What should I use to fill drilled concrete holes that are not used anymore?

Hydraulic cement would be a reasonable choice for patching small holes in concrete - since that's what it's made for. Be sure to wet the hole first, then pack in the cement and level it off.


Galvanized Gutters Required For Dormer With Rubber Roof?

This study demonstrated not only no increased corrosion near an EDPM o-ring on an aluminum sample after 4 years immersion in salt water, but actually a lack of corrosion where the o-ring protected the aluminum from contact with salt water. The unprotected surface of the aluminum did corrode, but that's normal (it's salt water, not rainwater...)

EDPM is the normal material of rubber roofs. Rubber roofs are often secured with aluminum edge trim.

Find another gutter guy; this one's a scam artiste.


Why does an LED light turn on and off irregularly while the switch is in the on position?

The LED light bulb is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced.

There are several possible causes of the malfunction, but the bottom line is that it is no longer functioning according to specification.

Some stores have good return policies to handle this sort of issue.  In addition, some bulb manufacturers provide a replacement warranty.  One of those options may help you get a replacement.


Why are 24 TPI jigsaw blades recommended only for up to 3mm of metal?

As far as I recall, the usual recommendation is to have roughly 3 teeth in the material. That gets it cut and moved out quickly, without grabbing excessively. The finer blade does not have room to store 6-8mm worth of shavings (i.e. in the tooth gullets until the blade comes out the far side) so it does not cut as well as is ideal, since it is "packed full" before it can dump chips.


If time doesn't matter, then go for it. It's fun and you'll take pride in your work. On paper, you'll save money, though I can almost guarantee that the cabinets will opportunity cost you more than just flat out buying them. Nobody can put an actual price on the materials without knowing more details... wood? melamine? doors and drawers outsourced or built by you? face frame or euro? nice hardware or basic stuff?

However, if you want to be practical, find a supplier of RTA (ready to assemble) cabs. Cut out the evil orange middleman. I think you'll find them staggeringly cheap. (Some of them are actually quite horrible, quality-wise, so shop carefully.) Assemble them yourself. Install them yourself. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Apologize to anyone who had to share construction zone space with you. Double the apologies if the project runs longer than expected. (It will, btw.)

I don't know where you are, but $6k sounds cheap to me.


Preparation and spraying cedar channel siding

If the channel of the siding has already been painted, and the paint seems to be adhering well, then you might be able to get away with just spraying over it after a good power wash. It has been my experience that paint in small channels binds better to the bottoms and sides than the surface, compared to a smooth flat surface. However, I'm a big proponent of excessive preparation. If you're going to take the time to paint, the last thing you want is peeling or flaking. It will add some extra work to your project, but I'd take a semi-stiff wirebrush and run through the channels quickly but thoroughly to put some extra teeth into the paint, particularly if the top coat is very smooth. Another option would be to construct a small sanding block, maybe with a 7/8" by 6" face and wrap a 120 grit or similar sized paper around it securing it on the other surfaces with staples. Then you can move the brush or block through the channels quickly scuffing enough to remove any signs of gloss.

Ultimately the decision may be a function of time, whether or not you have assistance, the type of paint on the exterior, the quality of the primer for the undercoat, etc.


Can I have a 15 amp outlet on a 20 amp circuit with a 20 amp GFCI

This is legal and will work fine.  But you do need to use #12 wire because the circuit is protected by the 20 amp breaker. (you can add more if needed.)
I say this because the GFCI outlet is 1 device and the 15 A outlet is the 2nd.  If there were only a single 15 amp outlet, it would not be code.  But with 2 or more, it is ok.  NEC 210-21.b1


Are these studs intended to hold a drywall ceiling, or just for foam insulation?

It's not called "bridging," it's called "strapping."  It is intended for drywall or some other ceiling material.

It doesn't look to be well-fastened, by the way.

You DO want to hang drywall from those strips instead of the joists.  They help to even out the inconsistencies of the bottom of the joists, also making it easier to orient the long edge of the drywall perpendicular to the joists.


Is it safe to put a woodstove on a sheet of cement board?

Actually there are a few considerations you need to take into effect.

You first need to look up the "R" factor required from combustible materials for your specific stove. Every manufacturer has a safety insulation factor. This can be provided by materials such as concrete board, high density fiberboard insulation, steel sheets and air barriers.  The factors can be different from the bottom, sides and back of a stove, so it is important to have the full specs. You should also check with the local building inspector to get the minimum distances from combustibles in your area. I believe most communities use the NFPA specs, but always check local requirements.

Practically speaking, using a single piece of concrete board under a wood stove is rarely enough insulation factor. I think 1/2" concrete board only has a R-rating of 2 or 3, which is much too low if attached directly to a wood floor without an air space. I would feel much more comfortable with a layer or two of brick or brick over high temp fiberboard insulation. High temp fiberboard can be rated as high as 800 degrees F per inch at 6 inches away from heat source. Available at any HVAC supplier.

After all the work you have done on your yurt, be absolutely safe and sure of you woodstove installation.

Good Luck my friend.


HVAC is suddenly blowing room temperature air—compressor, fan still turn on

If it quit cooling all of a sudden My best guess would be the compressor. To be more precise it is most probably the suction valve has broken. Either way the unit needs to be replaced.


Is it better to install temp service or permanent outdoor service with future home as subpanel?

You have a few options here

Personally, I find many of the larger meter-loadcenter combinations to be wastes of space, especially in a remote-metered application like yours. You'll probably never use anywhere close to all the spaces in the MBE2040B200BTS with it mounted on the shed; furthermore, using that meter-main forecloses you from upgrading the feed to the house to 200A in the future, as a 200A breaker simply won't fit in the half-width loadcenter it provides.

With the considerations of a 3" incoming utility conduit, EUSERC approval, and provision for 200A to the house in the future in mind as we look for meter mains, this leaves us with roughly the following options:

If you can get decent pricing on it from your local supply house, the Milbank X5169-XTL-200 provides quite a bit of flexibility in this application.  It has a 12-circuit interior with a backfed 200A main breaker, leaving 8 circuits and a set of feed-through lugs available for use, while providing a single-point-of-shutoff.  In addition, it has an over/under layout, which is advantageous in that it can readily fit a separate 200A breaker for the main house, unlike single-column designs, while providing a 2-pole space for future expansion once the RV breakers are taken into account.
The B-Line U2M2RP provides a minimalist alternative here, with provisions for a 50A maximum "side" feed to the RV outlets alongside a 200A main breaker for the house.  However, this does sacrifice the convenience of having a single main shutoff available to you, and also requires getting a good price from your supply house to be practical.
A more spacious option in the "no single main shutoff" vein is the Siemens MC1212L1200SED (also known as the Murray JA1212L1200SED).  This also uses an "over/under" construction, allowing the use of a 200A breaker for the house feeder, and provides up to 3 2-pole spaces for expansion purposes as well as room for the RV breakers.  Again, though, this requires getting good pricing through a supply house.
If none of the above work, and you are willing to sacrifice having a single main shutoff, then you can go with a Siemens MC0816B1200ESN.  This provides an 8 space interior with a main breaker and feed-through lugs, as well as a parallel "side" feed maxing out at 50A for the shed and RV outlets, in a narrow form factor, and is available inexpensively from the usual suspects.  The downside is that the remaining spaces will likely go mostly to waste in this case, but if nothing else is available, this will do.

With this, I would use a prebuilt RV outlet box such as a Midwest U041010 or equivalent. This provides a TT-30 receptacle and a 20A GFCI receptacle in a sturdy, weatherproof enclosure; you can also get a version (the U041CTL010) with a built-in panel and extra lugs to provide a feeder onward to the shed.  You'll need to use a 30A and a 20A single pole breaker to provide power to the U041010 (there is also a U041, but that has a regular 20A receptacle and requires a 20A GFCI in the panel instead); if you go with the U041CTL010 instead, you can provide it with the biggest feeder your main panel will let you, up to 100A, and then use the loop-through lugs to feed the shed's panel from it, or just stick a one-pole THQL breaker in the spare slot provided and power the shed that way.

Fat conduit and fat aluminum are your friends here

You have the right idea by going with aluminum over copper for the feeder to the house; however, I would use conduit for this run instead of direct burial wire to save you the trouble of having to re-trench wires if you want to upgrade the house to 200A service.  In your case, 2" Schedule 80 PVC makes good sense here, considering that you can get the run done with two wide sweeps (and a LB if the house's panel will be indoors), and that a set of 3 4/0 XHHW-2 aluminum current-carrying conductors with a 6AWG bare or insulated copper ground will fit comfortably inside it.  Even if you only run a 100A feeder (2AWG hots+neutral with an 8AWG minimum ground, or a 2-2-4-6 mobile home feeder cable for that matter), you still will benefit from the oversized conduit making your pull far easier than it would in a minimum Code sized conduit.  Beats having to call an electrician in with their truck of tools to rescue your over-optimistic pull job!

Go big or go home!

One other problem lurks in your plan so far: the size of panel you've chosen so far for the house.  16 spaces is a terribly small panel for anything beyond an outbuilding, considering that you can't use "double stuff" (tandem/quadplex/half-width) breakers for most residential circuits as nobody makes AFCIs in that form factor.

Instead, I would go with a 40-space or 42-space, 200A, main breaker panel for the house's main panel, as it's far cheaper to get the spaces now than to go through the labor of replacing the panel later.  The main breaker is necessary because the meter-main is mounted on a separate structure (the shed), and the fact it is bigger than the feeder you want to run is of no concern to us, as all we want here is a way to turn the power on and off.  This panel also will happily accommodate a future service upgrade to 200A, should you (or the next homeowner!) ever want that in the future.

If a 200A panel is absolutely out of the question for some reason, I would at least go with a 24-space or 30-space, 100A or 125A, main breaker panel instead of the rather cramped 16-space panel you are planning to use.  The cost differential is peanuts here compared to the cost of adding those extra spaces down the road, still.

