I pay $48-52 per 500ft for #12 THHN/THWN-2.   I do not use #14 at all.

My preferred supplier is City Electric, and I shop around other proper electrical supplies, and Menards on 11% off days.

I do not buy ground wire because I use EMT properly, I use enough conduit clamps to hold it where it belongs, and I refrain from routing it unguarded in places at risk for damage or pullout.

When I find an odd situation where I worry about EMT parting, I dive into my junk drawer and find some old solid THHN or Romex that I had pulled out earlier, and strip down a bare wire of enough length to link the two junction boxes on either side of the danger zone.

By the way, I use stranded THHN/THWN-2.  After the pleasure of working with stranded THHN/THWN in conduit, the idea of choking NM down a conduit is laughable.

You cannot strip the sheath off NM as a "cheap" way to get THHN.  The reason is obvious once you work with the various wire types, but NM wire insulation doesn't even begin to compare to THHN insulation and it will too easily take damage.  You are also relying on being able to strip sheath 100% perfect with no damage to either black or white insulation. It is also not marked, so it is not legal to use.  And then you only have solid wire, which is more alligator wrestling.

The other big problem with shucking NM is you are stuck with only 2 wire color choices. I stock 9 colors of THHN and 10 colors of tape. If you're buying just a few rolls of THHN, consider colors other than white black red.

I don't know whether running exposed NM is legal in your shop. Conduit is very convenient for lighting. Do not hang anything on electrical cables or conduit.  If you want hangers for low voltage wiring or anything else, put them up there while you're up there.
Your statements are inconsistent: one hand is hanging oversized conduit and running superfluous ground wires, the other hand is wringing over the cost of wire.  Make up your mind.  Either you're trying to save money or do a good job.   I wire my lighting grids with 1/2" EMT and 2 THHN wires. Easy peasy.
As mentioned, individual wires inside NM will get damaged if pulled through conduit.
If THHN is much more expensive, you're sourcing at the wrong place. The big-box stores really getcha on small reels, and shamelessly overcharge on most other electrical parts too. (just not the ones you're likely to price-check). Big-box are not gods of pricing, or even selection; they are gods of being open at 9:30pm on a Saturday. They also have some freakish "Pied Piper" effect on consumers; it's almost impossible to convince folks to stop shopping at big-box.


If this area is going to be enclosed it will be fine.
The only thing I might see as a problem is the telecom panel.
on the final some inspectors won’t allow the cable to be open below 8’.
Since they will call it an electrical closet (no clothing racks or flammable storage).
Easy fix on the stair 1/2” plywood or 1/2” Sheetrock covering that cavity would be code compliant.
The pipe being on the back side of the stair I don’t see a way to cover the wiring. if it is behind a wall it will be fine, you have the wire centered on the stud left of the pipe but on edge of the right one  that’s not a problem if that area will be enclosed. I can’t tell from the photo.
After re reading direct contact or pinched will get a flag, again easy fix 2x4 nailed flat under the stair will make less storage under the stair but keep the inspector from making you do it later (you can bump out that 1 stud bay 1-1/2” and that will also work.


Range Hood Outlet Stopped Working. Fuse?

Turns out replacing the fuse did the trick.

So, YES, the fuse in the range hood can affect the microwave's plug only without affecting the light and fan.

Kenmore brand hood.


Changing plug switch to fan and making plug constant hot

The issue with tapping in like that is slack
In order to have a legally (and practically) wire-able junction box, you need to have a sufficient length of cable coming in (about 6") so that connections can be made without having to reach all the way into the back of the box.  The problem is, your average wiring run doesn't have 8" of slack length in it to deal with having a 4" fan-rated round or octagon box cut into the middle of the run.  Solving this problem requires either an additional box or a special NM splice kit to splice an additional length of NM cable into the circuit so that sufficient wire length's available in the box where you're making your connections.
Once you have that solved...
Once you have the fan-rated box up and the wire length issues worked out, we can then focus on re-wiring.  The red wire in the switch-box-to-B cable gets abandoned  and capped off by itself at all ends (although if you're using a NM splice kit, it can't terminate there!), and all the grounds get connected together and to the box in the new fan box, of course.  Once that's done, the fan box wiring is as per the instructions, just with an additional black and white in there to pass power on to the receptacle.  Finally, switch B and the always-hot pigtail feeding it can be removed (if you want, you can get a battery-operated wall controller from Kichler that works with the remote for your fan, part #370039MULTR, and install it in place of switch B although you may have to swap the wallplate at that location to a toggle+decorator type to do so), and the receptacle at B can be replaced with one whose tab has not been broken off.


It's called an inlet.  They don't need to cost $90 (unless you really want them to). They are odd, but I would still expect to find a NEMA 5-15 inlet in the $15-25 range.

Keep in mind electrical parts don't lend themselves to online sale, because they are low in value, common as dirt, and heavy of weight.  Your best prices for anything slightly oddball will be at whichever electrical supply house doesn't mind giving you trade prices.


Repairing tile laid on harwood floor - how to make best of bad situation?

The problem isn't the finish of the wood, it is expansion and contraction. Wood moves a lot, even more so in entries. Only 2 options: take it out and use plywood over the wood and then tile, or keep making repairs.


Turn on gas wall heater w/o electric thermostat

Gas Empire-style wall heaters use millivolt thermostats.  They have two wires going to the thermostat, and if those wires are connected to each other, that is a "call for heat" and the heater should fire.

So, you have a system that requires AC power?  Either it's not an Empire-style millivolt system... or somebody's hacked it in some weird way, e.g. to use a Nest style thermostat.

If they hack it like that, they should connect the new relay/whatever/thing in parallel with the original thermostat, and leave that in place for just this contingency.

Northeasterners/Midwesterners: This type of system is nothing like anything you know.  It is a closely held secret by Floridians, Pacific Coasters, and the northeastern HVAC cartels, and at this point, my job is to convince you that it doesn't exist.  Furnaces that can work on gas alone, without electricity?  Absurd. Just ask your HVAC distributor.  These aren't the heaters you're looking for.  You can go about your business.  Move along.


Air Conditioner Draws a Lot of Outside Air When Door Opens

The local A/C contractor performed a door blower test prior to our upgrade to a heat pump. The particular door opens to the attached/integrated garage and the outside lift door was open.

A manometer in the fan assembly showed a certain pressure differential. Had it been particularly excessive, it would have indicated that air was being pulled from the attic through the ducting. I can't recall the figures, but we had all new ducting installed and the test was improved on the post-install check-out.

In your case, I'd suspect your concerns are valid, but it might not be leak related.

The primary return, often with filter, pulls air from all the other returns, which in my house, dumps into the main living area. Prior to the upgrade, the bedroom and bathroom doors did not have grill or grate type returns. If any of those doors were closed, those rooms could have "pressurized" and prevented return air from reaching the main return.

Opening an outside door might have then created the inrush you've described.

Alternatively, the pressurized air from the handler could be leaking, but would the leaks be of such volume that it would match the volume of air during the inrush?

I suppose an easy enough test would be to tape covers over your venting to see if the door air rush still happens. If all the vents are sealed or otherwise closed and there are no leaks, the air handler has no place to push the air and would have no need to pull air from the opening door.


Which tape to seal seams between XPS panels?

I ended up going with Owens Corning JointSealR Foam Joint Tape, as it's the only tape I could find that mentions working with XPS, specifically. From the manufacturer:

  Owens Corning JointSealR Foam Joint Tape is an effective product to tape the joints of FOAMULAR® extruded polystyrene (XPS) board in vertical wall applications when it is used as continuous insulation over steel or wood wall framing, or as masonry cavity wall insulation.

https://www.owenscorning.com/insulation/products/jointsealr-foam-joint-tape

I found only one place that sells it, and it wasn't cheap at $37.50 for a 90 ft. roll.


So you have 6 neutrals: supply, neutral to two lamps, and pigtails from the outlet and 2 switches.

If your wire-nuts are not certified for 6 wires, you can use a 6” jumper and nut them 3 and 3 (well, 4 and 4 with the jumper).

Now this will come up if you have two hots coming from the breaker box:  Every neutral has a partner "hot" - that's most obvious in Romex 14/2 where you have a white and a black. These are monogamous partners: hots do not share their neutrals with other hots. The reason is circuit protection.  If a neutral wire breaks, you want the circuit to go dark, you do not want another neutral to be overloaded trying to handle double load.  Neutrals do not have circuit breakers.   So if you have two hots, you must be careful to keep the neutrals paired with the hots everywhere they go, so all the current always returns on the partner neutral.  This is mandatory with GFCI breakers, since they compare current flow on hot vs neutral to detect leakage.

It is OK to tie grounds together.


What type of bolt has a shoulder portion above and unthreaded region below threads?

You are not going to find this on a shelf, you may get one from the manufacturer of the chair, if you talk nice and beg. Otherwise the chance is slim.

I would get a pan or philister head machine screw with the threaded portion about 1" longer than the screw pictured is over all. Chuck 3/4" of the threaded end in a drill and crank it down. Turn on the drill, keep it steady and run a file to grind off the threads exposed beyond the drill chuck to smooth the shank like the one in the picture. Since the screw is longer than needed and the drill damaged the end of the threads to hold it while it was spinning, cut it off and soften the corners like the original.

The drawing I referred to earlier


Should a hole develop in the tip of a thermocouple after it is installed in a gas heater and lighted?

The Thermoucouple should withstand the heat of the pilot without damage. If it is still working you are ok but I would get a backup in case it fails. Thermocouples work with 2 dissimilar metals fused together and they create a small voltage when heated. If the junction of the 2 metals is damaged then the Thermocouple will not work. Some manufacturers call there Thermocouples Thermopiles I have used universal replacements and never had a problem as long as they screw in correctly.


Can vermin come in through your toilet or shower drain and, if so, what can you do about it?

The smell of sewage is definitely a bad sign and means that either a trap has gone dry or a connection somewhere is bad releasing sewer gasses.  Maybe this is related to the vermin, maybe not, but its definitely something that needs a resolution.

