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Is a radiant floor enough to heat the room? I would like to know if an electric or hydronic radiant floor is enough to heat the room or if it's just to have a warm floor. And if yes, what is the efficiency (the time it take to warm the room, the cost on the electrical bill, etc.) compared to an electric baseboard heater. My question is general to any type of floor but if the answer depends on the type I use, I would say its for my bathroom (12' x 12') with ceramic tiles. <Q> We have underfloor heating (hot water with heat spreader plates under floorboards) in our upstairs rooms and they warm the rooms quite well. <S> The floors are warm to touch (as would be expected). <S> The temperature of the room is more uniform the heat is rising from all parts of the floor rather than from one section of the wall. <S> We don't feel we need additional sources of heat in the rooms. <S> The rooms do seem to take a little longer to get warm than other rooms with a radiator, but the wooden floors may contribute to this. <S> If you are heating tiles in a bathroom then I'd expect that to be quicker and as quick as a radiator. <S> I can't give comparative costs, but our heating bills don't seem excessive when compared to other people's with similar houses. <A> The question is about electric radiant floor heating. <S> I, too, have hot water radiant floor heating... <S> it is CHEAP, and the MOST efficient way to heat a room. <S> The electric floor "sheets" that are put down prior to tile, are not an efficient way to heat an entire room...very expensive to run for a long period of time, and not "green". <S> However, it is an excellent way to take the chill off tile, and perhaps make you feel a bit warmer by standing on a warm floor. <S> I would suggest you put the electric floor heat on a spin timer. <S> You know the kind, turn it on when you enter the room...or just prior, it will run for a set amount of time (say 20 min) and automatically turn off. <A> So much mis-information, so little time :) <S> With regards to the OP's primary question, yes, radiant (be it electric or hydronic) can be the primary heat for a room. <S> The only way to know for sure is to perform a heat loss calculation for the space, then match the heating capacity of the system to the heating demand of the space. <S> Makes sense, no? <S> Bathrooms can be a challenge. <S> Depending upon the layout, bathroom floors can often be less than 50% of the actual space (due to tubs, toilets, cabinetry, etc. <S> taking up floor space). <S> Hydronic systems are more expensive than electric systems to install and are generally not a good option for a single room - there needs to be a boiler of some sort, plus a means to distribute that warmed water to the room. <S> Electric systems generate the heat right in the space and doesn't take up additional space for a boiler. <S> As to "green" - define "green". <S> Electric radiant heat, by definition, is 100% efficient. <S> If the source of the electricity is renewable, such as hydro, solar or wind, that energy source is much "greener" than a boiler burning gas or oil. <S> As for the "hydronic is cheap" comment - <S> yes, it can be less expensive to operate than hot air systems simply because it is a radiant system and radiant systems are generally going to be more energy efficient than hot air systems. <S> But if you want some hard facts, I invite you to visit my page where I describe two buildings of the same type - one uses electric radiant heat, the other uses hydronic radiant heat. <S> The electric radiant heat system used 50% less energy than the hydronic system.
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Well it depends on the output of the radiant floor, but in general yes they are sufficient to heat a room.
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Can re-closing a circuit-breaker be dangerous? I have a circuit breaker that keeps tripping. When i try to reset (close) it, it immediately jumps back to the open position with a noise that sounds a little scary. I have now stopped trying to do this and will get an electrician in to find and fix the short, but I was wondering whether re-closing a circuit beaker like this can actually be dangerous. <Q> When it first trips, you should first eliminate any causes for it to trip before resetting it. <S> A standard circuit breaker (not a GFCI or AFCI) will trip because too many amps are pulled. <S> If this is powering outlets, then unplug everything on the circuit. <S> If it still trips, then either you didn't notice the fork stuck in one of your outlets (I had an exciting childhood), the problem is with a hardwired appliance, or there's a short, and you should get an electrician out to diagnose. <S> If it doesn't trip with everything unplugged, then it could be an overloaded circuit, which would still require an electrician to run a new circuit. <S> However, overloaded circuits often take a short time to trip, and it would more likely be a faulty device that you can detect by plugging things in one at a time until the breaker trips again. <S> Note that if any wires or extension cords are worn or frayed, then they are a fire and electrocution hazard and should not be used. <S> If the breaker is a GFCI (typically seen with outdoor or bathroom/kitchen outlets), then in addition to triggering on amps, it can also trigger when current is going to a ground. <S> You can try the same diagnosis as above, but realize that this is a significant risk of electrocution if you become a better ground than the path the current has already found. <S> If the breaker is an AFCI (typically seen in newer homes to bedroom outlets), then it can also be tripping because of a an arcing current, either from a short in the wiring, a frayed wire, etc. <S> This is an immediate fire risk rather than the slightly slower fire risk you expose yourself to by overloading the wiring with too many amps. <S> In all cases, if you can't isolate it to a bad device that you can unplug, get an electrician out to diagnose and repair. <S> The risk of fire or electrocution is too great. <A> It all depends on why the breaker is tripping in the first place, but in general yes it could well be dangerous. <S> There are several reasons why the breaker might be tripping from a faulty appliance to a loose connection somewhere on the circuit. <S> Each can be dangerous in it's own way. <A> Look up 'arc flash' to see what can happen. <A> Yes, that is dangerous. <S> Unless it's malfunctioning, it's tripping for a reason, and that reason is that something is pulling so many amps that it would create a fire if the breaker did not intervene. <S> You most likely have a short circuit somewhere, which will probably be difficult to locate. <S> I would call an electrician.
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It can be dangerous as if there is a short going to ground which caused the breaker to trip, when you close the breaker all the current in the line is going to try to go through that breaker.
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Do I really need to use primer when painting an unfinished concrete floor? I'm turning a one car garage into an office and want to paint the floor. I bought some Behr concrete paint, and the guy at Home Depot insisted that I have to put down a layer of primer first. Do I really? This garage may have held a car a long time ago, but the floor doesn't look greasy at all. I'm not going to be parking a car in here, it's going to be an office with pretty light wear and tear. Also, I'm lazy, so I'm willing to gamble on this unless it's really stupid. <Q> Probably yes. <S> And probably an oil based primer unless the can says otherwise. <S> On top of that a concrete primer if they exist. <S> If you don't prime then you run the risk of the paint peeling, especially since garage floors are so smooth. <S> Plus you might run through way more paint than you think and need to get more since concrete is so porous, it will soak it up like a sponge. <S> You don't have to of course, but how much is the paint vs primer? <S> If paint is more get the primer as well. <S> And get an extension pole for the roller and everything will go fast. <A> I painted my garage floor 8 years ago (or thereabouts) and it was in great condition (as good as when I first applied it, apart from the exposed edge at the front) right up until earlier this year (when we converted it into a proper room with a boarded and insulated floor, hence my earlier comment). <S> I didn't experience any peeling and only needed one coat of paint. <S> I can't remember what I used, but it was paint specifically for painting concrete floors, light grey in colour. <S> I do remember that the primer was clear, and was meant to soak into the floor and "seal" it ready for the paint. <A> I painted a concrete floor several years ago and I used a coat of primer and a coat of paint. <S> I choose to do it so that the paint wouldn't peel/chip as easily. <S> It has lasted very well. <S> It's a workout area and gets a lot of use. <S> I know Behr has the Premium Plus line that contains the paint and primer in one. <S> Not sure if they have it for concrete paint though. <A> It's the 'glue' that holds the paint to the surface. <S> For concrete, and for "going for an industrial loft feel" I'd suggest that you also consider an acid stain instead. <S> It's a lot more forgiving in its application and, IMHO, is the key factor in an industrial loft. <A> Yes, you need to prime. <S> Not just with any primer, actually -- there are specific primers for priming porous masonry surfaces, and you need to use one of those. <S> On top of that, you need to follow the directions, which typically will include cleaning thoroughly with a chemical like trisodium phosphate. <S> If you just try to apply a latex/acrylic house paint straight to the concrete, it will fail in snort order and taking it back up will be a pain in the butt. <A> Look at the instructions on your concrete paint and do whatever they say. <S> If Behr doesn't recommend primer but you do it anyway, you'll be asking this paint that's specially designed to bond to concrete to bond to primer instead, which it might not do as well. <A> I found I could get away with outdoor latex primer when resurfacing concrete with a thin layer of sand mix. <S> I have also grown the technique using masonry screw drilled and placed into broken concrete which was then primed when Iwas faced with broken corners and edges of significant size. <S> None have failed and it has been years. <S> This was done at a multi apartment building I bought and remodeled. <A> Always prime! <S> Acrylic masonry primer is the best way to go. <S> Also if you ever plan on parking a car on that floor, make sure the topcoat is rated for garage floors because the petroleum in car tires will make regular exterior paint fail in short order
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I would say you definitely need to prime, as it's really sealing the concrete so that any paint you do apply doesn't soak in too far. You really should prime anything you are going to paint.
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Why does the breaker trip occasionally after I installed a new light fixture? We bought a house a couple of years ago with a covered light fixture box in the ceiling (a blank cover over a wired box and a blank cover over the switch box). I recently modified a plug-in pendant lamp (no ground) to a hard-wired pendant lamp by doing the following: Cut the plug off the lamp cord. Connect it to the wires in the ceiling box (white to white, black to black). Install a new single-pole switch in the switch box. The new fixture has no ground, so I'm not sure what to do with the ground wire from the power cable. The fixture is a simple lamp-style socket on the end of a long cord. I have a 12-watt (60-watt equivalent) CFL installed. The circuit itself, as best as I can tell, controls the overhead lights in the kitchen and the adjacent room. This includes a small (20-watt?) round fluorescent fixture, a ceiling fan that we never use (with a 25-watt incandescent bulb installed), and a track light with three 26-watt (100-watt equivalent) CFLs installed. The first time I flipped the light on, it immediately tripped the breaker. I reset the breaker and tried again with no problem. Tonight during dinner (I did the mod on Tuesday or Wednesday), the breaker tripped after the lights had been on and stable for quite some time. I didn't flip the switch off, but I reset the breaker. It immediately tripped, so I reset it again, and it seemed fine. It hasn't tripped since. In the 2.5 years we've lived here, I don't remember that breaker ever tripping before, which is what has me concerned. I'll be in the attic tomorrow to replace a cable splitter, so I'll try to find the cable and visually inspect it for any damage or kinks. Is there anything else I should be looking for? Any obvious problems or solutions that I don't know of? <Q> I'm going to take a wild guess that the previous home owner put the blanks up because they had the same problem and didn't want to fix it. <S> I'd remove the bulb from the fixture, unhook each of the wires that you connected before, and use a multimeter to test for "continuity" between the wires on each run (e.g. hot to neutral, hot to ground, neutral to ground for the line to the switch, for the light fixture without a bulb, and anywhere else that was previously disconnected). <S> Either way, get this fixed before turning the breaker back on with this fixture wired. <A> Your new light is not likely the problem because if it was, the circuit would trip every time you flick the switch. <S> Your problem is more likely caused by the total amount of current being drawn on the breaker at any one time. <S> If you are close to the TRIP point and you turn anything else on, the total current will increase on this circuit and cause the breaker to trip. <S> This is a safety limit that you cannot alter. <S> Run an additional feed from the main panel and start a new branch circuit. <A> There's a high likelihood of damage in the feed line from the switch to the ceiling box. <S> It could be frayed or rodent-chewed insulation, it could be many things. <S> I once worked on a problem where all the garage and outdoor lights, which were all on 2-way switches, suddenly started working entirely differently, <S> flicking switch A turned on different lights than before, and the companion switch A2 did even more bizarre things. <S> No tripping breakers, but what had happened was a roofer had driven a nail through two separate runs of 3-conductor romex, shorting two of the hots to each other. <S> Very dangerous and the nail did get quite hot. <S> The nail was not visible from any vantage point, the only way I found it was when I traced the lines and felt the "stop" in wiggle-room where the nail pinned the wires together. <S> The solution is to run a new line from the switch to the fixture.
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If you don't have continuity with a simple low voltage tester, then the problem could be arcing that only occurs when 120V is applied. You likely have a short circuit and need to track down where the short is occurring.
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What type of glue should I use to repair my hardwood floor? I'm replacing the tongue and grove boards in a section of my hardwood floor that were water damaged. On some of the boards, I'll need to cut out the bottom edge of the female side. On a YouTube video they recommended using a 2 part epoxy for securing the board in place. I thought I could just use a regular wood glue. What's the best glue for securing the hardwood floor boards? Is gluing better than just using a few finish nails from the top? <Q> You can clean up excess with water before it cures. <S> This stuff works great and allows some flexibility for expansion and contraction. <A> Use construction adhesive like this one . <S> Regular wood glue may not be able to keep up with the amount of tramping and expansion/contraction that a wood floor takes; you want something tough and flexible. <A> I think (but this is just a guess) that wood glue will do just fine, provided that you're bonding to wood underneath. <S> If you're bonding to a synthetic underlayment like foam you need an adhesive that will bond to both wood and the material underneath. <S> Personally I'd put some wood glue around the edges of the cut area as well, for added good measure. <S> Is glue better than nails? <S> Well <S> - do you like the look of face nails? <S> If your entire floor is face nailed anyway <S> nails are fine, otherwise they'll stick out like a sore thumb. <S> Reading Alex's answer, I'm amending myself - use construction adhesive like he said. <A> If you aren't gluing the rest of the floor down <S> I'd recommend face nailing the last board, Use a finish nail and set it beneath the surface and you will not notice it, especially if it's up against the wall.
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We only use Titebond III waterproof wood glue on Hardwood flooring.
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Can the socket in my recessed light be replaced without replacing the entire framing kit? I have recessed lighting in my living room. One of the bulbs went out. I tried replacing it with a fresh one, but no luck. There is electricity flowing to the socket, but the socket appears to have gone bad. I bought a replacement socket at Home Depot, but upon disassembling the light, I realized that I might not be able to replace the socket alone. I have a Lightolier Lytecaster 1102 Frame-In-Kit. Details here: http://www.lightolier.com/MKACatpdfs/1102D1.PDF http://www.lightolier.com/MKACatinstr/IS_1102.PDF It doesn't look like the socket can be removed from the porcelain socket housing. Does this mean I have to replace the entire framing kit? I tried calling Lightolier support, but so far I've only gotten an answering machine. Here are photos of the enclosure: And how the socket is fastened: SOLVED: See Dan's answer below. I don't know how I missed it, but inside the socket there are screws. The socket is not riveted to the enclosure. Alas, I did have to buy the whole Frame-in-Kit to get the correct socket, but at least I didn't have to remove the entire frame from the ceiling. I just unscrewed the socket and screwed in the new one. <Q> Good question. <S> Yes, it's likely that you have to replace everything. <S> This is one of the downsides of recessed lighting... <S> most of the time the wires from the service tie-in are contained inside a housing or inside of a conduit. <S> It's not weird at all to have it be like that... there are very few can light fixtures where this is not the case (due to fire concerns). <S> Can you access the fixture from above? <S> If so, it's easy to remove. <S> It's a little more complicated if there's no attic access to the fixture --- although there should be, because that fixture does not seem to be suited for insulated cavities. <S> If that fixture has insulation touching it, you want to replace it (and all your others where they touch insulation) regardless of condition with an IC-rated fixture. <A> That socket can be replaced. <S> It has two tiny screws from the back side to hold it in. <S> I am looking for that same exact socket, in large numbers. <S> Good luck <A> This happened to me. <S> The socket had power but was not lighting up the bulb. <S> It turned out that the center connector had been flattened by the old bulb and was not making connection to the center connection on the new bulb. <S> Turned off the power and pulled the center connector down so that it was now well off the base of the bulb receptacle and hey presto all was OK again. <S> I think different bulb manufacturers have different tolerances on the solder height of the center connector. <A> Bad news, the socket is riveted in, so unless you're prepared to drill the rivets out and a socket that hasn't already been riveted, you're hosed. <S> The A/C looks attached to the housing, which is weird - <S> but I can't be sure. <S> However I cannot imagine a safe and legal way to disconnect the housing from the armored cable and connect the new one that wouldn't create a hidden junction. <S> Looking at the PDFs, you MIGHT be able to detach the ... <S> I guess it's the transformer? <S> and socket housing from the frame mounting and replace it. <A> I've done it twice, in 2008 and just now. <S> Several problems: 1) old socket is riveted; 2) tight space to rewire. <S> I drilled the old socket out (through the rivet). <S> Next cut off any remaining rivet bur for a smooth flat surface. <S> Buy a replacement ceramic socket for a ceiling light. <S> The one I bought had both black and white wires attached to the socket and a few inches of wire to work with. <S> This is better than a replacement socket without the lead wires as it is very difficult to attach the black and white wire coming out of the pot to the replacement socket. <S> Detach the mounting bracket that allows you to screw the socket onto a threaded post. <S> You don't want it because it will bring your socket down an inch or so <S> and you wont get your end cap back on the fixture. <S> That mounting bracket was secured by a small screw. <S> Find a larger sheet metal screw narrow enough to go throw that hole. <S> Also make sure the head of the screw is small enough to fit in the recess area of the replacement fixture. <S> Drill a hole into the top of the ceiling pot, the right size to securely hold the screw. <S> When I just recently removed my socket there was a black circular washer spacer attached to the top of the pot used as a buffer against the old socket. <S> There was a center rivet (which I had cut out) <S> but at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions there remained marks (I guess from the four screw hold openings of the old socket). <S> One of these had been drilled but it was too big for my new screw. <S> So I drilled a smaller hole in another position. <S> Secure the socket with the new screw. <S> There is only one place for this new screw so it will make for a lopsided attachment. <S> That is the socket wanted to lean towards the side where it was attached by the screw. <S> To solve this I added three tiny washers to the top side of the screw. <S> This way the socket was not leveraged to that end when tightened. <S> Plus if I wanted to position it back a little the other way I could. <S> Anyway. <S> it works.
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The trick here is to get the right socket and get one that is pre-wired with lengths of wire to feed down the 3/8" flex whip to the junction box on the light.
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What is a good barrier between grout and wood? A side of a tile flooring project abuts a strip of wood. How should I handle the side where the tile meets the wood so the wood won't absorb all the water from the grout? <Q> You may not want to grout that joint. <S> Caulking (using a matching color with the grout) may be the better solution. <S> This way it will not crack as the wood expands and contracts over time with temp/humidity changes. <A> Whenever you have materials of different types butting up against each other, you always want to leave space for expansion because they'll expand at different rates. <S> Use transition pieces wherever you have these material joins - these are finish pieces that sit over top of the transition to hide it while giving that finished look. <S> In the case of tile meeting wood, as others have said, leave the space empty, or caulk with a material that will remain flexible made for the specific join (I can't think of one off hand, so I'd leave it empty) and cover the join with quarter round or shoe for a professionally finished look. <S> Like <S> so: (Not my project) <A> I think there is grout on the tile side of the metal strip and the wood has very narrow space between it and the metal strip. <S> There is no transition piece that covers the joint and the top of the wood <S> is flush with the top of the tile. <S> I've sat here for ten minutes trying to remember what that metal strip was called, but it escapes me.
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In our house where tile meets wood, the tile installer inserted a thin metal strip between the tile and wood.
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Is it safe to put a woodstove on a sheet of cement board? I'm looking at how to install a woodstove in a yurt. In this example, it looks like he put 1 sheet of cement board on the floor, and another against the wall. (click for full size) Is a single sheet of cement board enough to protect the wood floor from the heat of the stove? (More pictures here: http://www.barefootboy.com/yurt/ . This is not my yurt.) The woodstove I'm looking at says this in the manual: A combustible floor must be protected by a non-combustible material (like tile, concrete board, or certified to UL-1618 or as defined by local codes) extending beneath the heater and a minimum of 6" from each side and minimum 16" from the front face of the stove and minimum 6" (or the rear clearance to combustibles whichever is smaller) from the rear of the stove. which doesn't tell me much. EDIT : I just got this response from the manufacturer: The woodstove does not require a R value, the pedestal or heat shield and legs raises the firebox high enough not to require the R value. You just require the floor protection like a piece of sheet metal and tiles etc. <Q> Actually there are a few considerations you need to take into effect. <S> You first need to look up the "R" factor required from combustible materials for your specific stove. <S> This can be provided by materials such as concrete board, high density fiberboard insulation, steel sheets and air barriers. <S> The factors can be different from the bottom, sides and back of a stove, so it is important to have the full specs. <S> You should also check with the local building inspector to get the minimum distances from combustibles in your area. <S> I believe most communities use the NFPA specs, but always check local requirements. <S> Practically speaking, using a single piece of concrete board under a wood stove is rarely enough insulation factor. <S> I think 1/2" concrete board only has a R-rating of 2 or 3, which is much too low if attached directly to a wood floor without an air space. <S> I would feel much more comfortable with a layer or two of brick or brick over high temp fiberboard insulation. <S> High temp fiberboard can be rated as high as 800 degrees F per inch at 6 inches away from heat source. <S> Available at any HVAC supplier. <S> After all the work you have done on your yurt, be absolutely safe and sure of you woodstove installation. <S> Good Luck my friend. <A> There's enough space between the firebox and the walls that the risk of the walls bursting into flame from the heat is non-existent. <S> The reason the directions tell you that the combustible floor must be protected with a deeper protection boundary in the front than on the sides is due to the risk of hot embers falling out of the firebox and landing on the floor which could start a fire. <S> Especially on a finished floor or carpet. <S> Fire requires three things - fuel, heat, and oxygen. <S> Remove one <S> and you remove the fire. <S> (Plus if that happens you've got bigger problems anyway...) <A> I used cement board in that same fashion (under stove and as a back wall) for one year. <S> It got extremely warm (almost hot) on the wood floor and the wall board in back of the stove got hot, but not much of a concern. <S> The back of the stove was about 18" to 24" from the wall. <S> There was no air space behind the wall board that was attached to the studs. <S> It was screwed directly to those studs. <S> After one year, the cement board hearth had to be discarded. <S> It was all cracked up. <S> The wall cement board was fine and then a second sheet was installed over that first sheet, then granite thinstone directly applied to that second sheet. <S> No worries other than I was told <S> it did not pass code whereas there had to be a 1" air space behind granite or sheet heat shield installed. <S> I installed a steel heat shield. <S> As far as the floor hearth goes, I had a 5" high hearth built from wooden studs, two layers of cement board and one layer of slate tiles. <S> Works perfectly. <S> What I don't understand is why does there have to be a 1" space behind stone on the wall but not on the floor? <S> Sounds like a code type scam to discourage homeowners from installing wood stoves.
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Covering the wood with the non combustible material removes fuel from the equation - and if the concrete board DID ever reach temperatures in excess of 525F (the ignition temperature of wood), its presence over the wood removes fuel from the equation. Every manufacturer has a safety insulation factor.
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is there such a thing as a pipe brush? I've used Drano/Liquid Plumbr Foam to clean the bathroom sink drain, but that never cleans enough. There's always scum left over. I think I can clean it better if I follow up the Drano with a brush. So, I'm looking for a "pipe cleaner brush" (name?), but I can't find it anywhere online. I've searched the sites for Home Depot and Lowe's for: pipe brush pipe cleaner tube brush but the search results don't show what I'm looking for. The brush I need looks like the ones in this search , but I need longer ones that come in various widths (one at ~ 2" and another 1/4"). Where can I find this thing? <Q> I wouldn't worry about the scum left over - what you really need to do is get rid of the BIG gunk that's catching the little gunk that eventually clogs your sink. <S> For clogged drains, a hand held auger is your tool of choice for cleaning stubborn clogs out of bathroom pipes. <A> The image you linked to is a test tube brush. <S> It's used in laboratories for cleaning test tubes. <S> If you don't have access to a laboratory supply store, you might also try restaurant supply or homebrew stores for bottle brushes, which can fit into a narrow neck but have larger bristles so that you can clean beer or wine bottles easily. <S> The term 'pipe brush' I've also seen used to refer to a curved brush that's for cleaning <S> the outside of pipes (curved so you can get behind the pipe easily, which isn't particularly useful in this situation. <S> 'Pipe cleaner' tends to be really short bristles, used by tobacco pipe smokers, but you can also find similar things at craft stores (but I wouldn't suggest using the glittery ones for cleaning stuff) ... <S> All that being said -- I agree with the Evil Greebo -- you likely want an auger (aka. ' <S> plumber's snake') to clear the clog. <S> Once that'd done if you still have problems, there are some enzyme based drain openers (intended for slow drains) that will help to digest what's left in the pipe to loosen it up. <S> You might see suggestions online of pouring hot water into the pipes, which will loosen greasy stuff, but for kitchen sinks, you'll end up moving the grease further down the pipes as it cools, which can create neighborhood-wide problems, not just a localized problem that can be easily augered out. <A> Please know that these kinds of brushes throw spatter everywhere. <S> If you've just poured Drano down the drain and then hit it with a bottle brush, you'll be throwing tiny drops of corrosive, eye-damaging liquid around the bathroom. <S> It's not pleasant, but the most effective solution I've always found is just to remove the trap. <S> It's usually one or two threaded fittings <S> and then you can clean the pipes out at your leisure, removing all the hair and hair bands, and.....whatever the rest of that stuff is. <S> Bleh. <A> The suggestion to use a plumber's snake (auger) is the ideal answer to this problem. <S> You'd find a brush of similar diameter to your pipe, thread it into the head of the auger so that it's held securely (several over-engineered ideas present themselves) and feed it through to really scrub the inside of the pipe. <S> With that said, the pipes probably don't need to be this clean.
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If you really wanted to get adventurous and are a bit handy, you could add a bottle brush (sold in most housewares areas) to the end of your snake.
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Can I connect ground to neutral in a 3 wire outlet? I have a 3 wire outlet with the entrances for hot, neutral and ground. But I know that the ground entrance is not really grounded, so in effect useless. Now, since the neutral is grounded, could I connect the ground entrance with the neutral therefore "grounding" the ground? What would be the problem with that? <Q> Bridging the neutral and ground at the outlet is against code. <S> This is called a Bootleg ground . <S> You have a few different options to bring this up to code (corresponding to the NEC electrical code): <S> Replace the outlet with a GFCI outlet, and leave the outlet's ground unconnected. <S> This is minimally dangerous, the risk is if you get your body somewhere in between the hot and neutral.... <S> but it'll protect you if current tries to flow between the outlet, and devices on another outlet (or the ground). <S> Add an additional ground wire. <S> The wire must be of the proper gauge, and go to a "grounding electrode", or your main circuit panel. <S> There are a few other details that you'd need to follow. <S> See NEC 250.130(C) for details. <S> Rerun the wiring for the outlet with three-conductor cable/conduit. <S> Replace the outlet with a 2-prong outlet. <S> Keep in mind that the ground and neutral should be connected together at your house's service entrance, and nowhere else. <S> The "ground" connector is often connected to the chassis of electric equipment, for example the metal case of your oven, lamp, etc.... <S> One danger is that the neutral is not really at the same potential as the ground. <S> The neutral wiring from your device has some non-zero resistance. <S> The electric current flowing through your device also flows through the neutral wire. <S> The current flowing through your neutral causes the voltage of the neutral to increase (based on Ohm's law, voltage = current * resistance), which can cause your neutral to be a few volts above ground. <S> So, if you have a properly grounded device, next to a device connected to your bootlegged ground, you can shock yourself by touching the two cases since they will be at different potentials. <S> A second problem with connecting the ground to the neutral happens if your neutral wire breaks between the outlet and your service entrance. <S> If the neutral breaks, then plugged in devices will cause the neutral to approach the "hot" voltage. <S> Given a ground to neutral connection, this will cause the chassis of your device to be at the "hot" voltage, which is very dangerous. <A> I don't believe this is up to code, but it will pass the test from a standard outlet tester. <S> The problem I see is if any device plugged into the outlet comes into contact with a ground (e.g. water) and that path is more efficient than going all the way back on the neutral wire through the house wiring <S> , then hot current going through any appliance and onto the neutral would come out the ground and possibly electrocute anyone in that path. <S> That said, I've seen this implemented and have lived in a home where this was done without dying, or even getting shocked. <S> But the fact that the electrician that used this trick was missing several fingers should give you pause. <A> I'm not in the US. <S> Where I live this (called "combined neutral and protective earth wire") is only allowed in non-domestic power distribution. <S> This setup has one major problem: if phase and neutral are swapped (for example, you alter wiring in the box next to the power meter and swap wires) <S> phase is now supplied onto the grounding contact as well <S> and that's asking for trouble. <S> So you can try do that <S> , it's likely better than no grounding, but it's likely not up to code, and it is hazardous in that if wiring is altered you can have phase on the grounding contact and hence on appliance case. <A> The ground is supposed to provide an alternate path to ground, in case the neutral wire doesn't do a good enough job. <S> If you only have two wires, that tells me you're in an older house. <S> So it's possible (likely!) <S> that a former homeowner did something wrong, like put a switch in the neutral, or reversed polarity. <S> If you know all of the devices on a particular circuit, you can do the detective work to ensure that this hasn't happened. <S> Or you can run a separate ground wire to a water pipe. <S> This does meet code in the US (at least as-of 1999, which is what my electrical handbook is based on), and it's what I did for my home office <S> (I wasn't happy having computers on ungrounded circuits). <S> To completely meet code, you need to ensure that the cold water pipe has a conductive strap to bypass the water meter. <S> And you need to use a wire that is the same gauge as that used for the circuit (14ga for a 15 amp circuit).
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I don't know of any cases where the neutral would be compromised while a ground wire in the same sheath isn't -- except where someone mucked with the wiring.
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Is it normal for an air compressor's tank to have something inside it? I recently bought an air compressor for airbrushing and other uses. I'm not familiar with air compressors so I was wondering if it was normal for the air tank to have sand/gravel inside it? When I tip it over from side to side, I can hear something like sand/gravel moving around inside. The manual doesn't say anything about it. <Q> No, there should be nothing loose inside there by design. <S> If it is a used compressor, then I'd expect it is some rust that has broken loose. <S> If it was a cheap compressor, then you got what you paid for. <A> I recently bought an silent air compressor similar with California Air Tools 5510SE. <S> I have the exact issue like you and found out that are some very small steel balls probably resulted from the welding process. <S> I intend to remove the tank plug and purge it. <A> I encountered the same thing on my recently bought air compressor. <S> I decided to shake them out while changing the drain plug with a ball valve (I always do this before first use, because drain plugs have a tendency to clog up). <S> I removed the drain plug and poured some out, they looked like weld spatter <S> so I figured they must be left over from the welding process. <S> Only later I realized it was not weld spatter (because there was just too much of it to be spatter) but it was the granular flux used in submerged arc welding. <S> I decided to keep them inside the tank because this granular flux actually contains sacrificial metal particles, which oxidize before the base metal. <S> This effectively prevents (or at least delays) the rusting of base metal. <S> If you have to keep the drain plug for some reason, consider shaking the particles out because of the increased clog up risk, but it is much easier to change the plug with a ball valve.
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If it is new, then it is probably a piece of scale from when the tank was welded, or some other junk that got left in the tank.