TORQUE ALL LUGS TO SPEC

There is one more point to raise here, and that is that you need to use an inch-pound torque wrench or torque screwdriver to torque all loadcenter and breaker lugs to the labeled torque values.  This is a new Code requirement in 2017 NEC 110.14(D), and is a good idea even if your AHJ has not adopted it, as you really don't want your electrical system to develop a case of the loose lugnuts!


Must outdoor GFCI power outlets be covered?

Why play with electricity like that?  Install one of these:

For use while connected:

or, for occasional temporary use where it can be closed and unused during wet weather:


You're describing the smell of mold or mildew. It's a living fungus that sometimes grows on walls, paint, wood, clothes when conditions are right. You want to kill it and remove it.

Mold can grow under wall paper and paint.

If it were me I would clean it with some mold killing cleaner according to directions. Remove the wallpaper, bag it and throw it out. Clean the area again. Prime and paint.

There are special encapsulating paints to cover up mold and recently Zinsser came out with a Mold Killing Primer. I haven't used it myself but I've used other Zinsser mold/mildew resistant paints and have been pleased but as I said I'd use it in conjunction with wallpaper removal.


Painted glaze with water based primer by mistake

It should dry in time if properly applied. I have not had any issues with water based but some things I still prefer oil based just old school I guess.


Does spray mount adhesive damage the paint on walls after the object attached to it is removed?

I've had acoustic foam on my walls for a for a year, it's stuck with caned spray on adhesive and it doesn't seem to be damaging my walls, but I can imagine that with stronger spray-on It could be really difficult to remove it without damaging the walls


Wow, the price of that transfer switch, and it doesn't even switch neutral.  That's typical Reliance, mid-tier yet high price because they know it's for a generator.

Oh, hold on.  You haven't solved the neutral problem.  You need to either switch neutral, isolate neutral and ground on the generator (you can't have two neutral-ground bonds in the system), or not connect it in the first place, which is an option because your pump is 240V only and doesn't need it.

I would go a different way and entirely moot the 1.5 foot issue, save a few bucks and give a lot more flexibility also.

Subpanel with two feeds

Take, say, a Siemens 12-space main-lug (a main-breaker panel will be an impediment) and their generator interlock/tiedown kit.

For a very compact panel, use a Square D "QO" small 4-8 space panel, and their QO2DTI interlock, like this. This will require two main breaker retaining kits to hold down the backfed breakers, since the QO2DTI doesn't provide that naturally. A little more expensive but the quality is tip-top.

The two breakers are interlocked.  One goes to the utility and can be any size (doesn't matter; circuit protection happens elsewhere). I recommend 60A because it's the same price as a 20A.  The other goes to the generator and is sized to protect the generator and wiring.

Now if you only power the well, you could just make sure to use a 20A on the generator side, and at the main panel... then you have 20A protection in both modes, so you don't need an additional breaker for the well. You can just take it right off the main lugs.  At this point we're $110 into this deal.  And it's top shelf stuff; Siemens not Reliance.

If you ever add more circuits and upsize your supply, you can put the well on a 20A breaker.

Because it's a subpanel, the issue of proximity to the main panel is moot.

In the existing main (utility) panel, the supply breaker is sized to protect the wire to the subpanel - you want #12 wire, so that means a 20A breaker (so you can just reuse the current well breaker).   I myself would run #10, #8 or #6 wire, with an eye toward future expansion, but keep the 20A breaker for now.

Voltage drop is not a factor

I'm not sure how you computed 3 volt drop for a 20' wire run.  That run is too short to have that much voltage drop; if you're using the minimum legal wire size, 3 volt drop should happen at about a 100' run. Don't worry about it.


Framing a knee wall in front of a half-height foundation wall with windows

I believe you will want to attach 1.5" thick material to the sill plate and have that come out to the top of your knee wall. If you do not do this you will have a dickens of a time trying to adequately attach the reclaimed lumber in a secure manner to prevent it from cupping and warping over time.

With regard to the windows...why not just use a separate flat window stool at the bottom of the window and use your desired window trim on the left, right and top of the window. There is nothing to say that the apron trim under the sill board has to be a matching trim to the casing around the window. Below is a picture of one such application.

Picture Source


I own a Bosch JS470E and love it. I've owned many over my 20+ years in construction. It has a setting that will direct air from the motor to the area you're cutting and keeps saw dust clear from the line you're following.

"Will the jigsaw do the job"? Yes, with a good blade and little force but the job will go slow and the cut won't be as clean as a circular saw would do. If you won't use a circular saw that often I would suggest getting an inexpensive one. Maybe even go Harbor Freight. Then you can put some money into a good jigsaw for other uses.


Can't reattach rail onto Hunter Douglas bracket

I found the manual and it included this diagram.  I'll try it next time it falls.


Should I be concerned about this roof bubbling?

That “bubbling” (we call it blistering) is from a lack of venting.

This is evidenced by 1) blistering in a straight line, 2) blistering around the roof jack at the 3” roof vent, 3) random blistering throughout the roof.

1) Blistering in a straight line is an indication that heat is trying to escape and has found a gap between the roof sheathing.

2) obviously one of the easiest places for heat to escape is around vent pipe holes in the roof. The roof sheathing AND roofing underlayment (moisture barrier) is cut for the pipe to extend up through the roof. This allows heat to escape and affect the shingles. (Notice the shingles are affected all the way around the pipe.)

3) When there are random blisters in the roof this is an indication that the nailing of the shingles in that area is not adequate/correct. Heat is escaping throughout the roof, but it is causing a blister in these locations due to a lack of nails, improper nailing pattern, etc.

I see a ridge vent, but it’s probably not installed correctly. I’d look up in the attic and see if you can see a CONTINUOUS strip of daylight at the ridge. Often roofers will allow the moisture barrier (building paper) to lap over the opening (gap) in the roof sheathing...thus making the ridge vent useless.

The good news is that the roof sheathing is not expanding so much that it’s heaving. That is to say, the roof sheathing was installed with adequate gaps (spacing between sheets) so that when they heat up and expand they do not bulge upwards.

BTW, you’ve lost your guarantee from the roofing manufacturer, because they’ll see the lack of venting.

You can verify the lack of venting by looking around the house and adding up the area of the vents.

The Code requires 1/150th s.f. of attic vents compared to s.f. of attic, unless you have 40% - 50% of vents not more than 3’ from ridge then it’s 1/300th the s.f. of house (attic).

So, say your house is 1600 s.f. and you have ridge vents so they are in the upper part of your roof. That means you need about 1600/300 = 5.3 s.f. of venting. (I can’t see your gable ends, so you might have even more venting.)

The ridge vents are usually about 1” wide and extend the length of the ridge...say 36’. Therefore your ridge vent equals 3 s.f. (Which is within the 40% - 50% range requirement.)

So, now you need to look for soffit vents and / or roof vents. Add them up to see if you have enough venting. I’m guessing you don’t.

Also, vents get covered up by insulation. Get up in the attic and see if you can see daylight coming in all those soffit vents around the perimeter of the house or coming in any of those roof vents. If not, you’ll have to figure out if you can unblock the vents.

BTW, one reason you think the roof looks better now is that this picture was taken at just the right time to show all the shadows. If the sun shines directly on the roof, it will “burn” the shadows out and look great. I’d go back when the sun is lower in the sky.


How can I extend a 1.5" galvanized plumbing vent up a 6:12 pitch roof? Relocate to make clear area for solar

A pair of elbows of any angle can do the trick. For example, a 90 degree elbow can bend the vertical pipe so that it goes horizontally along the top of the wall. A second elbow connected to the first can redirect the pipe so it goes parallel to the rafter at any elevation/angle.

I gave the example with 90 degree elbows but the same principle works with a matched pair of elbows of any angle. The question is whether there's enough room to fit the two-elbow assembly. If it's done with 45 degree angle elbows then the assembly will be narrower, but also taller.

Depending on how important it is that the vent be moved, you could consider other approaches. It would be technically possible to make the vent stack go back down the wall, under the floor, and rise elsewhere as would be done for a sink in an island, or even to combine it with another existing vent. It may also be acceptable to replace the vent stack with an air admittance valve.


Name of this two pronged female DC power supply plug (looks like a pair of rectangular glasses)

I found a few listings for this plug that refer to this plug as a "Waeco Fridge Adapter".  It looks like the plug is used for 12vdc fridge and other thermoelectric cooling devices.  I'm not going to post a link because most of them are eBay listings that will expire soon, but that name should help you a lot.

I found this link on Amazon that might last a little longer, but it doesn't give a technical name for it either.

Looks like a good generic search term is "polarized 2 pin 12V DC plug for electric cooler boxes".


Check with the manufacturer of the fixture. They should have some design parameters.
If they are modern day conventional residential roof trusses, I recommend contacting a mfg of same.  See what they say.
I personally would take a 3' piece of standard #2-and-better 4x6 lumber, free of flaws, lay it perpendicular across the top side of two trusses to use as your main support.  Drill and screw in place.
A standard 4-square metal box with a round mud ring will support the fixture.


You are correct, compaction is very important in order to control future settlement.

Generally, we require a minimum of 95% compaction under a “Proctor” test that governs moisture content, maximum of 6” depth lifts, etc.

Remember, compaction is not just weight...vibration is important too.

So, to answer your question, if gravel is dumped at approximately 80% compaction, then there’s a difference of about 15% settlement. (This is highly dependent on the type of gravel, manner in which the gravel is deposited, etc. )

Here is an article that explains it:
https://www.multiquip.com/multiquip/pdfs/Soil_Compaction_Handbook_low_res_0212_DataId_59525_Version_1.pdf


See table 220.55 in the NEC, as well as footnote 4 to that table:

  Branch-Circuit Load. It shall be permissible to calculate the branch-circuit load for one range in accordance with Table 220.55. The branch-
  circuit load for one wall-mounted oven or one counter-mounted cooking unit shall be the nameplate rating of the appliance. The branch-circuit load
  for a counter-mounted cooking unit and not more than two wall-mounted ovens. all supplied from a single branch circuit and located in the same
  room, shall be calculated by adding the nameplate rating of the individual appliances and treating this total as equivalent to one range.


I think you need a humidifier. Specially if outside is very cold (below 0°C), relative humidity in heated air gets very low, and your current humidifier can't simply recover all the humidity needed.