When checking traps, check:

Are all your toilets full of water?
Do you have any sinks or fixtures that are very infrequently used (eg: basement laundry sink)?
Do you have drain and trap in your basement floor? Does it have water in it? Is there a trap primer hooked up to it (this is a small pipe that is connected to a frequently used fixtured so that when you run the fixture, a small amount of water flows into the trap and keeps it full)

Other things to check:

Do you have a sewer clean-out inside your house? If so, is the cap done up tightly? Also check the gasket on it - they can dry up and start leaking sewer gasses due to the poor seal.
Bottom of toilets - flush each one a couple times and look for small amounts of water near the base. This would indicate a failed wax ring.  Make sure to flush a number of times because if the leak is very small, it might not be noticable after a single flush.
Vents on roof - are any drain vents near air intakes (sucking the sewer gasses back in to your house)
Signs of a sewer line blockage - gurgling sinks, slow draining fixtures, sewage coming out of the lowest drain in your house (often the floor drain in your lowest level)

I had a situation in my house where one of the connections in the clay sewer had sunk by an inch or so.  This would cause stuff like toilet paper to start collecting resulting in a partial blockage. Overtime, it would get more blocked until finally the pressure of the water combined with atmospheric pressure would cause it to push through. During this process, it would suck all of the water out of my basement floor trap and I'd go from a full trap to a completely empty trap very suddenly.  Another interesting thing here was that when running a camera through my sewer, I noticed spider webs in them, so that definitely seems to indicate that some critters might come up from the actual sewer itself.

Ultimately my point here is that it can be a lot of things and if you can't find the cause on your own it is advisable to call a plumber - the sewer gasses are not something you want to be breathing in all day.


GFCI sometimes trips when light switched, or just randomly

You need to map the circuit more carefully. Slapping in a tester doesn't really tell you if it's wired correctly.  Noting what goes out when it trips is an incomplete mapping effort.

A GFCI+receptacle combo can be tripped by any of the following:

A device plugged into one of its sockets, which has a ground fault.  Presumably either this device has a 3-prong cord, or energy is leaking to something grounded (e.g. the apocryphal dropping the hair dryer in a sink of water).
Something wired into the LOAD terminals has a ground fault, and the GFCI is correctly detecting it.
The GFCI device itself is malfunctioning.

Nothing is plugged in, so we can check that off the list.  You have no idea what is attached to the LOAD terminals, so that's a big fuzzy question mark.  Then of course the GFCI device itself could be failing.

Now you say you think the LOAD terminals feed another GFCI device. Ohhhhh...kay.  You can do that, but you're basically playing a "Yo dawg" joke on yourself.  The protection is entirely redundant.  The downline GFCI adds no additional protection.  Further, if there is a ground fault downline of both GFCIs, both of them will trip.  Some GFCIs can be "peculiar" about the sequence they are reset in.  This can drive you nuts.  I would eliminate that arrangement if it's feasible to do so.

All receptacles protected by an upstream GFCI should have a "GFCI Protected" sticker or label.

Some people have a big problem with the idea of simply removing a load from the LOAD terminals without knowing exactly what it is.  I somewhat agree, but I would say that if you didn't know it was protected (and there was no label), where's the loss?  If you really want to, you can get a GFCI tester and do an exhaustive search of every outlet that loses power when that breaker is turned off, and see whether it loses GFCI protection if you remove it from the LOAD terminals.


Could these white fluffy spots on the wood in my attic be be mold?

I’m 99% sure this is mildew/mold caused by the high humidity level in leaky attic.  Hopefully the moisture levels will come down now that the leak is fixed.
It would be wise to spray the areas with a non chlorine mold killer like Concrobium
For the next few weeks check humidity levels in the attic.  If they remain high you may need to ventilate the attic better.


Must I ground my dishwasher to a metal plate?

The green wire ends up connected to the chassis of the washer through the connector on the gray wire. If you'd open up the dishwasher you'd see one of the connectors going to a metal plate.

If you have a multimeter/continuity tester you can test this by checking the continuity between one of the connectors where the grey cable plugs in at the dishwasher and the chassis. The corresponding connector will be connected to the green wire.

This is done to reduce mistakes and questions from people who don't know here the green wire goes.

Besides that the black cable should be clamped down with a strain relief to remove stress on the copper wires. That would lead to bad connection arcing and general fire hazard.


Do only certain WiFi dimmer switches with with older wiring

Fro you photos, you attached the dimmer’s neutral to the load (light). This is allowing the dimmer to power itself. Meanwhile, the load wire from the dimmer is unconnected; this wire would actually control the light. This will not work.

Bottom line: without a neutral wire in the switch box, you cannot make the dimmer work safely. (You could connect the neutral wire to ground, but this is a serious code violation and could potentially electrocute (kill) someone!)


It appears you have 2" pipe that is glued. I would suspect that the 2" pipe could handle the two 90 degree elbows but the problem is you have fitting glued right up against the wall.
It would likely require opening the drywall so you could work on/remove/replace that fitting. It appears the the plumbing in the wall is NOT straight forward as you have supply lines and an electrical box in close proximity to your drain line. (Where you drain line should be going down.)
All of that is to say that it is not simple. (Doable, but not simple.)
Is a plumber required, not necessarily.
Can you do it? If you  have any mechanical aptitude you can.
Would it be quicker and less time consuming to hire a plumber?  Probably.
How badly do you want a trash can in that space?


How can I replace a two way switch with a ZW4001 Z Wave enabled light switch?

Your switch requires a dedicated neutral so that the switches internal electronics can operate independently of the fixture it is connected to.

Your configuration is such that the line (source of power) comes into the ceiling box first instead of where the switch is located.

In order for this to work with the line still coming into the ceiling, there would have to be a third conductor; when the switch was installed, it needed to use 14/3 instead of 14/2 (usually you see this for a 3-way switch).

Your options to fix this is to either run a new 14/3 cable between the switch and fixture, or change the configuration of your circuit so that a line comes into the switch.  The complexity of this depends on the distance and cable route between the two.


Remove support under the interior stairs

That stub wall does likely provide some support to stiffen the stairway. That said it would appear that the vertical stud that you circled in purple could be removed without any trouble.

I would not suggest removing any other parts and leaving the horizontal double member in place. If you removed that it would leave a mess in regards to the already finished drywall joint that joint with the drywall in the bottom slope of the stairs. There appears to be minimal advantage for removing it anyway. In addition you will need that area to nail into for trimming the opening if you want to place an door to close off the space access.


Do I need a ground rod in addition to a pipe? Subpanel in separate structure

The NEC requires "grounding electrode(s)", a ground rod is one acceptable electrode. All electrodes that are present are required to be bonded to the service.
To qualify as a service electrode NEC 250.52(A)(5) allows pipe or conduit 8' long, 3/4" min diameter, with a corrosive resistant coating to be used as an electrode.  250.53 requires it be driven to a depth of 8' unless hitting rock bottom, then it can be driven at a 45 degree angle or buried in a trench a minimum 30" deep. Your pipe horizontally buried 18" deep in a trench for convenience it is quite likely to be rejected by the local AHJ. 250.53 also specifies plate, pipe, and rod spacing to be at least 6'.
The connector to the pipe must be NRTL (UL,CSA,MET) Listed for the purpose.
There is also some disagreement about how many electrodes you need, using only a plate, rod, or pipe electrode at a service requires a supplemental electrode. Some jurisdictions allow a single plate, rod, or pipe electrode at an accessory building. I think the argument for the code allowing that is weak, although the logic of a 4th rod electrode could be understandably be argued redundant.


White stain on grout between tiles. How to clean?

To clean grout, I would start with a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda, in a 2:1 or weaker ratio.  Apply the mixture to the grout lines, let it sit, gently scrub with a soft bristle brush (old tooth brushes, for example), then rinse with clean water.  Repeat if necessary.
If that doesn't work, you then might want to try some of the more powerful commercial products.


Synthetics tend to soften nicely with a little heat. If you're in a warm climate, lay them face down on a clean surface in the sun for a while. They should become noticeably more limp. Bring them inside while still warm and lay them out.

If you don't have warm sunshine, a heat lamp or other mild heat source could do. Be careful not to melt anything.

Natural fibers tend to relax with moisture. A clothing steamer or simple spray bottom might be enough.


Potterton EP3000 programmer HW and CH buttons not working

This was resolved by disconnecting the freeze sensor. There was a separate sensor attached to connections on the right hand side (I forget the numbers and I'm not at home now). If anyone is interested I can give more specific details.


How to get access to and change bulb in a hanging lantern

It's almost guaranteed that you need to keep turning that finial (perhaps pull down on it while you are turning it, in case its threads are stripped).   Keep turning and turning.  Eventually this will allow the glassed enclosure to drop down off the aligning screws that can be seen in one of your photos.  That should completely expose the bulbs, making them easy to swap out.


For downstream outlets from a GFCI to work correctly, both the hot and the neutral on the circuit have to pass through the GFCI. A GFCI works (and this is a simplified explanation) by detecting the difference in current passing through the hot and neutral.  If it has current moving through the hot and nothing through the return, then it trips because it detects that as being an alternate ground path. I highly suspect that the downstream outlets are either connected to a separate neutral or ground somewhere.


Why is my sink's drain pipe connection angled?

This looks like it's a renovation, or maybe just an island sink, because of the anti-siphon valve (aka air admittance valve (AAV), aka cheater vent). Either way, it's fairly sloppy plumbing by the looks of it.

I'll leave aside the use of the AAV as I've never seen one like that: in many jurisdictions they're not allowed at all, and I've only ever seen ones that must come above the trap by several inches, or even be above the top of the sink.

The trap you linked (SP10V) is actually designed to swivel, presumably to connect to a pipe coming in on an angle:

You should be able to rotate around that union and make it straight, then connect the rest of the trap from there.

