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How to remove rusted remains of kitchen sink tailpiece? While taking out an rusted tailpeice it broke and you can see what was left in the pvc pipe. How can I remove the rest of the tailpiece? Update: Also how would I know which tailpiece size to replace it with. Update: I ended up cutting just below the T-connection thing. Installed new PVC including the new PVC tailpiece. Before I put all that back though I realized I probably would never have that much space under the sink and replaced the faucet and supply tubes. Last question , should I replace that curled up supply tube on the left with a shorter one to put less stress on the tap? Thanks again everyone! <Q> I think I would just be inclined to replace both the tail piece and the PVC pipe (and trap if necessary). <S> but more then likely you will at minimum, rough up the surface inside which might just attract gunk to stick to it over time. <S> It's probably easier than trying to remove it too. <S> This should not be an expensive repair. <S> Make sure to account for the overlap needed for the fittings - better to have it a bit too long and cut it down. <A> Insert a pair of needlenose pliers as far as possible between the rusted tailpiece and the white pvc pipe. <S> Twist the pliers as if you were twirling spaghetti on a fork. <S> This action will cause the metal pipe to collapse onto itself making it small enough to easily remove. <S> Bring the lower slipnut washer with you when you get your new parts as this will determine the pipe size. <A> Update: <S> Also how would I know which tailpiece size to replace it with. <S> When sizing any type of pipe, measure the inside dimension NOT the outside, and ask for that sized pipe. <S> Tail pieces come in various lengths. <S> You will most likely have to cut it down to size. <S> A good guess for size would be inch and a half as that <S> is standard on kitchen sinks (inch and a quarter for bathroom sinks)
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As far as what to replace it with, you need to measure the diameter of the existing piece and the distance between the trap and the sink. You might be able to get it out without damaging the pipe
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How do I wire a two tube ballast to a single tube fixture? I am replacing a ballast for a single tube. The new ballast I purchased is designed for two tubes but states that it is also compatible with a single (more powerful) tube corresponding exactly to what I need. They apparently forgot to draw the wiring diagram for the single tube setup though. The only diagram I have is for two tubes and seems to be typical : Power Switch +--------------------------+ Line 1 (H) o----/ ----------|Black Dual Tube Red|-----------+ Line 2 (N) o----------------|White Rapid Red|--------+ | +-----|Yellow Start Blue|-----+ | | | +--|Yellow Ballast Blue|--+ | | | | | +-------------+------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | Grounded | Reflector | | | | | | ----------+---------- | | | | | | .----------------------. | | | | | +----|- Fluorescent -|----+ | | | | | | ) Tube 1 ( | | | | +-------|- bipin -|-------+ | | | | '----------------------' | | | | .----------------------. | | | +----|- Fluorescent -|----------+ | | | ) Tube 2 ( | | +-------|- bipin -|-------------+ '----------------------' How do I convert this to a single tube? <Q> EDIT <S> I'm doing this from memory and don't have a ballast to look at <S> so I checked a manufacturer bulletin. <S> I was wrong in the beginning <S> so I edited it out. <A> It's not a question of "typical". <S> It's a question of what the ballast instructions tell you to do . <S> You may need to google the ballast's data sheet. <S> Or it may be on the sticker. <S> There are several diagrams which are likely, or typical, but the only one that matters is the one on your ballast. <S> You must use all electrical products according to their labeling. <S> Failing to do so is a codevio and likely to cause a fire. <A> I bought a 2 Lamp ballast and it has 2 yellows coming from the same side as the black and white wires and 2 red with 2 blue coming from the other end. <S> The ballast that I replaced had 2 red coming from one side and 1 white, 1 black, and 1 blue coming from the other end. <S> The 2 red went to one side of the tube and the blue and the white went to the other side, where the white also connected with the common. <S> The black of course went to the hot. <S> For the new ballast, I hooked 1 red and 1 blue to the side of the tube that the old 2 reds went to and 1 yellow to the other side. <S> Then black with black and white with white. <S> Light works fine now, instant on and off. <A> I have a garage with 4 t-12 8 foot fixtures with two lamps each. <S> Ballast are costly, and I have changed one fixture to an electronic ballast. <S> I am adding to the last post where a two lamp ballast is used for one lamp. <S> I have three magnetic 2-lamp ballasts that have only one line each working (ie one lamp lights up, also checked the OHM readings). <S> Following alone the line of the previous post, it appears that I can install two ballast in one fixture (lots of room) where each 2-lamp ballast only has one line working. <S> The input to each may be a challenge, but the independent output to each lamp is simple. <S> Working out the input now. <S> Stay tuned. <S> Great way to keep semi-defunct ballasts out of landfills a little longer, if it works (and postpone expenses).
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Sometimes, especially with rapid start ballasts, the answer is "you can't".
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How can I alter these wooden towel hooks so that the towels don't fall off? We have this rack of towel hooks in our bathroom, but the hooks are so smooth that the towels easily fall off. How can I alter it so that the towels don't fall off? I'd rather not roughen up the wood, as it may pull thread out of the towels. Perhaps there's some sort of rubbery coating I could paint on to the top of each hook? <Q> Find more twine or rope (looks like a natural sisal) that matches the "laces" on the shoes. <S> Wrap the twine around the posts in a spiral until they are completely covered. <S> You will probably need to glue the twine occasionally, and perhaps rough up the paint so the glue sticks. <S> The twine in the picture looks like it is waxed. <S> I would make sure to use non-waxed if you are going to wrap the posts, otherwise the towels would still probably slip right off. <A> There's a product called Plasti-Dip that used to be carried at Harbor Frieght along with most hardware stores. <S> I was a liquid vinyl used for coating tool handles. <S> It dries to a soft grippy texture and comes in colors. <A> Cheap fix: Get a heavy, wide rubber band and wrap it around the middle of the ball. <S> The wider the better, to prevent it rolling off. <S> Caveats: Rubber bands decay over years, and if you leave it on until it breaks you may find some rubber stuck to the surface. <S> This could also trap water, allowing mold growth. <S> I haven't tried it myself. <A> <A> 300 grit sandpaper will remove the polish from those knobs. <S> If you're even moderately careful of how hard you rub, it won't wreck the paint either. <A> You can get towels to stay on even very smooth knobs. <S> Drape the towel over the knob and then twist the ends half a turn. <S> Or, repaint the hanger using a satin (non-gloss) white paint. <S> Or, loosen the screws and shim the bottom of it to make the knobs point at a slight upward angle.
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A dab of Sugru, rubber compound you can buy on internet.
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How to repair a closed-stringer staircase? I need to replace the treads on my closed-stringer staircase. They are 100-year-old softwood with unsightly, disintegrating rubber covers glued on. One stringer is against the outer wall of the house, the other faces inwards, but removing it and getting it back on is well beyond my abilities at this time. They appear to be dadoed into the stringer. Is there a way to remove the old treads without taking the stringer off first? I suppose I could saw it off at the groove but I don't think that would be stable. Update: Pictures <Q> The easiest way IMO, would be to cut the nosing off the treads flush with the risers then just install new risers in front of the old, flush with the top of the old tread and install new thread on top of the old. <A> You can use hardwood flooring to cover the treads and even the risers. <S> Engineered wood flooring is generally thinner than solid flooring, and most major brands, such as Bruce, sell matching solid tread nose molding that interlocks with the floor boards. <S> This all can be glued down and toenailed to the existing treads and risers (after you remove the rubber). <S> You need to be careful at the top step to make sure that it ends up even with the floor or landing at the top to avoid a trip hazard. <S> Just using the nose moulding may be a solution if you can cut away the existing nose and inset the new nose into the top landing. <S> You also need to make sure that the bottom step does not become to high above the lower floor, which could also be a trip hazard. <S> If the stair ends at a landing, this is less of a problem. <A> Do you have access to the back, you might be able to work then out backwards after trimming off any bullnose they might have.
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Removing the old treads and replacing them is not a simple/easy task, it can be done though.