How can I fix a shower faucet valve that is sticky?

I would try removing the cartridge and reinstalling it with a small amount of white lithium grease on the stem that connects to the handle. Work the grease in gently with your finger. If that doesn't free it up it was bad manufacturing which happens more often than one might think


Is this convex bend in my furnace filter slot OK?

There should be an air filter holding frame there.   It looks like someone tried to make one or they literally got the cheapest filter frame I have ever seen.   These things should be a much thicker gauge and should firmly house the filter.
The other issue is that this should be fully enclosed with a solid cover.  There are a multitude of problems here, easily resolvable.   You need a filter holder (pan and a door).   Any AC company can install this in an hour and probably have parts on hand.
You can install this yourself if you don't mind shopping around and finding the right sizes and doing so minor duct cutting and sealing.

So based on your picture the issue isn't the effectiveness of the filter - yea that's a very very minor issue - the main issue is the inefficiency of your unit based on lost flow and disrupted flow caused by all of the "cracks".   All of the things in yellow should be caulked/sealed/taped and the filter holder should be rigid so these things can be done right.
Addendum based on comments:   An example of a filter holding frame is here.   I don't know this brand, just did a search.  Should be very rigid, should have a "door", should have a section that the filter slides into.   This is not rocket science and there are many different brands/types available.
When doing this you have two options:

You get a good, rigid, thick gauge holder.
Custom holder is securely fastened on both sides and sealed.  (This is usually thinner gauge)

You have neither.   Not really a huge deal but needs to be fixed.


What is this knob on this fluorescent light fitting?

That component is called the starter. its a really inexpensive component that regulary fails on florescent lights. to remove you turn 1/4 rotations left and pull out. to check that its in turn right until it stops whilst pressing.

Any good lighting store will have replacement starters for your light.

Otherwise the things to check would be.

check that the florescent is clicked in correctly, you will see that if the pins of the tube arent touching the contacts in the fitting it will not turn on. i.e. you need to rotate the tube so that the gold pins at the end of the tube sit horizontal with the ceiling.
check if there is corrosion on the pins of the tube
remove the tube (turn off light switch), then remove the backing plate look inside for wires that have been detached. the chinese lights I know have really weak connectors and the connectors are always failing


Is the proposed solution to this masonry project okay?

If you had an professional engineer design the whole unit as an assembly it may be possible to have the railings and metal concrete reinforcing members in the steps and risers work as a trussed span structure that was only supported at the bottom step and at the top step.

This is definitely not a project for any local neighborhood handyman, general masonry contractor or DIY type work. Also do not expect this type of project to be low cost.


If you used flexible hose only for the shopvac (ie no rigid straight sections) you might be able to pick up more debris inside and beyond the elbow in the iron pipe. Suction tube such as that used in pools might be useful, and replacement shopvac hoses (possibly longer than the original) may be available for your vacuum. It might even be cost effective to cut off the rigid coupler from one end of your existing hose so that it can go through the iron elbow further (and buy a new hose to replace the "customized" original hose).
A hole two feet deep isn't an awful thing to dig. If this drain pipe is not covered by concrete or other unremoveable surface you could dig down to the elbow. It should then be relatively easy to remove the elbow, clear the debris, and vacuum into the horizontal section beyond the elbow to remove more debris.


As long as you not planning to put anything heavy on it it will be OK. Dry pouring concrete can have dry pockets were water did not get to. Usually using dry pouring to make a drive way for car, garage is sufficient and possibly with some light bearing structures(open steel/wood Structures) .

I used dry pouring for putting in posts mostly but even for a simple brick wall I used wet pouring and a vibrated the concrete to get rid of air pockets.

But it also important to what underlying soil you have and what you want to do with the slab.

I have heard where people put barns on dry poured concrete and they still standing. So it all depends on your situation really and if you use any reinforced grids or not.

EDIT

From your comment

  The form was 2x4 s, so 3.5". The underlying ground was hard-packed
  clay. i did use a wire-mesh as reinforcement.

I would say you made a really strong piece of concrete slab. The only thing that would have made it stronger was doing a wet pour. It is also good you put a mesh in because clay (even packed) will move constantly and if any cracks happen, the mesh will keep your slab from falling apart.

By home building standards on clay you for home building you need a minimum thickness of 6inches with 0.2inch mesh. So in your place I would not worry about your slab failing soon.


Electrical surges, lights flicker/dim them go back to normal

I have had breakers develop high resistance at the hammers ( the connecting device) in some cases if not two much arcing turn all the smaller breakers off, then flip the main breaker on and off 10 times, this can clear the carbon and reseat the hammers on the contact. If it works but starts doing it again after a while the breaker is failing and needs to be replaced. What brand of panel and type of breaker would be my only question in some cases the brand itself may justify replacing the entire panel.


Yes you should be concerned. When we size the duct work it is usually the minimum size needed. By reducing this opening you are affecting the furnace. Depending on the type you can cause enough excess heat to cause the safety’s to trip. Even if the safety’s do not trip the reduced flow can cause the fire box heat exchanger to run hotter (gas or electric) and fail sooner. So your plan needs to be modified a slight change in size 10% can cause problems but this huge change is asking for problems and I did not even mention it will cost more to heat the home because the flow is restricted.


IMHO, the water based stuff should be fine. The walls of a summer house should be protected by the roof and eaves, and shouldn't touch the ground, so they have a relatively easy life (compared to a fence/gate/bench). Oil based products like creosote will smell strongly for months, can leave oily marks if you brush against it, and only comes in one colour. Sometimes that doesn't matter, sometimes it does. Look around your neighbourhood to see what works and what doesn't, as everyone's climate is different.
Interior wood is worth protecting, but you can use something with a nicer finish. The goal here is to fill the pores in the wood so they don't fill with dirt. Modern water-based stains and varnishes are pretty good indoors, or you could use some sort of teak-oil or wax, even a smear of cooking oil will keep it looking nice much longer than untreated wood.
If the preservative says to use two coats, follow the directions. OTOH you do not need to apply a preservative and then a layer waterproof paint. Rot is caused by bugs that need moisture, so applying a poisonous preservative will prevent rot, as would a waterproof paint. The problem with waterproof paint is that cracks and pin holes inevitably allow water through, and once behind the paint, it never dries. Good preservatives shed water but still allow the wood to dry out, much like Goretex fabric.

Probably the most important thing for long life is to keep the walls dry. Maintain the roof and gutters, to keep rain off the walls. Ensure the ground level doesn't get built up, and regularly check that nothing (like bushes, piles of leaves, or other junk) can trap moisture against the walls.


Replacing particle board subfloor with plywood

If I were you I'd keep those risers there. You don't know if they're glued on the bottom and you might damage the plywood underneath. Sand those risers to get rid of the glued particle board remaining on them. Then replace the particle board with plywood of the same thickness and make sure you glue it to the risers in addition to using a fastener. Fastener does all the structural work and the glue prevents squeaky floors.


Gas / baseboard heating should be on but it's not -- how to investigate?

Based on the photos you provided I am sure that your heating system is hydronic, i.e. water is heated by the furnace and then flows through your baseboards giving up its heat to the room.  The unit on the left in your photo is your water heater which operates independently of your heating furnace (the unit on the right).  That's why you can have hot water without room heating. The large cylinder near the top of your furnace is the expansion chamber designed to handle the increase in water pressure as the water is heated by the furnace.  Your problem, however, may be due to the small unit to the right of the expansion chamber, the one with the electrical conduit attached. I believe that is a damper designed to close when the furnace is off to prevent heat being wasted by going up the flue.  When the furnace is on, that damper will be open to allow the gas combustion byproducts to go up the flue.  If that damper is not working properly, and stays closed, the furnace is designed to turn off to prevent those byproducts from filling your basement.  You should check to see if that is your problem.  If your thermostat is asking for heat, and that damper is closed, then the furnace will not run and you will not get heat. One way to cure this problem is simply to disconnect the damper as it does not increase the furnace efficiency very much anyway. Or you can have it replaced.  No guarantees, but this is easy enough to check. Another possibility is that the furnace pilot light is out or the thermocouple is defective.  You probably will need to call a repairman for these problems.


Converting LED String Lights from Battery to DC Power Supply

There are a number of things that could contribute to this.

First off re-connect the lights to the batteries and measure the voltage across the wires where the battery connections are. Two CR2032 batteries should show a nomimal voltage of 6V or thereabouts. It is possible that the voltage of your switching module is too low to activate the LEDs string properly.

The next step would be to consider just how much current the LED strings will take. Sometimes when cheap LED strings are used with small batteries they are not equipped with a series resistor to limit the total current and instead leverage the internal resistance of the coin cell batteries to limit the current. Your 5V adapter very likely has a much lower internal source resistance than the battery and so the current allowed to flow in the LED string is much greater. Greater to the extent that it exceeds the current limit rating of your AC to DC adapter. When an adapter (if it is a safe and decent design) goes into current limit it will typically shut down it's output section and the output voltage will fall. Eventually the voltage will get too low that the LED string cannot even light. This makes the current fall to a very low level and thus the adapter is able to recover. This process repeats in a cycle and causes the flashing. To fix this you would have to add a series resistor to limit the current to the LED string.

It may be necessary to measure the total current consumed by the LED string when connected to the battery in order to determine the size (ohms) of resistor to use.


How precise do I need to be when ordering a custom exterior door?

That's a valid concern.  1/8" is a lot with this kind of thing. I'd want 1/16" precision or better. I'd expect that if you give them locations to 1/32" (not that difficult even with a standard tape measure) you'd be ok.
I would order a door without hinge mortises (or just buy a standard slab) and do that part myself. If you just buy a slab you can temporarily screw the hinges on, verify height and operation, mark the hinge locations and do the mortising work.
Depending on your hinge style, that may just involve shallow cross-cuts and a little chisel work, without any corner shaping. If you do want to fit round-leaved hinges, a Forstner bit would do a nice job there to get the radii cut.


No.  The breakers are sized for the wire that was run.  If you put two circuits into one breaker a single wire of the circuit (which was rated to carry 15amps) could now carry 30 before the breaker blows.  This can lead to melting wires and fires.