If the trap doesn't line up with the sink, however, the best course of action would be to make the riser pipe straight. Cut it off near the bottom, then using two 45° elbows you can shift it over slightly and allow it to line up. When you're doing this, it will probably require a few tries so connect the trap and dry-fit everything, and make sure it's nice and straight before you glue. Forgive my crude mock-up, but something like this:


You can breaker down but not up, so yes, you can just replace the 60 with a 50, the wires should fit. Before you do that though, check with the installation instructions to verify what your plumber wants you to do. The instructions  will specify what size breaker you need to have and changing those directions can void any warranties you might have.


Hardware for suspending wood beams from a wall

I made a cedar hand rail and came up with a stand off to set it off of the posts by a couple of inches.
I used a carriage bolt but you could do it with a lag bolt or machine bolt.
Lag into house, washer, sleeve, washer, lumber with recessed/counter sink hole, washer, lag head.

Edit: Since people are interested, here is another photo.


Multiple outlets w/bottom switched from two switch locations

Your diagram would look something like this if installed in conduit. I'm just trying to show the wiring and not any cable configurations. The yellow wires are your travelers which are needed for a 3 way switch. The links on the outlets need to be removed on the hot side. The hot and neutral are run to the last switch because the OP stated there will be more outlets. In my humble opinion, conduit would be your best bet. Some of the real experts will chime in.


What should I do about deck footings near the house?

Contact the building inspector for your area. They will know whether the whole area around your house was dug and backfilled, or whether the ground is undisturbed. They will also know what is under the dirt and how far down you need to go. I live in a very rural area and my building inspector remembers a TON of details about my house to the extent of not needing to come out for a site inspection pre-build because he remembers from a previous visit. But even in the city there is documentation that the inspector can look up. They want you to be safe so they will help you do what you need to do.


It's all about the watts, dude!

The safety concern surrounding the use of adapters, power boards, and the like is as you mentioned: wattage.

Power strip (board) safety 101:

Add up the wattage of all loads (in your case, CFLs) plugged into the power strip.
Look at the power strip for a wattage rating, and take four-fifths (or 80%) of it as a derating factor to prevent the safety switch (circuit breaker) from nuisance tripping.
Compare that four-fifths-of-the-rating number with the total wattage of your loads; if it's less than that, you're good to go!  If it's greater than that, you need to use more than one power strip/tap/board plugged into different outlets, or even multiple circuits coming from the panel.

Using a 1200W (240V 5A or 120V 10A) power strip/board and your example load of 5 30W CFLs:

The total load is 5*30W = 150W
The power board is rated for 1200W -- but we don't want to push it that far; the 80% is a derating factor as fuses and circuit breakers aren't exactly fans of operating at their rating continuously.  So, 80% of 1200W is 960W.
Since 960W (the amount of power the board should be handling on a continuous basis) is well over 150W, you are fine.


3-way light circuit to an outbuilding with a disconnect

You're allowed to run a switch spur back to the main building
The good news is that you are permitted by NEC 225.30 to run a 3-way switch spur (two travelers and a hot or switched-hot) back to the main building from the outbuilding, although that takes up the single circuit the Code allows you to run back in this situation.  I would run it in a separate conduit, though, to avoid hitting derates due to having more than three current-carrying conductors in a single conduit if you decide to pull a feeder through the main conduit to the outbuilding.
As to that disconnecting means
While you could use an ordinary or key-operated lightswitch as the outbuilding disconnect for a single branch circuit, I tend to prefer non-fused pullout disconnects of the type commonly used for air conditioner disconnecting service for this job.  They can handle both single-circuit and multi-wire branch circuit situations, are weatherproof (NEMA 3R) by default, and quite inexpensive for what you get.  They're also distinctive in that you won't mix them up for a lightswitch when you're working in the shed!
If you really want a diagram...
If you really want a diagram of this all, I edited the diagram from your deleted question to depict what I'm talking about, as shown below.  Note that the travelers and switched-hot all pass through the disconnect without being switched by it, since they are powered from an always-hot feed that's already subject to that disconnect.  Note also that especially with an AC disconnect, you'll need to be careful to land your equipment ground on the disconnect's bonded, while your feeder neutral does not stop at the disconnect at all; instead, it is simply spliced or pulled through.


Replacing Single switch with timer switch - Original two switches connected

It looks like that's a jumper wire that goes from the left to the right switch? The picture is a little hard to see the details. I would think it reasonable to guess that is the hot wire. When you go to swap out the switch, I would suggest replacing the jumper wire with something a little longer. I find trying to fight those shorter wires is just a nuisance and makes it more cumbersome and hard to tighten those wires down.

You should be able to duplicate the current setup with your existing switch. For a safer and better answer, maybe you can provide a picture of the timer wiring diagram and/or the back of the timer. Some timers are specific on where to connect the hot lead to, while others might not matter.

For your ground wire, yes, you can just ground it to the box directly, provided the incoming service is grounded to the box.

My final piece of advice... I remember being told the #1 cause for home electrical fires is the screws are not tight enough! Be sure to tighten them down!

I hope all that makes sense and didn't confuse you any further.


Pretty much anyone can demo a roof.  Now it might take you a ton of time if you don't have the right tools but its not rocket science.  There is a lot of trash so you need to get a dumpster.

Laying new felt or paper is pretty easy too.  But at the same time this isn't something you would get charged a ton of money for and if a crew was doing your roof they might have it done in an hour if that.

Can you piece it over several weeks?  Yea if you don't care about anything inside your house that could get flooded.  Tarps aren't perfect and I have seen tarps blown and thousands of dollars of damage done.

What you are paying for when you hire a roofing company is the fact that they have expertise in installation, they know what materials to use, and they can do the job quick enough so there is no water damage.  Do you know how to handle edges, drip panels, buying the proper nails/staples, knowing the proper installation pattern and techniques?

This is not the hardest thing in the world to do.  But it does require expertise.  If you are willing to learn you can do it by yourself.  But the fact is if you make a mistake it will quickly cost you.

I have flipped a lot of houses.  I will prep the roof area then let the pros take over.  Could I install it myself?  Yes.   It is just one of those things that I don't do because of the cost/reward.  I just had a new roof put on a flip.  The roof was 30 squares and they did a ridge vent - pretty basic with architectural shingles.  I demo'ed old roof and they charged me $1200 over material cost.  There were 4 guys on the job for about 10 hours.  Pretty sure they got paid about $150-200 a piece and company took the rest as profit.

Also to go deeper into your exact situation.  You will need to buy something to cut the iron right.  If cut wrong it will look shoddy.  Nobody wants to buy a house where the roof looks half-assed.   I am thinking you are looking at at least $300-500 in tool rentals and purchases (if done quickly).  For gutters, these are only DIY if you can get long enough pieces to put up whole pieces and you have no corner joins.


What could be causing my washer to make thumping sounds after the spin cycle?

Your washer is configured differently than the Whirlpool mentioned, but all washers are susceptible to drive and suspension issues. One of your suspension springs may be broken, or there could be a problem in the belt drive system.

The front panel should come off fairly easily, though it may be difficult to fully inspect everything without removing the other sides. The machine is still operational without the sides, you should be able to locate the problem by running it through the end of a spin cycle. Just be sure to stay well clear of moving parts.

If you can manage getting the panels off (locating all the screws can be tricky), and identify the problem, you probably can manage replacing the broken part. It is certainly cheaper than hiring someone, and it certainly does not warrant a replacement machine. (Unless you just want an excuse for a new machine)


Is a 6 inch reinforced slab suitable for a 12,000 lb storage tank?

Geometry time. 6 foot diameter is 3 foot radius is 9π square feet.

Ground loading for 12,000 lbs spread over that area is 425 lbs per square foot (rounded up.) That's not a concern on almost any soil, nor any grade of concrete - it's a very low loading. 1000 lbs per square foot is typically assumed to be fine for even poor (loading-wise) soils.


I suspect some debris got into the line during this breakage or subsequent fix.  This debris is now lodged behind the inlet side of this faucet restricting the flow.  No easy answers. You just have to dig into the situation.  Either find and get rid of restriction or replace faucet.  Once you have the line open make sure that you flush the line well.  Once is enough.


Technically, to do it properly, you should run a new cable with more wires.

But yes. If you connect the C terminal on the thermostat, to that C terminal on the furnace control board. That should power your new thermostat.


Environmental protection for computer equipment in unheated garage

First off, as long as the temps stay in range, I don't think you'll have a problem with an 'air-tight' container. The only reason computer equipment needs airflow is because it's dumping heat into that air. As long as you have a little bit of air, and can keep it at an acceptable temp, low airflow won't be a problem. You can't go zero airflow because the equipment in question isn't built to heatsink to it's case.

Off had the first thing that occurs to me is a 'garage fridge'(something like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001B2P2G8/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=3788940351&ref=pd_sl_6z7wf02xh3_b)

The thing includes a heater system to keep it's refrigerated section from freezing in cold temps.

That's really more than you need though, because it's going to try to keep stuff cold when you really only need it to keep stuff room temp. It's going for a much narrower temp range than you'll care about.

If I were going to try this, I'd get an old fridge (doesn't have to work), and build my own controls (some kind of micro-controller) - I'd cut some kind of vents with controllable louvers and fans into the top and side.  And some kind of heating system (really small space header? dunno). I'd add in a temp sensor, and turn the heater on when things get too cold, and the fans on (with louvers open) when things get too hot. If the temp gets out of range, cut power to the device in question.

If you want it to deal with hot days as well, then get a fridge that WORKS, and put the chillers it into the mix as well - if things get hot enough that the fans aren't doing it, cut them, close the louvers and hit the chillers.


Does code allow reducing wire size in a circuit?

If you have any #14 wire in the circuit, you must put a 15 A breaker on it; it cannot be a 20 A breaker even though there is #12 wire from the breaker to the first switch. The difference in cost between #14 and #12 is small, so don't try to save a buck here - it won't work and can present a serious fire hazard. Mixing wires in a circuit can also confuse future homeowners, as they see #12 wire coming into the breaker and think they can slap a 20 A breaker on it.

