick over the decades if the mortar is harder than the brick and thus expands differently (a problem in historic renovation, as older bricks are often softer than modern mortar).

That said, the Mor-Flexx is easy and will solve the problem completely.
You can then install a weatherproof cable entry point and all future installers will take the lazy way out and use it (who wants to drill brick if you don't have to?).


A couple points, some of which include what others have said.

Can a vent be started from a wye?  YES
Can you do what you were proposing? NO

As others have said, you have an S-trap there, which violates "the vent connection to a fixture drain [shall not] be below the weir of the trap" (IPC code) - the point at which air is introduced from the vent needs to be above the weir, or highest point of the seal. In your diagram, the point of air introduction is where the 45 degree part of the wye hits the drop.

You could fix this by, in effect, reversing your two connections. Instead of a wye and the 90 degree bend, use a sanitary tee to the trap and the connect the vent to the top via a 45 above to go out through your space.

As you note, the vent then needs to extend at least 6" above the sink flood rim before going horizontally.


That almost looks like a sprayed on primer and not "real" paint. Your best bet would be to get a small can of primer and roll it on the wall, feathering it in to the surrounding area. Good luck.


How can I allow guests to manually control lamps under wifi control?

Google Home is nice, but you can't control primary room light exclusively with it.

The building codes absolutely require that some lighting in each room be controlled by plain wall switches in standard locations. The locations of the mandatory switches are defined by Code.  The brightness level is defined by Code, though in some living spaces it is allowed to switch a receptacle and the citizen is on his own recognizance to plug in a workable light.

As long as there is a light switch in the proper location, and it operates some light in the normal way, the Code requirement is satisfied. You can have as many other lights as you please, control them any way you please, and you need never use the statutory light switch.

Lack of legal lighting could endanger your occupancy permit and thus, your mortgage.  What's more, if an accident is caused by someone being unable to turn on the light, the insurer will cite the defect as reason to refuse coverage. Your mortgage lender will have a problem with that too.

On top of this, that Sonoff junk is a direct import from China and uses this loophole to bypass all our safety regulations, that's why it's cheaper.  As such, it is not approved by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NEC 110.2 on the very first page) so there goes your fire insurance.  And again if the inspector catches this in your home, he'll make you tear it all out.  Rules are eased somewhat for smart devices which are not made part of the house wiring and are merely plugged in.


Kenmore Electric Stovetop 790 coils not getting red hot

It sounds like a bad wiring job. Typical US ovens use 120 for controls and 240 for heating elements. If wired incorrectly you could end up with 120 for the elements and 1/4 the expected power (= heat).


Are Quick Connect Shark Bite Connectors Safe to use with a Boiler?

SharkBite fittings are certified to 200 PSI and 200°F (93°C).

Lots more info available on the official shark bite website.

Here is a link   to FAQ on the site where I found this answer.


Is garage door insulation beneficial in South Florida?

Seems unlikely, especially as the garage walls aren't insulated (although concrete blocks and stucco will add a lot of thermal mass). If you're worried about the garage getting too hot, then ventilation and white paint are probably your best solutions.


How do I glue moving ceramic tiles without removing them?

Silicone is supposed to allow movement and give.  I cannot really think of anything worse to glue tiles to a floor.  You need to take the tiles off, scratch off the silicone and reattach them with thinset.  After that you can grout.

If you keep applying the silicone you will keep getting the same result.


If you want a solution that doesn't require running any additional wires, you might consider getting a couple of 1000:1 current transformers. Run the common leg of each switch through a transformer, and put a couple of back-to-back diodes across the secondary. If one (or both) of those diodes is an LED, it will light up whenever load current is flowing in the circuit.

For example, 5 amps of load current will put 5 mA through the LED. But modern LEDs will light up quite nicely on much lower currents.


How to make a Priming Manifold on top of my pool pump lid

I would use a brass bulkhead fitting with Orings. like this photo shows. Add your threaded shutoff valve and hose adapter and you will be good to go. Be careful when cutting the hole if using a standard drill bit they grab and want to break the plastic. A hole saw would be a better way to reduce the chance of breaking. For a 1/2" pipe a 7/8" hole saw for 3/4"pipe 1-1/8" hole saw are the standard sizes.


How I prep a concrete garage floor for painting?

I have found an acid etch is about the best and easiest methods. Most masons use muriatic acid at 15-30% with water you can go stronger but this is normally strong enough to etch the surface looking at your photo 15% may be plenty. I use a 2 part epoxy made for garages , don’t go cheap or you may find where you park your vehicle the paint peeling where you stop when the tires are warm. With plain concrete paint I have seen it peel up along the tire path not just where the vehicle stops. Since you are in a garage there should be plenty of ventilation and ringing is easy with a squeegee (that’s what I use) a floor squeegee. I would caution a really nice coating looks super but I spilled some antifreeze on mine one day and it was so slick I could not stand up so now I add a traction powder, you really can’t see it but it is not so slippery.

Remember aaa always add acid to water to prevent an exothermic reaction and possibly having the acid splatter when it boils.
muriatic is used in swimming pools to adjust ph all pool stores have it as do most home improvement stores for cleaning and etching concrete.


Measuring with a volt meter may create enough of an imbalance to trip the GFCI depending on how you are making the measurement. From hot to ground may cause a trip but measuring hot to neutral it should not trip. Most modern GFCI'S are looking for the imbalance. The rest of the outlets being on the same circuit is the reason they are all de-energized.


Can I use a 120V power cord on a 208V 3-phase circuit?

You'll be fine.

What's happening is that 208V 3-phase is "wye" configuration.  Think the flux capacitor from back to the future. The center is the neutral.  Each leg of the Y is 120V from neutral.

The C13 socket on the PDU is giving you one leg and neutral, for 120V.

Why is it 208V?  Remember your geometry? Draw a perfect wye, then connect the corners and you have a perfect triangle.  If center to corner is 120, then corner to corner must be that times sqrt(3) or 208.


By design,the Gerber brand bucket and wire assembly uses a direct connection between the upper wire and the hole in the trip lever, by simply feeding the wire loop through the hole.

Other brands commonly use a threaded yoke (for height adjustment) and cotter pin at that connection.

You will need to find a Gerber brand trip plate and lever (they are out there) or one designed for Gerber, or fix up a creative work-around with the one you bought.


In an attempt to try to answer your question there are a couple of important additional pieces of information needed. This request for clarification is being put in answer space because there is no provision for showing a picture in the comment space.

First off need to know what caused the damage in the first place. Please be accurate as possible.
Secondly the photo shows a surprising number of defects in the floor which I have labeled as A to F in the picture below. What area are you thinking needs fixing?

Answers to these items are going to greatly inform useful answers that you are likely to get.


Can I salvage this broken toilet flange that's embedded in concrete?

They make toilet flange repair rings. I don't have any personal experience, so I can't say how durable they are, but for a couple bucks it's worth a try. You can see that there are holes to screw through the plastic flange holes, so in your case I'd get a good concrete bit and some tapcon screws.

sample image from homedepot.com, no affiliation


Should a French drain be located near the water source or the foundation?

