electrical fixture replaced now lights dont go on/off

Wires are NOT color coded as well as you think.  However, black-white pairs are grouped into cables. That's important.   (I'll disregard grounds; all grounds are ground and all go to each other).

One of the black-white pairs in the ceiling is supply power.  Black is always hot, white is neutral.

The other black-white pair is a switch loop.  When the switch is on, the two wires are shorted to each other. The white is supposed to have a marking on it to indicate that it is not a neutral wire, but that was skipped.  This kind of lazy installation is what makes color coding so meaningless.

Disconnect the wires from each other and check which are energized with the power on.  Alternately, you can look for the pair whose resistance changes a lot when you throw the switch, but only check resistance with the power off!

The switch-loop white needs to be marked with black tape etc.  Code requires we use that one for always-hot.  The remaining switch wire (black) will be switched-hot.  That goes to the lamp black.

So join the black supply wire and the white-tagged-black switch-loop wire with a wire nut, push it into the back of the box, and never touch it again.  These two wires never went to the lamp, and would have been joined just this way, so there was never any reason for you to touch it.  I understand the urge to learn electrical by dismantling things, but position information is very important in lazy wiring where nobody marks anything.

If you want to be the opposite of this, I am a huge fan of marking all wires as necessary so their function is clear, and all like colors can simply be joined to each other. In my world, an unmarked white is neutral, an unmarked black is always-hot.  Switched-hots are red, unless there's 2 or more in the same box, then blue and yellow.  Two yellows in the same cable are the 2 travelers in a 3-way switch circuit. (travelers are interchangeable and there's no need to distinguish them from one another).

The remaining white (from supply) is real neutral to the lamp. The remaining black (from switch) is switched hot to the lamp.


How can I drill a big diesel tank without emptying it first?

Seriously: You just don't.
Reasons:

You'll never be able to guarantee you didn't contaminate the fuel unless you clean it thorougly after the work, which you cannot with all the diesel in there. That bears great (financial) risks. If you sell that stuff you might even get sued. Special drills and precautions will surely reduce that risk, but it will still be there.
Any hole added after the tank has been varnished / coated damages that layer and the walls of the hole are naked as well. That is a starting point for corrosion. There is a reason coating is the last thing to do in such constructions.
Finally: Would you rely on statements such as "Diesel has a high flaming point" or "use argon on the empty part, to suppress fire"? With your Life? Really?! If someone told me to drill into so much as a tin can filled with diesel, I'd tell em to have fun trying themselves. In you case 3500L. Obviously Diesel is not an explosive so the effect is different but just for the giggles I did some math: The energy in that tank is equivalent to about 340000 kg of TNT, yep 340 metric tons.

Solution: Hire a professional to do the job.
They know what they're doing and they bear the risk and liability.
There's a reason they're called professionals.


Is a 4000W line voltage thermostat sufficient here?

Well according to the math it will work.  I would like to see a little more of a safety factor. My feelings aside, the manufacturer rates their product to handle your situation.  I would go ahead. I suspect the manufacturer has built in some safety factor. Be especially careful to ensure all connections are clean and tight.


Is there any way to test the water pressure at a structure, and if necessary from a specific output (hose bib)?

Yes, you want a water pressure gauge with a female hose thread. There are some on Amazon for less than US$10.


How do I run new water lines from the basement to the second floor through a finished wall?

Copper pipe should be self supporting for the height of a room as long as you clip it as close to the floor/ceiling as possible, but if you've got particularly high rooms or high pressure you still might get some banging.

There are various types of pipe clip you can get, some screw into the wall others nail, you just need a suitable anchor point.

1/2" (15mm) pipe should be adequate for most purposes, but I'd go with the size closest to the current pipes. Bath taps (in the UK at least) usually have larger diameter (3/4") to basin taps (1/2"), so you might want to use 3/4" (22mm) pipe if you've got a large bath.


How can I combine the two panels in a duplex on one meter?

Well, if you have 2x 200A service, feeding that from a single meter would require a "class 320" meter (320A continuous, which is 400A derated 80%, so it matches, even if it does not appear that way at first.)
The odds are (since those are a significant step up in expense for the meter can) that you don't have that for the meters you have now. So you'd be looking at replacing the meter, with any upgrades required for the currently adopted code in your area, which include adding an outside disconnect if it's NEC2020. This could be rather expensive, will require permits and (probably) professionals and the inconvenience of having no power midway through the procedure.
As such, it will probably take a LONG time to pay off if the thing you are trying to get rid of is the monthly service fee on the second meter. Combining the bills should be easy, but may not reduce that any - could not hurt to ask, though.


Can I run my sink & disposal into my basement's sewage pump?

I see no reason why you can't run the kitchen drain into the basement bath ejector pump basin.  You will have to get the kitchen drain dumped into the ejector basin in a sanitary fashion.  The pump will cycle more often. You will probably shorten the life of the pump a bit.  If the pump is designed to handle the effluent from the basement bath it surely can handle a kitchen sink and dishwasher.
I would prefer this to a regular visit from the rooter man.


Attempting to install new stair treads and risers

You need to determine why the risers and threads are not square. The problem might be the stringer. then determine if shimming is the way to go.
If you've got the space and the time, staining the risers and threads before installation might be a whole lot easier than crawling up and down trying to stain them.


That plug needs redoing. Urgently. It is unsafe.

  Make sure the clamp is on the covering for the cable not the
  individual wires

This is a correctly wired UK plug... different live & neutral colours and there's a fuse, but you get the idea that the cable grip goes over the outer covering of the cable and is properly tightened. The exposed power wires (red and black in your picture) should be only as long as they need to be to reach the plug pins, no longer. The earth/ground wire (green & yellow) should be a little longer, so it gets pulled out last if the cable grip fails. The bared copper should also be the minimum length needed to get under the screws, which should be fully tightened.


Is it safe to use a string of lights with one shattered

It is not safe if the string is of incandescent bulbs, because there will be exposed line voltage in the broken bulb.

In that case, remove the broken bulb and plug it in. If the string lights (it.has parallel wiring; usual for large screw-in bulbs), then you're fine. If it does not light, you will need to replace the bulb (it has series wiring, usual for small push-in bulbs).

If the string works without the bulb and you don't intend to replace it, wrap electrical tape (or whatever plastic or cloth you have available) over the socket so nobody can accidentally put a finger into it.

LED strings may or may not have safe low voltage, depending on how they were designed.


How to join 2 telephone wires to pull through wall

OK, start out by stripping the main cover insulation about an inch off of each end of the cables. Now strip a half inch of insulation off of each conductor. Twist the conductors from one cable to the next separately trying to keep even tension. You'll have to group some of the 10 pair conductors together and then twist them to a 4 pair conductor. Lay the twisted splices flat and pull slightly to even out the tension. If you have a soldering iron you can solder the joints together for added strength. Then wrap one layer of electrical tape as tight as you can from the edge of the cover insulation across the spliced area to the edge of the cover insulation on the other cable.  Then wrap one layer of electrical tape from one inch over the cover insulation across the splice area to one inch over the cover insulation of the other cable.

You now have a strong straight slice about the same thickness as the cable. If you are trying to push pull this through concealed studs you'll still have a problem with the 90 degree bends, especially if the studs are steel. If you have access to an attic, run a new route across the attic and down the walls as needed. Good luck.


Is it bad to have the bottom of a baseboard heater covered?

Baseboard heaters work largely by convection--the heating of air by the radiator fins causes a rising action, and a low pressure zone below. That zone must be replenished. Ideally, open space below allows a "chimney effect" to occur.

However, since you say that the downstream end of the pipe is room temperature, all available heat is already being extracted, and therefore no efficiency stands to be gained.

I'd test that, though, to be sure. Take an accurate temperature reading at the downstream end of the system, and if it's more than about ten degrees above ambient you have more heat available to be released with better airflow.

If you can't get the property owner to assist, a small fan directed at the heater would provide adequate airflow to extract additional heat during very cold spells.


Can I power an outdoor security light from a non-EV garage receptacle?

The 2014 NEC states:

  210.52 (G) (1). For attached and detached garages with electric power, the branch circuit supplying the garage receptacle(s) will not supply any outlets outside the garage. And at least one receptacle outlet shall be installed for each car space.

An "outlet" is defined as "A point on the wiring system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment."

So, your outdoor floodlight power should come from elsewhere.

Sorry


What is the difference between different rated RCCBs except for the price?

In general: An RCD should be able to handle more current then the nominal Amperes of the RCB. The more the better since losses are lower and the chance to destroy/damage the RCD via an overload is lower.

Some versions are most probably more expensive (even having lower Ampere ratings) because of much lower production numbers. In many countries a RCD protects more then 1 circuit, so a 40A or 63A version is standard.

When a second (or more) parallel circuit are added alongside the first 16A circuit (if the upstream installation is rated accordingly), the RCD would protect both circuits. Of course, neutral and ground/Protection Earth must never be connected downstream of a RCD. An overload in both circuits at the same time is very unlikely.

A 25A30ma Residual Current Device can handle 25A in normal operation.
This Ampere value should be always greater then the breaker's Ampere value.

Here is the reason:
A Residual Circuit Breaker RCB of 16A is NOT specified to interrupt immediately when more then 16A is flowing, e.g. 18A.
But it interrupts after certain seconds/minutes taken into account that short time higher currents must be tolerated. F.e. a 16A RCB could interrupt a 20A current only after 40 seconds. But of course it must interrupt every shortage with high currents as soon as possible (hundreds or thousands of Ampere in the milisecond range).

Note: if there was a shortage in a circuit, the RCD should be exchanged since it could have been damaged by the high short current.


What could cause my water heater to pulsate during cold water usage?