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Why don't programmable thermostats automatically switch between "Cool" and "Heat"? While I can set my house to be a particular temperature, I still have to manually switch it between "Heat" and "Cool" mode, and this seems to be true of every thermostat (programmable or not) that I've seen. Is there a reason for this? <Q> The logic involved is much more complex. <S> Right now the logic is simple: if AC Mode and it's too hot, turn on AC, else turn off ACif Furnace mode and its too cold turn on furnace, else turn off furnace But <S> the determination of when to switch between heating and cooling modes is much more complex - otherwise the ac would kick on, and it would get too cold, so hte furnace would kick on, making it too hot, and a cycle would begin that would never end. <S> So the logic must be more like: if the average ambient temperature has remained below a certain threshhold for a given period of time and the air conditioner hasn't been on in quite a while, change to furnace mode but if average ambient temperature has remained ABOVE a certain threshhold for a given period of time and the furnace hasn't been on in quite a while, change to a/c,then if we're in furnace mode <S> and it's cold, turn on the furnace, but if we're in a/c mode, and it's hot, turn on the a/c. <S> The circuitry involved is much more complex, so the price is higher and the market share obviously will be smaller. <A> There are programmable thermostats that automatically switch from heat to a/c and to heat again. <S> I don't know how long they've been on the market though. <A> Some do automatically switch. <S> I remember getting a new thermostat for free with my new A/C unit. <S> The manual said that the model XXX-A auto switched. <S> In small text it said something like "This feature is only needed in cities like Phoenix where it can be very hot during the day and very cool at night. <S> " I literally said D'Oh! <S> I live in Phoenix, and they would not give me the XXX-A version. <S> Oh well... <A> Check out www.nest.com for the Learning programmable thermostat. <S> It isn't stated right up front but it has an auto switching mode and does so very intelligently. <S> It also uses local weather forecasts (via wifi) and time to temp (the time it takes for your system to heat and cool the home) to help determine what mode it should be in and when.
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Some Honeywell thermostats, such as the 8000 Series, have 'auto' setting where you can program the Heat temperature and the cool temperature and the thermostat will automatically switch from heat to cool.
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What's a good entry-level text/video on residential plumbing? Anything for the near-absolute beginner? I've removed the 180-degree angle dirt trap under my sink and cleaned a pipe with a motorized snake, but that's about it. Any book recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Any YouTube videos or usernames would be awesome too. <Q> Home Depot and Lowe's both sell <S> pretty well illustrated, basic books on Plumbing. <S> I have one, "Plumbing 1-2-3" which is from one of those two (can't remember off hand which <S> but I think it's HD) which covers all the basics, has clear pictures, easy to follow directions, and makes you think, ' <S> Oh heck <S> yeah <S> that's obvious...' <S> As for videos - there's always the DIY network Plumbing section. <A> You can try searching the site in the Plumbing tag, for questions others have asked about plumbing. <S> Simply enter [plumbing], followed by your query in the search box. <S> You could also head over to the Meta site and request some plumbing how-to's be added to the blog, I'm sure there are some folks in the community that could write up some good articles. <A> I second the books put out by Home Depot and Lowes: they have nice pictures and step-by-step instructions. <S> BUT, I think that they need to be supplemented by practice, before <S> you try to do the real thing. <S> For example: sweating a pipe is easy after about the 3rd try -- if you're doing it in your workshop. <S> If your first time is while you're upside-down under the sink, you'll risk setting the house on fire. <S> And you'll always worry that the joint will burst in the middle of the night. <S> In addition to the how-to books, I'd suggest looking for a book that covers basic design skills and code requirements -- things like properly sloping and venting a drain. <S> I can't recommend any, but would expect that your local library would have several that you can browse (or get via inter-library loan). <S> This is basic knowledge, and should be the same in any book.
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You could try the Home Improvement Stack Exchange site, I've heard there are a few guys there that are fairly good at answering most plumbing questions.
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How do I level a basement floor but not the slab underneath? I'd like to install laminate floor on top of Delta FL in my basement. The basement slab is not level, it slopes (from all directions) towards a floor drain (that, via a pipe, leads to a sump pump) near the exterior door. I wouldn't like to level the slab, because drainage is a good thing. How do I level my floor. And should I? I think I should, because otherwise the laminate won't be stable. I came up with two ideas: 1) Somehow level below the Delta FL layer, for example with some sort of small pebbles (allowing water to go through them but large enough not to go in the drain). Or other material, I'm open to ideas! 2) Level above Delta FL but below the laminate by using dry sand. Edit: My basemen is dry, but since I have a drain and a slope why would I give that up? Turns out that using sand, while uncommon, is something people do (google it!) and the only downside I read was that the sand can move over time unless you somehow contain it. <Q> I can't imagine the sand idea working. <S> I'd probably scratch that one off the list. <S> Is the basement dry? <S> If you feel that you still need a sloped floor to deal with water issues, I think you want to tackle those first before thinking about finishing the floor. <S> Otherwise, your shimming idea makes the most sense. <S> I don't think pebbles will work but some form of furring strips may work. <S> Get treated 2x2s or 2x4s and scribe them to match the slope. <S> Then cut them and affix them to the slab (adhesive may be enough...otherwise you can nail them with a power-actuated hammer). <S> You could apply the shims radially from the drain to accomodate any eventual water flowing to the drain. <S> For what it's worth, we have an old house and when we finished the basement I decide to be lazy <S> and we stained the concrete floor. <S> If you like the look, it's easy, cheap, and never any fear of a water-damaged carpet or subfloor. <S> While the floor can be a tad cool in the winter, once the space is heated it's quite comfortable--especially if you put a rug down. <A> If you look at comparable products like DriCore , they sell leveling kits (aka - shims) specifically for use with their product in uneven spots in your concrete - basically they're extra heavy duty shims designed to go under the subfloor. <S> However, if your uneven spots are particularly large, you will need to build those areas up to be true (if not level) and for that you can use a light weight concrete or even a pre-mixed floor leveling compound like you can find in the tile area at Lowe's or Home Depot. <A> The floor does not have to be perfectly level. <S> I use a 4' level or 2x4 and check the area. <S> Small trouble areas you can fix with doubling up on the underlayment. <S> Using a screwdriver will be the best width. <S> Thicker would be better but it will mess up the surrounding concrete. <S> You will want to remove the old floor drain set it at the height <S> you want the new concrete to be. <S> Once the concrete sets up you can drill or cut some notches where you put the drain grooves. <S> Doing it any other way may cause you to fill your drain with concrete. <S> You can also cut drainage grooves once the concrete has dried. <S> I would use a circular saw or grinder with a mason blade. <S> But this will not leave a thick groove and trying to make it wider would be time consuming. <S> If you were to do this i would would suggest cutting 2 lines about 1/2- 1" apart. <S> then take a chisel and break out the area in between.
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If you need to level the floor more use floor leveler let it set up then drag drainage grooves towards the drain. Just flat enough so the flooring lays flat. You dont want the level to teader or have a gap under it more than 1/4"-3/8".
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How do you determine the slope of a floor? What are some methods for figuring out the slope of a floor? I've always heard the slope referenced as, eg: "1/2inch over 6ft." - is this the normal way, and/or are there other common ways to say it? <Q> One way is to take a long level (the longer the better : 6 and 8' levels work well). <S> Hold one end of the level on the higher point, and then once the level is level, measure the gap between the other end and the floor using a measuring tape. <S> This will give you your height over your run (length of level), for that particular spot in the floor anyways. <A> Wow, a 1/2 inch over 6 inches is quite the floor, sure it is not a roof?!? <S> ! <S> lol. <S> I have never heard of a standard expression for floor level. <S> I would simply express it over the span of the entire floor or from the crown spot. <S> Example, 1 inch over 12 feet across joists, or <S> maybe 1/2 inch over 8 feet with joists. <S> You are right saying that a long level can be used to measure the slope, however a laser is very useful in seeing all irregularities over the entire floor, side to side or any high spots in the field. <S> Good Luck <A> The slope of the floor can be find by using two methods. <S> One is by using slope formula and the other, by digital inclinometer. <S> I think that mostly the floor slope is within 1-2% .Thank you. <S> Best Regards,MKNMK
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Set the laser at maybe 6 inches above the floor as a nul reference, then take several measurement with a tape at several locations by setting the "0" on the floor and note where the laser hits the tape.
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What options are there for converting from a wood stove to another type of heating system? My folks are into their 80's now and live in rural Maine. Their ONLY way of heating their home is with a wood stove - just a single wood stove. Up to this point, my folks have been able to tend the stove but because of health reasons, this situation can not continue much longer. Presently, there is no duct work. Unfortuneately, the house was built for a wood stove. My sisters and I are looking to have some type of propane gas heat system installed. What types of systems are available that can be retrofitted? <Q> With no duct work already existing, there's nothing really to "retrofit". <S> What you'll be looking at is a new install in an existing house, something that's ABSOLUTELY doable. <S> In fact, a few years back I got an estimate to install a new HVAC system and run a new trunk up to the attic and the estimate was about 12k. <S> The only thing that wouldn't have been new in that case was the gas line into the basement. <S> Newer high efficiency furnaces can be had which don't need to be vented out the chimney but can simply be vented outside the basement wall and partway up the side of the house. <S> Likewise running propane or natural gas is pretty straight forward. <S> The most complicated part will be running the ducting. <S> The ductwork should be sized out by a pro - size matters, particularly for the air return, which if too small can burn out the furnace. <A> Nice to see a fellow Mainer on here. <S> You should look at <S> propane fueled stove, space heater which can be vented up the chimney with a proper double wall exhaust/ combustion air pipe. <S> These heaters can also be direct vented right out a wall without using the chimney. <S> These heaters are totally automatic,some have low oxygen shutoffs for safety, and come in a large variety of BTU sizes. <S> If they are heating with only wood right now, then a propane heater is going to be like heaven to them, and much safer. <S> What area do they live in? <S> I may be able to refer you to a good supplier in your area. <A> How large is the house? <S> Get one that includes a blower fan.
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If the house was heated well with the wood stove, converting it to a high efficiently gas stove might be all you need.
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What is better for a roof, plywood or OSB? While watching the builders next door do their thing, I became curious with their technique to install plywood on edges neighboring the next townhouse, and OSB for the rest (which for these narrow interior units is a single panel in the middle, but they use OSB all the way to the non-attached side on the end units). What's the reason to pick one over another? Follow up : I'm guessing this is related to OSB's tendency to expand on the edges when wet, possibly for the flashing and the plywood side of the firewall that would rest on top of this edge of the roof. Here are some links that I came across when doing a bit of research: Comparison from home inspectors Comparison from UMass <Q> It could be that they are trying to slow down a fire from spreading. <S> You might be able to verify this by checking the local fire codes for conjoined (not sure this is the right term) buildings. <S> See how if there was an MS Paint fire, the flames would stay away from the next building (assuming the material in the middle burns faster). <S> The man would then have more time to get to safety, or be saved by Captain Construction. <A> Twofold theory: <S> Perhaps OSB is cheaper at the moment for this builder than ply and wants to use OSB as much as they can. <S> OSB and Ply are apparently seen as the same in terms of performance and code <S> see: <S> http://bct.eco.umass.edu/publications/by-title/choosing-between-oriented-strandboard-and-plywood/ <S> However, OSB, when cut, is more susceptible to water damage on the cut (the cut exposed raw wood not covered in the bonding agent/glue). <S> Once OSB edges get wet, it expands like a sponge...which would ruin the roof. <S> So, it looks like they might be using as much OSB as they can, but have to switch to ply whenever cutting. <A> They're required by 2012 IRC to use a fire retardant treated plywood on the roof within 4' of the UL assembly (the firewall that's between each unit). <S> They can use OSB in the middle as it's much more cost effective than plywood. <A> Personally, I hate OSB for anything but temporary uses. <S> It's not as strong as ply <S> , it's more suceptible to moisture than ply, more easily damaged than ply. <S> They use it for things like roofs and such cause it's cheap. <S> They are counting on the roof being covered before any extended exposure to moisture, and they certainly don't expect constant foot traffic on it. <S> When I had my own roof replaced, I specified ply, not OSB. <S> But then, I'm biased. <A> The outer edges are fire treated plywood and have a reddish tint. <S> Code requires a minimum of 4 feet from the fire wall. <S> From seam to seam must be a minimum of 2 feet. <S> So to reduce waste the stagger from 4 feet to 8 feet (full sheet). <S> Anything in between fire treated wood can be plywood or OSB. <A> Most likely the boards along the edge are a treated or coated sheathing product. <S> Some common ones are "Blazeguard" or "Fireblock". <S> In many areas earlier city codes called for gypsum board to be installed along the edges and these products provide the same fire blocking qualitites. <A> The OSB these days has way better glues/resins than ten years ago. <S> Advantech is one of the best and it is an OSB product! <S> I wish people would get over their unbased biases and chill out! <A> To reduce overall roofing cost, plywood panels are often used around the edges of a roof (near the eves) because this is where there is higher wind pressure pulling the nails out. <S> OSB is then used in the interior or field panels of a roof where wind is not as much of an issue. <S> Plywood grasps the nails holding flashing, the finished roofing like asphalt shingles, or the like, better, especially long-term, than OSB which tends to soften more quickly with moisture cycles over the years. <S> Although OSB was specified by the engineer in a cabin I built for a customer, because the location was very windy, I convinced the customer to upgrade the whole roof to plywood so that it would hold up better. .. <S> Especially because it was a 2 to 3 story roof in places and steep, and thus hard to fix if something went wrong. <S> I've had my own shed roof which was sheathed with particle board by the last guy <S> fall apart as wind driven rain pushed moisture between the flashing and the felt. <S> The moisture softened up the wood. <S> The nails pulled out in a wind, and the whole thing needed to be replaced. <S> I replaced the particle board decking with plywood. <S> And I double flashed the edges so that wind driven rain can't push moisture in, even if the edge seal fails. <A> I'm not sure of any difference at all - but I could swear I remember Mike Holmes saying that he liked OSB for roofs because it's stronger and a bit more resistant to water ( <S> more glue, I guess). <S> It kind of looks to me like they had a mix of OSB and plywood <S> and they just were randomly using whatever they grabbed... <A> Respecting posts/comments referring to OSB water wicking and degradation (too little space allowance for reply by comment)-- <S> If it were a matter of edge wicking of water and consequent swelling or crumbling, the photo would show only full, uncut OSB panels, but does not. <S> Could it be, simply, that the roofing subcontractor was using new materials along with materials he already had on hand and wanted to get rid of? <S> That would seem to indicate that it was leftover OSB that did not have an indoor space for storage, so needed to be used up or be lost to the weather. <S> That theory is consistent with the OP pictorial, in that sheathing a roof would always start at a rake edge, or at interior, attached-unit-demarcating "wall" projections, and continue to an opposite edge, or inward, with interior sheets or partial sheets in between. <S> Note: it is clear that structure comprises individually owned units--each prospective owner to be responsible for upkeep of his/her own roof (not the "common" roof). <S> Each section is a roof unto itself, needing to be build only to residential (and therefore minimally specified) construction standards.
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OSB, especially subfloor, holds up to moisture better than CDX. The material at the edges might be more fire resistant, so the fire will spread to adjacent buildings more slowly, allowing the occupants more time to escape.
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Should a circulator pump be installed on the supply or return of a forced hot water heating system? I currently have a forced hot water heating system with 3 zones, all of which have the circulator pump on the supply side of the line. I need to install a 4th zone and am being told that putting the circulator on the return side is more efficient. What are the pros and cons of the circulator's location? Are there issues having some on one side and some on the other? <Q> Water pumps pump water, not air, so putting it on supply side makes water allways available for circulator to pump. <S> If you put that circulator on other side it could be hard to fill system with water and avoid air pockets. <S> And basicly you can't pump air with water pump as it makes them break. <A> I'm making a bit of a guess here <S> but I would speculate that there are two factors at play: 1) <S> When you PULL the water through the pipes, you'll create suction on all the flow paths, which I guess would mean the water flows more evenly through them. <S> All of this is sheer speculation on my part, however. <A> The location of the pump would all depend on ehat kind of a heating system you have. <S> If you have multiple zones but with circulating pumps the i would put them on the supply. <S> However, if you do have multiple zones but with circulating pumps and the pumps are on the return, then you would need to have zone valves on the supply so that one of the pumps only heats up the area where the thermostat is calling for heat. <A> Fluid dynamics is a field of engineering that is very intense and complex. <S> However simply put, it is a game of pressure differentials and not a path of least resistance or "last river" concept. <S> Pumps "pump" because they create a lower pressure on their suction side, and a higher pressure on their discharge side, and flow is created. <S> The higher pressure will always seek the lower pressure. <S> Every time the flow meets resistance, ie pipe friction, turns, coils, heat exchangers, the pressure gets a little lower on the other side of that resistance. <S> Now depending on how you pipe your boilers, if you put your pumps on the supply side, my personal preference and the preference of reputable heating contractors, you keep the higher pressure at the air removal portion of your piping and you have a greater chance of getting the air out of your system. <S> The other school of thought is to have the highest pressure of the system at the boiler as it is the greatest resistance to flow. <S> Also most boilers come with some kind of rudimentary air scoop in their exchanger, and if that is all you plan to use to remove air, then the return is a good option. <S> I also wonder if its sheer laziness as the boiler usually comes out of the box with the pumps mounted on the return side. <S> To sum up, it sounds like you had a good heating contractor design your piping system <S> and I would stick with keeping it on the supply side!!! <S> Rocco <A> Flow Dynamics dictate that you should have it on the feed not the return also try adding so glycol to the system as it will extend the life of your circulator
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Hot water going through the circulation pump is more "active", and thus could shorten the lifespan of the pump (active meaning more likely to cause corrosion); and 2) When you push water through pipes, the path of least resistance will get the greatest water flow. If you have multiple zones and the zone valves are on the supply, then the pump can go either on the return or the supply.
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Do all wires on basement walls have to be in conduit? I need to know if, when a basement is unfinished and an outlet is on the wall, is it required to put all wires in conduit? <Q> 2005 <S> NEC ARTICLE 334 Nonmetallic-Sheathed Cable: <S> Types NM, NMC,and NMS 334.15 Exposed Work . <S> ( C ) <S> In Unfinished Basements. <S> Where cable is runat angles with joists in unfinished basements, it shall be permissibleto secure cables not smaller than two 6 AWG or three 8 AWG conductorsdirectly to the lower edges of the joists. <S> Smaller cables shall be runeither through bored holes in joists or on running boards. <S> So basically if the cable is on the ceiling, it does not require conduit. <S> This protection can be conduit, or some other form of protection. <S> You could use a scrap piece of 2x4, for example. <S> Simply attach the 2x4 to the joist, and then attach the cable and box to the 2x4 (following proper NEC procedures of course). <S> When running cables on the ceiling, only 6/2 and 8/3 (and larger) NM cable can be run along the bottom of joists (perpendicular to joists). <S> Smaller cable must run through bored holes (following 2005 NEC 300.4), or along running boards (boards that run perpendicular to joists e.g. main support beams). <S> When installing cable on the ceiling that runs parallel to the joists, you can attach the cable to the face of the joist (as per NEC 300.4(D)). <S> As always, check your local codes before installing cable as your location may not follow NEC 2005. <A> OK, Tester is absolutely right and gave you the proper reference. <S> Now I will give you the practical solution. <S> 14 or 12 ga romex can be run along the wrap beams or center beams. <S> It cannot be run across joists without drilling through them. <S> Assuming you meet those requirements and get to the wall, you have two choices. <S> You can run EMT down the wall and use metal boxes for outlets, or you can ramset wood 2X4's down the wall and staple the wire to it and use a proper surface mounted outlet box and GFI receptacles. <S> Both will meet code in an UNFINISHED BASEMENT. <S> I stress unfinished, because rules change if you are going to put up walls etc. <S> The perfered method is Conduit, but either will work. <A> Yes, if the wires are "exposed" then they must be protected. <S> Romex is fine when it is inside a wall/ceiling/floor because it is protected from puncture/cuts/etc. <S> but if it is just running along the exposed walls of a basement that is not up to code. <S> That said, there are many basements that have this "problem", mine included. <S> If I had kids I might be worried about it <S> but I may finish the basement eventually and just fix it then. <S> It is something my home inspector mentioned before we bought the house. <A> It is all right to run cable through holes drilled in joists. <S> The thing is that the hole should be drilled in the center of the joist (not near the top or the bottom) to preserve strength of the joist. <S> This is because the upper part of the joist is under compression, the lower part under extension. <S> The middle part is simply sitting there: it will weaken the beam almost not at all to have a few small holes drilled in the center. <S> In fact, such holes might even relieve stresses which cause cracks in the wood to propagate.
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NM cableused on a wall of an unfinished basement shall be permitted to beinstalled in a listed conduit or tubing. If the cable is run along walls, it requires some form of protection.
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Which Kitchen outlets do NOT need GFCI? I have the 2 circuits in the kitchen with GFCI outlets, but I'm not quite sure which other ones do NOT need GFCI. Other circuits in the kitchen include Microwave, Fridge, and Dishwasher. It makes sense to me to not have the fridge on GFCI though. <Q> The NEC (NFPA 70 2011 edition) requires GFCI receptacles in kitchens of dwelling units where the receptacles are installed to serve the countertop surfaces. <S> It does not mention a distance requirement in kitchens. <S> The distance requirement of 1.8 meters (6 feet) is for sinks located in areas other than kitchens. <S> Section <S> 210.8 A of NFPA 70 2011 Edition deals with GFCI protection in dwelling units (see below). <S> 210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. <S> Ground-fault circuit-interruption for personnel shall be provided asrequired in 210.8(A) through (C). <S> The ground-fault circuit-interruptershall be installed in a readily accessible location. <S> InformationalNote: See 215.9 for ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection forpersonnel on feeders. <S> (A) <S> Dwelling Units. <S> All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in the locations specified in 210.8(A)(1)through <S> (8) shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection forpersonnel <S> (1) Bathrooms (2) Garages, and also accessory buildings that have a floor located ator below grade level not intended as habitable rooms and limited tostorage areas, work areas, and areas of similar use. <S> (3) <S> Outdoors Exception to (3): Receptacles that are not readily accessible and are supplied by a branch circuit dedicated to electric snow-melting,deicing, or pipeline and vessel heating equipment shall be permittedto be installed in accordance with 426.28 or 427.22, as applicable. <S> (4) Crawl spaces — at or below grade level (5) <S> Unfinished basements — for purposes of this section, unfinishedbasements are defined as portions or areas of the basement notintended as habitable rooms and limited to storage areas, work areas,and the like Exception to (5): <S> A receptacle supplying only a permanently installed fire alarm or burglar alarm system shall not be required to haveground-fault circuit-interrupter protection. <S> Informational Note: <S> See 760.41(B) and 760.121(B) for power supply requirements for fire alarm systems. <S> Receptacles installed under the exception to 210.8(A)(5) shall not beconsidered as meeting the requirements of 210.52(G). <S> (6) Kitchens—where the receptacles are installed to serve the countertop surfaces (7) Sinks — located in areas other than kitchens where receptacles areinstalled within 1.8 m (6 ft) of the outside edge of the sink <S> (8)Boathouses <A> All outlets that support convenience plug in items within 8 feet of a water source must be GFI protected. <S> However, the new NEC calls for a separate non GFI circuit (home run) for the fridge or other fixed appliances. <S> These non protected circuits must be single purpose and wired to a single outlet or direct wired and dedicated to the appliance. <S> This can include dishwashers, garbage diposers, vent fans, most permanent motor loads. <A> So any other kitchen receptacle, would not require GFCI protection. <S> National Electrical Code 2014 <S> Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection Article 210 <S> Branch Circuits <S> 210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. <S> (A) Dwelling Units. <S> All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in the locations specified in 210.8(A)(1) through (10) shall have ground-fault circuitinterrupter protection for personnel. <S> (6) Kitchens— where the receptacles are installed to serve the countertop surfaces
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According to the 2014 version of the National Electrical Code, all 120 volt, single phase, 15 and 20 ampere receptacles in dwelling units, serving coutertop surfaces are required to have ground-fault protection for personnel.
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How can I temporarily soundproof my bedroom window? I live on the second floor of a noisy NYC apartment building, and my bedroom window is unfortunately right above a busy street. I've been sleeping with earplugs for a while, but I still get woken up. Is there any way to temporarily soundproof my window? Preferably it would be cheap and easy to install/remove. <Q> If you have single pane glass, which transmits a lot of sound, and heavy curtains (as suggested by BMitch) don't do enough, you could try making a panel from 2" sheathing foam (it comes in 2"x2'x8' pieces for about $17/piece; it may be pink or blue depending on brand). <S> Cut it to fill the inside of the window frame (you can use a sharp utility knife and a straightedge; make several cuts of increasing depth). <S> Paint with latex paint to go with your decor and to protect the outward-facing side from UV. <S> This would be light weight enough to easily put into place and could be slid under a sofa or bed when you don't need it in the window. <S> If your window is more than 2' wide, it's a bit more of a project; you'd need to get foam-safe construction glue (it will specifically mention that it's safe for foam) and glue the tounge and groove sides together, and add some thin strips of wood cross-ways (ideally on both sides) to stiffen it. <A> Start by sealing any cracks with weatherstripping. <S> Then I'd suggest investing in some heavy curtains. <S> You can also try hanging acoustical panels on the wall (either build them yourself, or find somewhere that supplies home theater systems). <A> Foam might help you, but it only kill reverberations inside the room. <S> Dual-paned glass would probably be most effective. <A>
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You can use some DIY techniques like can create an acoustic foam panel using the wooden materials and can fix the same in the window frame or can use a soundproof blanket whenever in need just cover the window or can opt for the double glazing of the window.
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How do I choose between ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms? I need to change my smoke detectors but I don't know how to choose between ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms. I guess that there are pros and cons to choose one or the other. Should I buy a combination detector that uses both methods? <Q> One consideration is where it's going to be installed. <S> The issue being that some places are more likely to have them go off when they shouldn't. <S> Ionizing can be affected by steam, so has problems if installed right outside a bathroom. <S> They also don't work too well if mounted near moving air (forced air systems, ceiling fans, etc.) <S> Photoelectric are set off by lots of dust, so workshops, laundry rooms (lint) and the like are problem areas for them. <S> They both have problems in kitchens . <A> I just posted this on a different thread... <S> but it is useful here also. <S> Ionization detectors are the most prevalent style installed in residences. <S> This is largely due to a lower cost, but they aren't necessarily the best. <S> They have more false positives (nuisance) alarms and are frequently removed or disabled, which does absolutely no good. <S> We had a fatal cooking fire just last year because of this very phenomenon. <S> Couple this with the fact that they take longer to alarm (up to 20+ minutes) in a smoldering fire, illustrates that you are better served by switching to either a dual sensor unit, or a photoelectric style for your home. <S> Here is the text of an email I send out regularly on this subject. <S> Investigative news footage regarding different types of detectors - Report #1 and Report #2 <S> Interesting program from a father of a fire victim from the OSU fire tragedy in 2003 -(The first several slide are heartbreaking) <S> The first 10-15 minutes of this presentation are very informative Position paper from a State Fire prevention association (the Southwest Ohio Fire Safety Council) which recommends photoelectric detectors. <S> Do yourself a favor and install photoelectric, it may save your life. <A> I would go for a combination detector, or install one of each type. <S> Each method detects different things: <S> Optical detect smoke and are better as detecting smouldering fires while ionization detect heat and smaller smoke particles. <S> Ionization are more prone to false alarms than Optical. <S> The Wikipedia article states: the National Fire Protection Agency recommend installing what are called combination alarms, which are alarms that either detect both heat and smoke, or use both the ionization and photoelectric / optical processes. <S> Which is a sentiment I agree with. <A> I've recently completed research into this topic, in order to buy a set of alarms for my home. <S> I chose Photoelectric detectors for a few reasons: <S> Ion detectors have a high false-positive rate, leading to disabled detectors. <S> A look around my own home confirms this: the old detectors are all presently disabled due to a nuisance alarm at one point or another. <S> Combination units are also prone to the "nuisance" issue. <S> If someone in the house is going to take out the battery, then the alarm is no longer useful, even if it would have been better at detecting a smoldering fire. <S> Since it's disabled, it won't detect anything at all. <S> Ion detectors take 15 to 50 minutes longer to react to a smoldering, smoke-producing, fire, as compared with Photo detectors. <S> http://www.propertyevaluation.net/Photoelectric%20vs%20Ionization%20Smoke%20Alarms%20-%20Deadly%20Differences.html <S> http://www.startribune.com/local/yourvoices/146781575.html <A> The ionization alarms will react to shower steam, so they shouldn't be used near bathrooms. <S> Photoelectric should be used in areas that have steam, and ionization should be used in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, near air vents, etc. <S> Some companies label smoke alarms for the appropriate location.
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There are two main types of smoke alarms; photoelectric activate when the light beam is broken, and ionization react to heat and dust. Where you can, you should use combination alarms, but you can also use a mix of types to achieve the same effect, while avoiding areas that might cause them to go off when they shouldn't.
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How can I figure out where squirrels are entering my attic? Squirrels keep getting in my attic but I can't figure out where they're coming in. There may also be chipmunks, as I found a bunch of sunflower seed shells inside a lawn chair bag that was laying up in the attic. I can't figure out how they are getting in the attic. There is a vent above the kitchen that I was suspecting but when I checked it the flaps were closed. How do I locate the entrance where the chipmunks/squirrels are getting into my attic? <Q> There may be many points, and they may not be what you think. <S> First off, squirrels can squish themselves down and fit through a hole much smaller than you'd think they could. <S> Don't rule any holes out because they're too small (well, other than say the vents in your soffit). <S> It's possible they're coming in around the foundation, or through your garage, and then climbing up walls or even on the inside of walls. <S> Look for any holes, including under decks, stairs, etc. <S> In the winter, seeing their tracks in the snow can point you in the right direction (but the sooner you can get rid of them the better <S> so don't wait until winter). <A> Start from the other end. <S> Find where you know they've been, and look around for signs of a trail. <S> If you know they are up there pretty often, try spreading something like talcum powder all around, they might leave a trail in it or even track it along their way out. <S> The way they get out is probably the same way they get in. <S> If the tracks go a little way then fade, spread more in that area. <S> Keep repeating, find part of a path they take and cover that to find more of the path. <S> Just an idea, I have no experience trying it to know if it will work. <A> I must agree that the question is largely unanswerable. <S> However, your problem now is no longer "where" are they entering. <S> Squirrels are very determined little critters. <S> So, now that they have decided your home is theirs, your greater concern is changing their minds. <S> There are three options: Find where you think the most likely entry point is and set up a trap and relocate the animals (ALL of them), <S> Option three is an unpopular choice for some people and you may be one offended by the suggestion. <S> If so, my apologies, but this is my experienced "opinion". <A> Try motion activated camera(s).
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Damaged or displaced materials like insulation, footprints in dust, chewed areas, droppings, etc., and see if you can follow it down. Check soffits, vents, corners, anywhere wiring or pipes enter (anywhere in the house). Find every possible point of entry and cover with hardware cloth/metal flashing, or Terminate.
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Recommended web sites that help pick out interior wall colors? Is there any website where i can see what kind of color will look how on the wall? I am planning to get my living room re-painted and looking for some ideas. Any suggestions? <Q> I'd second Greebo's suggestion of buying samples, but we've found that painting lining paper works better. <S> Firstly, you can move the patch around the room to see it in the different conditions that exist in your room - next to window, in the dark corner beside the chimney, etc. <S> Secondly, you don't have to worry about a darker colour showing through if you end up choosing a lighter colour. <S> Thirdly, you can reuse the sample in another room or even in someone else's house. <A> Web sites won't match your lighting, and your monitor color may be slightly off, so it's not feasible to get anything but a really ROUGH idea of how your paints will look in reality by looking at them online. <S> So what to do? <S> This is good for getting you in the ball park of what you want. <S> Once you have some general ideas of the colors you prefer, go back to the paint store and buy some samples - Lowes for example will sell samples for $3.00 per color sample. <S> Go home and paint on the wall directly - like this: <S> Then you can see larger examples of what each color looks like. <S> It's a small investment to help ensure you make the right decision. <A> The big paint company websites have apps that will let you do this, but the other answers are right about that only being a rough look, and samples being a better method. <S> The one use for the whole room virtual view is that a sample that looks good in one square foot might not look so good in a whole room. <S> Once you settle on a few colors from the sampling method, check it out in a website (or have somebody who knows photoshop change the colors in photos of your actual rooms), to sanity check that applying that color overall will still look acceptable.
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First of all, your paint store will have color sheets - papers with multiple colors on them that you can take home and compare.
