How to stop bricks pushing out while drilling?

I would suggest re-doing the cement for the bricks, allow to dry.

Then once hard I would secure a wood panel (12" or 15" square) over that area to help hold the bricks back.

Then drill gently.


When it's smokey out, why does more smoke get into the house in the mornings and evenings?

The most common issue when you have make up air on a hvac systems is when the kitchen exhaust or bathroom exhaust fans are turned on they usually push 80-1000 cuft and that air is sucked in vis the central heat or air ductwork. If an older home is is pulled in through all kinds of leaky air spaces.
The most noticed time when the bathrooms and kitchen exhaust fans are running pushing house air out and bringing fresh / Smokey air in.


How do I improve heating in back room of house?

I have a couple of long runs too and I used a fan until I upgraded the HVAC unit.  Before you get a booster you need to measure the air flow out of the two vents and compare them to other vents in the house.

How to measure air flow?  Well pick up an Air Flow Meter.   However I have a suggestion before you spend $$$ on this.  Get a large trash bag, configure it to open about the size of your duct opening (take off cover), hold it tight on the duct opening, measure how long it takes to fill... compare several vents.  Note the air should be running when starting this - since how long it takes air to come out factors very little into the cooling equation.  If you are confident with the bag results and they are obvious then skip the pricy tool.  ##Side Note##  (A friend of mine uses one of those garden wind spinning things and measures the rotations over a given time to compare air flow.  You have to have the angles/distance the same from the vent and he has to have his iphone slow wdown the frame rate to count.  But damn that mcgyver-bastard, pretty sure its more accurate than my empty trash bag!  But it does involve slow-motion so my solution is more practical)

I would also take temperature readings inside each duct while on after 5-10 minutes.  How cold is the air you are getting?

If you are getting comparable air flow and temp you can add another duct or bigger.  Really up to you.

If you aren't and I am guessing you aren't then you need to first get rid of the flex lines.  They squash air flow, they are affected by outside temperatures more, and they leak.  Put rigid metal ducts in.  If the ducts are in the attic then you need to insulate the crap out of them.

Then if you still have issues you need to measure air flow and temp again.  If air flow is poor you are looking at a booster.  If it is relatively the same, add another duct.

Then you are talking about adding a return to the room and over-insulating the attic above the room.


Does my toilet have a manufacturing defect?

I know this is an old thread but in case more people come across it I have added this post.
I have a brand new Kohler Ciimarron elongated bowl toilet that I installed and had the same issue with wobble. I pulled the toilet and used a straight edge just as you did in the photo. It has the same issue of the small support ribs are taller than the outside rim by  strong 1/8”. The casting is defective. Yes they are made in a mold but there is the opportunity for defects even then . poor quality control on Kohler’s end. I am returning it right now. I will try a different brand. My guess is that they are all manufactured overseas which adds to the issue.


Homebase extractor fan. How to remove the front cover?

Took me a while but the red light is just a cover for the screw, use a small screwdriver to lift it out.


You just need to change the breaker to protect the stove. You don't need to change the wire because you can oversize the wire.


There are many products designed for this type of repair. Most are cement with latex or other additives to improve bond and crack resistance. You'll just need to purchase one and follow the instructions. Look for one that indicates ease of use on vertical surfaces.

You'll probably want a steel trowel of at least 10" in length to achieve a smooth finish.


Here's what I'd do:

Cut an opening in the drywall appropriate for your cabinet. Allow for the thickness of your cabinet walls. Cut off the one or two studs that are likely to interfere with the opening, from the back side, 1-1/2" above the opening in the drywall. Cut out the bottom wall plate flush with the sides of the rough opening.
From behind, frame the sides and head with single 2x4s. If desired, add a flat 2x4 on the back side of the wall, spanning the head of the opening, to stiffen the head area. It should extend at least to the adjacent studs and be flush on the bottom with the opening.
Add any floor sheathing needed to support your cabinet. This can be roughly fit and somewhat oversized.
Set your cabinet and trim it out to the drywall as desired.
From the back side, apply vapor barrier and insulation in accordance with your home's existing situation. This could be batts simply suspended from above and tacked at the bottom by nails or whatever.

There's no need to frame up walls around your cabinet unless 1) they'll form the cabinet walls, as in a drywall compartment, or 2) you need them to support insulation.


Will a C16 deck joist (about 2" by 5") span 3m (about 15 feet)?

Are you asking whether a 2x5" joist will span 15 feet (3m)? No. It'll be a trampoline.  (Or yes, but it'll be a trampoline.) Here are your options as I see them:

Go with your original plan and lay it on the soil. Then you'll have critical intermediate support even with loose soil. Worst-case scenario it settles into the soil and ends up lower then it started, or becomes uneven in the case of non-uniform soil.
Lay a sleeper at the midpoint to cut the joist span in half. In this case I'd remove 4-6" of soil under each of the three sleepers and replace with crushed rock.
(Preferred method): Remove 4-6" of soil and replace it with crushed rock laid over heavy landscape fabric. Then set your joists right on the rock.


Are glass textiles with PTFE coating used as vapor barriers for installation under the roof?

One reason could be the important general insulation/anti-mold rule for moderate climate zones like Central Europe:

A vapor barrier should be close to the warmer inside layers.
The insulation layer should be close to the cold outdoor side. And the inner window glass should be the coldest surface in a room, enabling condensation on a well defined suited surface.

That way the dew point most likely is not inside the wall or on the wall paper/plaster which has organic material to feed fungi.

To get precise information, this web site may help:

Ubakus.de

It contains many construction/insulation material, foil layers can be inserted everywhere to see the difference.

Possible problems will be shown in a second.

Experimenting/researching is easy by switching on/off of layers.

R-value can be shown by clicking on the spanner/tool icon next to the U-value.

It is free for private use.

Fastest way is to choose an adequate example (menu) and to edit the layers.


What could be causing my bedroom to be so cold, and how can I make it warmer?

I would also expect the new furnance to provide better heat than the old one. First thing to to is be sure you didn't arrange anything in the room different from last year. You don't have anything  blocking the air registers. Check and make sure the air filter on the furnace is not clogged. If the room has only one register leave the door open so the colder air can circulate out of the room. If nothing in the room has changed contact the installer and ask them to check for any blockages or leaks that might be preventing the heat from reaching the room. It may be a problem with the blower pushing the air to that end of the house. If you have never had it done an energy audit is always a good idea. Most utilities offer them for free. They may point out missing duct insulation or air leaks that make the room colder than the rest.


How to handle dirt caked in excavator bucket

If you can get the bucket clean and dry, a coat of paste wax will help, but for how long is debatable, and unknowable in practice unless you make the experiment.

Ideally wait for better weather, but that's difficult with rented equipment and/or deadlines. Be careful how hard you "bump on the ground" - it is possible to rather expensively break things with excess enthusiasm and the power of hydrualics. Sometimes just wiggling the bucket or boom in the air will get things to unload, with far less risk of damage.


How to remove mirror stickers from a painted wall?

Sounds like you're dealing with a pressure sensitive vinyl. It's not going to go down with out a fight. The best course of action is to hit it with a heat gun and very slowly pull with light steady pressure, let the heat do the work. If you do it right the adhesive will detach from the wall and the vinyl in about equal measure, which of course means you'll have to deal with the residual next. If it's the kind of adhesive I think it is, Goo Gone works okay (or any of the orange oil based cleaners) but Rapid Remover is designed for the job. If none of those will touch it then it's something solvent based and you'll have to step up to something with acetone in it (Goof Off) but test a little spot first to make sure it's not going to ruin your paint. He's a link with a bit more information.  http://www.signwarehouse.com/blog/a-basic-guide-to-vinyl-removal-options/


How to make lights turn on one at a time?

The easiest thing for you (still requires DIY though) is to buy these - or something similar. They are time delay relays - now you get several versions/modes.

Something like this  (PDF)

On/Off Cycle  - is what you are looking for i guess.
You also get, Interval,Delay-On-Make, Re-Triggerable Single-Shot, etc

Then say you got 5 lights you set and mark each relay from 1-5 setting the delay
1sec,2sec,3sec,4sec,5sec.

Then you attach each of the relays in the order you want the lights to be on (you will know the order because you marked the relay with a number, yea ;) )

Otherwise

you will be left to build your own relays, circuits and logics... to much work.

Which of course you can find all the info (here)

C1  1   See Notes (at link)

R1  1   See Notes (at link)

D1  1   1N914 Diode

U1  1   4011 CMOS NAND Gate IC

K1  1   6V Relay

S1  1   Normally Open Push Button Switch

MISC    1   Board, Wire, Socket For U1

-EDIT AFTER ACCEPT

I found this on EBAY- a guy in Poland, near my home town actaully.. wierd.. buildts theses babies! Solid State Relays controlled via USB - if you meassage him i am sure he will tweak and build you something to your needs :)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/USB-16-RELAY-CARD-OPTOISOLATION-SOFTWARE-/260752751134?_trksid=p4340.m8&_trkparms=algo%3DMW%26its%3DC%26itu%3DUCC%26otn%3D6%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D1356110490087333626#ht_3077wt_1140

AND another here..


Should HVAC registers be closed or open when HVAC is broken, & window AC units are in use?

They should be open, and the furnace fan should be running regularly, if not full-time. This will keep the home fresh and distribute moisture more uniformly.

If you don't run the furnace fan, it probably doesn't matter. If you find a reason to close them, do so.


There is some serious fake information on the "Net" regarding "silver solder". ; starting with Oatey ( Home Depot) who flat out lies about what they call "silver solder". The Halstead net site is good. AWS ( American Welding Society) identifies silver solders as having 45 % to about 60 % silver with copper, zinc, cadmium in various amounts.  Melting ranges of 1125 F to 1250 F and must be heated above those temperatures to flow. These  alloys have  AWS designations of B Ag-1 up to B Ag-7.  I would not consider a product to actually be silver solder unless it had an AWS designation.  ( I am using a 1971 ASM reference and AWS may have added designations or even changed their system ).( Irony , I gave my 1987 ASM reference to a local teacher a few days ago because I had not used it in years).