You could combine both circuits to a single 15 amp breaker, but it would likely be overloaded.  This might be a possibility if both circuits are very lightly loaded.

What you can do, if your panel supports them, is get a tandem breaker - which will have two 15 amp circuit breakers in a single unit that takes up the same slot as a single breaker.

Otherwise you will need an electrician to setup a subpanel - they will add a second panel which connects to the first, and move some of the circuits to this new panel to create room in the main one.


What are the building regulations in the UK for fitting a light in a bathroom?

Depends on the distance from water. Homebase, of all people, have a good guide here.

In summary, lights in the bath must be 12V and completely waterproof (zone 0). If it's in reach of a bath (standing up or sitting down) your choices are limited to completely waterproof sealed units (rated IPX4) and you'll need a 30mA RCD (zone 1). Other areas at risk of splashing (Zone 3, including above sinks) need IPX4 splash-resistant fittings but don't need the RCD. Outside of that - in zone 3 - anything will do.

You may need to have the completed work inspected under Part P of the buildings regulations. Give buildings control at your local council a call - they can advise.


Can I use 8" flex duct on a 7 inch rigid duct connection?

You can do it but it will make a larger dead air space I won’t say I haven’t done something like that because I had extra of the larger size and ran out of the smaller.


Is their some kind of device that can take a picture to locate where these leaks are located?

An infrared camera might be your best bet. They're quite expensive, but you might be able to find a place locally to rent one. You might also be able to find a local plumber or HVAC company that has one, and would be willing to come out and take a look for you. It might be worth it to pay a bit extra, to have somebody who knows how to use the equipment help you.


Ok so now we are in a troubleshooting situation. The first thing everyone is going to ask is if the circuit(s) not working are on either a GFCI or AFCI/GFCI protected circuit or if there is a tripped breaker. Depending on the age of you residence this could be inside the panel as a breaker or on a protective device and it could be located almost anywhere. The reasoning is that this is around 85% devices in the garage are not working.

If it is not a tripped GFCI or AFCI/GFCI breaker or device the second cause is usually a loose or broken circuit. So you need to trace it out. To do that you must identify the circuit. You will either need a circuit tracer (a fairly expensive piece of equipment) or a multimeter/ammeter (not so expensive, somewhere around $45.00 maybe even less). If you don't have any of these meters I suggest you get one or have someone else troubleshoot it.

If you have a non contact voltage tester check to see if you can find power by stabbing it in the small slot of the receptacles. If you get a ring at a device not working that is usually where the problem is.

If that doesn't work you start by opening up the boxes. Be careful we don't know if there is any hot wires in the boxes since we don't know the circuit and we can't shut off the breaker. As you are opening the boxes look for a dislocated conductor and if you have a non contact voltage meter test to see if there is any power in the box. What we are really trying to to find the is end of the circuit. That would be the box with only one feed in and no feed out (basically three wire a hot, neutral and ground). Then we can work our way back to the problem. If the problem is not in any of the boxes that are not working try going around the garage and find the circuit that leads to the device not working. Try and determine which box is closest, it should be a box between the device not working and the breaker panel.

Once you do find the broken or loose conductor go through the breakers and find the circuit. If the panel is not labeled you will have to turn each one off and on until you do not get a ring with you non contact tester.

Then and only then should you make the repair, then turn the circuit back on and test to see if the devices are working. Then turn the circuit back off and button up the devices and turn the circuit back on. Test all devices to make sure everything is working correct.

Needles to say trouble shooting is very laborious and frustrating to the not so familiar and you may decide it would be worth bringing someone in who has the proper equipment and has trouble shooting skills developed by a ton of experience.

So I will leave you with this piece of advice. Before trying to troubleshoot, I would make sure that it is not a tripped breaker,GFCI or AFCI device. I would check it at least twice and even then go through it on last time before I did anything else.

Good luck


Sink drainage leaking into dishwasher inlet

The alternative to an air gap shown in J. Raefield's answer is a "high loop".

Re-read your dishwasher installation instructions.  The drain line must be routed so that at some point between the dishwasher outlet and the sink drain connection it is higher than the fill height of the sink.

This is to prevent sink water from entering your dishwasher plumbing, where is evidently finding the fill valve open.


Why is this apartment's area reported much bigger than sum of its rooms' areas?

As DA01 commented, the total apartment area appears to be calculated as everything within the external walls, whereas the rooms are calculated as the volume of each room minus the space taken up by closets, wardrobes etc.

A quick visual check seems to bear this out - the size of those closets and unusable spaces added together would just about fill the larger bedroom.


I cannot remove stopper & rocker-arm assembly completely from bathtub drain

An accumulation of hard water deposits and anything else that washed through the drain is probably binding it's removal. Pour some CLR or Lime-away into the overflow opening. After awhile chase it with hot water. It could also be that any articulating pieces aren't lining up to allow the arms to be removed. If the sections are hinged they need to pivot at a 90 degree angle to the tub face.


do I need gfci outlets for a storage room receptacles

If this area is an unfinished area of a basement or crawl space then GFI protection is definitely required for ALL 120V, 15A & 20A receptacles. No exceptions, other than for fire or burglar alarm systems.

The furnace must be dedicated and should NOT have a cord and plug.

2011/14 NEC

  422.12 Central Heating Equipment

  Central heating equipment other than fixed electric space-heating
  equipment shall be supplied by an individual branch circuit.

  Exception No. 1: Auxiliary equipment, such as a pump, valve,
  humidifier, or electrostatic air cleaner directly associated with the
  heating equipment, shall be permitted to be connected to the same
  branch circuit.

  Exception No. 2: Permanently connected air-conditioning equipment
  shall be permitted to be connected to the same branch circuit.

If the water heater has a typical 120V cord and plug you have no choice but to use GFI protection.


Moved to a home with a surround sound system, how do I set it up?

go to Goodwill and get a receiver for like $15. Then hook up the speaker outputs to those speaker connections coming out of your wall in the 5th photo. You dont need to use a multimeter. The speaker wires on the receiver will be marked Left Front, Left Back, Right Front, Right Back, Middle, and Subwoofer. As you hook up the wires, listen and make sure you are connecting to the right terminals.


Can I caulk the corner between stone countertop and stone backsplash?

Some general input here as I install granite counters weekly.

No way the granite is bound to each other
trim piece probably has silicone (I hope) binding it to the wall
you don't have to have silicone on dry areas.   If someone spills a cup of soda on that counter, some will seep behind trim but it is pretty minimal (I have tested for fun).   The trim piece is cut with laser and the top of counter is sanded flat so these pieces while somewhat pourous are pretty water tight... but all it takes is a small divot and liquid pours in... and obviously this widely varies on type of granite.   Yours is darker and has lower veins so I would guess it is pretty water tight.
but it would be normal during install to caulk there.   I am not sure what the other guys are on here suggesting white or colors.   All kitchens and baths get clear silicone - that's it.   White, grey, black, whatever... it stains and colors fade in spots over time.   Clear will last the longest and almost impossible to stain.
make your silicone as thin as possible to cover the crack.   If you go up 1/4" and out a 1/4" and have a huge bead of caulk, even if it looks good it won't last as long as every time you wipe the counters you will put pressure on it.   If you can barely see the caulk that is optimal.


Can I replace an existing receptacle with a Leviton USB receptacle?

At the link you provided, Leviton has a product sheet with installation instructions. As they note in there, if you need to connect two wires each for line and neutral, you must use the backwire connections:

  To Side Wire (if more than one wire is required on a terminal, you cannot side wire and must use the backwire option)

What that means is that instead of wrapping the stripped wire end around the screw, instead you insert a straight portion of stripped wire into holes in the back. Sometimes those are spring clamped just by inserting them, but here it sounds like the screw will tighten a clamp onto the inserted wires.

You might be able to straighten your existing wires to do that, or cut and strip according to the instructions, and slide the pairs of wires under the clamps.


Is it safe to put a window a/c unit over kitchen sink window?

The inside workings of a window A/C are typically wet. The coils get tons of condensation, the fan in the back splashes the condensate water all over, it's fine there. If anything it is safer since it is being plugged into a GFCI protected receptacle where typically they are not.

Just be careful of the load and whatever else is plugged into the same circuit. You may need to turn off the A/C to use some appliances.


How to prevent outdoor landscape light water leaks?

I am not sure if allowed in Canada but in the US we are allowed and even required to provide a drain in things like this a small drilled hole that will allow the water to drain out should eliminate the pooling.  I used to have multiple drains on my big 1000w metal halide lights because they cool in the winter they suck the water in just like yours. A small 1/8-1/4” hole at the lowest point will help no matter how the water is getting in.


Going from a PVC Sched 40 1-1/2" PIPE to a 1/2" Poly Combination Elbow

They make the same type of bushing that you used before, but in PVC. It would be called an 1 1/2" x 1/2" slip x FIP bushing. "FIP" means female iron pipe.

This picture is actually 1" FIP, which will be easier to find than 1/2", and also easy to "bush" down to smaller sizes using threaded brass bushings:


How can I determine if there is asbestos in something?

From the similar questions linked in the comments above, the general answer is to:

Avoid ripping or tearing that would result in dust. It's only in the form of dust that asbestos is hazardous.
You can get an inexpensive test kit or check with local companies that perform this test.
If it is asbestos, only have a professional attempt to remove it.


Wiring Light Fixture with 2 Sockets into Junction Box with 2 White, 2 Black, and 1 Red Wire

Take the two black wires in the box and wire nut them together. Take the two white wires from the box and twist them together and then connect them to the two white wires from the fixture with a wire nut. Take the red wire in the box and connect it to the two black wires from the fixture with a wire nut. Connect the ground wires together. Turn off the power before doing any of this.