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Do pressure reducing valves also function as check/one-way valves? If installing a pressure reducing valve, is there any sense in installing a one-way check valve in series, or would it be redundant? (i.e. does the PRV also act as a one-way valve?) <Q> First, no, they don't function as a check valve. <S> They limit inflow by dynamically changing the valve opening so that when less pressure is on the out side, the valve opens up fully, and too much pressure on the out side causes the valve to shut. <S> In a no pressure situation (where water could go backwards), it won't be impeded at all. <A> Many PRVs also include a backflow bypass, but since this is explicitly described in the product specs, it implies that not all valves include this functionality. <S> And you may be able to find a combination device out there with both capabilities. <S> Here's an example with a backflow bypass which you can see more details about in the manual. <S> Without evidence that your device has both capabilities, then all you can assume is that it will prevent a backflow when your inside pressure is below that of the municipality. <S> I will note that in my experience, I've had the pressure inside exceeded my hot water tank's TPR valve until I installed an expansion tank with only a PVR installed, but it's possible that the municipality has a backflow preventer on their meter. <S> I'm fairly certain my supply pressure doesn't exceed the TPR on it's own (my old valve failed, and the TPR never tripped, but after I fixed my last leaking toilet and faucet, the TPR started to go since there was nowhere left to expand). <A> Installing a non-return valve (NRV) before a PRV in my experience will produce a very high vibration in the line and may cause incorrect readings if you have a water meter. <S> I have tried it from 0 distance up to 1 meter; pipe from 1 inch up to 6 inch; all types of valves caused line to vibrate and fail. <S> Didn't care to get the formula or reason; just stopped doing that. <A> if you wanna be code compliant use a watts 9-D dual check with atmospheric vent. <S> it will pass inspection for residential, commercial and institutional in every part of the country.you can get one at lowes and depot. <S> If not available there then go to your local Ferguson plumbing supply (theyre the largest plumbing supply in the country and chances are there is one near you.
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Assuming that this is for your residential plumbing, you generally wouldn't install a check valve, because you want to be able to drain the system at the shut-off if you ever need to do any modifications.
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Are CFL bulbs safe for enclosed fixtures? I just got 3 dozen CFL bulbs for free, and was planning on replacing all the non-downward exposed fixture lights in my home with these bulbs. In the past I haven't even considered switching to CFL because of the light temperature, but after seeing the 2700K bulbs and barely being able to tell a difference I was sold, at least for free. I accepted the bulbs based on word-of-mouth that they are fine in enclosed fixtures, with the caveat of a "possibly reduced lifespan". But, after scouring the internet I have found everything from "bulbs under 20W are fine" to "these bulbs are NOT to be used in enclosed fixtures". Specifically, I have Earthbulb 13W Micro T2 bulbs. The manufacturer's website says nothing about them. Most of the fixtures I would be putting the bulbs in are standard dome lights like this . I can deal with a shorter lifespan, at least, I'm willing to give it a try. But I am ultra-paranoid about risk of fire. So, does anyone have any better advice than I've been able to find to answer the question are CFL bulbs safe (from risk of fire) in enclosed fixtures? <Q> We have had CFL's in a number of enclosed fixtures for years now. <S> They generate comparable light for much less heat. <S> The main thing you need to worry about with CFLs is, you can't use them on a dimmer unless that dimmer is designed for them. <S> Other than that - less heat means even less risk of fire in my book. <A> From the GE website : Compact fluorescent light bulbs may generally be used in enclosed fixtures as long as the enclosed fixture is not recessed. <A> The CFL light bulbs tend to generate less heat; however, they are much more sensitive to heat. <S> If the excess heat cannot escape in a timely manner, eventually the electronics within the light bulb will burn out, even though the fluorescent tube will be fine. <S> Since these are not bulbs with replaceable ballasts or starters, effectively you'll have to throw out the whole bulb. <S> Sometimes you get one that does well with the extra heat, but you will see reduction in advertised bulb lifespan. <S> Don't expect these bulbs to be economical in an enclosed fixture, they'll just burn out too quickly. <S> You might be able to improve your results with higher quality CFL bulbs. <S> The CFL bulbs <S> I am familiar with have a capacitor. <S> This is a very temperature sensitive part. <S> When the capacitor overheats, it bulges, indicating that the interior contents have melted and likely fused. <S> A replacement capacitor is cheap; however, installing the replacement capacitor is labor expensive, and with the tight confines of the bulb, often beyond the ability of most hobby electronics buffs. <S> CFL bulbs do better (but not perfect) in enclosed fixtures, as the heat rises away from the base. <S> Still, the entire fixture is likely to be warmer if enclosed, and the failure rate of capacitors accelerates along that temperature gradient. <S> Even if your bulb works, it will likely fail early, negating most, if not all, of the cost-savings by requiring an early bulb replacement. <A> I don't know codes. <S> But from the standpoint of dissipation of energy I can't imagine how putting something that dissipates less power as heat (most of a light bulb's power consumption ends up as heat) could be less safe than an equivalent wattage light bulb. <S> That is, if you replace something that used to use 60W (mostly ending up as heat) with something that uses 13W, how can you be worse off? <S> If someone has a good reason, I stand corrected. <A> Approximately two years ago <S> I had a CFL in a hanging bar fixture, open at the bottom. <S> I'm not sure how long it was in there <S> but, the CFL bulb exploded in the fixture. <S> The part that exploded was between the base and the glass light part. <S> It startled all of us, but thank goodness we didn't have to deal with mercury splattered everywhere and there was no fire. <S> So I am afraid to put CFLs anywhere they may be even slightly enclosed. <S> What makes me so angry about buying these new bulbs is having to search to find out what type of fixtures they can safely be used in. <S> This should be information that is listed prominently on every light bulb pack, including LEDs. <A> I've noted that CFLs used in fixtures with closed tops and sides (even if the bottom is open) have very short lifespans. <S> 6 months to a year is all I've seen out of those. <S> Open top fixtures (even with closed sides and bottom), haven't had to replace any of those despite running them for years. <S> Heat appears to be a major problem in lifespan. <S> I've not heard of any fire issues though. <S> I suspect that it's actually less likely with CFLs, as someone else mentioned, the total consumption and heat dissipation is less than an incandescent.
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Totally enclosed recessed fixtures (for example, a ceiling can light with a cover over the bulb) create temperatures that are too high to allow the use of a compact fluorescent bulb.
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Should I install external basement insulation that does not extend above ground? Question : Is there a way to calculate energy savings for external, 2inch insulation on basement walls that does not extend above the soil surface , leaving the top couple feet of foundation wall exposed to air. Background:I am having my basement foundation walls waterproofed externally. The contractor is offering to provide external insulation for what seems like a reasonable price, and according so some research, there are some advantages to doing this externally if you have the opportunity. Some sources also suggest that the payoff is rather quick, 2~5 years (but did not state what assumptions were behind that). The hesitation comes from the fact that what is under discussion is cutting the foam board short of the top of the soil. Basically if we wanted it to go all the way up (as would be ideal) I'd need a different contractor to tie into the siding and protect the exposed insulation. Currently there is about 2.5ft of exposed block below the start of the siding, which is the norm for this neighborhood. I do know that a large part of the value of the insulation comes from the top few feet below the soil and the part exposed to the air. I do not plan on finishing my basement in the near term or trying to keep it the same temperature as the rest of the house. House is small (850sq foot bungalo), in lower Michigan. <Q> Rather than go to the trouble and expense of tying external insulation from below ground to the siding, I'd let them stop with the below ground insulation. <S> It at least will add a little extra R value. <S> Then, since your basement is unfinished, but you do use it, I'd go ahead and add additional insulation on the inside of the house* - from the ceiling on down, at least to several feet below the external ground level if not all the way down. <S> (Those extra few feet won't do much on the bottom but they will help some and they won't cost much more...) <S> *Making sure that any other potential water issues have been dealt with The key thing with insulation is to get a continuous thermal break. <A> You are correct in that most of the heat loss in cold climates will be in the exposed part of the wall. <S> Below the freeze line (few feet in MI) <S> the ground temp is actually pretty stable. <S> That said, you're exposing the foundation to waterproof... <S> the extra cost of insulation at this point in time is miniscule so you might as well do it now. <S> Be sure that they waterproof the insulation as well, though (foam insulation will eventually become waterlogged if exposed to the ground and become much less useful in terms of insulating). <S> All that said, if the basement is properly waterproofed and you are confident it is dry, you can certainly install the insulation on the inside at some point. <A> One other things - wrt your question about calculating the savings. <S> I don't know the formulas, but I do know that the math in calculating actual savings is very complicated, and depends heavily upon multiple factors including how long your furnace operates and the relative outside temperature. <S> If you think about thermal energy transfer like water in a tall pipe, it'll help to understand. <S> Take a 10' long pipe and stand it on end and fill it with water. <S> Now drill a hole at the very bottom. <S> Water starts to leak out - and it comes out in a FAST stream, <S> right? <S> But as the pipe starts to empty, the water starts to slow, because its under less pressure. <S> The same is true of heat transfer. <S> If it's 76 outside and 78 inside, energy transfer from inside to outside will be VERY slow - and insulation will slow that transfer even more, by a relative resistance called R-Factor. <S> Now if it's 78 inside and 20 outside, the temperature change is much greater, and so energy will STREAM out of the "hole", under much greater pressure. <S> In that case, insulation will help - and it will help MORE in total dollars, but relative to the temperature difference the R-factor remains the same. <S> Based on the above, I doubt you'll ever get an exact answer - and your best option is to look at the R-Value and go for the highest R-value per dollar you can get.
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Even a small gap in the insulation can allow huge amounts of energy loss, and since you are running heat downstairs, while I don't know precisely how to calculate the long term savings, there will be one, and more importantly, your basement will be much more comfortable for year round use.
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Does a grounding wire from a breaker panel to an outside grounding rod need to be in conduit? I've got a breaker panel in my detached garage (it is not a sub-panel, but is a primary forked off just past the meter). The panel seems to be wired correctly- the neutral and ground bars are tied together, and a (6ga?) ground wire was run through a hole in the wall about 6" below the panel, down through some conduit outside, and is attached to a grounding rod. However, between where it leaves the panel and passes through the wall to the outdoor conduit, it is just bare wire. I am in the process of insulating the garage, and putting up drywall, and this didn't seem right. Thoughts? Just to clarify- the wire IS in conduit outside, but for the 6" or so it runs inside the walls, it is just bare wire. <Q> In the last year I've seen a main panel and 2 subpanels approved with exposed ground wires. <S> They were 6ga stranded. <A> (I am not an electrician) <S> The purpose of the ground wire is to provide a clear path of least resistance for electricity to follow in the event of a short, so that instead of going through your body, it goes to the ground. <S> Strictly speaking, exposed ground within a wall isn't wrong - for instance if you use armored cable, often the armor not only acts as protection, but as the ground, so where a/c is used (as in my own house) there are long stretches of "exposed ground" in the walls. <S> One questionable side benefit of an exposed ground is that if another hot line becomes damaged the odds of it touching the ground before anything else are increased (sometimes). <S> That given, I'm not a fan of ANY exposed wires - but in your circumstances I don't see the exposed ground within the wall as a serious risk. <A> No idea of how up-to your local code <S> it is, but where I live <S> I see exposed grounding wires quite often. <S> One major concern is they must be protected from corrosion and damage - otherwise grounding may not function when you most need it. <S> This is why it may be a good idea to protect them with some kind of cover. <A> My power company requires it be in non-metallic conduit, yours may as well. <S> http://www.cityofames.org/home/showdocument?id=3536 <S> [edit: new link] <A> "Just to clarify- the wire IS in conduit outside, but for the 6" or so it runs inside the walls, it is just bare wire." <S> Bare naked ground conductor is perfect fine in certain space. <S> The reason the CODE requires the ground conductor to be inside the conduit is for protecting the conductor from being damaged by any mechanical means e.g., gardener weed whacker. <S> In fact, you can use PVC to house the ground conductor. <S> If one chooses to use metal conduit to house the ground wire, then the conduit must be grounded at its both ends to avoid the high frequency high current by lightning causing the conduit/conductor to act as an inductor which has higher impedance than a bare conductor alone.
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The only time a ground is dangerous is if it's wired incorrectly and not actually grounding, and becomes energized. Exposed ground wires are normal.
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What tools are required to unclog sink drain with garbage disposal? So yesterday someone in my family put some celery stalks (with the hard stems included) down the garbage disposal, after which our drain drained much slower. I tried filling up the sink with water and running the garbage disposal. This forced the water down while the disposal was running, but when power was turned off it all came jetting back out. So now I'm faced with the question how to remedy this problem. I see two ways: Clear the drain myself Call a plumber What tools are required to properly accomplish this task myself and how much will they cost? If they are cheaper (or even close to to the cost of a plumber) and this task won't take a whole day, I'll probably do it myself just to have the tools on hand. Any recommendations on which way to go (me with new tools or the plumber with more powerful tools)? I already have a hand operated pipe snake and some screwdrivers and an AC voltmeter. I assume that I'll need an adjustable wrench that can fit a pipe and I can't think of what else. <Q> Have a look at the trap under your sink. <S> Assuming it's PVC with large plastic nuts, all you should need is ChannelLock pliers: <S> Unscrew the trap from the wall and disposal, and clean the trap itself, or snake the drain going into the wall, depending on where your clog is. <S> Be sure to have a bucket and towels handy since there will be water backed up before the clog and in the trap. <S> If you can't find the clog either in the trap or with the snake, and you know it's further down the drain (try running some water through the disposal and into the bucket with the trap out) <S> , then I have family that swear by these drain bladders that attach to a garden hose, get inserted into the drain (past the vent) and they swell up to seal your end of the pipe while sending water down until the clog is forced out: <S> Each one of these will cost around $20 give or take, well less than a visit from a plumber. <A> Be sure to unplug the garbage disposal first. <S> What has likely happened is that it's your disposal that's clogged rather than the pipe. <S> Disposals can't handle stringy material. <S> So, you're likely going to have to take apart the disposal which I can't say will be easy or hard without knowing more about the disposal. <S> bin. <S> SO much less maintenance. <S> ;) <A> Insert an Allen wrench into a hole at the bottom of the garbage disposal. <S> Turn the wrench slowly to unclog the disposal.
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Look under the sink to know for sure, but you likely need a combination of pipe wrenches (cast iron) or screw drivers (compression fittings) or possibly just your hand (hand-screwed PVC joints). IMHO, I'd toss the disposal, get a bit of pipe to replace it, and then get a mulch
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How do I insulate a whole-house fan during the winter? I would like to insulate my whole-house fan in the winter. I've see insulating covers that you can attach with magnetic strips or velcro, but the look does not appeal to me and I don't trust how well a velcro seal would work (our fan is aluminum). I'm curious if there are other ways to insulate a whole-house fan for the winter. I had an idea to make a foam insert and drop it in from the top. I'm imagining spraying some expanding foam into a wood frame. The frame would rest on top of the frame around the hole for the fan. I could even mount it with some hinges so it's easy to open and close. Not sure how feasible this is. edit : Checked the attic and saw that the fan motor extends pretty high. The insulation would need to be attached to the bottom of the fan opening. Looking like the cover might be my only option. <Q> Skip the expanding foam and buy pre-made foam panels from your local HI store. <S> Layer them up for more insulation and cut them to size with a knife or saw (I just use a drywall saw). <S> You can enclose them in a wood box on top if you'd like, but they're rigid enough that they'll stay where you leave them without building an enclosure (unless you turn the fan on). <S> Just saw your edit about the motor. <S> You can build up the foam panels into a tent. <A> In my opinion, the best solution would be to build a box out of rigid insulation board that has a hinged lid . <S> This allows plenty of blown-in insulation (cellulose, fiberglass, rockwool, etc.) to be installed in the attic without falling into the whole-house fan. <S> The hinge allows to lid to be blown open by the fan when operating, which means you won't have to crawl in the attic over the blown-in insulation to open <S> /close the lid seasonally. <S> The velcro seal on the ceiling would be a good supplement to this solution. <A> A simple solution is a hot water heater insulating blanket. <S> It probably is not as efficient as the foam panels, but it does help. <S> In addition, if someone accidentally turns on the fan. <S> It will just blow off.
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But if you can get a cover designed for a whole house fan, that may be your best option.
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How do I prepare patched drywall to be painted over? I am in the process of painting my room. I have some big patches on the drywall. I am yet to begin painting that wall. Before i start i wanted to take advice. Is there anything i need to do with those patches so that after paint they are not visible? Do i need to take special care of it? <Q> Patching: When patching smaller holes, a 6" taping knife should suffice. <S> Apply the compound in a few light coats rather than a single heavy coat, and sand between each coat. <S> Fine/Medium Large Drywall Sanding Sponge , or wet sand using a slightly damp rag. <S> If you choose to wet sand, let the area dry before applying the next coat. <S> For larger holes, you'll have to fill the hole with something solid before you apply compound <S> (don't try to fill the hole with mud). <S> Once the hole is filled, start with a 6" taping knife for the first coat. <S> Next, apply a few thin coats using a 10" taping knife feathering the compound out to blend into the wall. <S> When working with drywall compound it's a good idea to use a Hawk, or a mud pan instead of working directly from the bucket. <S> This will insure that you don't end up with little bits of junk in the compound, and that the compound in the bucket won't dry out too much while you're working. <S> They are also good for catching falling mud. <S> Preparing the wall: Wipe the wall down with a dry rag, to remove any dust and dirt. <S> Prime the whole wall with a proper primer, like Glidden Gripper . <S> Any time you patch, it's a good idea to prime the entire wall. <S> If you simply prime the patches, you may be able to see the patches when you're done. <S> Painting: <S> Apply 2 coats of the desired paint, and you're done. <S> If the patches were done properly (smooth and blended appropriately), after primer and two coats of paint you'll never know there was a patch there. <S> NOTE: <S> Products mentioned in this answer are for example only, I do not specifically endorse or recommend the use of any products mentioned. <A> Get a wide drywall knife and and put on several thin coats of filler. <S> Don't try to put too much on at once. <S> Then sand. <S> Finally apply a primer / sealer that says it's for drywall / wallboard. <A> Imperfections are hard to see on a white wall. <S> I add a little of the same paint I am going to use to the primer. <A> For small nicks and holes, put a light coat of primer on first, then you'll see all the indentations a lot better. <S> Then fill in your marks.
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I learned that adding some tint to primer makes the imperfections obvious BEFORE you paint the whole wall, so they can be patched before finish painting. You can either sand the patch using a sanding block like the 3M®
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How can I remove a plank from the middle of the field? My attic has tongue and groove planking down as the floor, and I need to do some work up there. I'd like to only remove a couple planks in the middle of the field, rather than pulling up half the floor to get to the point where I need access. The planks are nailed down (face nailed), and there is not a large enough gap between them to get any type of saw in to cut the tongues (nothing thicker than a razor will fit). The floor will have to be put back together when I'm done, so I don't want to do too much damage when removing the boards. How can I remove a few boards in the middle of the floor, without damaging any of the planks (too bad)? <Q> If you really want to try to save the plank, BMitch's instructions for removal are spot on but instead of a circular saw, get yourself one of these babies: <S> The square blade shown here will give you clean end cuts, and for your long run, this blade will be your friend: <S> You'll get very straight, TIGHT cut lines along the seams, be practically invisible when all is back in place. <A> Bite the bullet and sacrifice a single plank, as Steve suggests. <S> Get a long straight edge (2x4, extra plank, etc) that you can put on the floor, attached with a couple screws or some very stable weights if you don't want to screw it down. <S> The board should be attached so that the base of the saw runs along it and the blade cuts off the tongue of the adjacent board, freeing the grooves of the board <S> you want to remove. <S> You'll end up with a gap the size of a blade width when you reinstall it. <S> If looks are important, then cut out one board without damaging the adjacent boards, and get a replacement board. <S> Remove the bottom of the grove on the replacement board so it can be reinstalled from above. <A> Could you drive the nails all the way thru? <S> You might damage the edge of the first board you try to pry out.
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If looks aren't too important or you can't find a replacement board, measure the depth of the planks and set a circular saw to that depth.
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How do I diagnose an occasionally leaking dishwasher? We are remodeling our kitchen, part of which will be replacing the vinyl flooring. When pulling out the vinyl and 1/4" plywood I found many water stains which appear to have started under my dishwasher. I've run the dishwasher every day and once was able to get it to leak a small puddle of water. Is there a proper way to determine where the leak is coming from? Is it possible to put some sort of pan under the dishwasher in case this happens in the future? <Q> Several places I can think of, but the best way I can think of to narrow it down is to look for water damage on the dishwasher itself. <S> In my own kitchen, I'll be gutting and expecting to replace a lot of floor boards myself because the dishwasher feet were adjusted too long and were causing it to be crushed by the counter top. <S> The sides of the dishwasher bowed out, losing the seal with the door gasket, and allowing water to escape. <S> Check the supply line connections. <S> Look for any signs of moisture at the shutoff and where it connects to the dishwasher. <S> Check the drain connections, again, at the dishwasher (including around any pump) and where it connects to the DWV system. <S> If a visual inspection of the dishwasher itself doesn't reveal anything, put a few pieces of newspaper under the dishwasher and run it through a cycle to locate the final spot of the drip (which could travel far from the leak itself). <S> But make sure the newspaper is clear of any electrical connections and stays away from any hot motors (you don't want a short or fire), and take the newspaper out after your test. <A> One overlooked cause of leaks (often from the bottom center of the door) is the door vent. <S> Counterintuitively, when this vent (see the inside top of the door) becomes plugged with years of slimey goo, it will cause spray water to leak down between the outer (metal) and inner (plastic) door. <S> This vent is usually easily pried out and can be cleaned with warm water and a toothbrush. <S> This is a no-cost repair. <S> (Many $50 gaskets are replaced that don't fix the problem.) <A> It's easier to check, though, because you can just put a paper towel around the drain hose under your sink to see if it gets wet.
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You might follow the drain hose back to it's lowest point as well... it could be that if something in the disposal side of the sink backs up the water a little bit during a drain cycle, overflow water might be dribbling back down the drain hose to it's lowest point, dripping on the floor beneath it. Check the seal around the door.
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What is the most economical and energy-efficient way to winterize windows? We have vinyl windows (mostly double-paned) and live in a shady greenbelt in Seattle (i.e. wet and dark). We don't have much severe weather to worry about, just a pervasive damp cold that settles in and makes our extremely inefficient remodeled money pit cost a fortune to heat. I've looked at rolls of plastic for window sealing at Home Depot and Lowe's and have been surprised at the cost, considering it's just a roll of plastic. Is this the most efficient option? Are there ways to winterize that involve materials that could be re-used next winter? Any advice appreciated! <Q> In the winter, windows can be one of the biggest sources of heat loss in your entire house. <S> In an older house with no or low insulation, this can be particularly true. <S> One thing that you can do with minimal fuss - if you feel cold drafts coming from around the window its entirely possible that you've got air leakage around the window frame itself. <S> A quick test to determine whether this is true or not is to light a candle and hold it about a foot from the window, and slowly move it around the border of the window. <S> If you see that the candle's smoke is significantly disrupted, you can add spray foam insulation around the perimeter of your window. <S> 1) <S> CAREFULLY remove the trim around the interior window frame <S> so you end up with a window like this: 2) <S> DO NOT OVERFILL as the foam will expand. <S> You want the foam to end up looking like this: Give the foam AMPLE time to cure - give it a good 24 hours - and then use a straight serrated knife to cut any squeezed out foam off level with the wall. <S> How the window may look prior to trimming back the foam: <S> Finally, reattach the window trim like it was before. <A> However, the upfront cost is substantial, especially if you want to do a lot of windows. <S> The concept is the same with all window coverings, add an additional layer of air between the primary window and the covering to slow down the transfer of heat. <S> A single pane window is generally .85 r-value. <S> Verifiable r-value numbers are hard to come by for most of these products, but if you do find some, that will give you a basis for comparison. <S> Other options: <S> Storm windows. <S> This is basically installing a secondary window on the outside. <S> These can be quite expensive, or cheaply made using plexiglass. <S> They are cheaper than new windows, reusable, and transparent. <S> The drawback is that there is still a sizable upfront cost and you have to store them somewhere in the summer. <S> Secondary glazing. <S> Same idea, except installed inside. <S> Similar advantages and disadvantages to storm windows. <S> They tend to be much thinner and don't change the look of your house. <S> Cellular shade. <S> There are some interesting claims with cellular (honeycomb) shades, some claiming to add well over 2 r-value to a window. <S> These will darken the room some and are still quite expensive. <S> Window film. <S> This is the cheap option, unless you have curtains laying around. <S> The main drawback is that it's generally opaque <S> and it's more difficult to reuse year-to-year. <S> Heavy curtains. <S> Tried and true method used for centuries. <S> Obviously you won't be looking out these windows. <A> I agree that it is important to make sure the windows are sealed and properly weatherstripped. <S> All windows regardless of age transfer a lot of heat. <S> With some older windows and in older houses, the discomfort that a lot of people feel is actually air transfer moving through the windows. <S> Sealing gaps (if you have new windows but the old weight cavities are still open, for instance) makes a big difference. <S> Old doors also move a lot of air - you can seal these with felt stripping (the old fashioned way) or spring loaded weatherstripping, or self adhesive foam or rubber. <S> Also, make sure your home is properly insulated and sealed. <S> This means sealing outlet and light switch cavities, as well as ceiling lights (believe it or not, a lot of air transfer goes through these areas). <S> Switches are insulated using very cheap foam rubber gaskets that simply fit behind the switch plate. <S> You can make storm windows using plexiglas and lightweight wood frames to mount either on the inside of your windows (you can buy these too for more money - see sites like innerglass.com) or for the outside. <S> During the summer you will of course have to store these. <A> What are you using to heat the house with? <S> I notice a lot of houses in Seattle use electric baseboard. <S> That's probably the most expensive way to heat (unless you are diligent and turn them on/off as you go from room to room throughout the day). <S> So new windows may absolutely be a good thing, but if the goal is to save money, you might get better bang for the buck upgrading the heating system first to gas. <S> Many have mentioned storm windows. <S> I don't know the PNW that well, but in the midwest it's quite common to have permanently installed storm windows with panes that open/close. <S> They can be purchased for about $100 per window. <S> That might be a compromise solution to tearing out all the windows and replacing them.
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If there is an obvious gap between the window sash (the wooden frame around the window) and the structure, use some canned spray foam insulation and carefully spray foam into the gaps to create an air tight seal. As Tester mentions, new windows are the most cost and energy efficient in the long haul.
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Should I test the water in my house for contamination? I live in a house that was built in the 1930's. I'm paranoid that the old pipes for hot and cold water(for the kitchen, shower, etc..) are contaminating the water. Is this something I should be worried about? What is the best way to test the water that flows through the pipes in my house? <Q> Water testing (from what I've seen) is cheap and easy enough that it's worthwhile to do if you are worried at all. <S> If you're in the US, check with your local Department of Natural Resources to find out where to get a sample kit. <S> Where I live, it's $10 for a container and testing from my State Health Lab. <S> Typically, you'll need to sterilize a faucet before you take a sample (either using a torch or flushing it with bleach) and you'll need to drop it off for testing fairly quickly (24-48 hours). <S> This is third-hand from my home inspector (and I'm sure different labs have their own requirements for prepping and collecting the sample) <S> so definitely read the directions you get with your kit. <S> I recently purchased an older home with a well <S> and I'll be doing a test myself this week <S> so I'll be able to follow up with actual experience soon :) <A> You can almost certainly send a sample off to a lab and have it tested, and the EPA may point you towards someone that will perform various tests, particularly for lead. <S> But since we're all about DIY, the easy solution is to pickup your own test kit which will help identify problems in your own plumbing. <S> You can find these on amazon (search on "drinking water test kit" if the link stops working), and if you're lucky, the local HI store may even stock these. <S> Note <S> : I've never used one of these kits before, so I can't personally vouch for their reliability. <S> However, I have sent samples of water to my municipality in the past (I didn't receive an individual report back from this). <S> For best results, you need to sample the first water that comes out of your tap after sitting overnight. <A> In some areas, you can even get a free water test. <S> Here in Toronto, we got a free water test and our lead levels were higher than I'd like, although still within the range of acceptable. <S> Seems like finding out how much it would cost you to get a water test, and then getting one done if it's not too expensive <S> is a reasonable step to take, particularly if it'll give you some peace of mind.
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Your locality should test water in the area on a regular basis, but this is via sampling, so problems specific to your home will be missed.
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How do I anchor an acrylic claw foot tub? I have been working on remodeling my bathroom. As part of the renovations we have decided to replace our old tub with an acrylic claw foot tub. The tub is extremely light weight. I am assuming that it needs to be anchored some how so that there isn't constant strain on the plumbing for the drain. I talked to the plumber who helped me move the plumbing when I first started the remodel, but he did not have any answers for me. My floor is ceramic tile, and there is basement below the bathroom so I can get underneath the floor if needed. What is the best way to anchor this tub? Here are a couple of pictures of the tub: And from underneath: <Q> I believe you just set it on the floor and let the weight of the tub and connected drain pipes keep it from moving. <S> If you are really worried about it moving you could mount some sort of small block to the floor behind where each leg will sit. <S> It would not be attached to the blocks but with for of them <S> the tub would not be able to move. <S> But that may not work well with your tile floor. <A> Or embed bolt heads into the floor material with a shallow "blind" hole and epoxy then nuts and washers to bolt the feet down.2) lag bolts into the floor ; make a fender washer fit to the inside geometery of the feet and lag it to the floor <S> (drill tile <S> if/as necessary 3) <S> Bolts thru the floor ;You can procure "suck-rod" nuts (couplings) to screw onto the existing leg attachment bolts and add stainless all-thread rod (bolt) to whatever length you need to get thru the floor where you can use a locking nut to snuggle the tub legs down to the floor. <S> These "suck-rod" nuts are used in windmill pump shaft connections to join suck rods (the rod that runs the cylinder up and down) <S> Ace stocks them. <A> Silicone caulk on the foot to floor interface should do it, and be reversible. <S> Though (nearly) 5 years later, perhaps you should tell us what you did and how it has worked...
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Several ways:1) Epoxy ; just glue the feet down.
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Is there a way to mark/label a special use switch? I'm going to be rewiring my front porch light, and in the process I've decided to pull cable for a switched receptacle for Christmas lights. I'm going to install a 2 gang box for both switches (porch, receptacle), but I'd like to make it obvious that the receptacle is not just a dead switch. Aside from putting a Santa clause switch plate on, how can I mark the switch? <Q> You can get a two gang face plate that has one standard 15A switch opening next to a decora (square) opening. <S> That's a very common configuration for a powder room, where you usually see one single pole switch next to a GFCI receptacle. <S> The switch I linked to is just an example. <S> You can get one that has typical on/off functionality as well as timer functionality. <S> This adds convenience, as you don't have to remember to turn it on (and off) manually, and makes it obvious that the second switch controls something else. <S> You can then label it too, if you like. <S> I believe Leviton makes a nice programmable timer that has a button on the bottom for an override (always on / off), which is probably what you want. <S> Any local DIY supply house or electrical supply shop will have several. <A> How about using an embossing label maker for a text label? <S> It should last quite well unless the glue isn't waterproof (I don't know). <A> Why not mark the back of the switchplate cover? <S> Use a sharpie.
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Use a timer switch for the switched receptacle.