Can I piggyback a thermostat with a C Wire hookup on a furnace?

I also have a thermostat that requires a C wire hookup for wifi access.  The spec calls for a 24 volt DC and I presently have it wired to share a 24 volt termination on my AC air handler.  What I discovered was that this termination in the air handler does not provide a constant output of 24 volts.  Instead, it cycles as called upon by the air handler and the thermostat would run until the battery failed which took about a month.  Plus I could not get the wifi to properly pair with the thermostat due to the cycling of voltage on and off to my C wire termination at the thermostat.

This afternoon I have an electrician coming to give me a dedicated wire from a 24 volt transformer for my C terminal.  I expect this to solve my problem.

So based on my experience, be cautious of sharing unless you know the source will provide constant power.


You are correct that a surface cover will not resolve the issue and it's likely to disrupt flooring if done that way.
There are several commercial products for concrete foundation repairs, they are typically epoxy or polyurethane "injections" (this term may help you find some in your area but I do not know the German translation for the phrase "concrete injection"). The visible surface of the crack is temporarily sealed and then the epoxy applied with pressure so it pushes deep into the crack to seal it from the inside (or other side, if possible). In my experience these typically don't require drilling through the concrete so you can apply to the earth side, but variations may exist.
Read and follow the directions of whatever product you choose. Cracks are more commonly addressed in foundation walls so make sure your product is also rated for application to floor cracks.


How can I repair a hole in the underside of a granite counter?

I am guessing that your sink weight is causing the pressure, making the cracks worse.  If I am right on this then the first thing you need to do is build a simple way to support the sink using wood or whatever - I have 2x2s that are screwed to side cabinet and pushed up to support it.  So that will cost you $3.  If side walls are not close enough you have to build a box.

Now to fix the cracks you will need a knife grade epoxy.  I have used Tenax brand in the past to "glue" granite corner shelves in the shower.  Pretty easy to use.  Epoxy will be about $20-$30.

And for some reason (conspiracy) the big boxes don't carry any knife grade epoxy.  You will have to hit the interwebs for this. Just search for knife grade granite epoxy if you want to read reviews or whatever.  Basically you will get the activator and the putty.  You put a little activator in the putty and wipe it on the granite.  If you are doing the top then you might need to by color matching kit (which is more expensive than epoxy).  Basically it is hard in 30 mins and can be used the next day.  Once epoxy is on it is permanent and harder than the granite.  If you arent worried about looks your sink area could be cured of the crack as long as you get the epoxy in the right places.


For simplistic sake. I would just use a plug in wall wart. You can plug that into a switched outlet, or a wireless switched outlet. Cheaper and less hassle if there is an outlet near your termination point.


Electricity power off in some bed rooms and back again regularly each night but breakers are still on

This can be every thing from a failing supply to the home, knocking out 1 leg to a daisy chained set of outlets that has a bad connection.  First I would see if the problem is on multiple breakers if it is all odd or all even breakers get the power company involved because this would indicate a serious problem with your service. If it is only 1 breaker that the problem is associated with it can be a weak connection at the breaker but more likely in my experience is a daisy chained outlet that uses back stabs is failing or a loose wire nut / broken wire when the connection gets hot it opens. This is also a concern as there is usually arcing. If this is the case it can usually be traced to 1 outlet or junction in a box with an outlet or switch. When the power goes out work towards the service panel looking for the last place there is power. Once the first no power outlet is found the problem will be there or the outlet before it. With the breaker off pull the outlet and inspect the connections, if back stabs are used pulling the outlet can at times temporally fix the problem until a large load causes it to start failing again. I recommend replacing outlets that have had this issue because you don't know how much damage occoured inside. I use the screw connectors on outlets and switches because I have repaired hundreds of failed backstab outlets and switches over the years.


It depends on ownership and what you're allowed to do under your rental agreement, but this was the solution on our house. It's stick built 2x4 construction, you didn't say what wall construction is used, so it may not apply. Same situation, north facing, cold corner, black mold growing in the plasterboard surface and paint about 4 inches back from the corner on both walls, looked like someone used a paint roller to apply it.

I stripped the plasterboard off the wall to the stud closest to four feet from the corner. The 70's insulation was mouse power R-6 pretending to be something like R-13 but which didn't completely fill the air space.

After clearing everything out of the stud bays and bleaching the minor surface mold that was on the exterior sheeting, I examined what I had to deal with.

The most egregious problem was the empty box created where the two walls came together. We're talking about uninsulated dead air space that is open to the outside atmosphere and sealed by the exterior trim. It was a source for both draft and cold. You could feel the air flowing into and out of the room. I took a wood knife I had and opened up the spaces between the 2x4s that enclose this empty space so I could get a nozzle straw in from floor to ceiling so I could fill it with Urethane foam. You don't want to do the whole space all at once, urethane foam in quantity develops a skin, massive internal voids and blows itself out of the containing space in massive mushrooms that waste the material. This is why you want a slot that gives freedom of movement for the nozzle straw. After about six passes and a couple days for full expansion and cure of each foam application, the void was completely filled with minimum waste. No more cold vented dead air space or drafts!

I got R-15 which was the highest R rating available for 2x4 studded walls (R-19 is standard for 2x6) and filled the stud bays completely with no voids. Over the top of this went 6 mil plastic for vapor barrier so no internal moisture would intrude. Put the plasterboard back, taped the joins, copied the simple skim coat, primed and repainted the two walls to match.

After the project, the corner is actually warmer than the rest of the wall because it has working insulation with no empty, uninsulated and unsealed air spaces. No more mold!!! My only regret is I probably should have done the whole whole room on the reinsulation.


What you have in these pictures is a massive code violation, fire hazard as well as an electrocution hazard. This must be rectified first. Leaving this mess intact is negligent even if you cover it with a mile of electrical tape.

You need to put all of this cable into a listed electrical box. Since we cant see the conductor size, I'm just going to recommend a pull box, something around 6x6x3 inches to make life easy. Each cable must have at least 6 inches of jacket/sheath removed and the individual conductors must be able to extend 3 inches form the front of the box. So 6 inches is plenty. The cables must also be held securely to the box with proper cable clamps. Buy properly sized wire nuts or listed splicing device to make the connections between conductors. The ground conductors must also be securely bonded to the junction box as well. Multiple individual wire nuts designed for smaller conductors is begging for trouble. The cost of these materials is negligible compared to a fire.

Until then, I am not going to help you any further and neither should anyone else.


Reuse nail holes when replacing oak trim

Just two quick things.

Given that your nail heads were covered, I would have just bent them back and broke them off.   But if they came out and you have holes on the other side that's fine.   Honestly every trim/nail-type might have a best method so there isn't anything that someone can categorically say.

To go into existing holes... Get a better quality trim nail and use a gun.   Up the pressure on the gun.   When nailing into existing hole you want to hit the hole at an angle  - maybe 30 degrees - so that your head doesn't shoot straight through.


Is installing crown molding a DIY project?

It can be done yourself.
What you will need:
Compound Mitre saw.
Drill + countersink bit.
Construction adhesive
Drywall plugs (likely not necessary, but best to have them on hand)
3 step ladders or scaffolding.

You need 3 people.  One in each corner, and one in the center, doing the actual installing.  You will be working with long pieces that break easily, so you'll need to support the work at all times.

The other problem is getting the material home without breaking it.


How to protect wood against carpenter ants?

Pressure-treated lumber, or one of the tropical hardwoods which develops its own insecticides, should be proof against both termites and carpenter ants for many years.

Outside of that, catch and fix rot early, since carpenter ants are most likely to move into wood that has already suffered some damage.


LiftMaster garage opener will not erase memory

Just looking at the instructions you wrote and comparing to the instructions on the Liftmaster in your picture (you can read them on the back of your unit) - there is one small discrepancy and some info that you did not state.

1: Did the LED turn on when you pressed that Learn button (YELLOW BUTTON ) ?

  THE LED that should light is the one to the left of the Yellow Button (next
  to the White Up/Down buttons).

2: Did you hold the button and wait for the LED to turn off?

  Regardless of the fact it says to press and hold for 6 seconds, press
  and hold (at least 6 seconds) watch the LED light up (YES lets hope it
  does or maybe the button is not working or the LED is not working) and when > the LED is lit up wait until the LED turns off and then release the button.

Once that has been done exactly as specified  As in the quote of step 2 (if that does not erase the codes), do the procedure again and then with out pressing any buttons or anything else unplug your Liftmaster for 1 minute, and then plug it back in.

P.S. I don't think your unit is fried, broke or otherwise. ...

EDIT 12/4/2017

If the Learn LED never lights when you press the LEARN button (and you know for sure the LED works)  .. Then it could be something very simple - like your learn button is broken - but don't get anxiety over that - to repair that it could be very easy as sometimes these are plastic with an eraser like surface on the other end - when pushed the eraser like surface touches two copper traces of a printed circuit board (PCB) together to make contact.

TO FIX LEARN BUTTON :  Clean Eraser like substance with alcohol (not rubbing as it has oil)  , use a pencil eraser on the PCB copper traces underneath the button - then clean with alcohol - reassemble and test the switch.  And of course the unit should be unplugged when you do this cleaning.

If the switch is not of the above mentioned type - but a board mounted switch You can also check the switch with the logic unit removed  - perhaps a bad solder joint on the logic board.

If you should choose not to do those checks or just don't want to invest time in that - you can order a new logic board for the 8550 (I am not sure but I am guessing yours is similar to the 8550 or 8550W) guessing by the part number in your picture.

A Non WIFI unit is $88.00 and a WIFI unit is $140.00

This part replaces the following legacy #'s : 041D7356, 045DCCR, 045DCBR, 045DCCL, 045DCBL

045DCT is a Security+ 2.0® receiver logic board replacement kit. Compatible with various LiftMaster® DC chain and belt drive garage door openers; made after 2011. The unit will feature a yellow learn button. Check the manual for your specific model number before ordering to ensure compatibility.