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Is installing a gable fan worth the investment? We have 2 gable vents in our roof (approx 2' high or so), one at either end, and upon inspection it does not appear that there is really enough overhang in the roof for soffits. I still have to inspect it closer from the outside, but they are for sure not installed at this time. The roof is also slate, so going in through that is not really an option we'd like to pursue. If we install a attic gable fan on one end, will there be enough air flow through the attic to make this project worth our while in terms of heating/cooling costs, or should we go another route? <Q> I can tell you from experience in my house a slate roofed colonial, it will make a difference. <S> Even with the fan mounted in an attic window that is that is 3 inches off the floor of my walk-up attic the temperature drop in the attic was 30 degrees. <S> Most fans will have a spec sheet telling how many square inches of ventilation opening they require. <S> It is important to remember that you are calculating square inches of unimpeded opening so subtract for louvers and other obstructions. <S> In my case I have a large peak where hot air tends to get trapped. <S> If we have several days of very sunny and hot weather I place a small table fan on the attic floor. <S> With the small fan pointing up it circulates the air to remove the hottest air trapped at the ridge. <A> In terms of most efficient usage of money, I suspect weather stripping will have a bigger impact on an older home. <S> Sealing all the gaps around doors and windows will cut down on drafts. <S> If fixing a window involves replacing it with a new energy efficient model, all the better. <S> Once the drafts are solved, insulation is usually next. <S> But that can be expensive, especially in an older home where blown insulation is about the only way to get it in the wall, and that also has a habit of settling over time. <S> A fan in the attic will be a lot cheaper than insulation, and I'm betting that it will be a net positive. <S> If I were to install it in your situation, I'd do the following: Check the predominant wind direction in your area, particularly during summer evenings. <S> You want to supplement the wind, not fighting it. <S> Use a GFCI in the circuit. <S> I would consider the attic fan as exposed to the elements just as a garage area is. <S> Next, include a timer switch in the chain. <S> You only need to run the fan at in the evening. <S> In the middle of the day, you'll be spending money to run a fan that's pulling in hot air. <S> Finally, include a thermal switch in the chain. <S> If the attic is 100°F, you want to run the fan, but not if it's 80°F. <S> For the timer switch, I'd install that somewhere easy to access, such as near the attic entrance inside your home or close to your thermostat. <S> This way you can turn it off completely when the forecast calls for cooler weather. <S> Here's my ascii art of the layout: power --- W --- GFCI <S> --W---+------ <S> Thermal --W-- Atticsource --- B --- Outlet --B-+ | +-R-- <S> Switch <S> --B-- Fan <S> | | <S> |W = white (neutral) <S> Timer R = red (switched)B = black (hot) Switch <S> For the GFCI/thermal switch, you can probably get both of those in a double J-box next to the fan for a clean looking install. <A> If my attic temperature was only 100 degrees <S> or so I wouldn't even think ofadding a ventilator fan. <S> In Texas in July the outside air temperature can get upto 110 degrees or more on a hot afternoon. <S> The temperature in the attic canget up to 130 degrees+ easily. <S> Using the fan to blow out the 130 degree air andreplace it with cooler air from the outside is a smart move. <S> I installed a fanwith a temperature switch to cut it off at 100 degrees when it cools off at night. <S> It helps!!! <S> Jack T. Palestine, Texas <A> Do you have continuous eave vents and continuous ridge vents? <S> It is recommended to actually close off gable vents if you have continuous vents because it messes with the convection flow along the underside of the sheathing. <A> There is way more radiant heat being put into a roof that one or two little attic fans can ever pull out of the attic to be effective. <S> They would have to be about 4 feet in diameter or more to effectively remove that amount of heat radiated into the attic. <S> The heat dumped is more then made up for because of this simple fact.
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There is just too much surface area heated by the sun on a typical roof for any small fan to handle.
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Should the fill line be removed when decommissioning an old oil tank? So, I have a contractor decommissioning my old 650-gallon oil tank. There is a 3" metal tube coming out of the ground from the tank that is what I believe to be the receptacle used to fill the tank when it was still active. My question here is, for the $1900 that I am paying to have this tank decommissioned, should I expect them to saw off and hide the filler tube that pokes up 6 inches out of the ground? <Q> Whether or not they remove the fill line, depends on how the tank is decommissioned. <S> There are three ways an abandoned tank can be handled, as explained in this PDF <S> The 1997 Uniform Fire Code, adapted by WAC 51- 44, requires thatheating oil tanks out of service for a period of one year shall bedecommissioned by using one of the following processes. <S> Removal from the ground and restoration of the site in an approved manner. <S> Abandonment in place by filling the tank completely with an approved, inert solid material. <S> (NOTE: <S> Some localjuisdictions do not permit this “clean and cap” method. <S> Check localrequirements before beginning any decommissioning process.) <S> In the first method, the tank is completely removed, so the fill line will also be removed. <S> With the second method, the fill line may be left behind. <S> In the third case, the fill line should be cut below grade before it's capped. <S> So the fill line will still be there, but it will be at or below the level of the ground. <S> The document also has a good list of questions to ask the contractor. <S> Some important questions to ask contractors: <S> • <S> Are they experienced?Can <S> they provide the names and telephone numbers of current orrecent customers as references? <S> • <S> Do they have environmentalpollution liability coverage? <S> • <S> Do they collect soil samples? <S> • Which laboratory do they use for the analyses? <S> • <S> Where will the tank, oil, and contaminatedwater from rinsing out the tank be disposed? <S> Isthat disposal site insured? <S> • What documentation, labeling, and otherpaperwork are provided? <S> You should receivedocumentation of disposal of the tank, a copyof the lab results, documentation that the soilsamples were handled properly, a copy of anypermits required, and documentation of thedisposal and/or treatment of any wastes. <A> I would insist that they remove the fill line, for the reason mikes pointed out. <S> Horror story: <S> friends of mine bought a house. <S> One of the big selling points was the brand-new gas furnace that had replaced an oil furnace. <S> The house was inspected by a professional as a condition of sale. <S> They came home one day to the stench of diesel fuel. <S> No one had told the fuel oil company to stop their regular delivery, which they had duly deposited, in accordance with the never-cancelled contract with the former owner, in the still-in-place filler. <S> But the tank had been removed, and 1,200 gallons of fuel oil covered the floor of their basement to several inches. <S> Last I heard -- three years later -- the only ones who had benefitted were lawyers. <S> My friends were heartbroken and nearly bankrupt. <S> The former owners, the home inspector, the fuel oil company, and the new owners were all pointing fingers at each other. <S> The US EPA was involved. <S> The damage was into six figures. <S> The entire concrete basement floor and the bottom two feet of the house's footing had to be removed and hauled to a certified toxic waste site -- not to mention possessions they had in the basement. <S> They had to live in a motel for about six weeks. <S> About this time, the housing bubble burst, the bank got wind of the problem, and called in their loan. <S> They were told the house could never be sold again, with state disclosure laws and such. <S> The lawyer got the mortgage continued, but of course at a pound of flesh. <S> So NOW is the time to head off a potential disaster! <A> In many locales it is required to prevent accidental fillings that could result in a spill.
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Tanks of 1,100 gallons or less may be left empty provided they are first pumped and cleaned, and have the fill line capped or plugged,below grade, to prevent refilling of the tank. I would assume that it would be included in the decomissioniing.