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When bolting down a porcelain toilet, how tight is "too tight"? Tightening bolts on the base of a toilet is the one thing about toilet installation that has me the most nervous. They say not to over-tighten, but how tight is too tight before the porcelain is subject to cracking? Do I tighten until I can't tighten anymore? Do I tighten it just before I think it's at its tightest? <Q> I start by hand tightening as much as I can, then I tighten a little on each side and check if the toilet moves. <S> If it does then I tighten a bit more, check and repeat until there's no movement. <S> You're trying to avoid bowl movement, so that it doesn't shift or fall over, not to hold the floor up by the toilet bolts. <S> As tight as you can go will probably snap the porcelain (with a good socket you can torque a nut onto a bolt quite a bit). <S> Until you think it's about to snap is just guessing. <S> Snug. <S> No movement. <S> Enjoy. <S> "Too tight" is a sixteenth of a turn past where the porcelain snaps :-) <A> One thing that will help prevent the porcelain cracking is to use a rubber or plastic washer between the head of the bolt and the bowl. <S> This will take some of the "excess" force by deforming slightly, and by checking for the washer deforming as you tighten you'll have an extra visual check that you've applied enough force. <A> Best practice is to hand tighten nuts, sit on toilet to assist with setting wax ring, tighten nuts to a point of being snug and alternate tightening nuts, then sit back on toilet and if toilet moves, tighten slightly. <S> Check if toilet is level, shim to level, and flush toilet. <S> If leaks, repeat process of sitting on toilet and slightly tighten nuts in an alternating fashion. <A> My grandfather was a master plumber for more than 50 years. <S> I asked him one time how tight to make a sink faucet shutoff valve connection. <S> His answer is a classic ... " <S> Tight enough <S> so it don't leak". <S> There is a lot of wisdom in this. <S> The answer for the toilet is the same thing, not too tight but tight enough. <A> The toilet can wiggle for two reasons: bolts not tight or floor not even (hello old houses!). <S> After tightening the bolts a little bit and making sure you really set that toilet on the ring, see if you need to shim one or two gaps. <S> In my case, i too was worried about cranking down hard on the bolts. <S> The shims stabilized the toilet nic <A> When you put the toilet in place, with the wax sealing ring between the toilet flange on the floor and the toilet itself, the toilet will be held off the floor a bit by the wax ring. <S> Sit on the toilet backwards (facing the tank - so you can see and reach the nuts) to squish the ring in place sealing the toilet to the flange on the floor. <S> Tighten the nuts on the closet bolts (that attach to the flange) such that the toilet is flat on the floor without rocking. <S> Tighten it down a bit on one side then the other, then do it again. <S> Rinse and repeat, until the toilet is flat on the floor. <S> DO NOT tighten it as tight as it will go, like you're building something or working on your car <S> - you'll break the flange, chip or crack the porcelain or both. <S> Most toilets are made of vitreous china. <S> Vitreous china is a glass based enamel coating / glazing technique that is added to porcelain to make it more durable, denser, and shinier. <S> It is also what fine dinner ware, plates, dishes and cups are made of. <A> Whatever length wrench you're using, choke up on the handle all the way. <S> "Too tight" begins once you start deforming the washer. <S> Once you do start to deform the washer, you have to toss the, "hand tighten, <S> then 1/4 turn with a wrench," out the window <S> (not that I've ever found that sentiment to be satisfactory). <S> I've never cracked a toilet by over tightening its bolts. <S> The washers that come with a bolt kit are intentionally flimsy. <S> If there's a word for the day, it's : snug (for which you either need years of experience, or one cracked toilet, to know when to say when). <S> My preferred finishing touch is, once it's sung, grout it in place (keeps hair from getting stuck in the grove, and other yuckiness) and then I guarantee, it will not rock . <S> My preferred tool, is my little six inch adjustable wrench. <S> I don't choke up on it, but I know when to say when. <A> You should never grout or silicone your toilet in place. <S> If for some reason you have a leak at the connection between the flange and wax ring it will collect under the bowl and by the time you notice it, it will may have ruined the floor under it not to mention the condensation that is being created in that pocket which you created by sealing it. <S> Also, the mess you will have to clean up when you eventually replace that toilet. <S> I would much rather remove hair and "yuckiness" then grout or silicone with more "yuckiness" attached to the silicone or grout and or run the risk of damaging the floor to remove it... as far as tightening goes, hand tighten, go one full turn with perfered tool, sit on the bowl, slightly lift your left leg and right leg to see if the toilet rocks if it does turn bolts a half turn, rinse repeat till no Rocking occurs, assuming you have a fresh nice flange. <S> 534 Water closets installed. <S> $
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If you tighten it too much, you can pull the closet bolt out through the flange, ruining the flange or breaking the porcelain.
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Does a device exist that can help find the source of a leak in a flat roof? My Dad has a flat roof over his garage. It's covered with tar and felt. We had an unusually hard and cold winter last year (Republic of Ireland) and since then the roof has developed a leak. We've made several attempts to patch it, with no success. We know where the water is exiting the roof but we can't tell where it's getting in. Is there some device that will trace the water from the leaks exit back to where it's getting in under the felt? I'm thinking more tricorder, and less dowsing rod :) <Q> An Infrared camera can be used to look for water infiltration and damage. <S> I would not recommended they for DIY use. <S> They are expensive (low end models $1,000 US) and it takes a lot of training and experience to interpret the results. <S> There may be a local IR company in your area that can assist. <A> It is used more generally as a way to prove whether water exists in the roof system or if, let's say, a plumbing issue is to blame for the interior leak. <S> Most flat roofs are never truly flat and have slight slopes and ponding areas. <S> My recommendation would be to pinpoint the location that the water is entering inside of the building while on the roof, and then tracking it back uphill in a "V" shaped pattern. <S> Check around flashings and seams for discrepencies if a hole is unable to be located. <A> I don't have the money for that <S> so I actually found it like you would find a leak in a car tire. <S> I got a spay bottle of water and dish soap and spayed where I thought it might be then went inside and blew air at that point while my daughter looked for air bubbles. <S> She marked where the soap bubble was . <S> I patched it. <S> If you have a sheetrock ceiling like I do you have make small holes for the air hose but they are not hard to patch. <A> The closest thing would be a moisture meter ( here are a few... ). <S> This is not a silver bullet or magic solution to your problem. <S> It will not tell you exactly where the leak is <S> but you can use it to measure different areas of the structure to help you find areas of high moisture. <S> Even if you do find a certain spot that has higher moisture, this tool will not tell you where it is coming in. <S> For example, you may have a small leak in your flashing somewhere that causes the water to run along a certain area and pool. <S> The moisture meter will help you find the "pool" of water and maybe even help you trace it back along its path, but it will not pin point the actual leak for you.
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A moisture meter is what you're thinking of, but in general, a moisture meter will not help you track a leak any more than simply doing so with your eyes. Knowing the type of roofing system on the home would greatly assist in giving advice on how to track the source of the leak.
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What is the proper and accurate way to measure space for window screens? One of our metal windows is missing a screen and I'd like to replace it. I don't have other windows of the same size so I can't easily copy the screen dimensions. How should I measure the window opening so that the new screen will install properly? The instructions that were included with my screen framing kit are insufficient and literally say "measure the opening". Mr. Google suggested measuring the full length of the screen opening and subtracting 1/16". If I do that though, I would think that the screen would be too big to fit. Can I get some advise on where exactly I should measure? <Q> Don't get to hung up on the exact size the piece of screen needs to be. <S> simply measure the width and height of the frame and buy a piece of screen large enough. <S> Normally it comes in standard widths and cut to length. <S> Once you lay and stretch the screen over your frame, install the spline on one end, stretch, install sides and opposite end. <S> An inexpensive spline roller comes in handy here. <S> Use some sharp scissors, utility knife or shears and trim off the excess close to the spline. <S> Done! <A> You have other windows of the same design, if not the same size. <S> Find the track the screen goes into, and measure it in four places (across top, bottom, left, right). <S> Measure the matching screen (top, bottom, left, right) <S> to be sure it's square. <S> Subtract B from A. Now measure your target window's track, and adjust appropriately. <A> Do the same for the height.
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Take a tape measure and measure the width by putting the tape measure in the deepest channel and measure across to the other end and take off 1/4 inch.
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How can I fill small holes in drywall without painting? I am taking down several items hung on our walls; this will leave about two dozen holes ranging from small nail holes to anchor holes about 3/8" in diameter. I am looking for a way to fill these holes that will look reasonable without painting – we have no matching paint, the walls have other imperfections, and the space is destined for a full paint job sometime in the not too distant future anyway. It's a finished living space and the walls are drywall painted off-white. The point is to avoid attention-grabbing holes and have a finish and color match that's reasonable but by no means perfect (i.e., if it's noticeable from a foot or two away, that's fine, but noticeable from across the room is bad). <Q> The Light Weight Spackle is very easy to apply, will almost disappear in small pin holes, and you can smooth it off with a damp cloth apx 15 minutes after application. <S> using a damp cloth also removes excess Spackle from surrounding paint so the only patch material is in the hole, not on the surrounding paint. <S> You can get small sample size containers of paint at HD or Lowes for a couple of bucks. <S> Pick a close color from the cards and touch up your fixes without having to buy a gallon of paint. <A> A quick fix for small holes is to use a bit of tooth paste. <S> It dries very hard and can be touchedup with paint <A> I would just get a small container of vinyl spacking and go for it. <S> Maybe open one in the store and see if its too white. <S> You could check the mistake bin for some off white paint to mix in. <A> I ran into this same issue- need to fix holes but not interested in painting... <S> I mixed some vanilla extract into the paste and now it is an exact match to our walls :)
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For small holes like you describe, I'd use Light Weight Spackle rather than standard vinyl Spackle.
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Is there a special low temperature thermostat? I have a gas ceiling mounted furnace for my garage. I want to set my garage at 35-40° F (1-4° C). Is there a special thermostat to control furnace at that low temp? (I've seen one works as low as 50° F (10° C), but not as low as 35-40° F) <Q> Yes. <S> One example is the Honeywell CT50K1028 <S> /E which is your basic low voltage thermostat <S> it goes down to 35 F. <S> I'm pretty sure it will work for your application. <S> No hacking or electronics work reqired. <S> There are others. <S> Do a search for " Garage thermostat" <A> They make them for controlling electric baseboards. <S> Check the wiring requirements for your furnace to see what the thermostat needs to support. <S> For example, this probably wouldn't support running just the fan: <A> My Honeywell RTH7500D can go down to 4.5° C, if that is close enough for you. <A> You may be able to hack something together with a refrigerator thermostat . <S> You'd have to do a little tinkering though, since it would do <S> the opposite of what you want to do. <S> When the temperature rises above a certain point, the fridge thermostat will cue the appliance/heater to turn on. <S> If you can figure out how to reverse the process, this could be a possible solution. <S> If you don't want to pay $50 for a thermostat that you may or may not be able to make work for your solution, Hack <S> A Day featured how to build one a few years ago. <S> (That is, if you're familiar with that sort of thing.)
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It may also be easier just to edit the code to make the thermostat turn on the heater when the temperature drops below a threshold rather than above it.
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How do I remove excess wood stain that dried before I could wipe it off? While staining some wood, we had an emergency and had to leave. The stain has now dried and I'm not sure how to remove the excess; it's normally wiped off before it dries. When I get home I'm going to try to brush on some mineral spirits to loosen it up and wait about 30 minutes before trying to wipe off the excess. Any other suggestions are appreciated. <Q> The Minwax website says to apply another coat of stain on top of that <S> and then once it softens up the dried stain <S> just wipe it off like you normally would. <S> I'm currently having the exact same problem. <S> But I think this makes sense so thats what I'm going to try. <A> If the wood feels smooth to the touch and you're happy with the color <S> then I wouldn't worry about it. <S> Some woods absorb extra stain without a problem. <S> If you are worried about tackiness <S> Apply mineral spirits with steel wool or a scrubby sponge. <S> Clean the gunk off and dry overnight. <S> This may make the color splotchy or lighter than you intended. <S> If so, a gel stain works well for evening the coat back out. <S> If you are worried about the color <S> If you want a lighter stain, you'll need wood bleach. <S> Wood bleach is an iffy proposition, but your odds are good since you don't need to get it all the way back to the original shade and the stain isn't that old. <S> I'm assuming in this answer <S> you used a pigment-based stain (most are). <S> First apply the mineral spirits. <S> This may lighten the stain some. <S> Let it dry a couple days. <S> If you're lucky, you'll be happy with this color and can finish with a clear coat. <S> If not, get some two part A/B wood bleach. <S> (source: willyvanhoutte.be ) <S> This is a two part preoxide based bleach (NaOH and H 2 O 2 ). <S> Put on gloves, goggles, respirator. <S> Apply the A chemical with a brush. <S> The wood will probably look darker since it's wet. <S> Don't worry about it. <S> Let sit 10 minutes (follow the instructions). <S> Apply the B chemical. <S> Wait about 4 hours (follow the instructions). <S> The piece should lighten as it dries. <S> Wash the piece well with vinegar and water (50-50) to stop the reaction. <S> Leave to dry overnight. <S> You can repeat the bleaching if desired. <S> You'll have to refinish the piece as the grain will be lifted by all the chemicals. <S> Sand normally (Start with 120, finish with 220 or as desired). <S> After the bleaching the wood is probably a different color than when you started. <S> If this is one piece out of many matching pieces, my experience is that the same original stain won't look quite right (It looks unnatural, has less range and depth of color) <S> It may be better in the long run to start over. <A> If the mineral spirits don't work out, two options would be to strip the piece, or to sand off the finish. <S> Stripping is always messy, but it would be easy going on a freshly applied finish. <S> You would then have to re-sand for the new stain. <S> I prefer the methylene chloride strippers. <S> If you use one of them, read and follow the precautions on the label. <S> Going right to sanding would also work because stain doesn't really penetrate very far at all in the wood. <S> However, you would have to allow the stain dry completely before sanding or you will gum up your sandpaper quickly. <S> If you put the stain on really thick this may take a while and make the stripping option more appealing. <S> The size and shape of the piece of furniture would also be something to consider when deciding which of these would be easiest. <A> I didn't wipe the excess stain from my floors when I stained them. <S> We made the amateur mistake of thinking we could just kind of wipe and blend and that it would all soak in eventually. <S> It will never dry if you leave it like that. <S> It's way easier to fix than people online are saying. <S> You don't have to scrub with steel wool or anything. <S> Just get a flat pad on a stick with a good sponge or cloth on there, and put some standard mineral spirits in a paint tray. <S> Dip the pad in and rub it on the floor with some pressure to loosen the excess stain. <S> Then take clean, dry, lint-free rags and wipe the excess up. <S> You don't have to "keep wiping until the rag is clean" just get all the excess up that you can. <S> It comes off really easily. <S> Then let the floor dry overnight so the stain that was under there can dry properly like it should have. <S> Then throw down your polyurethane! <S> I used Minwax oil-based stain, and Minwax oil-based super fast drying polyurethane for floors. <S> (...I wouldn't recommend using a water-based poly over an oil based stain if you've done it like this.) <S> My floors are now dry as a bone 24 hours after my last coat of poly <S> and they look great :) <A> Then rub off the excess. <S> No darker colours added and it works. <S> Just like in the olden days when women had no nail polish remover, just repaint the nails and soften the old stuff and take it all off together. <A> I have found that if you cannot get all the stain off before it starts to set, brush some more of the gel stain on and start the removal process. <S> The stain that was drying will come right off. <S> It is amazing to work with this product. <S> I am still in the process of doing my kitchen but am addicted :) <S> .BTW.. <S> I am using Minwax. <A> The Minwax gel stain did help pick up the excess of the undercoat. <S> One thing to note is that gel stain recommends more drying time between coats. <S> I applied with a cloth and rubbed.
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Use a natural colour of stain on top of the previous one and scrub with a paintbrush to loosen the old stain.
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Can a hole cutter be used with a dremel? My dremel has an adjustable speed switch, which makes it a lot easier to control the speed than with a drill. Is there an adapter I can buy so I can attach this hole cutter (which has a shank that is too big for the dremel), to my dremel? On the packaging it says maximum 500RPM. <Q> Even if you could find an adapter to connect the bit to a rotary tool, I don't think the rotary tool would hold up to the weight of the bit and the torque it produced. <S> Rotary tools are not designed to handle large amounts of torque. <S> The weight of a bit like that, and the drag forces it would encounter would likely be too much for the rotary tool to handle. <S> This would cause the motor of the rotary tool to burn out, simply not spin up to speed, or stop as soon as you started cutting. <A> Absolutely not! <S> A Dremel tool would not have the ability to drive this hole cutter, certaqinly once it engaged the surface of what you would be cutting. <S> It would stall the motor and if you persisted, probably kill it by causing it to overheat. <S> As well, any bearings in the Dremel would be overtaxed by this load, killing them too even if the motor could spin it. <S> The motor will die first though. <S> You would be far better off simply buying a cheap drill that can handle the load. <A> If you could get the bit to fit into the dremel somehow then you could probably cut holes in extremely light material, like balsa wood or soft plastic (if you push really, really slowly). <S> However, dremel tools are made for high speed and not torque and normal use with a bit like that would definitely burn it out. <A> If you overspeed this little device, it will come apart and put holes in you, possibly even killing you in the process. <S> and if you accidentally run it up to 5,000 rpm, the fly-cutter will not be balanced for such speed, will probably give a good wobble, bend the chuck and depart the Dremel tool. <S> Drill motors are made to have the low speed and high torque needed to use such devices. <A> Most Dremel-style rotary tools spin at high speeds; around 25,000-45,000 rpm. <S> I'm sure you could find a large enough chuck or suitable adapter though. <S> Or maybe you could modify the shaft/shank of the bit. <S> All in all, it's probably not a great idea. <S> something is bound to break; the electric motor, the cutting bit, or the material you're wanting to cut.
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The Dremel tool does not have enough torque at 500RPM to properly use a fly-cutter like this
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Is there a PVC piping primer/cement alternative for a non-plumbing project? I'd like to construct a case out of PVC schedule-40 bits and pieces. The case is for a rifle-cleaning rod that I want to keep from getting bent/scraped. I'll need to connect schedule-40 pipe to caps/adapters/plugs/etc. Is there something else I can use for the cement other than the traditional PVC primer and cement? I'm too cheap to want to spend $15 on a can of each, as I'm unlikely to use them again in the future. I'm hoping that I could use super glue or epoxy or something common, as I don't need this contraption to hold up under water pressure. <Q> You should be able to find smaller/cheaper containers of glue. <S> You can definitely skip the primer for this application, using the PVC cement by itself will be plenty. <A> Depending on how strong you want the joints, you could just push them together and leave it unglued. <S> I've done this to create poster tubes out of 3" PVC which went through airport baggage handling just fine. <S> PVC fittings are tapered on the inside, so the further in the pipe goes the stronger it will naturally hold. <S> If you want to use some glue, anything which will hold non-porous surfaces should work. <A> Why do I get the impression that PVC adhesive makers are against disclosing any information that might diminish their profits? <S> Going to Home Depot or Lowe's <S> gives one sticker shock when it comes to these "glues", and I've found online some PVC adhesives for as little as $7 for a whole pint. <S> MEK (abbreviation for the chemical name of its solvent) can be used to thin thickened adhesive, which happens over time.
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A very small dab of Gorilla Glue would hold the joints of your PVC creation together just fine.
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How do I safely get glue off of wood that's to be stained? I'm building a closet and I've just made doors for it. It's red oak wood with a rail & stile construction and raised panels. I was a little careless and some of the wood glue (Titebond) escaped through the joints and are visible outside (see the picture on the right). Normally, I would just sand it off if it was on a flat surface, but given that they're in the corners (and a little on the sides), it'll be harder to sand without gouging. I plan on staining it and am wondering what would be the best approach to removing the glue so that the wood will absorb the stain without any patchiness. I was thinking that some cotton wool lightly dipped in mineral spirits should be sufficient to remove the glue, without any effect on the wood. Is this a good approach? Are there alternatives to this? <Q> Mineral spirits should work. <S> If not, I would use Goof Off (or similiar). <S> I think it would dissolve right off, but I'd probably test it on any scrap red oak you have just to make sure it doesn't discolor. <S> Cotton may work, but I wouldn't be afraid to use a fine steel wool here, probably 000 like you would use for finishing polyurethane. <A> The best time to remove glue that squeezes out is about 30-60 minutes after the glue-up. <S> At this point it's still soft enough that you can easily scrape it off <S> but it's stiff enough that it won't smear and make more of a mess. <S> When it's past that point <S> and you realize you still missed some, the best solution is still to scrape with a card scraper and/or sand it. <S> Scraping works really well if it has only been a day or less and the glue is not yet rock hard. <S> You should be able to sand by hand if you are worried about overdoing the sanding and gouging the wood. <S> Use a flat sanding block for the flat areas and a foam-backed block for the curved parts. <S> I don't think mineral spirits are likely to remove dried Titebond, and if you get a solvent that can dissolve it, how will you keep from just smearing it around into larger patches? <S> This will be especially a problem on red oak, because of the large pores of the wood that will trap the dissolved glue. <S> If you go this route anyway, I suggest trying it on some scrap before the real project to make sure it works as desired. <A> I have found that acetone works really well and doesn't hurt the wood at all. <A> I find that alcohol will remove anything sticky.. <S> (latex or silicone caulking, while wet). <S> That said, I have denatured alcohol in the garage for staining, and use that to remove excess hot glue, or wood glue. <S> Acetone will also soften glues.(I’m a manicurist, and therefore have a ton of experience with solvents) <S> I love to do finishes with stains and paint.
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There's lots of glue solvents, and wood glue should be pretty easy for any of them to handle. For the corners you can fold your sandpaper and back it with your fingers.
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Can a Dremel Circle Cutter be used on 20mm thick wood? Will the Dremel Circle Cutter cut through 20mm wood? Its just regular wood am using. The product details page on the Dremel site just states: Depth adjustment allows easy setting of the correct cutting depth without indicating what the maximum depth is. <Q> As others have said, this will work, IF you have a sufficiently long bit, that will extend at last 2cm below the base of the jig. <S> The problem is, most such bits for a Dremel tool are not that long. <S> You may be able to use a Rotozip bit, which are longer than the standard Dremel bits. <S> Next problem is, even if you do find a sufficiently long bit, you need to deal with flexing of the bit, or breakage. <S> These bits are relatively thin, so they can break off. <S> Therefore, you will need to go slowly. <S> Don't push it faster than it wants to cut. <S> If you feel too much resistance, don't push as hard. <A> You'll have to check the documentation for the specific Dremel tool, and bit you are using. <S> The circle jig doesn't have much to do with the thickness of material that can be cut, that will be dependent on the tool attached to the jig and the bit being used in the tool. <A> The circle cutter is simply a jig used to hold the bit in the correct position to ensure a perfect circle cut. <S> As long as you use a bit that extends 2cm beyond the base of the jig, you'll be fine.
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The depth available will depend upon the length of the Dremel bit you use with the circle cutter.
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Why would a sprinkler Air Valve leak after winterization? I had someone come over my house and winterize the sprinklers. He explained to me what he did: He said he closed the main valve to the sprinkler system, hooked up a compressor and blew out all the water from sprinkler pipes. He also, opened up the air valve so air can go in but water can not. After that I noticed the water is leaking slowly from the air valve. I called the same guy again and he told me the water is leaking because the main valve to sprinkler system is bad and I need to replace the same. Can someone please point out if water is leaking from the air valve while the main sprinkler valve is closed, does it need to be replaced. Please note that while the air valve was in the closed position and main sprinkler valve open, no water leaked. Also, while keeping the main sprinkler valve closed, if I close the air valve too, water starts coming out of something connected above the air valve. <Q> it's not an air valve you have. <S> This is called an anti-siphon valve. <S> On the inside, there should be a shut-off on the pipe coming out of the house. <S> Make sure that is shut off. <S> Again, this should be on the inside of your home and is typically a lever valve. <S> I'm not a plumbing expert or anything, but have owned 3 homes and in each home <S> I either fixed or installed irrigation systems. <S> I learned through college of hard knocks. <S> Consider the situation where you have a garden hose attached to that spicket you have labeled as "air valve" and the hose is used to fill a pool and is left in the pool. <S> The anti-siphon valve is suppose to stop water from flowing back into your water supply inside the house thus contaminating drinking water. <S> The air sound <S> Some irrigation systems have a "check valve" inside with a pressure relief screw. <S> If you have one of these, you can turn the screw to release the pressure. <S> Hope this helps. <S> As an update: <S> Then what I would do is make sure the inside lever is still closed and open the spicket you have labeled as an air valve and if you have the underground valves for your sprinklers and they have a manual switch, flip it to see if the "leak" goes away. <S> I had this scenario before. <S> I blow out my own sprinklers each year. <S> DO NOT leave the mechanical switch override open though. <S> Only do this to see if the leak stops. <S> If it stops then you have a simple pressure imbalance is all. <A> Without a picture I am guessing, but it sounds like the "something connected above the air valve" is your pressure vacuum breaker. <S> A pressure vacuum breaker prevents water from flowing from the outside back into your main water line (and then into your drinking water). <S> It will allow water from inside your water main to travel through it with the water pressure from your house forcing open the pressure vacuum breaker (while water traveling in the reverse direction closes the valve and prevents contamination of your drinking water). <S> It does sound like <S> the sprinkler water main has a very slow leak. <S> And I imagine a slow leak from your sprinkler water main is not enough to completely open the pressure vacuum breaker <S> and it is just exiting at this point (when the air valve is closed). <A> I believe the same situation happened to my pressure valve as well. <S> After I shut off the main water valve inside the house, I opened up the pressure valve by unscrewing the 2 bolts. <S> Then, I could see some rust and dirt that made the valve not close fully when the main water valve was opened inside my house. <S> So, I cleaned up the rust and the dirt before reopening the water main valve inside my house. <S> No more water leak from the pressure valve anymore.
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I think you hear is that you've removed all the water outside leaving an unbalanced pressure.
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How can I override a motion detector light? I am going to be installing one or two motion detector lights to cover my backyard. I would like the ability to "override" the motion detector. What I mean by this is that I would like to be able to flip a switch that turns and keeps the lights turned on regardless of if there is motion or not. When the light switch gets turned off I would like the operation of the motion detector to return to normal. I first thought about just "jumping" the motion detector with the switch, but I am concerned if the motion detector would be able to handle live power on both sides of its relay when the relay is turned off. So my questions are, is it safe to do this "jumping" method? If not are there any methods to do this or any common practices for this type of feature? <Q> Most motion detectors have a built-in override: <S> Normally the switch is kept on all the time. <S> The motion detector monitors ambient light (daylight) and then activates when it's dark enough, and motion is detected. <S> If you turn the switch off and on within a second or so, the light will stay on, and this overrides motion detection. <S> To go back to normal operation, turn the switch off and wait ~10 <S> seconds, then turn back on. <S> I believe most will also go back to normal operations after some hours, or after the sun comes up again <S> It is possible that you'll damage the electronics by overriding the detector. <S> The safe way to do this would be to use a relay. <A> Yes you can do this. <S> You'll need a neutral at the detector as well. <S> In fact, you could wire BOTH detectors and the switch in parallel. <S> This way both lights come on when either detector activates or with the switch. <S> Just remember as you say, the switch wont turn the light off when the detector has activated. <S> Nobody wants to deal with blinking the switch morse code to turn on a circuit. <A> For a new install, you could use a switch like the Bryant Electric model 4922 three position toggle (down powers circuit 1, center is off, up powers circuit 2). <S> ( On Amazon ) <S> Wire <S> the up position directly to the lighting fixture(s), and the down position to the motion sensor, which then connects to the fixture(s). <S> This gives you three choices at the switch: on, off, motion sensor.
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Wire the lightswitch and the motion detector in parallel.
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Why do I have a cold draft from a return air vent? I have a draft occurring in my 2 story home, usually on windy days. The main floor is fine, but in the master bedroom on the second floor, there is cold air entering the room from the air return vent. It's not much, but noticeable. In the basement (which is finished), cold air is coming from the heat registers, quite noticeably, and when the furnace isn't running. I've made sure that all the obvious sources for drafts are sealed (doors, windows, etc). The house is ~15 years old and the heating system is forced air. Can anyone suggest where this air might be coming from? <Q> This could also be caused by bad/torn/loose ductwork in the attic area. <S> I would check the return ductwork in the attic for tears and/or breaks. <A> <A> Are you sure the air is coming from the return vent ductwork itself? <S> It's not coming from the edges of the vent where the ductwork is attached to the vent? <S> I would hypothesize that on windy days, your attic is becoming pressurized by air entering via soffit vents or roof vents that are on the windy side of the house. <S> Air would need to escape to the lower pressure areas wherever possible. <S> In theory, this would be vents on the downwind side of your house. <S> But if there are air gaps where ductwork meets a vent or where a ceiling light fixture goes, those would also be ways to equalize the pressure. <S> If your attic were becoming pressurized like this, you'd probably notice a large gust of air coming from the attic if you opened the access door to your attic.
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Air is penetrating the walls and getting into the ductwork, or there's a gap in your heat exchanger which is potentially deadly.
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What wire gauge should I use with a 30 amp breaker for a 220V welder? I am installing an outlet in my garage for a 220v mig welder. The welder specs call for 30A breaker. The outlet for the welder is only 2 feet from the garage sub panel. The wiring refernece charts I've seen say I can use 12 gauge copper wire for this short of a distance. Does this make sense? I would have expected it to say that 10 gauge copper wire was the smallest acceptable wire to use. The reason I'm even asking is that I am also wiring the garage for an air compressor and an air conditioner. Both will be on their own 220V 20A breakers. They will be located about 30 wire feet (one way) from the sub panel. This will require enough wire that it makes financial sense to buy the smallest gauge that will work safely and meet code. Accourding to this link http://www.elec-toolbox.com/calculators/voltdrop.htm I could even use 14 gauge copper wire. Realistically, what wire gauge copper wire should I install in my garage for these tools? <Q> Any circuit fused for 30 amps must use a minimum of 10 ga copper or 8 ga alu. <S> In your case, use at least 10 copper for your welder regardless how far it is from the breaker panel. <S> I'm sure one of my buddies here will have a NEC ref for ya. <A> I am not a lawyer, electrician, or welder. <S> I have a 1970s Miller 250 amp AC/DC welder with 12 ga power cord and a NEMA 6-50 plug on it. <S> That made me curious and I found that NEC does or at least did allow you to up-rate wire for reduced duty cycle welders. <S> The receptacles do have to be marked For Welder Use Only. <S> That said, I use 6 ga wire with a 50 amp breaker and either a NEMA 6-50 or 14-50 receptacle for all of my single phase small to medium size welders and plasma cutters. <A> We'll assume you're in a jurisdiction where your laws adopt the NFPA's national electric code (NEC) standard. <S> As of NEC 2017: <S> Although 10 AWG copper wire can carry 35 A at 75 <S> ° C per NEC 310.15(B)(16), NEC 240.4(D) specifies the maximum allowable overcurrent protection (i.e. circuit breaker) as 30 A. <S> For these small wire sizes (as specified in 240.4(D)), run length is not considered. <S> Voltage is irrelevant to current capacity.
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So, I guess you could use 10 ga wire with a 60 amp breaker if it was only used for a welder with 50% or less duty cycle. The calculator you referenced is only appropriate for voltage drop and makes the disclaimer that the results of the calculation do not account for current specs or NEC. Longer runs may require an upgrade of wire size.
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How do I repair laminate damage on a kitchen drawer? The heat from our oven has caused significant damage to the laminate coating on a drawer and a cupboard door, is there a way to repair this type of damage or do i just have to replace it? <Q> It may be possible to repair, but depending on the underlying material, I would take different approaches. <S> If it's particleboard, your best bet is trying to patch it with veneer. <S> You can find sheets (for bigger patches) online, or banding at most big box stores. <S> The main problems here are matching the current laminate and applying the patch so it isn't obvious. <S> Some tips: <S> Make sure the surface is clean and ready to take the patch, and try to make the patch as "un-square" as possible, so it doesn't stand out. <S> Tracing paper and a lot of patience are required. <S> If it's plywood, I would refinish the cabinet. <S> If the laminate problem is from heat, it's going to occur again after the patch. <S> You can apply the same veneer patch method to plywood (it's easier), but this will likely be a recurring problem and you might look into a different cabinet finish or a higher quality laminate. <A> Do you have a router? <S> I think a collar and bit from a inlay kit would allow you to cut a patch out of the drawer and a matching patch out of a piece of matching laminate <S> and then you could glue it with contact cement and a roller. <S> Kind of like a dutchman patch. <A> Here is a link to one product called "SeamFil" If the damage is occuring due to heat then this may not be a long term solution. <A> Because it's such a small patch, I doubt you want to order a whole laminate sheet. <S> See if you can get a sample of white laminate, or else you could possibly use melamine tape, cut it to fit, and iron it on.