Logic Board for WIFI is $140.00

Also if you are in the USA : Since you have to do this because someone stole your Remote Entry - Theft - Capital Loss - the possibility exists that if you itemize you could write off the expenses of repair as a loss. I know that is a tax tip and not a fix it tip but just thought I might include something that could be positive in a bad situation.


Can I Install a Sub-Panel from an Existing NEMA 5-50 Plug?

If you really, really wanted to do it from the plug, then you need something called a Power Distribution Unit (PDU).  The difference between that and something you could make is the UL Listing.
However, since I supremely doubt you have anything that uses a NEMA 5-50, my advice is to tear the socket off the wall, fit a large 4-11/16” junction box there, and extend via conduit to a place where a subpanel is legal.

Where is that? Not a bathroom, and not over steps. Also, it’s illegal to block the 30” wide x 36” deep working space in front of the panel, so place the panel somewhere that won’t happen, e.g. a pathway, threshold or hallway.

The purpose of the conduit is to protect the wires from physical damage... and let you use the smaller #8 THHN wires, as they are vastly easier to work with than balky #6 cable.  It’s worth the trouble of fitting the conduit.
Now.  Inside the panel, the neutral and ground each go to independent, isolated bars.  Remove the neutral-ground bonding screw or strap. The hot is split (a big wire-nut will do) to go to both “main lugs”.  Now you can put as many 1-pole breakers as you want in the panel.  Do not install multi-wire branch circuits (shared neutral)!!!


Is EMT or PVC more durable under a porch that gets rain?

Steel EMT will rust over time in a buried environment with moisture where PVC will last virtually forever unless it's exposed to sunlight.

I'd go with PVC which is also likely to be less expensive.


Can you change the colour of frosted glass easily?

No, it's not easily changed. I strongly suspect that you'd be better off living with it white, or trading it for a black one, as any paint-based solution will be far inferior to actual colored glass in appearance and durability.

The best possible paint option might be to paint the bottom black, but it may not give the look you want - however, painting the top black will give you simply the look a black painted surface, not a "frosted glass surface" at all.

You might want to use plasti-dip (or something similar) if experimenting with paint - it can be peeled off most surfaces if you change your mind.

But I'd suggest leaving it alone as being the most likely to succeed.


Will this screwdriver set fit into my corded Bosch GSB 450?

You absolutely can. In the professional world that's the standard, in fact.
Your drill can accept any round or hexagonal bit or driver up to 10mm in diameter. It's not fussy. Chucks don't vary between corded and cordless tools, generally speaking.


Overall, your plan to run PEX inside the HDPE and connecting them is acceptable.

However, I would not try to jury-rig fittings together. It sounds like you are trying to find a fitting designed for PEX that just happens to "fit" the HDPE, or vice-versa. This is a recipe for mechanical failure. After putting in all this work, the last thing you will want to do is dig it up again for another repair.

Instead I would find a plumbing supply house (not a big box store) and ask them about the proper fittings that are rated for direct burial, or the right way to bury a proper fitting.

You should seriously consider running PEX the entire way. How far are you from the spring? Running some steel cable down the HDPE first and then pulling the PEX all the way through may be a better fix.


Only run hose when other fixtures are turned off

Use a reduced flow rate to fill the pool, don't open one of the valves fully so that sufficient pressure is maintained in your house.


A lot depends on what you are building. There are two different types of decks:

Traditional Deck

This involves (typically) some sort of footings to hold the posts, a ledger board on the side of the house and a lot of very specific rules designed to make sure the deck doesn't fall down and hurt people. The deck has to be extremely rigid - you can't have it move away from the house.

Floating Deck

A floating deck (typically) has posts fit into specially designed blocks:

which simply sit on the ground. The entire deck may move a bit over time. As a result, there are limits (which may vary by jurisdiction) as to the maximum height and other constraints. But a big difference is that you do not attach the deck to your house. That actually removes a lot of the usual concerns about how everything is connected together. End result: a floating deck is much easier to build than a traditional deck.
In some cases, a floating deck may not even need a building permit, which is a big advantage. However, that is dependent on jurisdiction (in my area, OK up to 200 square feet).
Check with your local building department (county, city, etc.) and find out if a floating deck is permitted and, if so, what the constraints are. That may go a long way towards making this a one-man project. I built mine (< 200 square feet, very short posts) together with my evil twin. I could have done it myself, but an extra set of hands is really useful when you are placing 10' or longer boards.


Why does my halogen T-4 desk lamp not light up the bulb completely?

The bulbs in the link say 120 Volt. Your lamp says use 12V 50W. I think you just got the wrong bulbs.


Portable Air Conditioners: Is amperage a better measure of cooling power than BTUs?

Some manufacturers will use outputs based on what we used to call "lab standards", which meant that the figures could only be achieved in a perfect setting or perfectly controlled environment.  With these units the testing parameters were controlled perfectly to obtain numbers that were not attainable in normal operating environments. Others use average numbers. If the numbers look to good to be true they probably are. As fixer1234 stated the difference could be a higher efficiency model, but in that case the price difference would be much higher. Sometimes the numbers are just too good to be true.----  And as for being able to get the room to 61 degrees, it is impossible for me to say since at some point as the temperature goes lower the A/C unit will just ice up and stop performing. These units are not made to operate at that temperature.


Can I increase the ceiling height in my mobile home?

No. Your roof is built to minimal height standards for cost, insulation, travel height, wind handling, etc. You basically have ceiling joists, a relatively small space for insulation, and the roof. There's no extra height available there. You will need to raise the upper roof surface to make room for livable space below.
Here's a short list of things that need to happen to raise the roof in part or all of your home:

Roof demolition
Wall framing
Roof framing
Plumbing vent extension (if present)
Utility vent/flue extension (if present)
Roofing repair (shingles or membrane, edge flashing, penetration flashing)
Electrical wiring extension/reconfiguration
Wall and roof insulation & vapor barrier
Exterior siding & soffit
Drywall hanging and taping
Wall and ceiling texture and painting
Building permits
Inspections

Whether this project is appropriate for you is entirely a matter of prerogative, budget and legality and not ours to say.
One other consideration is that mobile homes tend to be subject to wind damage (tipover). Raising the height of yours exacerbates that problem.


No, you don't need a separate pressure tank. Assuming you are on level ground, getting to a 2nd floor ADU would be about a 10' (?) vertical rise. Water pressure caused by gravity is .43 PSI per foot, so if level land and 2nd floor, you'd loose 4.3 PSI in pressure. Which would  be roughly the same as between the first and second floor of a house.   Flow rate is determined by several things, most notable pipe size....and in your case, pump size and how much the well can produce.
If you are very concerned about this, bigger is better...for an ADU 3/4" pipe would be fine, but 1" would be better.
Also, most pressure switches that control pumps are adjustable meaning you could set it a bit higher to make up for the 4 PSI, but I doubt you'd need to.  Not knowing your specific setup, I can't be sure if it's adjustable or not, but most are.


How should nail holes be repaired in a gypsum firewall?

Just as minor voids left during hanging of the drywall are filled with joint compound, you can do so with nail holes and any other minor penetrations. Many times an installer will miss framing with a screw and pull it out, leaving a similar hole. It's not a concern.


what is the distance a service drop needs to be from windows

The raceway for the service conductors can be where you want. Here is the pertinent National Electrical Code language:

230.9 Clearances on Buildings.  Service conductors and final spans shall comply with 230.9(A), (B), and (C).
(A) Clearances.  Service conductors installed as open conductors or multiconductor cable without an overall outer jacket shall have a clearance of not less than 900 mm (3 ft) from windows that are designed to be opened, doors, porches, balconies, ladders, stairs, fire escapes, or similar locations.
Exception: Conductors run above the top level of a window shall be permitted to be less than the 900 mm (3 ft) requirement.

Notice this actually refers to the service drop conductors not the conductors down the side of the building. "Open conductors" is the old three wire service drops and "multiconductor cable without an overall outer jacket" is triplex. These are both used for the actual service drop. Once you hit the house and transition to SE cable or a raceway you can put the service where you want as long a step it is adequately supported.
Your conductors are in a raceway and as long as the service point itself has a 3 foot clearance from the windows horizontally you are good.
Now, you said "up the wall" so I presume you are attaching your raceway on the outside of the house. That would be the normal method. Then up through the eave to the service point. Passing the service through the wall before it is protected by a breaker or fuse is a Code violation. The service is supposed to remain outside the home until it reaches the closest point to the main disconnect. Your inspector may have some specific Code interpretation about passing through the eave. This is usually allowed if it just a small slope at that point and is a non-habitable part of the home such as an attic.
Good luck!


Do I need to mud drywall before applying ship lap?

I would say best practice would be to at least seal the drywall with a primer so it does not absorb the moisture in the humid post shower air.

Code (may?) require the joints have at least a tape applied with a skim coat of mud for fire code. That is speculation on my part.

If the gaps in the ship lap will reveal the drywall you will want it a color of your choice.

Personally i would prime and paint it with a semigloss.


Is it possible - probably.
Is it practical - probably not. Start with voiding the warranty and work up from there. The odds of ruining the thing so it does not work any more are not insignificant, depending how it's constructed and your personal skills.
Is it far simpler to just set the unit to 66 or 64 degrees, if that's what it takes to get the other room down to 72 - yes.
Can you perhaps assist the process by adding a fan between rooms to help circulate the air - Yes, and that might reduce the amount you have to overcool the first room to get the second room cool enough.


How to wire a 4 prong outlet in my generator to 3 prong dryer?