It’s better to install your French drain at the point you are trying to drain.

If you are protecting a basement, I’d install the drainpipe BELOW the concrete basement slab a minimum of 5-6”.

Remember, water will go in the direction of least resistance. When it’s moving through the soil/rock and hits the drainpipe, it will flow in the pipe much faster than in the soil/rock, thus causing the water to flow towards the pipe.

Water can move sideways through the soil or it can rise up through the soil from a rising watertable.


What is the best way to build a simple desk capable of supporting several hundred lbs.?


How to treat the edge of OSB in a piece of furniture

I'd tend to fall in the "OSB furniture sounds like a terrible idea" camp, but anyway...

Two steps come to mind - one is to seal the cut edges thoroughly using either a thin epoxy or a varnish/polyurethane type of product, to both bind small slivers and prevent or at least slow moisture intake and resultant edge swelling. The other is to sand the edges (you want to seal first, then sand so that sanding doesn't turn into peeling off slivers) - and you may want to seal again after sanding.


How much dry calcium hypochlorite do I need to buy?

I was looking for the same answer.  I found two answers online.  1 tablespoon of calcium hypochlorite to 1 cup of hot water.  or a inch and a half of calcium hypochlorite on the bottom of a quart mason jar.

use glass jars.

I used about an inch and a quarter in the 1 quart mason jar cause I wanted to save some of the powder in case I needed another application.  That way I could get 2 applications from one bag. It dissolved nicely with just a little bit left on the bottom of the jar.

It was about 5 bucks for a bag.

apply to wood and let it dry overnight. rinse well with water. some say use white vinegar to neutralize it, some say use baking soda. you will need to sand it again after it drys again.

how much calcium hypochlorite do I need to bleach wood?


Yes, ventilation is not just for keeping the wood roof joists from dryrot, but it also keeps the attic dry so condensation does not drip on the attic insulation. Wet insulation looses its insulation qualities.

Here in the U.S., the Building Code requires "cross ventilation" and allows less ventilation if half of the ventilation is in the top half of the attic. So, with your sloping roof, make sure there are vents in the half of the attic that is highest so the warm hot air can escape in the summer.


Can 120v GFCI tester work for 240v source?

No.  A standard US 120V GFCI tester has a NEMA 5-15 plug.  It is physically unable to plug in to a 240V circuit.

Receptacles used on 240V circuits are keyed differently, precisely to keep that kind of mistake from happening.  Obviously it is a mistake because it would wreck any equipment plugged into it (including, possibly, a GFCI tester).  Even if it happens to inconvenience you right now.

Anyone using a NEMA 5 on any voltage other than 100-132V should not be playing with electricity.  They should use Euro style plugs, unless they have the unique center ground of some parts of the Philippines, in which case NEMA 6 would be just right... but given Philippine ambitions, I would think they'd be standardizing the country on one of the Euro plugs.

Someone who should be playing with electricity may note that the GFCI tester is simply a resistor that allows a calibrated amount of current between hot and ground, inducing a ground fault just above detection level.  Now if you were doing this in Europe, or Euro-wired sections of the Philippines with 240V between hot and ground,  the Resistor would be seeing 240V instead of 120V, and flowing twice the current, possibly to its destruction.

However, if you are in a US-legacy section of the Philippines where ground is centered between the two hots, then the resistor is of the correct value.  One could use a custom cheater cord to use the GFCI tester as intended.  However, that would only test one "hot".  To test the other hot, one would need a second cheater cord with the second one cross-wired.  These cheater cords would be harmless; you wouldn't connect the cheater's NEMA 5 socket neutral to anything at all, and only connect one of the plug hots, so if someone accidentally connected a 120V appliance it would not power up.

If your socket is flippable Euro style, then you wouldn't need 2 cheater cords, you could just flip the cheater cord over.

What you just drew in your recent edit, is not a ground fault.  It is the GFCI working as intended.  Currents through the GFCI device on L1 and neutral will cancel out, with nothing on L2, so currents sum to zero and no trip.  Note that the GFCI is not comparing currents on the two wires you want it to.  It is comparing currents on all three.  If they add up to zero (all current going out comes back), no trip.

The GFCI tester trips because its current is coming out L1, which does go through the GFCI, and going back on ground, which does not go through the GFCI. Hence it does not see the return current, and sees currents as not adding up to zero, and correctly trips.

Do not ask more than 25 watts out of either side of that transformer, or you will overload it.  One iPad is fine.  Two would be at transformer limits.


How to install surface mount box under eave with aluminum covering

He has an old work box. You have exterior grade; you can put that wherever you want. If you're worried, use dope on the knock-out plugs and the fitting.
Drill a hole in the eve right up against a joist (1" hole saw, or however big it needs to be to actually fit the fitting - it's always bigger than you think). Put the wire through the hole and into the rear KO, then angle your screws to grab the joist. Or add some framing to catch a screw from the other eyelet. I wouldn't caulk anything.
In the future, always plan the end point before you begin.


It looks to me that the threaded end should go into the hole first. As the bolt is used to cinch the mounted item the back of the mounted item will compress the front side of the expansion anchor toward the threaded part while at the same time threaded part pulls forward to expand the anchor in the hole.


Are soffits required over kitchen cabinets?

Do I have to have soffits?

No
You can leave the mechanicals exposed. If they're hidden enough by the new, taller cabinets, nobody will know. If they're not hidden, people will know and whether you care or not is up to you.
If you're going to trim out the space above the cabinets, some sort of soffit framing will be very useful for attaching your trim and moldings to. You could, however, work out a system of attachment (possibly with pocket hole screws) that doesn't require attaching the trim to any sort of framing material, but it will probably be more work to do so than it would be to frame out with 2x2 or 2x3 and attach the trim to that.
If the soffit framing is going to be totally hidden behind wooden trim, I see no reason to drywall it. Simply build the soffit to the point where your finish trim will be at the level you want it to be then trim over it. There's no requirement for drywall between the layers of wood (or other trim material).


I was able to easily open the plate dampers with Vise Grip Pliers. The locking mechanism on the Vise Grip is great.

As Ed Beal stated in his comment, I think replacing the damper is a good solution because it 1) saves time looking for an obscure part and 2) manual dampers are not too expensive.


Yes that blue wire sticking out of the cabinet looks like it's intended to be used that way. To verify use a volt meter to measure AC volts between the blue and the red wires. It should be somewhere in the range 24-30 volts.


What should be done about water under bathroom floor tiles?

Kinda hard to follow exactly what is happening there, but here are a few thoughts.

First of all, the source of the water must be addressed first. If in fact it is coming from a window, then the window must be fixed, sealed or otherwise stop the leak.  Am I correct assuming the leak is coming from outdoors?

Second, any water under a floor is a problem. Although the tile itself will not grow mold, trapped water below the tile will effect the subfloor. Even if there is concrete board below the tile, there is still a wood floor under there somewhere. If the grout has cracked or become loose and you are seeing black coming through the grout, chances are good it is a diluted mold. The mortar, thinset or grout that holds the tile is now a hardened cement and will not dissolve easily with water. I seriously doubt black liquid would be created by either the mortar or grout. More likely is that there is water between the tile backer and some wood product causing the discolored water.