It is common (or at least, not uncommon) to have both (all) outlets under the sink switched. Garbage disposals obviously need one, but having a switch on the dishwasher is also nice for child-proofing it. If you were only planning to switch one of the outlets, add another switch into your plans.


What does this asbestos remediation report mean?

It appears to be an on-site analysis of "fibers" in the air after remediation. Often we require a remediation company to test the air after they have abated the asbestos to certify that they have removed all the asbestos and the air is now "clean" and suitable for inhabitants.

This is certifying the "fiber count" in the air. There should be a certification that they removed 100% of the asbestos, (chrysotile).

If you see a report that says they tested a sample and it has more than 1% Chrysotile, then that is asbestos.

I'd call the testing agency and ask for a "complete" copy of the file.


Sprinkler system & smoke detectors - Illinois code requirements when closing loft

You will need to have sprinklering run to the new bedroom, and a smoke alarm fitted as well
In order to keep a sprinklered house in compliance with codes that require sprinklering, any rooms that are added on or "carved out" and are not exempt from sprinklers (small bathrooms and closets are exempted from that by NFPA 13D and IRC P2904) must be sprinklered as well.  Note that you will need professional help for this, both because most states require a professional license to work on any fire suppression system and, more importantly, many fire sprinkler systems are hydraulically calculated and thus require those rather non-trivial calculations to be rerun any time the system is added on to.
You'll also need an interconnected smoke alarm in the new bedroom; this is an easier problem to solve though, as it's just a matter of running a /3 cable of the appropriate type and gauge from an existing smoke alarm to a box in a suitable place in the new bedroom and tying that cable into the existing smoke alarm circuit, then installing the smoke alarm.  (Of course, if you have an alarm panel with system smoke detectors instead, that's a different story, and probably one you're best off talking to the alarm system installers about.  It's not impossible to DIY adding a smoke detector to such a system, but you have to be a little more careful to get the right stuff for such a situation.)
The return duct, however, is not essential; some houses get by just fine with a central return point instead of a fully ducted return.  You'll probably want a supply register, of course, which will mean a duct run for the new bedroom, though.  You'll also want to make sure the loft has a large enough operable window to serve as an emergency escape and rescue opening (aka "means of escape", or an operable window that provides a minimum of 5.7 square feet of clear area when open with a minimum height of 24" and a minimum width of 20" for that clear area).


How do I know when concrete needs replacing rather than just mud-jacking?

The key criteria is how stable the ground beneath the concrete is.

If the ground is stable you can patch and mud-jack your driveway efficiently. Otherwise patches of any kind are a waste of time - after you patch the pieces won't be perfectly attached to each other, so they will come apart again in no time. If that's the case you have to remove the concrete, remove a layer of  ground beneath it, put a layer of crushed stone, ram the crushed stone thoroughly and then put the new layer of concrete. That will stabilize the ground and you'll have the driveway with decent lifetime.


At a glance, this might work... you'd line up the outsides of the 3x3 grid with your 18" tile. You'd have about a 1/8" grout line inside the 3x3 grid. You'd maintain the 1/4" grout line around the 3x3.

Don't take my word for it, though: lay it out on the ground and see what you (and any other people with veto power that have to live with it) think.

Oh, and depending on the grout you choose, you might have to switch from sanded to unsanded. Just check the instructions.


Do AFCI breakers interfere with any shop equipment?

The kinds of loads that are commonly associated with nuisance tripping of AFCIs are those with brush-type AC motors, called "Universal" motors, because you have AC power going across brushes to a commutator like a DC motor would, so the AC coming from the AFCI breaker is seeing the arcing taking place in that commutator, which has a similar profile to an arcing fault. So small kitchen appliances, vacuum cleaners, portable power tools and things like that which have little high speed motors will have these types of motors.
In a true DC motor with brushes, the AC supply system is buffered from the brushes via the rectifier that converts AC to DC, so the AC that is coming from the AFCI breaker is not seeing the arc directly. So things like Servos (which are often brushless now anyway), PWM controllers and drives, power supplies etc. all have that rectifier as a buffer and generally don't aggravate AFCI breakers.
But also, this issue of Universal motors causing nuisance tripping has been over blown to some extent. Over time, the AFCI breaker mfrs have been continuously improving the response algorithms of the little microprocessors inside of the breakers to reduce the nuisance tripping.


Can I build a temporary driveway ramp over a new concrete curb?

If the boards flex and bend under the load and crush the green concrete curb, you will be responsible for the full cost of the road crew returning to the site, removing the mess, and pouring new curbs.

Right now only the bossman thinks you're stupid. You don't want to hear the same thing from a judge.

If you can find some cement blocks or other firm braces, you can support the boards right next to the curb. Make sure it can't wobble. You're still taking a chance, though.

Don't do this job alone. You should have at least two helpers, one to watch the ramp as you drive onto it and stop you if it shifts or bends, and the other to hold your beer.


It depends on your own expertise. Landscape architects specialize in designing outdoor spaces including storm water management. However they're not regulated equally well in all states and are a design professional so you may have to shop around a bit to find one you work well with. A good one can give you a complete plan that's going to be attractive and not lower the value of your home. They may also have existing relationships with reputable contractors if the work needed is beyond you.

Civil engineers are experts in drainage, and they're tightly regulated everywhere. They're the go to resource for technical questions about how much water to expect in the usual and worst cases and sizing drains, dry wells, etc. Don't expect detailed information on which plants prevent erosion and attract birds or if a giant gravel-filled trench will look ugly.

Basically it boils down to your own design sense and familiarity with the subject. A landscape architect can provide more hand holding, an engineer can provide more detailed answers to specific questions.

It is slightly alarming that your garage is involved though. The civil engineer is a safer bet if there's a possibility of the garage's stability being compromised.


Will a ledge of drywall get deformed with time?

Oh it will sag so bad!
Use piece of MDO or birch plwood with a glued on or iron on edge, if you need to keep the thin edge. If the run is over 8 ft. glue the but joints with a biscuits or spline. 3/4" plywood will work best for this and you can profile the glued on edge in this case to a smaller profile if you want it thinner than 3/4"

If it is a matter of preferring it to be in the beam, but do not want to ruin its integrity, you can box it in with drywall, add a nailer on the ceiling and create a wider box to hold the light beside the beam, but contained in an enclosure. If the beam is structural and esthetic, you may be able to re-wrap the beam in the same wood and finish, just make it wider.


A Doweling jig can be useful.

or a Pocket hole jig.

And plenty of clamps (big ones, small ones, band clamps are nice).

For power tools I find that Ryobi has decent tools for a good prices.


When are you required to use a junction box extension to make it flush with the wall?

ARTICLE 314

  Outlet, Device, Pull, and Junction Boxes; Conduit Bodies; Fittings;
  and Handhole Enclosures

  314.20 In Wall or Ceiling. In walls or ceilings with a surface of concrete, tile, gypsum, plaster, or other noncombustible material,
  boxes employing a ﬂush-type cover or faceplate shall be installed so
  that the front edge of the box, plaster ring, extension ring, or
  listed extender will not be set back of the ﬁnished surface more than
  6 mm (1⁄4 in.). In walls and ceilings constructed of wood or other
  combustible surface material, boxes, plaster rings, extension rings,
  or listed extenders shall be ﬂush with the ﬁnished surface or project
  therefrom.


You can buy LED versions of these. Just put "gu10 led" in your favorite search engine. Typically, they'll use 3 to 7 watts. No way this will char anything.

But they are a bit expensive (on the flip-side they never burn).


Are there issues with venting a bathroom fan through the roof soffit?

I am not a roofer, (although I have worked on roofs before) but recently did replaced my bathroom fan and from the information I gathered (much like you) the issue is that the air is rising, hot and full of moisture which will go back into the soffit. How much of a problem that is, it's hard to know since this commonly done that way (because of how much simpler it is probably).
The other issue here (currently) is that you'll be trapping moisture in your bathroom, so you'll be getting mold there unless its vented well, doors / windows open that kind of thing, so I'd get this done soon.
As I said, I've recently replaced my bathroom fan. In my case, it was the wrong size fan, with a smaller pipe then what was needed, venting out of the soffit. Although it was probably working for about 15 years, there was no "visible damage". However, I would never do it that way, for the reasons mentioned. So I cut a hole in the roof an vented it there. It's fairly simple and there are plenty of videos on youtube on how to do this.
Given that yours is venting to attic already, means that you probably have very easy access to the pipe and underside of the roof. This should make this even more of a simpler process. You can mark the underside of the roof and drill a starter hole. No need to "blindly" find rafters.
Or, a roofer should be able to do this for you easily.
All things considered, between leaving the fan off, venting it to the attic or through the soffit, venting it through the soffit is certainly the best choice by far.


What kind of filler was used for this patio?

If your brick is level, and moves water away from your house, I wouldn't replace any of it. It takes a lot of time and expertise to get it to set just right, and probably isn't worth the trouble.

If you are really bent on making it look uniform, take a paint scraper, something simple you can get from your local hardware store like this.  The pointed end is great for clearing debris between bricks and the like.  Use the scraper to clean out as much of the dirt and junk from between the bricks.  You can then use a standard leveling sand (which you can also get from your local hardware store), and sweep it into the cracks.

Normally, the purpose of the sand is to fill in the cracks between the bricks to keep them from moving.  However, if you get a sand which is lighter in color, then it would probably match well.


What are these very heavy blocks found on my family's property?

They are iron ( unlikely steel at that age ) identified by the density match to iron. The reddish color that looks like granite is rust on a pitted surface. Pig iron ( high carbon and silicon ) or wrought iron ( more or less pure iron ). An unusual shape for either as far as I know. My guess is that they are raw material intended to be made into something. A real historian would be necessary for a comprehensive identification. I have never seen a shape like that except a modern ( after 1975 ) continuous caster could cast 5 X 4.5 inch square strand.


In a multi-zone mini-split setup, how do you heat heat rooms without an evaporator?

9000 btu is not two large for a bedroom, I have a 12000, and 8000 on 1 split. For 2 bedrooms, Mitsubishi makes 6000 btu so smaller units are out there for small bedrooms.