I hate to break it to you...
But this really needs to be done better than what you plan.
Let's tackle the big ones first.
There MUST be an interlock to protect linemen
Electricity is distributed at high voltage (50,000V) which is knocked down to medium (10,000V) at a transformer, then down to 120/240V at another transformer.
It's absolutely possible for a generator to push electricity back out onto the grid.  When it reaches a transformer it'll just go through in reverse, so your generator will cause a 10,000V section to light up at 10,000 volts.  And that will "light up" the linemen who's out there at 4am away from family working to get your power back on.
Some consider that impolite.
A lot of homeowners get this genius idea that they'll just have a procedure: "Turn THIS off, then plug in THIS, then start the gen, then turn on THAT".  They've got it all worked out.  But when The Stuff Hits The Fan and the pressure's on in the rainy dark to get the lights on, fog of war, it ain't working, trying anything, or you're away and the wife asks the neighbor to help.  The long experience of accident investigators is that procedure lists Just Don't Work.
As such, a line-generator interlock is mandatory.
For a lot of panels, this is actually pretty easy - I had somebody who had run out of circuits on a klutzy $550 10-switch Reliance transfer switch, and the panel was a Siemens.  I instantly realized the Reliance was unnecessary, the whole panel could be switched with an ECSBPK01 interlock (go price that lol) or possibly an ECSBPK02 if >125A was needed. Even with the needed breakers it'd have been under $100.
Get us some pics of your panel, and we can see if there's an equally easy answer for yours.
No Suicide Cords.  Ever.  Use an inlet.
You don't want to ever have a cord that has males (pointy ones) on both ends.  It is a matter of time before tragedy happens.  Things which  take power have pointy ends, so "your house" should have the pointy ends.  You should not be using a normal socket and a suicide cord, you should be using a "reverse socket" called an inlet, and a normal cord.
When the inlet is combined with the interlock, it is impossible for the prongs to ever be energized.  This makes it safe.
There are 2 ways to get an inlet.  First, they sell actual inlets, that mount where you please and look a lot like a socket but have prongs instead of holes.  They can be a bit pricey.
So instead you can just use literally a cord and plug. You have to terminate the flexible cord in a junction box with a strain relief.  And you need to put some thought into avoiding physical damage when the cord's not in use.  But it's just that easy to Git-r-Dun.
Yeah, it's legal for flexible cordage to be part of a building's wiring, if it's something that is frequently connected, disconnected or moved.  NEC 400.6-8 somewhere in there.
Permanent wiring, done temporarily
Very often I need a circuit to operate for a few hours. I just use proper permanent wiring methods so it's OK to run forever.  Then, when the crisis is over, I undo all the wiring and change it back.
This has the elegance of making the "interlock" question moot, since you are de-wiring the circuits from the grid.
Knock a knockout out of the side of my panel, run a cord from the generator into it, put a cable clamp on it. Legal.  When the power fails, turn the main off, take the cover off the panel, identify the circuits I want to power, pull their hots and neutrals off the breakers and bars, and nut them to the generator hot and neutral. Close up the panel. Now those circuits are permanently rewired to run of generator only.
Or, if there was a disconnect to de-energize the main feed coming into the panel, I'd do that.  Then yank the main feed hot wires off and cap 'em off.  I'd attach the generator supply wires there, and button the panel back up.  Now the whole panel is permanently rewired to run off generator only.  Of course as soon as the power returns, I'd reverse it.
All the stuff I'm saying is Code legal, except the first one if you are connecting 15A or 20A branch circuits to a 30A generator breaker, that's over-fusing obviously. But it may come down to choosing your code violation wisely.
Romex/NM cable as cordage
You're familiar with cordage; it's appliance cords.  It's stranded and very flexible and durable.  You're supposed to use that for temporary or flexible cables e.g. to appliances or between generators and inlets.   It's also more expensive.
Romex/NM/UF cable should not be used for that, because it is solid wire - it's not flexible, and repeated flexing will fatigue and break it.  It's also not made to be underfoot, pulled on, or any of the daily indignities that cordage suffers daily.
Use the Romex to run in the walls to the panel, or an isolated run between an outlet and inlet/cord/plug.   For instance once you upgrade your dryer socket, you could use the #10 Romex to continue as permanent wiring to a convenient location for a welder receptacle.  Turns out you can have 2+ 30A receps on the same circuit.
But speaking of that...
That old NEMA 10 dryer recep is dangerous as heck
We see loose neutral wires on here all the time.
Now, it's common for people to 'bootleg ground' where (at an outlet) they connect ground to neutral so the tester reads good.   The problem with a bootlegged ground is, if you get a loose neutral wire, the neutral floats at 120V and so does the ground/chassis of the machine.
Now, the obsolete NEMA 10 uses hot-hot-neutral.  No ground. But when grounding came along, the appliance manufacturers asked to be allowed to simply attach the appliance chassis to neutral.  Well, that's bootlegging ground!  And yeah, it has the same problem, and from time to time, this kills somebody.
However this is easy to fix.  #1 change the dryer cord to 4-prong NEMA 14-30, and remove the internal bootleg jumper from the dryer.   #2 run a plain old #10 ground wire from the dryer socket junction box back to the panel or any other #10 ground wire going back to the panel... water heater, grounding electrode, metal conduit, whatevs.  #3 change the socket to NEMA 14-30.
Once it's changed to 14-30, it's legal to use with both dryers (hot-hot-neutral) and welders (hot-hot-ground).  Since it has both.


Water heater in close with wall ajoining breaker panel?

The circumstance is a persistent pinhole leak that sprays the wall wet for an extended period of time until the drywall becomes saturated and crumbles.  And most people say "I would spot that immediately", but having seen a few water-heater leaks, real world, most people don't for weeks.  And then take more time dealing with it.

Also, you would know it was urgent, but the next occupant may not.

Remember the scene in Breaking Bad where he ignores the leaky hot water heater until the floor rots out?

Honestly, I would use two strategies:

mount the hot water heater below the service panel.  You don't want water near your service panel, but water doesn't flow uphill.
build a hardback false wall set on spacers several inches (like 3-1/2") out from the wall, so there's an intermediate gap.   The false wall would stop short of the floor, put a drip pan under it.  Water sprayed onto the false wall can only run down to its bottom then drip into the pan.    (make sure the spacers stop before the bottom of the false wall so streams don't detour onto the spacers).


Basement floor is damp and the top of my foundation is cracking after air sealing the attic?

Horizontal cracking? That's odd, and I think that's unrelated to your moisture problem (even with a picture, I'm not sure I'd comment on that).

Well, you've air sealed your house, which means that now you have to actually pay attention to the V in HVAC: Ventilation. In a hermetically sealed house, I strongly suggest seeking a better filter system.

I'll take a wild guess that you lack a suitably sized fresh air intake for the furnace, as well as a make-up air inlet for the house (because most houses don't have either).

But you probably just need to look into buying a dehumidifier. Assuming that none of your power-vented equipment is over powering any of your gas-fired natural draft equipment, or that any other item like a fireplace is doing so (hopefully your CO detector will notify you of that).

Your A/C is over-sized or improperly charged. Have a tech come out to diagnose the unit. Hire whoever can explain the difference between superheat and subcooling to you, and what a wet-bulb temperature is.

And explain to them that, you need the A/C unit tweaked to run longer, whether it be from reducing the fan speed, or monkeying with the pressure to make it less efficient, with the goal being to drop out excess moisture from the air.

Central AC system not reducing the humidity in the air? –dslreports.com

  a standard AC unit will drop out more humidity the longer it runs - if it is oversized you will be too cold before it has a chance to do the job - the too large coil will make the air cold too quickly and the unit will cut off before it has time to drop out the moisture. A slower fan speed would help some because it gives the air more time at the evaporator coil and will let the unit run longer

The thread goes on about relative vs. absolute humidity for a while...

  Going back to the OP, if the AC is cooling down the house too quickly, then open up some window shades [or room doors] and give the house some heat to force the AC to run longer. This will give more time for the AC to pull moisture out of the air and lower the relative humidity. Having a proper moisture barrier is important though. Never open a window or turn on an exhaust fan. By doing so, you are pulling humidity into your home and as it hits your cool air, it will condense and feed mold.

However if it's not all that hot outside but it's really humid, "Agreed with others in that you are sort of in the 'screwed zone'."


Ceiling fan electrical box swap. Conduit making issues

There are absolutely fan electrical boxes with the extra support brackets that have more knockout holes. You can also get fan rated boxes that screw directly to the joist, either below it or on the side.

If you can't find them at a retail store, an electrical supply store will have them.


Outside electric outlets should be 20amp or 15?

You could probably use the 15 ampere basement circuit to power outdoor lighting, and water feature (just make sure it's all GFCI protected). If you're going to be using power tools outside (power washer, electric mower, trimmer, hedge clipper, etc. Then you're going to want to run a new 20 ampere GFCI protected circuit.

If there are only a few lights in the office on the circuit, you can surely power a few more garage lights with that circuit. Though you'll want to make sure that's all that is on that circuit, or you could end up overloading the circuit.  If you want to add receptacles in the garage, you'll want a dedicated 20 ampere GFCI protected circuit. If you're going to be running a bunch of power tools, you might want to consider a 20 ampere multi-wire branch circuit. In which case you can split each receptacle, and power the top/bottom from the separate legs of the circuit.

Before you make a final plan, make sure you know for sure what's on any circuit you're tapping into. Guessing here could lead to overloaded circuits, and nuisance tripping.


Can 12 gauge wire be inserted into 14 gauge switch connector sockets?

That is a side clamp switch, and it's your friend. Unfortunately, whoever wired it didn't do a friendly thing.
This image is a snippet from yours:

Where that red arrow points is called a "backstab". It's quick and easy to install wires there, but, over time, the little piece of brass used as a spring clamp can wear out, leaving you with a loose connection. Loose connections lead to sparks and sparks lead to fires. Avoid backstabs at all cost.
Those green arrows point to the side clamps. You loosen the screw, strip your wire(s) bare, slip them into one or both of those little slots, then tighten down the screw. (Best bet is to use a torque screwdriver to be sure they're done properly.) Since these screws aren't under any stress, they are highly unlikely to ever back out without another application of a screwdriver and are, therefore, much more secure.
Just below where that wire enters the backstab, there should be a little rectangular slot. You can insert a small flat-blade screwdriver into that slot and wiggle the wire out. Screw it down under the clamp.
For the other wires on the other terminal, follow manassehkatz's suggestion to remove them both, pig-tail them with a 3rd piece of wire, then clamp the free end of that 3rd wire under the other screw. You can simply insert both wires into the two individual slots under the other screw and tighten them both down at the same time, but it's preferred to make a pig-tail and only have 1 connection to the switch. Either is code compliant.