Last, any standing water under a floor is a breeding ground for mold or vermin like ants or termites. If not dried out, any rotting problem is just going to get worse and eventually compromise the integrity of the entire floor.


My new dishwasher goes bonkers randomly. How can I test if "dirty power" is the culprit?

Most likely, you have a bad ground connection in your outlet, maybe even your house. Capacitive switches are referenced to ground, so when there is no ground connection, or the ground "plane" has a lot of electrical noise on it, it can "infect" (for lack of a better word) your equipment, you get random capacitance and seemingly random functioning of the controllers looking at the capacitive switches.
Electrical noise of this type, called "Common Mode noise" when it is referenced to ground, is created by things like inverters, bad computer power supplies, cheap LED drivers, etc. etc.. One thing you could try is to disconnect everything electronic that you own, see if the problem goes away, then plug things back in one at a time to see if it returns. If it does, the last thing you plugged in is the culprit.
My bet: you bought some LED lamps or fixtures that had prices that were almost too good to believe. A lot of absolute crap is being spit out of factories in China that bear no approvals, no testing labels (or counterfeit ones), etc., but they can sell them on internet sites like Amazon or eBay without any consequences.


Installing retaining wall for pool. Sump pump drain line in area

Well, without much finding of information on this, and trying to do this project alongside a full time job, and rain delays, I moved on and did what made sense.

I just left a space where the pipe was with a couple of inches on each side to reduce side pressure, and hand tamped the base around the pipe. The hardest part was getting both sides of base rock level with each other, but got it done.

I just made sure to start the blocks at the pipe to get the right gap.

After leaving the space and filling the gap with crushed stone, and because the bottom layer is mostly burried anyway, the gap isnt noticeable, and the wall seems pretty stable.

Again, this is just a small gravity wall.


What is the difference between “Planning Permission” and “Building Regulation” in the UK and when do I need to get them?

Planning Permission determines whether you are allowed to make the change. The DirectGov site has information about when you need to apply. You need planning permission before you start building - ideally before you hire a builder. You will need architects plans to obtain permission.

It is possible to get planning permission retrospectively, but don't rely on this. If you fail you will have to demolish your extension/building and restore the site.

Building Regulations determine whether what you have built is legal (safety, insulation etc.). There's some information on the Government's Communities site

An inspector will visit your site at regular intervals or by appointment during the build to check that each stage meets the regulations. Work shouldn't start on the next stage until this has happened as you might have to redo aspects which would be a waste of time and money.

Some types/size of building/extension don't need planning permission, but will still need to pass inspection. The exemptions will depend on where you are.

This is probably one of those cases where quoting from the linked pages is a bad idea as these can and do change quite frequently and there may be local regulations which supersede the national ones (Conservation areas for example).


How often should the red fibre body washer be replaced in a tap?

Whenever they leak. If it's loose & just pops out there's no harm in replacing it, assuming you have a replacement. If it's solid & seems possibly part of a cartridge then leave it until the cartridge needs replacing...they either don't turn off completely or they turn off before you hit the stop.


As it turned out, it was the dimmer which must have  been shorted by the new light fixture. While the light fixture is dimmer compatible, I guess the old dimmer wasn't up to the task - and was probably why there was no power getting to the light fixture. bought and installed a new dimmer and now it works!


Installable storage heaters - why manufacturers bother putting the bricks in?

Good observation on the relative merits of water.

However, your key assumption about relative heat capacity is almost certainly wrong: Many common metals have volumetric heat capacity exceeding half that of water.  And many ceramics have higher heat capacity than water!

You could still argue that it would be cheaper to produce and ship these storage heaters empty, and then fill them with water once they're installed.  But then you would have to consider the unique drawbacks of water:

It is corrosive to many metals
It expands when heated (and also if frozen)
It can't be heated beyond its relatively low boiling point in a non-pressurized system
If its container leaks it causes a lot of collateral damage.

Plumbers tend to view water heaters like time bombs: No matter how exotic the alloys and coatings used in their containers, the effects of expansion and contraction seem to always find a way to break them.  I.e., it's just a question of when, not if water heaters will leak.

Granted, it is possible to build water-based heat systems that last for generations without leaking or failing.  But in a smaller system it might not be – in fact, as you observe, evidently is not – cost effective.


How can I maintain the water level in a toilet bowl during extended periods of disuse?

Seriously I think this could use some technology. The idea would be to fix up an auto-flush mechanism that would simply flush the toilet once a week or so. If this was done the user flush mechanism could simply be an electronic push button to trigger the weekly flush now.

If this was done with a small microcontroller board (i.e. Arduino for example) connected up to a mechanism that would "flip the flapper" there could be some interesting things done.

When manually tripped via the switch restart the weekly auto flush timer.
Using the manual trip method during the day would sync the next auto flush a weeks time also during the day so that it does not flush when when you are sleeping at night.
Manual flush is just a simple push button.
Microcontroller can log the number of flushes per month and provide data on the amount if water used.
You can add a moisture sensor on the floor next to the toilet to have the microcontroller alert for possible leaking.


How to use a side by side refrigerator in a cold garage?

There are refrigerators & freezers designed for outdoor use. One semi-random example:

The basic problem is that ordinary residential refrigerators & freezers are designed for indoor temperatures. From a GE side-by-side installation manual:

  REFRIGERATOR LOCATION
  * Do not install the refrigerator where the temperature will go below 60 F (16 C) because it will not run often enough to maintain proper temperatures.
  * Do not install the refrigerator where the temperature will go above 100 F (37 C) because it will not perform properly.

For better or worse, I believe some of this goes hand-in-hand with energy efficiency. EPA EnergyStar and similar regulations (and common sense "save energy" mentality) have resulted in refrigerators/freezers that are "just right". They have a lot of insulation to keep the cold in and relatively low-power compressors, based on the assumption that they will not have to cool "too much" and that keeping the cool is good enough a lot of the time. So they aren't powerful enough to get things cold if it is 100 F. And the flip side is that, especially with side-by-side, a certain amount of run-time is needed to keep optimal freezer & refrigerator temperatures as they are dependent on each other - they are one unit, not two. So if the temperature is cold enough that the refrigerator doesn't need to run, the freezer doesn't run either - and gets too warm. Alternatively, if it gets so cold that the freezer doesn't need to run, the refrigerator will be cold but won't get internal air circulation and parts will get too cold.

Best answer I know of is: Put the spare refrigerator or freezer in your basement (if you have one) or in an area (e.g., mudroom or similar) between the garage and the house so that it gets at least some climate control.


I believe that is called a spring pin anchor or express nail

To remove it, I'd try these:

or any nail puller.

Spraying some Liquid Wrench or other light lubricant might make it easier to pull out, but also slippery to hold onto, and might make an oily rusty stain.


