what would cause a breaker box enclosure to be electrified?

First I would like to say, thank god you weren't seriously injured. Second this is a very serious situation. The reason someone is shocked when touching a metal enclosure is because you are grounded and the enclosure is not.

You're neutrals and grounds are tied together at the first means of disconnect. It will be bonded at the main breaker and if there is no separate main it will be done at the Panel's main breaker. Check to make sure the bonding screw is properly installed and the grounding bus is bonded with the neutral bus. Then check to see if your grounding electrode conductor actually runs to a proper grounding electrode. Check for corrosion and loose connections. If everything is properly done, if you have a problem you should get a trip on the breaker having a problem.

If you're not getting a trip then you probably have a piece of 240V equipment that is missing a phase, the neutral, or the ground is not connected properly and you are getting one phase trying to seek a path back to the Panel and the breaker. I noticed that you said you were trying to debug an appliance. I would start there.

Under no circumstances should you be trying to troubleshoot this problem under power. Disconnect all power and troubleshoot with a continuity tester or an ohmmeter. If all of this seems to technical I would advise you seek professional help.


How to smooth cement trim/moulding on pillars?

They are plaster columns, they need to the stripped of the paint down to bare plaster and have a reputable plaster company repair them. There may be others out there that can do it, but you are taking the same chance that you already have. Plaster is a dying art, and you may be hard pressed to find one.


Bowed 2x4s in attic: are these really doing what I think they are?

First call: landlord.
Second call: the structural engineer your landlord approved to look into the situation.
Potential third call: fire inspector for the wiring.

Since it's a rental, you really have to call the landlord next.


How can I remove grease and dirt stains from unfinished wood?

Here's a few tricks I've learned from cleaning up a few old wooden handplanes, where I wanted them to look nice without taking all the patina off:

give it a rub-down with oil, either curing (e.g. linseed oil), or non-curing (e.g. mineral oil, camellia oil). If you use a curing oil, it's more permanent. This may even out the stains a little bit without removing them entirely. It also can bring out the chatoyance in the wood and act as a minimal finish. If you pick a darker colored oil, it may disguise the (presumably dark) grease stains better. (NOTE: I'm talking about oil, not finishing products that call themselves oil. For example, danish oil usually contains polyurethane, and "tung oil" finishes could be anything.)
try cleaning with mineral spirits (paint thinner) . This will soak in and may partially dissolve the old grease and even it out a bit. Like adding oil, this will not remove it completely, but it's pretty harmless to try (as long as you wear a mask and stay away from open flame).
If you want to be more aggressive, try using some fine (like 600 grit) sandpaper by hand. This will remove some patina, and may require you to sand the whole thing--so think carefully before proceeding. But if you go lightly, you may be able to improve one spot and fade it into the surrounding area. If it's too slow, you can always use coarser paper.


The answer ultimately lies with your AHJ (hint: call them), but where I am, everything has to be connected/pigtailed and ready for switches/outlets.


What would cause my sink to back up and my dishwasher pipe to overflow?

Call the plumber.  That kind of backing up indicates a problem down the line that is not easily addressed.


How to prepare the ground before laying concrete

You definitely shouldn't pour concrete over mud. Also, I guess your local can get quite cold during the winter, thus you need to dig the soil, at least, down to the frost depth to avoid differential settlement due to heave. The soil is considered "competent" if it can support the weight above without significant settlement. You can get the information from the local building code, a engineer, or an experienced contractor. Below is the suggested details.


New basin waste leaks, only when plug is removed

The holes in the drain are supposed to be "inside" the sink. Most china bathroom sinks have a double bottom in the region of the drain. The holes in the drain for the overflow must be inside the cavity between the two bottoms. The holes in the drain cannot be outside this cavity or water will pour out when the sink is draining.
Some bathroom lavatory sinks are single bottom and have an exposed overflow tube conducting overflow to the drain. These may require a different kind of drain. You may have a mismatch between the sink and the drain.
EDIT
You cannot (permanently) stop a drain leak from the outside using plumbers' mait (putty) . There is something mismatched and the leak can be expected to reappear. Consult someone in the UK. They will quickly recognize the problem.
Perhaps the seal you are using on the bottom (outside) is not the proper one for this application. I think this seal is supposed to be conical on the end to protrude into the cavity. This causes it to tighten around the drain when it is compressed.  Or the holes in the drain are too far down to be fully enclosed by the cavity around the drain. Perhaps there is more than one type of drain and you are fitting the wrong one.


Shed floor framing out of square 3/4 inch

Use a ratchet strap or a come-along to pull the corners together on the diagonal that measures longer than the other, then, before removing this, secure a sheet or two of plywood down to the floor joists.

You can use some big eye bolts through the rim joists to give your ratcheting device something to hook into at either end.

You shouldn’t need to worry about damaging anything. 3/4” out of square means you’re compressing the long diagonal only 3/8”, and nails allow for some wiggle and play in the framing before it is sheathed with ply or boards.

I don’t recommend beating on the thing you’re building. It’s hard on your body, and doesn’t hold things precisely square for you while you do the other work to sustain the squareness once achieved, like laying plywood on the floor.


Assuming there are no other drain problems occurring (because you did not mention any) you most certainly have an obstruction of the branch drain line leading to that sink.

Option 1- run a good quality drain auger down the drain, through the trap, and down the branch line as far as it will go.

Option 2- take the trap back apart and run the cable directly down the drain line.

For either option, it is important that you use the correct technique and persevere until the length of the cable has gone down. It's not easy, be prepared to work. There are numerous instructional videos on-line, this one shows the correct technique but the person is using a cheap sub-standard auger.

I always cable from the top and run water until it backs up a bit, so I can tell when I have hit the clog (because the water suddenly drains). I highly recommend that you invest in a good professional quality auger, I did and it has saved me hundreds and hundreds of dollars over the years:
Always wipe off the cable with a rag as you remove it from the drain, and always spray it down with your favorite water displacing spray lube that comes in a blue and yellow can or it will rust in the drum.


I believe you have misidentified the terminals of the switches and miswired appropriately. I believe what you have identified as traveler 2 is actually the common “p” terminal. When switch one is down, your t1and t2 are connected and p is floating. Your second case is switch 2 feeding voltage back to switch 1.

By the way, the 35 volts is phantom voltage being picked up by your high impedance voltmeter.


Level of demo required for extending existing gas lines?

The problem with going through the ceiling, is going to be supporting the pipe. Even if you could feed the pipe through a small opening, you'd still have to open holes at regular intervals to attach the pipe to the joist. Snaking Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST) through the ceiling likely would work, but again, you'd have to support it at regular intervals (3 - 4' I think).

I see three options.

Open up the ceiling along the entire length.
Go outside as Michael Karas suggests.
Run the pipe along the ceiling, and build a soffit around the pipe to hide it.


Washer & dryer lost power after the main breaker tripped

Looks like the breaker labeled "Clothes Washer" is tripped. Turn it all the way to the OFF position, then back ON.

When breakers trip, the handle doesn't always flip all the way to the OFF position.  Depending on the manufacturer, they typically flip to a "tripped" position that's somewhere between ON and OFF.  If you push the tripped breaker handle towards the ON position, you'll feel that it's not solidly in the ON position.

To reset a tripped breaker, you often have to shut it off, then back on.

The dryer breaker doesn't look tripped, but try turning it off and back on.

NOTES:

The giant gaping hole in the main panel, should be covered with an appropriate filler plate.


On a thermostat, are "R" and "Rh" terminals the same thing?

R in general
R, Rh, and Rc are all the same, but not.  In general terms, the R terminal is where you connect the signal voltage source. In low voltage controlled systems, there will be a step down transformer that provides the power to the control circuitry.  One of the legs from the secondary of the transformer will be connected to the R terminal, which applies a voltage to the terminal.
When the thermostat wants to be warmed up or cooled down, it closes the appropriate switch, completing a circuit.  This allows current to flow from "into" the R terminal and "out of" the appropriate signal terminal (W, Y, etc.) of the thermostat.
R, Rh, Rc
In some systems, both the heating and cooling systems use their own signal voltage. In these cases, the signal wire from the heating system will be connected to R or Rh, while the signal wire from the cooling system will be connected to Rc.
If only a single signal wire is used, the R terminal will be electrically connected (jumpered) to Rh and/or Rc.
This answer has some diagrams that show how a simple single signal system works. This answer provides another diagram of how a single signal thermostat works, though you can easily imagine how it could be modified to allow multiple signals.
A multiple signal system would look something like this...

Click for larger view


HVAC blower motor runs for a few minutes then stops

I believe you are correct that the fan itself is the problem.

Your diagnostic test of supplying power to just the fan, and the fact that the symptoms stayed with the fan, sound like conclusive evidence.


Don't overcomplicate it. Sounds like you had a "fan and light" with wiring to be able to be switched separately, but actually wired so they were always switched together.

So, remove and insulate the red (what you call pink, but it's both commonly and clearly in your pictures: red) wire at both ends. Twisting on a small wirenut and taping that is a typical approach. You don't need it unless you want to have separately switched fan and light on a fixture that supports that, perhaps the next remodel.

Black to black, white to white, bare to green, call it a day.

Yes, you COULD leave the red and black together, but it's not actually right to do that if they are going to the same wire - fine when you had two separate wires at the fan, not fine without that.


Can I use epoxy grout on tiled shower and bathroom floors?

A lot of people like to tell horror stories of epoxy grout and over the years its uses has become a bit cloudy. However, epoxide resin based grouts are specifically formulated to resist chemical attack and to provide a durable, abrasion resistant waterproof finish that is hygienic and impervious.

The cured grout does not transfer taints to foodstuffs, permit the entry of bacteria, or dirt and is easily maintained in a sterile condition. With this in mind it makes a perfect food counter grout.

As for use in a shower base it is perfectly acceptable to use and in some cases preferred over cement based grouts as it does not allow water to penetrate.