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How to stop a leak of water through a concrete floor I live in an apartment building. Each house has a bathroom with a concrete floor covered in tiles. In the corner of the floor is a drain with its pipe going all the way through. However, I have noticed water leaking into my roof space from the upstairs neighbor's bathroom. The leak seems to be through the join between the drain pipe and the concrete. What is the best way to seal this floor so that the water will stop leaking through? Edit: Added a view of the pipe from above as people are clearly miss understanding the situation. <Q> The real solution is to prevent water from escaping the pipe by finding and fixing the initial leakage. <S> It will be very problematic to seal the ceiling from your apartment. <S> Concrete is not a sealant material - it will absorb and conduct water so water will eventually find its way to your apartment. <S> So this would be just a waster of time. <A> From your last picture, the water proof membrane goes between the tile and concrete in the shower. <S> It should be overlapped and sealed all the way to the drain so that any water that gets around any cracks or through the porous tile/grout can only escape through the drain. <S> Once it reaches the concrete, it's too late. <S> Like sharptooth says, this is something your neighbor needs to solve. <S> Edit: Here are a few sample waterproofing products that would be installed under the tile: Aquashield Shower Pan Liner Note that it may be possible to add some silicone caulk around any gaps and apply some sealer on top of the tile and grout, but that solution would be prone to failure over time. <A> The tiles on the floor the grout the water leaks through there. <S> The pipe also sweats, and sweating means water. <S> The pipe is on the outside, rain and the water from roof can slide down the wall and wet the pipe, which leads inside. <A> Get the occupant upstairs to install a proper shower tray and pipe the water out from the shower drain straight through the pipes and out of the building. <S> This is the cheapest and permanent solution.
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Concrete will always absorb then release water eventually but the shower tray and piping system (Without leaks)is waterproof. This will most likely include getting to the upstairs neighbor and kindly asking him to assist with this problem and if he doesn't want to assist bring that to the building management, authorities and the court.
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How do I replace a GFCI receptacle in my bathroom? we're remodeling our bathroom and were simply looking to switch out 20 year old light almond outlets and light switches for white. While I thought this would be easy I've run into a problem with the outlet by the sink. I'm no electrician, but I do have a physics degree so I can understand diagrams and the basic way electricity works yet now I can fully appreciate how difficult it can be. The box used to be a 15 amp 120V 60Hz GFCI and a 15 amp 125V non GFCI outlet. From the store I bought two 20 amp 125v 60Hz GFCI outlets, and I have two 15 amp 125V non GFCI outlets hoping this would be all I needed to get this puzzle figured out (and I heard you needed 20 amp for the bathroom for hairdryers and such). Coming into the box (It seems very old, it is metal while the others were more of a blue plastic) are 1 white, 1 black and 1 red wire, then a ground wire. I've tried to connect just the black and white to the line in the GFCI, then I tried red to hot and that didn't work either. I was hoping to get the GFCI to work itself before trying any LOAD options for the second outlet. Which, according to code does it have to be another GFCI, or just connected through the GFCI so it offered protection for both? I'd eventually like to have two connections from this box like there were before, but I also want to keep things within code (I'm not sure it was before) so while it may take some dry wall fun, I could convert it to a single box if allowed/only way it will work. Also from reading some problems, others have had a problem with the breaker being the wrong type? I looked at the switch and it has a 15 on it (since other switches have 20s on them, I'm assuming this is for the amps) so is it against code to just purchase 15 amp GCFI rather than having to do some wiring I haven't the slightest idea how to do, or is the 20 amp simply recommended? I don't remember ever having a problem with it before. <Q> Let's see if we can answer this in pictures. <S> For one feed from the breaker panel, to have each of the outlets on their own GFCI, you want this: For one feed from the breaker panel to have one GFCI protecting downstream outlets, you want this: <S> However, you say that you have a red and a black wire in the box, and this complicates things. <S> You might have a MWBC (multi-wire branch circuit) feeding the outlets, with the red hot on one outlet and the black hot on the other: <S> Or, you could have something else in this outlet, in which case (espcially if you don't feel confident) you really need to contact an electrician to get it sorted out. <A> The wiring in your home is rated for a maximum current of either 15A or 20A (for most circuits). <S> The circuit breakers are intended to make sure you never go beyond the rating on the wiring. <S> If you run more current through the wiring than it's rating allows, you risk starting a fire when the wiring begins to overheat. <S> The one thing you never want to do is place a 20A breaker on 15A wiring. <S> The breakers should tell you the rating for the wiring. <S> A 15A breaker indicates 15A wiring; a 20A breaker indicates 20A wiring. <S> If you look at the face of a 20A outlet, you'll see it's slightly different from the face of the 15A outlet. <S> The additional "notch" indicates the outlet (and the wiring behind it) are rated for 20A service. <S> The lets someone know they can plug in a device that requires 20A and <S> it will work okay. <S> If you place a 20A outlet on a 15A line, someone may mistakenly plug in a 20A device and keep tripping the circuit breaker since it's going to trip when the current exceeds <S> 15A. <S> You won't being risking a fire, but you should put a 15A outlet on a 15A circuit to avoid confusion. <S> If you place a 15A outlet on a 20A line, you should not put more than 15A of load on the outlet because the breaker will not trip until it gets to 20A (which is higher than the outlet). <S> A device that requires a 20A outlet should not be plugged into a 15A outlet, even if the circuit itself is rated for 20A. Since you're not completely sure of yourself and all you want to do <S> is change the color <S> , I'd suggest replacing the existing outlets with new outlets of the exact same rating - then you know you should be safe. <A> I wouldn't fret over upgrading the 15 am outlet to 20. <S> Unless you have 3 teenagers fighting over a single outlet, 15 amps will be fine. <S> Don't know the code in your area, but you should be able to have a single GFCI and then a regular GFCI protected outlet downstream of it. <S> That's usually fine. <S> Meanwhile, you have one too many wires: <S> Either the red or the black are likely to be "hot" wires. <S> And you REALLY need to know which is which before you proceed. <S> I recommend you find a reliable way to answer that before you proceed. <S> Once you know, you'll feed hot, neutral and ground the the GFCI, and forward all three to the subordinate outlet.
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When you install an outlet, it should match the rating for the wiring.
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How can I remove the old wood smell from furniture? My wife just bought an old cabinet from a consignment store. The inside has a strong old wood smell that we are afraid will infuse whatever we put inside. How do get rid of the smell so we can use it without worrying about the odor attaching to out towels? <Q> It's a little difficult to say that it will be a definite fix but a great start would be refinishing the inside of the cabinet. <S> While I'm sure its possible to re-stain and seal the inside of a cabinet that just seems like way too much work <S> so I'd stick with painting. <S> I found this nice article about painting cabinets if you want some design ideas. <S> The process shouldn't be all that involved. <S> You'll probably want to sand first and clean the shavings out well then give it a nice coat of whatever color you decide to go with and let it dry. <S> Pretty much like painting any other piece of furniture, just a little bit more of a pain to get inside there. <S> I once stripped and painted all the drawers and cabinets on a work truck and that was a real pain. <S> Luckily I was able to use a paint sprayer so that made it a heck of a lot easier. <S> If you know someone with a paint spraying system beg them to use it and the finish and coverage in the tight areas will be wonderful. <S> Just my $0.02 <S> and I can't say that this will be a definite solution <S> but I can't imagine a wood smell getting through a through coating of paint. <S> If your really worried you could use some thick outdoor paint that's designed to work as a sealer too. <S> Best of luck with your project, post pictures if your need help along the way! <A> Before doing any costly labor like applying a sealing coat of finish (which has smells of its own that you might not like) simply take out the drawers and place all of the parts outside in the sunshine for a day or two. <S> Then, re-evaluate the cabinet's smell to see whether it is still wortwhile to put more effort into the problem. <A> Shellac is available in spray can form or liquid suitable for brushing. <S> It might take a couple coats especially if you spray. <S> When thinking if you'd rather spray or brush, consider if you can move the cabinet outdoors, or how you would otherwise handle the overspray bouncing out of the cabinet into your room. <S> Do not use a polyurethane type clear finish or you will replace your old wood smell problem with a solvent smell problem!
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A shellac based sealer such as Zinsser (clear finish) or BIN (pigmented, intended as a primer) should help reduce the odors. If still necessary, when you deploy the cabinet into use, for the first while (perhaps several weeks or months) place some absorbent material into each drawer, like baking soda or activated carbon.