Seems that steel beam is sitting on a wall which is sitting on a footing so at best I would think you want to mix up some mortar and cover that crack so the inspector does not see it because it seems to be cosmetic to me. It looks like the house settled and you need to keep water out now


Understanding the wiring of 2-Pole Quad Circuit Breakers

Your understanding is correct EXCEPT you cannot put a 15A or 20A receptacle on a 30A breaker.  The 30A circuit must be wired to an outlet that is designed for 30A.  This would be a NEMA 6-30 if you don't need the neutral, or a NEMA 14-30 if you do (or the NEMA L-series locking equivalents).

There are devices factory-wired for these plug types in America.  The most common example is dryers on a NEMA 14-30 plug, but also welders, electric car chargers, and some shop machinery also use the NEMA 6 or NEMA 14 series plugs sometimes.


Used the wrong screws for sheetrock and screw marks are too visible. Any suggestions?

It's hard to give advice that will result in a good solution without knowing the type of screw you used. And in addition to the type, whether or not they were set correctly (with the face of the screw slightly below the paper surface of the drywall).

As Solar Mike mentions, drywall screws are coated to prevent rust from bleeding through the finished surface and staining your wall. They also have heads that are tapered on a curve so they can penetrate deeply enough to sit correctly (slightly lower than the face of the drywall) without punching through the paper, but still provide enough tension that they stay put, hold the drywall still, and don't exhibit nail pop (by cracking the mud you put over top of them to cover them up).

You can certainly put more mud over the screw heads and sand, then repeat until they're hidden. But you may still risk rust stains showing up over time (sometimes long after you've painted the wall and considered the job done) or nail pop from the incorrect screws moving due to changing conditions (temperature/humidity) over time. Putting squares of tape of the screw heads will stabilize the mud a bit and may help reduce the chance that they'll pop through over time, but it won't really help if your screws rust and stain the wall.

Screws of any type, right or wrong, set with the heads above the surface of the drywall, will prove more difficult to hide correctly. You'll end up building a thicker layer of mud over them and the resulting high spots will almost certainly be visible after the wall is finished unless you feather them well over a larger-than-you-might-think area.

Another option would be to drive new (correct) screws in between your existing screws, then back out the incorrect screws and remove them. Treat the resulting holes as you would the screws themselves, cover with mud and sand.

Also, worth noting that it's normal for the mud to shrink as it cures and there will almost always be dimples above every screw head after you've sanded the first coat. This is why a second and/or third coat is pretty typical.


Indoor / outdoor carpet?

Maybe you can insulate by carpeting on top of the floor you have.  There are lots of options.  This will leave air movement under the porch as it is which I think is smart given flood risk.  The indoor / outdoor carpet can be hung up to dry if the river floods, and replaced if it wears out or tastes change.

Anticritter mesh is a good idea, though.


Fill the gap between shower wall and splash guard

I have to tell you that that product is just not made for the application on the type of tub and tub surround that you have. If you were to try to start cutting it to fit against the tub corner and to the surround above that you would cut away the half inch edge of the splash guard leaving just the thin part to try to seal to the wall.

If I were you I would use a different approach to this. Secure a suitable sized piece of 1/2 inch thick Lexan plastic to use for a splash guard. Then cut that to fit against the form of the tub and surround. This will give you a full 1/2 inch bonding surface on all the edges. Then you can use a silicon sealer or RTV to secure that in place.

The picture below is an attempt to show you how to mark the Lexan piece so that know where to cut it.

A small block with parallel edges (red lines) can be used against the surround and tub sides (white lines) to trace a marking (green lines) over onto the Lexan piece (blue lines).

Some folks may want to use thin cardboard to create a cutting template to get the shape correct. You can still use the parallel sided block technique to transfer the shape to the cardboard.


Covering damaged wood cabinet under sink

If I understand you correctly, you are referring to the cabinet floor.  A water damaged cabinet floor is very common.  Covering the damaged floor with laminate or a vinyl contact paper is often done to hide the damage and help protect from further damage.  However, if you are planning on installing a roll out trash can, the floor will need to be solid and level.  Depending on the type of material used to make the cabinet floor and the amount of damage, it may not be solid enough to support a roll out.  Additionally, it may be solid, a good grade of plywood for example, but the long term exposure to moisture may have bowed the floor and this will not allow the roll out to be installed correctly.  So you can cover it with something like that if it is a good quality material that has not rotted or bowed.

If the floor is not solid, you will need to replace it.  This is also a fairly common procedure and it is within the range of most DIYers.  You will need to cut out the old floor.  Once the floor is cut out, use some 1x2 stock lumber to install a cleat around the perimeter of the cabinet lining it up so that the top surface of the cleat is where the bottom of the old floor used to be.  Then cut a piece of good quality plywood of similar thickness to your old floor to the same dimension as the inside of the base cabinet.  You may have to drill for any plumbing penetrations and be prepared to disconnect and re-connect those plumbing lines.  Either finish the plywood with a good paint or stain/clearcoat.                                                                                You can also use the vinyl flooring or vinyl contact paper here to protect the plywood.  Then just lay the plywood on top of the cleats ans screw it down.  Now you will have a stable base for you roll out trash can.

Good Luck with your project!


A light switch is a mechanical device with moving parts. They get used many thousand times over their lifespan. The switch could be bad. It is possible that in your case the failure is that the switch is staying closed, i.e., ON,  when it is flipped OFF (the position in which it is supposed to be open).

Turn off the breaker to that particular switch. This should turn off the fan. (If the fan continues running, then either you have turned off the wrong breaker, or the workers wrongly connected the hot from another circuit to the fan so that it is being fed by two breakers. The contractor must correct this.)

Remove the two wires on the switch that controls the fan and move or bend them so the bare ends are out of the way. Neither of two ends should be hot (breaker is off) but if you have a non-contact tester make sure neither is hot.

With a multimeter in resistance mode touch the leads to the two screws on the switch from which you removed the wires. This is a check for "continuity", meaning if the switch is ON then you should read close to zero resistance (say micro ohms). If the switch is OFF, you should read very, very high resistance (mega ohms), meaning the switch is "open".

If you have low resistance when the switch is OFF, then the circuit is not being broken when you flip the switch OFF. Replacing the switch should fix the problem.

Replacing a switch is a relatively cheap way to begin troubleshooting your issue.

EDIT But consider the possibility that the fan has a moisture sensing switch in parallel with the manual wall switch. If you have this and either the sensor is faulty or a source of water is wetting the sensor, then this could keep the fan running even when the manual wall switch was OFF.

Moisture sensing fans do exist but one would have to know if they were supposed to be connected in parallel with a wall switch or in series with a wall switch, and could be both with two different wall switches but would probably be only in parallel.


The di-electric unions are supposed to have a rubber gasket to insure a water tight seal. The installer may not have gotten the gaskets correctly in place when the unions were installed, did not tighten the union nut correctly, or may have not take the rubber gaskets out before soldering thus ruining or distorting the rubber.


Do the junction boxes for the oven and cooktop whips need to be easily accessible or can they be hidden behind the oven?

As long as the oven can be pulled out, and you can access the junction boxes that way, you're fine.


Is it safe to remove 2 "extra" jack studs to make a 60" wide door opening wider?

The use of two jack studs under each end of the header could have been done for any number of reasons.