As for staining and discoloring these will happen in a lot of situations it really depends on the quality of your water and what minerals it has in it. Over time they will tend to leech on any surface that has water coming into contact with it. Even plastic nozzles will do it. However most surface cleaners will remove such stains very easily as long as they are not left for extended periods to build up. I should also point out these stains wont appear over night. They can take months and or years so its not really something concern yourself with hugely.


Electrified Water Shower or Bath possible?

If you will remember about 16 years ago during the gulf wars, an article came out about several military men were electrocuted while taking a shower. So yes you can be electrocuted in your shower. In you example you point out a violation of the 2017 NEC. Articles 210.2(A)(4) Bonding of Electrical Conductive Materials and Other Equipment & (5) Effective Ground-fault Current Path. Basically these two articles state: All metal parts of a water system must be bonded back to the Grounding System. I know you could say something like "there is no way my metal shower head could come into contact with electricity so why bond it?" I can't say since that is something you should take up with your local AHJ. I can say follow the NEC.

2017 NEC Article 210.52(B)(1) Exception 2 does allow a non GFCI receptacle for a refrigerator, but it cannot violate other parts of the NEC. The most commonplace being, it must be a separate circuit dedicated to the appliance, it must be at least 8' from water and it cannot be in the garage. It does not eliminate AFCI devices.
Hope this helps


How to calculate theoretical long-term projected savings for a DIY solar powered fridge?

You've ignored two major factors:

Batteries don't live forever, and require maintenance as well as periodic replacement - more so if they are abused (typical when people save money on batteries and then over-discharge them.) This is one reason that "grid-tied" solar is far more common where the grid is available - it eliminates the battery storage and its related costs and labor costs.

The second is harder for most people to grasp - if you paid the $19 dollars to run the fridge, and invested the rest of the $300, how much would that investment yield in 16.5 years? It's a little hard to know for certain since guaranteed bank interest is in the doldrums, but typical returns for sensible investments are near 5% - which would nearly pay your next year's power bill, and if there was any growth in the investment, you might end up making more per year than the power bill comes to.


Those notations (I see 3 on the plan...you’ve circled 2 of them) are in reference to specific footings close to the notations.

Yes, it is calling out the size of the footing, depth of the footing and the reinforcing steel and it’s location in the footing. It says, 30” square by 18” deep concrete pad with 3 - #4 bars each way in the bottom of the footing.

BTW, the rebar should not actually be on the bottom, but held 3” above the ground.

Each concrete pad is shown in the plan and the corresponding size and rebar is shown. So, you’ll use the notation circled in orange for the garage and the one circled in pink for the living room...and I don’t see any square pad in the “pink rectangle”.


Need advice about rewiring detached garage

That thing is more of a shutoff switch -- the fuses just happen to be "a thing" they often put in shutoff switches.  A shutoff switch is required in an outbuilding, and so for that reason, I would retain the switch even if you changed the wire.  It looks like a fine switch to me.

GFCI and done

This uses GFCI to provide electrical safety on the existing setup.

The simplest way to provision the power you want is to install a junction box, wire the cable out of the shutoff switch so its first stop is this junction box (which may already exist) -- and install a $20 GFCI+receptacle combo device. Voila.

GFCIs only protect stuff downstream of them, so it's best to put the GFCI protection in the house, either as a breaker in the main panel, or a GFCI device (+receptacle or deadface) enroute.

Subpanel

With this option, you must trench a separate ground wire back to the house.

You cannot drive a ground rod and call it done, for reasons often discussed here. Given that 90% of the cost is in the trenching, you almost might as well just run new and proper /3+ground cable of the ampacity you desire.

A subpanel is almost a lost cause because with only 20A (12AWG) or 30A (10AWG) capacity at 120V, you won't be able to support more than 2 circuits and no more than 2400/3600W.   You cannot support 120V and 240V loads using this method.

I would retain the shutoff switch because there's nothing wrong with it.  But if you use a "main breaker" type subpanel, that "main breaker" satisfies the code requirement for a shutoff switch.

Keep in mind when you run a common subpanel off 120V only, every other row in the subpanel is dead, so you'll use the spaces at twice the expected rate.  Yet another reason to get an ample sized subpanel.

DO NOT consider installing a generator interlock panel on the hopes of backfeeding the house using this cable.  Ask us how to do that if you want it.   You'll still have to trench something though.

New main cable

In this case you trench and run a 12/3 or larger + ground cable.  Rearrange the shutoff switch so the switch interrupts the two hot wires, and the neutral bypasses it.   From there you either

run it as a multi-wire branch circuit, splitting each hot into two circuits along with the shared neutral and ground, breakering it for 20A.
run it into a subpanel as above, but using both hot wires and separating ground from neutral.  You still need a local grounding rod.

Transformer; new main service.

No ground wire retrofit needed, but it requires a transformer.  It will allow you to exceed 3600W in the garage.

In this scenario, you come directly out of the legacy shutoff switch straight into a transformer's 240V primary.   The transformer 120V/240V secondary goes to a new sub^H^H^H main panel. Since it is a main panel off a transformer-isolated service, it must have a local grounding rod and must bond neutral to it.  Running a ground back to the main building would be unhelpful.

Back in the house, you punch these two wires down to a 240V breaker of correct size to protect both the wire and the transformer.


Should I frame out my foundation walls before or after I install the subfloor?

With the comment on 6000 lb/ sq foot I would run the DMX under the walls, I have not used DMX in the past but don't see a problem especially since its a non load bearing wall. Always a good to check with the inspector / mfg to make sure it will do the job as intended.


How to calculate efficiency of old Westinghouse furnace VS new variable speed Furnace

What is “old” a 20 year old system may have the same specs or close.
The serial # can help find the date but if it has an open combustion chamber your efficiency will improve.
As far as pay back that really never happens I say this because by the time even a 10% increase in efficiency you save $10, $20 per month by the time it pays back its time to replace it again ,,, how could that be? you don’t need heat half of the year watch the sales scams that throw in 12 months of savings.
I tell my friends the way to look at it if you have a 30-40 or 50 year old system is it may be getting close to the end of its life and proactive replacement makes sense. And is usually less expensive (most all furnace failures happen when it is cold that makes sense) having the system installed off peak heat or cold is when the contractors are hungry for business and if you shop around you get a better price. But prices go up in the peak heat and cold times because they can get it.
You would like to add AC /heat pump. To your system so if it is a truly old system that you would gain efficiency that makes sense but trying to justify based on payback in reality is a shell game , what you gain in comfort is the main thing because adding AC your annual cost of heating/cooling usually goes up but the home is more comfortable throughout.
If you do get a ac/heat pump that makes sense to me. a high end thermostat that can use the outside temp and select the cheapest heating method may increase your savings on heating when it’s not as cold outside. Again it takes a long time to pay for bells and whistles like that but it is also greener in the long run.


How do I remove mold seeping from under the toilet?

By scraping away the mold you are only treating the symptom, not addressing the cause.

The mold is being fed by leakage from the toilet or drain.  The odds are more than 99% it is coming from a leaking waste connection.

To fix it, remove the toilet, clean it up and reinstall.

The directions for removal and re-installing are here.  You'll need a $6 wax ring and a couple hours depending on the condition of the fastening bolts, how handy you are, and luck.


What causes this line in my popcorn ceiling?

You have a piece of dry wall joint tape that is coming loose,
The good thing in your case this is not popcorn texture.
Popcorn texture is very much different than what you have
And that’s a good thing because most contain asbestos.
Your texture is a light orange peal with several coats of paint.
To me this looks like it has been repaired previously note how light the texture is in that area. With that in mind I usually look for a leak point above a bathroom is a common cause but roof leaks or just not well bedded tape can be the cause.
What’s not well bedded mean? Not enough mud was under the tape.
Sheetrock mud is the material used to fill screw divots and cover the seams with paper tape. I normally put a layer of mud down then work the tape into the mud with a wide 6”  putty knife or mud knife the excess that is squished out I put on top and after it is dry a quick sand and possibly a topping coat (it depends on the quality needed and the type of texture that will be used.
After the mud is dry and top sanded then texture is sprayed. For patches you can use texture in a can. Make sure to read the instructions some need a lot of fresh air.
In some cases you may be able to slip some mud under the tape, I discourage the use of glue because if the glue did not work i have had to cut it out and start over.
(Glue is hard mud is soft) in some cases I will sand the paint and texture down to the paper then wet the tape let it sit and wet it s second time at that point the bad tape can usually be removed I cut just beyond the loose section with a razor knife, sand the mud under the tape. Wipe it down to get rid of the dust put some mud up and tape over with the new tape creating a slight bump because of the overlap.
Let dry and sand then I move from my 6” mud life to a 12” or longer and taper the mud over the slight bump so the taper hides the bump let dry. Finish with a light sand and possibly a second coat the smother it looks the better. Once you are happy with the look texture the surface try to match the amount or size of the bumps but be just slightly smaller also fade into the area you did not touch this way the repair won’t look like that one where it was a horrible texture job or previously repaired. Once the texture is dry it’s time to paint I use paint& primer for patches because the paint will soak in to the fresh mud and texture. A primer or paint with primer will help it to cover.
You will always be able to spot the work or I can but a good job others that don’t do this probably will never see it especially after a coat or 2 of paint.
FYI never mask off an area for a repair this will create straight lines that can never be hidden. When texturing a repair start in the center and work out once you get to the old texture move quickly and or pull back so the texture mixes with the original or fades the patch into the existing texture.
Sheetrock mud is not toxic but any heavy dust is not good to breathe so a dust mask is a good idea (it also prevents white boogers).


thermostat causing heating element to click on and off repeatedly

I initially misread the symptoms -- if the fan is indeed running properly with the system ON, then your system is cycling on its high limits.  I'd check for air obstructions (such as bad ducts or a dirty/too-tight filter) or a sluggish fan motor.  You can also temporarily jumper the high limits for testing purposes, DO NOT LEAVE THE SYSTEM UNATTENDED when you do this, and keep an ABC or BC dry chemical extinguisher handy in case it does start to smolder.