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How long should I run my pool pump for? How frequently/long for should I run my pool pump? it's a standard single speed 1.5 hp electric motor pump. I've heard different answers from various people and I am left wondering what is correct. Factors seem to include: lifespan of pump; cleanliness of water; power consumption. Some have said running the pump on a timer is bad because it will prematurely wear it out (from all the extra startups). Others have said it is good due to power savings (especially running it at night when electricity costs less) It also makes sense that the water will not remain as clean running on a schedule since it's not cycled through the skimmer/chlorine as often. But is this a true factor? So what is the optimal method to run the pump? 24x7? Nightly? 12 hours a day? Please cite anecdotes or any research/articles you've seen. Thanks! <Q> In general the point is to filter your water. <S> If you want to be sure about it, check the volume of your pool, and the flow rate of your pump. <S> Run it long enough to go through that much volume 1-2 times a day. <S> In practice, that's probably around 6-8 hours. <S> Make sure your chemistry is good, and then try it. <S> If it looks nice for a few weeks, try lowering your operating time and see what happens. <S> As a side note, 1.5 HP is 1120W. <S> That's probably peak power not normal consumption, but you should still assume it consumes somewhere around $0.10/hr or so. <A> Most pool filtration systems are sized to circulate and filter the water twice in a 8 hours. <S> We recommend that you run your pool pump 6-8 hours in the winter and 10-12 hours in the summer. <S> AllPool Service and supplies <A> We had a few pools in our life and without a timer we would have gone crazy trying to keep up with when and how long it ran. <S> but the purpose of a pump is to start, pump and stop (drop, rock and roll <S> .. lol) <S> You need not worry about that ware in long term. <S> We stayed at one place over 10 years and never had issues with the pump, it ran, like recommended 6-8 hours -- and sometimes when we had parties it run 24 hours on override (ooops) <S> More importantly in keeping a cleaning pool is looking after ph, ensuring you have alkalinity buffer when using acids and chlorine.
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It is true that starting stopping a pump wears it more than when it is not running..
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How do I wire an old furnace motor so I can use it as a garage exhaust fan? Since last I posted, I moved WAY south (lil warm down here) and the house I moved into was a foreclosure so a few things needed done, namely the AC and furnace. When the guy did the job he said he would (did?) leave the old motor behind so I could use it for some airflow in the garage. Here's what it looks like... Onto my real questions -- I don't have the wiring diagram, but if I had to guess, I'd say that plug is a speed control (black the common?), and the white is the hookup. Is that right? And has anyone rigged one of these up and if so, how'd you do it? ==== updated 7/1/2012 ==== I got motivated today and started to clean it and look for tags that might help identify what it is -- and well, I think this answers everything (and I got a good picture of it!). It's a Westinghouse 323P683 1/4 hp, 115v motor so xcythe you we're close on those wires (much better than my guess). If I'm reading this correctly... White-Red : low speed White-Blue : medium White-Black : high <Q> Squirrel cage blowers make great fans. <S> Black is ground, white-negative and red-positive. <S> Looks like blue, white and red coming from the motor. <S> Read the info on the motor, it should have split capacitor in it, may have to change the wiring from 220 to 110. <S> Looks like a 1/4-1/5 horse. <S> Ask a local HVAC guy, feed his ego and be rewarded. <S> If its a 110 just throw a three prong on it and breeze away. <S> I pulled some romex off the coil and pulled a spare heavy duty three prong outta my tool bucket and had a great workshop fan w/ a super long cord.(put a triangle shaped piece of plywood on one side to stabilize it, and a small board 1x2 across the front as a foot/stabilizer, made it quiet) <A> There's not enough information here to give you a straight answer. <S> It looks like there is some control circuitry in the metal box that's attached. <S> I'd normally say remove that and figure out the wiring directly to the motor, but it appears that the start capacitor goes into this control box, and since that's necessary for the motor to start, you may need to keep the control box and figure it out. <S> I'd open the box and see if there's a schematic on the inside cover that gives any idea. <S> Lastly, check with the guy that made the suggestion - he should have an idea of how to hook it up to a plug. <A> It is a split phase motor there will be a run capacitor some where . <S> the wiring is white is <S> common black is high blue is med red is low . <S> you have to look at the sticker on motor to find out what voltage the motor is it will be either 115 or 230 volts but not both. <S> if your just using it to move air pick the speed you want and insulate the other 2 wires so if you want high put power to white and black insulate blue and red separately and it may or may not be reversible there is usually reversing plugs on the side of motor if is reversiblehope that helps <A> That look like a 1/3 hp motor, which is a 120 volt motor you got 6 wires on <S> that motor three is for fan speed and they are black for high, blue for med.and red for low. <S> you have a capacitor on that motor three wires are on that capacitor a brown, on one side and a yellow and white on the other side, the white wire is one side of power choose the wire speed you want and cap off the other two so that they don't touch and wire that speed to the other side.
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If not, then getting a schematic for your old furnace would be the first step, if that isn't available or known you can use some techniques with a multimeter to determine how the motor is wound and use that information to hook it up.
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Can I plug an air conditioner and a chest freezer into the same outlet? I have a Gibson/Frigidaire through the wall AC unit plugged into a dedicated 3-prong outlet in my a room of my apartment. I'd like to put a chest freezer in my office for homebrewed beer. Is it safe to put a splitter on this outlet and plug both the AC and freezer into it? Or do I need to use separate outlets or have another outlet installed? The AC unit is a GAH085Q1T, 8000 BTU 115v 8.0 amp. The freezer I'm looking at getting is a GE 5 cu. ft. model. , which would be running through a digital thermostat controller . Because of the thermostat, it won't be running all the time, as the thermostat will turn it on/off to maintain the desired temp of about 45°F, which is higher than the highest temp you can set the freezer at. <Q> If there is only a 15amp breaker, then the max you can draw from that outlet is 12amp (80% of 15amps). <S> You mentioned your one device pulls 8amps - that leaves at minimum, 4 amps available for your freezer - what is the current draw of that device? <S> If its 4 or under and the breaker is 15amps then you are OK. <S> If it is over 4 then you have to ensure you have <S> a 20amp breaker in which case the max you'd want to pull is about 16amps combined. <S> If it is a 20amp breaker, then you will need to find a power bar that is rated for 20amp - I think most of the time they are rated for 15 <S> but if you look hard enough you will probably find one for 20. <S> You could also replace that one outlet with a 2 recepticle outlet which would eliminate the need for a power bar. <A> There's a chance NEC has a provision that doesn't allow fixed air conditioner to share an outlet. <S> However, given the fact that this is a 20a outlet and ac and freezer <S> combined won't exceed that <S> , I think it's safe to share this outlet. <A> I would opt for the GFCI dual outlet. <S> It has a first line of defense shut-off, eliminating power strip(fire hazard). <S> It has the highest fail-safe and the lowest potential for human error/intervention. <S> Your three prong already has a ground and a neutral.
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This is a 20amp outlet, but before you go drawing 16amps/80% of that, you should verify that there is a 20amp breaker/fuse on the other end as well as 12 gauge wiring (thicker than the standard 14 gauge you find on most 15amp circuits). I would check to verify true ground.