Sounds like the pressure regulator is failing and needs to be replaced. Last time mine went, it would bang all the pipes after I used any water, hot or cold. Depending on your existing pressure regulator and the replacement you find, it may be as easy as unscrewing the old one and screwing on a new one. But more than likely, you'll need to cut the pipe and solder (assuming copper) a new connection or two.


How can I repair crumbling tile sealant?

Let me see if I understand: Your kitchen wall is covered with ceramic tiles and the "sealant" is actually grouting between the tiles, right, and now grouting is falling off? If this is the case my first guess is that grouting mass was old (wasn't used before expiration date).There could be some other reasons like poor workmanship etc. On of this is really a big deal, I mean it's not anything serious. What you should do is clear with some sharp tool existing grouting and apply new one. Material is not expensive, and you can do it on your own, because it doesn't require any special skill, just follow the manual.


Any load on circuit trips bathroom breaker

It sounds like a wire may have been damaged during the install. I am guessing at this point that it is a gfci breaker since it only trips with a load. In this case I would be looking for a skinned neutral or a point in the box that the neutral and ground may now be touching. I don't believe it would be a hot wire because it holds with no load,  why did it start after months? Wires relaxing , home vibrations but at least this provides a location to look in the boxes on the neutral , it could be a staple in the wiring but I would check boxes first.


Typical bathroom fans have a 4” or 6” duct to the exterior. Leaving a similar area between the vent grille opening and the top of the new cabinet should be satisfactory. (6” diameter area is about 28”. Therefore, if the cabinet is about 28” long, then you’d need about 1” clearance between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling.)


Where can I find the trip curve for this circuit breaker?

I just followed the link. The trip values for the breakers are the numbers on the handles. You have at least 3 different sizes in your panel the red, blue & black  (the top left one is the main 240V 100A) the blue and reds are the 120V 15 amp & 20 amp the top right is a 240V and there should be a number on the handle that is its amperage. The numbers you want are the ampacities of the breaker they should trip close to this value. the normal load for a breaker is 80% of the value on the handle. As breakers age or have been tripped many times sometimes they do trip early. If you need the curve values we need the type and brand. The type is normally something like "QP".


How to diagnose a greywater system backup

I would bet the pipe IS blocked and the previous owner or his handyman opened up the pipe to get it to drain into the yard.   You need to have someone figure out where this line is going (maybe with an inspection camera) and clear it if the output is proper.  Most likely it is clogged with roots and soil.


How can a circuit breaker turn on a different circuit?

I am really suspecting that someone has hooked a grounded conductor(slang neutral/white ) wire to a hot wire
Say in a light socket where the white wire was used as the pwer wire for the light fixture and it wa snot taped off to show it was the hot
 A white wire was hooked to it thinking it was a neutral
 I fought a problem like this for weeks in a building. Someone had done this to several runs
 It could be in any junction box, at a light switch ,an outlet or even in the breaker panel

Most likely you will only have to work these three circuts
 Another idea is someone tried to do a multiwire circuit and got it mixed up or a three way switch was replaced with the wrong switch and to make it work they wired some wires to others

I would start by taking stuff apart like outlets one at a time and see when problem goes away or take fixtures loose one at at time
 Last you could have a two circuits doing the same thing


Why does my spa pump hum but not rotate?

Frozen motor could be seized bearings, jammed pump impeller or even burned/shorted motor windings.

Any of those probably mean motor and / or pump replacement.


Blower shut off but the AC unit ran for 20-30 minutes afterward

It was a sticky relay. I should have just hit the AC unit and the relay probably would have un-stuck, but only to have gotten stuck again later. I could have just cleaned the relay too, but I had the HVAC guy replace it with a new one he had on the truck.


Based on the picture, what do you recommend using to patch this hole?

I have done a lot of repairs like this, I usually use some kind of grinder or belt sander to bevel the edges of the area , then use hot mud to fill 3/4 of the depth once the hot mud is dry then I use mesh and mud to fill the remaining area and the mesh to bridge the gap (reduces cracking) after that I will sand and use topping mud for a quick final layer to match the existing surface, prime and cover paint is the last step. The res on the photo I can’t quite tell the pattern but matching is a bit easier if the base is solid, if you don’t use mesh or tape below the surface it WILL crack on those edges. Multiple layers something to bridge the edge below the surface and matching the texture on the top will make it look like a pro repair.


Can I use a 2x6 beam stretched across a few of these roof rafters to support a hammock?

I think you'll be OK, but another alternative would be to add another rafter just for the hammock.  That might look a little better, too.


PO Drilled a large hole in a load bearing beam

Determining if the drill hole weakens the beam beyond serviceability would require site-specific calculations, like how close to its load and span limit it is.

If it fails in the future, by cracking and sagging or collapsing, it will do so under heavy load, which is exactly when you don't want it to fail.

The floor will be on, and no-one will remember there is a slightly weak spot at that point.

For peace of mind, fit the bandage you've shown. It's a quick easy fix, and good for the long term performance of the building.

I'd be inclined to fit a much longer bandage, with two sets of through bolts far apart on each side of the fault hole, and perhaps use a 1/4" x 6" steel plate rather than wood.


A percolation test is used to determine the absorption rate of the soil. Basically you'll dig a hole (or bunch of holes), put water in it (them), and time how long it takes for the water to go away.

It's probably not something you could do on a property you don't own, as it involves digging holes in somebody else's land. You could ask the seller if you can run the test, maybe they'll let you.

If you do run the test yourself. You'll have to check with the local government, to determine what they consider passing.


Subfloor tolerance for engineered hardwood

It usually says on the packet, but if there is a 1/8” dip then the floor will flex when someone like me walks across it - I am 110kg.

You may want to consider finishing the underfloor surface to a better standard, like 1/16” as the underlay will compress on the high points and still have 1/8” gap at the low points...


Sadly, there just isn't much data to go on
Unfortunately, very little is known about the behavior of Wadsworth breakers; the original manufacturer is nothing more than a brand name that's been tossed about the industry a few times since they stopped being a going manufacturing concern, and while there are replacements out there, there is basically no manufacturer data about their performance, either.  Nor are there any independent test results; unlike the FPE fiasco, which motivated a significant independent study effort (the work of Aronstein et al) that also swept in Zinscos and their checkered history as well as several more mainstream brands of breakers to serve as a reference point, Wadsworth breakers have not been analyzed in-depth by anyone outside of UL (back then) or ETL (more recently).
You can't really test a (small) breaker in-situ either
Atop this dearth of information, there is basically no way to safely test a miniature (loadcenter) breaker while it is installed.  This is because most breakers consist of two parts: a thermal trip that protects wires against overheating caused by overloading of circuits, and a magnetic trip designed to catch short circuits and other such catastrophic, high-energy faults.
With the thermal trip, the primary hazard of testing it while the breaker is installed is that the circuit itself will simply fail open at a weak connection under an overload test current (say, 200% of breaker rating), creating a hard-to-diagnose fault. If you carried on long enough without the breaker tripping, the wires would eventually overheat and create a fire hazard, as well, which could be a problem with relative unknowns like your Wadsworth breakers.  (It's less of a problem with modern wiring like the THHN used for your homeruns than it is for old cloth wiring as modern insulation withstands heat better and thus as better safety margins against overloading, but it's still possible to do.)
However, the primary problem is that the thermal trip is rarely needed to safeguard a circuit from damage; instead, under high-energy fault conditions, such as those created during a short, it's the magnetic trip that needs to operate in order to instantly disconnect the circuit and thus stop further damage cold in its tracks.  These levels of fault current (at least 10 times the handle rating) are much more damaging to the circuit as a whole than a simmering 200% overload is, and there is very little limit on how high a breaker's magnetic trip can be set.
As a result, there isn't any good way to test a loadcenter/miniature-type breaker in-situ without risking severe circuit damage, and the high-powered equipment required to test a breaker's magnetic trip function can't realistically be brought out to a worksite either, even if pulling the breakers in question out and sticking them in a test machine was in the cards.
There really isn't a good path forward
The other part of the problem here is that it appears that we aren't looking at a simple breaker panel here, but some sort of multi-way meter-pack that contains a set of electricity (watthour) meters and associated small breaker panels.  As a result of that, and the space constraints associated with that, there's really no way to fix this without essentially rewiring significant chunks of the building.


Something is wrong with the disposal or something is wrong with the circuit breaker.  It's normal operation to turn a breaker all the way off before resetting it.  I believe that's how all of them work.

To diagnose the problem, you're going to have to measure the power usage of your disposal.  You can do this with a "clamp meter" that measures amps or a more consumer friendly meter like a "Kill-a-watt" brand power usage meter.

If the disposal never goes over 20 amps but the breaker is still tripping, the breaker is most likely bad.  If it goes over 20 amps then something is wrong with the disposal and replacement is probably the best fix.


If you're spending the money to add a panel anyway, you might as well reduce the changes of having to expand it later.    Unless you're installing the second panel really far from the main, you're likely not going to spend much more to put in the 100 amp panel over a 60 amp panel.  Oversizing the panel will not hurt anything but your wallet, so why not do it?

The installation will be exactly the same either way, the only differences will be the size of the breaker in the main panel, the main breaker in the new panel, and the size of the conductors between the panels.

You can read this answer for more detail, but likely you'll need four 3 AWG copper conductors to feed a 100 ampere panel.  Of course the size will change based on the length of the run, and other factors. So make sure you verify the size once you know exactly how long the wires will be, and how they'll be run.

Did a quick search for wire prices, and it looks like it's about $0.20 per foot difference between a 6 AWG stranded copper wire and a 4 AWG stranded copper wire. Then another $0.20 per foot difference between 4 AWG stranded copper wire and 3 AWG stranded copper wire.  So you'd be looking at an $0.80 per foot difference between 6 and 4 AWG feeders, and an $0.80 per foot difference between 4 and 3 AWG feeders.


Consumer product equivalent to a power strip with a 5A circuit breaker?