If the header supports a lot of weight from above it may have been
deemed desirable to have the extra support on each end.
If the header has an long span it is sometimes desirable to add
additional support for the header.
As you suggested it is possible that the rough opening was
originally made wider than needed for the door that was actually
installed.
The original contractor may have wanted there to be extra wide solid
wall support at each side of the opening than the normal 3" offered
by just one stud + jack stud. It is not at all uncommon to do this
for large window openings in professional construction where it is
known that drapery hardware will mount beyond the width of any
window casings.


How do I cut a straight line in an installed wood floor for a flush mount HVAC vent?

As Keshlam commented (hence this answer is community wiki), An oscillating multitool is a good choice. You can probably rent one if you don't want to buy one. I would practice on some scrap wood.


Stoves designed for firebricks should have them.

Stove metal can be corroded and burn through if incorrectly used.

This can be caused by poor combustion due to wet wood or poor draught.

As the OP needs more...

I have bought and fitted 4 wood stoves (2 small and 1 cooking range which all came with firebricks as standard) and looked after several others, some of which were heavy cast iron without firebricks but had a longer path for the gasses to get proper combustion.

This youtube video shows one similar to some I used:

Jotul stove

And the hunting scenes always give character...

As for burning wet wood, it is the fastest way to damage a woodstove - I had to rebuild one for someone after two seasons - the gasses are seriously corrosive.

This is why everyone who knows what they ate talking about suggest that the wood is dreied for two years before burning. Also, knowing what type of wood you have is crucial : elm is poor to burn while oak (well seasoned) is pure gold.

Here is a list (easy to find others), which defines wood types:

burning woods


Is wall preparation needed for a border of glass tiles?

Glass tile on wallboard presents no special challenge.
Glass tile on plaster is ok also, as long as it is not too uneven.
You'll need trim on the top and bottom to make the transition look good.

Also as @HerrBag alludes in the comments, glass tile is harder to get right compared to opaque tile.


Should the ground lug be bonded in my sub-panel?

You'll need both the ground rods and the feeder cable ground wire

The ground wire in a feeder cable to an outbuilding performs a very different function to the ground rods at that outbuilding, and you need both functions to work correctly to have a safe electrical system.  In particular, the ground wire in the feeder returns man-made electricity back to its source (the utility), while the ground rods are for returning natural electricity (translation: lightning surges) to its source (terra firma).  In addition, you will need to pull the bonding screw in the panel, as neutral and ground are only connected at the main panel.

As to the 100A main breaker in the subpanel, you are correct that it is basically a shutoff switch.

As to that overhead cable run

There are two ways you can do this: either using UF for the entire run, or using wires in conduit for the masts with a service drop quadruplex cable for the overhead portion.  Either way, the overhead run needs to be at least 12' above ground, and the messenger wire (or bare wire in a service drop cable) needs to be attached to a secure anchor point on the structure using fittings identified for use with overhead service conductors (such as a fork bolt).

The one-cable approach

This approach uses a 6/3 W/G UF (Underground Feeder, "outdoor Romex", not to be confused with NM) cable for the entire run.  You'll be shoving it up conduit (RMC or Schedule 80 PVC) masts on the outside of the buildings with a drip loop at the weatherhead, where it exits and transitions into being supported by a galvanized, copper-clad, or stainless steel messenger wire between the two buildings, and is attached to the messenger wire either using cable saddles that clamp onto the messenger, or by using a field-fitted lashing wire wound around the combination of messenger wire and UF cable.  I would recommend the cable saddles, as it will be easier to get a clean install with them, and also less problematic for the rather...flat profile of a typical UF cable.  You will also need to ground the messenger at the house end, using a Burndy KSU or equivalent split bolt tied to either an 8AWG bare copper ground wire (in a PVC conduit) or an 8AWG bare jumper going off to a Burndy GC15A or equvalent universal pipe grounding clamp.

Going aluminum

If you want to use aluminum for this, the best route would be to use an overhead quadruplex cable for the feeder with individual wires in RMC or Schedule 80 PVC for the feeder masts and no messenger wire as the quadruplex cable has a bare wire in it already that will act as the messenger.  If you are using RMC, then a 1" conduit suffices for 3 4AWG Al XHHW-2 conductors (or 3 6AWG Cu conductors, either THWN or XHHW-2).  If you are using PVC in Schedule 80, then I would go with the same options for insulated conductors as before, but with a bare 8AWG copper ground wire in the conduit (to keep conduit fill manageable, especially with aluminum XHHW-2s).  As to sizing the quadruplex itself (which provides its own messenger), a 6-6-6-6 (codename:  Chola) Al service drop quadruplex is amply sized for a 60A overhead feeder (think about it: a wire in open air is going to be cooled by every passing breeze, something a wire in a cable in a wall or encased in conduit doesn't get).  You will also need splicing supplies to join the cable to the mast wiring at each end, namely Cu7Al insulated two-port splice kits such as the Burndy AGS-2, Cu7Al universal split bolts such as the Burndy KSU series for grounding the messenger, and universal pipe clamps such as the Burndy GC15A for grounding the messenger to the mast if you're using a RMC mast, as well as 8AWG bare copper grounding jumpers to connect the split bolts to the pipe clamps in that case.  Don't forget to leave a drip loop in the overhead cable connections, just as if you were wiring a service connection.

TORQUE ALL CONNECTIONS TO SPEC

In addition to being a new Code addition in 2017 (NEC 110.14(D)), it is simply good practice to get a calibrated inch-pound torque wrench and use it on all panelboard and breaker lugs and mechanical splices, torquing them to the manufacturer's specifications.  That way, your connections won't go off and leave you looking like Greg Biffle's loose lug nuts.


Any ideas why my shower pressure suddenly dropped?

Something could have broken in the shower valve.  Most serviceable parts can be removed without having access to the wall.  Each valve is different, but the normal steps are to remove the handle from the valve and then unscrew the valve core, or remove a clip and pull it out, or unscrew a collar, etc.  You'll have to turn off the water to the house to work on this valve because there's no way to turn off the water just to the shower.

I've had this exact scenario when a damaged rubber washer tore in two and clogged the internal workings of the valve.


The International Building Code and the International Residential Code both state that you only need a single clear egress path. However, if your maximum occupancy is more than 10 (in an R-1 structure), you are required to have two egress exits.

Two bedrooms with dedicated entry doors and a conjoining doorway should be sufficient. The additional window is a bonus in the one bedroom.

You can also call your local building inspector office for clarification.


Hard to tell without seeing it, but it sound like it might be forming either a revent or a loop vent for something (maybe a floor drain in the basement?):


How to add an extra light to an existing light

Great job for a first post!  Excellent diagram.
Yes, you can easily add another fixture in the manner you described, assuming it's a 15 amp circuit (which is likely), if a 20 amp circuit, you'd need 12/2. You got it right.