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Can I use old abandoned iron pipe as electrical conduit? I have an older house (1920) and I have been planning on doing some rewiring to get rid of some k + t stuff. Anyway, I just noticed today that there are some irons pipes that used to be part of the heating system. (they are no longer connected + filled with air). Better yet, they run in a perfect vertical run from the basement (where the panel is) all the way up to the attic (where the k + t to be replaced is). Would it be improper, or otherwise unsafe to just repurpose these unused pipes as electrical conduit ?? <Q> Your biggest concern here is going to be the condition of the interior. <S> Protecting the wire where it enters and exits the pipe is also a concern. <S> Basically I think you could do it, but I wouldn't recommend it. <S> My gut feeling is that it's too risky. <S> Since you've got a perfectly straight run - can you possibly remove them and replace them with proper conduit? <A> I guess a big question is: do you need to conform to code? <S> If you have a building permit out, the inspector may want to see your wiring before you cover it. <S> Your pipe may violate code, and the inspector won't approve the work. <S> Are you going to sell this house someday, with the wires running into the pipes visible? <S> If so, the buyer's building inspector will probably extract a pound of flesh from you. <S> Unlike The Evil Grebo, I am not concerned about the safety, as long as the pipe is properly grounded. <S> Any short within the pipe will then trip a breaker. <S> would be! <S> Personally, I would not hesitate to use a "free" channel between floors like this. <S> But I would make very certain the pipe was properly connected to the ground system on both ends. <A> TLDR; Iron heating pipe is not approved for use with electrical conductors or as sleeves in long runs. <S> Not Advisable. <S> Sorry to resurrect a dead post, <S> but I want to make sure anyone who falls upon this post see that it is not a good idea nor is it safe. <S> Without quoting codes; equipment and materials must be installed as approved and intended. <S> The iron pipe from what you are describing was not approved for use with conductors. <S> I may venture to say that extra low voltage/Audio visual cable may be OK, but again it really is not approved for that use as a sleeve. <S> As an electrician I would never do it. <S> You run risks that are not thought of; flame and smoke spread if the conductors should catch fire inside the pipe. <S> Also the ampacity of conductors are rated with their ability to dissipate heat while under load. <S> Placing them in an iron pipe not approved for use with conductors throws any theoretical dissipation out the window.
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If they are at all corroded or otherwise rough on the inside they run the risk of damaging the insulation, which can lead to an eventual short and/or electrification of the pipes. It is no more dangerous than ungrounded conduit
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Do you know any switches which turns on/off based on day light? I am looking for having some sensor based switches which will turn on/off the lights based on the light conditions during the day (i.e. turn on when there is less light and turn off when there is more light) Also, is there a way to connect this switch with multiple light source? Please let me know. <Q> I was just looking at light switches last night at Home Depot. <S> There's enough options to make your head spin. <S> Photosensitive light switches are mainly used for outdoor applications, but some look like they should do fine indoors if oriented properly. <S> Automatic Dusk to Dawn Light Control - Screws into a light socket Photocell Light Control Indoor Plug- <S> in - Plugs into an outlet <A> Lutron has a line called Maestro Wireless that has a wireless daylight sensor. <S> First you would have to have a Maestro Wireless switch or dimmer to match your light source. <S> Then you can program the sensor to be recognized by the switch/dimmer. <S> If I understand your question about multiple light sources, for each light source you might have a separate switch or dimmer for each source. <S> Some sources switched on the same switch can be used, like low voltage and regular incandescent on the same (lv or elv) switch. <S> Linear fluorescent would have to have either switches or Lutron ballast that match the system but would dim with readings from the daylight sensor. <S> You can also use occupancy sensors inline with the daylight sensor. <S> The picture below should explain more. <S> Click here for full size picture <A> You may refer to this occupancy sensor from EPV Electronics : click to follow this link <S> This sensor has a built-in 10 Ampere relay to switch on/off lighting circuit. <S> Daylight sensitive could be adjustable in range of 10-1000lux.
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You can use the same daylight sensor with different switches or dimmers.
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Can I share a 240V outlet between two devices? I have a single 50 amp 240 volt outlet. However, I've been using both my dryer and a welder on this same outlet, both have 3-prong (10-50P) plugs. It can be difficult to plug and unplug cords from this outlet. Are there any ways to share this outlet with both devices with the assumption that I won't be using both simultaneously? Splitter box (with toggle switch)? Splitter cable? I plan to eventually run a second 240 volt outlet when I have the time and consider this a temporary solution. <Q> I think for what you want to do: temporary short term solution <S> you guarantee you will never operate both the dryer and welder at the same time <S> You could consider building a 220V 30A power strip. <S> Without knowing your welder, I'll list parts from Home Depot that might work <S> but you have to confirm their suitability for your use. <S> Please review this URL to determine your plug NEMA type. <S> It will probably be NEMA 10-30 or 14-30. <S> Make sure the plugs, receptacles and dryer cord all match. <S> Note this is for standard 30A dryer. <S> Probably a range cord. <S> Raco 2-Gang <S> 42 cu. <S> in. <S> Square Boxes Model # 8257 <S> Internet # 202058366 <S> You should screw this to the wall if possible for safety, as that will reduce stress on the dryer cord. <S> 6 <S> ft.10/4 4-Wire <S> Black Dryer Cord Model <S> # AW20009 Internet # 100672788 Store <S> SKU # 601004 <S> (two) Leviton 30-Amp 2-Pole <S> Flush-Mount Outlet Model # R50-05207-000 Store <S> SKU # 621336 <S> wire, wire nuts, box cover, cord clamp etc. <S> This is just a very minor optimization and you might figure it out as you assembled the box but this way <S> , you'll know before you go shopping. <A> At first I was not sure what you meant. <S> Basically you only want to use one or the other without plugging in and out. <S> Simple answer is No. <S> Not for home applications.. maybe some commercial or heavy industry ones.. <S> but the plugs are different. <S> Not so simple answer.. <S> You can make one :-) <S> You will need a highly rated rotary switch like this one (660volt 10A)(220V 30A) <S> Find matching 1 gang or 2 gang plugs <S> A matching Blanking plate or 2 just in case... <S> because you need to fit the switch in this plate. <S> Using a rotary drill will help get a nice round hole in the plate. <S> You will need some basic wiring up which should be simple to do. <A> Since you're dealing with a 50 ampere circuit, you'll probably have to look at transfer, or double throw safety switches. <S> These devices will likely be quite expensive. <S> Basically you'll install two NEMA 10-50R receptacles, one for the dryer and one for the welder (Or a NEMA 10-50R for the welder, and a NEMA 10-30R for the dryer). <S> Then you'll wire up the transfer/safety switch "backwards" so that it switches the load, rather than switching the line. <S> Something like this... <S> Grounding conductors not shown. <S> Don't forget to properly ground all equipment. <S> Notice when the switch is in the "UP" position, the welder will have power. <S> When the switch is in the "DOWN" position, the dryer will have power. <S> And when the switch is in the middle, power is disconnected from both. <A> Just use an extension cord with two outlets, as you would with any other outlet: <S> Stores often stock these extension cords next to the generators. <S> Your circuit breaker will ensure that you don't overload your circuit, even if you should happen to use both devices at once. <A> The problem with the solution is: The circuit breaker serves to protect the wiring between the switchboard and the appliance. <S> A 50A circuit breaker does not protect the 30A dryer cable when a short circuit is in the dryer or dryer cable, so the dryer cable or the dryer could burn up if the short circuit draws just 45A. <S> The code requires you to insert a 30A or smaller circuit breaker or fuse between the 50A circuit and the 30A receptacle. <A> I know this is an older post <S> but I was looking for the same thing to run my air <S> compressor off the same outlet (though not simultaneously) <S> and after an hour on Google <S> I found this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SJESKC4/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER <S> I think this is what you were looking for though for the 10/50: http://www.rakuten.com/prod/high-tide-125-250v-50-amp-male-to-2-125-250v-50-amp-female-y-adapter/297099895.html?listingId=519631289&sclid=pla_google_Boaters+Plus&adid=29963&gclid=CK20y-DTg9ICFROUfgodYygPWA <A> It can be controlled with 12 to 120 volts, at 50 amps, the contactor would still be relatively small, stick it in an 8 by 8 by 4 box, and just to make to keep the user honest add a wind up timer of say 60 minutes. <S> It's like a transfer switch, it can be either, or, but not both. <S> I'm out of the loop on pricing, but a few years ago this contactor would be $125.00 US, a box for 15.00, wind up timer for 12.00, and maybe 90 minutes to assemble and test.
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If your box can be mounted close enough to the existing outlet, you can cut the excess off your dryer or range cord and use that excess wire to connect the two new outlets. But I assume that since you are currently plugging your welder into your dryer receptacle, 30A will be sufficient. If you need 50A, you will need different receptacles and cord. A simple two position contactor makes everything happy. You can most of this stuff at your local home builder shop. Get a 3 Gang wall box or 3 Gang plug box The rotary switch you might need to go to an electrical wholesaler or order from ebay as its not a popular thing kept in stock. You could look for a 3 pole version and also switch the neutral, but I don't think that's a requirement. By the way the first thing that wears out is the timer(I built 11 units like this, that run about 15 hours a day), I built them in 2003, one timer has died.