With a mini split used for both heat and cooling I would go larger based on experience. A mini split with an inverter controlled compressor will only run as hard as is needed. If the unit is two small it will go into defrost more often and during that time the temp drops so I think a bit oversized actually helps for heating.
  I like a zone in each bedroom and depending on size 1 for the kitchen dining area and one for the family room. In my case it was cheaper for multiple compressors, allowing shorter line sets and feeders for power, so that should be investigated also.

I think your sizing chart is off a bit, I currently have a small 3 Bd Rm house and live in climate zone 2. If I turn all the rooms on at 68f and do not run my pellet stove my units can barely keep up on a cold day low 30’s.  the house is well insulated, floors walls and ceiling. Double Pane windows and all. My systems total 48000 btu but the summer it can really freeze us out if we turn it down and that is with temps +100

Oops almost forgot how to heat without an inside unit in a room. In my bathrooms we leave the doors open, when the bathroom is in use the exhaust fan is on pulling conditioned air into the bathrooms.
If I do not have a inside unit to a room it is usually a room that is open next to a room that is conditioned. Like kitchen/dining area where I try and have the air flow directed to the other room. In the case of not having a spare bedroom having its own inside unit we normally leave that door open and used a fan to blow air into it. Today each BdRm on my home has its own unit. I purchased compressors that were inverter controlled with the max taps I would need and added the other 2 rooms later allowing me to stagger some of the cost and not have to purchase a new compressor when I added the new zones.
Hope this helps.


Need drain for water heater pressure relief and HVAC condensation

In the 2015 International Plumbing Code, R504.6 explains the requirements for hot water heater discharge pipe. It looks like you could install something similar to a clothes washer standpipe as long as the hot water heater discharge terminates less than 6" and more than 2x the pipe diameter above the standpipe. By the way, #6 "not to be trapped" refers to the pipe connected to the hot water heater, not the standpipe or floor drain.


Should I install an exhaust fan in a new garage?

I would completely disagree with your builder. Since it is a new garage, I do see merit in the "build it in" approach. There are two important considerations:

how many CFM do you need and what kind of noise level is tolerable? Are you using anything flammable? Water based paints should not be a problem but solvent based paints require special attention. This will drive your fan selection. Of course you want to make sure that the way the fan is turned on is convenient to you. Would you want to have more than one switch? Perhaps a motion detector controller would be even better? Now is the time to choose.
you must have a supply of "make up air".

How will new fresh air come in to replace the air you vent? Venting will be most effective if you can arrange a cross flow through your work area instead of a short circuit or whatever might happen without a proper design.

It may be worth it to run a duct just to force the air to flow across. If you wish to get fancy, you could incorporate some degreee of filtering as well.

This is outside the scope of your question but I always like to make sure a work area is well lighted with plenty of lumens and as little glare as possible. Since you are painting, a good (high) CRI is probably important also.


Should I sand between coats of polyurethane when finishing a table?

I would sand this coat with a much finer grit of sandpaper than you used on the last coat. Then wipe it down with some alcohol before applying the next coat. This will help remove the deeper marks and the sanding dust. Also, use a foam roller or foam brush instead of a bristled one.


I spoke to the manufacturer this morning and they confirmed that a small number of units went out with the incorrect part number but with the correct model number. So this is the RP265.


Can I convert a roll up garage door to a side-hinged door?

A hinged garage door puts a LOT of stress on the structure - they are heavy with a long lever. Compare to a vertical-lift door (any style) which is basically a straight-down load.

Do you have 6x6 or larger posts on both sides of the door? Are they in good condition and firmly attached to the rest of the structure?

Check the swing area of the proposed door - is it over a good surface? Pavement sloping away from the garage is best, flat gravel or grass are not good, anything higher than the bottom of the door is a deal breaker. Does it snow where you are?

I would suggest replacing the up-and-over with a rolling door. Just so everyone's on the same page, when you say up-and-over I assume the door is one piece, and swings up on 2 pivot points becoming the ceiling over the parking place. A slide-up door is in sections about 50cm high and ends up in the same place as the up-and-over, but it's on tracks and the tracks can be higher up in the garage as needed.

A rolling door can be mounted completely external (indoor is better, but...) to the garage, as high as you need. No space is needed above the parking place. They're not all that cheap, and you can't build one yourself, but they are very easy to install and won't pull your vertical supports out.


There is a great video on YouTube by "The Build Show" about various PEX and push to connect fittings. They pump them up until they burst. They burst well above the stated ratings. Unfortunately I can't answer the nylon pipe question but check out the video

The Build Show with Matt Risinger 14,000 PSI test

I temporarily installed PEX Airlines and PEX oil line for my best friend who is a mechanic and that was four years ago.


How can I power my sump pump in a power outage?

In most cases an extra sump pit is pure plumber profit - if the sump is not tiny, the backup pump can use the same sump, and just be set to come on at a higher water level.

The practical problem with your vision of "a battery with a 110V outlet" (battery charger, battery, and inverter) is that is entirely possible, but wickedly expensive; also, batteries don't last forever, both in the "length of power outage" and the "number of years before you have to scrap them because they no longer work at all" sense, so it gets even more expensive. Sump pumps with a battery backup built in are made - they have many of the same problems, but usually skip the added inefficiency of converting back to 120 VAC and just use a DC pump.

If you have utility water, and such things are acceptable to your utility, the water-powered sump pump has the benefit of being fairly inexpensive to own, being based on a power source you don't have to buy and maintain. You will get a big water bill if you need to use it. If you have a well pump, it's useless.

Anything depending on you running a generator depends on you being home, the generator being functional, and adequate fuel for the generator being available in the event of a prolonged outage - which it often is not, since the filling station does not have power either. You can expensively address most of those with an auto-start natural gas powered unit if you have natural gas available...

You can also use only tile or concrete for surfaces in your basement and not put things that would be bothered by getting wet in it, so that the occasional flood is less traumatic. How badly or quickly it floods if you turn the sump pump off might guide your thinking on this. It can be very expensive to build and maintain a pumping system that will work though a long, widespread power outage.


Where to add C wire on this air handler?

Yes, that should work. I'd prefer to make the splice at a terminal or an existing junction, but you can splice it in the middle of the wire just as well (as long as there's enough slack in the wire).


You are correct that there is trim made for this, but if you've never seen one the term for it is hard to figure out...  It's called a pipe escutcheon and they come in two flavors.

If you can disconnect the pipe and slip the pipe escutcheon over the end, the single piece models look better and will seal better.  If you don't want to mess with the pipe, they also come in a "split" ring that is either two pieces, or more commonly, a hinged ring that opens up to fit around the pipe and then close back around it.

Amazon search, not responsible for search results


How to remove this door knob on the mortise lockset?

There should be a catch release hidden on the underside of the inner knob. Push in, hold, pull knob out with your 3rd hand.

If you don't care about the knobs you can be lazy and just cut/bend/crush the escutcheon plate to get to the screws.


What is it? Red and waxy debris from drilling studs

It is the resin from the coniferous tree the wood was milled from. Resin, gum, amber, is in every softwood tree. It is produced by the living tree when it becomes damaged, from say boring beetles.   The pungent smell you detected while drilling was the warmed drill bit burning a pocket of tree resin. A fairly aromatic scent it is. Resin can have different consistencies depending on ambient temperature and it's age. Some resin is dried and crumbly (almost crystalline). While other times it is viscous and sticky.


How do I tell this bird to nest elsewhere?

In my experience you just need to keep taking the nest down and disposing of the materials where there bird cannot get them.  Eventually they will give up and try a better place.

As far as the wasp nest, that's a mud dauber nest and it's from last fall.  All the little ones have bored their way out and left.


Primer cracks once it begins to dry over new Drydex spackling

All,

We ended up sanding off the peeled pieces, , re-spackling (using same brand but slightly older container I had in the garage), re-sand/clean, SKIPPED priming, and painted directly on it. Paint held without issues and wall looks good now. We are guessing that it was the DAP spackling and we had a bad tub that didn't handle the primer. We used the primer later in the week on a separate area and it held without issues to a different brand of spackling.

I honestly believe the overall correct answer would be Jeff Cates comment:
"Out of curiousity, I went to DAPs website and looked at reviews. An overall rating of 2.2 for this product, with lots of complaints about paint peel and bubble. I would suspect the spackle to be the issue. I keep a small amount of joint compound for repair purposes, and suggest you return the spackle. Buy a small tub of joint compound, dig the spackle out of the repair, then repair your area with the joint compound, dry, sand, prime, paint"


Can an electrician run wiring to convert battery powered smoke alarms to wired alarms?

For how invasive the project will be here's what to look for. You will need to steal "hot all the time" power from somewhere. Sometimes that's a light or sometimes a plug. Its not always a light because sometimes the power that is in that box is only switched hot, as in only hot when the switch is on which you don't want. So first would be finding some sort of power that's close to where you want to put a smoke alarm. Than you would need to run a three wire piece of cable from one smoke alarm to another. So that when one goes off, it signals for the other smoke alarm to also go off (sound the alarm).

As you can see that can be pretty hard to do when you imagine all the wood studs below the drywall that you will have to drill through to get those wires pulled.

You can call an electrician to first come and scope the scene out and let you know the easiest route. That will let you know how much drywall needs to be cut in the process.  And you can decide if it's worth it to you. When the electrician is done the job (if you go through with it), that is when you could call a dry wall professional to come and repair your drywall (or perhaps some guy advertising his services for cheaper on Craig's List).

If you have an unfinished basement I could see this going easier....

I believe some electrical companies give you free quotes. I would start there.


fixing stripped screw in soft-wood door frame?

Remove the plate and drill out the hole and fill it with glue and a dowel.  I've used a 3/8" oak dowel in the past for this. Use a good wood glue and after it dries, shave it down with a wood chisel.  Use touch-up paint if needed.

Make sure you allow the glue to dry as directions say and pre-drill into the dowel.  The screw should fit tight then.