Circuit protection is for FAULTS, not Regular Usage
If an induction burner is designed for long-term usage then extra circuit protection should not be necessary. If it is NOT designed for long-term usage then extra circuit protection is not enough. For example, leaving anything cooking for a long time has the possibility of all the liquid boiling out, which can result in problems (e.g., fires) that have nothing to do with wiring faults.
Get a Slow Cooker
A Crockpot or Slow Cooker is designed to be used for a long period of time - 12 to 24 hours. It typically includes a base with a covered heating element and a pot that sits on top and is specifically designed to match the base so that there are no exposed heating elements. In addition, the pot itself is often (though not in all brands/types) a ceramic pot that retains heat well and typically has a close fitting lid to help keep steam/liquids inside (though not super-tight like a pressure cooker).


This is likely a common "bibb" style valve, where the water comes through a valve seat. The water is stopped by a bibb washer on the end of a moving stem; the washer seals by moving up against the valve seat.

The picture below shows a common bibb-style valve (yours would not be identical but same general parts and principle):


How do I fix a Bostitch nail gun that is jammed?

Oiling your gun on regular intervals is important. In your case, if the pin is stuck, try the following.

Put several drops of oil directly on the pin and slide channel. Remove all nails, reassemble the nose and see if the gun will dry fire against a scrap piece of wood. the gun should fire and leave a dent from the push rod in your wood if it is working.

If the gun still does not fire, then the pin may be damaged or bent. At this point the upper air chamber will have to be removed and the pin assembly removed/replaced.  Rebuilding air guns is not real difficult and parts for a Bostich are readily available. You problem may be a worn or damaged O-ring in the compressor section. Rebuild kits for the upper end have got to be replaced often, especially if they have not been oiled regularly of after long periods of storage.  Parts are cheap.

Some folks at the tool dept of Lowes or HD could be helpful guiding you. If you have a good lumber yard that sells Bostich tools, they often stock the parts and will be helpful in helping you fix your tool.

In my area, Bostich often have promotion displays at the vendors where they will do maintenance and install rehab kits at no charge with the purchase of a case of nails.  Both of my framers, Bostich 88W's, have been rebuild at least 4 times for free during these promotions.


How to cover old Red Dot outdoor outlet for constant use?

I think mark f has already answered your question well.  I just wanted to add some photos from a similar project I did last year in case these are helpful to you.
I installed a weatherproof cover and box to replace the old ones that supplied my above-ground pool.  Fair warning: don't do this at your own pool because my installation was deficient in several ways; but I bought the house with some problems already existing, and I just needed to make a repair and add GFCI for my own comfort; my city didn't care.
Anyway, first picture is what the box looked like with a couple duplex receptacles in it.  Hopefully, you won't need a new box; but if you do, they come with plenty of plugs and conduit bushings.

I prepared the wiring in my garage:

Then I have the parts that came with the cover; that's the cover itself plus a gasket that makes it watertight.

Here's what the box looks like with the gasket fitted:

And now with the cover attached using four mounting screws:

What it looks like when closed:

Finished, with a cord plugged in:

I hope this helps!


Fence gates with two holes for lock and handle

Those are set up for standard (door) lock-sets and that's what you should be searching for.  As far as which will perform best outside, that's a good question for a locksmith.  I wouldn't get my hopes up on the cheapies.


Just before my cat passed on, she sprayed every wall, carpet, door...in my house. I removed all the carpet and "painted" my floors with shellac, especially the edges of each room by the floor base. It smelled terrible until I used the shellac.


NEC Definition of "Maintained Spacing" for Wire in Free Air

The National Electrical Code (NEC) does not define the proper spacing that should be maintained.

A similar question was asked, and answered on the Mike Holt Forum.

  That is the million dollar question. I just keep them from touching. Keep in mind that you can have 4- 2 wire nm cables stacked without being hurt by the derating that is necessary.


Running Satellite cable from wall plate, under carpet to opposite side

Running the cables around the baseboards using surface-mount conduit is a better idea.

Common trade names for conduit (or “raceway”) include “Panduit” and “Wiremold”.

Coax under carpet will create a lump and the coax will eventually be damaged.


Sizing electrical wire from Solar Panels

I am assuming that you have 220V going to the barn? As far as wire size, industry standards say to aim for 1 - 2% voltage drop, but running 5000W, 200ft on #8 wire @ 220V results in just under 3% voltage drop. This will probably work just fine but it would work a little better if you were to upgrade it to a #6 or a #4. It is just a matter of weighing the options. During peak performance a system running at 5000W with a 3% drop would be losing around 150W. At 1% drop you would only lose 50W remember, this is only during peak performance; during the morning and evening, your losses are much less.

Here is the question to ask yourself... How much money is it going to cost to upgrade the wire? Is it worth it for a 100W increase?

Credits: I mostly use the Southwire Voltage Drop Calculator for my calculations... I can do it manually but the Vdrop calculator is much easier.

Thanks, Maxfield Solar


Yes, hardwood is often glued directly to concrete slab. It's a fairly common installation.

That said, gluing down solid hardwood planks is more problematic and trouble-prone because the solid planks do not tolerate uneven floor very well.

Engineered hardwood often works better for a glue-down application.  Engineered hardwood is manufactured from layers of material laminated together, topped with a veneer of actual hardwood.  The layers are chosen to allow the flooring to better tolerate environmental conditions, such as moisture, better than solid planks.  Manufacturers also often cut slots on the back of the hardwood which allow it to flex and absorb the unevenness in a concrete slab.


Potential asbestos exposure from adding screws to drywall?

IMHO Asbestos dangers have been dramatically over-stated for the general public. The people who were in real danger are  people who worked with asbestos in an industrial setting, like ship workers insulating pipes, heating techs insulating pipes and ducts with asbestos etc. , day in and day out, cutting it, being exposed to it's dust.
Extremely limited exposure to asbestos like your father may have had will not result in any health problems.
Hopefully this answer will not get flagged for being opinion based because if you look at the facts, nearly everyone who got asbestosis was in an industrial or military setting.   Your father is at virtually no risk from what he did.


What is the service wire sizing based off of on a temporay power pole?

According to the National Electrical Code 2017, the service-entrance conductors should be sized based on the loads being served.

National Electrical Code 2017
Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection
Article 230 Services
230.42 Minimum Size and Rating
(A) General. Service-entrance conductors shall have an ampacity of not less than the maximum load to be served. Conductors shall be sized to carry not less than the largest of 230.42(A)(1) or (A)(2). Loads shall be determined in accordance with Part III, IV, or V of Article 220, as applicable. Ampacity shall be determined from 310.15. The maximum allowable current of busways shall be that value for which the busway has been listed or labeled.
(1) Where the service-entrance conductors supply continuous loads or any combination of noncontinuous and continuous loads, the minimum service-entrance conductors size shall have an allowable ampacity not less than the sum of the noncontinuous loads plus 125 percent of the continuous loads.
(2) The minimum service-entrance conductor size shall have an ampacity not less than the minimum load to be served after the application of any adjustment or correction factors.


Install deadbolt in metal steel door and door jamb

Since you already have the holes drilled, it seems you will need to make this work somehow. The latches that are supplied in many new lock sets typically have a few face plate options for the strike bolts. Since these types of doors are made to accept dead bolts at the place they are assembled, you will have to use the option that has no face plate for the edge of the door. It is typically a thickened ring that fills the rest of the 1" bore in the edge and held in place by a snug fit and the connection with the deadbolt cylinder.

You may need to ream the 1' bore a little more to get the bolt in all the way, If that is not practical, you may be able to reduce the outside diameter of the added ring on the bolt.

With the 2 1/8" bore, it will not handle the compression of the screws that hold the cylinder in place and will always come loose if the bore is not reinforced with properly sized wood blocks that will keep the thickness intact while the screw hold the cylinder in place. Metal will work too if you can get it the right size.

About adding a strike to the door jamb. It can be done, but to make it look nice and not hacked up it will require a lot of time and tedious cutting and gluing in inserts to receive the screws to hold the strike in place, all for the effort to make a "pretty" hole. I would in all seriousness, simply drill a 1" hole in the jamb and be done with it. It will be plenty strong. The metal strikes that come with latch sets are to strengthen the wood jambs to make them more secure. The meal jambs already are.


Where does the E wire go on a Nest thermostat?

The 'E' typically goes to what is called 'emergency heat' which is often the same as and is connected with the 'AUX' (auxiliary heat) used with a heat pump system.  In our area we normally designate this our second stage of heating and it doubles as the primary if and when you need service for an extended period on the outdoor unit. These type of thermostats are connected in a lot of different ways.  I would need to see and understand your entire system and how it is designed to work.  And I need to know how you want to use energy saving measures. Additionally, I need to know your comfort level demands.


Please help establishing a C wire for new tstat

Connect the blue wire from the thermostat cable as shown above, then connect the other end to the C terminal of the thermostat.


Does an outdoor outlet mounted on a patio ceiling require protection from a GFCI?

In my opinion (not AHJ). You don't need a GFCI on receptacles that:
1. Cannot be reached without the use of special equipment.
2. Are being used for a specific duty.

However, the receptacle shown is in a damp location and the cover that is on it not rated as such. It needs to be changed out with a weatherproof cover. If anyone is questioning why it is a damp location rather than wet. It's because rain or normal operation does not require it to be in direct contact with water.


Keep in mind that for inside corners, you shouldn't be using miter cuts at all -- you should cope them instead.  That gives you a joint that appears mitered, but is more forgiving of slight errors and with less tendency to open up over time.


Depends on the type of anchor.  Some cement anchors are similar to your average screw, except the threads are wider.  Other cement anchors are similar to a toggle screw, and can be much larger.  What follows is how to fasten a concrete anchor that is similar to a screw.