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What's a good way to sharpen a carpenter's pencil, without buying a special sharpener? I have a carpenter's pencil that's getting pretty blunt and I've realised I don't know how to sharpen it. How can I sharpen it without buying a special dedicated tool for it? <Q> Whatever you have handy. <S> There are many tools that would work, besides a pencil sharpener dedicated to this. <S> A sliding, compound miter saw (overkill, but it will work well enough.) <S> A belt <S> sander <S> A band saw A drum sander in your drill press (or an oscillating drum sander <S> if you have one in the shop.) <S> The point is, a carpenter's pencil is mainly wood, and can be shaped by any tools you have in reach that can also shape wood. <A> The perfect tool is sitting right there on your tool shelf - your hand plane. <S> Hold it upside down in your nondominant hand and slide the pencil across the blade with your dominant hand. <S> Be careful! <A> Use a knife. <S> One of these should always be in your belt: <A> Keson makes a carpenters pencil sharpener that puts a chisel point on the lead. <S> Available at Northern Tool. <A> I sharpen mine with a pocket knife. <S> I leave about 1/4" of lead showing, then I bevel the tip of the lead to a chisel point, that way I can get a clean crisp line. <S> You can use sandpaper to get a chisel point, but I just use my knife most of the time. <A> My Dads a finish carpenter,he's 95 and still has at least two pencils with him at any time. <S> Remember as a kid watching him sharpen his pencil with his pocket knife. <S> Always took his time, had 12 facets on the point all perfect. <S> Always said don't get in hurry and do it right...
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The only way to sharpen a carpenters pencil is to a chisel point. A pocket or utility knife - cut away from you of course.
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How can I make outlet wall plates mount flush after removing wood paneling? I recently removed some old wood panelling in my basement that was up against drywall. I refinished the walls and painted but now the outlet covers don't mount flush against the wall anymore because they were originally installed when the walls had the extra thickness of the wood panelling. What can I do about this? <Q> Presumably the issue is that the outlet boxes protrude from the drywall. <S> Generally these boxes are typically nailed into the studs. <S> If this is the case, simply pry the nails out, reseat the boxes deeper in, and re-nail them into place. <S> If you can't reseat the boxes deeper (e.g. if something impinges on the rear of the boxes), there's a few options. <S> Replace the boxes with shallower ones. <S> Use a dremel or similar to cut off the protruding parts of the box. <S> Or add a "frame" around the box. <A> Then you can slide the box off and work the wires through the box clamps. <S> If you can find this style of box it will be easier to use. <S> As you can see this can easily be screwed in to were the old box was <S> and you will be able to get the box to the correct depth. <A> Assuming that the boxes protrude (alternatively, the fixtures may be extended from the box -- if that's the case, you can probably just tighten the screws). <S> Probably the easiest fix would be to make a trim piece out of something about the same thickness as the paneling that was removed. <S> Cut a piece approximately 1/2" wider than the outlet cover (vary according to your taste), and use a jigsaw to cut a hole to match the outlet box (it may be easiest to buy a similar box -- they're pretty cheap -- to use as a template). <S> Paint to match your wall (or your trim color), put it over the outlet box, and install the plate. <S> The plate will hold it against the wall, or you can use a couple short screws (keep in mind that you have wires in the wall above and/or below the outlet box). <A> If you want to get a flush finish (and not hide it some other way) then you are going to need to remove and replace the electrical box. <S> This is not that difficult of a job. <S> First, turn the power off. <S> Remove the cable <S> clamp(s) as well as the ground wire from the box. <S> Figure out which side of the box is the stud, and pry the box away from the stud enough that you can see the nails. <S> You can use either a hacksaw of a sawzall (more fun, but careful not to cut your drywall) to cut the nails. <S> Now remove the box. <S> You have two options to replace it with. <S> First pull the cable(s) through the appropriate locations in the box (you will have to remove the knock-outs) and then secure the box place. <S> Re-attach the ground wire to the ground screw, tighten the cable clamps and replace the outlet. <S> Before you put on the cover, turn the breaker on and test your work. <S> I always like to screw in my outlets before I test them because I've had the side of the outlet make contact with the electrical box and short out.
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Either you can use a remodel box; these are boxes that have tabs on them that screw in to secure the box into the wall, or you can use a regular electrical box and try and screw it to the stud from inside of the box. Before doing anything else, turn off the power to the outlet. Like it has been said here a few times, remove the old box with a hacksaw or a sawzall. If you have access to a router, you could put rounded (or fancier) edges on the trim piece, round the corners, etc.
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How to remove a tub drain with no spokes? I attempted to use my tub drain removal wrench to remove a bath tub drain. Unfortunately the spokes of the drain broke and the drain flange cracked. Not being terribly skilled at plumbing I am now unsure of how to remove this tub drain. How do you remove a tub drain with no spokes and therefore no removal wrench? <Q> You could try putting an expanding plug into the drain which should give you something to grab hold of with a pair of vice grips. <S> I would replace the wing nut with a regular nut so that you have better access to the stud. <S> Expanding plugs from McMaster-Carr <A> If the other ideas don't work out, these internal pipe wrenchs are fantastic. <S> I've got an old set that are older than me. <S> Here's an example of them Www.amazon.com <S> They work forward and reverse and are indispensable when you need them. <A> Another approach is use a large pipe extractor, which looks similar to a large left handed screw, and bite into the drain trim, and back it out. <S> You will get more torque with this approach, but the pipe extractors are pricey, especially in that size. <S> One brand product is called EZ-out. <S> I once saw a pair of arc joint pliers which were ground with DIY jaws on the back side, to accomplish the same. <A> Tub drain extractor home depot sells them
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You can also use expanding pliers.
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How can I remove skunk smell from house? I apologize in advance if this is off-topic but I'm in need of some help and not sure who to ask. Our dog got blasted by a skunk and went inside the house. We've got the dog under control but the house still smells awful (I think some of the oil dripped on the floor). Are there preferred/recommended techniques for getting rid of the smell in the house? Thankfully we have laminate floors instead of carpet but I'm concerned about the smell seeping into the walls and furniture. Do I need to get industrial degreasers? I've heard that a combination of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish detergent might help. <Q> I have used that mixture with good success. <S> Make sure to wipe down everything <S> that the dog might have come in contact with, and I mean everything. <S> Floors, walls, trim, doors, etc. <S> You might need to repeat the procedure a few days later. <S> The skunk odor tends to linger quite a bit and you will find that it gradually reduces in intensity over time but is still evident. <S> Anytime your dog gets wet <S> you smell it, likely for months! <S> If it is really bad and does not go away you might opt to bring in a professional cleaning company who will have stronger chemicals to deal with it. <A> When a skunk on the porch sprayed our cat through the screen door - spraying straight into the house, we found a combination of things worked. <S> The peroxide/dish soap mix on the cat and most surfaces worked fine. <S> On some surfaces, we needed something that could be left in place to really soak in. <S> For those we used a skunk smell remover from the vet. <S> It's made with the same enzymes that are in the stuff you can get from pet stores, but in a much stronger concentration. <S> It took 2 treatments to really kill the last of the smell. <S> We also used it on the leather seats of my car when my husband, who thought the cat had been sprayed, got into the car immediately after being sprayed himself. <A> Be aware, however, that the mixture (peroxide is a bleaching agent, remember) may take off enough of the laminate finish to lighten the flooring. <S> Since I cleaned the floors late at night, I left the mixture on overnight - not good. <S> Our laminate is a dark oiled finish with a wood grain and definitely some of that finish had a dark stain in it. <S> I actually like the color better now, but the finish is duller. <S> I did the entire room, so everything looks the same. <S> I used Petsmart's Skunk remover on the lower cabinets the next day, and that didn't affect the finish at all.