Is there a product that allows me to run a "mains" device off a power tool Battery

Not sure product recommendations are on-topic here, but DeWalt does make a 20V Flexvolt series product called the Portable Power Station DCB1800 which can supply 120VAC @ 15A.  It also functions as a charger for your batteries.  It's not cheap, though.


I wouldn't think that even in bad conditions the water table rises all that much, I'd guess your infiltration is from the side walls as rain drains down into the earth. Re-grade next to the foundation.

If that doesn't help, then yes, you need a real sump. I'd need a pic to say if I'd make a new hole or not. French drains can be added later, but you'll need a sump regardless. Or not, if re-grading takes care of it. Order of attack:

Re-grade next to the foundation
Add sump
Add French drains

If you're serious about keeping it dry so you can use it as a rec room or whatever, arbitrarily do all three steps.

Seal the foundation with some caulk and paint it. Or skim coat the whole thing and then paint it. At the very least, some paint will show you where the trouble spots are once they discolor. If there is space permitting, I'd leave that old pump alone as a backup, and dig a new pit if you're going to put a new sump in.

But if you're 5~6 feet above a river, a real sump pump might be a losing battle... Caulk the wagon and ford the river.


Adding hot receptacle from current light switch power?

Given that the line cable (hot and neutral) enters the switch box, you can run a new cable from the light switch box to a new receptacle and connect it so the switch will still switch the existing receptacle.

You cannot run a new cable from the existing switched receptacle to get an always on receptacle.

If you wanted to do away with the switched receptacle, you could remove the switch from the circuit and connect the wires with a wire nut. The existing receptacle would then be always on.

You could install a ceiling box and light fixture and run a cable from the switch box to the light fixture. That way the switch would control the ceiling light.


How do I wire in a bathroom light/fan to this box?

This write-up assumes supply power is coming in from the bottom cable. It's a little hard to tell what the blacks are doing.

Typically when electricians install light/fan wiring, they use /3 cable so that black and red can be used to separately control 2 things. (white white as neutral return).

Why they ran a /3 cable to your vanity, I really do not know.  I have a feeling this /3 cable goes up to your ceiling box, then a /2 comes down to the vanity.  In that case, one wire (e.g. Black) feeds the vanity and the red is capped off waiting for use with a ceiling fan.

In your case, it was wired without separate control, as the red and black are connected to the same screw of the switch, using an illegal double-tap.  You are about to correct that.

Split it: the supply cable (from the GFCI) goes to a black "common" terminal on the dual switch, and then each of the red and black wires go to separate brass terminals.  That will give you separate control of red and black.

Up top, you'd need to connect red and black separately to different devices.  Both use white for neutral.

Don't pull the splitter in the back of the switch, and don't take the tape off the terminals.


Wiring a ceiling light with conductive tape?

The only way that's going to work (and all these are true there in Germany) is if

the tape is fairly thick, because
the circuit is low voltage
the circuit has careful overcurrent protection on it
the circuit has arc-fault protection on it (which isn't terribly hard on DC and static DC loads like resistor limited LED lighting)
The copper tape is only installed where out of reach of poking fingers or damage from normal activity.

Have you checked each of the electrical sockets in your room?  It is common (especially in the US) for 1/2 of one receptacle (i.e. one socket of the two) to be swiched by the room's light switch.  This is done because it's about $30 cheaper in labor, x 3-4 rooms per house, x 2000 houses per development.  It is despicable and useless.  We usually go off to IKEA and get a simple $15 corner lamp to plug into that.

Another option is to use a product like Legrand Wiremold (tm) to run surface conduit from that switched receptacle up the side of the wall.  Then you can either extend it to a room light, or to around-the-edge cove lighting, or to that copper system you propose.


How to repair a giant hole in plaster over drywall (maybe ?)

That looks suspiciously like somebody decided to cut a door through the wall and either gave up or decided it was too much work.  The wall construction looks like veneer plaster, which would fit with the age of the house.

Whatever method you decide to use, you're going to have to get some more framing in there. You at very least would need to replace the stud in the middle that was cut off and either cut back far enough that you can hit a stud on either side of the hole (the option I'd go with), or put in enough blocking that you have solid edges. I'd just use sheet rock for the patch and shim it out so it is flush with the rest of the wall surface.


I would try applying some wood glue  into the split with a small brush. Sandwich the door between two 2x4's with some clamps. It may help to put some wax paper on the 2x4 to keep any glue from adhering the board to the door. Tighten the clamps until the glue starts to squeeze from the crack. Let it sit 24 hours, remove the clamps and scrape any excess dried glue. Repaint to hide the repair.


Best way to hold interior wall insulation in place prior to drywalling

The insulation batts should stay in place by themselves via friction. If they're falling out, you're not cutting them snugly enough.


In what order should I perform these renovation tasks?

I'd paint the ceiling, unless it's like new it will look out of place with fresh walls and floors.

  Installing some down lights

I'd do this first because of gravity - dirt falls down - you don't want that on brand new carpets, even the walls might get dirty so do it before the paint.  No big deal painting around recessed lighting.

  Painting
  Changing the carpets in the rooms

Paint, then carpet - obvious reasons.  It's great if you can paint on carpets that are getting torn out.  Carpet is better than dropcloths because it soaks up any paint you get on the soles of your shoes.

  Installing New blinds

I'd do this last, in fact I'd wait until the paint and carpets are in to pick out your blinds.  It makes minimal mess.  You don't want to paint around them.

  Professional Cleaning

Always clean up last, but once you paint and recarpet, what are they even going to clean?


How to design unit with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 laundry, 1 kitchen and 1 living room that has very open space?

"Can you come up with a different design?"

Many. Enough that it isn't worth describing any one of them.

"How to design...?"

That's an endless topic, but I can suggest a few starting points:

Think about how you're actually going to use the space, for everything from large parties to quiet times to needing to get away from each other.

Think about how much time you're going to spend where, what furnishings are going to go where, and what that says about how space should be distributed.

Think about sound isolation.

Think about traffic patterns, and make things as convenient as possible.

Think about whether you really want/need two full baths. Think about whether one of them wants to be attached to a bedroom to create a "master suite".

Think about whether some of these functions can share some of their floor space -- eg, if the laundry room can be combined into one of the baths or the kitchen, that may free up space to be used for other purposes. Plumbing work may be cheaper if most of the things which use water are close to each other (sharing a "wet wall", for example).

Think about whether you're designing for you own needs and don't care if it's too odd to sell easily or for a good price, or whether you're designing it for resale value and need to conform to current conventions, or something between the two.

And so on. And on. And on. There's no single best answer to any of these questions. If you're designing, you need to work through all the tradeoffs, look at lots of other designs for ideas, and generally spend time drawing up alternatives until you find one you're satisfied with.

Remember that non-loadbearing walls can be added or ripped out later, and even things like plumbing can be relocated to some extent. Doing so may not be cheap, but you do have that option if you decide you've really made a serious mistake.


If you are saying the bolt is extended into the frame and won't retract, try pulling the hinge pins and removing the door by "opening" the door on the hinge side.


clean with high-pressure water jet, allow to dry,
Seal with a neurtral-cure silicone after fitting a backer-rod to keep the silicone depth within the acceptable range (consult the silicone packaging).


How can I retrofit this existing wall-heater with an external thermostat?

I think what you have is a mechanical thermocouple sensor that is connected to the regulator. This is the same as one would have in an RV. They do not use any electricity, and the thermostat is part of the gas regulator. The only remote I am aware of would be a remote thermocouple. I'm not sure if your unit has a removable sensor. If it does, then you can place the sensor elsewhere, but you will still have to set the desired temp on the dial in the unit. There is no actual remote thermostat for this type of unit that I am aware of.


It could be that the small half cylinder on the bolt is getting into the hole in the striker plate and jamming. This would mean that the striker plate is set too far out in the jamb.

It will be a pain to relocate the striker plate in a little, but you might have to do it. To test this, examine the movement of the small half cylinder as you close the door. You could use a felt marker to put a mark on the end of the half cylinder. The mark should stay visible as the bolt goes into the striker plate.

You could place a thin shim in the doorstop opposite the lock or two shims one above and one below and see if this stops the jamming when you close the door hard. If this stops the jamming you could just leave them in and use it that way

EDIT

If, due to the peculiarities of your door, you can't get the striker plate adjusted, you might consider going to a non-locking handle. The non-locking handles have a plastic bearing strip on the side of the bolt so that jamming would not be possible. You would then install a dead bolt lock requiring a key on the garage side.

One problem with the locking door handle on an exterior door is that it is easy to get locked out. After one or two episodes over 20 years we changed to a non-locking door handle and a deadbolt lock (which requires a key for locking) on both the front door and the door into the garage. Some neighbors have given us a key to their house and have had numerous lockouts (front door or rear French doors) in which they come to us for the key. Another neighbor also gave us a key for the same reason.

EDIT

Another possibility is to replace all or part of the weather stripping with some which is stiffer than the present one so that the door is stopped before it goes in far enough to allow the small bolt to enter the striker hole.


pick thickness of the engineered wood planks

Underlayment doesn't settle or compress appreciably, and you usually won't find varying thicknesses of your particular choice of flooring. You'd have to change brands to change thickness.

Unless you have some specific height need, purchase what suits your fancy. The transition between the new and old floors should accommodate, and a difference in height of 1/8" or 1/4" doesn't cause a problem.

If you're aiming for perfect level, you may need to install additional subfloor material before the flooring underlayment.