You will need to drill a pilot hole with a concrete drill bit. The packaging will likely say what size bit you need, but a rule of thumb is for the pilot hole to be narrower than the threads of the screw (in this case, the anchor) so they can grip the surrounding material firmly.  A hammer drill will work well for your pilot hole, though I managed with the 18v dewalt drill/driver for 1/4" anchors.  Then you drive your anchor using a drill.  It helps to drill the pilot a bit deeper than the length of the anchor.  This will ensure the anchor will drive cleanly.

Not sure about your "Mound of cement" statement.


How can I adjust the temperature of my hot water?

There should (might actually) be a thermostat control on the water heater unit. Typically, in the US at least and on the units of which I've experienced, it's a big, round, red knob which will give you suggestions like "HOT", etc. Today's more efficient units may even have an "Energy Efficient" specific setting.

Adjust it to your liking.

Note that this may not be a feature on all models, particularly an electric heater; I know mine doesn't.


TLDR: Seek out 14/4 cable, or run conduit and individual wires.  The neutral must be in the same cable or conduit with its partner hots.   Neutrals and grounds cannot be borrowed (for your application).  Ground cannot be used as a conductor. Or, use a smart remote.

If you're an electronics guy, Code is full of weird idioms that don't make sense until you get deeper into the craft of it.

Neutral is not Ground

It's common in DC electronics to use "ground" as both RF shield and current return.

Code electrical is wired the same as if it were a fully isolated system with equipment ground/shield only as a safety device.  To keep voltages from floating/rattling, it is bonded to earth in one location.  Only hots or neutral may return current, never ground unless you want a GFCI trip.

Because many people must service a circuit, colors are standardized:  Neutrals are always white or gray; grounds are always green, green/yellow or bare.  Any loose ground wire (not in one of the unusual, grandfathered applications) will be added to the ground bundle by the first competent electrician who sees it attached to anything else.

You can't use ground as a conductor.

That bare wire can only be ground except in a very narrow list of exceptions. All of which involve grandfathering old work.  So forget it.  Ground as a conductor is not gonna happen.

Only when you are retrofitting ground to old (1970s> work) can you steal ground from another circuit.  When doing new work, you must "do it right".

You especially can't steal neutral

Your original scheme, and ThreePhaseEel's modified scheme with 14/3, involves stealing neutral from the light circuit.   Nope.  You need to put your neutral in with your partnered conductors. Your best bet is to find 14/4 or 14/2/2 cable.  It's a bit harder to find but is a Code requirement for what you are doing.  Either will have 4 conductors and a ground wire.   Alternately, you can run it in conduit and use single conductors, as many as you need/like.

Your motor control needs one neutral and three hots in a single current loop. All of these conductors must be inside the same cable (or raceway/conduit).

It is absolutely not permitted to share a neutral wire out of a different cable.  That's because in any cable, the current of all the conductors must be equal/balanced (or to be more precise, sum up to zero when flow direction is accounted for).  In this way, the magnetic fields from all the wires cancel each other out.  Otherwise, a magnetic field forms around the cable and particularly between the unbalanced cables, and that will inductively heat anything with the misfortune to be metal.  Remember, we're dealing with AC here.   This is a big deal.  This sort of thing is why AC motors need laminated field windings, and DC motors do not, even though the motors are identical in every other respect.

A good litmus test of this principle is to imagine what happens if you put a GFCI on the device/circuit in question.  If hot and neutral current are unequal, it will trip.  If neutrals are borrowed or ground is used as a conductor, it will trip.  Every Code installation should pass a GFCI test.

Like I say, a lot of Code stuff seems weird... or even dumb. "But you can do that!"  Actually, get into the gory details and you find out when people did that, houses burned down.  The system is intensely designed to save lives and be maintainable by any licensed electrician or Code-respecting hobbyist without obsessively googling every product they might find or weird installation they might uncover.

Plan B: use a smart module

A much better way to do this thing is to use a smart device which is made to control fans and lights, and a partner "remote" that sits up in the fan cowling.  The smart control communicates with the remote using fewer wires.  In a perfect world, it uses radio or inducts signal onto the power line, in which case you only need to bring always-hot and neutral to the switch and fan location.

The remote sits between the hot+neutral and the fan, switching (dimming?) the light, and selecting the various fan speeds.

Much better!

I assure you this product exists, so search for it before you launch a Kickstarter.


The 1/2" bolts will hold up your truck, or thereabouts, so that's not an issue.

I'd be concerned about the pullout strength of the deck screws (especially if your rack was particularly big or you have a fondness for cast iron). Upgrade to something a little bigger. I'd lean toward a 1/4" lag screw, 3" or so, assuming that fits the flange. If that doesn't fit, aim for a #12 deck screw. Predrill pilot holes for the screws.

A little research... in typical conditions, you can expect a 2.5" fully threaded #12 screw to hold something like 300# in pine. See the calculator at engineering toolbox.


How to replace a standard 2-gang light switch with an electric dimmer switch

I have included two images. The first identifies the wires in your current switch and the second image identifies where to put said wires.

In case your wondering the "S" terminals are for slave units


The filter sits between the air return duct and the heat chamber, BEFORE the cool air enters the furnace.

The air flow arrow almost certainly will point at the furnace, not away from it.

If the filter sat after the furnace, there would be potential hazards associated with it, like possibility of fire (hot air hitting a cardboard frame) and release of nasty substances due to overheating.


Thermal cameras for AC issues, especially cell phone types

Something to try first: Contact you power company and find out if they will do an audit/evaluation of your home. Our power company called us and asked if we wanted an evaluation ; the contractor that did it even made some simple improvements .


Can homeowners install sink grease traps to prevent build up in septic/sewer lines?

Don't dump grease down the drain. Discard it in the trash (or use it for further cooking.) Pour out grease/oil into a can for cooling, possible refrigeration and re-use, or to discard in trash. Wipe most remaining grease out of pots and pans on a paper towel and discard it, before washing.

Also, go with the recommendations of virtually every public health department and cooperative extension and stop wasting money on "bacteria additive" - none do any better than the ones in the waste stream naturally, and some have deleterious effects (they successfully "liquify wastes" and plug your drain field, when the whole point of the septic tank is to separate those solids so they can be pumped out.) A plugged drainfield is VERY expensive (you need a new drain field.)

You can install a small grease trap inside, but then you need to maintain it. Or you could install a large grease trap (pretty much like another septic tank) outside, ...but then you need to maintain it (in some places, there is a minimum pump schedule by law for grease traps.) Grease trap maintenance is decidedly gross - it smells terrible.

http://store.msuextension.org/publications/HomeHealthandFamily/MT199401HR.pdf

http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/septic-systems/septic-tank-pumping

http://spock.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/html/C819-3.html

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/ID-142.html


That looks pretty busted up, and I'm guessing you want to fix it,
and making it stronger than it was it more inportant than making it look good as new.

MDF and chipboard are weak in edge-grain, so for durable connections screw into (and preferable through) the faces not into the edges.

What you do is get some 20mm x 2mm  aluminum angle that's as long as the join, and some chip-board screws.

Place the aluminium inside the failed corner, drill small holes (eg 1/16" or 1.5mm) through the "wood" into (and through) the aluminium then screw through that hole. do that though both pieces in every 2" or so along the join.

There'll be sharp screw points through the aluminium, but chripboard screws are hard steel, so if you bend them a bit you can break them off fairly easily (eg using pliers)


How to direct connect 1-1/4 tailpiece to 1-3/8 vessel sink drain threads

You need a tailpiece extension.

Reattach the original tailpiece that came with the drain and fit an extension onto that. Extensions are available in metals or plastic and can be trimmed as needed, etc. but, unless you like clogged plumbing, don't buy the flexible "accordion-style" ones.

Installed, it looks something like this:

(Note: This is some kind of "before-and-after" picture.) What we're talking about is the portion in the center that shows the extension between the trap and the original tailpiece (chrome).


Which whole house generators put out a good sine wave?

As others have said, this will vary considerably from one device to another.

One way to measure the quality of electricity is "Total Harmonic Distortion" (THD), which is a measure of how much distortion from a true sine wave there is. A perfect sine wave is 0%, and a square wave (very poor) is 48%. Anything under 5% is generally considered "perfect" for household usage, and a good generator should be around that. But a cheaper generator could be 20-30% +. You may have to do some digging to find the specs for a model since not all manufacturers advertise it prominently.

Frankly, it's hard to tell whether your home devices will be troubled by high THD or not. It's not nearly as simple as "electronics"... most electric devices today have a DC converter to supply the device with low-voltage DC power, and actually are pretty isolated from the mains power. I think most DC power adapters are pretty tolerant of poor power, wide voltage ranges, wide frequency ranges, etc.

Note that there are other factors that may vary, like AC frequency (in the US that should be 60 Hz with very little variation), voltage (in the US should be between 110V and 130V for single-phase or 220V-260V for split-phase).


You can join another piece of wire to the short end of the neutral using an approved joiner and use this pigtail to connect to neutral terminal of the receptacle.  be sure to use the correct type and colour.


Diagnosing problem with new shower grout--coming off to the (dry) touch and cracks/holes appearing

When I set my hand on the shower wall getting in and out, I noticed that a powder stuck to it

I suspect poor / lazy grouting technique. After grouting it is normal for the tiled surface to be covered with a "grout haze", which is just a very thin film of dried grout left by the grout finishing/sponging process. Good sponging practices, e.g. using multiple buckets/sponges (dirty, cleaner, cleanest) and frequent sponge wringing and water changes minimize (but do not eliminate) the haze. Pros will wait till the grout is cured then use a mild acid rinse followed by clear water rinse, to remove all haze.

  I also noticed a few spots where there were small holes and cracks in the grout

Again, not unusual with inferior technique. Common cause of small holes/cracks are poor grout installation, e.g. lame technique with grout float, incorrect water/grout ratio, improper mixing, failure to allow grout to slake, crappy / lazy sponge technique, etc.