As to the fan issue, that's an issue with the NC side of the fan relay -- it can be bypassed by setting your thermostat from "gas" or "fossil" mode to "electric" mode, where the thermostat is responsible for calling for both fan and heat instead of letting the furnace call for the fan.

If the symptoms were what I thought they were, with the fan and the heat cycling together, than they'd sound like a faulty connection at the C (0V/return) end of the air handler's blower relay -- the return from both heater contactor coils goes to the blower relay return end instead of returning directly to the C (0V) end of the transformer.  When the G (fan) line is off, the connection between the grey C wire from the heat kit connector and the rest of the grey wires is not made, causing the heat to not turn on at all as the contactor does not energize.  When the G (fan) line is on, the operation of the blower relay causes the dodgy connection to make for a short period of time before it comes undone again, and this cycle repeats itself as long as the blower relay is on.

The "click" you are hearing is most likely the contactor itself, and that's normal -- the short cycling is the problem.  And yes, you can safely jump R to W and/or G on your unit -- that won't hurt it, as that's what the thermostat's contacts do anyway.  As to troubleshooting the problem, I'd try measuring the voltage between the grey wire coming from the heat kit connector on your unit and the grey wire at the 24VAC transformer.  It should be very close to 0V at all times; if it reads near 24VAC, then the connection at the blower relay isn't working.

P.S. your air handler is really a Nordyne -- a wiring diagram for a similar unit can be found here.


How can I check if my well still has water if the pump is broken?

Find the actual top of the well, (follow the suction pipe), dig out and clean off, remove the well cap, preferably also remove the suction pipe so there's nothing to snag on (it should pull easily, and you'll want to look at the foot valve anyway) tie a weight to a string, if the string will not obviously show where it's wetted, attach a rag or something to the weight, and lower it 27 feet (since you appear to have a simple suction/surface pump setup - 1 pipe to the well.)

Be very careful of the opened well - you probably won't be able to fall into it like Lassie's idiot friend (in most cases, but there are still a few that big in service) but you do not want to drop anything into it - hard to get back out, and bad for your water supply. Recap as soon as you are done testing.

Pull up, if the string or rag is wet, you have water that you can pump with that type of pump.

You still won't know actual flow capacity of the well until you do a pump test, which involves actually applying a pump and removing water - any well / pump company can do that for you, for a price, or you can just buy a pump and do it yourself, less formally.

You can also use more string and check how deep the well is, though to actually exploit any water below 27 feet you need to change pump types - but changing to a submersible type pump would put the pump safely in the well rather than outside in the weather and vandal (? something's been broken, anyway) zone. If there's actually much more extensive breakage and that was a jet pump (two pipes in the well), you want to change to a submersible anyway (in my opinion, in this day and age) for a variety of reasons including more efficent pumping and no priming needed.

When placing the well back in service, you should "shock-treat" it to kill any bacteria introduced while servicing the well. You should avoid drinking the water until you have tested it (after flushing & using it for non-drinking purposes for a while after shock-treatment) to be sure that it is actually safe to drink.


They're often called dryer booster fans. They aren't particularly difficult to install, and they are reasonably effective. However, they also have some significant downsides - the fan itself obstructs the the vent pipe, which makes it much more difficult to effectively clean the vent, and it will further reduce airflow and increase lint accumulation should it fail to operate (due to user error or mechanical failure, both of which will occur eventually).

Installing and running a booster fan would certainly be preferable to your existing situation, but it would be even better to improve the venting to get sufficient airflow without needing a booster.

Any flex duct should be replaced with rigid, smooth wall metal. Turns in the duct work should be minimized, and where they cannot be avoided, use long turn "dryer-ell" bends instead of the standard sharp 90 if possible. Installing a recessed dryer vent box where you connect the dryer can often allow you to connect the dryer with fewer turns in the dryer hose, as well as protecting the dryer hose from crushing damage. The dryer hose should be semi rigid aluminum flex duct; soft foil flex duct or periscope connectors should not be used. Make sure the exterior vent opening in the wall or roof opens widely and is not too restrictive.


How to improve insulation in a single room

Your #1 enemy is solar gain
The southwest location of that room is the major problem on keeping the room conditioned to spec.  It catches the brunt of the sun, which affects south more than north (for obvious reasons), and affects west more than east (because the east side of the house is still cold from the night).
This means the house's balance completely changes hour by hour.
I hope you're pausing to consider what that means...
"Wait.  So if I have a one-zone heating system with one blower, that distributes heating to different rooms via ducting... and that ducting balance is tuned either by design or by adjustable flaps... and that is the normal setup for most homes... that is imbalanced half the time?
Yup, that's what I'm saying.   Not half the time exactly, it might be balanced for sunless times, in which case the sunny rooms are "too warm" but the rest of the house is right.
It gets a lot messier if the thermostat is located in a sunny room.  Now you have the tail wagging the dog: the thermostat is treating its amount of solar gain as if it's heating the whole house.  So solar gain makes the rest of the house get colder!
Solar gain is around 340 "BTU" per square foot that is straight-on to the sun.  So if the sun is at a 45 degree angle to the wall/surface, that means 340/sqrt(2) or 240 "BTU" per square foot.   Regardless, we're talking a lot of heat gain.
When I say "BTU" I mean the HVAC industry unit, which is actually BTU/hr.
Insulation will only help somewhat.
Insulation will reduce overall heat gain/loss... somewhat... but it cannot eliminate the fact that south and west will catch a lot of heating from the sun.  The balance of a 1-zone house will still be thrown off.
The only way to really balance it is to have a multi-zone setup, or have an auxiliary  heat pump just in the room which adds heat or cooling as needed.
The cheapest way to keep the room consistent is to place the thermostat there.  Of course that'll be the tail wagging the dog, and the rest of the house will take a wild ride.


Can I have two storeys in a 16 foot space?

You have two issues to contend with.

First is that 16 feet is just a bit too tight for two floors. Sure, we usually use 12 inch beams but that's just the structure - you need an actual floor on top and usually a ceiling below. Even if we ignore building codes we will still produce two rather cramped levels.

Second is what's actually holding the other end of the house up. If they built it on the hill, then that pile of dirt is rather important - you can't just shovel it out without adding house-grade support as you go. If it's filler behind a wall there is / will be a lot of pressure on the other side that you have to account for.

The black tarp is a water / erosion / insect barrier, and a rather cheap one at that. I would do spray-on concrete over the dirt, work in some levelled 4x4 beams when the concrete is being done, and develop the crawl space as a high-ceiling recreation room with lots of storage over the hill (resting on the 4x4s).


Why did everything electrical start malfunctioning in my house?

Call your power company and report an outage

When half your 120V circuits are dead and half work -- and the dead half comes back on when you turn on an oven or water heater or dryer (but those things don't work) -- that means one of your hot wires has failed coming from the power company.  It also may be a problem with the main buses or main breaker.

Now, if your 240V loads like water heater work fine, but lights alternate between too-dim and too-bright/burning out, that's a more serious problem - yes, more serious than an outage.  It is a lost neutral, and it will cause your 120V loads to wobble above and below 120V, which can fry appliances and potentially cause a fire.


If you are talking about the fake wood, floating type of laminate flooring that clicks together, you can't really repair it. This type of flooring does not handle moisture well and will bubble after being exposed to too much moisture.

Depending on where the problem plank is, if you have any extra pieces from when the floor was installed, you may be able to take apart some of the planks to get to the bubbled one, replace the bubbled one with a new one and reinstall the removed pieces.


Drill baby drill. Drill 1/2" or a bit more for glue or epoxy-fill holes in the concrete & in the bottom ends of the boards, 4 in the concrete & 2 each in the boards. These would receive steel Rebar, big Rod, Threaded Rod, Bar Stainless Steel, etc. I'd guess 4" deep into the concrete & at least 6" into the boards. I haven't done, so you can let me know what works or doesn't.


toilet doesn't flush even after 2 plumber visits, to snake the sewer and also use a toilet auger

Here's a simple test:
Fill the bowl slowly until the water level reaches its maximum.
Once there take a small bucket, about the size of a ice cream pail, and quickly pour it into the bowl. This should start the siphonic action and make the toilet "flush".
If this works then the main jet is plugged and can sometimes be temporarily cleared by putting a small screwdriver into the jet and gently clearing it of build up.
If it does flush with the test and you can't clear the jet, a new bowl is required.
Cost would say complete toilet replacement.

Additionally, check to make sure the fill valves bowl primer tube is attached to the overflow tube so that the priming water is pouring into it and not into the tank itself.
If the bowl isn't being properly primed, a large portion of the flush action is being used to fill the bowl instead of inducing the syphonic action and clearing the bowl of waste and can cause the waste to become plugged in the goose neck (s-trap) or shortly after.


My experience is that they all dry-out & constrict. Of course, you can try taping it up around the perimeter. But, yeah it's a never ending replacement product that's really too expensive to start with. I haven't done it, but there's glass spray paint out there that you might try on a drinking glass to see if that'll work. I'd suspect it lasts a lot longer or forever & may not come off.


How do I find a fire-rated door that won't dent easily?

A metal fire rated door is not required.
The door between the garage and house shall be 1) a solid wood door a minimum of 1 3/8” thick, 2) solid or honeycomb core steel door that is not less than 1 3/8” thick, or 3) a 20 minute fire rated door. (See ICC R309.1)
A door is not allowed between the garage and a sleeping room. (See ICC R309.1 openings)
I’d use a solid core wood door with a door frame that has an “intregal door stop” rather than an “applied stop”.
Garages are to be separated from single family residences by 1/2” gypsum board on garage side ONLY, provided the garage does not open into a sleeping room. (See ICC R309.2)
Make sure you confirm all this with the AHJ.
Oh, if you’ve got to have a metal door try Entek.com. Terrible website, but great customer service. Give them a call.


No, No, No...never notch...always drill. I can’t think of a circumstance where a notch is better than a drilled hole ...even a drilled hole in a “bad” location.