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There is a laminate repair paste that may work.
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Why does my kitchen faucet have low pressure after the water heater was replaced? I recently replaced my water heater, and since then, the water pressure for my kitchen faucet is really, really, low. None of my other faucets seem to be affected (bathroom, shower, etc.). I can't really tell if my dishwasher is affected, but my refrigerator does not appear to be. The kitchen faucet, dishwasher, and refrigerator all run off the same set of pipes that come into the cabinet below my kitchen sink. The water heater is located a floor down almost directly below the kitchen. My current theory is some sediment dislodged from the replacement of the water heater has blocked the faucet. Is this possible? Could this be caused by anything else? <Q> 9 times out of 10, like Tester mentions, this is going to be the aerator. <S> Unscrew it, run some water without it, and clean it before screwing it back on. <S> There's all kinds of stuff that gets knocks around in the pipes when water is shutoff and things are added or replaced in the plumbing system, and the best place for them to end up is the kitchen sink aerator since it's so easy to fix. <A> What type of faucet do you have? <S> If you have a pull-out faucet then you can detach the pull-out head from the hose (that reaches down under the sink) and see if the water pressure is good at that point. <S> There are small parts in the pull-out faucet that also could have caught some debris (although cleaning them out may be a challenge). <S> But at least you could have narrowed down where the problem is; i.e. is it in the pull-out faucet head. <A> Blockage of some sort is probably a pretty good guess. <S> Trying to think of other solutions though since that doesn't seem to be it... <S> However, depending on the size of the line running to each location, an adjustment to the PRV could be more noticeable in some locations that others. <S> (I tend to turn adjust my PRV quite a bit towards high-pressure end, but this could be a bad idea depending on where you live. <S> You'll also tend to use a bit more water.). <S> If pressure hasn't changed anywhere else in the house though, some sort of blockage is most likely. <S> Perhaps the new water heater has a smaller outflow line? <S> Again, not likely, but something to look at. <S> [Edit] Just noticed your comment about your kitchen having been remodeled recently. <S> The plumber/contractor most likely used Pex with 90-degree clamped elbow fittings - there could be a chunk of something caught in one of those bends. <S> They'd have to be pretty careless for that to happen though... <S> Is there use a pex manifold block in your system? <S> They may not have turned the valve(s) to your sink to the full 'on' position. <A> Listen, I'll make your life easier..... <S> Turn your both shut offs off from under your sink and Just unscrew your water line or lines that are under your faucet..... <S> Put a pail under the line and turn your shut off on slowly and see if your water pressue is any better.... <S> If it is just replace your faucet and your good to go! <A> It was the aerator for me. <S> I had removed the dishwasher hook up from below the kitchen sink and put in a stopper in place. <S> To do this I had to turn off the water at the multi turn valve, which pushed some debris into the faucet aerator. <S> Once I cleaned the aerator, the flow came back to normal. <A> depending on where you live, it could be hard water buildup. <S> I recently replumbed my shower and when i tested my kitchen sink, it worked fine... then the flow slowed 80%. <S> When I checked the aerater had bits of blue to light blue bits of sand like debris... and knowing from changing my water heater at another time, it was hard water deposits. <S> this just happened an hour ago, so no solution yet... but dreading it. <S> hoping i can hook my shop vac up to the water line and suck something out... probably not a great idea <S> but.. <S> oh well. <S> location: Central Florida.
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There's a chance that the plumber "fixed" the pressure reducing value (PRV) on your mainline, although that seems less likely since your other fixtures aren't affected.
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Where do I buy a weather proof combination padlock? I have a shed that I use a padlock to secure. The last lock I had lasted a year before failing. It cost about $40. My wife prefers combination so she won't need her keys just to work in the yard. I can't find a good quality, weather proof combination lock in the US, can anyone help? <Q> Only downside is that they've been known to have a security flaw (a little internet searching will describe how to determine the combination with only a little trial and error). <S> After a storm, I turn it sideways and the water just pours out, so it's definitely exposed to the elements. <S> For harsh elements, you may also want to look at an outdoors or boating store. <S> Their locks are usually designed to resist salt water exposure: <A> You could get a cover for the padlock, something like the Padlock Saver . <S> There are also hasps available that have built in covers, like this. <S> I've also seen solutions as simple as attaching a thick piece of rubber to the door/wall, just above the lock to keep it covered. <A> I installed this about a year ago, it's holding up well - no discoloration - (though we haven't had much rain either). <S> It's stainless steel and feels well built. <S> It's not weather proof, but I hope to get far more than a year out of it. <S> Amazon Link Master Lock Link <A> There is a new lock by ABUS. <S> It's a bit on the expensive side <S> but it's been holding quite well this winter. <S> Mind you, it rained quite a lot this year in London. <S> It's ABUS 190CS/60mm Heavy Duty. <S> A combination padlock as I have a problem with remembering where I put my keys. <S> Good luck
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I've had a cheap MasterLock for over a decade on my shed and it's not showing any signs of wear.
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Why are bulbs burning out quickly in newly installed light fixtures? I installed five incandescent, recessed light fixtures in the cathedral ceiling of my living room. The fixtures are wired in parallel series (A connects to B connects to C ...). All the wiring is done correctly. However, the fixtures are burning out bulbs very quickly. More quickly than normal, in my experience. Some of the bulbs were expensive LED bulbs and the rest were incandescent floods. What should I check? I really don't want to open and recheck every fixture, even though they are easily accessible from the attic. I need some idea of what to look for. <Q> I would look for a voltage drop caused by a loose connection in a junction box they tap from or service panel if they all do it, or individually if only certain ones do it. <S> Putting a 100watt lamp in a 40watt socket is a safety(heat)issue (how much heat the fixture is rated to handle), if the fixture cant throw off the heat it would affect the lamps life some, but not that fast. <A> Agree with Slickoops. <S> The most likely cause of premature lamp death is current spikes caused by a cheap light switch. <S> When the circuit is turned on, the resistance of the incadescent lamps is much lower than at operating temperature, causing the current to spike. <S> A switch that does not close cleanely but draws arcs will compound this effect. <S> Try replacing the switch with a modern dimmer. <S> Since you are mixing incandescent with LED, make sure you get a dimmer that is rated for CFL/LED. <A> Try using a 130V bulb. <S> I used just one in a fixture of 5 bulbs. <S> I could only find a 130V bulb that is used for garage door opener. <S> I have not lost a bulb yet after about 5 weeks, whereas I lost at least one a week before. <A> Premature death of CFL/LED lighting in recessed fixtures is often a head build-up issue. <S> The can traps heat. <S> Electronics don't handle heat too well and the CFL ballasts give off the smell of electronic death, the LEDs just cook. <S> High Wattage LED assemblies must have a large heat sink, if the manufacturer didn't create it with one, stay away. <S> The fixture must have airflow so the heat sink can do its job. <S> Not sure what the issue with the incandescents is. <A> <A> Loose wires, vibrations (see this in basement recessed lighting), and most commonly having a bad connection between light bulbs and socket. <S> Is there rust, is the tab in the light housing out or pushed in, does the light bulb screw in fully, does it screw in easily?
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I have found that a loose neutral wire can also cause premature burn out with incandescent bulbs
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How to introduce more run into roof? I have a 16'x20' deck roof that is attached to my garage on one side and (3) 4"x4" posts on the other side. The rise over the 16 feet is about 2 inches which is not enough for the water to get off the roof. It's pooling in certain spots. Probably because the 16 foot run is unsupported in the middle and it sags. A friend is recommending that I jack up the roof, saw off 4 inches off the bottom of the posts to get the water to run off. My concern is that this would rip the roof off the garage wall. Is this a practical way of introducing more pitch? Or is it better to just rip down the current structure and redo it with the appropriate pitch? <Q> You've got a flat roof that isn't "true" <S> (straight - you don't want it level). <S> Your pitch isn't the problem so much as the dips allowing water to pool. <S> Ideally the best fix here is: <S> Remove the existing surface material (tar and rubber) <S> Install a double layer of sheeting with perfectly flat plywood <S> Resurface the roof with ice shield, tar and rubber <A> Instead of doing a full tear-off and resheet, I would recommend having a PVC-based single-ply roof installed over the existing roof. <S> With a PVC-based single-ply roof, you won't have to worry about ponding water issues unless they are severe enough to compromise the structure of the roof. <S> Single-ply roofs are very similar to pool liners in design. <S> Whereas a pool liner is designed to keep water in, the single-ply roofs are designed to keep water out. <S> I think this is by far the most cost effective solution and will gain you a superior roof as well. <A> Seth, I put up a 16x40 patio cover roof with some help in just a few weekends. <S> Since your roof is smaller, and you already have posts up, I'd expect it to go pretty quickly at your site. <S> Beacuse of this, I would just rebuild/replace the roof. <S> You can use proper sized joists (rafters?) and beams and get rid of the sag completely. <S> If you are looking for a quicker fix, and you have the height at the posts, you could try cutting the posts off. <S> If you cut them off I'd suggest cutting them off at the bottom if you can. <S> The post usually take some abuse at the bottom so cutting off a few inches probably could not hurt. <S> If you go this route you really need to look at the connection to the garage and post to see if they can handle being twisted/move into the new position. <S> A lot of post replacement work involves jacking a porch roof, so some amount of movement must be tolerable. <S> Make sure you have a strong post to lift the roof. <S> Work safely, you don't want the roof falling on your head.
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Remove the existing sheeting Shore up the roof structure with extra beams, and shim it asneeded to make it true and consistent from high point to low point.
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Need a gas cooker but have no gas supply I am not sure about the terminology, i.e if it's called an electric cooker, burner, stove or something else. So I'll just refer to it as a electric or gas cooker to simplify things. We don't have a gas supply to our house in the UK as we have moved to a more remote location. We did have a gas supply in our old house and are finding the electric cooker in the new house extremely slow. So I started looking into bottled gas, but I am not sure which direction to go in as I have so many options. For example, do I get propane, butane, or something else? Which kind of pipe will I need, what kind of regulator will I need? What kind of cooker will I need? So far I have seen the following, but am not sure if these are safe for internal use and also I am not sure if these are the most economical options. 1 of my requirements is that I need a nice strong hot flame to I can get cooking done quicker. Gas cooker Regulator Pipe with clips Gas <Q> In rural locations in the US, propane is often used as a fuel for cooking and heating. <S> The gas is stored in an outdoor tank and piped into the house. <S> Propane burns hotter than methane ("natural gas"). <S> Therefore you may need a special stove to use propane, and if you want to hook up appliances such as a water heater or clothes dryer, you will definitely need models designed for propane. <S> Piping for gas is a high-stakes job: if you mess it up the odds of it killing or hurting you are significant. <S> Your local law almost certainly requires that only licensed professionals work on gas lines for this reason. <S> With propane, there may also be special ventilation or safety system requirements. <S> So for all these reasons you should start by calling some vendors/installers and asking for proposals from them. <S> You want to figure out whatever is common in your area, and do that -- sticking with whatever's common will make it easier to shop around for fuel deliveries and repairs, and doing something unusual or amateur around gas lines is a sure way to scare off potential buyers if you ever sell your house. <S> In fact, if your system wasn't installed professionally and passed government inspection, I'd be surprised if anyone would even sell you fuel. <S> So although this is the DIY stackexchange, some jobs are really only for professionals. <S> Get recommendations from neighbors and call around. <A> You may want to ask around in your local area, as if you're using some sort of bottled gas, you'll need to get resupplied, and whomever the gas supplier is could probably make recommendations. <S> In the U.S, what I've typically seen is outdoor tanks that are refilled by a large truck. <S> They're typically used for the whole house (heating, cooking, gas fireplaces, etc.), and not just the stove. <S> When I visited a friend living in an apartment in Spain, she instead had a smaller bottle that was kept in a cabinet next to the stove, and she'd have to take it to get refilled or replaced. <S> (and she kept a smaller one around as a backup for when the main one ran out). <S> I suspect it was butane, not propane, which may require a specialty cooktop; in the U.S. at least, the 'duel fuel' ones can be converted from natural gas to propane, but I don't know what's required for butane. <S> The second solution might be a DIY type thing, as it's just a drop in solution, rather than requiring gas lines to be run from the kitchen to the outside, and a large tank installed, but you still need to worry about ventilation, and there may be code compliance issues. <S> The first one isn't, but the local gas supplier would either be able to do it, or know who in the area can. <A> The links you provided are broken so I'm not sure what you were looking at, but I assume you are looking at propane burners. <S> By all means do NOT use a propane burner indoors (or anywhere else that doesn't have execllent ventilation). <S> It's not a matter of efficiency , as propane is nearly as thermally efficient as natural gas, rather it's a safety issue. <S> One of the by-products of burning propane is carbon monoxide (CO) which can cause unconsciousness, and, eventually, death, in sufficient volumes. <S> This is why many homes have a CO detector when using natural gas in case a valve is accidentally kept open on the stove, etc. <S> I use a propane burner for brewing beer in my garage, but I always have the door open to allow the CO to evacuate. <S> I'm not sure about butane, but please do <S> NOT attempt to use propane indoors. <S> Bad things will happen.
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So, basically ... figure out where you're going to get the gas from first, as they'll be more likely to be able to tell you about what type of installations they can supply, and either tell you the codes & regulations in your area and be able to install it or tell you who in the area can.
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How can I find a replacement aerator for this faucet? We have the following faucet, which is missing an aerator. I don't see any identifying marks, nor anything to unscrew at the end of the faucet (i.e., it doesn't seem to be a standard screw-in aerator). How can I find an aerator that fits this faucet? <Q> Does that whole round bulb part unscrew? <S> It kinda looks like it might. <S> Might spray some lime away on the whole works to get a better idea how it's put together. <S> It looks like maybe the white part should unscrew. <S> Like the white was the aerator but the screens have been pushed out. <A> From the looks of it, the bottom of your faucet has a screw-in aerator. <S> To remove the existing aerator, try applying masking tape to both jaws of your pliers to prevent damage to the aerator in case you need to use it again. <S> Then grasp the aerator and unscrew, turning counter-clockwise. <S> This should allow you to remove the old aerator and see the inside threads of the faucet. <S> Simply screw in you new aerator and you're set. <S> You might need to apply some Teflon tape on the threads of the new aerator if you see any leaks, but it's generally a good idea to use it for male-female threaded plumbing components. <A> The whole round part on the end unscrews. <S> The white bits are the remains of a flow limiter and aerator (which drop in from the top once the assembly is removed). <S> While I wasn't able to find just a flow limiter/aerator that fit, it was easy to find kits that contained these parts plus another round part of a different style.
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Faucets typically use standard inside thread dimensions, so you should be able to use any screw-in aerator that suits your taste.
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What are the pros and cons of UV window film? I have just finished renovating my house and am now considering adding UV film to some of my windows (those that catch the most sun). On paper, they sound like a great solution as they reduce the heat entering the house and furniture fading but I have not had any experience with them. I would hate to see my house looking like those crappy cars with the window tint full of bubbles. Does anyone have any practical experience with window tinting? Are they good? What issues do I need to be aware of? I live in Melbourne (Aus) so summers hit 40 degrees but winters rarely drop below 5 degrees. Followup:We ended up getting film on a few windows just to see how it would go. On one glass door, we added a film the the minimum reflectivity and it does cut down the heat significantly without changing the night time view too much. On our upstairs bedroom windows, we added privacy film. During daytime, these windows look like mirrors from the outside but remain clear(ish) from the inside. They add a strong blue tinge to the inside light. Once you hit twilight, the situation reverses and you get no view outside at all. The film also shows a subtle, oily sort of pattern all over it. We thought this would go away over time - it has not. We had the film professionally installed. Even for a pro, it was a full day job. The cost was very reasonable, especially compared to the cost of the curtains. Follow-up to the follow-up:We have external awnings added to our house on some of the windows that did not have film. The awnings are pretty thick but you can still see through them. We have found the awnings to do a much better job that the film. We have just been through a summer with quite a few low 40s days (C). We have two windows on the same wall, 2 metres apart. The door with the film still lets through a lot of heat whereas the window with the awning blocks most of the heat and still lets though enough light that we don't need to turn the lights on during the day. <Q> This is not meant to be a complete answer, but might help with your understanding of it. <S> My understanding of the physics of windows is as follows - <S> Nearly all radiation (visible, UV, infrared, every other type too) that travels from outside the house into the house and is absorbed (not reflected back out again) is converted into heat. <S> I would expect that exceptions (such as the energy from UV light causing a chemical change, such as when it fades your couch, or waves that induce a current in a conductor) are relatively negligible. <S> This means any radiation that can be reflected from the window to prevent it entering the house reduces the heat load. <S> Also, if the radiation is absorbed into the window glass (eg through tinting it), then some of the heat from the window glass will be lost to the outside (through both conductance/convection and some radiated heat) which is an additional benefit. <S> A heated window pane would like lose more heat to the outside than the inside because the wind would help keep the temperature difference between the glass and the adjacent outside air larger than the temperature difference between the glass and the inside air. <A> Millions of cars have window tinting that looks great. <S> Just be careful to get the bubbles out when you install it. <S> Also consider that tinted films absorb heat, which can aggravate the usual problem with double pane glass when one pane expands and contracts more than the other. <A> My experience with tinted film on our own home windows is mixed. <S> The sun heats up the actual glass pane as it penetrates it and then again as it is reflected back out. <S> So, in affect you end up with a very hot piece of glass (a radiant panel) that radiates heat into the room (as well as to the out side). <S> If you place your hand on the inside of the window tinted with film on a hot day (particularly a very hot day) you will know very well how hot it can get. <S> In an office block where I once worked the windows were treated with a "silver mirror" type of film and they got so hot you couldn't hold your hand on the window for more than about 5-10 seconds on a hot day before it became too hot to touch. <S> If the film could be applied to the outside of the glass surface then the heating effect would be less as the sun would not be able to penetrate the thickness of the glass as much and thus heat it up. <S> However, I don't know of anyone who is making a film that can be applied to the outside of the window. <S> I am now shying away from tinted films in favor of roller shutters but, they come with a different set of draw backs <S> but, they do a better job of keeping the heat out as the window is completely shaded/protected from the direct sun in the first place. <S> I am not too sure if more heat is lost to the outside than the inside as a previous person has mentioned. <S> That may be true. <A> I work for a Home Builder and have learned that adding these films will void your window warranty. <S> So you may want to check into this first.
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I feel that whilst there are advantages like light and glare reduction, heat reduction and UV reduction, the actual glass pane becomes very hot which reduces the efficiency of the film in stopping heat getting inside in the first place.
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Best Conditions for Sealing Asphalt Driveway What are the best conditions for sealing an asphalt driveway? What time of year, and under what kind of weather would be best? <Q> Pick a sunny day, with ABSOLUTELY no chance of rain that day. <S> If it rains within a few hours of the sealing job, you won't be happy. <S> 24 hours will be plenty of time for it to dry though. <S> Remember, you will be standing on black pavement in the sun. <S> Start work in the morning, to give it time to dry in the sun. <S> Keep anything off it for a day. <A> A sunny day in the 70's-80's range is ideal for sealcoating. <S> It is warm enough to ensure proper drying and cool enough to prevent the sealcoat from drying too fast to correct a mistake. <S> One of the key things to remember when sealcoating is CLEANLINESS MATTERS! <S> By far the most simple way to do this is to have one person with a leaf blower and another with a stiff bristle push broom. <S> Do a quick once-over with the leaf blower then have the broomer start at one end of the driveway while the leaf blower operator directs the stream of air at the broom. <S> Spend extra time at cracks and dark spots. <S> Another option is to thoroughly power wash the driveway. <S> This is less than ideal as you will have to wait a day or more for the driveway to fully dry. <S> Failure to do so will trap moisture in the asphalt after sealing and damage the asphalt when it freezes. <S> Powerwashing also leaves the possibility for wind to blow more dirt/debris onto the driveway while waiting for it to dry. <S> Properly cleaned asphalt will guarantee a good seal. <S> :) <S> My preferred application method for sealcoat is a squeegee versus a broom or sprayer. <A> I sealed my driveway on a day in the 70's and it rained the next morning and the driveway looks fine. <S> I started at 10am and finished touch up at 5pm <S> and it rained at 6am.
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The perfect day would be sunny, but not incredibly hot, as sealing a driveway would be miserable work on a blistering hot day.
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How is pre-wiring done for motion sensors / alarm system in new construction? In new construction, how is pre-wiring done for alarm systems, when then alarm may not be installed right away (or ever)? It makes sense to me to actually install recessed door contacts (they're only a few dollars each) and run the wiring back. I suppose if using window sensors it would make sense to do those as well (or just use motion sensors / glass break sensors and save a lot of work). It also makes sense to run at least a couple wires up into the attic, for a siren or other future use. What I'm not sure of is motion detectors. What's the best way to leave the wires to be able to hook them up later? Any tricks to avoid cutting a giant hole in the wall later? Any other considerations to pre-wiring? <Q> When we do drywall, if there's a loose wire (e.g. electrical line for a hard-wired dishwasher), we cut a small hole and pull it through during installation. <S> Pretty easy to do while everything is open and you can see both sides of the drywall. <S> Leave plenty of slack so it can be fished through the drywall before it's been attached to the wall, and the hole can be made even smaller. <S> The other option is installing a J-box like you would for phone or cable wires, and leave an opening in the drywall like you would for any other J-box. <S> For other considerations, I'm a huge fan of conduit. <S> No need to go to every door/window, but it wouldn't hurt to run some to where you want the main key pad, to the attic, and to your telecomm connections. <A> I pre-wired my house for an alarm since the alarm got fitted at the very end. <S> I figured it would reduce the work required for the final install. <S> I installed wires for the motion sensors, reed switches for under-house access, the control panel and the siren. <S> From memory, some units require 6-core (such as the control panel) and some 4-core <S> so I think I just ran 6-core everywhere. <S> For the motion sensors, I had roof access so it was easy to poke a hole though the ceiling at install time. <S> For the panels, I positioned these near light switches. <S> At install time, it was easy enough to locate the cables (near the power lines) and pull them though the hole in the wall used for the control panel. <S> The reed switches were under the house so also easy to wire up. <S> The alarm unit also required a phone line and power. <S> Part of my plan was the location where the unit would live <S> so I ensured the sparky wired phone and power to the appropriate location. <S> I had an alarm guy install the actual unit. <S> Having the wires pre-laid reduced costs, though he added a screamer to the system. <S> I did not bother with window or door sensors since I have a lot of windows/doors and the motion sensors will trip once the guy enters the house anyway. <S> BTW: I put coloured PVC tape on the wires at 2~3 metre intervals to make it easy to identify what cables went where. <S> BTW2 <S> : I have a (renovated) 1920s house with sizable cornices. <S> In one location, the plasterers incorporated the senor cable into the cornice, allowing the sensor to be attached to the wall rather than hanging from the ceiling. <S> This looked a lot nicer, I wish I had done it everywhere. <A> We simply leave slack through a nm staple and bring the end to nail that is hammered into the corner of the stud. <S> Dry wall guys do a good job at avoiding pinching the wire <S> but if not just pull out the slack.
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Since I knew the alarm I was going to install and knew where the sensors and control panels would be, I ran the cables to those locations and just left them there to be plastered over.
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How do I fix radiators that come on at different times? We have radiators in all rooms but the ones in the bathrooms come on at different times to the rest of the house. This is particularly annoying when getting up at 6am and stepping into a freezing bathroom while the rads are on in other rooms. Why does this happen and how can I fix it? <Q> I think you need to balance the system ; as water will always take the easier option. <S> So when the system first comes on most of the water will go to the radiator with the shortest pipe run, once the thermostat rad valves on that radiator <S> shut down, then the water will find the next easier option. <S> So by turning down the “lockshield“ values (the value with a cover over it) on the radiator(s) that gets hot first and turning then up on the radiator that take longer to get hot, you can force the water to go to all of your radiators. <A> <A> OP probably hails from the US, where things might be different. <S> Here in the UK it's not uncommon for a bathroom radiator to be on the same circuit as the hot water tank - so it can function as a "towel rail" even when you're not running the central heating. <S> So - check the On/Off times for the HotWater side of the boiler programmer. <A> The answer is really simple as to why: the radiators in the bathrooms are plumbed in as part of the hot water circuit instead of the central heating circuit. <S> So they come on when you have the timer set to heat your hot water. <S> This is not uncommon. <S> You can fix it by getting someone in to re-plumb them in as part of the heating circuit or alter the times your hot water comes on.
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Based on the answers in comments it sounds like you simply need to turn the thermostat up in the bathroom, and make sure the hallway isn't so warm that it keeps the boiler from turning on.
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What can I do to solve the moisture problem in my bathroom? My bathroom walls are done in concrete not drywall. I installed a ceiling fan. After showering, the walls are covered with moisture. What can I do to eliminate the moisture? <Q> You'll always get some condensation, but there are a few things done to mitigate this: <S> Normal interior walls and well-insulated exterior walls are usually not a lot colder than the air temperature. <S> (The colder the walls are, the more condensation will happen.) <S> An exhaust fan will remove some of the humid, hot air (and since hot air rises, the exhaust fan is on or near the ceiling which has the greatest effect), and regular (room temperature, and regular humidity) air will be drawn in from HVAC vents or under the bottom of the door. <S> Opening the door will help even more. <S> A semi-gloss or high-gloss paint is used (usually these are labelled Kitchen and Bath) which holds up better to high humidity, condensation and regular cleaning. <S> If your walls are actually solid concrete or concrete blocks, then they definitely are going to be colder as concrete is a poor insulator. <S> This is why in the same room concrete will feel cooler to the touch than drywall, which will feel cooler to the touch than a towel. <A> Are they solid concrete? <S> Is it colder outside than in? <S> If so, not much you can do. <S> Steam will condense on cold surfaces. <S> The exhaust fan can certainly help, though. <A> You could try leaving the bathroom door open while showering or opening it afterward when you are done. <S> Opening the window will also help a bit (if it's cold open it only a crack and close it when you're done).
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Condensation happens whenever hot air meets cold surfaces, and the air after a shower is hot and very humid.
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Do I need planning permission to build a roof terrace over a flat roof in the UK? We're thinking of building a roof terrace on the flat roof at the rear of a property. The property is in the UK and is not in a conservation area. Do we need to seek planning permission to do this? If so, how likely is it to be difficult and is there anything we can do to smooth the way? <Q> You will need to seek planning permission for roof terrace. <S> The main reason is that it can overlook the neighbours on either side. <S> If you had solid walls on either side <S> and you wanted to go straight back <S> that is likely to be ok. <S> Still as always best to check with you local authority to confirm. <A> You will have to have some plan for it and how you want it to look I suppose. <S> If its a simple conversion (and your roof can support it - that is what the council will be mostly interested in) <S> it is most likely there would not be any problem with planning permission (and might not need any) <S> simple roof terrace with best chance <S> But like I commented your region, suburb might have estical constraints and dis-allow any external changes, eg solar panels, window colours, etc ,etc. <S> A design obscuring might be problematic. <A> The only way to know for sure, is to contact your local government. <S> Codes, laws, and ordinances vary from location to location. <S> Comment converted to answer.
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It is best to ask your local council or pop into a local surveyor and pay a few bob for reliable advise about this.
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Is a lip necessary on an HVAC ceiling register boot for use with flexible ducting? I've installed some new ceiling register boots to use with flexible ducting and realized after install that they have a smooth connection with no lip. I'm assuming they are made for metal ducting, as I think flexible requires a lip for a tight connection. How can I securely attach flexible ducting? One idea I had was putting five or six screws around the connection to act as a lip. I also thought maybe there is a tool that I could make some dimples that would do the same thing. Is a lip even necessary for a solid connection? Thoughts? UPDATE: Since I don't really know the proper names for things, I think pictures might help. Here is pretty close to what I have: Here is the lip I'm talking about that is on the current register boxes: Here is one with no lip: On my current ducts, there are two zip-ties, one on the inner core and one on the outer insulation. The inner core zip tie is behind the "lip". I assumed this was necessary for a solid connection (Note: I'm using mastic, not tape. Whether one is better than the other is another topic). Here's a picture of the inner core I was referring to that I want to put the zip-tie on. So I've now changed my question to: Is that lip needed and if so, any way to fake it if not there? <Q> If I understand your question, you have a boot like this: <S> And you want to put a crimp like this on it: <S> So that you can slide some flex duct to it. <S> If that's the case, then there is a crimp tool to do that: <S> It's also possible to do using a pair of long needle nose pliers (which saves you the expensive of buying/renting a speciality tool for a one-off job). <S> Just grab on, twist 30 degrees or so, move the plies over a quarter inch, and repeat. <S> It takes a minute or so, and probably doesn't produce as nice results as a professional crimp, but when you put the duct on and seal it with foil tape (as you should be doing anyway), it works perfectly fine. <A> New answer thanks to updated question. <S> Yes, the lip around the rim of the opening I'd call it a "ridge" <S> but I dunno <S> if that's right) on the boot is there to help ensure a firm connection. <S> It's to keep the zip tie on the inner core from slipping free. <S> This is necessary (the keeping the duct snug, not nessarily the tie) if your ducting is going to be pulling away from the boot due to gravitational stresses - such as when the boot is above the duct and the duct can be pulled down, such as along a wall or below a ceiling or floor. <S> If your boot points down and the duct sits on a horizontal surface, you're good - no extra tension should happen. <S> Important note - neither mastic nor tape are intended to be structural - they don't serve to hold <S> the ductwork in place <S> , they serve to seal the ductwork so that there are no air leaks. <S> So the question really is - how do I properly secure my flexible ducting to the boot when there's no lip on the collar? <S> Answer: <S> Self-tapping screws. <S> Get yourself a box of those (the hardware aisle or the ductwork aisle). <S> When you go to mount your ducting, pull the outer insulation back up away from the core, pull the core over the collar, and use TWO screws on opposite sides of the duct (180 degrees from each other - noon and 6'o clock (or 1 and 7, 3 and 9, you get the idea) to ensure that neither side of the duct can pull free. <S> Use the inner to snug up the connection (don't over tighten!), seal with mastic <S> (I'd recommend tape though cause of the insulation layer...), slide the insulation up as far as it will go and snug it up with the outer zip. <A> I believe that the boot you installed is designed for insertion of the crimped end of a metal duct pipe into it, not the flexible ducting you are using. <S> If your space allows and you wish to do things to code, use a short coupling pipe with crimping on one end and a ridge on the other. <S> Now you can connect the flexible pipe correctly. <S> Use three sheet metal screws to attach the coupling to boot. <S> By the way, never puncture the inner lining of flexible ducting with sheet metal screws or anything else. <S> It is designed to be clamped on with drawbands or large hose clamps. <S> In all cases, seal all the joints with mastic.
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If the coupling pipe solution is not feasible, then attach your flexible ducting directly to the boot with a large hose clamp which can be tightened sufficiently so that these parts will never come apart.