You can try to mix up a bit of additional grout and use a finger to smooth it into uneven areas and small pits/cracks; make sure to moisten existing grout in the area first. This will almost always be visible to a critical eye but may be better than leaving as-is. Alternatively you could grind down all the grout and completely regrout... You are a victim of money vs. craftsmanship, which is more common than not these days.


Centralised home automation system - Any product out there?

Without home aut, one controllable lamp requires a switch, which interrupts the 110V/230V wire between the power source and the lamp. When you need another lamp, you have to find the point, where you can join to the 110V/230V, a switch and a lamp.

In a centralized system, you have to lead 2 wire from the button to the center, and another 2 between the lamp and the center. Switching to home aut. requires complete re-wiring. When you need another lamp, you have to another 2+2 wire for lamp and for button, you have to provide a relay for the lamp, a free slot on the controller for the lamp (sometimes built together with the relay), a free input slot. If your controller device has no free slot, you have to buy another one. Sometimes adding new devices is not a simple task, e.g. if the controller is connected to the computer with RS232 or other point-to-point cabling, you have to expand the computer. So, when the hardware is OK, you have to configure it in your software.

So that's why this part of the home automation is less advertised: you have to completelly re-organize the electrical stuff in your house. It can be quite expensive.

There are other kind of home automation systems, where there're no central panel, but each actuator/sensor is intelligent. These manufacturers say that it's more reliable than centralized systems, but you will forget it as soon as you will see the price of that sysems.

There're solutions avoid cabling: the smart guys say X10 is not the best choice, it's unreliable etc., the future is ZigBee and EnOcean. (I just have to write EnOcean driver for our system.)

So, when you choose system, take care of expandability, ask these questions: what if I double my lamps? How can I add +1 dimmer switch?


Gas fireplace flame won't stay on; both flame and pilot go out

Standard gas log sets are fairly simple. If the gas fireplace shuts off after a few minutes, it's pretty much always going to be a pilot head issue, or a valve issue. Take note that it’s the pilot head, not the thermocouple. The whole assembly is usually replaced, and they usually come at the same price. New models usually come with improved designs.

It is recommended to replace the whole pilot head instead of just the thermocouple. If you're still having issues that the gas fireplace will not stay lit, then the valve needs to be replaced. There are just no other moving parts that can go wrong on this.

One thing you can try gas fireplace shuts off after a few minutes: there's a small screw on your valve that regulates the size of your pilot flame. You can turn that screw to make it bigger. This can be done in case the pilot flame is too small to do its job. Be careful though, sometimes the screw has a spring behind it and will shoot out and you'll have a difficult time finding it. If you mess with the screw, slowly relieve pressure and make sure it's still threaded into the valve.

If this doesn’t resolve the problem, you may want to consider replacing the valve. Here’s a useful article regarding DIY valve replacement. Hope this helps.


Different sound frequencies have very different characteristics in terms of what you can do and how effective it will be.  The road noise is a mixture of sound frequencies.  There probably is nothing practical you can do about the low frequency noise, but you might be able to muffle the sound a little by reflecting high frequencies and absorbing mid frequencies.

Think in terms of the sound panels used to create cubicles to reduce office noise.  They aren't real effective, but they help a little.  You could even start by experimenting with ones you find in a used office equipment store.  You could also make your own.  Plywood with thick carpet padding glued on, and a protective cover would be a reasonable first test.  But making either of these weatherproof will be a challenge.

For more naturally weatherproof materials, you could look at T1-11, thick, dense styrofoam panels, or even corrugated plastic panels for the backing, and closed-cell foam sheets (the material used for boating applications) for sound absorption.

Of course those would totally block your view.  If you have a lot of money to blow, you could try clear Lexan panels.


I've replaced my own garage door torsion springs twice, and I'm still alive to talk about it; it's absolutely doable. I learned how to do the replacement from Richard Kinch's exceedingly thorough page on the subject, so I'm going to quote heavily from it; all credit goes to him. I'm going to provide the highlights here, but read and re-read the information there, and make your own decision as to whether you want to do the job yourself.

  If you've researched this subject at all, you will no doubt have heard that you shouldn't be attempting torsion spring replacement as a do-it-yourselfer. That is generally good advice, so if you have any doubts about your abilities to do risky physical work on your own, hire the job out like everyone else. I found I was capable of doing this work with acceptable risk, because I intelligently understood the techniques, paid careful attention to methods and safety, knew how to use common tools in good condition, properly improvised the special tools I didn't have, and diligently attended to correctly performing a few moments of hazardous manipulation. I learned to do it purely on my own based mostly on bits of advice reluctantly given in Internet forums such as the Usenet newsgroup alt.home.repair. When I first wrote this page in 2002, there was no other do-it-yourself information available on the Web, and it was not until 2005 that reliable information disclosing the techniques started to appear elsewhere.

  I am also an engineer, and have always done a lot of mechanical repairs around the house. I also operate my own laboratory machine shop, and do some mechanical design work there. This background helped me figure things out, but nothing that involved is critical to repairing a standard garage door.

  This work is risky, but the risk is comparable to doing your own car repairs, or climbing on the roof of your house to clean your gutters. These are dangerous things that many people can do safely, but that safety depends on intelligent understanding and application of proper techniques. Professional door repair technicians, who are fully knowledgable, skilled, and experienced, report that they nevertheless are injured from time to time, despite their best efforts. Coldly evaluate your abilities and motivations, to judge whether you can manage the risks of this work for the benefit of the money and time you might save.

Determine the critical metrics of the old spring so that you can order a new one.

  Critical measurements: Torsion springs come a variety of standardized sizes, so you have to carefully measure the old springs to know what to order for proper replacements. Tables of standard sizes and designs are on the Web, such as at Industrial Spring. The four critical measurements (all in inches) are: (1) the wire thickness (which I'm measuring here with a dial caliper; you can also measure the length of a number of closely stacked turns with a ruler and divide by the number of turns in the stack, measuring 10 turns this way makes the math easy), (2) the inside diameter (not outside!) of the relaxed (not wound!) coil, (3) the overall length of the relaxed (not wound!) spring coils, not including the winding cones, and (4) the right- or left-hand winding of the spring. One must glibly quote those figures to the spring supplier, otherwise one's lack of expertise will be obvious, and one will not be worthy of buying the parts.

  Beware of improprer prior installations: Sometimes the existing door installation is not correct, and the old springs should not be used as a specification for replacements. For example, the old springs might have been replaced with incorrect sizes because the last repairman didn't have the right one on his truck. If your door has never worked quite right, something like this might be the cause. To correct this, you must use the weight of the door to specify the spring, either from a spring rate manual giving spring torque constants, or from the formulas below.

Obtain a replacement spring. Start by simply googling 'garage door supply'.

  You certainly won't find these at Home Depot or Lowe's (although last I checked Lowe's does carry the less daunting extension spring replacements). I also have a list of some suppliers at the end of this page.

  Cost was $88 for 2 pairs of springs, plus $21 shipping. (I had to order 2 pairs to meet the $50 minimum order.) They came with new cones inserted as shown at that price, so I didn't bother trying to remove and reuse the old cones to save a few dollars. The cones are quite difficult to remove from old springs and to insert in new ones, and the spring supplier will have the right tooling to do that easily. That was the best price I could find on the Web at the time, and didn't seem out of line with what parts like this might cost at at the building supply (if they only sold them). Contractors buy these much cheaper in quantities; they're just an ordinary high-carbon steel wire turned on a winding machine. I also found Web sites asking a lot more money, obviously trying to cash in on search-engine traffic from do-it-yourselfers. Others report that some local dealers sell springs at retail, but at a high price that eliminates any economy versus having them installed.

  Spring pairs should be replaced together, since the mate is likely to fail soon after the first, and any possible savings in parts isn't worth the extra effort to repeat the work later.

Gather and/or prepare your tools for installation.

  The two set-screws in the winding cones have a 3/8-inch square head, which fits a 3/8-inch open-end wrench or 8-point socket, or a 7/16-inch 12-point socket or 12-point closed-end wrench. I carried an extra wrench in my pocket while winding, since I didn't want to be holding a wound spring that I couldn't set because I had dropped the wrench (although one could rest the winding rod against the door in this case while picking up a dropped tool).

  I decided later to use an ordinary open-end wrench rather than this socket or a box-end wrench to turn this fastener. The extra play fits the crude square heads better, and if the cone were to accidentally let loose, an open-end wrench would be the least likely tool to stay on the head and turn into a flying hazard.

  The standard winding tools are simply a pair of 18-inch lengths of mild steel rod, 1/2-inch diameter. Winding cones can have different socket sizes (such as 5/8 inch instead of 1/2 inch), so it is important to measure the socket and select a matching rod diameter. Also beware that poor-quality cones may have a sloppy fit to the winding bars, and a loose fit presents a severe hazard of slipping at the worst moment; anything more than about an inch or two of play at the handle end is too loose for safety. I bought a 3-foot length of zinc-plated 1/2-inch diameter steel rod from Home Depot for about $3, which conveniently cuts into two halves of just the right length (the store might even cut it for you if you ask). A steel supplier selling at commodity prices might charge about 50 cents or so for such a piece that weighs about 2 lbs. Drill rod would work if used in the annealed condition in which it is originally sold, but the added expense provides no benefit and the brittleness (if it had been hardened and not annealed) would worry me a bit. Rebar, threaded rod, screwdrivers, etc., are absolutely foolish as they will not fit the socket snugly. Aluminum rod is definitely too weak, and will bend under the torque that must be applied. Longer rods would make for more leverage but unwieldly swing; shorter rods make for uncontrollable swing. As we'll calculate below, the 18-inch standard tool length is an appropriate compromise. Note that you do not need 18 inches of ceiling clearance above the torsion shaft to use an 18-inch rod, since you need not swing the rods above horizontal when winding.