Care and maintenance of deck in the garden

From what I can see, it looks to be in pretty good shape. You want to start out by getting a deck wash from your home store and applying it according to instructions. You usually spray it on with a garden sprayer and then pressure clean it off. Stick to setting the pressure cleaner at around 1800 PSI, 2000 max. More than that and you can damage the wood. Then you have to decide whether to use a stain sealer (which I prefer) or a deck paint. Depending on your use of the deck and your climate, you'll have to do this every couple of years.
The cracks in the knots are pretty common and the previous owners couldn't to much to prevent that. If they really bug you or get worse, you can replace the boards if you can find the same type at your home store or lumber yard. The boards were screwed in place so replacing a few won't be too hard. Hopefully, they used stainless screws.
This deck should last for years and will depend on how well it's cared for. Only time will tell but mine have lasted 15 to 20 years in hot, rainy south Florida


Redirecting cold air from a floor-vent to ceiling

The easiest way to deal with this common issue is a vent booster fan, such as this example. It would not take up wall space nor be unsightly.

Without more information, such as the size of the vent opening or mains voltage, it would be impossible to be more specific. A photo of the room and a closeup of the vent might be helpful. Browse HVAC suppliers, online stores, etc.


I'm no mason and have only done basic tile jobs (no shower bases), but here are my suggestions:

Weight: Dry pack is very porous and wouldn't add the 200 lbs. or more to a floor that concrete would. It's also easier to move and carry for the same reason.
Workability: Few have your finishing skills, and dry-pack is more forgiving and easier to shape. A person can plop a level on it to check slope and plane without getting all gooey, too.
Permanence: Dry pack, being porous, is fairly brittle. It could be trimmed or shaved or completely redone with much less sweat than concrete.


How should I pretreat this wall for an additional layer of cement?

Existing wall > 3-6 mil plastic > vertical furring strips > cement/green board (drywall) > spackle/stucco/whatever

Because old concrete doesn't adhere to new concrete; especially vertically, with sufficient confidence in many cases.


a cheap (and landlord friendly) way to stick a large plastic sheet on a wet wall?

If you have sufficient space, and in this case, it's not all that much, you could consider a modified lean-to for your purpose. A horizontal pole from which the plastic is suspended with a vertical pole at each end. The vertical poles would be vertical referenced to the horizontal sheet suspension pole, but not-vertical referenced to local gravity. Orbital dynamics are not considered in this example.

The poles would be longer than the distance from ceiling to floor and would not have to have much of an angle to keep the horizontal pole against the wall. The bottoms of each pole should be braced or have a rubber/high-friction end to keep them from sliding out. If the span is severe, it may be necessary but possibly undesirable to have a center support as well.


How do I Reconnect Knob and Tube Wiring To A New Main BreakerBox

I agree with 3phase , the wiring in many old homes is still k&t , the junctions still require to be in a box , I was trained to use western union splices 7 turns minimum for both T taps and splices after wrapping they were soldered and this is still ok today , code states you can not use solder only the wrapping is the mechanical part. Since you are going from K&T to probably romex you may not have a box so you need a new box with insulated bushings for the wires to enter you will need a pair of knobs outside the box to anchor the wires through the insulators and into the box. I use shrink tubing But fiber insulation can be used then wire nut from the old to new and install the cover. This method will pass inspection as long as your AHJ allows , I did quite a few Over the years I only mentioned the turns because to meet historical accuracy that was required , wire nuts are better today since you are converting the panel.


What can I use to tunnel under a walkway or driveway?

I have tunneled under a concrete pad using lengths of rigid pipe, a hose, and lots of dedication.

You dig a substantial hole on both sides, then you put the hose in the pipes with a pressure nozzle, then you hammer the pipes through the ground and put them together as you need length.


how to remove quarter turn tap valve with no flat parts

Use a deep socket or box spanner (image below) to get to the large hexagon that is at the bottom of the hole in the top picture - visible clearer in the image if you zoom in.


How do you seal fasteners, seams, and pipe holes in DensShield

The best way to seal seams and fasteners in dense shield is using a liquid membrane, ( RedGard, Aquadefense, Hydro Ban). These can be applied with a paint roller or paint brush.

I will always reinforce seams with a fabric made to use with the water proofing, altho some don't require it.


Where can I get electrical plans for my new house?

I think it's common in most places for the local government (town/city hall) to have the plans on file. Keep in mind though that sometimes work is done without plans or permits, so use the plans as a guide not an exact map.

Comment converted to answer


Relocating a fibre-optic router-modem within a home

The basic problem with installing fiber is it's glass, and glass doesn't bend well. That thin white fiber cable has a minimum bend radius of somewhere around 10 cm, so if you pull it tight around a corner the glass inside it breaks. And splices are not easy.

The typical solution is install the fiber modem in the best place for the fiber, and then run a single ethernet line to your router. If it's an all-in-one box you can probably get it changed.

30m is hardly unreasonable for ethernet, but I would buy good cable and avoid running it parallel to electrical lines. By "good" I don't mean "says cat-6 on the bag", I mean good quality cable from a known manufacturer. Go to a supplier not in a shopping mall or main-street-front. You want the industrial-park places.


Fixing up a 1920 rowhouse - front wall - to insulate or not

An inch of foam and a half inch of sheetrock might suit your space loss/window frame issues better and still be a lot better than no insulation at all. Just use longer screws into the brick, and perhaps some adhesive to reduce the number of screws you need (each screw is a heat leak.)

Being in an attached row house, the front and back walls and the roof are the main places you need/want/should have insulation, as they face the world, not your neighbors' interior spaces.


What are chances of split/weakened joists from ceiling hanging hardware?

The thing is you are screwing against the grain - which is exactly why home construction is done the way it is, almost making it impossible to have to screw into framing with the grain.

Meaning you could easily put screws a good 40-50% of the dimensional thickness of the lumber with no repercussions.  You could put in those hooks every foot on every rafter and they would have no impact at all.  However... With hooks and screws usually comes weight.  Bikes are no worry at all but if you start hanging large shelves in the middle of a 16 foot span in a garage, you should worry about sag.  That is a different question though.


What options are available for ventilation above a stove?

OK, my understanding is that you have a stove on a section of counter that doesn't have a wall immediately behind it. This could result in a "peninsula" design, or an outright "island".

Either way, what you want is an "island-mount vent hood". They're designed to install in the ceiling instead of against a wall, for stoves that are out in the middle of a kitchen layout for whatever reason.

Now, most of these vent hoods will have some drop from the ceiling. This is because the further away the fume hood is, the larger it has to be in order to catch the rising steam/smoke from whatever's on the stove. You generally want between 3 and 4 feet clearance between the stove and hood, with a minimum of 30" required by most building codes. With a standard 36" countertop and an 8ft ceiling, a flush-mounted vent hood would be about 5 1/2' from the surface of the stove, which is a bit high. A 9' ceiling would put the hood over 6' off the stove surface.

So, while there are designs that minimize the profile of the hood, and you can usually install them high enough that they're above eye level (though I'm 6', and most installations I've seen have been at or below my eye level), I don't think a ceiling mount will be feasible, as you will need a commercial-size hood to have the area necessary to catch the column of smoke at that height.


Cracked grout and leak in shower side wall - short and long-term fix given foundation work?

A short term solution is to build a water tight covering over the wall (assuming the shower pan is functioning).
An example (functional and ugly) is to glue FRP Wall Board ,connectors and caulk.

cut FRP Wall Board to size
glue FRP Wall Board with caulk to existing wall
caulk all joints generously

when redoing the ledge add a greater slope towards the shower


Correct sockets to be used with 277v light bulbs

According to the National Electrical Code, the voltage limit on lighting in a dwelling unit (including motels, dormitories, etc) is 120 volts. You are not allowed to use higher voltages for these occupancies.

The only lighting that normally uses 277 volts is flourescent or HID lighting in a commercial or industrial occupancy. The HID lamps in these locations use mogul bases not medium.

The medium based bulbs you are talking about are probably for use in Europe not the US.


I have toilet water disappearing after neighbor flushes toilet

I agree with Ed Beal, the plumber should actually route/snake/auger both of your vents from the roof...it seems like the neighbor's vent is clogged. There should also be vents by the street & those should be cleared as well. Either way it should be a venting clog problem, typically from crazy birds loading your first bend from the roof.


Smart Switches to the Rescue
You might be able to use the existing wiring for 4-way switches. But a simpler solution, and one that does not require any new wiring (just reconfiguration of the existing wires and new switches) is smart switches.
There are many brands and many different types. You will need to do your research carefully as there are different requirements for neutral & ground and possibly other things. But basically, you should be able to:

Install a "master" switch where power comes in from the breaker panel (likely the 2-gang box, but not 100% certain without more details)
Install "remotes" at the other 2 locations. Depending on the brand/type, the remotes may use AC power themselves or they may be battery powered (with long-lasting batteries).
In addition to controlling the lights with the 3 switches, you can also have (if you want) options to control via WiFi or other means.

Make sure to get UL-listed (or similar listing, CE and FCC are not equivalent to UL) devices. Since at a minimum the master switch will be attached directly to 120V (or 240V, depending on your location) power, safety is very important.


Is it normal to smell gas near a gas range?

It isn't normal, and any gas in the room should dissipate fairly quickly. Get yourself a cup of soapy water and a paint brush and find the leak. At the very least your house will smell bad. At worst....


Hydronic heat radiators not used for long time - should they be drained?

It is better to keep a hot water hydronic heating system full of water all the time. This keeps air out, and prevents the inside of the radiators from rusting (assuming these are traditional cast iron rads). Recirculating the same water also helps limit the introduction of minerals from your water supply, so your rads and boiler won't clog up with mineral deposits. For these reasons, you shouldn't empty and re-fill your system more often than needed.

The exception is if your home will experience very cold temperatures, and the water could freeze. In this case you definitely want to drain the system to avoid having ice form and crack the rads.

If your system has had water in it for the last 3 years, I would not drain it unless you have reason to do so when repairing/replacing your boiler. Just bleed your radiators to ensure they are full of water. If the system has been empty, you may want to flush some water through to rinse out some sediment before reconnecting it to your boiler.


It takes a lot to trip an RCD.
A GU10 socket does not deliver earth to the bulb, so I don't see what possible manipulation a bulb could do to trip an RCD even if it was purpose-designed to do that.
So I consider that "highly improbable".
Especially since the RCD trip is intermittent, and that is not how a faulty bulb would trip (even if it had access to earth).