A hoist can fail 3 ways...so we check for 1) extreme fiber in bending, 2) horizontal shear, and 3) deflection. (We check for other things to, but is immaterial here.)

1) Extreme fiber in bending means what happens when the joist bends due to the load and stretches the extreme wood fiber. The fibers are stretched most along the bottom edge and compressed most along the top edge. (In fact, there is no “bending” stress in the middle of the joist.  That is called the “neutral axis”.)

Each species is tested and their limits are known and rated. When you notch the joist, you reduce the effective height of the joist. (If you notched it 1 3/4”, you’d have a 2x8 instead of a 2x10. But if you drill a 1 3/4” hole in the center of the joist, you’d still have a 2x10, because the extreme fiber in bending is still the same distance from the “neutral axis”.)

2) Horizontal shear is the stress of the fibers trying to slide past each other. This happens furthest from the neutral axis too. (To test this, stack up 6 or 7 2x4’s that are 20’ long on two chairs 20’ apart. Stand on them in the middle of the span and you’ll see the ones at the edges slide more than the middle ones.)

3) Deflection is greatest in the middle 1/3 of the joist span. Deflection is resisted by area of the joist from the “neutral axis”.  Again, notching the joist removes a portion of that area that is furthest from the neutral axis, causing a greater deflection.

This phenomenon is greatest in the middle of the span, but affects the joist anywhere along its edge...top or bottom.

Without knowing anything about the loads on the joists or the span of the joist, I’d drill a hole in the middle of the joist (from top to bottom) and locate it 1/3 distance of the span from the bearing point.

Also, when people tell you it doesn’t matter, because the joist have knotholes, don’t believe them. Lumber is graded with knots, grain, etc. accounted in the stress rating...so adding more “holes”, etc. will reduce its value (strength).

Also, design of beams and joists is set up so that when they fail, they fail in tension...not compression. That way, you’ll see a crack develop and can take action. (If it failed in compression, it would fail with an explosion...no warning...clever, huh.)


How do I properly support the header when expanding a door opening?

From what I can see here, and assuming not a load-bearing situation, I'd do this:

Remove the existing header. You may need to use a recipro saw to cut fasteners behind the plaster on the room side.
Since you have access from the back side, run a new, full-width double 2x6 header. If you don't have trimmer studs or other support available, fasten the header into the king studs with lag bolts. I'd probably use 3/8" x 4", properly pre-drilled and countersunk.
Toenail into the pin studs to anchor them to the header.

Optionally use construction adhesive where needed for additional support.


How do I remove a sliding door track that is fasten to the wood somehow?

Probably just stuck to the paint due to being installed too soon. Rock it gently and see if it cracks loose.


OK to forego vapor barrier under concrete slab if pressure-treated sill plate is used along with sill gasket?

Our garden shed and greenhouse are built with pressure treated plates over gasket on concrete slab without vapour barrier.
The soil underneath was compacted well in order to avoid contamination during pour.
This seems to match your proposal.
It rains a lot here, and this set-up was specified by an experienced carpenter.


Why isn't my Empire heater blower working?

Have you read through the Owner's manual
Have you tried oiling it?

Oiling
The blower motor has an oil hole located on each end of the motor.
Use #20 motor oil only. It is best to oil the motor several times during
the heating season using 2 or 3 drops each time. If the motor fails
to start and hums, it could be a tight bearing due to lack of oil. This
may be corrected by pouring kerosene in the oil holes, allowing to
stand for a few hours and then oiling properly

Have you tried cleaning it?

Cleaning
The blower wheel will collect lint and could require cleaning once
a year. If the air output decreases or the noise level increases, it
indicates a dirty wheel. Complete removal of the wheel and scrubbing
it with a brush under flowing water is recommended

Are you waiting long enough?

Fan Control
The automatic fan control is located in the switch box. The switch
box is attached to the front of the blower assembly. The switch box
is adjacent to the combustion chamber. The fan control is a nonadjustable
automatic type. The fan control will require between
5 and 10 minutes of main burner operation before the fan control
“closes” and activates the blower. The blower will continue to run
between 5 and 10 minutes after the main burner shuts off, before
the fan control “opens” and deactivates the blower

Have you tried connecting the fan directly to power, to make sure it spins at all?


Rectangular electrical box doesn't fit. How can I install receptacle?

Is this already an existing box (just with damaged threads) if so then you can use some 1" #10 wood screws instead of the mounting screws that come with the outlet, this I a common problem I run in to on service calls (I am a apprentice electrician).

The other thing is that box you purchased is not a typical wall box instead you may want to try an 1104 box like this

And if you are mounting it to the drywall instead of the stud (common when drywall is already up) use some f-clips to support it it is hard to describe the installation in text so try this simple youtube video or you can use a rework box such as this as they are much easier to use but a bit more expensive (still under $10)

I hope this helps


There's rarely a reason not to sand other than the effort and minimal cost involved. It will usually result in a better final result to sand.

You get varying advice because every project is different. You haven't shown any photos, nor have you described the condition or age of your wood or the products you intend to use. With all those factors, how can you expect a clear, black-and-white answer? It's really a matter of prerogative.


There is no set reason that you have to use cement to set the posts into the holes. In many instances it can be effective to simply dig the post holes, set the post into position and then dribble the dirt back into the hole and tamp it in with a length of 2x2 or 2x4 to pack the soil in place around the post.

In my farming days past we built lots of fences this way. It does not work well initially if the soil is too wet or too fine grained sand.


The best approach here is (as @DMoore mentioned in the comment) to pull the toilet out and re-seat it.  Not only will this let you see if the ring is cracked, it will let you get the tile spacers that it is currently shimmed with out from under the toilet.  Also, once a toilet starts rocking it is only a matter of time before the wax ring get moved around enough that it will start to leak.  You'll want to replace it to ensure that it hasn't already been compromised.

I'm guessing that this is more a problem with the shims themselves than it is with the ring (but again, you need to verify this).  Most of the tile spacers that I've worked with when laying tile are made out of nylon, and they are slightly compressible. So, every time you've put weight on the toilet it has deformed them a tiny bit until they became flat enough to let the toilet rock. Once you get to this point, even if the rocking is imperceptible it lets them start shifting around underneath and it snowballs from there.

Once you get the toilet up and make sure that the ring and bolts are OK, re-seat it with proper shims.  You'll want something that can support quite a bit of pressure without deforming to shim it - I use composite plastic shims:


How can I improve water volume with a half-inch supply?

There are 2 possibilities to correct this problem unless, as described in previous answers, there is a restriction somewhere in the piping, bad valve, plugged line, etc. If the problem is not one of these then you need to raise the incoming pressure, if possible or increase the size of the incoming pipe.

To increase the size of the piping, first check to see what is the size of the incoming piping from the street. If it is a size larger than the 1/2" you have in the house, then I would change the size of the piping to 3/4" from the larger street size all the way to the water heater. By doing this you are supplying both the hot and cold water supplies with it's own 1/2" supply line. Any take off feed between the incoming water and the water heater would be by a 3/4"X3/4"X1/2" reducing tee.

I do not know what the codes are in your area so you may be able to do it yourself or you may need to have a registered plumber do the work.

I would not use "shark bite" type fittings since they have some restriction built into them. If you have a 1/2" water meter, it will not add much restriction due to its  short length.

To raise the pressure you could adjust the PRV in the supply line if you have one. If you don't have one then you are limited to the pressure in the supply line.


I have experienced massive water flow in the sumps when they've been unplugged or just not running while water continues to build up around the foundation.  If you have a lot of clean #57 stone around the footer, under the slab, and even up the exterior walls some, it will "store" water in the voids between the stone.  This water can travel quickly to the sump when it is "stored" between the stone in this situation, which is precisely why the stone is used in the first place.  Sand will do the same thing, but slower.

In torrential rains, you need to move a lot of water fast... and clean #57 or larger stone allows you to do that.  Basically, the stone is a big pipe or conduit.... and water can travel both horizontally and vertically through it, so long as it's not infiltrated with sediment.

Is the "every 12 seconds" you speak of measured just after you plug in the sump?  Depending on how much 4" pipe you have around your foundation, a gigantic amount of water can be stored in it.  Eventually, though, the pump will "catch up" and all that stored water will be gone.  Then I would expect that it slows back down to a more reasonable rate...even if it's still raining outside.

The time to be most worried is when the sump ISNT working.  That's when you start to get differential settlement and buckling walls in freeze-prone areas.


There are different formulations for aluminum roof coatings. I doubt that what I'm about to say is incorrect, but if you want to be 100% sure, call the manufacturer.

Diesel contains surfactants and oils; diesel will leave a residue; I very much doubt that there would be any chemcial reactions, but it will probably result in wasted or reduced quality paint. You should be able to add a little (like 10% by volume) paint thinner if you need to store it (so that it doesn't dry out) until you have a chance use it. For recycling the aluminum (and probably perlite) sludge, the best advice (IMHO) would be to mix it with more/fresh aluminum paint, and re-coat this heavy mixture over the area that you painted with light-aluminum paint.


There are rusty metal primers available that will keep the rust from being any kind of problem. It is available in spray and brush on. Typically you will need to wire brush off any loose rust/material and paint it with that primer. After it dries the recommended time, it can be painted over with your color matched finish paint.


How to replace this weird faucet aerator?

The faucet is broken. Your faucet is of a newer type where the water flows through the spout and out the aerator via a plastic tube that runs inside of the metal "spout" (this allows manufacturers to avoid metallurgical complications related to the amount of toxic lead in the brass used for the spout).
The aerator piece has broken away from its attachment point; the piece that it used to thread onto is stuck in the aerator itself.


Class C (20mA trip rating) GFCI receptacle/breaker?

The reason you can't find it as a receptacle is that there is no legal use for them in North America. Class C GFCIs can only be used where there is a reliable grounding connection, but that precludes their use where you want to plug something into a receptacle, because there is no way to ensure you are not plugging in a 2 wire device.