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The combination of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish detergent did get rid of the skunk oil and smell when our dog rubbed his face and neck all over the laminate flooring after getting sprayed.
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Can you use plywood as roofing? I've seen buildings where plywood was used as both wall sheathing and siding. T-111 is commonly used this way, for example. Would it work to do the same thing on a roof? I assume it wouldn't last decades, but maybe its lifespan is enough for certain short-lived projects. I guess seams would be difficult, so it may be limited to a single sheet, so only very small roofs. I also suspect that a steeper slope might be important, so it sheds debris and water easily. And maybe facing the sun, so it dries out faster. With all that in mind, maybe we're only talking about a small woodshed or a place to store tools. Still, it seems like it could be useful within all these constraints. Would marine plywood make a difference? <Q> Plywood absorbs water and is not a sealing material, period. <S> You can use it as base for ruberoid roof, but not as the layer exposed to the rain. <S> When exposed to rain, wind and sun plywood will cycle through absorbing water and drying out and this will wear out the most outer layer in no time so that it cracks and the damage <S> then proceeds to the next layer of plywood. <S> In case you want a cheap roof for a tools storage you can cover the plywood with one layer of ruberoid <S> - it will last something like 5-10 years and the plywood can then be reused. <A> You can use any cheap plywood or even particle board as a short term sheathing on a shed roof, but cover it with a layer of rolled roofing. <S> As Sharptooth said, it will delaminate in no time if not covered. <S> Good Luck Jay. <A> My father built a home with a plywood roof that lasted at least 30 years with no issues before it was sold. <S> He bedded the overlapping sheets with tar and nailed strips bedded in tar on the seams. <S> He painted all the sheets and strips with stain(?) <S> before assembling then stained again after it was all together. <S> The slope was standard pitch for a ranch style and carried a heavy snow load at times but was in a moderate climate with little excessive heat. <S> I only remember seeing him re-stain once <S> but I could have missed a time or two. <S> It is also possible <S> that he may have re-bedded <S> the seam strips along the way because that is a long time to expect tar to hold up. <S> He is no longer around to ask and I am finding very little searching for non-traditional economical roof solutions. <A> I made a large rabbit hutch and the roof was just plywood stained with Ronseal water-based outdoor woodstain, 3 coats, with the edges done properly. <S> I did it thoroughly and it used quite a bit of stain. <S> It lasted well for years. <S> I think you're supposed to apply one coat each year to keep it up to scratch, which I didn't actually do, but would be better. <S> But even without that it did well for several years. <S> The stain dries pretty quickly.
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Roll Roofing is inexpensive and easy to install.
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How can I filter iron out of kiddie pool water? Our well water is high in iron. In the house, we put salt with an iron remover into our water softener. The outside bibs don't run through the water softener, however. The other day we filled up the kiddie pool for the first time and after a while the water turned orange. Is there any way to either filter the iron out or to prevent the water from turning orange? <Q> I have this exact same problem. <S> Luckily, the cartridges don't seem to be deteriorated by the orange stuff, and you can just swap two of them every 12 hours and wash them off with the garden hose. <S> If you have a full size filter, you will just need to do a backwash every day or two. <S> It also helps to get in the pool and stir up all the precipitate off the bottom so that it can be captured by the filter... <S> there's nothing in there that will harm you, it's just orange. <A> Perhaps you could make a filter for your pool. <S> Lowes has a couple of products that should do the trick. <S> This would be used in conjunction with the iron precipitating additives that DaveNay suggested. <S> Whirlpool Sediment Filter <S> I like the clear housing so you can easily see how dirty the filter is. <S> Submersible Fountain Pump <A> You could use an adapter to attach the garden hose to an inside faucet.
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The only option I have found is to use a chemical additive to precipitate out the the iron and then do lots of filter cartridge changes.
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When to stop putting out mouse traps? So last week my wife and I discovered some evidence of mice fooling around in our kitchen at night (e.g. shuffled cleaning supplies under the sink, hoarded dog food, and of course their droppings). After a little research, I decided to get the classic spring-style mouse traps. I set them with some peanut butter and after a night or two, I woke up to a dead mouse. After that, I cleaned up and set traps again. Things were quiet for a few days but then we got another hit. A second dead mouse captured. We were happy up until this point because we figured it was just one mouse but since we got the second one, I had to ask myself "when do I stop setting traps?" and "did the mouse come in because it smelled the peanut butter set trap?". It's sort of a catch 22 now. I am afraid that the mouse got in "because" I had peanut butter out (as part of the set trap). I'm afraid that if I keep setting traps that I may just be inviting these little guys in. Suggestions? <Q> you need to figure out how they are getting into the house. <S> Mice can get through incredibly tiny holes, so it might be a chore to find them all. <S> Steel wool is useful for this as they don't like chewing through it. <A> I personally go with 'forever'. <S> I've got a good-size house, on a little bit land, and a garage door that I leave open for fair amounts of time each day in good weather. <S> I'm ALWAYS going to have mice getting in, even though I've patched every hole I can find. <S> It's just sort of inevitable at this point. <S> So I keep the snap-traps under the sink and in the basement. <S> I check them every couple of weeks, change the bait (I like cheese) now and then, and I get a few mice every year. <S> But no major infestations, and they don't seem to get past my initial trap points, so I don't get them in the pantry or anything. <A> According to the CDC's website, keep putting out the mouse traps and after five straight days of no mice, you should be in the clear. <S> I did that in our attic <S> and it seemed to do the trick --- <S> and yes, there is always more than one... <S> we caught 5 in 5 days. <S> Three traps were left with peanut butter and no catches. <S> After 30 days, I put out two traps again just to make sure and after five days there were no more catches. <S> I recommend the 5 day rule. <S> Oh, and my recommendation with the snap traps. <S> You don't have to touch the trap/mice if you put the trap in a small box (shoe size or smaller) before putting it in your basement/attic. <A> For what it's worth, I decided to contract with a pest control company for ongoing service. <S> Periodically they refill the bait containers in the basement, and this has been sufficient to keep any mice from nesting in the attic. <S> I don't like bait a lot -- among other things I worry about a poisoned-but-not-dead-yet mouse being found by a cat -- but it has been effective. <S> Reportedly, old style snap-the-neck traps are actually the least painful killing trap, but of course those have to be more actively maintained. <S> Nonkilling traps are a nice idea but you have to empty them somewhere before the mice starve; I think what I really want is a nonkilling trap that sends email when it has caught something. <S> Warning: Mice often carry ticks, and in some areas ticks can carry things like Lyme disease. <S> Be careful when disposing of carcasses. <S> I've been tempted to put out Daminix as well, though it isn't cheap. <A> This is for if you have mice that you need to tackle outside as well as inside. <S> Keep your house as clean as possible all food in containers. <S> This won't stop them but helps prevent attracting more. <S> Get steel wool and put it in any gaps and vents as mice hate it. <S> Use pin traps cotton wool with peanut butter <S> claps pin on cotton wool. <S> It will put firing trap every time. <S> Poison isn't a good idea inside your home as if the die near a hot water pipe etc. <S> the whole house will smell. <S> Would look into a drop self resetting trap in loft. <S> You can leave for three or four days and check. <S> Hopefully just three. <S> If they have nested in house, a female can have 6 pubs 10 litters a year <S> and each of them are sexually mature in 2 weeks. <S> I had them in past. <S> But you should have three or four set traps in every room. <S> Only then if the traps are non fired you're clear. <A> I have had similar issues in my house. <S> First you set out traps until no mice come. <S> Whether that is 1, 2, or 100. <S> Peanut butter is a bit smelly but mice have good noses and habits. <S> If you walk around the outside of your house you should see their dens (tiny holes usually right at the walls). <S> You drop poison pellets down these holes. <S> If you get certain brands these pellets are large - break them up so they can be carried easily. <S> Monitor if the poison bait is moving. <S> Keep on laying it out until they quit taking it. <S> Cover the holes and then monitor for new ones. <S> Here is the thing mice communicate and follow patterns - maybe not as well as ants but pretty darn good. <S> If there are 20 mice that understand there is a hole in your house and food in a room - they will get to that room. <S> Cover the hole and they will gnaw their way in. <S> Only when that conditioned group of mice is dead can you "start over". <S> So you need to assume all mice around your house are conditioned for a food source in your house. <S> Obviously easier to deal with poisoning them outside.