How do I loosen nuts on bottom side of faucet are connected to each other

This was a bottom-mount faucet.
I was able to pry out a plastic ring holding each side, and drop it down from the bottom.
See the hot water side in the picture.
A small screwdriver easily fit in the notch.


Can I replace an old exhaust fan and connect it to an existing light switch?

Without knowing more about the current wiring, it's hard to say exactly what you'll have to do.  I'm assuming the feeder from the panel enters at the switch, but I'll try to cover some other situations as well.
Power at the switches
If the power enters at the switches, you should already have a feeder cable (probably 14/2 with ground) coming into the box. There will then be two (again, probably 14/2 with ground) cables leaving the box.  The cable that enters will be spliced (or pigtailed), on the black (hot) to feed one side of each switch. The white (neutral), will be spliced and connected to the white wires of both exiting cables, The bare ground wire will be connected to both switches, both wires exiting the box, and possibly the box itself. You won't have to worry about the light over the vanity, since that will not change.  You will, however, have to add an additional cable between the light in the shower and the fan.
Without seeing the location, it's difficult to say exactly what the best method is to run this cable. Though if you have access from above, it should not be that difficult. Start by turning off the power to the circuit at the breaker. Once you've run the cable, connect the fan. Black to black, white to white, bare ground to green or terminal screw.  At the light over the shower, you'll have to again connect black to black, white to white, and ground to ground. If the light uses screw terminals, you'll have to use pigtails to make the connections. To do this, simply remove the existing connections (making sure to remember what went where). Use a wire nut to connect the wire that was connected to the fixture to the wire in the new cable, and a 6" bit of scrap wire.  Then connect the 6" pigtail to the fixture, and repeat for each wire. It might be helpful to do one set of wires at a time, so all the wires are not disconnected from the light fixture at the same time.

Finish by reinstalling the fixtures, and turning the power back on.
Power at the lights
This is less common, though may be the case if the lights were not installed at the same time.  In this case, you'll have a feeder cable (from the breaker) entering both light fixture boxes (or possibly only one, depending on the setup). In this situation, you have two separate circuits (that may or may not be controlled by the same breaker, so be careful). Again, we'll only have to worry about the switch and light over the shower.
Turn off the breaker that controls the light over the shower (and the one that controls the vanity light, if they are not the same).  As before, you'll have to run a new cable between the shower light and the fan.  Once that is complete, connect the fan following the steps above.  In the light box, you'll likely see that the black wire from the feeder cable connects directly to the existing cable that exits the box.  This is feeding power to the switch.  You should also see a black stripe, or tape on the white wire from the cable that goes to the switch. This wire is only hot when the switch is on, and you'll have to connect it to the black wire on the light and the black wire in the new cable you installed.  The white wire from the feeder cable should be connected to the white wire on the light. You'll want to tie the white wire from the fan, in with these wires. Connect all the bare/green ground wires together, to complete the wiring.

Finish by reinstalling the fixtures, and turning the power back on.
Other information
If the fan was controlled by another switch (or whatever), you'll have to trace the feeder back to its source, disconnect it, and cap the wires.  You don't want to leave live wires hanging around in the walls.
I mention wires by color, but keep in mind what I say and what you see might be completely different.  The descriptions and diagrams I use are for a typical installation, there is no telling what was done by a previous owner.  Make sure to verify what each wire is, where it goes, and where it comes from.
If you'd like the shower light and fan to be controlled by a timer, you can swap the current switch out for a timer (there are many available). Just make sure the timer is rated for motor loads, since you'll be running the fan motor off of it.
As always, if you do not have the knowledge or tools; or are simply not comfortable doing the work, please don't hesitate to call an Electrician.


Water-resistant, easily removable "putty or glue" recommendation?

Silicone sealant can be removed completely from many surfaces. For example tiles (but the grout can be a problem) or ceramic sinks. In these cases you can peel most of it off and scrape the rest. There is also a silicone remover product to get the residue off other surfaces. You can prevent it from sticking in the first place by lightly oiling the surface.

Solid wood worktops wood be ok as well if they're fairly freshly oiled.

Other caulks can stick more, and break up when you try to lift them.


What is causing the SUPER loud noise from my dryer

It's difficult to say without actually standing in front of it and observing the noise, but I'm going to guess you have some shot bearings somewhere. It's easier to point to them in an image to suggest where they may be descriptively:

To the left you have casters to keep the dryer on course. Applying some Teflon (or silicone) may cure it. To the right, the motor - and the sound you're hearing may mean that it is dying. That's not something you can really service beyond replacing it.

It could also simply be the belt that's attached to the motor. The same 'belt dressing' that you can buy in an auto parts store to cure a fan noise in your car will likely show (or eliminate) the belt as the culprit. It is probably quite old if it hasn't been replaced since being purchased. The inside of a dryer can get quite humid, so those belts can last for a really long time.

So check lube or 'dress' anything that helps the dryer spin, except the motor, first. If that fails, then look into getting a replacement motor (or new dryer, possibly). Rule out anything that has steel bearings first, and the belt.


How should I connect nipples to a hot water heater?

For most threaded connections, first hand-tighten and then using a wrench, tighten in quarter-turn increments.  If it leaks, give it another quarter turn.  You shouldn't need excessive force with a wrench to tighten it.

For anything other than compression fitting, use Teflon tape and/or pipe dope on the threads.

Make sure that it is not cross threaded. If you need excessive force from the beginning, there is a good chance you have cross-threaded it (assuming the correct thread type).


How do I render over a DPC (damp proof course)?

Bridging the DPC is just asking for problems (IMHO).

One possible solution might be:

Apply "External Bellcast Bead" just above the DPC (this will form a drip edge).
Apply "External Render Stop Bead" just below the DPC (this will allow you to render a plinth from just below external ground level, up to just below the DPC).

Such a method doesn't bridge the DPC.

Regardless of the rendering solution implemented you really need to address the high external ground level in relationship to the PDC. Personally if it was me, I would lower the paving so the top of paving is 150mm (min) below the DPC & the paving falls away from the house (structure).


Install the toe kick to the wall and the baseboard to the toe kick


Why does an LED in a Can Light go out after Several Minutes?

Something with a time delay like that is usually thermal.

The heat of the halogens is killing the LEDs

Halogens want to burn very hot. They are deliriously happy inside ovens. They wouldn't even mind lighting up a steel mill ladle.   I'm told junction temp on a halogen is 2000C.

LEDs do not like heat. You own a screw-in light bulb product based on LED technology.  It has an electronic driver and heat sinks.  Deep inside it is LED emitters proper, they are much smaller than a fingernail.  They need to stay under 85C, even though they're making about 5.5W of heat.  That means there needs to be heatsinking/heatpiping to carry heat away.  Thermal movement down a heat sink is proportional to the difference in temperature.  So that heat sink must be significantly cooler than 85C or else the heat won't move away from the LED emitters fast enough, and they will be destroyed.

You have one LED screw-in product in an enclosure or ceiling space containing a bunch of halogens.  The ceiling space might not get up to 85C, but it doesn't have to; the heat sink will be defeated well before that.  I imagine these products have a temp sensor on the LED or heatsink, and are shutting down to prevent the LED from incinerating itself.

The way to test this for sure is unscrew all the halogens and run the LEDs alone.  If it stays stable, that was it.


Assuming that the bulb isn't burned out, the dimmer failed. It happens.
We installed simple incandescent dimmers for all of our lights when we moved into our house 25+ years ago. We've replaced every single one of them at least once. Maybe it's because we bought the cheapest one on the shelf at our local big-box store...
Replace the dimmer.
Cautionary note:
Be sure to:

Turn the power off at the breaker

The easiest way to know you've got the right breaker is for the light to go out, but since the light's already out...
Pick up a non-contact voltage detector while you're getting the new dimmer. For $15 or less it can save your life.

Have the new dimmer handy before removing any wiring

When you've got the old dimmer out of the wall, but BEFORE removing any wiring:

Grab your cell phone & take good, clear, focused pictures of all the wiring connections.
Take good, clear, focused pics of any extra wiring in the back of the box

If you're not clear on how to rewire the dimmer based on the new one's instructions and what you're seeing in the box, come ask a new question here before disconnecting anything.

Include all your good, clear, focused pics
Include the make/model of the new dimmer. A link to the mfgr site (and instruction PDF) is always appreciated

It's a lot easier to ask a "stupid" question than it is to rewire it wrong which could damage the new dimmer, the fixture/bulbs, or you.


What is the proper way to connect 10awg wire to connectors rated for 14awg wire?

The correct answer is to use approved wire twist on "wire nuts", or split bolt.  The package description will usually say how many and what sizes are allowed.

For example, the common red twist on "wire nut" will hold up to five #12s, officially.  There is a diagram and chart on the product which gives examples for mixing different wire sizes.


[Can I power a 20A load when available circuits are 15A]

There is no way to provide a continous 20A from one 15A circuit.

This is due to

The principle of conservation of energy.
Safety rules aimed at preventing your house/building burning down.

  Even if I can pull from two separate 15A feeds?

In most jurisdictions, there is no legal way to combine circuits to provide more power to a single load.

The correct way to deal with this is to run a new circuit back to the main panel using wire sized for the load.

See also:

How to combine in phase 120VAC 15A 60 Hz feeds on a pair of outdoor GFCI outlets?
Can I substitute two wires for one heavier-gauge wire?
Can two 30 ampere circuits be combined in an outlet?

All of which essentially say no.


Can a NEMA 6-15 Device be connected to a NEMA 6-20 receptacle?

tl;dr
15 Ampere cord-and-plug appliances can indeed, safely be connected to 20 Ampere receptacles.
A deeper understanding
NEMA 6 is a design standard for three wire grounded cord-and-plug devices and receptacles.  The number after the dash (-), is the current rating of the device. For example. A NEMA 6-20 device, would be a three wire grounded cord-and-plug device capable of withstanding 20 amperes of current. The "R" simply tells you that the device in question is a receptacle.  A NEMA 6-20 cord-and-plug device, would plug into a NEMA 6-20R device.
The NEMA design standard is a safe and convenient way to determine what can connect to what.  Basically, if it fits, it works.
If a 15 Ampere device is connected to a 20 Ampere rated receptacle, the device will still only draw a maximum of 15 Amperes.  Plugging the device into a higher rated receptacle, will not cause it to draw more current.