What you might be able to do is to put a Class C GFCI breaker on that circuit and hard wire the heating mat. But that is assuming 1) there is nothing else on that same circuit and 2) the heating mat is 3 wire, not 2 wire. If it's only 2 wire you cannot use a Class C GFCI.


I have one that does the same thing; it just needs a little more twisting force to get it past that "locked" position.  I've always been able to do it by hand, no tools required.


Changing a pull switch to a hard wired wall switch Ceiling fans

This is possible.

Wired Control
However, if there's not already wires run between the unit and the wall switch location, you're going to have to run the wires yourself. For this answer, I'm going to assume there's no wiring currently installed between the unit and a switch.
Select the switch location
The first step is to decide where you wan the switch. Once you've decided, you'll want to cut a hole in the wall large enough for a double gang electrical box.  An "old work" box is a good choice for this project, since it will be difficult to attach the box to the farming due to the walls being covered.
Selecting wire size
You'll select the wire size, based on the size of the circuit breaker protecting the circuit. If it's a 15 ampere breaker, you can use 14 AWG wire. If it's a 20 ampere breaker, you'll use 12 AWG wire.
Selecting cable
To control the light and fan independently, and meet National Electrical Code standards. You're going to have to have four current carrying conductors, and one grounding conductor between the unit and switches.  You can use 12/4 with ground, 12/2/2 with ground, or two 12/2 with ground NM-B cables, install conduit and pull individual wires, or use any other type of acceptable cable with the proper number of wires.
Selecting switches
The switch to turn the light on/off, can be any type of single pole snap switch. The switch for the fan can also be a snap switch, if you wan to use the pull chain on the fan to control the fan speed. If you want to control the fan speed from the wall switch, you'll want to install a fan control switch instead. If you only want a single gang switch to control both, you can install a single gang electrical box, and use a special ceiling fan control switch.

3 speed fan control switch

3 speed fan and light control switch
Wiring
If the ceiling fan is currently wired without a wall switch (as this answer assumes), you'll find that there should be three bundles of wires in the box.  There should be one ungrounded (hot) bundle, that is likely made up of black wires (assuming US). One grounded (neutral) bundle, made up of white wires. And finally a bundle of grounding wires, made up of bare or green wires.
For simplicity in the following wiring description, I'm going to assume you chose to use 12/4 with ground NM-B cable.

WARNING: Make sure you turn the breaker off, and verify the power is off before beginning. If you don't have the tools or knowledge to complete the work, don't hesitate to contact a local licensed Electrician.

Connections in the ceiling

Connect the black wire from the wall switch, to the black wire coming into the ceiling box (you can disconnect the black and blue wires to the fan in this step as well).
Connect the white wire from the wall switch, to the bundle of white wires entering the ceiling box.
Connect the bare wire from the wall switch, the the bundle of bare/green wires entering the ceiling box.
Connect the red wire from the wall switch, to the black wire on the ceiling fan.
Connect the blue wire from the wall switch, to the blue wire on the ceiling fan.

Connections at the wall switches

Use pigtails to connect the black wire to the LINE terminal of both switches. Or connect the black wire to the COMMON terminal, if you've installed a single control.
Cap the white wire with a twist-on wire connector, or connect it to the switch(es) if required.
Use pigtails to connect the bare wire to the grounding terminal of each switch. If you've installed a metal box, use a pigtail and grounding screw to connect the bare wire to the box as well.
Connect the red wire to the LOAD terminal of the fan control, or the FAN terminal if you've installed a single control.
Connect the blue wire to the light switch, or the LIGHT terminal if you've installed a single control.

Wireless Control
If you don't want to fiddle with running cable, you can go the wireless route. Yo can chose either ceiling fans with wireless units already installed, or buy aftermarket control modules.
Wiring
To install a fixture with a pre-installed wireless module, follow the manufacturer's installation instructions that were included with the unit. There's a few variations, so I'm not going to go into detail of each one.
To install an aftermarket wireless module, follow the manufacturer's installation instructions that were included with the unit. Again, there are a few variations, and I'm not going to go into detail here.
Selecting switch location
Once the wireless module is installed, pair the remote to the receiver by following the manufacturer's instructions (might require setting dip switches). Then install the remote wherever you want.


What fails in a centrifugal pump when it runs dry?

Dry Pump failure modes

Some irrigation pumps are created the impeller housing casting an integral part of the motor and depend on the water flow through the pump to dissipate heat instead of using rotor fins and airflow for cooling. The reason for doing this is that they tend to be in high moisture locations or locations where detritus can be sucked into the pump and cause a fire hazard. With no cooling, the field windings will get really hot and can cause the thermal shutdown to trip, causing the pump to cycle on and off as it heats and cools. The heat can destroy the enamel insulation on the coils, causing them to short.

The impeller shaft seal being run dry can burn it out due to friction and lack of water lubrication. You will know when this happens as there will be a leak.

If the pump has a plastic impeller and it gets too hot, it can warp or loosen on the shaft if it's a press-on fit.


Anchoring toilet flange into hollow space in floor?

you can just inject hydraulic cement into the void and let cure.  then anchor your flange with a tapcon type screw.  or just inject the hydraulic cement and then insert a screw into the wet cement.  when it cures, it will lock the screw in place.


Help identify chandelier/needs a new glass globe

OK, you've got a few choices. You can look for another globe in your home store. They have lighting sections and sell replacements for some standard globes. You'll have better luck if you go to  commercial lighting store and look for/order a replacement. You can purchase 5 globes similar to the ones you have and replace all five. if you do this, buy an extra one just in case. These lighting fixtures are so mass produced I doubt they even can be identified.


You could, but getting the foam to fit right and seal won't be easy. The easiest is a plastic window covering. They make some that you shrink with a hair dryer after installing. This will ensure a seal.


I would use "Post spikes" for this. They'll last longer than wood below ground.


Can flies get in the house from the septic tank?

The flies could be getting in from the septic tank if one or more P-traps has dried out. If a P-trap that has completely dried you could check it by pushing something flexible down the drain a few feet and see if it is wet when you withdraw it.

Unfortunately a P-trap does not need to have completely dried out to in order to lose its effectiveness in blocking the drain of updraft from the septic tank. So in this case you may be better off to simply run a good bit of water down each drain in the whole house and then re-evaluate the fly problem sometime later.

Keep in mind that flies could be entering through:

Furnace vents.
Chimney/fireplace.
Plumbing vent stacks (also related to dried out P-traps).


Yes but you will be miserable, the small blade will not cut through but one side, then you will need to break that out without damaging the countertop. Block is brittle and needs room to remove it. You do not want IT to find the room by raising up the countertop and cracking it. The dust will be tremendous, and getting the blade to cut through to the back side of the block will be a real treat, unless you cut it from the inside and that would doing it blind after the dust starts.

Bite the bullet, rent a gas powered cut saw with diamond blade that has a 6" cut depth. Get pointers from the rental company. Use dust masks, and fans. After the vertical cut is made, make a cut from the edge to separate the top from the bottom. Maybe even 2 cuts a few inches apart, so the top has room to drop down without raising and cracking the top tile. The corners will be the only thing left to detail with your right angle grinder.


mounting fan/light in very tight enclosed space over shower

You're between a sheetrock and a hard place (sorry). I can't count how many times I've seen this done and done it myself. The weight won't be a problem assuming the sheetrock was fastened properly to the joists. I really don't know another way to do it unless you have a six year old that can fit in there.
 What are your plans for venting this to the outside? Do not just vent it into the attic. Good luck.


I worked as a contractor for years and there is really only one rule... There is always a buyer, if you wait long enough.

Having said that, 'wet rooms' are not very common in the US at all.  In the 100's of homes I've worked in I've only ever seen 3 of them.  My advice here is two fold.

First: If it is worth it to you do it and don't think re-sale, you may lose money, but if it makes your life a lot better for the years that you live there it's probably worth it.

Second: If you decide to go this way, do it right! Make sure you take lots of photos to show people, have (and keep) all of the permits, and make it look perfect.  People who would consider buying it even if they may not be familiar with a 'wet room' will run if it looks shoddy or sub-par.


How to prepare window stool for tiling in shower

As far as getting the existing material any farther back, don't sweat it. The part that will need the attention is the vinyl face of the window frame. Build up the framing with a 5-10 degree slope to the inside of the shower on the bottom  and square with the other 3 sides. Set them so the framing is even with the edge of the window frame. then add the cement backer. Tape all the joints with fiberglass tape and modified thinset, keep it neat. After it has set for a day, paint it all with liquid applied membrane like Redgard(r) or similar. make a nice line onto the face of the window, high enough to seal, but low enough for the tile to conceal the membrane, let it cure, then set your tile.


What could cause my hot water to run out quickly... but only in the bath/shower?

To me it sounds like an anti scauld valve is not working correctly. If you have a thermometer could you try just turning on the hot and see if the flow almost stops and what the water temp is. This could verify if the valve is the problem.


Removing years old grout from drywall in kitchen

Personally I'd just scrape it off with a putty knife.  If there are any dig and deep gouges after that step repair with spackle.  Then give it a skim coat of drywall compound, sand, and repaint.

Basically what you suggested except not actually new drywall, the steps are the same tho.


This would be better as a comment, but I don't have enough rep to do that. When your garage was remodeled, was the garage door taken off? Looking at the latches that @beswald mentioned, it looks like the door was removed in segments, and the segment with the latches was reinstalled upside down. The latches appear to be below center in that section.

You can consider moving the latches higher in that segment or taking that segment out and flipping it over.

Remember that the tension in the springs can be dangerous. If you are wanting to try to flip the one segment over, I'd suggest using vise grips or locking pliers above the bottom wheel to keep the lower section secured. You also need to keep the upper sections from zipping up the track as well, so as I think more about this, I'd call a garage door repairman.