Remove the broken and unbroken springs.

  To remove and disassemble the shaft and lift drums, the torsion on the unbroken spring must first be released. I used a ratcheting box-end wrench to loosen the set-screws while pushing the rod against the force I knew would be released when the screws let go. Later I switched to an open-end wrench for the set-screws, since some of the square screw heads were too rough to fit in the box-end wrench.

  It is prudent to be prepared for torque from either orientation when loosening the set-screws. This protects you from a miscalculation of the force orientation or from an attention lapse.

  If it isn't marked already, you should run a chalk line (as described below for the new springs) down the length of the old spring before unwinding, so you know how many turns it took to unwind. This will give you a starting value for the number of turns in the new springs.

  By each "turn" is meant a full revolution of the winding cone. Each full turn requires four quarter-turn manipulations of inserting and switching the winding rods. My door is a very common height of 7 feet, which with the 4-inch drums requires about 7-1/4 or 7-1/2 full turns on the springs.

  This is the moment of truth for the beginner, as you will be holding the full force of a fully-wound torsion spring for the first time. It is time to adopt a calm, quiet, deliberate, careful attitude of concentration. Make sure that the telephone, a bystander, or other distraction is not going to startle you or make you lose your concentration.

  Loosening or tightening the set-screws is the moment of most risk, since the end-wrench is a potential missile if you slip, and your hand is close to the cone. When the wrench is removed and only the rods are in place, it would seem that the worst that could happen is that the rod is flung out and the captive spring and cone rattle around, assuming you are keeping yourself clear of the rod's radial disk of rotation, and not leaning on the rod such as to fall into the apparatus were the rod to slip out of your grasp. The torsion shaft design has the virtue of capturing the mass of the spring and cones reliably on the shaft, preventing these parts from launching themselves as projectiles, even in an accident.

  The prior clamping of the set-screws tends to have pressed a dimple into the hollow shaft and to have distorted the shaft's roundness into an eccentric shape. While releasing the set-screws, I was careful to loosen them enough to let the cone swing around any such distortions. I was also careful to observe any binding of the old cones on the eccentricity or burring on the shaft. The fit of the cone on the shaft is supposed to be loose enough to avoid binding, but if it were to occur one would have to be careful not to assume the spring was unwound when in fact the cone was just stuck on the shaft. If I had a stuck cone that I could not unwind with a little extra force, then I would have called in a technician to deal with it. In the worst case, I suppose the spring must be deliberately broken with some hazard, thus releasing it for a forceful disassembly, and the shaft and some other parts replaced. But this is an unlikely situation and in this case was not necessary.

  The winding technique is simply to (un)wind as far as one rod will go, where it is pressed against the top of the door, or nearly so, by the unwinding torsion. You insert the other rod in the next socket, remove the first rod, and continue. At any point you can stop and rest by leaving the active rod pressed against the door, where it will be held by the unwinding force. I would make a quarter-turn increment that way, and let go for a moment to collect my attention for the next increment, almost in a quiet, meditative alertness. While you can go from one quarter-turn and rod-swap to the next continually without letting go, working fast against the steady tension seemed to invite a kind of shakiness in my arms that was a bit unsettling. It isn't that there is much physical exertion, it is more that the tension is unrelenting, like peering over a precipice.

  While winding or unwinding, one must be mindful of the possibility that the spring could break during winding process itself. If that should happen while the spring is significantly torqued, hazardous forces on the winding bar will suddenly become unbalanced, and the bar will take an unexpected jump, possibly injuring your hand or anything else in its path. At the same time, the spring remnants, although captured on the torsion bar, will create a frightening racket that would give the bravest soul a start. So your winding technique should be firmly in control of the rods, and you should not be so delicately perched on a ladder such that a startle will result in a fall.

  In my case, removing and replacing the relaxed springs required that I take down the assembly: torsion shaft, lift drums, and bearings. Doing that requires unbolting the center bearing plate from the wall, removing the drums from the shaft, and finally sliding the shaft back and forth out of the end bearings to remove the whole assembly off the wall.

  Once the springs are relaxed and loose on the torsion shaft, the lift drums lose their tension on the lift cable, and the cable comes loose. The end of the cable is terminated by a press sleeve, which locks into a ramp on the drum. Different drum styles have a bolt or other method to fix the cable end to the drum. These steel cables are springy and won't stay in place without tension. If my pre-inspection had showed that these cables were worn or frayed, then I would have ordered proper replacements ahead of time from the spring distributor, since this is the opportunity to replace them. Standard hardware-store cable and fittings are not appropriate.

Install the new springs.

  As noted above, set-screw clamping may have distorted the cross-section of the shaft and made it difficult to slide off all the hardware. With the shaft on the floor, it may be possible to restore enough roundness to proceed, using compensating clamping force to the distorted area via a machinist's vise, an arbor press, a hydraulic shop press, etc., on the shaft body. Burrs and other slight distortions on the shaft can be filed off with a hand file or touched with an abrasive wheel on an angle grinder. At some point, the condition of the shaft may just be degraded enough that it ought to be replaced.

  I was careful not to assume that the previous installation correctly oriented the right- and left-hand springs on the correct sides of the center bearing plate. They could have been installed backwards by an incompetent installer, resulting in them having been wound looser (larger diameter coil) instead of tighter (smaller diameter coil) than when in their relaxed state, and if so I would have corrected them on the new installation. The proper orientation of the springs applies their reaction torque from tighter winding such that it turns the drums to lift the door. Verifying this is a rather simple exercise in mechanical visualization, but does require some care to be certain of correctness. If you were to install the springs backwards, and then start to wind them in the wrong direction, then the torsion bar will start winding the drums backwards, and not holding against the vise pliers, which should be obvious to inspection. Winding a spring backwards also tends to screw the spring off the cones; this error cannot proceed too far before the spring slips off the cones.

  At this point I weighed the unlifted door to confirm and fine-tune my calculations. This is not strictly necessary, but it makes the adjustments easier to perform, if you happen to have a scale with the requisite capacity. With some helpers, we first lifted the door a few inches and rested it on blocks of wood to provide clearance underneath. Then I slid a 400-pound-capacity freight scale under the center of the door, we lifted again to remove the blocks, and lowered the door gently onto the scale. This door weighed in at 238 pounds, which is very heavy for a single-car door. Since the outside of the door carries the 3/4-inch plywood paneling to match the house, and that plywood weighs about 2 lbs/sq-ft, I estimate the door weight to be about 7 x 10 x 2 = 140 lbs of paneling with the rest 238 - 140 = 98 lbs the interior panels, hardware, and cobwebs. Knowing this total weight will help later in adjusting the torsion on the springs. After weighing, we removed the scale and blocks, leaving the door fully lowered again. Had I not had a high-capacity freight scale, I might have improvised a crude weighing device from levers and smaller weights of known mass, or a lever arm pressing a reduced proportion of the full weight onto a lower-capacity scale. Another factor to remember is that the weight of a wood door can vary with humidity.

  Next, the torsion shaft is reassembled with the new springs, the drums repositioned loosely on the shaft, this whole assembly slid back into the end bearings, and the drum set-screws tightened down. I tightened the set-screws about 1/2 or 3/4 of a turn after contact with the shaft, which provides a good grip, but does not distort the shaft. The drums can be set on their old positions, if they were correctly installed, which is snug up against the end bearings to remove any longitudinal play in the torsion shaft. Now the lift cable can be reattached to the drums, and a slight temporary torque applied to the shaft to keep the cable taut while the first spring is wound. This temporary torque is conveniently applied with a pair of locking pliers clamped on the shaft, positioned such that they hold the torque by pressing lightly against the wall above the door, before you start the spring winding, The locking pliers stay on the torsion shaft until you have finished the spring winding locked down the spring cone(s) with the setscrew(s), and removed the winding bars. Then you simply remove them with the release on the wrench handle.

  Checking if the lift drums need resetting: The old position of the lift drums on the shaft may have slipped or otherwise lost the the proper position, requiring a reset of the drum position on the torsion shaft. You will also reset the drums if you are replacing the lift cables, since the new cables will not exactly match the length of the old ones. Problems like uneven tension on the cables, or a tilted door, or a door that doesn't easily stay aligned with the tracks, can be due to an improper "set" of the drums on the shaft. So one shouldn't assume the old positions are correct. Setting the drums on a "fresh" part of the shaft will avoid the possibility of damaging the shaft from re-tightening in the same dimples.

There's a lot more info about adjusting the drums and lift cables, so visit Richard Kinch's page for details.
Wind the new springs.

  The last step before winding is to run a piece of chalk down the length of both relaxed springs. This lets you observe the number of turns as you wind. You don't want to be busy counting turns when you should be paying attention to the winding rods.

  The position of the bars in this photo was necessary to take the photo, and does not show a correct winding technique, You should not have to swing the bar up as high over the top as shown. The lower bar during winding should swing from pointing down to pointing a little past horizontal. Then you hold that bar horizontal while socketing the other bar pointing down, apply force to that (now) lower bar, then remove the (now) upper bar, wind one-quarter turn, and repeat.

  You can also see I am wearing eye protection. It would be foolish to go bare and risk an eye injury.

  Winding "up" starts out easy. It finishes at the proper number of turns, by which time you are pushing against the maximum torque. Count the turns of spring winding from when the springs are slack. To be sure you're winding the right direction, all you have to remember is that proper winding makes the spring smaller in diameter and longer in length as it twists "in". On the standard door (most common), this means you push the winding bars up to wind up the spring, which is an easily remembered rule. This is very apparent and should be verified during the first few easy turns. You can also think about the correct winding direction in mechanical terms, namely which way the reaction of the spring will torque the shaft and drums, which in turn will lift the cable. This should all make perfect sense before you attempt the manipulations.