I need to anchor a standard where there is a one-inch hole in the drywall

There is a butterfly anchor sold at most hardware/home stores.  It's a V shape with a nut and a spring at the point of the V.  It will fit into a 1" hole and then expand once pushed through the hole to a wider diameter.  You may need to drill the diameter of the hole in the standard out to accommodate the larger screw.  But these are very strong drywall anchors.


How many coats of spray paint do I need?

I ended up skipping the second coat. I went around a touched up a few spots with a brush using the same paint and it looks great otherwise.


Am I able to wire a 3-Prong dryer outlet with 8/3 Romex?

You could. But don't!
Instead, replace the 3-wire outlet with a 4-wire outlet. It is much safer. There are no downsides. You will have to replace the dryer cord/plug with a 4-wire cord/plug, and remove the jumper connecting ground and neutral on the dryer (typically a green wire going from the neutral connection to some bare metal spot on the dryer).
You would have to do the same thing if it was a 10/3 as well. That is, assuming your 10/3 is (like the 8/3) 3 regular wires (typically black/red/white) + a ground wire.
If your 10/3 does not have a ground wire, ask for more help.


Why do I have less than line voltage at a switch box?

You appear to have a bad connection in the ground wire somewhere.

With a standard switch loop, the Code requires the white wire in a 2 wire cable to be connected to the hot feed and be permanently re-identified as an ungrounded conductor. Most electricians just use some black electrical tape to re-identify the hot feed to the switch. Personally I like blue in this case as it is not used in a normal residential install so it stands out.

So, with the switch closed (on) you should not get any voltage between the white wire and the black. You should then get 120 volts from either the black or white wires to the ground wire. With the switch open (off) you should read 120 volts between these wires and 120 volts from the white to the ground wire.

You should re-identify the white wire as any color but white or green. Then look for a bad connection on the ground wire.

Good luck and stay safe!


Ground wires absent from circuits exiting apartment panel

Your building is most likely wired using armored cable (Type AC), so it's grounded, alright
Given the presence of per-conductor paper packing protruding into the panel through the cable connectors, the lack of cable jacketing protruding into the panel through the same route, the lack of ground wires, the vintage of the panel and apparent vintage of the wiring (rather new), and the context of the building and its locale and use (apartment in NYC), my most likely guess as to the wiring method used in your building would be "new style" Type AC (armored cable).  This cable uses the metal armor in conjunction with a thin aluminum bonding strip as the grounding path; the metal cable armor provides a low-resistance path generally, while the bonding strip shorts adjacent turns of the spiral-wound armor to each other to avoid any potential for "choking" of fault currents.  (Very old BX lacked that bonding strip, and there have been various tales of BX armor overheating under low, sustained fault current conditions as a result of the "choke" effect not allowing enough fault current to pass to trip the breaker.)
As an aside: whoever wired that panel was proud of their work, and for the most part deservedly so, so you might as well take this learning opportunity
As an aside, what you are looking at here is a panel that's been quite neatly and professionally wired, by and large.  About the only thing I cannot see in your pictures are the anti-short "redhead" bushings on the connectors. Otherwise, the feeder to this panel looks to be a proper four-wire feed with the panel's bonding screw pulled, as is proper for a subpanel (if this was a main panel, the bonding screw would sit in that "notch" in the top right of the neutral bar).  Furthermore, the branch circuit wiring was done in a very tidy fashion, looping down along the side gutters and back up to the breaker and neutral lugs/screws to provide excess length in case a rearrangement is called for, and all the wiring's been neatly tagged with what circuit it goes to.  Finally, note that all the white wires used as hots in 240V-only circuits, as well as the B leg of the incoming feeder, have been wrapped with red phase tape to prevent confusion.
Best of luck and wishes for your schooling!


How to achieve a straight line when not flush to required wall?

I'd set a couple of 2x4 stakes in the patio area as an offset line, parallel to the brick but out of the way of the new wall. This will allow you to set your final lines appropriately.

Establish your first parallel line with a level

Drive a stake in at an arbitrary location with the width perpendicular to the garage foundation down at the level of the wall.
Take a round number measurement to the center of the stake top from the brick. Set another stake roughly at that location.
Now take a more precise measurement to a mark at the approximate center of the stake using a level. Stand the level on the stake with one edge at the center and set the bubble plumb. Now measure between the level (when plumb) and the brick.
Transfer that dimension to the other stake using the level. Keep the level plumb and move it until you have the correct dimension, then mark the stake. You now have marks creating a line parallel to the brick.

 |________________________________________________| <-- garage foundation

 **************************************************
 *                                                *
 *                                                * <-- patio area outline
 *     _                                  _       *
 *    |.| <--- stakes with nails ------> |.|      *
 *    |_|      equidistant from brick    |_|      *
 *                                                *

Create a perpendicular line using the 3:4:5 technique

Set a small nail in each stake and pull a dryline between them.
Measure between the nails and find a slighly smaller dimension that's a round multiple of 3. For example, if you measure 123 inches, mark 120. This is the second corner of your 3:4:5 triangle. The first was the nail from which you measured.
Pull a tape measure from point 1 (the nail) extending roughly perpendicular to the dryline. Find a dimension that's 4/3 of the earlier measurement. (Multiply that number by 4 and divide by 3. For 120 you'd get 180.)
Strike an arc on the ground or some scrap lumber at that distance, a foot or so both ways from your estimate of perpendicular.
Have an assistant hold the "dumb" end of your tape measure on the mark you made on the dryline earlier without moving the dryline. Find where a number that's 5/3 of your original dimension intersects with the arc from the previous step. That point lies on your second reference line, which will be perpendicular to the first line.
Set a stake and a nail at that point and pull a line back to the original nail.

 **************************************************
 *                                                *
 *     point 1 (nail)           point 2 (mark)    *
 *     _                          |       _       *
 *    |.|  ---- multiple of 3 ----*----  |.|      *
 *    |_|                                |_|      *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *     | <-- measure a multiple of 4              *
 *     |     from point 1                         *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *     |                                          *
 *    \_/ <-- strike an arc                       *
 *                                                *

From there you can take measurements to parallel for your actual wall positions. The drylines can stay in place during wall construction for reference.


Determine the best placement for attic ladder installation

The stairs should gain access to the attic in such a way that:

1) one has max. headroom,

2) the attic stairwell doesn't prevent access to any part of the attic,

3) the stairs permits a path of travel to a ground floor exterior door (ie. doesn't come down into the hallway in such a way one would have to close the stairs to exit the bldg.)

4) the stairs would not likely require furniture to be moved to be used.


Why are there three cables coming into my ceiling fan box?

(A partial answer)

Why are there 3 cables in the box?

One cable brings power from "upstream", either directly from the circuit breaker to the fan, or from the breaker via another fixture.
One cable leads from the fan to the switch. This should be the cable that you connected to the fan. This is what enables the switch on the wall to operate the fan.
The last cable takes hot power from the box to another fixture somewhere. Turn on all the lights in the house, then turn off the breaker that controls the fan. See what else turns off - that's where this other cable leads. (Once you've figured that out, you may want to be sure the label for the breaker accurately describes what it powers so you don't have to figure it out again in the future.)


Light fixture: 3 pairs of wires, two switches

One of the pairs, the one that you originally connected to the light, are the hot and neutral from the breaker box. When you connected them together, you created a short circuit. This is why the breaker won't reset.

Probably one of the others is the switch loop, connected to the light switch on the other end. You need to identify this. If you have a ohmmeter or continuity tester, do the following: WITH THE POWER OFF, connect the meter to the wire pairs until you find the one that opens and closes with the switch. This is the switch loop.

Connect one wire of the switch loop to the hot wire from the breaker panel. Connect the other wire to the hot side of the light. Connect the neutral from the breaker box to the neutral side of the light.

The question I cannot answer is what the other pair are used for. If you fix the light but leave the third pair disconnected (put a wire nut on each wire separately), are there any other outlets or light that don't work? If yes, you probably need to connect these wires also to the hot and neutral from the breaker box. This is used to carry the electricity to the other loads.

If everything is working, just leave these wires disconnected.

Tip: next time you disconnect wires, mark them all with tape to note how they were connected. This may save you a bill for an electrician's visit.


Can I use an electric plane to to smoothen large boards/planks?

I have done what you want to do with a electric hand plane. It will leave ridges where the cuts lap. If you want it flat, one side needs to be ran over a jointer of the proper width for the piece then a thickness planer to get a uniform thickness across the board.

As I mentioned, I have done this, but as a prelude to running the material through a planer. Instead of using a jointer, I would run the electric hand planer over the surface here and there to flatten it with care, then run the other side through the thickness planer. once that side is flat enough, I flip it over and run the side I used the hand plane on to remove the ridges left by that method.


What does the NEC consider to be a kitchen?

Wet bars fall under a different GFCI requirement
The issue of whether a room is a "kitchen" or not is only marginally relevant to GFCI requirements, as NEC 210.8(A) point 7 requires GFCI protection within 6' of any sink in a dwelling unit, including those found in wet bars:

(7) Sinks — where receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft) from the top inside edge of the bowl of the sink

However, your question has merit
However, your question does matter as it determines whether your space requires its own small appliance branch circuits.  For that, we turn to the NEC Article 100 definition of "Kitchen":

Kitchen. An area with a sink and permanent provisions for
food preparation and cooking.

A wet bar has a sink, of course, and also has "permanent provisions for food preparation" in that it has countertop space.  However, the lack of provisions for a permanently installed cooking (food heating) appliance is what makes it "not a kitchen" under the NEC.
So, adding a built-in cooking appliance such as a cooktop or hardwired oven would do the trick.  What else would make it a kitchen?  A "hutch" for a microwave or toaster oven or other such provision obviously intended for a cooking appliance to be left connected/installed 24/7, would also push it over that line.  Simply plugging a hotplate/portable induction cooker or other such portable cooking appliance in and leaving it on the counter wouldn't be "permanent" enough in my eyes, though, since someone could readily unplug it and put it away if they needed to use the counter space for something else.
Of course, nothing in the NEC stops you from dropping a pair of dedicated 20A branch circuits to the countertop receptacles on your wet bar, even if there isn't a microwave hutch or other "kitchenette" feature planned there.