Edit I didn't notice the block on the upper right in the first picture. My guess is that is a "step" that should be on the inside of the bottom section of the door, normally installed so you could step on it to close the door tightly while you lock it. It looks more and more like the door was reinstalled with the sections moved around. I'd hire a garage door company to come out and reinstall it correctly simply because I don't like to mess with the tension springs.


What size junction box is needed for four 6 AWG copper wires?

Any (exterior) type you like, with a volume of 20 cubic inches or more. 5 cubic inches per #6 wire.

Here's a calculator http://www.constructionmonkey.com/calculations/electrical/boxfill

You may find boxes  bit larger than the minimum make your life easier, or are needed to make reasonable connection to your conduit size, etc.

Look up "figure 8 coiling" before you install your wire - if you can't get enough people to have one standing by (each of) the middle box(es) while you pull it end-to end, pull from one box to the next and figure-8 coil the wire on the ground - then flip the coil over and pull the next segment (no tangles.)


What kind of sealant can I use on my spray painted freezer?

Most rust-proofing paints are fairly hard enamels, even if they are matte finish.  Unlike house paints, they are not supposed to chalk off. It is more likely that handling the matte finish might make it a bit shiny in places rather than the finish coming off on your hands.

There are some matte polyurethanes, but they may not be as hard as the finish you are already putting in it. There is an article here describing matte poly.

If you do try a poly over the enamel, do a test in an inconspicuous area first.

SUPPLEMENT:
It looks like Rustoleum makes a matte clear finish that could be simply spray painted over your other finish. Other brands may have similar products.  I would still do a test in an inconspicuous place.


Need help understanding power ratings on kitchen range

Different electrical systems, same range

On the far right, do you see where it says "208Y/120V" in the first row and "120/240V" in the second row?  Most electric cooking appliances are designed to run off of two different voltage systems, yours included, and that is why they have two ratings.

Figuring out what you have

The easiest way to figure out which of the two systems you have is to measure at the range receptacle with a voltmeter hot-to-hot.  The 120/240V line is the normal split-phase North American residential and light commercial electrical service -- there is 240V (well, 220-250V) between the hots, and 120V hot to neutral.  This system is nice for residential work as it supplies both utilization voltages cheaply and allows heating appliances to work at full power -- 9.3kW for your stove.

However, if you measure 208V (or somewhere between say 190-220V) between the hot lines, you have at least two and perhaps all three phases of a three phase wye electrical service, which uses the "208Y/120" line on the range and is found in large buildings, such as high-rises, large institutional buildings, and industrial facilities, although some very large older homes in the South and Southwest use a three phase service due to the size of their air conditioners.  Three phase service is helpful for larger buildings as it's a more efficient way of moving power around than single phase or split phase.  However, the reduced voltage available at the wall outlet means that heating appliances run at reduced power -- a mere 6.9kW in the case of your stove.

Once you know

Once you know which line to use, simply divide the nameplate power consumption from that line by the line-to-line (hot-to-hot) voltage to get the current draw.


Removing metal tabs on Lutron dimmer switch in ganged box

If the dimmer will fit without touching any part of the other switch it's OK and advisable to leave the tabs in place since removing them will decrease the capacity of the dimmer @Harper thanks. Personally, I'd remove them if you're installing a few low wattage bulbs now just in case you add a larger switch in the future and maybe forget about the removable tabs on the dimmer. Then you'd have to come back here and ask how to make the switch fit in the box. :-)


Is it safe to mount a medium-sized air compressor to the floor to stop or limit vibrations?

If the compressor is equipped with anchoring tabs it can be anchored to the floor. Install some pieces of rubber between the floor and the mounting tabs. Cut the rubber pieces from and old tire,rubber mat etc. Use locking nuts on the anchor bolts and don't tighten them so much that the rubber is completely compressed. If there are not mounting tabs on the compressor than I would build a wood box will restrict the wheels and what ever else hits the floor. Then anchor the box to the concrete pad.


How to connect 2 water tanks at different levels with one pump?

The OP probably has long since satisfied his running water needs, but for anyone reading this later, here is a method to keep two tanks filled with the minimum of installed devices. The only active components required are the pump and two float switches.

Each tank must have a float switch and an overflow drain near the top.

In each tank the float switch must be set to a level lower than, but close to, the drain level.

The switches must be set to run the pump when either water level drops.

The pump must be connected to the infill of the upper tank.

The overflow of the upper tank must be connected to the infill of the lower tank.

The overflow of the lower tank should lead to a sewer or waste line via a suitable water trap.

As water is used from the upper tank, the upper float switch will trip and tun on the pump. The water in the upper tank will rise until the upper float switch is pushed off.

As water is used from the lower tank, the lower float switch will trip and turn on the punp. The water in the upper tank will rise until it reaches the overflow, then the water in the lower tank will rise until the lower float switch is pushed off.

There is no possibility of the pump running against closed valves because no flow directing valves are required nor installed.

EDIT: Another poster has installed something like this and has discovered that his drain line does not empty the upper tank as quickly as the pump fills it. His upper tank overflows before his lower tank fills.

The best mitigation for this problem is to make the drain lines very large. Since a drain should begin to operate as soon as the water level reaches it, there is almost no pressure available to drive the flow. The drain pipes should look like drain pipes, not like fill pipes.

Another mitigation is to restrict the pump flow to something the drains can handle. Either use a smaller pump, or install a gate valve or globe valve in the fill line. (Do not use a ball valve, these are hard to adjust.)

In short, to avoid flooding, you can make the drain larger or make the fill smaller.

A third way to prevent flooding is to install a second float switch in each tank to serve as a safety switch. This switch must trip at a level above the drain, and well above the fill switch, but below the top of the tank. The pump must stop when either safety switch is raised. It will start again when the drain has caught up.


If I'm not mistaken you can remove the plastic without disturbing the glass underneath.  Look for capped screw holes all around the rim on the interior side of the door.  Once you have them off you can just spray them with a paint designed for plastics.


Can I use 16mm or 10mm DC cable for AC home appliances?

If you do not know what cross-section or gauge of wire is appropriate for installation in a home or business, you should not be installing it, period.

There isn't a single "correct" type of wire to install, instead there are many factors which relate to:

Local laws and building codes
Amount of current drawn by the appliance(s)
Number and type of outlets and total expected load on the circuit
Type of breaker required (arc-fault, GFCI, etc.) (see #1)
Inspection and testing (see #1, again)

You should contact an electrician to add or modify your residential wiring. If you insist on a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach, you should research your local electrical code and look for information on the above points. In order for that effort to be productive, you should first make sure you understand the following fundamentals:

voltage, current, and power
alternating vs direct current, polarity, neutral vs protective Earth/ground
wire cross-section/gauge; current capacity; resistance and voltage drop over distance; temperature derating; etc.
series and parallel circuits
electrical safety, circuit breakers/fuses, proper use of voltmeters (multimeter), etc.

As you can see there's a lot of basics that must be taken into account in order to answer your question:

How many amperes do your appliances draw? Do they require the same voltage? What sort of insulation is required based on fire code and voltage rating? (Your local laws dictate this.)
There's no such thing as a "DC cable."
What does "16mm" mean? If you mean 16 mm² (roughly equivalent to 5 AWG), that's a massive wire diameter for casual residential use, even for major appliances. (Some countries refer to wire diameter as 'cross sectional area', usually in square millimeters (mm²). Others use wire gauge, also known as American Wire Gauge (AWG). The superscript '2' is important.)
I presume you don't mean a wire length of 16mm, as that's impractically short for any appliance purpose.
Most wiring is sold as having a number of conductors, not cores; and for most residential and commercial wiring, three or more conductors are used (e.g. line, neutral, and protective earth/ground). Therefore, two is likely not appropriate... Unless you're talking about a replacement cord for a small appliance or fan, where such devices often have only a two-conductor power cord. This, however, would not be considered "installing wiring in your home". Instead it would be more of an "appliance repair" or a "replacement of power cord." If so, this is a more reasonable DIY project, which your local hardware store can assist with.
I am suspicious you may be meaning a two-conductor 16 gauge (not mm) cable to replace, for example, the power cord on a fan. If so, you should be able to inspect the damaged power cord and replace it with the same (or thicker) gauge. Again, your hardware store can assist. They also will have replacement plugs in case you only need to replace the plug and not the entire cable. If you need to open the appliance/device to attach the new cord, you may encounter other problems. For example, if you are not familiar with soldering or crimp terminals on wires, etc.


Where should my furnace filter go in a Lennox G40UHX series furnace?

Usually the filter is mounted between all the return ducting and the furnace itself - potentially it is installed at a strange angle or covered up with tape or something. Here is a picture of mine, it's the darker colored piece the duct is attached to, with foil tape sealing it to the furnace housing.


Why am I getting a reading of 119.7 volts neutral to ground?

Hot and Neutral reversed - as the "hot to ground = 0V" reading confirms.

The Brass-colored screw gets the black/hot wire, the Silver-colored screw gets the white/neutral wire, and the wider blade looking at the outlet is neutral. That's left if the ground is down, right if the ground is up.

The Green-colored screw gets the green/bare ground wire.

A $5 or so plug in outlet tester (might as well get the GFCI-Testing version) will confirm these things easily without needing three tests and without potential for error in what is supposed to be what.


About how much does it cost to leave 12 led bulbs 60watt replacement burning for 24 hours?

a "60W replacement" LED is usually around 10W actual.

10W * 12bulbs * 24 hours = 2880Watt-hours

2880Watt-hours = 2.88 kilowatt-hours

Your electric bill shows the price / kilowatt-hour. For me, with all applicable taxes and stuff, it's about $0.145 / kilowatt hour (I just paid my bill, so I have it right here)... yeah, that's 14.5 CENTS.

So every 24 hours those lights are on would cost me:
2.88 * 0.145 = $0.42

So if you were to use a timer to run them only 12 hours / day, you'd save $0.21 / day. If the timer costs $20, it would pay for itself after 100 days.