  By watching the chalk mark while winding, you can count the number of turns applied, and confirm the number later. My standard-size door (7 foot height) with 4-inch drums has a nominal wind of 7-1/4 or 7-1/2 turns, which leaves 1/4 or 1/2 turn at the top-of-travel to keep the lift cables under tension. After 7 turns on the first spring, I clamped down the set-screws, weighed the door again, and found a lift of about 100 pounds in reduced weight. As expected, this wasn't quite half of the full 238 pounds, nor would it leave any torsion at the top-of-travel, so I added an 8th turn. The door now weighed 122 pounds on one spring, which was ideal. After winding the other spring, the door lifted easily, with only a few pounds apparent weight. This confirmed that the spring choice was properly matched to the door design. I engaged the electric opener trolley, and adjusted the opener forces down to a safer level suitable for the new, improved balance. The door was now ready for return to service.

  As with the drums, I tightened the winding cone set-screws about 1/2 or 3/4 of a turn after contact with the shaft, which provides a good grip, but does not distort the shaft.

  The usually recommended rule for a door being properly balanced is that it should lift "easily" through all its travel. The door may also remain stationary if let go somewhere around the middle of the travel, but a smoothly rolling door many not show this behavior (while a sticky track will!), so easy travel is the only reliable test for proper balance. A difficult door may be due to stiff bearings or rollers in the mechanism, tracks out of alignment, etc., not necessarily the torsion spring adjustment.

  Once the springs are torqued, the setscrews tightened, and the locking pliers and winding rods removed, do not play with turning the torsion bar using the winding rods. Doing so even momentarily can relieve the tension on the lift cables, which then easily slip off the drums. Replacing the cables on the drums can be difficult without repeating the entire spring unwinding-winding procedure again, and the cables can be damaged if tension is applied while they are off the drums.

  Total time for me to complete this work the first time was 3.5 hours, including cutting the winding tools and the photography. I've completed subsequent repairs in less than an hour. Hundreds of people have written me to say they did it safely in a few hours after studying this essay. I'd like to hear how it goes for you.

There's much, much more detail at Richard Kinch's page on the subject. I tried to include the most important information in case that page goes down, but it's been at that URL since 2002, so I hope it's still there when future DIY'ers need it.


If the paint is in good condition, with no chips, peeling unsightly blemishes I would repaint. It would be a lot of work to get the pipes really clean. Any exposed thread at the fittings will be tough to strip You will need to scuff the old finish to promote adhesion. Pick a metal color. Rustoleum  has colors like Bare cast iron, nickel, brass etc. You could accent the fittings with a contrasting color. Just be careful when working around the sprinkler heads.


2 Switches + 2 Light Fixtures = a problem that needs help!

You are trying to feed your new light from a switch loop and as you've found out, it doesn't work. You have your source, hot and neutral, going to the hanging lamp. There, the neutral is tied to the lamp.The 12/2 going to the junction box and to the switch box is the always hot, probably the white, and the switched hot, probably black. That's what you spliced into, there is no neutral and you need one. One solution is to run a 12/2 source, hot and neutral,from the lamp to the light, hook your neutral to the lamp and then run your switch loop to the switch box. Disconnect the wire you ran from the junction box to switch 2. When running a switch loop, the always hot is supposed to be the white wire and it should be marked with some black tape to differentiate it from a neutral wire.


Can you have a laundry to landscape irrigation system with no sewer line?

You should reference Arizona's 13 "Golden Rules" listed in the Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality's "Gray Water at Home" brochure. I don't think you need any special permits or permissions to use gray water in Arizona, as long as you abide by those 13 BMPs (Best Management Practices):

Gray Water at Home


How can I make my home internet router work with a battery?

Get a UPS
No, not that UPS. An uninterruptible power supply, also known as a battery backup. This is a box that takes normal AC (e.g., 110-120V in the US) and uses it to charge a battery and power your devices. If power goes out (technically: voltage out of range) then it uses an inverter to power your devices from the battery. All automatically.
You typically want to connect:

Cable or DSL or FIOS modem
Router
Computer if you are using a desktop computer
Any other small but important devices - e.g., if you have an Ethernet switch then connect it so if you have a laptop or other device on that switch (instead of WiFi) it will continue to have a wired internet connection

Sizes and prices vary, primarily based on the size of the battery which, combined with the size of the load, determines how long it will run when AC is out.


Bought some concrete last week and the bags are much harder than I would have expect. Have they gone bad?

I would be bringing them back to HD and get a couple new bags. That concrete should not be that hard and I have never seen a bag that bad. When picking out new bags, drop them gently on the corners to see if the corners collapse, meaning that the concrete inside is soft. Be careful not to break open the bag. HD is really great about returns.


Acoustic stud wall - over laminate flooring or not?

Laminate flooring should typically not be pinned by cabinetry, walls, etc. It needs to be able to move slightly. I would cut a channel for the new wall plate.

Be aware that many such floors have very hard wear layers. It can be hard on saw blades.

Update: I now understand that you're talking about a suspended wall, or perhaps just furring strips on the brick. In that case, it's fine to run the flooring underneath. However, I'm not sure even acoustic caulk is flexible enough to prevent problems. I'd probably use foam rope caulk--something that isn't actually bonded to either the wall plate or the flooring.


How do you build a bookcase around an outside or convex corner?

There are many ways to work out how to handle the outside corner for a built-in bookcase. One concept that I have used follows this plan:

The spacing of the knickknack shelves does not necessarily need to follow that of the book shelves.

This picture will help you visualize how it can end up looking.


Looking for a replacement spline for my cabinets

There are dozens and dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of types and shapes of "spline" material.
I recommend that you do NOT go on a "goose chase" for an exact duplicate of what was installed previously. Instead, I recommend that you take a door and glass pane with you to a local window/door/glass shop and find any alternative that will adequately secure the glass. There are even newer foam strip materials that conform to a variety of channel sizes and shapes. You could even consider "non-spline" alternatives like nailed wood strips or plastic clips.

it does not matter what the labeled use of the spline is, as long as it securely holds the pane
it does not matter what the material is, as long as it securely holds the pane


How to clear an overgrown flower bed and prep for grass

I had a similar issue in my back yard (the whole thing). It was just weeds. I killed all the weeds with a dose or two of Roundup and had the entire 7000+ sqft tilled up. I then raked it flat and seeded most of it. It now has less weeds than my front lawn which received sod prior to moving in. This was new construction, and the sod was part of the package.

If I had to do just a flowerbed, or the whole yard again, I'd vote for doing it the same way again.

Just be sure to wait a week or two after applying the Roundup so it works it's magic and the weeds are dried up completely. This also aids in tilling it, by hand or machine. The Roundup should not last long on barren soil and will not affect the seed after a couple of weeks.


Change disposal from direct wire to outlet when changing unit

I'm not a code expert, but I don't see why that wouldn't work just fine. Yes, use a GFCI due to the increased likelihood of water exposure (assuming that the breaker isn't already GFCI-protected). A winged remodeler box will work well assuming you steer clear of framing.


What type of tool do I need to remove this screw?

Looks like you need an 8-point socket. It is hard to tell the size from the picture but it looks small, you will probably need one in 1/4" drive. If you want a driver for it, you can get a 1/4" drive socket drive handle.


On bare metal, as long as the dents are very minor, I would skim coat the surface with bondo and use a large sanding block to sand the surface flat.  Be sure to do a fine grit sanding after primer and it should come out looking good.  If there are dents that will require the bondo to me more than 3/16" at deep any point, you will need to correct those (pull them out) first.


Removing the fixture to change light bulb...do I pull, twist

If there's no visible screws, then it has to be a twist. Get a ladder you can stand on (like an A-frame) and gently try to turn it to the left. Hopefully it moves without a ton of effort.

Good luck!


In a word, no.  The plumber's putty is what forms the gasket between the drain insert and the bottom of the sink, and is likely what failed in the old one.  Telfon tape doesn't work very well as a seal unless it is forced into an extremely tight space (i.e. on threads) and is really only made of Teflon to reduce friction enough to allow it to stay in place long enough to get the load on it tight enough.


How to hang off of wide circular hole in concrete?

Appearance aside (perhaps your less than 10 lb items will cover the hanging point) plumbing test plugs come to mind. Exposed face commonly seen red, yellow and shiny galvanized steel. Two plates are squeezed together by a screw and cause a rubber part between to expand outward and grip the hole. Advantage being they are easily removed and no permanent damage/change to the wall.

If you don't mind an alteration to the wall of a more permanent nature, gluing 2" diameter discs of wood or some other substance you can easily put a screw into in the holes will make it easy to screw in whatever. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure that hockey pucks are a larger diameter than that. Yep, 3 inch diameter.


Should I convert a single light switch to a receptacle/switch combo?