Look for some black out shades.  They come in several styles and colors. The fit is important so measure carefully.  Once they are closed, little to no outside light comes through.  Good luck   http://www.levolor.com/products/blinds/customsizenow/cellular-shades/


It sounds like a longer screw of the same diameter would solve your problem.

If that doesn't work try a slightly larger diameter screw.

You can help stop this problem from happening again by adding a spacer between the hook and the wall. The spacer can be of any material. It should look like a thick washer. The thickness should be whatever is now the distance between the hook and the wall. The diameter should be about four times the thickness. The hole should be only large enough for the screw. This will allow the screw to hold the hook tightly and prevent it from wiggling and working the screw loose again.

Once you know the dimensions of the spacer, a hardware or DIY store can help you find it.


Simple light switch wiring isn’t working

First working with power on is wrong, I am an electrician and rarely do this , if I do I usually wear hot gloves and other safety equipment. If the hot is coming in to the switch box the whites should be tied together then the black hot to the switch and the black to the lamp on the other side of the switch. With the white wire sparking and either the black disconnected or switch turned off you may be working on a switch loop, look in the box at the light and send us a clear photo of those wires if more than 1 set going to the light, especially if you see a black wire connected to a white in the box and we can provide better help. I would also change the lamp, I have had incandescent lamps internally short and trip a 20 amp breaker when turned on, but if you have a hot white wire it may be a switch loop so we need to figure that out.


Looking for a way to connect LED strip to 18 AWG wire neatly

That led strip only needs a small wire - I would have a hidden connector box under the stairs and a short section of hidden thin wire to the led - even make a cover for each end.


Replacing doorknob and my current hole is bigger than the new doorknob

Adapter plates are available in various sizes and finishes. Visit a reputable lock & key/locksmith shop or look online. Alternatively, I have used high-performance 2-part wood filler to fill old knob holes, then re-drill to proper size.


Did I replace receptacle with exact same configuration?

If everything works fine you did it right. The red can be a switched line or a hot and possibly a spare. If you did replace wire for wire there is nothing to worry about with your work other than the possibility of a switch or device you have not found if I counted correctly there was the same number of hots as neutrals so it is not a spare.


Test the main pump motor using the proper wires. The largest wires, other than the AC from the house circuit, feed the heating element. Those would be the two large blue ones indicated in the question's image. Heating devices generally draw the highest current. The main pump motors leads come off the board to the right of the AC in lines. They are a dull blue color and easily visible in the questions image. There should be continuity through the wires with very little resistance. There should be no continuity through either wire and ground. This setup is very likely the exact same for many different Whirlpool dishwashers.


Saddle valves are notorious for leaking and failing in just a few years. The best repair would be to install a T at the point the saddle valve is attached. This is something most DIY folks can do with plastic or copper pipe a bit more difficult if galvinised pipe. If you stay with a saddle valve get the best quality one you can find.


It looks like a fan-forced portable furnace, to blow warmed air into the cold building that is being built.


Should a bathroom sink drain outlet flow away from the trap, or back toward it?

It definitely needs to slope away down to the drain. Specifically a quarter inch per foot. No more, no less. The reason for this is that at a quarter inch per foot waste water tends to sort of oscillate up one side and then the other of the pipe. This effectively washes the pipe as it goes. If you have a negative slope any debris will have plenty of time to firmly attached itself to the bottom and side walls. Too much slope in the water shoots down center of the pipe and debris build-up into lumps on either side of the pipe.


This sounds terribly obvious, but have you tried snaking it?

Depending how long the run is to your septic tank, you could have a blockage further from the toilets, at a point where the pipes join, and the plunger just gains you a little time by shoving crap into the other end of the "Y".


Why is getting a chimney sleeved such a hassle ... and expensive

Just for a little perspective, I have a ~100 year old chimney (no fireplace, just a vent for the gas appliances in the basement).  There was no sleeve and no chimney cap when I bought the house.

Recently, I had someone come out to fix everything before I had the roof done.  He removed the existing cap along with all the exposed brick, rebuilt the whole exterior chimney, installed a ~30 foot liner, installed the new chimney cap, and hooked up all the vents in the basement.

All of that ran $800 (in Chicago).

Given that, the $2000 estimate does not sound out of hand (considering the 45' height)... but ranging up to $15000 seems suspicious.  Perhaps someone will have a little more insight on why there is such a wide range.


Making a small drain/vent/hole in a glass box

While I cannot cite any specific sources for this, I'm going to posit the following answer:

Yes, structural integrity will be affected, but not enough to be concerned about.

The box you describe is not suitable for carrying any kind of load anyway, and as you state above it's for display purposes.  Drilling a tiny hole will not cause any cracking - in fact it's a technique used in windshields (particularly aviation windshields used in small planes) to STOP cracks from continuing to spread.  (Small hole drilled right at the leading edge of an expanding crack relieves the stresses in a sound manner)

Granted aviation glass is different than what you've got but still - I think you're fine.  I'm curious though why drill a hole in it?  That will have a tendency to trap moisture.


Best way to bring power to a moving garage door

You have two components which may be electrically isolated from each other if the door itself is not metal:  Tracks and spring/counterweight mechanism; and The opener track. You can make one positive and the other negative.  You will have trouble electrically separating the tracks and springs from each other. Keep in mind that spring preload is dangerous, cannot be reasoned with, and does not know pity or remorse or fear.

However, I would be more inclined to use induction, or "two halves of a transformer".  Place one half on the door. Place the other half where the door is in the down location.  If you only need the lights to to work in that position, you are done.  Otherwise either a) have a second "transformer" primary in the open position; or b) install a large enough battery on the door. NiCd D-cells are a good choice, because it is not expensive and rides through abuse better than most.  A protected lithium might also do.   Presence or absence of AC would also be a means to detect door position.

Keep in mind with transformers, the carried wattage decides the mass of copper, but the frequency decides the size of the iron core.


Smoke and Sparks From Circuit Going to 6 Wire Outlet?

Did you remove both tabs from the receptacle?

If not there is a dead short on the right side of the receptacle. Between the red and the white. Also your wiring diagram on the left shows the black and white of the light wire nutted together which accomplishes nothing and the white is connected to the black from the switch and back to the receptacle. This creates a 240 volt circuit on the bottom of the receptacle if this is how you actually wired it.

You need to check the connections on this entire circuit and update your drawing or change the wiring.

Good luck!


How can I fill a drywall hole in a corner?

Orders are actually easier than flat surfaces. In hour case I would see is i could slip some “paint stir sticks’ behind the sheetrock for support and hold them in place with 2 or 3 Sheetrock screws. For cases like this I use mesh like on the right for the back and let that dry with a coat of mud on it of corse.
Then 2 or 3 more coats letting each one dry between coats once you have it almost filled then paper tape in the corner and over the hole it may take a couple of strips. A thin coat of mud over the top let that dry and sand fill low spots sand high spots but with a little time you can have that hole sealed up and ready to repaint.
If you have never fixed a hole there are as many different ways as there are people.
I recommend folks new to tape and texture not use setting compound just standard Sheetrock mud it takes longer but almost every DIY first timer that used setting mud or Hot mud (it sets up in 15 minutes to 1.5 hours) has made a mess that I & others like realtors & landlords see when I enter the room.
Watch some uTube videos on patching holes but my advice is use normal Sheetrock mud and get at least a 6” mud knife and a hand sander with abrasive cloth or ~200 grit sand paper.


Why does my food truck trip GFCI outlets only when a grounded cord is used?

GFCI's work by measuring the current going out on the hot wire and the current coming back on the neutral. If there is more than ~5ma of current difference they trip.

So, if it does not trip when you use the 2 wire cord and then trips with a grounded cord, that tells me your equipment or cord has a problem. If it trips with just the cord with nothing attached to it, then the cord seems to be the problem and you should try another cord.

If a piece of a equipment has a ground fault problem and is leaking current to the ground wire, then a two wire cord continues to work, while a three wire cord allows the current to leak to ground and trips the GFCI.

This is a dangerous situation and should be corrected immediately. That is the purpose of the GFCI. It tells you when your equipment has a problem. Repair it now.

Good luck!


Can I use a braided flexible supply on a Polybutylene Qest Shutoff Valve?

I purchased a 1/2" IPS braided supply but the design doesn't permit the inner sealing cone to sit within the 3/8" opening in the quest valve, making it impossible to use.  It seems the only option with these is the original type nut and a 3/8" OD supply tube/line.


I have 10/3 wire. Can I replace my 3 prong outlet with 4 prong for a dryer?

First, separate neutral and ground at the receptacle, that should never have been done.  Paralleling neutral is not allowed.

Second, go back to the service panel and make sure the neutral is on the neutral bus... And the ground is on the ground bus.   Inside a main panel ("service equipment" as NEC describes it in RME's post above) don't be surprised if they use the same bar for neutral and ground.  That is wrong to do in a subpanel.

Now install the new receptacle in the normal way.   Hats off to the last guy for fitting the right cable.


Cutting insulation of speaker wire without damaging inner wires

For speakers, losing a couple of strands of the wire itself is irrelevant. I know that some of the wire mfrs hawk their "gold plated" wire and make a huge deal about conductivity, but in reality it's all bunk. 16ga wire is rated for 10A, even a typical 350W speaker is going to draw maybe 6 to 7A.


What size wire for 150 A main electrical service

It depends on when the work was done, and which version of the code was being followed.  In the 2011 code and before, there was Table 310.15(B)(7). This table listed the service and feeder conductor size for 120/240 volts, 3-Wire, Single-Phase Dwelling Services.  The table listed 1/0 AL to be used for 125 ampere services.

The 2014 version of the code omitted this table, because folks were simply using the values, and not applying correction and/or adjustment factors properly. The 2014 version allowed you to size the conductors to 83% of the service rating, which usually worked out to about the same as the old table.

Looking at your 150 ampere service as an example (Excluding any temperature or other adjustments).

150 ampere x 0.83 = 124.5

Table 310.15(B)(16) says that 1 AWG copper is good for 130 amperes at 75C. So if no adjustments were needed, 1 AWG would be allowed as service conductors for a 120/240 volts, 3-Wire, single-phase dwelling service.