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How can I quietly tear down drywall? Is there a way to remove drywall without exerting brute force? Being that I live in a condo, I don't want to go all happy with a hammer to my wall and disturb my neighbors. It seems there would be a way to saw lines into the drywall so that it could be easily pulled away. While a saw isn't whisper quiet, it's definitely far less barbaric than a hammer. <Q> Well, you really only need to punch one or two holes in the drywall to get it started, then you can simply pull it down with your bare hands. <S> Assuming it's really just drywall and not something heavier. <S> Sawing lines won't really help, however, as properly installed drywall has screws ALL OVER it - so just go with "punch hole and start pulling"... <A> The drywall acts like an amplifier for the sound. <S> I would not recommend it as a quiet method. <S> You can use a utility knife to cut the drywall. <S> Once a piece is cut you can pull it free. <S> This might work for a small piece but would be a lot of work for a whole wall or room. <S> You should consider just tearing the drywall down when it would bother your neighbors the least. <S> It goes pretty fast and would be over quickly. <S> What are you going to do to keep quiet when you replace the drywall? <S> Installing screws or nails are both pretty loud. <S> You could use adhesive, that would be very quiet. <A> You create a huge mess with many small pieces. <S> The best way is in-between. <S> Use a sawzall, or at least a hand saw. <S> You can cut the drywall into manageable pieces that can be carried out by hand--maybe a few large pieces at a time. <S> It's a lot faster <S> and, if you work it out, you might be able to slice it all up in rapid time and carry it out afterwards. <S> I've done this twice. <S> The first time I helped someone do the hammer it down method for a storefront. <S> Whenever I see this commercial on TV where someone takes a sledge hammer to a wall to tear it down, I cringe.
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Sawing drywall is pretty loud. Punching holes and tearing it down is a horrible idea. It would take several passes but it will work. Using a utility knife to cut it is quiet but takes far, far longer. It took us forever to shovel up all the small pieces and haul them out to a dumpster.
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What would cause a Varathane EZV sander to rip the sandpaper? I have recently been appointed FSA at a Lowes store in Allen Park Michigan. I was ask if i could find out why the Varathane EZV sander was ripping the sand paper. My knowledge on the subject is minimal so was wondering if you could help. <Q> If the ripping is always happening in one spot on the floor take a really close look for any nails, tacks or even screw heads that might still be protruding. <S> It only takes the slightest thing like this to rip the disc given that it's spinning so fast. <S> Carefully go over the floor either pulling the tacks out or using a punch to drive the heads of the nails a few mm below the surface. <S> If the floor is screwed down anywhere it will be a good idea to remove the screw, use a countersink bit on the hole and then replace the screw. <S> Again this should be a few mm below the surface. <A> Another issue DIY people do not do is operate the unit correctly. <S> There is a pin that must be removed and reinstalled to lower the upright arm into the sanding position. <S> High boards will catch an edge as will nails, screws and tacks. <S> This is a heavy machine and not set up for the DIY-er. <S> It is a good unit but takes practice in operating such as any professional equipment. <S> This unit weighs in at 160lbs while most DIY units should weigh in at half that. <S> In any project preparation is key and is 99 percent of the project. <A> The Varathane ezV Floor Sander is one of the essayist floor sanders to use. <S> you don't need to follow the grain of the wood and although it doesn't remove material as fast as a drum <S> sander <S> It does a reasonable job. <S> It also gets close to the walls so very little edge sanding is required. <S> Tearing sand paper. <S> It can be caused by wear, cuts or tears in the hook and loop pads. <S> it will happen if you try to go over a hole in the floor like heat register vents. <S> Also keep in mind not all sand paper is created equal. <S> cloth backed sand papers outlast and out preform paper backed sand papers. <S> Another factor on sand paper performance is the amount of grit on the paper. <S> I find you get what you pay for <S> , There is a reason why some sand paper is cheaper than others. <A> I own one of these machines, and after using another brand this varathane machine is better than the competition. <S> When pads get gummy or dirty they will stick to the floor and sometimes tear. <S> Also nails, screws, etc. are hard on sand pads. <S> Also the quality of the pad may have some effect. <A> Just a guess here - but that being a rotating floor sander, my suspicion would be that they're either starting it while it's in contact with the floor <S> or they're putting it down too fast, so that the spinning disk is pushing the sand paper against the floor while pulling it laterally at the same time. <S> The sander should be tilted back before starting and LIGHTLY set down on the floor. <S> Those rotating sanders take a LOT of practice to get good with - they're harder to control than floor buffers, and those are tricky enough W <S> /O destroying the wood...
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Any deviation on the floor can cause ripping.
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How to connect primer tubing to non-laundry faucet? The previous owner of my house didn't know what the trap primer tubing was when he installed an expensive kitchen faucet and stainless sink in the laundry room, so left the tubing dangling. Is there a trick to connect it without replacing the faucet? <Q> Another option would be to install a flow-through trap primer. <S> This is a device that feeds a small amount of water to the trap primer everytime the supply it is connected to runs. <S> One constraint is that it needs to be oriented correctly due to the air gap. <S> The one pictured is from Watts Series A200 Flow- <S> Through Trap Primers are used in commercial and residential applications to assure delivery of water to floor drain traps to prevent the evaporation of the water seal that protects a building or room from sewer gas fumes. <S> It consists of a bronze body construction with a Celcon seat and disc. <S> Available in threaded (Model A200) or union solder (Model A200S) <S> connections. <S> Minimum Supply Pressure: must exceed 25psi (172kPa), <S> Maximum Supply Pressure: 125psi (8.6 bar). <A> <A> After more research and asking different plumbers, the unanimous solution was to replace the faucet with a laundry type that had the correct fitting for the primer tube.
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Depending on the diameter of the tubing, and I'm guessing it's not very large since it hardly needs to be, you might be able to install a saddle tap valve to the cold water line and the primer tubing to it.
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What is this 110/24V 60Hz transformer in the breaker room for? My friend sent me a photograph of this transformer, which is installed above the main breaker panel, with leads running from the panel into the transformer. The stamped labels read PRI. Volts: 110 SEC. Volts: 24 CYCLES 60 However, the leads out from the transformer disappear into the ceiling ( so either to some unknown device or terminated somewhere). The house was built in the 1960's and we believe the device to be from time of construction. Does anyone know what this might be for? <Q> My guess would be the doorbell or an intercomm system. <S> Something like that. <S> The original heating system might have needed 24 volts. <S> Disconnect it and see what does not work. <A> My first guess would be "doorbell" since my house's installation uses a 24V external transformer as well. <S> My second guess would be an electrically supplied smoke detector. <S> Ours, and I suspect most, run off 110V <S> , it's possible that some older model may have used 24V. <A> The primary is fed from the breaker box 120VAC into it and the secondary is 24VAC which is perfect for a doorbell. <S> Cycles is 60 meaning 60Hz. <S> I would take a voltmeter set to AC and check to see if you actually get 24VAC out of it. <S> The white wire should be considered the neutral and black the 24VAC hot lead. <S> This transformer or one that behaves just like it can still be purchased at Home Depot, or HVAC supply house. <S> I can't read the VA Volt-Amps but to find the amps take the VA number and divide it by 24 <S> and you can find the amp rating of the transformer. <S> This same voltage is found in today's central AC systems <S> but I doubt that was available for a house this age. <S> I would make sure you have a fuse on the black primary wire leading into the transformer if you decide to keep this setup. <S> A simple inline 3A fuse rated at 250VAC would be fine; if you plan on keeping this installed, better to make it safe. <A> This is most certainly a Doorbell/Intercom transformer from the company <S> Edwards Signaling . <S> I work in the Intercom industry and the name is pretty well known, although this particular model is before my time - <S> so I cant be sure exactly what its for. <S> If you can find a model # I can do a bit of research for you.
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No doubt it's a doorbell transformer.
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Can I safely use a switch rated for "1A at 125V" with 240V, assuming I stay below 125W? I recently purchased a foot switch for a standing lamp. The switch is rated for 1A at 125V. I would like to use this switch with a low energy lamp (typically 10W or below) but with a 240V supply. Is this safe? <Q> Also the circuit breaking capacity might be not enough for higher voltage, this can cause an arc starting when turning the switch off and that can overheat the switch and set it on fire. <S> I strongly advise against trying this. <A> You can think of the Amp rating as rating the conductor, and the voltage rating rating the insulation. <S> You can't compensate for inadequate insulation with a good conductor. <A> James, if you are in the US, there are not many 240V lamps available for residential use, especially like the Ikea store. <S> Most standing lamps here in the US plug into wall sockets, 15A 120V. <S> If that is the case then you can use a 125V switch. <S> Since your lamp is 10W and "IF" it using 120V then it is using .08 amps (watts divided by voltage = amps, <S> 10 / 120 = .0833) <S> If all the above is true then the switch will be no problem. <S> If you live where the lamp plugs into a 240V area, if it is like the US then you do not want to use a 125V rated switch because you will only be turning half the electricity off (120V <S> A phase plus 120V B phase = 240V. <S> Also, using the math above, 120V X 1.5A = 180 watts.
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Likely you cannot - the insulation rated for 125 volts might fail at higher voltage and this might lead to an arc starting and causing a short.
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How does a water-heater know when to turn on? Now that it is getting colder, we have noticed that when we get home from work, our water is not that hot. It was warm at best after a four-day trip. The water heater is in an unheated basement, next to the furnace. It's not freezing by any means. After a shower or some dishes, it heats up fine and we have hot water. It's a gas water heater. My mental image of how it works is that the fire shuts off OK when the water heats the desired temp, but doesn't come back on until new cold water is introduced. I would have guessed that it would be a normal thermostat. If it is a thermostat, how do we set the temperature that the water heater that the fire come on at? Or, can someone explain how this works in reality, and offer advice? <Q> Yes, it's a thermostat, and there is usually a dial on the side of the tank, near the bottom, to adjust the temperature. <S> More than likely, the water feels colder because it is traveling through uninsulated pipes and is losing much of its heat before it reaches the faucet. <S> You can turn up the temperature of the tank, insulate the pipes (they make foam insulation that just slips over the pipe, just be sure to measure the diameter of your pipes <S> so you get the right one), or both. <S> You should also consider flushing out any sediment from the bottom of the tank if it's been a while since you last did this. <S> Make sure the water runs clear for a minute or two before closing the drain. <S> To save on the gas, you can set the thermostat to only run the pilot light while you flush the sediment. <A> In addition to insulating your pipes you could install a circulating pump to keep hot water flowing through the pipes. <S> We installed a circulating unit under the sink in our kitchen which is far from my water heater. <S> We installed it after replumbing all the way to the kitchen with 3/4" pipe. <S> We now have plenty of pressure in the kitchen, but without the circulator it can take a long time before hot water comes out of the tap. <S> Circulators can be run automatically, on a timer, or on demand (push a button). <S> They do not have to run all the time. <S> Ours is on a smart switch and only runs when the kitchen or bathroom lights are on. <S> This way we circulate the water only when we are home and need it. <A> There is another system I first saw on TOH. <S> A cross-over valve and pump installed in a nearby lavatory (cabinet) hot water faucet (at the shutoff) forces cold water in the hot line into the adjacent cold line and back to the cold water input on the water heater. <S> That increases "faucet" pressure back in the hot water line, producing hot water near the point of use very quickly. <S> A temp sensor detects when cold water has been purged and hot water only is available for use, and causes the pump to turn off and the crossover valve to return the hot water line to normal flow. <S> There is no pump power consumption other than when hot water is demanded. <S> There is no loss of fuel for heating up the cold hot-water line. <S> There is no loss or expense of keeping hot water circulating. <S> Energy use is strictly during demand only.
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All you need to do is hook up a garden hose to the drain at the bottom of the tank (make sure it can take the warm water), run the other end to a floor drain or utility sink, and open the drain on the bottom of the heater.
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Can wind force rain into the soffits? There is 1 and only 1 leak (thank God) that is driving me crazy. When the wind blows from the south and hits the house from that side, there is a drip that develops and comes from above the top of the window (the little 3 " overhang inside the window). The water is not coming from the window, this I know. I believe that the water is being forced into the soffit and somehow drips down along the cinder block wall where it comes out over the window. I hope that makes sense. There is NO water on the ceiling or along the inside wall above the window. There is absolutely no access into the attic as the roof slopes to almost meet the inside ceiling, so I can't even get to that side of the house. When it rains, even pours straight down there is absolutely no leaking. Can rain be forced into the soffits by the wind, or should I be looking for the leak elsewhere? <Q> Yes, if the interior ceiling is getting wet at the wall and radiating outward this may be the cause. <S> This is a common occurrence in high wind areas especially with the use of vinyl or aluminum soffits or soffit systems that are not inset from the fascia system. <S> One solution is to replace the soffit with solid wood or solid fiber cement, and provide ventilation through a continuous vent that is only a few inches wide and centred towards the wall. <S> Or install individual vents that have louvres, make sure the louvres are pointing towards the wall. <S> Another solution that may help is to use a gutter there that provides adequate drainage. <S> The solution really is dependent on several factors, the height of the soffit relative to other parts of the structure, or other roofs around or underneath the area. <A> In the UK on modem build, there will be a cavity tray about the windows that will direction any water that is behind the cinder block harmlessly out into weep holes through the cinder block. <S> ( This gives some detail of how it is done in the UK) <S> A lot of building details are about coping with the fact that water will get past the first level of defenses, so must then be stopped by the next layer while being allow to dry out, otherwise you get 101 issues with rot. <A> I had a similar issue on my brick house and traced it to some unsealed gaps between the lintel, bricks, and mortar. <S> The north wind would force the water into the wall and out the inside of the wall above the window.
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I think your cinder block wall, will be designed with a ventilated gap do allow any water that gets into the wall to dry out. The exposure and strength of the wind, and the size and design of the overhang also should be considered.
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Soundproofing a floor: How about cement backer board w/ Green Glue and mass-loaded vinyl? I've been researching soundproof underlayments for floors, but the selection seems to be very paltry. It appears that you're pretty much stuck with mass-loaded vinyl (MLV), QuietWood, and a few other sheet-type materials. The bad part is that these are not as effective as materials used for soundproofing walls and are certainly no good at blocking lower frequencies, so I came across an idea: What about MLV on my subfloor, followed by Green Glue (GG) then cement backer board (BB)? I think this would be a very effective solution. Putting the MLV down first would put a protective layer over the subfloor so I don't get it all gooey with GG. Instead, the GG would go between the MVL and BB. After I seal all the BB seams with accoustical caulk and tape, I would then lay my carpet over that. If BB is too over-the-top, what if I replaced that with simple 1/4" plywood? <Q> The reason the floor materials aren't as effective is because this problem is best solved with an air-gap and a flexible connection spanning that air-gap. <S> But you have a hard time supporting a floor with that air-gap. <S> Therefore, solving this problem via the ceiling below this floor is better, using resilient or sound attenuation channel there. <S> That said, on your floor, carpeting over Homasote, QuietWood, or some other material will be as good as you'll get on the floor. <S> Since I don't have experience with MLV or GG, I'll defer to others on that. <S> However, the cement backer board seems like the weak link here since that will transmit sound rather than absorb it. <A> Answering my own question here with an email response from a Green Glue associate. <S> In response to me basically asking him the exact same thing as in my original question: <S> This application will certainly work. <S> We would recommend using the heaviest & thickest material that you can... <S> 1/4 plywood is going to be a bit too light & thin. <S> If height is what prevents you from using 1/2" plywood or greater, consider using 1/4" cement board (Hard Backer) instead of the plywood. <S> The cement board is heavier and stiffer than plywood and will offer better performance. <S> What I am going to do first is lay down 2-lb MLV, acoustically caulk it, and tape it. <S> I will then turn up my subwoofer, run down to my garage directly beneath it, and, if the MLV doesn't appear to be performing to my expectations, I will start my plans to put down cement board with Green Glue in between. <S> Note that the cement board is not for soundproofing in and of itself, but to provide a second firm surface to allow the GG to perform at its best. <S> I'll post details here in a few weeks to report my progress and also post pics. <A> I don't know what Green Glue is other than it appears to form a gasket of sorts. <S> My thoughts would be to try insulation along with layering some dis-similar materials to avoid conductive transfer. <S> BUT...note that I am not an acoustical engineer of any sort and the above is just pure speculation. <S> :) <S> That said, to justify it: the XPS, when taped and sealed, would be an additional air barrier, which should help with transference. <S> It also completely docouples your finish floor with the subfloor in terms of any direct fasteners (helps reduce transference) the cork is fairly cheap, and does the same as the XPS but as a different material, should help reduce sound transference. <S> It will also help pad the XPS from the drycore <S> the Drycore is maybe where this gets a bit over-engineered, but it does provide a form of an air gap underneath. <S> All that said... <S> you state that the sound is transferring into your neighbors condo which is 'diagonal' from your current room. <S> Two theories there. <S> The sound is coming through the shared wall in your garage. <S> As such, it may be a whole lot easier to soundproof that wall, rather than your floor. <S> The sound is actually transferring through the building structure itself...which could be the case if the shared firewall is stick framed. <S> Ideally, the shared firewall would be masonry but that's not always the case. <S> If that's the situation, your solution might be to invest in headphones. <A> Green glue is a damping compound that is based on hysteresis principle. <S> (Memory and recovery to the original shape... <S> sort of like a ball bouncing) <S> GG will not work if not applied against any material other than a hard surface material. <S> Soft materials defeat that purpose and do not work. <S> forget about MLV! <S> That only works on high frequencies. <S> Does nothing for below 200 Hz. <S> Forget about screwing or glueing and think Floating floors. <S> Yes you could use minimal amount of screws as long as you cover each screw with a sealant. <S> Even a smallest opening the size of the screw will let the noise back in. <S> Think about your room as if it was a fish tank, and you are trying to stop the water from leaking.
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I'd suggest a sandwich of XPS foam, topped with cork underlayment, then your finish floor (which, ideally, could be dry-core subfloor panels topped with carpet).
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Can I use a 23 W CFL in a fixture that's rated for a 60 W incandescent? I have a lamp that is rated at 60 Watts for an incandescent bulb with a disclaimer to use a 13 Watt bulb instead when using a CFL replacement. Do I really need to respect that disclaimer? Would not a 23 Watt CFL be just as safe to use? It still draws less power than a 60 Watt incandescent, right? <Q> As far as I know, the only risk at issue here is of overheating of the bulb. <S> The heat comes from two sources: the output and waste heat of the bulb, and from resistive heating of the fixture wires and switch and socket contacts. <S> CFL bulbs draw less current and produce less heat for a given light output; however, they are far less tolerant of high temperatures! <S> Therefore, the rationale of the warning label may well be to warn that the fixture is not sufficiently ventilated for a CFL bulb above that power, even if the fixture is itself capable of surviving that amount of heat. <S> However, it is also quite possible that someone converted the "equivalent wattage" (which is a statement of light output and therefore almost completely irrelevant to power/heating) without thinking about it. <S> I recently (2016) saw a lamp which had a claimed limit like "60W incandescent, 13W CFL, 7W LED". <S> That's clearly just converting, and it's not going to be accurate for the wide variety of LED bulb types available. <A> The issue here is light output, specified in lumens. <S> An incandescent bulb puts out about 15 lumens per watt, so a 60 Watt bulb will put out about 900 lumens of light. <S> However, a CFC may put out 45 - 60 lumens per watt (3 - 4 times as much), depending on the design. <S> They are simply a lot more efficient at converting electrical energy into light. <S> Because of this, a 13 Watt CFC will put out the same amount of light as a 60 Watt incandescent bulb. <S> Putting in a bigger CFC simply gives you a lot more light. <A> your this comment Would not a 23 watt CFL be just as safe to use? <S> It's still drawing less power than a 60 watt incandescent, right? <S> is correct. <S> The disclaimer probably would be for the light intensity... <S> probably its a reading lamp, so higher intensity light can damage your eyes... <S> Mind you <S> this is just a speculation! <A> I'm playing a bit fast and loose with the units here -- <S> Watts are a measure of power, but the idea should be clear. <S> Typically, you find these ratings on the socket where there is likely to be a shade in use. <S> The smaller the lamp, the more likely you are to use a small shade, and the closer the shade will be to the actual bulb. <S> The warning is there <S> so you don't set the shade on fire, or melt it. <S> 90% of the power (watts) of a light bulb is emitted as heat. <S> wikipedia . <S> So, a 60 watt bulb emits 54 watts of heat, and 6 watts of light. <S> A CFL uses less power for the same light by a factor of 3-4. <S> meaning a 13 watt CFL will emit the same 6 watts of light -- giving off 7 watts of heat. <S> TLDR; <S> The wattage rating is for fire safety, you could use a 60W CFL in the socket, if you could find one of appropriate size. <S> The rating has nothing to do with the amount of light produced. <S> Only heat. <A> It's quite easy to accidentally use a lamp with a dimmer and a CFL that isn't designed to be dimmable, and this is a very important thing to avoid because it can cause overheating and even a fire. <S> The reason is due to the way a dimmer works, essentially by switching the power to the bulb on and off many times per second on some kind of duty cycle approximating the amount of dimming required. <S> A CFL bulb will use several times more than standard operating current during startup, and this can lead to overheating and a fire, or at the very least drastically reduced life for the bulb. <S> Depending on the type of lamp fixture you are using, it is possible there may be a similar thing going on even if there is no dimmer. <S> For instance, an older garage door lamp I had turned out to be incompatible with CFL bulbs due to the use of a SCR like component that effectively prevented the bulb from coming on properly some of the time. <S> With incandescent bulbs effectively being phased out newer devices are of course being designed with CFL (and LED) <S> bulbs in mind, but it is always important to consider whether an older lamp is compatible with a CFL.
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There is one issue I see not addressed by other answers, and that is, a 23W CFL is not appropriate in any kind of lamp that has a dimmer unless it is specifically a dimmable CFL bulb.
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What's the procedure for stripping wires with pliers? In this answer to this question on stripping wires pliers are mentioned as a tool suitable for that job. I guess it can be done, but I feel quite paranoid about damaging the conductor which is made of rather soft metal and effectively reducing the conductor cross-section which can lead to overheating and possibly fire. What's the procedure for stripping a wire with pliers without damaging the conductor? <Q> Use your pliers to open the packaging on a 6$ pair of strippers. <S> This is the ONLY correct answer. <A> Striping wire with pliers is a technique that takes a lot of practice, and is one of those things best left to the pros. <S> In this case, you'll want to pick yourself up some Wire Strippers. <S> No need to get a fancy $50.00 pair that does more than it should, a simple ~$10.00 pair will do just fine for what you need. <S> If you're dead set on stripping wire with pliers, it's all about pressure control. <S> The first thing you'll want is a good pair of Lineman's Pliers like this. <S> Now the whole idea here is to ring <S> the sheathing, Without cutting into the core. <S> Place the wire into the cutting portion of the pliers, Gently squeeze, and rotate the pliers around the wire. <S> If done correctly, you should end up with a cut all the way around the sheathing. <S> Now grab hold of the sheathing (that is now separated from the rest of the sheathing) with the griping portion of the pliers, and pull the sheathing off the wire core. <S> Now go practice this about a million times, and you should just about have the hang of it. <A> Your question in terms of technicality is very good!Changing <S> the original structure of a wire always causes some sort of alteration to the outcome. <S> But thanks to laws that are in place- there alterations are well within deviation limits! <S> So if you squeeze a wire a bit while removing the shield its within electrical safety guides lines of 10% !! <S> (Because if you look at scientific properties of copper and the limit of how much current it can handle and the home builders guide/electrical reference for home building.. there is a considerable tolerance in place to avoid problems!) <S> IF you literally nearly chop the cable off- <S> then its in your own interest not to use that piece and shorten the wire- because that will definitely cause an issue down the line. <S> If you are however working with electronics that are sensitive to 0.5% tolerance changes then the slightest notch/cut/scratch on a copper wire will affect target performance. <S> Somehting that each DIY-er comes across is CAT5/CAT5e <S> /CAT6 and allot just strip the wires, crimp the end and the network is fine and dandy. <S> Then comes along Mr IT and tests the network and wonders why the flippen heck a 100Mbps network only works at 60% capacity?! <S> Something i have learnt over year of crimping/stripping. <S> These crimping tools are good as long as you use it for the exact wire it is designed. <S> If you do not have or want to purchase one, then a simple procedure will keep you safe, even during wiring of 1Gbit CAT6 networks. <S> 1: <S> Cut the end of the wire insulation- <S> don't worry about damging the wire. <S> 2 <S> : Pull back the insulation so its reveals some more copper wire. <S> About 3cm. <S> 3: <S> Cur the insulation without touching the wire. <S> 4: <S> Cut the last 2cm of the wire off 5: <S> You have a perfect end! <S> 6: <S> Wire in/Crimp <S> These steps are overkill in home electrical circuits because when you screw them into plugs/junctions it changes the shape any way. <S> But this is the preferred way to strip wires in the professional electronics world.
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For the average homeowner, it's going to be easier (and safer) to stick with using the proper tools.
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What are my non-gas alternatives to a wood burning fireplace? Our house has a wood burning firplace that we want to convert to something else but we have no gas lines in the area. What are our options for heating benefits and esthetics? <Q> All very nice and stylish.. <S> Electric fire place! <S> This will be the easiest way to replace your wood fire place. <S> But the cons in most countries is that electric heating is very expensive. <S> Pros are well.. clean and easy. <S> Press a button and set the heat you want. <S> Effects vary and they are not expensive. <S> If you want to use gas, then you have some options. <S> If you have a basement directly under the fire place you can make a safe place to store gas bottles and just put a supply line directly above to the gas fire place. <S> Easy to to replace once every few months and lasts for a bit. <S> If you have no basement then maybe if space permits a safe place somewhere outside on your wall- hidden away form first sight(but easy access to replace) and run some gas lines to the fire place. <S> Last option is to keep the gas bottle somewhere in the same room in a safe,ventilated cupboard.. <S> like some people use the a gas stove with a supply bottle right under it. <S> This is the last option (maybe easiest) but safety is a big concern though. <S> propane(gas) bottles or cylinders. <S> Propane tank <A> The main options would be: keep it as-is and burn the fake logs (they are made from recycled materials and wax. <S> Convenient, but not really a heat source) convert to gas (or propane given your location) <S> convert to a pellet system. <S> Chris mentioned wood pellets. <S> Corn pellets are also popular in may parts of the country. <S> consider leaving it wood, but add a wood stove insert. <S> They make high efficiency inserts these days that can work as a good heat source. <S> electric (not a fan of those... <S> it's not a fire...and IMHO would look cheesy in an old fire place) candles. <S> Pretty. <S> Obviously not a heat source. <A> That's probably going to depend on your reason for not wanting to keep a wood burning fireplace.
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But assuming that the chimney is good, you might also want to consider a wood pellet fireplace insert.
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What should I do about ceiling tiles that potentially contain asbestos? A family member is considering purchasing a house, built in the Midwestern United States in 1958. In the basement, there are nine inch ceiling tiles on the ceiling. The home inspection mentioned that it cannot confirm that these tiles are not asbestos. I've received four pieces of advice: "Just remove it yourself." "Hang drywall underneath the tiles and seal it up." "Professional removal is the only way to go." "Take a sample and send it in to a laboratory." I suspect the tiles do have some asbestos content. Some of the advice sounds reasonable enough (especially 2, 3, and 4)... looking for guidance. What's the best approach in this situation? EDIT: Thanks all for the helpful advice. We had it tested, and it turns out not to be asbestos. <Q> As a certified home inspector I will give you some more specific advice from a Buyer's point of view. <S> If the inspector suspected asbestos, then this warning should be taken seriously. <S> If the tests do come back positive for asbestos, get a quote from a licensed asbestos remediator to remove it, and a quote to replace the ceiling with some safe material such as drywall. <S> I would recommend asking that the total amount of both of these projects be adjusted from the selling price. <S> Under no circumstances would I advise one of my customers to proceed further into the purchase until this issue is resolved. <S> If positive for asbestos, this could be an expensive fix and definitely not a DIY project under any circumstances. <A> I would get it tested. <S> If it comes back negative, then at least you know you don't have to worry about it. <S> If it comes back positive for asbestos then your offer price should be adjusted to account for that. <S> If it isn't a complex removal job, and it sounds simple, it might be best to have it professionally removed before you move-in. <S> It allows you to do what you want with the basement for future DIY jobs. <S> Basement ceilings also tend to be lower and more easily disturbed, and you don't want to worry about kids disturbing it. <A> If taking samples wear fully protective clothing and masks- once a sample if safe in a sealed container- <S> remove your clothes outside far away <S> form anybody and incinerate it or bag it up and keep safe for removal later if test is positive on asbestos. <S> It only takes short period of time to cause serious respiratory and health issues <S> If you are in the UK contact <S> your council- Asbestos removal is funded by the local council to keep people from dying. <S> If you are anywhere else try and contact your local government body and ask for advice, usually they will know if your area has asbestos builds and how to handle this things. <S> I understand some countries are difficult to deal with governing bodies, so just get a professional-- <S> I am sure a few bucks to save your life is worth every penny
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If you suspect asbestos you need to be very careful. At this point in the house buying negotiations, it would be wise to insist the "Seller" have the material sampled by a licensed tech and tested by a certified lab with a copy of the results given to you before proceeding to a closing.
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Should we install carpet before the baseboard and door casings? We just had a carpet layer come in for measurements and a quote. We've not put in the baseboard or door casings yet, but the carpet layer has suggested that this will make things easier. Is this true / good advice? Are there any pitfalls to watch for when we go to install the door casings / baseboard? <Q> It makes it easier for the carpet installer because they don't have the baseboards in the way when they're nailing in the tack strips next to the wall. <S> On the other hand, it makes things a little more difficult to install the baseboard later because the carpet and tack strips are in the way when you're trying to nail the baseboard to the sole plate in the wall. <S> This is much more of an issue if you're nailing by hand than if you're using a brad nailer. <S> (I've done it both ways; use a nailer.) <S> On the whole though, I'd follow his advice and use a nailer to install the trim. <A> My two cents worth..... <S> We always install the base trim and door trim first. <S> If you have split jam doors with the casings already attached, you must install them first or you will have a real problem fitting the jams to the floor between rooms. <S> As mentioned, sometimes the carpet installers can scratch the finish on the baseboards, however it is usually minor and easy to touch up after. <S> The problem I see with putting the trim on last is that depending on the style and thickness of the carpet and pad, you can have a bit of a ridge over the tack strip. <S> Of course you can nestle the trim down into the carpet, but some of the bottom square edge of your trim may still show. <S> It is also much more difficult to maintain a level line and make splices on longer runs. <S> If the corners are not perfectly aligned, then coping the base won't match properly. <S> Since the trim should outlast the carpet, anytime you need to re-stretch the carpet or remove it, the trim will have to be removed first as it is impossible to do either with the trim in place. <S> Now that is an absolute nightmare and rarely will you be able to salvage all the trim to re-install. <S> My advise, install the trim and doors first and stress to the carpet installers to be as careful as possible. <S> You can also put a strip of 2 inch delicate work painter's tape on your trim before the carpet goes down. <S> Leave about a half inch at the bottom of the trim uncovered, then remove it after the carpet is installed. <S> This will help prevent some of the minor scratches <S> the edge of the carpet can cause before it is chiseled behind the tack strip. <A> I worked many years for a new contruction house painting company and the proper way is to install trim before carpeting. <S> It's how the pros do it it. <S> Amateur house flippers <S> I'm sure won't agree....or <S> the guy you hire to replace your trim that's looking for a fast buck; he'll tell you what he wants you to hear. <S> Beware. <A> the baseboard goes in first always, the carpet installers don't like this if they have to install new thicker baseboard for the customer, they have to remove the old tack and install new <S> , this is very time consuming and their usually on piece work. <S> In my house they had to go from carpet to tile and lino. <S> Putting base on top of carpet then to tile would not work, plus changing carpet later would mean new baseboard also <A> If you put the baseboard/casings in first, the carpet has to be fit around them. <S> And in my experience, the carpet installers will damage the baseboards as they stretch the carpet. <S> If you wait until the carpet is installed, your baseboards can go in on top of the carpet, which will help keep the carpet in place (not usually a problem <S> but hey...) <S> but at the same time make removing the carpet more difficult (but not much so) in the future. <S> I cannot say there's a specific right way to do it.