How to fix when water is not sinking from bathroom and balcony?

they will cut the walls and the floors to go to the joint and will find something

Try to find plumbers that don't tear down half the building to find they now see the outside of pipes, while the problem is in the inside ;-)
Instead find a plumber with a device that, as you described, can suck water out of the pipes first, then uses another device to go in the pipes and clean whatever is there.
It shouldn't be hard to find one with a camera device that can look at what is going on inside.
Btw. putting acid or any kind of cleaner into a pipe where the cleaner would have to go through a lot of water until it reaches the clog doesn't make sense.
You will end up with a pipe still full of water and the dangerous cleaner on top. That means you don't suck only water out of the pipe but also stuff that shouldn't get in contact with you.


Attaching outdoor Ethernet cable to stucco?

The stucco clips linked in the question should be OK, as long as they are big enough that they don't damage the cable.

Flex Clips are popular with the cable companies

you drill and use a plastic anchor with these

It is going to sag a bit between anchors, but the closer you space them, the less it will sag.

Gluing it would be a mess - I would not recommend that.


Freezer not working; only makes quiet sound

Repair (by a licensed refrigeration technician) might be possible, but is highly unlikely to be practical or cost-effective .vs. replacement with a modern and probably far more efficient unit.
For one thing, the R12 refrigerant that your unit uses is now absurdly expensive.


There may be something on that breaker's circuit that is causing it to trip and prevent a fire/short.

What you need to do is find everything that is on that circuit. Afterwards, see if there's anything in any of those objects that could be tripping it. Connections becoming overloaded, being loose or wired improperly could also cause it to trip. Be sure to check that as well.

If you do find something, resolve the issue and reset your breaker.

However, breakers may trip by themselves from old age at times. If it wasn't caused by anything else I mentioned earlier, this may be the cause. You'll need to replace that breaker. If you're not sure how, I recommend you hire a licensed electrician.


This type of door is problematic for just the reason that you show. It would obviously be better if the handle were positioned a bit farther from the door edge. But somehow I doubt that there is any type of international standard for the spacing requirement. Clearly there would be a trade off for the width of the door and how far the handle is positioned from the hinge side of the door. With the narrower door and the handle more toward the center of the door it would be harder to open and close.

One thing to consider is that some doors like this have a silicon strip that is attached to one side and has a flap to overlap the other side of the door gap. These are designed to keep shower spray from getting out through the door crack. They also keep the door from opening both directions. The combination of the single direction door opening and the padding afforded by the silicon strip maybe you can minimize the chances of losing another finger tip.


Do I need to glue 2x4 supports for an apron sink?

No. If anything you'd use construction adhesive, and not wood glue, but if you've done a good job with the screws glue isn't needed. In fact, it's rarely used in cases like this.
If you find that there's flex in your supports, re-screw it and make sure the boards are dead tight. Spread the screws widely in the vertical.


Where to get a fireplace door retaining clip

Some of the responses got me thinking along the lines of something else I could use in place of the original.

It turns out that the Hilman clamp fasteners that are in the hardware section at some big box hardware stores are about the right size and shape and with a little bending do the job perfectly.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to help. Your responses got me thinking along the right lines to find something that would work to hold the doors close while still looking OK.


Delay between toilet flushing and filling

That valve is necessary for whenever you need to service the plumbing inside of the toilet, it turns the water supply off. In the cistern on the other end of that pipe coming from the valve, there is a "fill valve" mechanism of some sort, tied to a float. When the water drops down into the bowl to flush, the float drops and enables the fill valve to refill the cistern, until the level raises again and it shuts off.

Most likely your fill valve is getting old and is sticking when the level drops, so it shows up as a delay in that the float is not falling when it should. This would be an indicator that it is close to failing completely and needs to be fixed / replaced.


Cut off the water under the sink and remove the cartridge and examine it. Maybe you will see what's wrong and you can repair it and re-install it. Probably you should just take the cartridge to a big box store (or to a good plumbing supply) and get a replacement.


Is cleaning the tub with bleach bad for the plumbing?

Bleach is really tough on surfaces and over time may damage the tub. If its diluted, I don't think that it will affect pipes, but then again, just about anything is bad for 100 year old iron pipe.

After you get the tub clean enough, I'd recommend using one of those daily spray tub/shower cleaners or a steam cleaner like a Haan. The bad thing is that you need to use these products more often, but the good thing is that it takes minutes and little work vs. scrubbing and burning your lungs.


Create a constant 5 mm gap between decking and side panels

I've always just held the decking back from the skirt (which is fastened tight to framing) to create a gap, but this obviously results in an undrained channel. I can see the benefit of your plan for allowing small tree debris and other dirt to drop out.

Rip some 5mm strips of your decking material from scrap and cut them just shorter than the height of the skirt (so they don't show). Skip the glue (too slow and messy) and just tack them on at 16" intervals (or in line with your joists) with small galvanized nails. Screw on your skirt boards and be happy.

One thing to keep in mind, though: Unless you don't fasten your decking to the rim joist, expansion pushes the framing also, making your gap useless. In my experience, decking doesn't move enough to warrant such a gap. It may be nice to have it for aesthetic reasons, though. Sometimes flush butt joints are ugly.


Connecting an unattached well house breaker panel, proper grounding

How to handle this

I'm going to presume that there's a panel here (if not, I'd slap a decent-sized main breaker loadcenter in there, a Siemens P3030B1100CU would be my starting point, and then add the appropriate breaker for the well pump and hook it up), and that we don't have to worry about the generator itself -- it has overcurrent protection in the form of a circuit breaker built in.

As a result, we can simply pull the bonding screw on the loadcenter/panel, and then wire a generator inlet box (locking type, 50A, 120/240V) to it using a 6/3 UF cable such that the hots land on each hot leg of the main breaker, the neutral lands on the main neutral lug, and the ground lands on the main ground lug -- if the panel has no ground bar in it, you will need to add one.  The inlet box will mount to the outside of the shed, by the way (this saves the generator cord from having to be run through a door or window frame).

Once you're done with that, you can then run 6AWG copper from the panel to two driven ground rods, spaced 6' apart, as well as a length of 6AWG copper from the panel to the well casing if the well uses a metal casing.  This takes care of the grounding electrode system.

Once all this is done, you simply take a 50A generator cord, plug it into the generator power receptacle and the inlet, and all should work.  Since things are in a separately derived system configuration, you don't have to fuss with the bonding jumper in your generator at all, and if you want to replace the generator inlet with a permanent feeder in the future, the panel's already configured for that.


What thickness is most suitable for concrete countertops?

I'm going to call this an aesthetic choice. But a bit of remesh/rebar wouldn't hurt, especially in a 60" long chunk or around a sink opening.

Personally, I'd find 2-1/2" overly heavy.


It looks to me like the offset is minor. I would hinge a gate underneath the existing grippable rail, mounting the hinges toward the stairs, and swing it to the post in the foreground. A standard gate latch should mount up and work just fine. If necessary, block out the latch as needed.

                  ____
     []  []  []  |    |  []  []
                 |____|
                  | |   <-- hinge location
                  | |
                  | |
                  | |
                  | |
                  | |
                  | |
                  | |
                  | |
                  | |
                  | |
                  | |
             ____ | |
[]  []  []  |    ||_|
            |____|***  <-- latch location


Should I replace nails in a plywood subfloor with screws to the joists?