Is there any insulation now? If not, you might as well go whole hog and make the attic itself a part of the conditioned space. That way, you won't need soffit venting to begin with, along with its associated complications (soffit baffles, ridge venting), and it will also be more efficient if you have mechanical appliances or ductwork in the attic. Get some guys in there to spray a couple inches of closed-cell foam on the underside of your roof decking and be done with the issue entirely!


Can I run wire along a finished wall/ceiling in a basement?

Sure. Because the wire will be exposed, you'll need to use armored cable. Just screw clamps to the wall to secure it. Since there's yellow Romex in your picture, use 12/2 wire. You can surface mount metal boxes. Try to buy metal boxes that have clamps included.


Should anchors be used with screws going into framing?

If the screws are ONLY in to drywall, take it down immediately and reinstall the screws with the anchors. Drywall will not hold a screw all by itself. With an anchor, the anchor expands BEHIND the drywall, preventing pull-out.

If the screws are very long AND you got them in to the studs, you could be good. But it depends on the type of screws, the weight of the cabinet, and how deep in to the stud you got the screw. Too small a screw and it could pull out or shear off.

If the instructions don't talk about using the included screws to mount the cabinet to studs through drywall, then I wouldn't trust them. Go down to your local hardware store and get yourself some cabinetry screws. You probably want them to be at least 2 inches long so you get a good amount of thread in to the studs.


You want either a pure vinyl plank or a WPC vinyl plank .   No affiliate to the link.   Just where I get close to 90% of my wood or vinyl flooring (I only get tiles locally due to variations).   But they will send you samples.   Also the orange big box has a house brand that is pure vinyl that is pretty good too.

When selecting size does matter.   Try wider planks and you want thicker.   These are all click lock and the thicker vinyl's click lock just works better - I am generalizing here but its true.

Most that I have used explicitly say no pad or anything under.   The theory is you do not want moisture trapped and a pad might cause issues with the locking mechanism.   The WPC variety goes into any basement bathroom I do unless someone makes me tile.

Another note.   Make sure it says "Waterproof" not water-resistant.   Get a sample and let it sit in a bucket of water for 2-3 days.   If it is made right it shouldn't even be phased and you dry it off in 30 seconds.   I tend to get dark grey or brown wood like planks and I everyone that sees them thinks they are super high-end.   Installs with a utility knife too.


heater wire 120v 2-wire. one side ribbed and the other white writing?

The ribbed side is the neutral (actually called grounded conductor, not to be confused with the equipment grounding conductor).

NEC 400.22 Grounded-Conductor Identification. One conductor of flexible cords that is intended to be used as a grounded circuit conductor shall have a continuous marker that readily distinguishes it from the other conductor or conductors. The identification shall consist of one of the methods indicated in 400.22(A) through (F).

(F)Surface Marking. One or more ridges, grooves, or white stripes located on the exterior of the cord so as to identify one conductor for cords having insulation on the individual conductors integral with the jacket.


120v house equipment with 240v generator question

To answer your specific question, the difference between L14-20 and L14-30 is maximum amperage, not voltage. Both carry both 120 volts and 240 volts (actually two legs of 120 which can be combined for 240).

As you suspected, the combination of the adapter and cord are useless (as opposed to a direct L14-30 to L14-30 cable). Actually, it’s worse that that. The L14-20 connectors are only rated for 20 amps. Since the generator can produce 30 amps, those connectors could melt or catch fire!

I’m assuming your father went shopping for a 30 amp cable and the sales critter sold his those, what it had, making up the story about voltages.

For safety, you really need an L14-30P to L14-30R cable. Since you don’t have one, I suggest you follow @JACK’s advice and plug the appliances you need directly into the generator instead.


How to wire GCFI's with 2 Hots and a single Neutral

In your situation where you have one neutral shared between two circuits, you can't use the "load" side of the GFCI receptacle.

That's because stuff downstream on the other circuit will feed return current on the neutral, so the GFCI will see an imbalance and trip. To put it another way, if you have 5A of current on the red wire and 2A on the black wire, you'll have 3A on the neutral wire (the red & black cancel, with the remainder on the neutral). Since the current on the black & neutral aren't in balance, the GFCI trips.

There are two options in this situation:

Install a 240V double-pole GFCI in the breaker panel. This type accounts for varying amperages in the two "hot" wires. This is also the expensive solution, and it's not ideal because if you trip one circuit the other one trips, too.
Replace all of the receptacles on the circuit with GFCI, using only the "line" side of the GFCI. Use wire nuts & pigtail jumpers to join the wires coming in & going out of the box. This option is more work, but may be cheaper. It's also more convenient because if you trip the GFCI on one receptacle, only that receptacle should be affected.

The refrigerator ideally should NOT be on a GFCI, because you don't want it to trip and ruin all your food. However, if the fridge is plugged into a GFCI that's within 6 feet of the sink, it still must be GFCI protected because of the proximity to the sink (though it may not be a problem if it's behind the fridge or is a single rather than duplex receptacle).

Here's a good primer on how GFCI works.


Does PEX tubing need to be secured to attic joists?

Yes.  There are special plastic clamps that can be used with PEX so that the pipe does not wear.  You should secure it about every 32 to 48 inches, and anywhere to prevent the expansion/contraction of the pipe to cause wear.  It is not necessary to clamp where the pipe runs through holes in wooden joists/studs.


What should distance be between the two lower cabinets flanking a "30" inch range?

In case the range is not square?  Huh?  Don't hire the person that said this! Ranges come in standard sizes, and as you see, your 30" range is NOT 30".  The standard is to set the space between the base cabinets is 30"


What is required to connect solar panels to my home without connecting to the grid?

Typical grid connected installs of solar panels on homes need a couple of items to get them to work (it's not just lets slap some panels up there and wire it into the house).  Solar panels are DC (direct current), your house is AC (alternating current), so a inverter is needed to create the AC current.  Also that AC current needs to be synced to the same wave form that is being feed from the grid, another device (or sometimes packaged in the inverter).  Then the new solar AC is then tied into your main panel, typically requiring another box.  Also depending on the install, the panels might be electrically separated from each other (a good thing) requiring another device.  Once connected, excess power from the panels will feed back into the grid and in some areas this will be credited back to you on your bill.

All said, this work needs to be done with a permit, typically with buy off from the power company on size of panels.  Also for most DIY'ers, this is out of their scope of skill.  Get some quotes from solar panel companies and electricians in your area to get an idea of what you are looking at.

Also look at the cost of the system and how much it is going to save you each month.  Solar is popular here because power goes up to .30 a kWh depending on usage.  But for my energy usage, I'm only sitting at .11 on average making solar unreasonable.  My last bill was under $2 after energy program usage credits where applied.


Electrical device for testing continuity of long home-run wires

If you are trying to label or find a wire, the typical way is to use a wire tracer. One end is a tone generator, the other end is a detector that can hear those tones.

You can get low-voltage ones, which can be used for (unpowered) electrical cables, ethernet/phone and cable:

You can also get specialty live-voltage tracers, many of which can be used if the circuit is powered:

If you're actually trying to get continuity (and get an ohms value) one way is to use a standard multimeter with a long extension cord. This only works if the circuit is unpowered (otherwise you risk blowing up your meter and/or electrocuting yourself). Plug in the extension cord at one end, and bring the other end to the source (eg, near the panel), then you can use one of the multimeter probes on the extension cord and the other on the wire you're testing.


Your standard receptacles must be 15A on a 15A circuit or 15A or 20A on a 20A circuit. Your plug-in appliances will all be designed for those type of receptacles (generally 15A and fit 15A or 20A).

GFCI is required for bathroom, but doesn't have to be at the receptacle - could be at the breaker.

You can't piggyback 15A or 20A receptacles on a 30A circuit (the heaters). Not allowed. Period.

You can repurpose the wires currently being used for the heaters to instead be used for 15A or 20A circuit. But to do that:

You will lose the ability to use the heaters - they will be disconnected.
You must replace the 30A circuit breaker with a 15A or 20A circuit breaker.
Any additional wire to extend the circuit must be at least 14 AWG (for 15A) or at least 12 AWG (for 20A).
Any junction between new wires and the old heater wires must be in an accessible junction box. (Not an issue if you are able to reroute the wires directly into the box for the new receptacles.)
240V heaters often don't need neutral. If the existing wiring is only 2 wires + ground then you can only get a single circuit out of this - one wire as hot (on a new 15A or 20A breaker) and one wire as neutral. The neutral wire must be the white one. If the existing wiring includes neutral (e.g., black/red/white) then you can actually get two circuits out of this as an MWBC, but GFCI would have to be done at the breaker rather than at the receptacle.

The alternative of "pull power from the heat/fan" will probably not work. If the heat (lamp and fan are basically "nothing") uses more than a few Amps (I'm not sure of the breakpoint) then you can't put receptacles on the same circuit.


Corners are more difficult to heat since they have two outside walls. They should have more baseboard length to compensate.

In the short term, plastic window film kits would be highly advised as a quick fix for windows icing up on the inside. Run the tape on the side (and top, and bottom) of the window frame next to the wall and wrap the film all the way over the frame, then heat shrink and trim. Window replacement might well be on the menu, but that's next summer, not today. Film you can do today.

If, as is common, there is only one loop (circulator and thermostat control) for the heat, or one loop per floor, you need to work to balance the heat delivery. The circulator pumps warm water around until the place where the thermostat is gets to temperature. For rooms that are not where the thermostat is, adjustments may need to be made to the "flaps" on the baseboard that control air-flow (and thus heat delivery) to adjust relative heat delivery. Thus, you may need to close (partially or fully) flaps in some "warm enough" rooms to get enough heat into the "too cold" room with its flaps fully open, so that heat delivery near the thermostat is less, and the system runs longer to deliver heat to the colder room(s) before heating the thermostat to the point of shutting off.