Cheers,
CList


Hvac damper types - which one is quietest

Adding a damper to a squirrel cage blower either to the inlet or outlet may sometimes increase the noise due to the flow of air past that damper. Other ideas which may work better but will cost more would be to purchase a 2 speed motor. You would get 2 fan speeds which could be selected by switch mounted where you choose. Another idea would be to install a variable speed ECM motor. This motor would yield an infinite number of speeds. You could even have a motorized damper installed that would yield complete control of the amount of air flow. These last 3 ideas, although more costly, would give you an easy adjustment of the air flow as opposed to a manual type damper.


low water pressure in house caused by hot water tank coming off main before cold?

Unless the size of the pipe was reduced at the tee The pressure/flow should not matter where the water goes into the heater. With that said I have had gate valves fail and not open all the way after being closed for maintenance I would suspect the main cutoff valve to be the issue since copper dosent corrode and shrink down like galvanized pipe will over time. The last possibility is when the work was done some debris may have broken loose and partially plugged your valves if washerless or faucet ariators. I would be checking these items before paying for another call to the plumber.


Clips for holes where wire rope goes through?

Try searching for grommets, specifically rubber grommets would seal the holes.

As to connecting the ends, whenever I've seen this type of system the ends aren't connected.  Each end would have a type of swage terminating the wire rope and be secured to a bolt or turnbuckle to allow the rope to be tightened.


Do I need a subfloor or a Dricore subfloor panels on concrete (basement) for ceramic tile?

Do not use the Dricore panels!! It is a great product, but not for tile installs.

If you want the best installation, go directly over the floor with an anti-fracture membrane and tile directly over that. Many big box stores will carry one brand or another that will do the job. If the floor has been around for many years and there are no cracks where you wish to lay tile, then in my opinion, you will not need the anti-fracture membrane either, go directly over the concrete.


Removing plug from receptacle kills whole room circuit

First, post a TaskRabbit to get a handyman out to replace the defective socket.  One hopes the handyman knows to check the break-off tabs.

The light switch does nothing for a reason such as

When you checked receptacles, you only checked one socket per receptacle, because you didn't realize receptacles could be split.
In the past, someone replaced receptacles, and didn't check the tabs.

You can find the undiscovered socket.  A competent handyman can find the mis-replaced receptacle.

But have the known-bad receptacle fixed first.


How can I improve the cold floor in my ground-floor unit?

On the cheap end, I'd suggest laying down 2" XPS (The pink stuff), being sure to tape all the seams, and then laminate flooring on top of that. If you have heavy furniture, you may need to put plywood down prior to the laminate. If you can forgo the laminate, shag carpeting would probably offer more insulation on the feet.

On the 10k side, you may be able to get a heated floor as Asaf suggests, but that'd depend on all sorts of variables. The may electrrical heating systems you can tile on (typically for bathrooms) as well as hydronic systems that would require another layer of concrete on top of.

OH, and of course, the REALLY cheap option: invest in some really nice slippers. ;)


How should grounding be handled for multiple RV pad feeds?

NEC 551.76.C (RV and RV parks) Grounded conductor not to be used as equipment ground.
To me that says you need to isolate the ground and neutral and will need a rod at your site.


How can I prevent my lawnmower from spreading red thatch?

1 cup (5% laundry) bleach to 1 gallon water is usually a good bet to kill most things. Use in a well ventilated area, and never mix ammonia and bleach. (Which you all should know already, but evidently some people still don't...)

With a lawnmower, getting the blade and underside clean enough to paint (remove all grass clippings - and hey, if you've gone that far, why not paint it!) will help immensely in not having residual clumps of stuff that might not have gotten bleached all the way through. Clean (but don't paint) the wheels/tires (if any) as well (evidently hover mowers are still out there, wheel-free.)

"Red Thread" seems to be a more common name (I get no results for "red thatch" other than "red thread" and "pink patch" results.) Both are fungal diseases. A bleach solution will kill fungus on non-porous surfaces (such as your mower's steel and plastic) but is less effective on porous surfaces (which would mostly be the "age of the mower old" buildup of impacted grass clippings, in lawnmowers.)

Sharpening the blade is also a good idea for prevention, as these diseases more easily attack damaged grass blades than ones that have been cut cleanly.


Should I turn off my leaking hot water tank in winter?

Since I got no answer on this I'll post what the plumber said:

You only need to worry about the pipes freezing if the temperatures are going to be below 0 degrees fahrenheit. So it's ok to turn off the gas and water as long as it won't be that cold.


It looks like you pull the red tabs in or out to have the device turn on or off for a given 15 minute interval. I'm guessing the black arrow is pointing to the current time. The switch on the side is to manually turn it on or off (or perhaps permanently off or on the timer). You'll just need to test it to see if the tabs being in or out correspond to on vs off. And to know about the switch on the side, try turning it off and see if the timer moves after 30 minutes.

To adjust the current time, you can turn the dial clockwise, but not counter clockwise.


See below, if you jumper Yellow to White the heat strips will run in both cool  and heat  as Yellow is energized in both modes,  what makes it a cooler or heater is the O being energized in cool mode   Rheems use the B terminals  to be energized in heat.


Can I use existing heater wiring to supply a sub-panel for two circuits?

If the owners manual/installation instructions say two 240v 15A circuits are required then you are good to go if you mount a new subpanel with two 240v 15A breakers. Those instructions are part of the NRTL Listing and override general NEC provisions.
If the instructions don't specify then IR saunas are normally considered "fixed electric space heating" which NEC 424.3 designates as continuous load, so circuits are calculated at 125% of nameplate. So the branch circuit from a new subpanel would need to be 20A.
For the feeder calculation there is a little, but very little, wiggle room, for the feeder for the new subpanel. Then general rule in 220.51 says the feeder is to be calculated at 100%, but then there is an exception that allows an authority having jurisdiction to allow reduction under cycling conditions. I doubt many local inspector would grant this permission.
Edit: Now seeing the nameplate says 10.4A, not 13A. Then 10.4 x 125% = 13A. It appears the 13A is the circuit requirement, not the actual heater draw. So two 15A receptacles on separate 15A breakers being fed by a 30 feeder should be fine.


What type of clothing is required when working around asbestos?

Check out this PDF from the Australian government (assuming the +61 in your profile means OZ)

Pages 29 and 30 deal with personal protective equipment. (PDF pages 42-43 AND WHY CAN"T ANY MAKE PDF page numbers work!!!)

Asbestos Removal Guidlines

I'll highlight this line:  The laundering of contaminated protective clothing in workers’ homes is strictly prohibited.

Generally though, this is a workplace safety issue, and I'd contact the Ministry of Labour.


Troubleshooting dropped phase in 240 volt line

To determine if there is a break.

Turn off the breaker in the main panel.
Remove the conductors from the breaker, and connect them with each other.
In the barn panel, disconnect the ungrounded  feeder conductors.
Test for continuity between the ungrounded conductors in the barn.

If the test shows open (no continuity), then there's a break in one of the lines. If not, then something else is wrong.

If the lines test as not broken, test for continuity through the feeder breaker.

With the conductors still disconnected, turn the breaker in the main panel on.
Test for voltage at each of the terminals.

If they both show voltage, the breaker is not the problem.  If either does not show voltage, replace the breaker.

If the lines do test as broken. You can either dig them up and look for the damage, replace them (abandoning the existing cable), or contact a local Electrician to see if they can locate the break for you.


How can I convert a crawlspace to a basement?

Where do you live? If the plan is to use the space as living space, most code will require a minimum ceiling height. That's usually 7'. So you either have to accept that you can only use a portion of the crawlspace, or you have to dig down deeper.

To dig down deeper, you need to bring in a structural engineer to figure out how to underpin the existing footers. That's typically done with a buttress wall a few feet in from the existing footer. So you will loose some perimeter space due to that.

If you have HVAC and mechanicals everywhere, keep in mind the time and costs to re-route all of that as well.

Enclosing a crawlspace is a good idea, but if the goal is ultimately to mainly get more livable space, you may want to investigate an above-ground addition instead. It may ultimately be easier (and cheaper) to do that rather than convert a crawlspace.


Can dimmable (triac) LED bulbs be used on a motion sensor switch without neutral wire?

Reading between the lines ...

Where I live, a normal domestic lightswitch works like this

 Fusebox                  Ceiling                   Switch
 =======                  =======           live    ======
   Live  ----------------------o------------->------o/ o-.
   Earth --------------------o--------------------       |
   Neutral ----------------o | o----------<--------------'
                           | | |      switched live
                           |   |
                           \/\/\
                            bulb

(At "ceiling" there is a junction box / rose where wires are joined)

Because there is no neutral in the switch backbox, there is no way to
complete a circuit there and power any active component like a PIR motion
detector.

Incandescent bulbs have a low resistance when cold and off butr develop a high resistance when hot and on.

You can exploit this feature to power a gadget in the light switch, instead of
a simple switch you add a high resistance load across the switch, this allows a small
current to pass through the incandescent lightbulb when the switch is off. This small
current is not enough to light the bulb (the wire inside is not red hot, it might glow a tiny bit though, depends on current)

     Switch
     ======
         /
 ----+-o/  o--+---.
     |        |   |
     '-/\/\/\-'   |
        PIR       |
                  |
 -----------------'

However, any kind of LED lamp is not going to have the characteristics of an incandescent bulb which are being exploited here. Your PIR motion detector is unlikely to work if the
lamp is not incandescent.

If it does work, it would be because the LED lamp's internal driver circuit can work from
lower voltages and currents - so you are likely to see some unwanted visible effects. It might be that some manufacturers use a type of LED-driver circuit that would allow your PIR switch to work but you may have to buy a lot of different LED lights to find one that does. You might never find one that does. Without knowing the internal details of the specific LED lamp it is difficult to make any predictions.

I notice that the advert you link to has a link to a  replacement part whose description says it does work with LEDs. It is reasonable to infer the vendor is aware that the discontinued one does not.