What to use as a spacer where deck joists overlap?

Indeed, sistered boards may provide an area that is vulerable to moisture buildup and decay. However, in practice/experience the effect is not very pronounced. If I was concerned about it because of general moisture in the area,  then I would use zinc paint between the joists to help reduce any mold issues.

If spacing is preferred, then I'd recommend a 1/8" space (similar to the space between roof sheathing/plywood). There might be some kind of special spacer, but chances are, it's a rare and unpopular product. You could potentially use washers, but that could be tricky unless you use bolts (I would want the nail to go through the washer to keep the washers from falling out).

Another way that this could be accomplished would be by using steel or aluminum shims. I would just cut my own from a piece (or three) of 1/2" x 1/8" steel or aluminum stock... maybe 6 foot long, and use 6" strips as spacers.


What can we do about a section of plaster that has fallen off the wall?

Assuming the plasterboard is still sound, you should be able to re-skim the board with finish plaster to restore the surface to level with the breast wall (or get a plasterer in to do it if that's not where your DIY skills lie).


How should I distribute the weight on a marble island?

Even without knowing how thick it is or how heavy, that's a lot of marble.  You really need to attach this to something, somewhere.  The wall, the floor...  Without that, you would have to have a serious counterweight at the bottom, at least as heavy or heavier than the marble.

Why not just attach it to the wall or the floor?

When your child's health is at risk, I would double-up on precautions rather than find the bare minimum level of acceptable safety.

Your three-year-old will be stronger than you expect, and even if not actively pushing against it, could fall against it, setting off a chain reaction.

Think for example, if you have something on top of the island, like a vase.  Even if you manage to keep it from tipping while on wheels, it can still move.  If your child pushes or falls against the island, the island can move in one direction, the objects on top will move in the opposite direction and tend to fall on the side that your child is on.

I would not risk this situation with my child or anyone else's child, even if the top of the island was made of wood.  Whenever it falls over, it will hit whatever is on the otherside like a sledgehammer.


How to overwinter a roof during construction?

If anything just a tarp over the sheathing. The snow and wind will ruin the tarpaper.
I have had A outbuilding sit through the winter after getting started and having to have knee replacement surgery, in fact it sat for well over 6 months with nothing covering it and was fine once roofed,
I did allow a week of warm dry weather prior to roofing to allow the wood to dry out that was 2 years ago and it is fine.
I would have preferred to have a tarp but the way things happened there was no chance to get back up there but is fine today.


Sometimes you have to push the breaker all the way in the 'wrong' way then reset it. I don't know why this sometimes works but it has for me on multiple occasions


What will I need if I remove a broken garbage disposal from my kitchen sink?

Depending on your current setup, you may need a new basket.

You may also need a new tailpiece with a dishwasher hookup, to bridge the gap between the bottom of the sink and the existing plumbing.

The old basket can be removed by, removing the locknut then lifting the basket out of the sink. This might require some extra effort, since the old basket will be held in place by plumbers putty.

Once the old basket is removed, scrape any left over plumbers putty from the sink. Place a new bead of plumbers putty on the lip of the drain hole, and seat the new basket in the bed of putty.

Slide the rubber gasket, cardboard friction ring, and locknut onto the new basket, then tighten down the locknut. Wipe up any excess putty that squeezed out from under the basket lip.

Reconnect the plumbing, and your done.

For more information on replacing a sink basket, The Family Handyman has a great article on How to Replace a Kitchen Sink Basket Strainer.


I just found this on the internet check it out it definitely is what you have. http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/drainflies.htm This site deals directly with drain flies and the other flies that might be mistaken for them in the same situation good luck let me know how it turned out.


As Speedy said, your wiring is indeed characteristic of a four-way switch.  Four-way dimmers are not a COTS item; however, you can put a dimmer there with the help of a 3-position, 2-pole (DPDT) wall switch such as this Hubbell-Bryant 4825I, mounted in a dual gang box and wired as in the following diagram (travelers are black and red, grounds are green, neutrals are gray, and in-box jumpers are blue, but you can use any color for those save for white, gray, or green:

Do be forewarned though that the results of this aren't quite the same as a regular four-way switch: in particular, if you flip the switch fully at this location, you won't be able to turn it on at one end without flipping the switch at the other end as well.  (I might come up with a better answer -- but it'll take me a while to fiddle with things, and 4PDT wall switches aren't a thing, either -- can you use a suitably rated electronics-type toggle switch in mains wiring?)


What do I need to fire proof a room added onto a mobile home?

Follow the stove manufacturer's instructions for clearances. It will tell you the fire rating requirements expressed in "hours" (or material type) for surfaces around the stove depending on clearance.

2 layers of 5/8" Type-X fire-rated gypsum board (drywall) gives a 2-hour fire rating to a 16" on-center wood stud wall. Surface treatments like stone, brick, tile, durock, sheet metal, etc., will give you aesthetic options. Check with your local code enforcement authority, they will give you information on local requirements. If you follow manufacturer instructions and local code then your insurance company will accept that if you show them.


best method to shield exposed horizontal roof beams

The top of the beam is just part of the problem. The beam soaks up way more moisture from end grain exposure. Also, whatever you use to cover (protect) the beams, you need it to allow to dry out each time after a storm too.

Where I live, our community college had a similar problem and a local architectural firm designed a stainless steel cap to protect the tops and ends of the beams. However, after about 3 years the beams had even more dryrot and the problem accelerated, because moisture blew in and became trapped between the beam and flashing.

Even pressure treated material can rot. Good design does not included leaving wood structural members exposed in wet climates.


Filling the seams at butt joins for a perfect paint finish (how do i?)

You might want to pre-treat the gap you are filling with shellac or paint so that the raw/cut particle-board is not "sucking up" the filler.

On the filler front, for painted boxes, you might visit the auto-body supply and pick up some bondo. Possibly just the 1-part "Glazing and spot putty" will do, but the 2-part (and stinky) standard auto body filler will fill larger gaps more effectively.


Should I do something about these cracks in the basement wall?

It looks like moisture under the skim coat has caused it to separate. To repair chip off the loose material and add a new skim coat and repaint. If you have a drainage problem this may continue to happen over time as the moisture working its way through the wall is the problem. Make sure all gutters drain away from the foundation. If you have a sump pump try to keep the water level low so the water has a tougher time making it in.


can a dishwasher be installed 17 feet from sink?

You can put the dishwasher wherever you want.
You will have to provide it with water and a drain that meets code - and it's not at all likely that you can run 17 feet to join the sink drain while meeting code. So you'll have to arrange plumbing to serve the water input and drain output needs of the dishwasher where you want to put it, independent of the sink.


What to use to finish my desk from IKEA?

After looking at your links, it appears you have purchased an unfinished wood top. It will need some sort of finish. You have a couple of choices, oil or a hard finish.

Oil finishes on raw wood will help keep the surface from staining and make them repel water. Oils can often deepen the color or actually alter the color as it ages. Oils need to be reapplied periodically to maintain protection. Not my first choice if going to be used as a work surface with paper, pencils, pens etc. Oils offer no surface protection from scuffing or denting. Something as simple as writing with a pen on a piece of paper could leave indentations on the surface.

The second choice would be using a hard overcoat like urethane. Urethane is absolutely clear and will help to preserve the original color. Once cured, multiple coats of urethane will give you a very hard surface that will protect the wood and resist scratching.  It can be cleaned with any mild cleanser or even a damp cloth. if you want it to be really slick, you can use regular furniture polish on it.  Trick is to use 3 or 4 thin coats of urethane, sanding with fine 200 to 400 grit sandpaper between coats. If done well, it will be smooth as silk and give you superior color lock and surface protection.  the other nice feature is that if it gets a little trashed over years of use, you can sand and recoat, will look like new.

Obviously putting urethane finish is a bit more work than an oil finish, but the protection is much better and the maintenance much less. Be careful of linseed oil products as they can stain objects that may come in contact with it over time,(paper, clothing etc.) and can sometimes leave an unpleasant odor for awhile. Tung oil is much better than linseed oil.


Can I eliminate 1 switch from a 3-4-4-4-3 way configuration?

Go ahead and yank it
Since this is not one of the required switches for the stairwell lighting, and a 4-way, it's pretty easy to remove.  Simply nut the two black wires together and the two white wires together after removing the switch, then put a blank single gang cover plate over the box, turn the breaker on, and hang your mirror.


Does a fireplace with switch on wall need to have the pilot on constantly

In almost every case you have a gas valve with “pilot” and on yes the pilot stays on. This is normal, the quantity of gas is very small. The air in the line had to be purged and because the flow is low it took a while so none of what you described was out of line.
If it’s summer and you don’t plan on using the unit turn the gas to the off position with the yet and save a little and no additional heat from the pilot.


It's a Torbeck Cistern Ball Valve Diaphragm Washer

FYI, I used google image search. I cropped the image and searched by image. I don't have an encyclopedic memory of seals.


I just had to deal with that last week.  On an expensive rundown timer, no less!    The rectangle shape is Decora, and those outer screws hold Decora plate covers, which use an extreme outer position.   You have two choices:

bend or hacksaw them off.  Your device can never be used with a normal Decora cover plate.
dump the accursed raised cover (you certainly don't need the cubic inches) and go with a 1-gang mud ring for a 4" box.  This is flush, but has a 1/2" extrusion the size of a 1-gang box.  This has the space needed.     And then you use a plain Decora cover plate, which needs those threaded holes.  If you need dual Decora, they make 2-gang mud rings too.

src


Why doesn't this LED strip work, even though the power supply seams appropriate?

Based on the LED strip that you have, your power supply will not be enough. You need a minimum of 4 amperes to fully power the strip.


How to remove bottom portion of kitchen faucet

You're looking at a nut. That ring threads onto the nipple. It may not have been installed correctly. It's intended to be used as a clamp base, with the screws you removed tightening against the upper ring.