You might also want to check for air bleed valves and make sure that there are not trapped air bubbles, which can reduce water flow rate significantly.

While a 14 year old house should be adequately insulated, that's worth checking and considering retrofit for as well. It should have adequate windows, too.


Electrical wire to use w/ 240V outlet for Tesla charger?

THWN is the stuff you need

You'll need to get get 6 AWG copper or 4 AWG aluminum THWN in black and/or red for the live wires as well as white for the neutral and 10 AWG bare copper for the ground wire.  While it sounds like "40A charger = 40A circuit", NEC 625.41 says that the charger is a continuous load, which requires upsizing the wire to 6AWG (or 4AWG for aluminum) and the breaker to 50A as a 40A breaker will eventually trip if subject to continuous 40A current through it.

If you know how long the conduit run is as-run -- you can order wire by-the-foot in each color (including bare) and add about 5' for terminations at each end.  Or, you can get a bunch of white (say, a 250' spool should leave you and the sparky with plenty left over to negotiate over), and have the electrician treat it as the universal donor wire color it is (tape flags for hots, strip it bare for grounding duty).

Using wet-rated (UF) cable is a bad idea because it makes the pull harder for the electrician, and the wires inside aren't marked for individual use so you can't take the jacket off.


What is the correct way to seal off a fireplace chimney?

Whatever area you live in I would suggest A minimum of capping the top, then blocking the bottom.
Capping the top prevents moisture like rain from causing problems below. Blocking at the bottom helps future residents from trying to use the fireplace.
I have seen perfectly good chimneys capped because the fireplace was so inefficient, then a new owner DIY a insert and caused thousands in smoke damage.
My current home had a 1930 fireplace with a gorgeous river rock chimney, it was not lined so at first I capped it then removed the chimney.
If I would have left it inplace for the Look I would have blocked it also at the bottom.  Just in case...


combining a humidifier with refrigeration cooling, what do you think?

One does not simply ignore thermodynamics ;)

As this vapor moves to the AC, you need very little energy ( dew point ) to turn it back to water.

Latent heat of evaporation works both ways. You need to provide 683 Wh (Watt*hours) of energy to turn 1 kg of water into water vapour... and if you have one kg of water vapour, you need to suck the same amount of energy out of it to turn it back into liquid water. You can view condensation as "pumping heat out of water vapor", or "whater vapor heats whatever it condenses on" but the way to visualize it does not change the physical phenomenon, which involves an amount of energy (heat) corresponding to the latent heat of evaporation.
If you use a mister to evaporate water, it will take the energy from the room, but it will return this energy to the AC unit as the AC unit condenses it back to liquid. From the point of view of the AC unit the only difference would be, maybe, a little bit better heat transfer on the evaporator fins.
So it shouldn't do anything to the electricity bill, but it will make the room moister and less comfortable.


Is it Possible to Coat the Subfloor Around a Toilet Flange to Prevent Rot?

As Tester said there shouldn't be any leaks and therefore no rot. Any leak from the wax ring should be repaired immediately.

However, pressure treated lumber will last longer in a wet environment if you are concerned about overflows, sweating, or other reasons the floor may get wet in that area.

Coating regular wood is not going to stop it from absorbing water on the edge or if it is soaked with water.

If you are laying tile in that area:
They make a liner product called Kerdi and roll on products like HydroBan for use under ceramic tile in wet areas like showers. Ceramic tile is not waterproof by itself.


Water Seeping Under Fiberglass Shower Drain

Even a small amount of moisture is not acceptable beneath your shower pan. If the drain is properly connected you shouldn't have any seepage. If you're still getting moisture you need to determine the source. You imply that the fiberglass pan may be porous. Fiberglass isn't porous so it shouldn't be seeping but it can crack. If it's a tile shower you could also be getting leakage around the seam between the shower base and the tile. Check and caulk all of the corners and seams.
You indicated the pan looked wet underneath. Looking wet doesn't mean it is wet but you need to find out. Just take a dry paper towel and wipe the bottom of the pan. If it's wet at all the paper towel will absorb any moisture. If you're still not sure, you can purchase a moisture sensor meter online or at a hardware store that will sense moisture levels in drywall, wood and other homebuilding materials.


NEC code-compliant hard wired hidden LED driver

Eek! Don't use a 120V dimmer "switch" to drive low voltage LEDs.

In the 120VAC world, the scheme for dimming is an extremely hanky-janky hack, which was only made to work with incandescents.  LEDs are immune to it. Dimmable LEDs need a microcomputer onboard to "outsmart" the janky dimmer scheme, reverse-engineer what the dimmer is trying to do, and then set dimming to that level.  It's a true Rube Goldberg contraption already.  Now try to add AC dimming a low voltage driver, and you have a totally unworkable train wreck.

In the 12 VDC world, LED dimming is blissfully easy.  You make constant 12V, then you take that to an electronic "PWM" dimmer. This is an elegant method that plays to LED's strengths.  It scales infinitely (you could dim a whole stadium using this method), you can carry dimming long distances as a signal, and then power each bank of lights locally, responding to the dimming command.  You can have any dim level possible, limited only by the resolution of the dimmer.  You can even "dim" RGBW, meaning select any color you want.

So yeah.  Do your dimming on the 12V side.  Also, it's low-voltage, so the easy low-voltage wiring rules apply.

So yeah. Stick the 120v-12V driver in the basement, and bring 12V up to the switch and/or lights.   You could even put a battery there and replace the driver with a charger, along with a solar panel and charge controller.  Then the lights would work during outages!

There are two ways to go about it.

Power to dimmer -> power onward to LEDs

Pretty straightforward: bring 12V to the switch, dim it, then send 12V (dimmed) to the lamps proper.

Signal to dimmer -> separate amplifiers driving LEDs

In this case, you send 12V +/- to the dimmer, and get "dim" (-) back as a signal (so 3-wires, low current; thermostat wire is fine).

Separately, you send to a basement amplifier:

12V +/- power supply
the "dim" signal (-, and the dimmer's + also if this is a different power supply) as the signal input to the amplifier.
Some number of LEDs on the output of the amplifier

This can be repeated for as many [power supply]/amplifier/LED sets that you wish to drive.

If you want to do this with RGB, then the dimmer will output three "-" wires (and one + if you're talking to a different power supply or driving LEDs directly).  The LEDs will take 4 wires: R G B and common.

If you want to do this with RGBW, then the dimmer outputs 4 "-" wires (and one "+").   LEDs will take 5 wires: R G B, W and common.


Is it normal for condensation to drip without the HVAC unit running?

Yes it is normal for condensate to drip for a while after the unit runs. If you have a steady drip for hours it is possible the drain is partily plugged and the tray is filling up cleaning the drain line is required to fix this. If there is a steady flow for a long period it may be the evaporator is icing up from dirty filters or low air flow across the coils. The last possibility is a incorrect Freon level usually a low level will cause ice on the evaporator but an overcharge can also cause this but this is less common now with licensing required to service Freon based systems.


Do I need a separate vent stack for my kitchen sink?

To answer the specific question of whether you need a separate vent for this sink: in my state (VA), the allowable distance between a 1 1/2" drain trap (standard size for a kitchen sink) and its vent is 6 feet.  If your trap is farther from the vent than that, then you should consider adding a new vent or an air admittance valve.

That said, too much distance from the vent won't cause your sink to drain slowly.  The problem with it being too far away is that the column of water flowing away from the trap is large and heavy enough that it has the potential to suck the water out of your trap as it leaves.  And along with this sucking comes the gurgling sounds mentioned in the other answers here.

EDIT: To be clear, your sink doesn't have to be 6 feet from the vent stack, i.e. the main vent pipe that goes through the roof.  Your DWV system may have other vent pipes that converge in the attic at the main stack.


Where do I find 4-4-4-6 direct bury copper cable?

That choice of copper wire is going to be even more expensive when the inspector makes you rip it out and replace it with the 3-3-3-5 you should be using.   You need to use the 75C column in 310.15b16 and can't use the 83% bonus derate on subpanels.

There's an urban myth that 4Cu/2Al is allowable on 100A, that was due to a misunderstanding of the applicability of 310.15b7, which in fact only applies to service entrances that serve the entire dwelling unit.  E.g. from meter to weatherhead or from main shutoff to main panel.   NOT subpanels.

I agree SER is not made for direct burial.

I concur that at this distance, 3Cu or 1Al will contain voltage drop to <3% at 60A.  Expect about 4% at a full 100A, which I wouldn't lose any sleep over.  You are correct not to design for 3% at breaker trip current.

Regardless expect to spend $5-7 per foot for #3Cu and about $1.60-$2.00/foot for #1Al.

The price you will really pay is decided by your local electrical supply house, at least the one willing to carry oddball cable like this.   The size isn't oddball, the use of copper when just about anyone else would use aluminum is oddball.

Some houses in the 1970s had a problem with 15/20A circuits using powerline grade aluminum (AA-1350). But there is nothing wrong with aluminum feeder at #4 size and up, even the obsolete AA-1350 alloys proved reliable.  Regardless, out of an abundance of caution, AA-1350 was outlawed and a new alloy, AA-8000, was invented specifically for household wiring.  The lugs will be aluminum, which means aluminum feeder does not introduce a "dissimilar metal" issue - but copper does!   Ironically.

Given your desire for copper, you are probably better off laying conduit e.g. sched. 80 PVC, and running individual copper wires (THWN or XHHW) therein.  They definitely   make those in copper.  The downside is theft risk, but it's a lot harder to steal buried cable.


You may in fact be on the wrong track.  When bulbs start blowing out, it's often a LOOSE NEUTRAL at your panel or the supply pole.  Test the bulbs in another socket: if they are really blown, then look elsewhere for a serious issue.


Material on this deck - what, why, and how to cover?

It looks like rolled roofing to me because of the tar like substance. We normally would not walk or put furniture on rolled roofing. It may have been put down to keep water out of the walls and possibly a Sheetrock ceiling below when it rains. On the decks like this I have done, we overlaid flooring to protect the seal.
Today more people use membrane roofing to seal things like this and still add a walking surface. I would want a interlocking tile or another rigid surface so chairs won’t punch through.