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If you're doing a long wall, it can make lining up the pieces of baseboard a little trickier because the tack strip and carpet can get in the way.
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How do you remove paint from hair? We painted a closet recently with a latex/acrylic based paint and no plastic hair caps. This lead to the issue with some unsightly paint splotches on our hair. After several washes the paint still hasn't faded and is very noticeable. Please let me know what methods are available for removing the paint from the hair on our heads while leaving the hair intact after the process. UPDATE:We tried several of the solutions here but nothing worked. We had to wait until the hair grew out and it was cut off. Hair dye would not even cover the paint. I think a couple of the reasons we were unsuccessful was the amount of time that went by before we noticed the issue and the fact the hair seemed more porous due to the condition it was in to begin with. We think it was porous due to the frequency of the hair dyes and the very dry nature of Colorado's weather. <Q> When this has happened to the kids (we let them help when painting) <S> I just pick the paint out of their hair with fingernails while watching TV - they sit still <S> and it's quite 'Gorillas in the Mist' <S> It does take a wee while, but it works without the use of any chemicals. <A> I find that olive oil or similar cooking oil usually removes sticky hardened gunk. <S> paint, gum, etc... <A> By fine-tooth, I assume they mean a comb like a pocket or dressing table comb, but you may have more luck with something like a lice comb. <S> Now, latex paint with VOCs may cause other types of discoloration, similar to thinners (which is why you NEVER put paint thinner on your hair; no turpentine, no acetone, no methylated spirits, no nothing). <S> Also, certain dyes, like red and orange, will soak into surfaces (even some things you wouldn't consider "porous", like ceramic tile) and become extremely difficult to remove. <S> I dunno what color you painted the closet or exactly what type of paint you used, but it may not be a layer of actual paint causing the discoloration anymore. <A> So you need to somehow make hair wet and not let it dry and after a rather long period of time the paint will get weaker and you can try to carefully separate the paint from the hair. <A> Try dish soap and really wet hair. <S> If that doesn't work, you might try using some gritty toothpaste. <S> The dish soap would get between the hair and the latex and help it come off, the toothpaste would act as a mild abrasive and chew up the paint so that it could be washed off. <A> Mayonnaise! <S> My son has bright blonde hair. <S> While we were spray painting beds he got bright pink spray paint in his hair. <S> We tried everything and nothing made the paint come out. <S> I put some mayo on his hair and he jumped in the shower and scrubbed it out. <S> All the paint gone! <A> Apply water And blue Dawn ASAP. <S> Stroke in hair conditioner and pull through with the thumb nail. <S> Follow up with a vigorous tugging with a fine comb. <S> Reapply conditioning .
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Water dispersion paint (latex/acrylic is a flavor of those) is not fully water-resistant - it will get much weaker and softer once you leave it in damp conditions for long enough (which is something like several hours). This E-How article says that a soak with your normal shampoo, followed by running a fine-tooth comb through the affected area(s), should remove water-based paints including latex acrylic.
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What could cause the battery in a smoke detector to heat up? One of my smoke detectors was chirping and when I removed the 9V battery, I found it was hot. In fact, it was making a 'cooking' sound. Was it the smoke detector causing the battery to cook itself or was it a defective battery? <Q> Wow- <S> A smoke detector that could cause a fire.. <S> It is very difficult to say It could be a fault in the fire alarm- short circuit that caused the battery to heat up to a cooking point. <S> It could be a chemical fault in the battery where atmospheric pressure and chemical imbalances caused by some impurity during production caused the battery to heat up at a certain point of its life. <S> Either way <S> The safest option is to replace both and remove all doubt! <S> eg ever hear about the exploding iPods... :) <A> I just experienced the same problem. <S> I discovered that I had installed the battery backwards. <S> No more chirping, and I have confirmed that the new battery is not overheating. <A> I had this issue with a first alert <S> BRK9120b <S> that was 15 years old. <S> After going through 2 or 3 batteries I changed the detector. <S> All was fine until another detector in another bedroom started behaving the same way. <S> At first thinking it was just the battery I changed it and <S> the next day it was hot and dead again. <S> I ordered 2 more detectors just to keep one hanging around as this seems to be a trend and I have 8 of these in my home. <S> The mounting holes are still the same but the bracket changed. <S> It took an extra minute to change the bracket and the wire connector was still the same.
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The smoke detector was chirping, so I removed battery (which was almost to hot to hold!), put another in out of same packet but in the correct orientation. Fortunately after 15 years the detector hasn't changed all that much.
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How can I wire an array of ceiling lights for easy reconfigurability? I want to put in 16 new recessed lights (roughly a 4x4 grid), and I want to control them with two panels (one on each entrance to the room) of switches. But since we are constantly rearranging the furniture, I don't know which groups of lights I want to control with each switch, as it is subject to change. How can I wire this up in such a way that I can (relatively) easily reconfigure which switches control which lights? <Q> While you are talking about switches, I would suggest using dimmers, if your light source allows you. <S> Straight plug in PL's like 4 pin compact fluorescents in most cases wont be dimmable. <S> Also, watch your wattage, but from the sounds of what you want to do, it probably wont be a problem. <S> You can get dimmers from probably $5.00 to $50.00, depending on the quality and the light source. <S> Lutron is my favorite dimmer, but there are other brands that are well made. <S> Here's another way that won't be cheap, but it's probably the cheapest in 'home automation'. <S> There are many systems out there, most are easily customized for zones or scenes. <S> They come in switches and dimmers, even some can be set up as a switch and dimmer. <S> All of these wire up like a switch of dimmer would, and are easily expandable. <S> It just depends on what is in your wallet, the rest is up to your imagination. <S> Here is the Insteon brand; Here are some of the brands that I can think of, Leviton Viziz RF , Cooper Wiring Device <S> Aspire RF or as shown in the pictures, Insteon . <S> All are good but Insteon is backwards compatible with X10 and has more security, garage door monitoring, remote monitoring and as with all above, you can easily access your system from your browser, anywhere in the world. <A> I did a quick google on various alternatives for "Household electrical patch panel" and found nothing of interest. <S> (Although that could be noise from "Household network patch panel"). <S> Then I thought about the problem, and came up with an 18-switch solution: 2 Single pole switches (On/Off) (Or three ways, if you're doing the masters at two locations) <S> -- These are the on/off for each bank. <S> 16 Double pole switches <S> (Circuit1 / Circuit2) -- <S> These determine which bank a light is on. <S> You may wish to use single strand wiring. <S> Run a common neutral and ground to each light. <S> Run the Switched power out of the single poles to the outer terminals of the double poles. <S> I'd use colored wire (Red for circuit 1, and Blue for 2 -- <S> These are switched hots) From the central terminal of each double pole, run another switched hot (say, Yellow) to each light. <S> (one light per switch.) <S> You could of course, double up lights and save on switches, but <S> no matter how you do it, there's going to be a lot of wire. <S> I'm also concerned about the real estate needed for all these switches. <S> CAVEATS: <S> This only works if you can get all lights on a single circuit. <S> This is not extensible to more than 2 banks (Unless you can find multi-pole selector switches.) <S> Why not just go with 2 4-gang switch plates, and pair two adjacent lights to each switch. <A> I thought about this a little more. <S> Is there any reason I can't just do this? <S> Basically: <S> Wire hot to each of several switches ( <S> 2- or 3- way (shown on diagram)). <S> Wire from the panel's outputs to each light. <S> Wire from each light to ground. <A> It sounds like what you want is a power source coming into one switch, a pair of 3-way switches at each side of the room, and then off of your 3 way switch, run a 3 conductor wire to each of the lights (white, black, red). <S> You then have the black line switched by your "A" pair of 3-way switches, and the red line switched by your "B" pair of 3-way switches. <S> Now, at each light fixture, you can just chose if you want to have it on the A or B switches by wiring it to the black or red wire.
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Wire from the switches to a centralized "patch panel" with one input for each wall switch and one output for each light where I can mix-and-match the switches to the lights conveniently (shown switch 1 to light 1 and 3, switch 2 to light 2, 5, and 6, and switch 3 to light 4). Incandescent, low voltage, LED and some screw in CFLS can be dimmed and that would really change the look of your room. A similar technique is sometimes used in kitchen outlets to get two different circuits to go to each outlet, either with the top and bottom outlet on separate circuits, or the outlets easily switchable between the black and red circuit.
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What would cause a furnace to shut off prematurely? I've got a Carrier Weathermaker 8000 furnace that shuts off about 90 seconds or so after ignition, started doing this recently. I get flashing code "33" which indicates: The code indicates: 33 LIMIT OR FLAME ROLL-OUT SWITCH IS OPEN - If open longer than three minutes, code Changes to #13. Check for: Defective blower motor or start capacitor. Dirty filter or restricted duct system. Loose blower wheel. Defective switch or connections. Inadequate Combustion air supply Flame Roll-out Switch or fuse link. Open Flame Roll-out switch,or fuse link. Manual reset or replace. I've found the manual here , although it doesn't really help me. Leading up to this, I hadn't checked/changed the filter in a while. It wasn't on my mind because I usually hear my furnace straining or so on.. when I did go check it, I realized that was because the filter had collapsed and been pulled down the air intake.... so yes it was filthy and also I basically ran without a filter for who knows how long. First things first, I cleaned all the dust out of the inside and blew air through all the components. I've been able to check the large rectangular Flame Roll-out Switch and the 2 smaller switches, they all are closed when checked with a multimeter for continuity, and just for kicks I pressed the button on the 2 smaller switches to give them a manual reset. It appears that I've got a no-kidding problems with the unit becoming too hot, not a false positive. Although I am not positive about this. It seems like my next step would be to check the capacitor to see if it would be causing low voltage to the blower motor, but I don't know how to check that? Also it could be the blower motor being 'defective' - how do I know that or check that without simply trying a replacement part? So please, if someone can tell me how to check the capacitor, how to check the motor, and what to do next, it would be very appreciated! <Q> Check the high limit switch. <S> You need good air flow both in, and out of the system. <S> also make sure the heat exchanger is clean, so it can transfer heat properly to the passing air. <S> If the thermostat has an option for Fan , switch it to Fan and make sure the fan starts. <S> If the fan does not turn on, you should contact a trained HVAC tech. <S> Capacitors can be deadly if not handled properly. <S> You could accidentally discharge the capacitor into yourself, leading to electrocution. <S> Or short the capacitor, leading to an exploding capacitor. <S> In either case, it could be deadly. <A> I solved the premature shut-off problem by simply changing the air filter. <S> The filter appeared clean but was completely clogged by white mineral deposits from my ultrasonic humidifier. <A> Usually the evaporator coil is obstructed/dirty, this reduces the air flow. <S> Pleated air filters that are dirty, closed registers, a broken heat ex-changer or a bad limit. <A> If you have a central air "A" coil, it is likely now plugged with dirt which is causingthe high temp limit shut down. <S> You will need to call a furnace man to cleanthe dirt from the "A" coil.
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Make sure that the outlet vents are clean, and clear of debris. If the furnace is allowed to continuously over heat, It's likely the high limit switch has burned out.
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Why won't my gas dryer stay lit? My Amana gas clothes dryer is not heating properly. The gas ignites when the dryer is first started, but after the gas turns off the igniter glows and then turns off, without relighting the gas. Many websites I found said that this was typically due to bad coils. I removed the coils and tested the resistance across the terminals. The resistances match example values I found . Could the coils still be defective, or is it more likely that the gas valve is bad? <Q> This could be an issue with the thermocouple. <S> A thermocouple is used to sense whether the gas was ignited by the glow coil and is burning. <S> Although this might not be the exact problem, it might lead you down the right path to find it. <A> The coils were defective. <S> Bought replacements on Amazon and everything's back to normal! <A> I have a 15 year old Kenmore gas dryer that wouldn’t stay lit. <S> I checked the coils for continuity and they were within spec (I got the spec in ohms from some other website). <S> However, when I had the dryer open to see what was going on, I felt the coils after the flame went on and then off, and one was warm to touch. <S> If I have the same problem after a decade or so, I’ll replace the coils straight away, since they are inexpensive and easy to get. <S> That is if I remember to :).
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I decided to replace both coils and the dryer has been working fine over the past 2 months. If it isn't burning, and the thremocouple isn't heated up by the flame, the gas valve is shut off to prevent excess gas buildup.
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How can I light picture frames from the floor? I would like to light up three picture frames with something from the floor. They will be behind a sofa so we wouldn't see them and the picture frames are about at 1.5 meter above the ground. I have thought of using LEDs, but I think an LED strip wouldn't be enough to light them and also, it wouldn't be directional. I have also thought of using a strip for halogen lighting but I think it would be too hot and too near the sofa, so I do not like this idea. How can I make a light setup to light 3 picture frames from the ground? <Q> If you have the room on the floor, then you can get a floor mounted track style fixture. <S> These have a weighted base with the transformer in them to make them harder to knock over or move. <S> The only downside of using these are; If they accidentally get moved into a couch or something like that it could become a fire issue. <S> This would cause the bottom of your frame (if it is a traditional wooden frame that stick out past the cloth itself) to cast a shadow across the painting. <S> The upsides are; <S> The lamps used have various beam spreads and wattages available for use. <S> LED's are made to be retrofitted into these by only changing the lamp. <S> If it works out you don't have to get on a ladder and hang track lighting. <S> I've seen renters <S> (don't know if you are or not) hang track lighting and use something to hide the wire and just plug it into the wall and use a plug in dimmer to control the lights. <S> Then when they move they take it away. <S> The picture came from here. <S> Good Luck! <A> Does it really have to be from the floor? <S> I don't know what the official name for them is (some searching suggests 'picture light'), but there exist fixtures that are made to be mounted above or below a picture frame, stick out a couple of inches, and then cast light back onto the picture. <S> Wireless LED Picture Light <S> Now that LEDs are available, your concerns with heat won't be a problem, but if you went with top down, even hallogen would likely be okay. <S> Part of the issue with lighting is that if you're coming from the floor, it's going to need to be placed some distance in front of the painting so it's not too severe of an angle; flat images (eg, photographs) might be okay with the angle, but oils and other stuff with texture can look really bad as the texture results in uneven lighting and odd shadows. <A> LED spotlight uplighters would do the job just fine. <S> You can get directional and intense focus LED lights these days - an example - and colours are very easy to get too if you want something different. <A> Typically Track lighting is used to accent artwork, but it is mounted to the ceiling not the floor.
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Track lighting allows you to position the lights where you want them, as well as allowing you to point them in any direction you like. If you cannot move it out from the wall because of restrictive space you might end up with a lighting technique called wall grazing.
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Troubleshooting of lamp which refuses to work after bulb change The lamp on the ceiling of my living room consists of two bulbs. One of them recently got broke, so I removed it, checked it, and bought a similar one (60 W all of them). I fixed the new one, and now both of them refuse to work, even the existing one. Also removing the new one again doesn't help. The fuse is fine. How can I troubleshoot this problem? Edit: I found it's actually a circuit breaker, not a fuse. Just in case this makes a difference. <Q> Grab your non-contact voltage tester <S> (you do have a non-contact voltage tester, don't you?). <S> Turn on the switch. <S> Move the tester near the sockets (don't jam it in the socket <S> , it's non-contact, remember). <S> If there is voltage at the fixture, inspect the sockets to make sure the contacts are in the proper position, and clear of debris (remember to turn off the breaker, Before sticking your fingers in the socket). <S> Sometimes the contact inside the socket can get bent, and prevents the bulb from properly making contact when screwed into the socket. <S> If no bells and whistles go off. <S> Turn off the breaker. <S> Carefully remove the fixture from the ceiling. <S> Insure that all connections are secure, and properly connected. <S> Inspect the fixture for signs of arcing, or other damage. <S> Turn the breaker and switch on. <S> Move the non-contact tester near the wires feeding the fixture. <S> If bells and whistles go off, replace the fixture (or have it done by an electrician, if you are not comfortable doing it yourself). <S> If there are still no bells and whistles, you'll have to move to the switch to make sure it is functioning properly. <S> Turn off the breaker. <S> Carefully remove the switch from the wall. <S> Insure that all connections are secure, and properly connected. <S> Inspect the switch for signs of arcing, or other damage. <S> Turn the breaker on, and the switch off. <S> Move the non-contact tester near the wires attached to the switch. <S> Turn the switch on. <S> Move the non-contact tester near the wires attached to the switch. <S> If there is voltage coming into the switch, but not going out of the switch (when it's on). <S> Replace the switch (or have it done by an electrician, if you are not comfortable doing it yourself). <S> If there is no voltage at the switch in either position, call an electrician to trace the circuit further. <S> WARNING <S> If at anytime during the procedure you see sparks, the breaker will not reset, or you just don't feel comfortable doing any of the steps, please contact an electrician. <A> Troubleshooting through continuity. <S> You'll need a few things, like the non-contact voltage tester, a continuity tester (a cheap one with a light will work) and replacement wire-nuts (unless something different is required where you live). <S> Never, never ever ( did I say never ) use a continuity tester on a live circuit. <S> Turn the breaker off and tag <S> it or lock the panel to keep anyone from turning the power back on... been there done that . <S> Remove the light fixture from the ceiling and remove what wires are connected. <S> Even after turning the power off, always use a voltage tester or a non-contact voltage tester to make sure there is no power where you are working. <S> If you are uncertain about how to wire it up later then you probably should not be doing this. <S> After you are off the ladder and have the fixture where you can comfortably check it you can now check for continuity. <S> You probably have two black wires and two white wires and maybe a ground. <S> Put one end of the continuity checker on the end of the black wire and then touch the other end to the center tab of the socket. <S> You should have continuity. <S> If not you have a faulty socket. <S> Now to check the white wire to the continuity tester to the end of the white wire and then to the metal threaded part of the socket. <S> If no continuity then the socket is bad. <S> If all this is good then the problem is either the switch or a wire-nut / connector. <S> Turn the switch on and off and the continuity checker should mimic the switch. <S> When you button everything up just make sure you do it correctly. <S> Wire-nuts have a certain way that they have to be done <S> so Google wire-nuts and learn how to do them. <S> Never re-use wire-nuts. <S> Use care when rewiring the switch. <S> It's a little harder to do correctly, but a lot harder to troubleshoot if a wire slips out. <A> Step 1: Test the bulbs in a different socket. <S> If the bulbs work in other sockets... <S> Step 2 <S> : Shut off power to that circuit. <S> If you're not sure which fuse/breaker controls that circuit, shut off power to the house. <S> Step 3: <S> Remove the fixture, inspect the wiring connected to it and tighten/resecure if necessary. <S> Replace the fixture. <S> Step 4: <S> Restore power. <S> Try again. <S> If that fails... Step 5: Call an electrician.
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If you want to check the continuity on the switch, remove the switch from the wires and put the continuity checker on the screw terminals.
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Does a bedroom have to have a closet? I'm finishing my basement (actually its the second basement I've finished). And I've built what I think is a bedroom in the basement. I had the ELECTRICAL inspector in here the other day and as he's going through the inspection he says: "So this isn't going to be a 'legal' bedroom, because it has no closet?" It's always been my understanding that a bedroom does NOT require a closet. Does a bedroom have to have a closet? <Q> I was curious <S> I imagine this might be to help ensure consistency in home valuations. <S> Check the first few results here for more info. <S> Code <S> does require a bedroom have an egress window however. <S> Also if your house is on a septic system it will be approved for a certain number of bedrooms and you may run into issues when selling the house if you've represented the new room as a bedroom but your septic system isn't rated for it. <A> I couldn't find a solid source that says a closet is Required , to make a room a bedroom. <S> the mortgage company financing the sale of said property. <S> The only requirement I could find dealing with bedrooms from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) , was that an emergency exit is required. <S> I did find some information that suggests that the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) , does require a closet when defining a room as a bedroom. <S> Source <S> Your best bet would be to contact a local real estate agent, and ask them if they would list the room as a bedroom. <A> It really depends on the code in your area. <S> Some places, you can't legally call it a bedroom for valuation and resale if it doesn't have a closet and a window. <S> Other places, all a bedroom requires is basically 4 walls. <S> Even if code allows it, a real estate agent might now be comfortable allowing it to be called a bedroom when adding it to MLS. <S> Basement rooms almost always require a large egress window or sometimes a direct path to a door to be considered bedrooms. <S> While the electrical inspector may not have expert knowledge in other trades, the fact that he mentioned that it should have a closet would make me seriously consider adding one. <A> I recently ran into this situation, my wife and I are in process of buying a house right now. <S> It was listed as a 4 bedroom house, however on inspection we found only one bedroom had a real closet. <S> There was evidence of the closet space (you could see the "indent") in all the bedrooms but all the closet doors had been removed in the other bedrooms to reclaim space for built-ins, et al. <S> Our Realtor remarked right away <S> this would potentially be an issue, particularly with VA/FHA buyers. <S> We consulted with our lender (USAA) and we were told (in Washington State), for valuation purposes they would not consider a space a bedroom if it didn't contain a closet, a heat source and an egress window. <S> I do not know if there's any difference if you elect to use a conventional mortgage or other methods of financing. <S> Fortunately the sellers agreed to install doors for us <S> so the issue is now moot. <S> TL;DR - My new 4 bedroom house would have only been appraised as a 1 bedroom home by my bank if the seller didn't put closet doors up.
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so I just did some googling around and it seems that, if anything, some lenders might require a closet for a room to be included in the bedroom count for the house. It seems to depend more on the agency listing the property, and Honestly, this is a good safety requirement since people usually end up using the basement rooms for their kids.
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What is the most effective way to get rid of silverfish? I recently moved to an apartment near the ocean and the air is more humid/moist than any of my previous homes. I've noticed that at night a few silverfish always come out in my bathroom (linoleum floors) and when I try to catch them, the would often escape through the crack between the wall and the floor. I did some research and found that diatamaceous earth is a non-toxic material that helps with the control of these little guys. I bought some and laid down this fine dust along the floor boards of my bathroom. However, this didn't do that much to control the silverfish. I recently found a couple of babies inside a framed print! I've also seen some on the carpet in the apartment (I might see more, but the carpet camouflages them a bit!). What is the best way to control these pests short of fumigating the whole place? (n.b. I have a cat and a newborn in the apartment) <Q> Silverfish like cool, damp locations and feed on paper and other starchy materials. <S> If the source of your silverfish problem is a crawlspace you might improve things by laying down heavy plastic sheeting over the ground and making sure it's properly vented to reduce moisture a little. <S> Otherwise, silverfish are very annoying but basically harmless (except to your valuable books/documents- <S> keep them sealed up). <A> I'd fill the crack(s) with caulking first off. <S> Depending how damp it is, a dehumidifier may dry things out and make it less desirable. <S> Make sure you aren't leaving wet towels and rags around, especially on the floor. <A> My experience is this. <S> One exterminator said getting rid of them "is a process". <S> Another told me they need to come out on a regular basis to get rid of them. <S> iirc, that was every six months. <S> The cost was maybe $100. <S> Another exterminator told me the attic is the best hiding place for them and that needs to have a bomb placed there so the powder gets into everything to kill them. <S> Then the corners of the room need to be sprayed. <S> The poison itself is not really dangerous to humans and even drinking it would only give you an upset stomach. <S> None of the diy baiting things with borax/sugar worked for me. <S> I recently bought a small home to be used as an office and I will be calling someone out to work on this after we get some remodeling done. <S> In case anyone is concerned, silverfish do not carry any diseases. <S> EDIT: Since making this answer <S> , I found a solution that is the only one that has worked for me. <S> Nuvan Pro Strips . <S> Available online, I put three of these in my attic and have not had any issues with silverfish for three years. <A> I've tried poison to no avail <S> and it's expensive <S> but I've also used a paper trap with some sort of adhesive. <S> I suppose the silverfish should stick on it and die of hunger. <S> I've bought a couple of the traps <S> and I think it was cheaper and probably it's more sustainable <S> but I also think that you cannot terminate them all because of the crack. <A> I recommend you purchase (Silverfish Paks). <S> Ask your pest control person to get you a box or get them online. <S> They are cheap ($8.50 for a box) and I have personally used them in my own house when the wife said she was seeing Silverfish in our pots and pan cabinet. <S> We just put a couple of the packs in the cabinet and waited one week. <S> We have not seen one in the last 6 months. <S> I was optimistic that they would work because I have been in pest control for 23 years <S> and I am surprised they worked so well.
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If they are getting in your carpet, make sure you are vacuuming regularly.
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How can I ground old 2-prong receptacles? (120V) I have several old receptacles that are 2-prong. There is armored cable running from the breaker panel to each receptacle. What do I need to do in order to install and properly ground new 3-prong receptacles? <Q> The correct answer is that you cannot install a 3 prong grounded outlet without using a 2 conductor with a separate ground conductor, that's three conductors. <S> I know people cheat and put a wire from the ground screw of the outlet to the metal box and hope that the armor case is firmly connected to the box and grounded at the panel. <S> This is not a good alternative to 14 or 12/2WG and can be potentially very dangerous. <S> Example, if you were to have an open neutral, the ground can potentially take over, now you have current on the armor shield, not good. <S> Btw, there is no good way to remove paint from an outlet. <S> Just replace it. <A> If the armored cable is around 3/8 round <S> then the answer is probably no. <S> If the armored cable is 7/8 (the OD for 1/2 aluminum and steel flex) <S> then there will be room. <S> Fish tapes come in many different lengths and types and if you can use it some places even rent them. <S> What ever you do, get the flattest tape they have. <S> When ever you use a fish tape make sure you know where you puling to and from. <S> Never pull in a conduit that has live wire and if you pull into a panel that panel will have to be de-energized. <S> If you can get a fish tape through then you can either attach the wire or pull a string through that you can attach the wire to it. <S> Remember when you are using a fish tape it means you are holding a ground wire <S> so don't work it around live circuits. <S> If you don't have a enough room for a ground wire, then a fish tape might be helpful to get new wire through the wall to your box. <S> Check with somebody that knows local code on what kind of wire you can use, whether armored cable, romex or??? <S> Good luck. <A> The best way to replace old 2 prong receptacles without reworking the wiring is to use a GFCI type receptacle. <S> This gives you all of the safety and protection that current NEC grounding requirements provide albeit with a slightly higher cost per receptacle. <S> The GFCI must be marked "no equipment ground". <S> You are not allowed to connect any equipment grounds between the GFCI and any of the other receptacles supplied by the GFCI.
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The only way you can do it is if what you are calling armored cable has enough room in it to fish a ground wire through. In your case, you should be looking at some new wiring.
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How can I repair rusty tools? Should I use sandpaper to clean the rust from the tools (e.g. Needle-nose pliers), or can I soak them in vinegar or lemon juice? Would I be better off just buying new tools (which can be an expensive choice for expensive tools)? <Q> While I don't use hand tools much, I certainly own a lot of hand tools. <S> This happens when you sell them all day. <S> Norm Abram at This Old House provides some pretty good tips on cleaning rust from tools. <S> His tips, summarized: First, store tools in a dry drawer or toolbox. <S> Use silica gel packets to keep this place even more dry. <S> But once rust appears... <S> Spray with a penetrating lubricant such as WD-40 and scrub with a heavy-duty Scotch-Brite pad. <S> Abram is very clear that you should NOT use sandpaper, as it tends to scratch metal. <S> For seriously rusted tools... <S> Follow with a rust-inhibitor spray like Boeshield T-9, which leaves a thin, waxy film on the surface. <S> Wipe away any excess immediately." <S> Klein makes an excellent guide that covers nearly all hand tools they sell. <S> Check out the free, downloadable PDF "Proper use and care of Hand Tools" available here . <A> I've used this stuff; amazing. <S> One of the most amazing products I have ever got my hands on. <S> I had a drill press left in the rain for two years. <S> I soaked the parts in this and restored to near brand new. <S> The original machine marks can still be seen. <S> http://www.evaporust.com/ <S> Harbor Fright carries gallons for $20. <S> You can reuse it over and over too. <S> I put some pics up in this old thread: How to clean rust in hard to reach points on a tool? <A> I've always just used steel wool etc. <S> and elbow grease. <S> But if you really want to get crafty, pull rust from your tools using electrolysis. <S> Check out ToolNut's step-by-step instructions on how to make a DIY electrolyzer for about $40 at instructables.com . <A> This stuff <S> https://www.google.com/search?gcx=w&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=naval+jelly <S> is what I was told to use - have yet to try it <A> My mom taught me how to use crumpled up aluminum foil dipped in water to scrub away rust spots on chrome. <S> The beauty of this is that the aluminum is softer than the steel, so less scratches. <S> I won't say no scratch marks, because some of the rust particles or chrome flakes might get ground in. <S> Obviously you need to dry your piece thoroughly after using water on it, especially the nooks-and-crannies. <A> To clean old rusty tools, old shears, or even old rusty needles, soak them overnight in ketchup. <S> Some may need a second soak. <S> Clean them with hot water and dry them, and apply a thin coat of coconut oil or olive oil. <S> Store in a dry tool box with silica gel; cat litter also works to keep them dry. <A> Vinegar does wonders for rusty tools. <S> Just be sure not to leave it on for too long as it will weaken the metal. <S> I am sure this is the same with other rust removers.
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"For more heavily rusted metal, try a spray-on, wipe-off, acid-based rust remover like Rust Free.
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Apartment building's thermostat located in unheated common area is cooking the tenants In my apartment building, we have a steam heat system with radiators in each of the six apartments. The thermostat is located in the stairway/common area, where there is no radiator or exposed heat pipes of any sort. Very bad design to say the least ... What has been happening since it has been getting cold outside is that the common area is at a temperature which triggers the heater to turn on. This pumps heat into the apartments until they are a sweltering 90+ degrees F. It is horrendous waking up at 2am covered in sweat. Any ideas on how this heating problem can be fixed? Install a radiator near the thermostat? Install more thermostats (in the apartments)? HELP! UPDATE We are going to take it step by step to try and handle the problem. So far, we've had a newer digital thermostat installed. It hasn't been sweltering, instead it has been too cold! When the technician came, he mentioned that the way the heat in the building was installed was pretty amazing, bad amazing. Over the next few weeks we'll tweak the thermostat slightly to see if that helps. We'll also have a professional come and check out the individual radiators in the building. <Q> I am assuming you own the building and can make these changes, but depending on the amount of money you want to spend: Turn down the temperature on the thermostat Move the thermostat to one of the apartments, probably in a locked box <S> so the tenants can't actually control it, but it at least reflects the real temperature. <S> This is obviously the most invasive and costly option, but would put individual control to each apartment and possibly reduce your overall heating costs. <S> Using programmable thermostats would also help, as it could lower the temperature at night and possibly during the day while no one is home. <S> The only problem with this is you can probably only do it with individual tenant control, and if the tenant is not paying for the heating costs they don't really have any incentive to lower the temp at any point (unless they like it colder at night). <A> Flow into the radiator can be controlled by the valve. <S> Close it when it's hot, open it when it's cold. <S> Put a temperature-controlled solenoid on there <S> and the job will be done for you. <S> From there, the landlord has a problem where his furnace is running too much <S> and it's costing the landlord money. <S> Most steam radiators have an air outlet valve that is adjustable. <S> Turn it to a low number and it will reduce the amount of steam (and thus heat) that is let in. <S> It's possible to encounter a situation where the unheated hallway keeps the furnace on and no radiators are venting the heat. <S> In that circumstance, the furnace will flip back and forth between running and thermal cut-out. <S> Wireless thermostats and solenoids on each radiator probably involves the least amount of work. <A> In the UK we would use Thermostatic radiator valves , then each radiator will turn it’s <S> self of when the room is hot enough. <S> The building’s thermostat would then just stop the boiler and pump running when there is no possibility that any room is too cold, e.g. in summer. <S> However I don’t know if you can use Thermostatic radiator valves on a steam system, google has just found "Armstrong RV-4 One-Pipe Steam Radiator Valve".