Partially reinstall the screws and use them to help turn the nut. Spray it with some penetrating oil or WD-40 to help loosen it.

You could also exercise the nuclear option and cut off the old faucet above to release it from below.


Can I use existing wiring for installing an OTR Microwave?

You should be fine

If this breaker truly is only serving the hood (I'd double check that with a plug-in radio in each of the kitchen outlets with this breaker off), then you'll be fine with putting the microwave/hood on there.  If there are kitchen outlets on this breaker, then I would limit the input (nameplate) power of the microwave/hood to 1.2kW (which will mean a relatively small microwave) to avoid violating NEC 210.23(A)(2):

  (2) Utilization Equipment Fastened in Place. The total rating
  of utilization equipment fastened in place, other than luminaires, shall not exceed 50 percent of the branch-circuit ampere
  rating where lighting units, cord-and-plug-connected utilization
  equipment not fastened in place, or both, are also supplied.

As to that symbol...

The two-parallel-lines-in-a-circle symbol you see on your loadcenter's directory label, by the way, is the standard symbol used to denote a receptacle on North American electrical floorplans.


You should replace the uninsulated wire nut on the bundle of neutrals with a new wire nut. When you have those wires separated use some electrical tape (preferably white) to restore the insulation on the white wires where the conductor is exposed too far from the end.

I didn't follow your description of the situation with the hot wires.


How to get water in my basement to flow to the floor drain

Depending on how out of level your concrete floor is, filling in the uneven surface with self-leveling concrete could improve the slope and drainage of the floor. Odd that the drain is at the highest point, but in an old house it could have settled over time. A quick search for self-leveling concrete at a big-box home improvement store brought up a product that can fill from a feathered edge thickness to 1.5" of variation.

If you just want to get any puddles of standing water into the drain, a shop broom or long-handled squeegee could be used to push the water toward the drain.


How can I fix a ceiling fan that is trying to spin both ways?

I am sure there are a few reasons for this but this happened to me years ago and simply the switch (usually black horizontal on/off style) was in the middle.  Turn it to the left or right.  I know that you have a remote that should change this but I wonder if it would work while in the middle position.


How should I prepare the base of a small paver brick retaining wall

A good starting point would be to plan on burying one course on a minimum of four inches of compacted gravel. The buried blocks don't buy you much stability in that configuration but they will help keep the wall from sliding forward and prevent the ground washing out underneath the wall, which is unsightly.

The gravel base must provide enough drainage to prevent your wall from becoming a bathtub. Barring truly epic monsoons or snow melts a modest depth should suffice. The base, by the way, should be twice the thickness of the wall. I doubt that's an issue since a ditch narrower than 8" would be a real hassle to shovel or tamp down stone in.

That basic plan should be modified by the local frost line, soil composition, and common sense. If an extra couple inches will get you below the frost line that's good insurance against heaving. If going below the frost line means digging an extra two feet that's a good reason to stop early and have a beer. Remember, you never get perfect compaction even with a machine. An exceptionally deep base that's 90% compacted will still settle a couple of inches.


Recovering R-22 refrigerant from a system with locked compressor

The HVAC technician is required by EPA regulations to recover and recycle all the R-22 that can possibly be recovered.  They should know what to do and should also have the right equipment to do it.
They will use a refrigerant recovery pump that is essentially a vacuum pump that then pumps the recovered R-22 into a tank for proper disposal.
You should not attempt this yourself as it's both dangerous and illegal.


'Painter' stained our expensive beams incorrectly. What are the options for fixing?

Have you been in contact with the company that did the original job? I'd certainly say it's their responsibility to fix the problem at no additional cost to you.

As far as the method of fixing the problem, sanding is probably your best option. When I was figuring out how to properly stain test scraps, I made a few mistakes (see this question). Just to check if I could correct mistakes on my actual project, I sanded down the test scraps and re-stained them. Afterwards, I couldn't tell they had been refinished. (Note: I was working with pine - not sure how cedar will react.)

Just make sure whatever sander you use has built in dust collection, or use it in conjunction with a shopvac. You're going to have a lot of dust from the size of those beams.


Boilerplate disclaimer: I Am Not A Lawyer.

I don't think you have any recourse here besides calling to file a complaint (if they even field complaints).  "811", which marks utilities for digging projects, is a free service.  A week is a longer lead time than you would usually expect, but you're in the height of outdoor project/construction season, so they're probably busier than usual.  They can't cater to everyone's schedule - it's just not feasible.

All that being said, they try to make it convenient for people to avoid utilities since it costs less to send someone to mark them than it does to fix a damaged line.  So the expectation is that you call and then wait to dig until the lines are marked.  In fact, in some states the lines are valid for as long as they're visible, so you can have them marked a decent bit in advance before you actually need to dig and still be fine.

You called, but then didn't wait, so you've more or less broken the unwritten rule of how the service is supposed to work.  I don't think you can sue someone you aren't actually paying for providing a service later than you would have liked.  It would be like trying to sue the USPS for delivering standard mail later than you wanted to receive it.


How do I connect a stranded wire to a bus bar?

I sell a lot of stranded wire and I've never heard of anybody tinning a wire that goes on a neutral or ground bar.  AFGI & GFCI breakers come with stranded copper and is rated to fit into these bars, along with solid.  I would just make sure the hole you are using matches up with the wire you are using.  Most of the ground and neutral bars have different size lugs with different size ratings, like 14 to 10 awg, or 14 to 4 awg or 6 to 2/0 awg.


Is it likely that an alkyd varnish contains lead?

Most responsible countries know the hazards of using lead that my become air born causing health issues if inhaled. The surest way to know is to read the label of ingredients on the container  or any suggested warnings from the manufacturer.
Most varnishes are made with resins and some kind of solvent. Inhaling the dust when sanding or the vapor while applying it can cause health problems related mostly in the lungs. Ingesting lead is much more detrimental especially to children where it effects brain function.


Use a 50 amp / 240 volt outlet for car charger and snow melting system?

Straight up, this is a hard sell

First, EVSE's require a dedicated circuit.  NEC 210.17.

Second, a 50A circuit can only serve one thing - NEC 210.23.  So it cannot serve a hardwired driveway melter and also an EVSE receptacle.  So that's right out.

Third, NEC 625.42 says the EVSE can be cord-and-plug connected if all are true:
1) it's part of a listed system
2) The receptacle <= 50A
3) It's cord connected to facilitate a) ready removal for interchange, b) maintenance and repair, or c) repositioning of the EVSE
4) Cord length <= 6 feet
5) Receptacles located to avoid physical damage to cord.

I think item 3 will be a hard sell.

So you're trying to argue that you should get an exception to the dedicated circuit rule (NEC 210.17); this outlet isn't an EVSE outlet -- it's a general purpose outlet that sometimes (wink, nudge) has a level 2 EVSE plugged into it.  Hmmmm.  That'll be an interesting sell to the AHJ.  AHJ==your local inspector; the one that you pull the permit from.

The other prong of your argument, then, is that it's somehow reasonable for the driveway melter to be cord-and-plug-connected.  In practice, that means it comes to a junction box, which then has a cord or inlet.  This doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it also absolutely requires the melter to call out a 50A breaker in its installation instructions.  If the melter is looking for a 20A-40A breaker, no deal because the breakers don't match.

However, it would sell as a subpanel

If you convert this 50A circuit so it serves a subpanel instead of an EVSE, different deal.  The subpanel does not need a "main breaker" if it's in the same building as it's served from.

In the subpanel you have a 50A breaker for the EVSE, and a ??A breaker for the driveway melter.  That solves the breaker size problem.

Here's an interesting fact.  Nothing in Code prohibits you from misusing a "generator interlock kit" to interlock any two random branch-circuit breakers, just for the chuckles.  Only one can be on at a time. Go with either a Siemens/Murray panel or a Square D "QO".  Use Siemens' ECSBPK02 interlock ($30), or a Square D's QO2DTI interlock ($25).

Now we open an ugly chapter: Provisioning.  The feeder cable must be provisioned to be able to suppor--- Oh, wait. You've got an interlock there, don't you? Well, then. Nevermind.


Safely mounting television or shelves above breaker box

Code isn't really relevant unless you were to block access to the panel (within 3 feet in front). Just don't hit any wires. Use screws that penetrate no more than about 1-1/4" into the lumber. All wires should be deeper than that.
To respond to the hand-wringing about mount integrity...

A 5/16" screw (properly piloted) into framing an inch will hold hundreds of lbs. of force without issue.
Four of them will hold a horse. If you're still worried, use six. Most mounts have extra space where you can drill more holes.
Mount manufacturers over-spec their kits for liability (damage and injury) and to protect their reputations. That doesn't mean you need to go so deep.


When using US-colored 14/3 for a simple switch does the red wire need to be marked?

Being red is fine.  Code wise, anything that's not colored as a grounded (neutral) or grounding conductor, is an ungrounded (hot) conductor.


Tailpipe of sink not aligning with P trap

It looks like you have 1.5" pipe there, and, for some odd reason, someone decided to convert it to 1.25" right off the sink drainpipe (and with glued PVC to boot). This makes for some frustrating work, especially, if that drain ever gets clogged (good luck getting into that P-trap).

I would make the same cut Michael Karas made on the pipe coming out of the wall, but I would downsize to 1.25 at that point and install a standard 1.25" hand-screw trap. You can glue this convertor on and then buy a PVC P-trap kit (you will likely need an extension pipe cut to size to make the trap reach the existing drain).

The new tail piece screws into the adapter and can be moved back and forth as needed to ensure you line up with the new drain. And all your connections are hand fittings now, so drain maintenance is far easier.


Can I safely chain lower rated receptacles from higher ones?

I was just looking into a related question and am on the NEC Article that does not allow you to chain a lower rated amperage receptacle from a higher rated one. NEC Table 210.21(B)(3) and its corresponding Article. States that if you have a 50A circuit then the device must also be rated 50A. In theory from a Code standpoint you could install a NEMA 6-15 on your circuit if you could find one that was rated to withstand 50A.

Good luck with that one.