How do I finish my partially finished floor?

It is no problem and probably a good idea to use thinner to wipe up the stained poly. I would think the tricky part is going to be the tendency for the grain to get raised (rough) on the bare stained part. I think you will have to buff again but I might put 2 coats of poly down first. Then buff with a fine screen >=120 and put a final coat.

Be sure to turn off the pilot lights and watch out for anything that could flash that vapor.

I'd give the stain overnight to dry or at least til it is dry to the touch otherwise the stain will leak into the poly and muddy up the finish.

I've switched to water-based poly. Its expensive but it dries real fast and it now outperforms oil based. No companies are putting research money into VOC stuff and they suck for the environment.


Where is the pressure vacuum breaker typically located in a lawn irrigation system?

Some may not even have it. You mention a well. If the well also provides your drinking water, then you should have a vacuum break. But if the well is only for irrigation then you will likely not have a vacuum break or back flow preventer.

  Where is the pressure vacuum breaker (or other backflow device) typically installed in a lawn irrigation system?

Usually right after the main shut-off. So if you know where the shut-off is, the vacuum break should be right there.

  Does it matter, as long as it is before the first sprinkler head? Or does it have to be before all the valves?

It is usually between the valves and the main shut-off.

  Is it typically buried or is it usually above ground and elevated?

If it's a vacuum break (and it should be) then it needs to be above ground. If it's a back-flow preventer then it could be buried.

  Would one ever be right at the jet pump on home well systems?

It's more likely co-located with the main shut-off than the pump.

  Do they ever have pressure gauges attached to them?

Usually not.


how can I know whether my hardwood floor is glued down or nailed down?

Judging by your picture, this appears to be a site-finished hardwood floor. That means it would be installed and then sanded and varnished on-site, and the clearest signal of this is that the floor is one smooth surface, with no bevels or texture changes you can feel by hand at the edges of each floorboard.

Assuming that's true, then it's almost certainly tongue-and-groove slats, nailed or stapled through the tongues. Some boards around the edges may be face-nailed. That's the most common way these floors have been installed for decades, though it's not impossible to imagine it was glued.

In any case it seems like a beautiful floor, and you can change the look by sanding, staining, and refinishing without pulling up the existing floor.


How should I ventilate an air-tight concrete room?

A 4 inch diameter hole with a good fan might be sufficient to move air from the basement into this room under the use you describe. The space under the door might be sufficient to allow the air back into the basement.

Is the roof of this cistern room exposed on the surface, and, if so, is it shaded from the sun?


Not sure how to successfully drill these pieces

As the diagram mentions "pocket screws" you typically drill those type of holes using a pocket hole jig.   Here is one of the more popular ones, available from various outlets:  Kreg Pocket Hole jig  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Kreg-Jig-Pocket-Hole-System-R3/202269070

You can clamp the jig to the material and it holds the drill bits at the proper angles to easily drill the holes where you want them.


How to address the issue of a vertical window that was installed horizontally

Any contractor worth his hammer would've noticed that and brought it to your attention. The window needs to be replaced or installed vertically as intended. Whether he's liable is a contractual issue and off-topic here.

Drainage holes are not an adequate solution. The window will not continue to operate well over time. The hardware isn't designed for sideways loading. Nor are the weather seals, as you've discovered. For these reasons it may well be an issue at sale time in addition to being an operational and weather issue.

Best of luck.


Can I add a 125amp panel to a current 125amp main panel?

I'm pretty sure you are OK with having a 125 amp sub-panel, even off of a 125 main panel. You don't have to supply the sub-panel at 125 amps, just what you anticipate the load will be there. I have a 200 amp sub-panel in my shop, fed at 125 amps.  You'll of course need the correct size wires and breaker for whatever amperage you choose.  You'll naturally need to treat it as a sub-panel (isolate ground from neutral and provide 4 wire service to the sub).   The Square D QO panels are high quality (IMHO) and shouldn't need replacement like Federal or Zinsco panels.   You may need to free up some space in your main panel to make room for the breaker to the sub-panel by re-routing a couple of circuits. Not sure if your main panel is full or not.   Maybe I've missed something, if so, I'm sure one of the 3 wise men will weigh in!


Is there a glue which holds to glazed porcelain tiles?

If you will first thoroughly wet all the pertinent surfaces, your shower curtain will cling all by itself and greatly reduce the irritating billowing and waving, also the leaks to the outside on both ends.  I just toss handfuls of water everywhere I want the curtain to seal off and stick down.  Good luck-


What is this black sooty material on the inside of my roller shutter?

Looks like fungus of some sort. It grows on many surfaces. Try household cleaners and a sponge.

There are many types of mold, and the hysteria surrounding them is often unwarranted. Mold spores are everywhere, and only a very specific type is potentially dangerous, and only in significant quantities.

  The term “toxic mold” is not accurate. While certain molds are toxigenic, meaning they can produce toxins (specifically mycotoxins), the molds themselves are not toxic, or poisonous. Hazards presented by molds that may produce mycotoxins should be considered the same as other common molds which can grow in your house. There is always a little mold everywhere – in the air and on many surfaces. There are very few reports that toxigenic molds found inside homes can cause unique or rare health conditions such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. These case reports are rare, and a causal link between the presence of the toxigenic mold and these conditions has not been proven.

Basically, if it can be cleaned up it's not a serious issue. You wouldn't throw away an item that can be wiped clean.


Newly installed dimmer switch doesn't power off

This dimmer's instructions endorse the idea of just capping off the ground wire if the switch outlet has no access to ground.  However it also requires non-metallic faceplate and also non-metallic faceplate screws, so you'll need to take care of that.
That means this dimmer is NOT a modern type (those either need neutral to power themselves, or a special UL variance to bootleg ground as neutral. Those won't work without ground, but that is not your dimmer, so not your problem).  What you have here is the "old school" classic dimmer that powers itself by leaking power through the [incandescent] bulb. Only certain LEDs will tolerate this; the rest need the modern dimmer type that self-powers.
Lutron has a list of recommend LED bulbs; a few bulbs from Commercial Electric are on it. This one is not.
I would start by rolling it back to incandescent (or just temporarily hooking up an incandescent light for testing purposes).  If the dimmer now works properly, you know the dimmer is reliable.
Next, I would try temporarily wiring up BOTH the incandescent and the LED fixture.  This is a trick we use a lot for diagnosis.  Now, see if the LED fixture dims correctly with the incandescent in parallel with it.
If it does, then the dimmer is using the traditional strategy of leaking current "through the bulb" to power itself.  Of course you can't very well go leaving an incandescent bulb in your lighting; those things burn out! And when they do, your LED will be back to the bad behavior, and it won't be obvious why.  Lutron actually has an answer for that; the "LUT-MLC" incandescent bulb simulator module.  This can be wired in parallel with the LED and left up in the junction box.


I've seen bees do the same kind of damage, however those are small holes. I have also seen the smaller almost yellow jacket looking insects burrow into wood also, but I'm no entomologist so I couldn't tell you whathat they may be. I do know that spraying some wasp killer into those holes will most likely get rid of the problem if you don't wanna pay an exterminator. Those bees would burrow into the wooden beams on the outside porch. To eradicate them I'd plug all the holes but one and spray into the remaining exit, but they always come back. I've not seen them indoors though.
Edit* Just remembered another method of eradication - WD40 works just fine, and the tiny straw will fit right in those holes. Hope that helps.


Why are top-mount joist and purlin hangers shorter than actual lumber dimensions?

Besides safety and practicality mentioned by isherwood... part of the answer is money... the size of the hanger is related to the cost of the hanger. If you make or sell hangers in bulk, then every cent matters (customers like walmart and lowes will buy the hangers that are one cent cheaper per 100 boxes). If you only need to hold a certain weight, then there's little benefit to oversizing the hanger.

Another other part of the answer is that purlins are part of a (steel) roofing system. You cannot have the hanger sticking through the roof.

But If we are just talking about joist hangers in general, tops of the joists will be level with the header if you install them level. The hangers that wrap around the joist will need room below the joist (just the thickness of the hanger - not very much).

Where joists are the same size as the header, hangers that wrap under will be protruding at the bottom (if the top is level). Sometimes that doesn't matter, or if it does, then using hangers that don't wrap around the joist are necessary.

EDIT- After seeing the second edit to the question, I now understand the issue. I think you could notch the joist (1/8") to fit in the hanger (or use a different hanger).


This is one of the biggest problem with power strips (surge protectors)...

Overload!

The average person does not think about how much power each device is drawing, or how much the system can handle, they just see an open outlet and plug stuff in.  If they can't find an open outlet... Oh yeah! they make adapters for that!  I mean they sell the adapters, so they must be safe... Right?

If your power strips look like this (or worse), you better at least be checking the batteries in that smoke alarm (which is hopefully not plugged into this power strip too).

If you are using the power strip (or extension cord) properly (one plug per outlet, no adapters, no daisy chaining) and you inspect the power strip for damage (wear & tear) regularly, you should not have much to fear.

Another thing to look at when using a power strip or extension cord, is the size of the wire and the voltage and amperage ratings.  If you are using things like electric heaters, power tools, vacuums, etc., make sure the wire (extension cord/power strip) is the proper size to handle the above average load of these types of devices. Overloaded wire can heat up quickly and cause a fire.

Basically if you use common sense, inspect the cables for obvious damage and/or wear & tear regularly, and use the cables for their intended purpose, you should have no problems using extension cords and/or power strips.

Here is some interesting stuff from The Office of Compliance about
Power Strips and Dangerous Daisy Chains.