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You can also get thermostats with remote temperature sensors, in which case you could install the sensor in the apartment Install a radiator in the common area, so it at least somewhat reflects the temperature of the apartments Install a multi-zone system, with a thermostat in each apartment and independent solenoids that control heat to each apartment.
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What's the easiest way to carry 4x8 sheets of 70-lbs drywall by yourself? This past weekend, I had some help carrying eight 4x8 sheets of type X drywall up a flight of stairs. It was not easy. I know the sheets couldn't have weighed more than 80 lbs, but it felt like they weighed a ton. I need to get more up the same flight, but won't have help this time and I am not keen to paying a few hundred bucks to have it done. Some research has lead me to the Gorilla Gripper and PanelHandle. I've read that the Gorilla Gripper can damage drywall. Haven't found much else about the PanelHandle. However, the demos I've seen on YouTube show them using it to carry sheets of plywood. I ended up getting a hand-held panel carrier from Lowe's last week thinking it would help. It goes under the sheet and you lift it with your right hand and hold the top of the sheet with your left (or the other way around). It turned out not to help at all. I really like the Gorilla Gripper provided that it doesn't damage drywall. <Q> The way the GG would damage the drywall is by putting too much torque pressure on a single spot while you're lifting, since the GG is naturally going to want to twist the panel at the point it grips, given the way you have to hold it. <S> You probably can protect the drywall by using a foot long or so piece of 1/2" thick wood (like a strip of plywood cut to 3" <S> x 12") putting it on the far side of the panel as you clamp with the GG. <S> That way the wood will absorb the torque pressure and distribute it more evenly along the drywall making it less likely to snap at the pressure point. <A> I really hate to answer my own question here since Greebo and BMitch contributed well to my inquiry. <S> I have never handled full sheets of drywall before, so I did not realize that type <S> X drywall was actually a lot heavier than regular drywall. <S> I figured this out when I bought a 4x8 sheet of 1/2" regular drywall to close up a window in my house. <S> I was able to lift it with my bare hands with relative ease. <S> I can only assume that, while 5/8" would be heavier, I would still be able to lift it myself. <S> BMitch's answer satisfies that situation very well, but 5/8" type X weighing in a 72 <S> + pounds is another story. <S> So I bought a Gorilla Gripper and it worked wonders for carrying the type X which actually appears to be as heavy or heavier than 4x8x23/32 OSB. <S> Since type X is so dense compared to regular drywall, I didn't have to worry about putting a protective piece of wood in between the Gorilla Gripper's clamp and the drywall. <S> However, if I ever did need to carry regular drywall with the Gorilla Gripper, I'd definitely consider going with Greebo's suggestion lest I choose to risk damaging the drywall due to its flimsiness, an especial hazard when turning corners. <S> You won't be able to use the Gorilla Gripper to take a full sheet up a flight of steps, though. <S> In this case, if you're doing it alone, set aside the Gripper, grab the drywall by the top and bottom end, and pull/slide it up the steps. <S> I have carpeted steps, so it was easy to slide. <S> If you're dealing with wood or concrete steps, I would either cover the steps with a thick dropcloth or consult the help of a friend. <A> If you're balanced in the center of the board, and your back is straight, it's not too bad. <S> The weight of the board will be in your lower hand and resting against your shoulder, the top hand is just to steady it. <S> Alternate hands and take breaks to avoid straining yourself. <S> It gets complicated since you have to hold the board at an angle. <S> You end up griping it much tighter on the bottom to keep it from sliding out of your hand, and your top hand is now doing a lot more support to keep it from falling. <S> The tools wouldn't be much help here either. <A> I've been doing drywall carry-ins for a living since 2006 now <S> and I have found that the only tools that really work are the ones that you were born with. <S> I purchased the Stanley Panel Carry thinking that it would be the cure-all end-all for my drywall carrying woes, but discarded it after attempting to carry only a few sheets. <S> BMitch was right on the money with his reply. <S> I always work with a partner when carrying in 12' sheets two at a time, and the only way I have found is as BMitch stated by locking one arm straight down with your fingers under the drywall, and placing the other arm over your head to steady it. <S> I sure wish that there was an easier way to carry drywall. <S> I know that I sure would have gave it a shot on the 250 12' sheets we carried in today, and maybe there is, <S> but I sure haven't found one yet. <S> Best luck. <A> A good trick for carrying similarly-sized plywood is to use a prybar as an arm extender, as shown here. <S> I haven't ever tried with with drywall panels though. <S> Picture from Popular Mechanics.
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Lock one arm straight down with fingers under the drywall, and the other arm over your head to steady it. Although the Gorilla Gripper might be ok for carrying it across an even surface, in my experience such tools do not work so well to tackle stairs or uneven terrain. It also helps to lean the sheet of drywall into your shoulder to take some of the stress off the elbow of your extended arm. For moving 1/2" 4x8 sheets on a level surface, I just do it myself without the fancy tools. Since you have stairs involved, I'd bribe a friend with a case of beer. Wear gloves to keep from destroying your hands (construction gloves with a good grip, not the thick yard gloves or your nice winter gloves).
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Line tester reads power to 220V outlet when the breaker is off Bought a house in May that came with a window air conditioner connected to a 220V outlet. The air conditioner is gone with no plan to replace so I want to remove the outlet. I went to the breaker, flipped the double pole 20A breaker to "Off" and then use my power line tester to make sure the wire was not live and to my surprise, the line is still live. I confirmed I am turning off the correct breaker. What am I missing? <Q> I'm not clear how you traced the wire, unless it's exposed the whole way? <S> If you do have access to the wire, even if it's just when it enters the panel, you should use a non-contact voltage detector to check for power. <S> There's a possibility that there are two feeds to the outlet. <S> I would start by going through all breakers one-by-one (or several at a time, to narrow it down) to see if the power shuts off. <S> Keep in mind that you can get 220 by bridging two 120V breakers, and so one single breaker may not turn off all power. <S> - don't make any assumptions when it comes to bad wiring! <S> Worst case, shut off all breakers, and confirm the power goes out. <S> Then start turning things back on (an assistant and/or non-contact detector that beeps will help you here). <S> I personally would not touch any of those wires while my meter still read voltage, and I recommend no one else does either. <A> I had a problem like that, I tested my NEMA <S> 10/30R 125/250V dryer outlet with the breaker off and still got a reading of 220V. <S> My tester was a Sperry multi-meter and his was a Knopp. <S> The Sperry Multi-Meter <S> The K60 Knopp tester <S> Because the Knopp tester is solenoid driven you cannot get any back-feed from anything on the panel. <S> The multi-meter can pick-up voltage back-feed and show up as voltage on your tester. <S> This can also be a problem with proximity testers. <S> The older style testers like this is made by a lot of manufacturers. <S> I'm not saying that it's OK to presume the tester <S> is at fault <S> and I don't know what tester that you used. <S> You should always check and double check and if in doubt, do like you are doing and ask questions. <S> If you are still not satisfied, call an electrician. <S> Also, what reading do you get from one side when measured to ground compared to the other side to ground? <A> Best advice is to "pull" the breaker from the bus bar.
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In my experience, a breaker can become locked due to the contacts being welded internally and WILL NOT disconnect power/voltage from the circuit. When you flip the breaker, it should go off. This setup is not legal, but it sounds like it may not be wired correctly anyway I called the electrician that wired the house, and he read 0 volts with his tester and then read 220V with mine. Also the Knopp is considered a hi-impedance tester and the multi-meter that I had is a low-impedance tester.
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Environmental protection for computer equipment in unheated garage I live in Minnesota, and I have an unheated, detached garage. I would like to place an "offsite" data backup device (possibly a NAS) in the garage, which I should be easily able to connect to the wireless network in the house (in case of fire, burgling, etc). My biggest concern is the cold in the winter; I understand most computer equipment has a published operating range down to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and I expect it to be, at times, up to 60-70 degrees colder than that during the winter. I'm slightly concerned with the heat in the summer, though days where the temperature in such a garage would be too hot for a computer would be few. I'm also somewhat concerned about the physical security of the equipment. I'm interested in building or buying some sort of a modest-sized, climate-controlled enclosure in which I could put a computer and/or NAS, that would ideally provide: a safe operating temperature for the equipment, but in an energy efficient way (keep the temperature just warm enough and/or just cool enough to not put undo stress on the enclosed gear) ventilation for the equipment; I'm not completely certain, but I don't think a sealed / airtight enclosure would be good for a computer-like thing some degree of physical security for the enclosed equipment (in case of garage break-in) not interfere with the wireless network unduly (it does need to attach to the network to serve its function) I've googled a bit, but I haven't found anything along these lines either for sale or as a hobbiest project. Maybe it's out there and I haven't stumbled upon the right search terms. Can anyone offer advice / suggestions on some sort of enclosure that fits the bill? Thanks! <Q> First off, as long as the temps stay in range, I don't think you'll have a problem with an 'air-tight' container. <S> The only reason computer equipment needs airflow is because it's dumping heat into that air. <S> You can't go zero airflow because the equipment in question isn't built to heatsink to it's case. <S> Off had the first thing that occurs to me is a 'garage fridge'(something like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001B2P2G8/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=3788940351&ref=pd_sl_6z7wf02xh3_b ) <S> The thing includes a heater system to keep it's refrigerated section from freezing in cold temps. <S> That's really more than you need though, because it's going to try to keep stuff cold when you really only need it to keep stuff room temp. <S> It's going for a much narrower temp range than you'll care about. <S> If I were going to try this, I'd get an old fridge (doesn't have to work), and build my own controls (some kind of micro-controller) <S> - I'd cut some kind of vents with controllable louvers and fans into the top and side. <S> And some kind of heating system (really small space header? <S> dunno). <S> I'd add in a temp sensor, and turn the heater on when things get too cold, and the fans on (with louvers open) when things get too hot. <S> If the temp gets out of range, cut power to the device in question. <S> If you want it to deal with hot days as well, then get a fridge that WORKS, and put the chillers it into the mix as well - if things get hot enough that the fans aren't doing it, cut them, close the louvers and hit the chillers. <A> I'm looking at doing the same thing...putting a file server in my detached garage. <S> If the computer is always running, there should be no problems at all. <S> Cold, dry air is actually the optimal environment for computers. <S> In my case, one potential problem is during the spring warm-up. <S> If I leave the door open too long, the warm (wet) springtime air gets into the shop and condenses on the colder concrete, tools, etc. <S> That could be a show-stopper, but I'm guessing that the warmer components in a running computer will prevent condensation. <S> If you're not comfortable with this, I would take the other poster's advice about using an old fridge, with a few modifications. <S> Mount the motherboard, power supply and drives to the inside walls, away from the cold (and sometimes frosty) 'freezer' area. <S> Drill a hole in the side of the thing and run spare power, USB, and monitor cords to the outside and then caulk around them. <S> Then I would set the fridge's thermostat to the warmest setting and fire it up. <S> This would keep it air-tight (dry) <S> and temperature controlled (~50°F) <S> all year-round. <S> The only down side would be the cost of running the fridge and the metal shell might not be good for the wireless signal. <S> A WiFi USB dongle outside of the fridge would solve this. <S> I would think this would be much easier than the fan, louvers, heater, and micro-controller mentioned above. <S> UPDATE: <S> After a quick Google check, it turns out that doing this will cause the fridge's compressor to run much more than it was designed to, resulting in a short life. <S> Too Bad. <A> There are any number of companies selling HVAC Cabinets, such as <S> this one - many of these are secured to high level and can be bolted to the floor. <S> Some even have full fire suppressant kits fitted, if you require that level of protection. <S> I'm not sure what your price expectations are, but I think if your data is valuable, this will be the way to do it, rather than create something which may fail.
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As long as you have a little bit of air, and can keep it at an acceptable temp, low airflow won't be a problem. I would get a used dorm-style fridge (working) and build a PC inside of it.
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How high can I stretch my washing machine drain hose? The waste hose through which the water is removed from my washing machine is inserted into a vertical pipe extending from the floor with a U shape at its end. The problem is that there is foam coming out of the pipe where the waste hose is inserted. Can I extend the pipe that is after (above) the U to leave more room for the foam to form and hopefully prevent it from overspilling? Is there a height limit ? If the hose can reach 1 meter above the washing machine, does it mean that it is safe to have the hose connected so high? Is there a danger of causing damage to the washing machine's water pump that pushes the water outside if it has to push a water column that is too long/high ? <Q> An overflow of suds is what you get when you use too much laundry detergent, or when you use a cleaning compound that is not intended for use in a washing machine. <S> If you are using an appropriate product and you are getting excess foam (foaming out of the machine, or residual foam in the garments, or foaming out of the drain), cut the amount you use in half. <S> If you continue to get foam, cut it in half again, and so on. <S> For example, if you normally use 1 cup, reduce to ½ up, then to ¼ cup, and so on. <S> Do this until you eliminate the foam problem. <S> If at that point you are not getting adequate cleaning, increase the amount by ½. <S> For example, if you reduced the amount to ½ cup, try ¾ cup. <S> If you cannot get adequate cleaning without foaming, your detergent is at fault. <S> Get a better quality detergent and start over. <S> If you have a top loading machine, you can use any standard machine laundry detergent. <S> If you have a front loading machine, you should limit yourself to detergents which are compatible with front loaders. <S> These are often labeled "high efficiency" detergents. <S> This answer is based on information I learned while managing a detergent manufacturing company and laboratory. <A> I can't quite figure out what you're trying to say about extending pipes, but it should be safe to have the water drain out of the washer drain hose at its maximum height. <S> Eventually, the drain hose can be high enough that the water column overwhelms the pump (or hoses), but you'd have to be doing something bordering on insane to reach that. <S> Every foot of height in a water column adds .43 <S> psi of water pressure <S> , so even a hose rising 15 feet above the washing machine will provide less than 7 psi of back pressure. <S> I can't imagine a washing machine pump which doesn't handle that. <A> Can I extend the pipe that is after (above) <S> the U (to leave more room for the forming foam (and hopefully prevent it from overspilling?) <S> You should not use any extender or splice the hose. <S> This could be a place that could easily clog or maybe get pulled on and pull out of the clamps. <S> Also, the water pump is only designed for the height shipped with the machine. <S> Any length added to it could cause the pump to fail or not pump out all the water. <S> Is there a height limit? <S> In the US it is 42 inches. <S> (Me being part of the evil-non metric society does not know how much that is in evil metric measurement.) <S> 106.68cm Ask a local plumber or somebody in the plumbing section at your favorite diy. <S> If the hose can reach 1 meter above the washing machine, does it mean that it is safe to have the hose connected so high? <S> See my answer to Number 1 <S> Is there a danger of causing damage to the washing machine's water pump that pushes the water outside if it has to push a water column that is too long/high ? <S> See my answer to Number 1
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Experience tells me that at least some models of washer won't hold water unless the drain hose extends above the water level of the wash basin. Foaming products, such as those made for manual washing of delicate garments, and other foaming products such as hand dish soap or soaps for hand cleaning, should never be used in a washing machine.
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How to remove screws with stripped heads? I have wood screws whose heads are stripped from trying to remove them with a drill. The drill (or screwdrivers) can't grip the heads anymore. What can i use to remove these screws easily? <Q> Damaged screws are extracted by drilling into the screw with a drill bit, then using a special screw extractor bit that is tapered and has threads which turn opposite to those of the screw. <S> The extraction process should be done slowly and carefully because the extraction process is more fragile than the normal insertion of a screw. <S> I found this to be a good write-up with pictures . <A> You may be able to cut a notch in the screw head using a hacksaw (or similar cutting tool), then use a slotted screwdriver to remove it. <A> There is also a kit called a Pro-Grabbit that is made for stripped out or broken screws. <S> I've used it before, using a portable drill with one tip to drill it out and fip the bit <S> and it will extract the screw. <S> It has worked for me on the couple times <S> I've needed it and suggested for work when there is a need. <S> This is the Pro Grabbit. <S> Here are the instructions for the brand I sell. <S> You can get these at any hardware or diy store. <S> Grabbit Instructions Enjoy <A> Before you put a lot of work into removing the screw, you should try placing an elastic band between the screwdriver and the screw. <S> Often when the screw isn't completely stripped this method works fairly well. <A> If you're okay with leaving part of the screw in the work (the shaft, not the head) you have the option of drilling out the screw without recourse to any special bits. <S> Simply take a high-carbon (or harder) drill bit, one size smaller than the screw shaft, and apply to the center of the screw head at your drill's maximum torque setting. <S> If you have trouble keeping centered start with a smaller bit, drill down do a depth of maybe 2x the head length, and repeat with progressively larger bits. <S> Sooner or later you will destroy the head, releasing the shaft from the top portion of the work. <S> At this point you can free the top part of the work by rotating it manually if the thread is engaged to it. <S> If the thread is not engaged to it lift the top part of the work clear of the screw shaft and unscrew the shaft using pliers. <A> If the screw isn't buried all the way in, I've found a pair of vise grip pliers (maybe even regular) work great, just clamp down around the head (I will do parallel to the surface of the head, so you can use the length of the pliers for leverage, or in other words at a right angle to the length of the screw) and start turning, if its not high enough, I have used the screw extractor method at work and it seems to work well enough. <S> Good luck. <A> Put a bit of ajax powder on the screw driver tip mixed with your spit. <S> It fills in and adds friction. <S> Also, you can use fine dirt as a substitute for the ajax. <S> I have used this method with great success for many years. <A> If the screw is too tight and big enough you can weld a nut or something. <S> This has worked for me with worn bolts. <A> If it's sticking out at all, just take the bit out and tighten the chuck onto the exposed screw. <A> These have special jaws for gripping the outer perimeter of the screw head. <S> Simply twist and remove. <S> Image from this link: http://www.precisionhandtools.co.uk/screw-pliers/engineer-pz-58-neji-saurus-gt-multi-purpose-pliers-with-screw-extractor-jaws <A> I use my Irwin vise-grips all the time to remove screws in this fashion. <S> Just grab the head and turn! <A> If a tiny bit of the screw is still above the surface <S> it's in, I always use an electric screwdriver to grab hold of the screw, and unscrew it. <S> That is, mount the electric screwdriver on the screw the same way you would mount it on a normal drill - then simply reverse to remove the screw. <S> Much simpler than using vise-grips, pliers, and other things to grab hold of it - and much faster to remove the screw afterwards! <A> Few minutes ago I was struggling to remove a near flattened out flat-head. <S> With just a combination pliers, a good screwdriver and a hammer I got it out slowly; here's what worked for me: <S> The screw was bound by plastic Raul plugs, screwed into a bathroomtiling. <S> So I first started out by hammering the sides trying toloosen it up a bit. <S> I tried using the combination pliers as a leverfor the screwdriver and then hammered away to yank it out. <S> Thatdidn't have much effect. <S> Finally I tried placing the screwdriver atthe corner of the flat head, and then hammered it till it started torotate in the anti-clockwise direction. <S> Then I tried using acombination pliers like the one below and unscrewed it! :D
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To remove a stripped/damaged screw easily, you can use a pair of specialized screw pliers.
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What steps should I take to figure out which alarm model I have and how to go about installing a missing sensor? My home has a central alarm system with keypad and every door and window set up with a sensor except for 1. This 1 sensor was removed when the previous owners replaced the frame, and it keeps the entire system from being able to work. I asked a local company for a quote and it was a few hundred dollars because they claimed they would have to replace the keypad and some other things. (they also claimed I had to buy monitoring, which seemed very odd, and sketchy) I looked at the main circuits and could not find a brand name, so I am at a loss for which it is, which makes this task even harder. So my question is: What steps should I take to figure out which alarm model I have how to go about installing the sensor? <Q> It's surprising not to have a brand name visible, either on keypads or the main system. <S> I will say it is possible that your system is very outdated, and so the alarm company basically doesn't want to touch it (rightfully so), they just want to put in something modern which they know they can support if it breaks. <S> You should have a control system somewhere. <S> Often these are a metal box that opens and has a circuit board inside. <S> There should be a model number or name on that, and if not, posting a picture would help. <S> If there is a circuit board like this, it is possible the model/name is printed on the reverse side, as they actually sell the box separately from the circuit board -- the installer mounts it at install time. <S> You'd have to remove the circuit board in order to check this (cut the power, and be careful not to damage the board -- including being careful of static). <S> Aside from that, there are three general ways to go about fixing the problem. <S> Install the missing door sensor <S> If you have another door sensor, you can verify that you're getting the same thing (usually just a NC magnetic contact sensor, like these): <S> Short out the door sensor wire <S> There is a very small chance that this won't work, if it requires a resistor to terminate, but that is not common on door circuits. <S> Of course, this door won't be alarmed if you do that. <S> It also means you need to find that wire, somewhere. <S> You could do it at the panel, as well. <S> Remove the door sensor circuit <S> This means re-programming the system to not use this circuit. <S> It definitely requires finding the model, and then figuring out how to program the system. <S> Sometimes this can be done through (at best) cryptic button sequences, other times it needs PC software and a (sometimes special) cable. <A> Most sensors are generally universal, if it's missing entirely, you could take one off of your other doors and bring it to your local home store and see if you can find a similar or matching one. <S> Most door sensors are just magnetic switches that close a circuit loop when secured. <S> One thing you might be able to do is to twist the two wires together, completing the circuit, and see if you can arm the system. <S> The down side to this is that that door won't be protected, but the rest will. <A> Door contacts are typically non-proprietary. <S> Meaning, it is a simple contact with a reed switch that just changes states when a magnet is close to the contact. <S> This means that you can use anybody's wired door contacts on anybody's control panel. <S> There are two terminal inputs on each zone of your control panel for each of the wires to be terminated. <S> With regards to the make and model of your control panel: On the inside of the can there is typically a riser/diagram of the panel. <S> This has detailed information on wiring, zone descriptions etc. <S> MOST of the time, the make and model is on the BOTTOM of this sticker on the inside of the panel. <S> If you decide that it is too cumbersome to run the wire from your control panel to your door, and then drill out the door for the contact to be recessed, you could consider installing a wireless RF receiver to take advantage of wireless contacts that most manufactures offer. <S> Hope this helps!
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You may be able to short out the door sensor. Installing the sensor may or may not be easy.
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What is the best tool for cutting up scrap wood? I have some wood left over from building a patio, mainly some planks. Normally when I'm creating firewood, I just use an axe a split the wood, but these are too long for that. I really don't want to try and cut them with a wood saw or an Axe. The only tools I can think that make sense are a Jig Saw or a chain saw. So what I'll probably do is cut them down with the jig Saw (and maybe split them with the axe) What other alternative are there? Should be something hand held, I don't think a band saw or a circular saw would make sense. <Q> Reciprocating Saw Most fun. <S> Miter Saw Fastest. <S> Circular Saw <S> Most likely to have on hand. <S> Jig Saw Slow. <S> Hand Saw Slower. <S> Butter knife Slowest. <S> Pruning Saw Longest reach. <S> Fire <S> Cut <S> right to the chase <S> Beaver Requires lots of training, food, and cleanup (thanks @SteveJackson for pointing this method out). <S> Chain saw By popular demand (don't use on PT wood) <S> No affinity to Ridgid, just the first brand in the list when searching for reciprocating saw. <A> Depending on how much left over wood you have, you may consider checking to see if your community has a building supply recycling center. <S> I live in a relatively small town <S> and we have a non-profit organization here that takes donations of left over building supplies and used (but usable) materials that have been removed as part of a remodel (faucets, doors, etc). <S> I'd be surprised if there aren't similar organizations all over the country. <A> A reciprocating saw (sawzall) is perfect for this job. <S> Get the right blade, one that can handle an occasional nail if there is one, or use a pure wood cutting blade if that is not a worry. <S> These saws will cut through anything. <S> In fact, I once used one in lieu of a chain saw for a huge amount of fallen wood after an ice storm. <S> My second choice is a small, hand held circular saw, the battery driven kind. <S> Small, easy to maneuver. <S> You can cut a surprising amount of wood on a charge with one of these. <S> Use a good carbide blade. <S> Third choice is a hand saw. <S> If sharp, they can do a lot of work, and get your heart going - a good thing. <S> Ok, maybe this should have been the first choice. <A> Bow Saw <S> A bow saw is a hand saw that's designed for cutting through branches and other fairly light outdoor tasks, where a chainsaw would be overkill. <S> The teeth are much deeper than those on a typical woodworking-oriented crosscut saw (so they cut faster), and shaped to cut on both the push and pull stroke (so they cut even faster). <S> Also, the blade is much narrower, so it is less likely to bind when cutting wood that isn't necessarily well-supported or clamped in place.
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A good bow saw can cut through sticky, sappy, green branches in seconds, so seasoned lumber will be no problem.
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How much gap to leave between basement concrete floor and bottom of drywall board? We have a dry basement with a concrete floor. When putting on the wall boards, how much (if any) gap should there be between the concrete floor and the bottom of the board? The boards are 3/8 inch, I was thinking about using a scrap piece drywall on the ground and then resting the board on top of it while installing, and then pulling it out when finished. <Q> 3/8" should be sufficient - your prop up plan is not only appropriate, but a common technique used by drywallers. <A> 1/2" give or take is fine, just be sure there's no direct contact that can wick up moisture. <S> The trim will cover any gaps, so it's not critical that these are even. <S> Note that drywall on the wall should support the ceiling drywall, meaning you install the ceiling first, and the wall is installed tight against the ceiling. <S> For the bottom piece, you use a roll lifter under the drywall to lift it up and give you a tight fit to the board above it. <S> You rest the drywall on the small lip on the end of this lifter and then step on the other side as a lever to raise it up. <A> If using 3/8 drywall , you should first run a strip of 3/8 plywood along the floor first. <S> The height will be determined on trim height. <S> This will do 2 things, <S> First , it will act as a moisture deterant ...easier to replace a 2 - 4 " piece of plywood then a whole sheet of drywall. <S> Second, it will allow you to install the trim much easier and faster! <S> you won't have to worry about hitting a stud for each trim nail.
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Drywall should definitely not touch concrete as moisture will wick (ie flow up the surface as in a candle/lamp wick) into the drywall and encourage mold growth.
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How can I figure out why half my house is cold? I just purchased my home a few months ago, and the AC was sub par during the summer. Now that winter is here, the house is extremely uncomfortable (cold). My furnace shoots hot air up to one main exit, then branches to the two sides of my home. I discovered two hinges, one on each branch, one of which when I rotated it, provided air to one side of my home (as many may expect) The other, no matter how much I rotate or which angle I rotate the lever, the other side of that ducts remains cold and no air is pushed to the other side of my home. Is it possible/smart for me, as a new home owner, to try to dissemble the ductwork in the problem area to attempt to free the valve or any possible blockage? One friend of mine told me to cut a hole in the side, use a coat hanger to try to open it, and seal it with duct tape. EDIT I noticed when looking at how I could take the duct off, there are no screws, just tabs. Please see attached picture. Any help is greatly appreciated by me and my cold family :) EDIT 2 Things are still not working in our home. I tried all different combinations of the two dampers open and close to no avail. I also drilled a hole and used a rod to ensure the left (in the diagram) damper was open which it was. There were no other obstructions in the way. We are still hanging out in 65 degrees at max in cold, so please keep the suggestions coming. Edit 3 Thanks to all that helped! Unfortunately, even a pro could not identify the problem and we ended up replacing the whole furnace. We are now a warm family again but after a hefty price tag. <Q> If this wing nut is loose, it might allow the handle to turn without actually turning the internal damper. <S> I would verify that the nut us tight and when you turn the handle, you can actually see the shaft rotating at the same time. <S> If the tube of the duct has somehow been compressed, then the damper would bind up and not work properly. <A> Don't use duck/duct tape on HVAC ducts, use foil tape. <S> Duct tape isn't designed to take the heat variations in duct work and will lose it's adhesion over time. <S> More than likely you can unscrew this section of duct work and remove it instead of cutting holes. <S> With it removed, you can either fix the damper or replace the section with a new damper. <S> When reassembling, use self taping sheet metal screws to attach the ducts, and then cover the seams with the foil tape. <A> One other thing to check. <S> You'll need to check to see what's further to the left of your diagram - air needs an outlet in order to flow, and from your description it doesn't sound like that's happening. <S> I'd find the first vent attached to the left hand leg, and work back from there to see if something is blocking the airflow. <S> It doesn't sound like there are leaks, because then the left leg would at least be a bit warm. <A> If the valve to the left is working properly, I think you are going to have to remove some of the exposed ductwork and see what the problem is. <S> I can suggest snaking a camera through the duct work first before cutting lots of holes everywhere. <S> There was a home improvement show with the same exact problem as you are having and it was a combination of lack of insulation and faulty ductwork. <S> In fact, in several places, there were very large holes in the duct work as it ran through the walls! <S> Basically, it was not installed properly so no or very little air was reaching its intended destination. <S> If this were me, I would hire a reputable HVAC professional to come out and diagnose the problem and look at your heating and cooling system.
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If the damper itself is fine, the problem may be a clog in the duct itself which is easier to clean with the duct opened up. If it is a manual damper, there is usually a wing nut that attaches the handle to the shaft of the damper. I've used the dryer vent cleaning brushes from Gardus which would work well for this job: In your diagram, the "cold" part is on the left, and you've verified that the damper is not the cause of the problem.
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How do I control a heat lamp with a thermostat? My girlfriend is crazy about making bread. However, as the temperature is often very cold around here, I would like to make her a box in which the temperature can be controlled. I have purchased a thermostat and have figured out how to wire it to a heat from a heat lamp (simply breaking the circuit and putting the thermostat inbetween). I would also use a metal box as housing. Is there anything else I should be aware of? I have zero experience wiring AC power. <Q> Without AC wiring experience, I can't recommend that you do this. <S> A better suggestion would be to use a space heater in a closed off space (no flammable materials and have a smoke detector if you're going to leave it unattended). <S> However, if you ignore that, then at least consider the following. <S> Use an AFCI protected outlet. <S> The arc-fault breakers will trip when things start sparking, hopefully before they burst into flames. <S> Make sure your switch is designed for your AC voltage. <S> Wiring for HVAC thermostats are usually 24v. <S> To use one of these, you'd need a 24v transformer and some kind of solenoid/relay to safely close the 120v circuit. <S> They also make thermostats designed for 120v AC power, which would be a better option. <A> I would use a thermostat like this , which is designed for controlling a window air conditioner or space heater. <S> Then you can use a small clamp-on dish style light fixture that plugs right into the thermostat, no wiring required. <A> (a bit more complex) <S> but... <S> You can use an Arduino , a 5v to 120v relay, temp sensor and a heater. <S> Spark Fun: Controllable Power Outlet has a nice write up on how to use a 5v relay with an arduino and a power outlet. <S> Spark <S> Fun: One Wire Digital Temperature Sensor for a temp sensor <A> I believe something like this <S> Duct Stat Plug In Temperature Sensitive Switch might work. <S> You can also google for 'temperature controlled switch'. <S> Something similar may be <S> those heat rocks used in lizard habitats or more complex may be the switches greenhouses use to open and close their windows. <A> There is a SIMPLE answer to this. <S> Go to Home Depot. <S> Buy a 120 volt thermostat that is typically used in wiring an in-wall 120 volt electric heater. <S> (like a "Cadet" Heater.) <S> These t-stats are a piece of cake to install. <S> They install IN-LINE with the hot wire. <S> (Do NOT connect it to the Hot and Ground wires) <S> Read the directions.... <S> they are very clear. <S> You set the thermostat to whatever temperature you want. <S> It comes "ON" when the temp drops below your setting. <S> It goes "OFF" when the thermostat reaches the temperature that you set. <S> These are very reliable and accurate thermostats.
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Just use an extension cord so that you can put the thermostat inside the proofing box.
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