What's on the circuit
Usually lighting circuits are protected by a 15 Ampere breaker. This means that if the total circuit current draw is greater than 15 Amperes, the breaker will trip and open the circuit. It's suggested to only load a circuit to 80% capacity, so the total current draw should only be ~12 Amperes (1440 Watts). The first step in determining if you should add a new receptacle to a circuit, is to determine what's already there and how much power it's sucking. There are many list available online that list the typical wattage of various appliances, that can be used to estimate how much power you're currently using.
Turn off the breaker for the circuit at the main service panel, and make a list of all the items that lost power.  Add up the wattage of all the items, and determine if your circuit can handle the load you plan to add.
Electronics and motors don't mix
When motors start (vacuum, circular saw, drill, etc), they draw a large amount of power for a short amount of time. If these items are connected to a circuit that also supplies lights, you may see the lights dim briefly when the motors start.  This may or may not be a problem for lights, but you may find that sensitive electronics (TV, computer, etc) don't like it so much.
Blow a fuse, wander through the dark
It's often recommended to keep light circuits separate from other circuits. This is done for the simple fact that if you trip the breaker, it's nice to not be standing in the middle of a pitch black room because of it.
Imagine this
You get your project all ready to be cut, you line the saw up, pull the trigger, and click. You're standing in the dark.
Circular saws tend to be rated 12-15 Amp, which means they'll push most circuits to the limit all by themselves (15A * 120V = 1800W). This is why it's a good idea to not mix lighting and motor loads.
Is the wiring already in place
In some cases, only 2 wires exist at the switch (excluding the equipment grounding conductor). There will be a wire carrying electricity to the switch, and another that carries it to the light when the switch is on (closed).  In a situation like this, you'll have to run more wire to connect a receptacle.
In other cases, the power for the circuit passes through the switch box. This is the perfect situation, because you can use the power at the receptacle before interrupting it with the switch.  In this situation, you should see 4 wires (2 cables) in the box (not including the equipment grounding conductors, which may or may not be present).


Laying ceramic or porcelain tile over concrete covered with very thin black mastic

Yes there are. Read the back of the bags of thinset, you will find their list of accepted substrate to go over.

Yours will be "asphalt cutback"

It sounds as if you have it scraped down far enough

Here is the online pdf of the floor prep you need. It is on the second page


thermostat wiring: pick terminals that have wires connected

[! Below is a Heat pumps 24 volt control circuits.You need to see the low voltage terminals at the air handler to know what is wired to what, very often the corresponding wire colors are not used for their colors purpose.
The jumper between Yellow and white on your thermostat for instance,will run the heat strips every time the heat mode is energized unfortunately it will also energize the heat strips in the Cool mode as well because Heat pumps use the compressor in both the Heat and the  Cool modes.
The O terminal on your thermostat goes to the reversing valve which makes the unit go into Heat mode.
Red is the 24 volt hot leg,
Jumping Red to White you get heat strips.
Jumping Red to Yellow the compressor is energized for Cool mode.
Jumping Red to Orange energizes the reversing valve for Heat mode
Jumping Red to Green energizes the fan circuit
Common is the neutral leg of the 24 volt power, It is called Common cause every 24 volt circuit returns to Common to complete the 24 volt circuit.
Common is only required to the thermostat is the thermostat is powered by the 24 volts from the air handler, some thermostats are battery powered,
You can jumper Red to any terminal except Common , that will be a direct short like laying a wrench across a car batteries posts, never connect Red to Common Some thermostats use the 24 volts to power it.
[]1


How do I repair nail holes in cement board?

I would glue down the backboard - glue in the holes if need be too - and then install transition using longer nails/screws or just glue (liquid nails variety).


How deep should a fence post be with respect to the bottom of the concrete base?

I think the Fence Bible described a method for putting a few inches of gravel at the bottom of the hole, resting the post on that for drainage, then pouring concrete.


How to fill gap between garage floor and driveway

A very common gap size for concrete swimming pool decks, check a local pool store for wood, plastic and rubber expansion joint fillers. Thinner Concrete Pavers could also be cut into strips and dropped or stuffed in.

Otherwise, there's no problem with filling (and ramping, if desired) the gap with concrete or cement. The filler won't have any interaction with either slab, since they're fully separated and new cement bonds extremely weakly to old cement.


Does a deck band board go over or replace wall sheathing?

I am not really sure they attached this to your house right at all.  I would need to see a picture.

The board that is against your house is the ledger.  This runs parallel to your house you should see it bolted in.  This would be load bearing (along with your posts) and is bolted into floor joists - which are not 2x4s.

Now you can run joists that attach to your house perpendicular to 2x4s.  Meaning that You would have a couple of simple attachments that space/attach the deck to your house but this is not usually load bearing - load sits on the concrete posts.  I don't think this is what you are talking about.

Back to the ledger... There should be flashing over the ledger (and under above siding) to prevent water from entering your house.  Also your siding should be tight to deck and caulked.  See the flashing picture below.

They can pull the interior deck boards and add the flashing - make sure they do the edges too because taking down the railings on each side will be some work for them.  I am not really sure about the quality of the install if they missed this though.  I am not a "deck" expert and this is just common sense.  Also you saying the ledger is attached to 2x4s makes me wonder.   Not saying that your deck was installed wrong other than the flashing but pictures and more info would help.

Edit - There is a way to add flashing when you forgot.  See picture below for an example.

You see how this has to be notched into the joists.  Because the flashing is usually under the joists.  Personally I would call the city and make sure this doesn't pass inspection.  Usually there is flashing completely under the ledger, above the ledger, under the joists attached to the ledger... At first I was thinking about retrofitting flashing but thinking about it more makes me think this is a tear down.  You paid for this deck to be done right and no matter what - unless they pretty much take everything down minus posts - it isn't really right.


How does one carryout a thermal survey of one's house?

Your utility company likely has a free survey you can complete yourself (sometimes they will even send someone to do it), and there are probably similar surveys to be found online.  These are based on compiling data about your house that can be calculated.  This includes things like wall dimensions, thickness and insulation, size and type of windows, attic insulation, geographic location and house orientation, etc.

That will tell you which existing features it might make sense to upgrade, the upgrade options and typical costs, and how long the payback time would be for each.

But that is only as good as the condition of those features; it can't identify thermal leaks from deterioration of the features, like the seals around windows and doors.

Those problems can be identified with thermal imaging, but they can also largely be identified through inspection.  You may see the gaps, or feel drafts from gaps around doors with bad weatherstripping or windows with bad sealing.

But even if some existing thermal leaks are hard to discern, you won't necessarily need thermal imaging to discover every last one; they may get fixed in the process of upgrading features even if you aren't aware of them.  For example, if you replace old single-pane windows or upgrade the windows, installation of the new ones should take care of any leaks associated with the old ones.


Should I install floating solid bamboo flooring?

In general, floating surfaces can be louder when you walk on them.  This is more noticable on subflooring that is rough or uneven.  The sound can be clicking/slapping/hollow sounds.  Depending on the underlayment, the floor can feel springier than glued or nailed flooring.

I recommend having an installer do glue-down on concrete subfloor, or nail-down on a raised foundation.  The solid feel and less sound when walking on it is worth the extra installation dollars, in my opinion.


Additional brick veneer to existing construction

Yes, a typical stepped foundation should carry two stories of brick just fine. That said, I'm looking at your project through a few words on the internet. Photos would move us in a more confident direction.


Moved compressor from one outlet to another. Now it trips the breaker. Same circuit. Different outlet. Why?

You said down stream: if this receptacle further away from the panel than the original I would suspect a bad connection in the wiring or this receptacle is loose creating a voltage drop.
With reduced voltage the amperage to start the motor will be higher and that could be why the breaker trips, now and did not in the original location.
Yes your motor can draw 3-5x the rated current but only a high end meter could actually see the real peak value even a small reduction in voltage 1% could increase the current the motor draws creating the occasional tripped breaker.
I would be going back and verifying proper pigtails are snug or wraps around screws are snug (you said 20 amp so there should be no back stabs in use but they are a common source on 15 amp circuits however some contractors use stab blocks instead of wire nuts I have only seen these a few times in my area).


It's going to depend on what material is covering the soffit.
Soffit Covers
If it's aluminium/plastic soffit covers, you'll have to remove the section where you're installing the receptacle.  Install proper bracing (a simple 2x4 between the rafters should be fine), and attach the electrical box to it. Then mark, and cut a hole for the electrical box in the soffit cover. Finish by putting the soffit cover back in place.
Make sure to measure and align the box properly, so the box will be flush with (or just protruding from) the soffit cover.
Wood
If it's wood, you can either surface, or flush mount the electrical box. Simply select the appropriate box for your installation.
Weatherproofing and Ground-fault protection
Because the receptacle is outside, you'll want to provide ground-fault protection.  You'll also want to make sure the box, and cover are both weatherproof and approved for damp/wet locations. See this answer, to the question How do I install a receptacle in the soffit? for more information.


Kitchen fixture pulled lose from ceiling

A handy man that knows how to patch drywall and some carpentry should be able to install blocking between the joists that the fixture can be screwed to but if you need someone that can match texture and finish you can get a drywall professional to do that part. You need to have an electrician evaluate the wire to make sure that the wire was not damaged by the fixture hanging by it he would also know how best to re hang the fixture.


The switch is a goner, so you'll have to replace it

What happened here was the initial connection at that screw terminal was made improperly (mistorqued), which caused it to overheat and progressively fail further until it started smelling...melty.  The good news is that you caught it soon enough that it didn't start anything serious (like a fire!).  The bad news is that the switch is toast and needs to be replaced with a new decorator-style double switch, preferably one rated for 20A.

When you replace it, you'll want to use a torque screwdriver that reads in inch-pounds to tighten the screws on the new switch to the specified torque (12-14 in-lbs, as per this Leviton specification, if your switch didn't come a number).  You'll also need to fit a grounding pigtail to the new switch, connecting it to the existing ground wire bundle in the box.


Nope.  Don't use Water Seal.   The main issue is that cedar is a pretty soft wood, and it wears.  No matter what you put on it, the wood beneath will wear, and it will look like a leper with a sunburn.

What you want to use is an oil.  @Jeremy above suggested Australian Timber Oil, which is as good a solution as any.  The idea is that oils will penetrate the wood, and when the outer surface wears off, it doesn't take the finish with it.

Of course, you'll have to freshen it every few years, but with care, an oil finish is going to last the longest.


Using a solar system with a condensing boiler for the central heating instead of tap-water?

You can solar heat the primary loop with high temp evac tubes in principle but what happens is you mess up the control of the return temperature which is critical for the operation of the condensing boiler. Preheating the tap water is the better approach because you are heating the water before the boiler loop tops it off. This doesn't affect the existing control logic at all.