You should not need to remove the existing nails.  Driving a new screw into the joist adjacent to the nails should be sufficient.

You may need to countersink the screws to get them to sit flush.


Is Reverse osmosis still necessary after whole house filter

The whole house filtration system that you cite is a filter. The specs for this filter suggest that it removes chlorine and pharmaceuticals, so I think it's a carbon filter. It's possibly a good filter (there are variable levels of quality carbon filters) and it sounds like there's a timer that flushes/cleans it (that's convenient) but it is not an RO system. RO systems are very different from filters.

An RO system absorbs and removes dissolved ions (filters don't do that). Whether you need an RO system depends on what ions are dissolved in your water.

RO systems remove salts and other mineral things like silicates,
lead, and copper (etc.).
General filters remove debris like grit and clumps of microorganisms.
Carbon filters can remove organic molecules, like pharmaceuticals,
pesticides, gasoline, urea, and chloramines.

Edit- also, you mentioned that have a water softener, which replaces calcium with sodium. RO systems then remove sodium. Carbon filters don't remove sodium, nor calcium.


How do I repair damage to this ‘paneling’?

If that is a painted surface, one approach would be

Cleanly cut out the damaged area using a utility knife, jab-saw or similar tools.
Clean up the edges. Perhaps using sandpaper.
Fill the void using expanding foam.
Cut-off the excess foam using something like a filling knife.
Apply a surface filler and allow to harden.
Sand absolutely flat.
Paint.

If that isn't a painted surface you'll probably never get an invisible repair without replacing the whole panel.


Are cleats/brackets for attaching timber to brick available in different sizes

Sometimes there is no alternative to having something custom fabricated.  The fixing band you link to in your initial questions is not appropriate for this task and it is highly unlikely you are going to find "ready made cleats" that are manufactured for the particular packing you need to clear the coping.  Find a reputable metal welding/fabricator shop in your area and arrange to have them make the cleats you need.  Some small fabricator shops can be very reasonably priced.  1/8" (3mm) thick mild steel flat bar might be a good material, but it would need to be coated with a suitable exterior grade paint.   Alternatively, you could pay for more expensive aluminum or even stainless cleats to be made, depending on what the fabricator shop has on hand, your budget, and the aesthetic requirements.


Will powerline networking work in my home?

It strongly depends on the age of your house, the brand of breakers, whether they are on opposite service legs, and whether they are straight magnetic breakers or AFCI or GFCI breakers, which is often determined by the age of your home and whether the equipment is in a bedroom or kitchen.

In particular some early AFCI breakers would block powerline networking.

My suggestion is to buy it and try it, and to return it or see if you can move a breaker if it doesn't work.


The bursting is actually caused by the ice. Ice takes up more room than the amount of water it was made from, ultimately bursting through copper.

If you had a trickle of water, you may have been better off leaving the taps all open in hopes of keeping the water flowing. Flowing water (even a trickle) is less likely to freeze than standing water. One of the ways to prevent frozen pipes is to leave the taps open to a trickle (obviously not a good long-term solution, but can work in a pinch in locations with rare temp drops). The open taps also allow for lateral expansion of the water that may freeze.

At this point, if the pipes are frozen solid, and are behind walls so that you can't get to them, you pretty much have to wait it out and hope they haven't burst. If they have, depending on how many places they burst, you may be able to go in and fix a few patches. But if there's more than a few splits, you may end up wanting to pull the whole thing out and replacing it all (and this time ensuring everything is properly insulated).

Good luck!


How do I easily tell if vent below microwave is vented to the exterior?

Properly installed range hood vent, including those combined with microwaves, almost always use an external vent hood that has a flap to prevent backdrafts. The flap is pushed out by the increased air pressure created by the vent fan.

While there are sometimes internal backdraft flaps, there is almost always an external one as well.

Look at the exterior hood and have someone turn on the vent fan. You should see the flap moving. If it does not, you likely have a problem.

You can remove the external hood by removing mounting screws and cutting the caulk seal around the edges. You can then look into the hole to see where (if) it is connected.

Many vent hoods can be set up for interior or exterior venting. This usually involves changing the orientation of the fan itself during setup. The installer may have left the fan pushing the exhaust into the kitchen. If so, you should be able to feel a draft at the top of the unit when the fan is on.


Hot water tank leaking at bottom could it go from a trickle to a gush?

If the tank itself is rusted out, it's time to replace it. Water expands when it's heated, which creates pressure in the system. Pressurizing a rusty water tank is a recipe for disaster.

Replace the tank before it causes problems. Trying to eek out a few more months is foolhardy.


What kind of gloves should I wear during electrical work?

Depends on the voltage you're working with.

If you're working in a residential setting, simply turn off the power and wear any type of glove you find comfortable (including none).

If working in an industrial setting, where turning the power off is not an option. You'll have to choose a glove system based on the voltage you'll be working with.  A glove system should always consist of an appropriate insulating glove, and a protective leather glove. A glove liner is an optional part of the system, and can be worn depending on how dainty your hands are.

ASTM D120-14a divides gloves into the following classes:

Class 00 - Good for up to 500 volts.
Class 0 - Up to 1,000 volts.
Class 1 - Up to 7,500 volts.
Class 2 - Up to 17,000 volts.
Class 3 - Up to 26,500 volts.
Class 4 - Up to 36,000 volts.

WARNING: Always properly test your gloves before each use. Visual inspection and air testing is the most common method. If you're using these gloves, you've hopefully been trained how to care for and test them. If not, you probably shouldn't be doing anything that requires you to use them.


Changing 220 15 amp to 220 30 amp. Present circuit is in conduit with two other circuits. Need some advice

Conduit fill

  The 110 NM terminates first

14-2 NM cable is 0.36" across in the wide dimension. Whenever a flat cable is used in a conduit, it must be treated the same as a round wire of the wide dimension.

Three such cables just fit in 1" sched 40 PVC.

  The first 220 NM terminates shortly after. It is 0.75" conduit in the area with 2 NM cables.

Two 14-2 NM cables require a conduit with ID of 0.914".  3/4" PVC is much too small. This installation is illegal.

Two cables in a conduit are the worst-case scenario: the round swept area of the cable are permitted only 31% conduit fill.

  The second 220 NM terminates shortly after that. It is 0.5" conduit in the area with only 1 NM cable.

A single 14/2 cable requires conduit with an ID of 0.497". 1/2" PVC is barely adequate.

Use of THHN wires

Note that THHN requires to be inside conduit its entire length.  You cannot throw random loosy-goosy THHN wires inside a wall.   This is one minor advantage of NM cable in conduit; it can hop in and out of conduit at will.  The disadvantage is it requires ginormous conduit, and you see where one, two or all three of your conduit segments are too small for the cables therein.

However, you are able to transition between THHN and NM/Romex at any junction box with enough space for the splices.  So it may be possible to run NM-in-wall up to the head of the conduit run, then THHN inside the conduit.  You may need to simply fit a super-large junction box at the head point of the conduit, and call it good.