Note on terminology:

Your Q was hard for me to understand because you are using terms in a way that is non-standard (at least in my part of the world)

trickle charge - is a small current used to slowly charge a car battery.
active wire - is not a term I've seen used in relation to household power.
outlet - usually means a 3-pin wall socket (not a light switch back-box or patress)


How can I verify that the protective earth/ground is separate from the neutral wire in an electrical AC installation?

Usually your central heating and your water piping is grounded by regulation.
Your ground wire shouldn't have any potential differerce with these installations (as there shouldn't be any current flowing through it), whereas neutral may carry a few volts (because of current elsewhere in the system lifting potential).

If your installation is behind a residual-current device and you have the live wire identified, another way to figure out neutral and earth is connecting a 25W lightbulb. If the bulb lights up you're using neutral, if the residual-current device trips, then you used earth.

Of course if you don't trust wiring or its colors, the only way to go is to pull the existing wires out of the pipes an do a proper re-wiring according to national regulations.


What is this small hollow metal cylinder?

"Sleeve" or "Bushing" (sleeve being closer to correct for this application, but having both in hand will give you more things to try at the hardware store.) A section of pipe or tube might well do the job in the "not precut to length" materials section.

Are they all missing, or do you have one or more you can take with you to match?


Correct way to attach outlet wall plate?

There are a couple things you can do depending on what the cause is.

If the entire cover plate stands proud of the wall, then it probably means the receptacle itself is not far enough back. Make sure it is screwed all the way into the box and that the box is set at a proper depth into the wall. If it's unfeasible to adjust the box, and you're only dealing with an eighth of an inch or so, build up the surface of the wall with some joint compound and blend it in as best you can.

If only part of the cover stands proud of the wall, it's probably because the wall is uneven. (Very common for plaster or drywall that's been repaired a lot.) Use some all-purpose kitchen/bathroom caulk around the cover plate where there are any gaps, and smooth it out with a wet paper towel.


Yes, it's called alkyd paint. Colloquially referred to as oil paint.  It is stinky, but good performing. It's becoming increasingly hard to find, as California and the EPA are pressuring paint companies to reduce the VOC content in architectural paints (i.e. the stuff sold at home improvement stores). Sherwin Williams continues to carry a good selection of alkyds. It's also readily available as marine paint.

It's available in all the same "bases".  You know about the concept of "bases" of paint:

White base is heavily pre-loaded with white pigment. It's for off-whites.
Medium base has less white pigment. It's for modest colors.
Deep base has no white pigment, and is for bold or dark colors. All the pigment must be added.

My concern is that calcium carbonate is a very poor choice of pigment.  It is highly alkaline, like lye, and will surely damage the paint resin.  It's not a very strong pigment.  Titanium dioxide pigment is vastly superior, non-toxic, readily available, and will not degrade in sunlight (a rare trait today, as most color pigments are organic, and will degrade).

So you should not be adding white pigment. You should select a white or medium base and taking advantage of the pigment already in the can.

As far as slick, glossy surfaces, paint cannot stick to that.  I brush-paint some very aggressive epoxy stuff, and I basically ignore windows; I come back with a bottle of Windex and a razor blade and scrape it off the window effortlessly.  Paint does not stick to slick surfaces.   To make paint stick, you need to scuff-sand (remove gloss, not file material away).  My favorite scuff-sanding material is in your kitchen already; it's 3M ScotchBrite pads, green color.


The first thing you should do is test your water pressure. Gauges are available at home supply stores or online for as little as $10. The gauge attaches to any hose bib in your home.
An ideal pressure range for a domestic water supply is about 60 to 70 psi. If it's much over 100 you should consider adding a pressure reducing valve (PRV) on your incoming water supply line. Excessively high pressure can result in leaks in your water lines or fixtures.
Different faucets in a home will often exhibit different water pressure based on a number of factors. In order to comply with state and federal guidelines newer ones have water restrictors in them. The faucet in question may be older (no restrictor) or it may have been removed at some point.
One solution is to simply replace the faucet.


Projector mounting location to reduce noise

Just as a frame of reference, 26dB is about the sound level of a person breathing. Typically these are measured at a distance of a meter from the source. Whether or not this will be objectionable is mainly a question of personal preference (and how much other sound sources such as your speakers mask it). My suggestion would be to pick up a computer case fan with a comparable decibel rating, put it where the projector will go and see if it would be a problem for you.

As far as increasing distance goes, it will obviously help. Sound level drops by roughly 6dB for every doubling of the distance, so at 2 meters it should be barely perceptible and at 4 meters you would have to try really hard to pick it out.

Bear in mind that 26dB is the claimed decibel rating, and the actual noise level you perceive can vary depending on frequency, vibrations in whatever it's attached to, etc.


There are other types of igniters but a plating will not help. Contaminants build up on the electrodes and this reduces the ability to create the spark. Dust and smoke in the air are the big sources. Since you know it needs to be maintained 2x per year the best option is to preform “preventive maintenance” clean the contacts prior to the heating season and maybe 1/2 way through. If the electrodes are cleaned when the time is better for you it would not happen when you need heat. 2x a year is more often than I have normally experienced, you may need a service on your burner to make sure it is burning clean and not part of the problem, electrostatic air filters also help to filter out things that can pass through most furnace filters but these need regular cleaning also (some monthly during heating / cooling seasons).


What are the wires in this old switch box?

This is a pretty typical install
This is about what you'd expect to see in a situation where power is brought to the switch first, then carried to the light along with the switched (dimmed, in your case) hot for the fixture.  The wire junction with the white pigtail to the dimmer sticking out of it is that always-hot power I mentioned, while the reddish wire is the switched/dimmed hot going off to the chandelier, and the wire junction that does not connect to the dimmer is neutral.
So, your new dimmer should just be able to be wired up with the existing pigtail on one hot screw and the reddish wire on the other hot screw, provided it doesn't have any smarts, of course.  Grounding is done through the screws mounting the dimmer's yoke in this case, since the box is sort-of-grounded through metal cable armor from the looks of things.


When pigtailing a second load to circuit

Any spot on the neutral bar for the neutral, and ground bar for the ground, will do.


How do I secure a dishwasher under a granite counter?

You have two good options with a stone counter top if there isn't a mounting strip already under the countertop.

Option 1: Install a mounting strip under the counter, going all the way to the side cabinets and securing with some adhesive to the underside of the countertop (I've heard silicon suggested, but I'd prefer something stronger). I'd also use a couple L brackets to secure the mounting strip to the side cabinets. Then use short screws to attach the dishwasher so you don't go through the mounting strip and into the countertop. This doesn't work if you're already tight for space between the dishwasher and countertop.
Option 2: Get a side mounting kit to attach the dishwasher to the cabinets on each side. It may be a separate purchase from the manufacturer.


Build up the piece in layers.  It's a lot easier to bend a thin sheet of wood, then bending say a 3/4" piece. The basic idea here is to create an arched piece of plywood.

Start with a thin sheet of wood 1/8" to 1/4" depending on the type of wood, and the finished pieces thickness.
soak the sheet in water until it is pliable.
Using clamps or a jig, bend the sheet past the desired arc (the board will lose some of the bend when the clamps are removed).
Let dry, or heat and let cool.
Repeat this procedure with as many sheets as it takes to get your final thickness, making sure each sheet fits perfectly over the previous one.
Using glue and some clamps glue all the pieces together to form a single piece.
Trim to size, sand, and finish.


If installed by an inexperienced do-it-yourselfer*, they may have wired the fans in SERIES, instead of in parallel as they should have been. That would make the fans divide the voltage between them, in effect giving each one half of the voltage it was designed for. Many ceiling fans are designed to operate from dimmers, so reducing the voltage to them is allowable and is how your reduce their speed. So it would not harm the fans, it would just not allow them to run at their designed maximum speed.

This could have been done on purpose by the way, thinking that full speed was too much for the space anyway. I've seen that done at restaurants so that customers or workers cannot turn the fans up to full speed and make a mess.


Wire ratings in very hot attics, e.g. Phoenix where they go to 180F?

Fix the issue at its source: the deficient attic

An attic that is hitting those temperatures throughout, even in a hot climate such as Phoenix, has a design flaw.  Either the ceiling plane needs to be air-sealed and insulated to allow the attic to be vented at the soffits and ridge to provide convection cooling of the space, or the underside of the roof deck needs to be air-sealed and insulated, forming a hot roof, to allow the attic to be conditioned and treated as interior space.

With proper venting, the attic should stay closer to 120°F (~50°C) worst-case at the top of the joist space, which is where most of the wiring lives in any case.  Of course, in a conditioned hot roof system, the attic will be kept at living-space temperatures instead; this is vastly superior to even a vented attic when there is equipment and ductwork in the attic, not just the occasional cable or vent pipe.  "Hot roofs" do have the downside that they can put more stress on temperature-sensitive roofing materials in hot climates, though, so there is that to keep in mind as well.

If fixing the attic isn't an option, then one could bury the wires in insulation given that they are at or near the joist space, but this does pose downsides for future maintenance.


How can I tell if a breaker uses both phases/legs

Stab-Lok is a PROBLEM
See, for example, What can I do about a breaker that trips frequently on a Stab-Lok panel?
So first read up on Stab-Lok, post a picture of your panel (the pros will recognize it and tell you if it really is a fire hazard, etc.) and determine if this is a concern. If it is a real concern, then dealing with replacement is a much higher priority than hooking up the Sense monitor.
How it SHOULD Work
On many panels (I don't know if Stab-Lok is supposed to work this way or not), a true double (240V) breaker will always hit both legs. The exception is a double-stuff breaker, where it is really two-breakers-in-one. In that case, it normally only hits one leg, and the exception is if it can actually be 1/2 of one leg and 1/2 of the other leg. But that, as I understand it, is only on certain panels where you can have a quad == 4 in one, but really 4 in 2 - i.e., a double-space breaker that has 4 individual breakers, two on one leg, two on the other leg, with the result that the inner breakers can function together as a "double 240V breaker".
FIRST FIGURE OUT THE STAB-LOK!