  Problems:

  OSHA regulations require that conductors  and  electrical  equipment
  be  used  in  accordance with the conditions under which  they are
  approved by a recognized testing  organization (29 CFR 1910.303(a)).
  Most  power strips are approved for providing power to a maximum of four or
  six individual items;  however,  when  multiple  power  strips  are
  interconnected, the one directly connected  to  the  building  outlet
  is  often  supplying  power  to  far  more  than  the  approved
  number. This electrical current overload can  result in a fire or can
  cause a circuit breaker  to  trip, deenergizing computers and other
  equipment throughout the area. The risk is  magnified when another
  outlet in the same  wall or floor receptacle is also overloaded in  a
  similar fashion.  When other outlets on  the same circuit are also
  overloaded, the risk  increases.

  Extension  cords  are  sometimes  used  to
  energize  power  strips  in  locations  far
  from outlets.  Because electrical resistance
  increases with increased power cord length,
  interconnecting  cords  increases  the  total
  resistance  and  resultant  heat  generation.
  This creates an additional risk of equipment
  failure and fire, particularly when paper and
  other combustible materials are in contact
  with  the  wires.  Additionally,  OSHA’s
  regulations allow extension cords to be used
  only as temporary wiring for up to 90 days.
  Unfortunately,once in place, extension cords
  tend to become permanent wiring and a fire
  hazard.

  Solutions:

  Several safe solutions exist.  In many cases, a
  power strip energized by an extension cord or
  another power strip can simply be replaced by
  a power strip with a power cord of adequate
  length to reach an outlet.  Other
  times, use of a power strip that is better able
  to accommodate bulkier transformer plugs
  solves the problem.
  Several factors should be considered when
  selecting an appropriate surge protector. Since
  models vary in the amount of current that
  they are rated to safely carry, it is important
  to consider  the amperage  requirements of
  the devices to be energized. Models vary in
  length of power cord, typically ranging from
  three to 15 feet. Choose one whose length is
  most appropriate for reaching the intended
  room outlet. Avoid having too much excess
  cord, and make sure the surge protector is set
  on its base. Some have swivel plugs which
  makes them easier to connect to the outlet,
  and helps to protect the plug and cord from
  damage.  Check  each  surge  protector  to
  make sure it is in good condition for use.

  Only power strips equipped with internal fuses are acceptable as permanent wiring.  Those
  lacking  these  fuses are equivalent to extension cords, and  therefore may not be used as
  permanent wiring.  When a power strip is installed, care must be taken to ensure that it is
  not suspended in mid-air by its power cord or cords plugged into it, resulting in excessive
  stress on electrical connections.

The National Electrical Code (NEC) has a whole article devoted to flexible cords and cables, one of the more applicable sections in this case would be 400.8.

  2008 National Electrical Code

  ARTICLE 400 Flexible Cords and Cables

  400.8 Uses Not Permitted. Unless specifically permitted in 400.7, flexible cords and cables shall not be used for the following:
  (1) As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure
  (2) Where run through holes in walls, structural ceilings, suspended ceilings, dropped ceilings, or floors
  (3) Where run through doorways, windows, or similar openings
  (4) Where attached to building surfaces
  *Exception to (4): Flexible cord and cable shall be permitted to be attached to building surfaces in accordance with the provisions of 368.56(B)**
  (5) Where concealed by walls, floors, or ceilings or located above suspended or dropped ceilings
  (6) Where installed in raceways, except as otherwise permitted in this Code
  (7) Where subject to physical damage

  *368.56(B) Cord and Cable Assemblies. Suitable cord and cable assemblies approved for extra-hard usage or hard usage and listed bus drop cable shall be permitted as branches from busways for the connection of portable equipment or the connection of stationary equipment to facilitate their interchange in accordance with 400.7 and 400.8 and the following conditions:
  (1) The cord or cable shall be attached to the building by an approved means.
  (2) The length of the cord or cable from a busway plug-in device to a suitable tension take-up support device shall not exceed 1.8 m (6 ft).
  (3) The cord and cable shall be installed as a vertical riser from the tension take-up support device to the equipment served.
  (4) Strain relief cable grips shall be provided for the cord or cable at the busway plug-in device and equipment terminations.

400.8(1) As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure.

400.8(2) Where run through holes in walls, structural ceilings, suspended ceilings, dropped ceilings, or floors.

400.8(3) Where run through doorways, windows, or similar openings.

400.8(4) Where attached to building surfaces.

400.8(5) Where concealed by walls, floors, or ceilings or located above suspended or dropped ceilings.

400.8(6)  Where installed in raceways, except as otherwise permitted in this Code

400.8(7) Where subject to physical damage


Powering 5 foot section of LED flexible light strip with AA batteries

You can get any number of configurations of AA battery holders. Mouser Electronics, an online electronics distributor has a whole page of them in their catalogue at AA Cell Holders Page from types that can accommodate 1 cell all the way up to 10 cells. Here are a few representative pictures of the ones available.

These are available with solder tabs, wire pigtails or snap fitting connections.


You should disconnect all power to your sub-panel (turn off your main breaker and your generator). Be absolutely sure the power is off to avoid serious injury or worse. I'd suggest using a voltage sensor pen to verify the panel is cold.

You will need a ohm/continuity meter for this test.

Pop the breaker in question out of the panel, leaving the hot wire connected. Turn on the breaker and test continuity between the back of the breaker and the neutral bus. Since the breaker is tripping, you should see continuity/low resistance. If you do not, it's possible the short only exhibits under higher voltage but more likely, you have a bad breaker.

Assuming you do see continuity, remove neutral wires one at as time from the bus and recheck continuity. When you lose continuity, you just removed the neutral you're looking for.


For this to work, the two single breakers must pull power off each bus leg to give you 240VAC. If they pull off the same leg, you only get 120VAC (parallel feed). Check to make sure they use alternate bus connections when they're side-by-side.

If the breaker handles have a hole, I've seen a cut nail used to link them. They must be linked so both legs shut off for the obvious reason.


What's the best strategy to reduce moisture in this garage?

The proper way to fix it is to dig- all the way down to 6" below the bottom of the foundation- then install drain tile & gravel. Coat the outside of the walls with tar, then install plastic protector sheets so it doesn't get damaged by the backfill. Condensation could still be an issue- perhaps installing closed-cell foam around the outside (say, 2-4" thick) would insulate the walls enough to avoid it?

You shouldn't use DRYLOK; it won't fix the problem anyway. Water will just fill up the cinder blocks until it finds an opening.

The roof is definitely an issue as well. I'd rip that rubber off, pull off the flashing & gutters, re-do all of the eaves (since water has to be running right under the flashing and soaking the wood frame), then reinstall flashing & gutters, and shingle the roof (since I don't know how to install a rubber roof correctly).


The igniters on my range are clicking without me actuating them

When operating correctly, an electrical circuit supplies power to the ignitor system when a burner valve is turned on. This circuit usually consists of parallel connections to individual switches, with one switch mounted on each burner valve. If the oven is also heated by gas, there'll be a switch on the oven valve as well.
In your appliance, there's a flaw in the circuit and power is being provided when no burner (or oven) valve is actuated. This could be a short circuit between the wiring that carries the two sides of the circuit, or a valve switch may have failed closed, thus allowing the ignitor to be energized even though the user hasn't turned a valve on.


Yeah, your plan to splice in a junction box in the basement is fine.  The junction box will need 32 cubic inches, so I'd consider a 4-11/16" square box as a minimum. JRaef's idea of a Polaris connector is the right concept, but you'll be better off with a "mini-Polaris" such as a MAC Block.

Upsizing to #6 wire for the last 4 feet buys you nothing.  You can just stay with 8 AWG aluminum.

8-2 cable is also not legal for ranges (unless it is SEU cable with a ground in individual strands that spiral around the outside of the conductors.  There have been a fair number of incidents of installers using 8-2+ground cable illegally.  These cables have a single ground wire that is just a normal stranded wire like the conductors.


Foundation for retaining wall on a hardcore base?

You need a good base for the wall to be stable so I would remove the hardcore and place the footing at least down to original compacted soil.

For the depth of the footing, if you mean the depth of the concrete, 225 mm is good. If you mean how far down in the soil, then either the depth of the footing (225 mm) or provide a decent sized width of footing on the soil retained side. There are two main items to address with the wall, overturning and sliding. The forces are minimal for a 800 mm tall wall assuming no surcharges and it's drained well so no hydrostatic loads. The sliding resistance has to come from somewhere. Some of it is soil friction. Some of it is resistance on the front of the footing from the soil. If the front of the footing is in hardcore then it will not provide much resistance. To increase friction you need weight. To get wait, you have the depth of soil on the retained side. Make the footing wider here by say 400 mm and this should be enough. This will also increase the resistance to overturning.

To get better numbers on sizes and what else to do would require doing a design.


The short answer is yes.

You may even be able to save yourself some trouble by just swapping the deadbolt core (the small tube that holds the pins). When I first bought my house, I went around and re-keyed all the locks to the same key. I believe as long as the lock is the same brand, it's possible to re-key.

Here is a video showing the removal of the core and re-keying it. If you need to rekey a lock and you don't have the pins for some reason, you can buy a Schlage re-keying set.


Why would my dimmer switch only dim lights about halfway?

Most new dimmers rated for CFL/LED use have an adjustable low-point setting. Check and see where yours is set.

Refer to the "Dimming Range Adjustment" section of the instructions here: http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/cb/cb27dfa7-40a6-4788-9112-c2a619a4b2e0.pdf


Tester showing ground, but I am not seeing a ground

Have confidence in that.  Metallic conduit is a higher standard, used in most commercial installations.  Ground is the conduit itself - you don't see many green or bare wires in conduit work.

However - the outlet screws as the only ground path is not OK.  Pigtail a ground wire from the junction box. Most boxes have have one hole tapped 10-32, for a ground screw... here are fancy ones. Do not use 10-24 or a sheet metal screw!

To keep a bare wire from hitting the side screws (even if you use stabs), wrap the outlet with tape.

Also go downstairs and make sure the ground path is solid - i.e. all the conduit splices are tightened.  If something makes you nervous, you can double it by running a ground wire, that's the beauty of conduit, you just can!