GFCI on 240V circuits is coming

  My understanding that NEC updated for 2020 saying that all circuits in a garage must be GFCI protected - is this true? If so - I will use a GFCI breaker for the new 220 circuit when I replace it.

It will be true when your state adopts NEC 2020.  Only MA has done so  yet.  So pull your permit right now and you should be in 2017 Code.

How wire ratings actually work

  My understanding is that I will have 6 conductors running through the conduit so must derate to 80%. This should make no difference for the 110 15 amp and 220 15 amp with 14 gauge THHN wire (25*0.8=20). But will make a difference for the 220 30 amp circuit as I cannot use 12 gauge THHN (30*0.8=24). So I will step up to 10 gauge THHN for the 30 amp circuit (40*0.8=32). If this is all correct, should I use 10 gauge ground? Or do I have to derate the ground as well?

You seem to correctly grasp that you use the 90C column for 310.15(B)7 derate purposes.   The reason is that THHN actually is rated 90C, and NM and UF are rated at 60C but are allowed to derate off the 90C column for 310.15(B)7 purposes.

However, you seem to think you are at liberty to use any of the columns for your actual ampacity, e.g. 30A on #12 wire since you saw that in the 90C column.  That is wrong in two ways.  First, 240.4 limits your ampacity to 20A @ #12 no matter what. Second, even if your wire size was too large for 240.4 and you had 90C wire, you are still limited by the allowed temperature of the terminations.  A 60C termination puts you firmly in the 60C column.  You won't find any terminations hotter than 75C.

That said, derates for #14-10 wires are a nothingburger. At <= 4 circuits per conduit, the derate has no effect.  At 5+ circuits per conduit, the derate is crippling and you are better off not allowing that to happen at all.

What to do

  As far as running new wire through the conduit - any advice? I understand attaching my new 10 gauge wire to the old 14 and pulling will not be easy - especially in the section where there are 3 cables. Should I pull the old NM cable with a pull cord attached to it, then use that pull cord to pull the new cable?

Pulling the old cable out will not be easy.  Putting cable in conduit is the act of a madman.  Pulling the new wires in will be a cakewalk, especially if you select stranded wire, which you should.  Pigtail receptacles; directly attaching stranded wire to receps and switches is an acquired skill.  Stranded works fine on breakers and in wirenuts.

Seriously, once you work with stranded you'll wonder what possesses anyone to tolerate solid wire.

I would replace at least the new 30A run with THHN wire - 2x #10 hot (same color is fine), 1x neutral if needed (no need to include it if not), and 1x #10 ground.

Four #10 + one 14/2 NM-B will fit inside 3/4" sch40 PVC @ 36.1% fill. (allowed 40% given 3+ "wires").
Four #10s alone will fit inside 1/2" sch40 PVC.  @ 28.61% fill (allowed 40%).

So that takes care of your problem either way.

You also have the option to yank all the #14 wires and replace with THHN.  I wouldn't bother buying #14 THHN, because why own any of that?  Just use #12.  3 or 4 of of either size will be net-smaller than a #14 NM-B.

Grounding/splicing

You can share one ground wire for all the circuits.  What you cannot do is splice in a conduit body.   There are 2 separate rules:

Conduit bodies (and junction boxes which have only pass-thrus with no splices, therefore effectively are conduit bodies): Must have internal cross-section 2x the pipe cross-section. Not so bad.
Junction boxes (and conduit bodies used for anything put passthru, making them effectively junction boxes): 2.0 cubic inches per #14 wire and 2.5 cubic inches per #10 wire, with all grounds counted as 1 (largest) wire.

You don't get to split these rules and count only the spliced wires. All-in, or all-out.
This is a deal-killer for conduit bodies not wildly oversized for the pipe.

So you might have to run 3 ground wires due to the conduit body issue.


Why are these cracks around all of our sash windows?

Silicone should NEVER be used on painted trim.

The separation that I see here can either be seasonal movement, as in the trim was installed in the summer and now it is winter where the moisture content of the wood is much less, therefore making it shrink.

It also could have been installed with too high of a moisture content to begin with and the loss of moisture is now evident. It may even be as simple as not enough nails used at the proper angle to hold the trim fast in the corner.
 Since it is a touch up item, I would add a few piloted 2 1/2"-3" nails angled into the corner to tie it together, set them below the surface and putty and sand flush. Before you commit the nails, make sure the trim is solid in its backing. You will notice it if it starts moving while starting the nail in, the trim will want to compress in. If it does, it will make the gap MUCH bigger. If so then you may want to use a trim head screw.

After it is secured, caulk with a good grade of painters caulk, it can be siliconized, but not 100% silicone. Prime and finish paint.


What is the best way to remove cigarette smoke smell from a house?

I know you're removing the carpets, but shampooing them will get rid of a lot of the lingering smell.  You may need to do it more than once; if so, make sure to let them dry completely in between.  After they're dry, vacuum them with a HEPA filter to remove dust or smoke particles that you might have dislodged while shampooing.

Smoke will have settled on all the surfaces in the house, so you should definitely think about repainting the walls and ceilings.  Clean them thoroughly first using Trisodium phosphate (TSP).  The Kilz that your realtor recommends is both a sealer and a primer; it will seal in any stains and smells and provide a good base to paint on.

Other surfaces should be cleaned too: kitchen or bathroom floors, doors, windows, countertops, etc.

Finally, just airing the house out will help some: open all the windows and have fans pulling fresh air into the house.  You'll need good ventilation while painting, so you should be doing a lot of this anyway.


Can you heat an entire house with wall-mounted gas heaters?

If it were me I would investigate the ability to use the existing boiler to heat the entire house. You said that the boiler is reaching the end of it's useful life; please explain why you think so. Hot water boilers can last as many as 100 years. At that age they are not usually very efficient but they will still heat a home or building. With a useable boiler you have many options to extend the  heating system into the unheated rooms. Using unvented heaters as you mentioned is not a good option. You will have the smell, the excess humidity, running new gas lines to each one, the depletion of breathable oxygen and other things to consider. I would never use one of those heaters in a confined space or room. They are cheap for a reason. Go find a good boiler guy and investigate your options using the old boiler. my 2 cents


1 features - subjective. Capacity, outer dimensions, ice maker and water, etc. have no right or wrong answers and depend on your specific needs.
2 compressor - information not readily available, in my experience
3 tubing - inside refrigerator information not readily available, in my experience. Outside for water for ice maker - up to you, not determined by manufacturer.
4 and 5 - efficiency - in the USA look for EnergyStar ratings.


How can I find the source of a mysterious bad smell?

Guesses so far...

Stinky mop.

Solution: Wash the mop.

Stinky Jack Russell Terrier.

Solution: Wash the dog.

Dead thing in wall.

Solution: Find the dead thing and remove it.

Dead thing in vent.

Solution: See above item.

Stinky toilet.

Solution 1: Flush the toilet.
Solution 2: Wash the toilet.
Solution 3: Replace wax ring.
Solution 4: Light a match / candle.

Gas leak.

Solution: Call gas company to find and fix leak.

Stinky ghost.

Solution 1: Wash the ghost.
Solution 2: Exorcism.