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Setting traps will kill what you have, but you still have the problem of the mice getting in. But as you find holes, seal them up. They say if traps have not been active in five days you're clear. The best way to deal with the infestation is to attack the perimeter. So if it is working you have to go with it - if you are attracting more, well so be it because they are going to smell something and will come into your house for just water.
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Do I run screws through the "tops" or through the "bottoms" of the corrugated steel in roofing? Suppose I want to cover a roof with corrugated steel sheets. Imagine a sheet laying on the roof. It will have "tops" - zones that are further from the roof surface and "bottoms" - zones that are closer to the roof surface (the line is the sheet cross-section, the roof is below the line, the outdoors is above the line): I need to decide where I run the screws that will hold the sheet. In case it was roofing slate I'd definitely run them through the "tops" ("B" on the drawing) because when it rains water will run along the "bottom" and into any hole it finds there. However seems like the typical approach with corrugated steel is to run the screws through the "bottom" ("A" on the drawing) which puzzles me a lot. Which do I choose - A or B - in case of corrugated steel and why? <Q> A If you choose B you will dimple the steel, ruining the look while creating a penetration point for water because expansion and contraction of the metal due to heating and cooling will create an open access point for water to enter, and a big opening behind it to receive it. <S> A, however, will give you a tight seal against the wood, wood-steel-screw in a nice tight sandwich - resisting expansion/contraction gaps and thus protecting much more effectively against water penetration while preserving the look of the corrugated steel <A> Same reason holds for going on the roof with a shovel. <A> Manufacturers suggest it goes in the flat spots that’s why they sell the proper screws that are also coated to match its not sheet metal screws as one said. <S> It gets screws in the flat spot just before each rib two next to a seam (where two panels meet) <S> so from left to right it would be __/-\_.__._/-\___._/-\___.__/-\__.___._/-\______/-\ <S> ___ <S> < <S> ——-over lap fat lip on bottom . <S> = <S> screw <S> ^ <S> every 2 feet do one screw at a time from bottom to top to keep it from jogging and place the side with the longest lip on the edge so the longest or fat lip is on the bottom or the direction you are laying panels so if you’re going left to right the fat lip will be laid on right side <S> So you’re securing the the last panels edge through the next panels first screw <A> In Australia we use a lot of corrugated roofing .. and walls too. <S> Probably half of all housing, and close to all housing in hot areas, use tin. <S> I have never seen any signs of water leakage when screwed this way. <S> The main idea is to not screw down too tight. <S> This leaves room for expansion in the heat, ( up 40 - 45 <S> C. One day in 1960 it hit 51 C at Oodnadatta in SA. <S> That's 123 in those funny F temps. ). <S> Just tighten down until the rubber screw sealing grommet nips up. <S> Manufacturers like Lysaght, https://professionals.lysaght.com/sites/default/files/LysaghtRoofingWallingInstallationManualJul2015.pdf , give instructions on this <S> and it's easy to set the tension on your cordless to do it automatically. <S> As an ex-insulation installer who used to take tin off routinely to get some ventilation and pass product through, I had a dedicated DeWalt tin screwer that was preset to the right tension. <S> Of course, in Australia we have very little snow and I am unfamiliar with having to shovel snow off a tin roof, ( sounds deadly :) ), and perhaps trough screwing would be more normal then. <A> As always, follow your manufacturer's directions. <S> If they have to warranty it, they will expect their process to be employed. <S> The local mayor tinned his own shop roof, using basic labourers. <S> It blew off the first wind, about a month later. <S> It was as screwed through the strapping ok. <S> They had used staples to hold the strapping down and only a few screws poked out beneath. <S> Using three inch screws on the strapping works for me. <S> I sink two into the meat of the studs at each intersection. <S> If I have double strapping, that's four screws. <S> if the wood is soft, I use four inch on the base layer. <S> Because sheet goods are not broken up, like shingles, the vacuum pressure can be immense, and staples are not appropriate except for initial placement, for convenience. <S> They won't hold the roof down. <S> Although I might go 24 to o 36 inches on spacing, I would only do that with heavy tin, where the purloined are four feet apart. <S> On wood, I prefer about 18". <S> If one screw doesn't hold, the space in that location, is 36 inches. . <S> .No <S> one does that, but I never have to return to fix my work, and there is nowhere that it can flap or move at all. <S> Consider your substrate, when making sweeping decisions about placement. <S> Claiming by his labourers were contractors, he filed for insurance, so the whole community is paying to fix his workmanship. <S> So he could play god and starve the real tradesmen. <S> . <S> .It's like a reward for the negligence, he really does have a knack for government, not construction!I miss the good old days, when adjusters called us first <S> , then they knew what happened good, bad or indifferent. <S> I'm pretty sure the lap is almost always screwed together. <S> The manager, us the one who read the instructions, for that product, every time. <S> Whether it's mixing chemicals, overlapping housewrap 12", or here following a recommended pattern. <S> That's how I learn the right way, the first time, every time. <S> I probably read the KD instructions 2000 times, until I knew the product and how I wanted to effect that result. <S> If I hadn't mastered their technique first, I wouldn't have a baseline, to improve it yet.
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In areas with extremely long and cold winters, many people prefer to put the screws in the bottom because roof rakes are less likely to to knock and displace screws. Universally, we screw through the crest of the corrugation on the roof and through the trough on the walls.
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Drilling "misting" pin holes in PVC I built raised gardens this year and added cheap DIY PVC irrigation. I used a 1/16" drill bit and drilled several holes in 1/2" PVC pipe. The 1/16" drill bit was the smallest I had but the holes were still too big for the misting action I was going for; the water comes out in streams and pools in the low spots of the soil. I am looking for ideas on how I can get more of a "misting" action. My ideas: drill smaller holes : problem with this is that 1/16" is my smallest bit, I would have to buy specialty "micro" drill bits plus a special chuck and/or Dremel to use them drill more holes : I currently have pairs of holes every 9" or so; I could turn the PVC into swiss cheese and put holes every 1/2" or so; I can't really go back once I take the plunge, though use duct tape : the answer for everything! I could tape over the existing holes with duct tape and use a needle to poke pinholes in the tape; this seems like it would work but might not hold up well Any thoughts? <Q> Your best bet would be to get some 1/2" PVC Couplings with threaded port and some Misting Nozzles . <S> You should be able to find them both online, or at your local landscaping/gardening center. <S> This setup would allow you to get the desired spray pattern, by selecting the appropriate nozzles. <A> I haven't tried this, so no idea if it'd work, but one thought would be to find a needle and a torch. <S> Get the needle as hot as you can and then poke it into the PVC to melt a tiny hole. <A> You have two choices depending on whether you have continuous areas of plants to water or discrete plants to water. <S> For the latter, you would use drip emitters, bubblers or misters like these: http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/dripEmission/XeriBugEmitters.htm <S> http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/dripEmission/XeriBubblers.htm <S> http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/dripEmission/XeriSpraysMisters.htm <S> all depending on your desired flow rate. <S> For continuous plants, dripline is good: http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/dripline/QtrLandscapeDripline.htm <S> BTW, there is a time and place for DIY. <S> In this case I regard it as re-inventing the wheel with little chance of generating much value. <S> Precisely sized nozzles for uniform water distribution is, as you have found, a challenge to create at home. <A> Although I'm not convinced a round hole of any size will give you the misting pattern you are looking for, micro-sized drill bits and an accompanying hand tool (pin-vise) <S> are actually not that expensive, and will last you a long time (if not abused ;) ). <S> For ~$20 you can get a pin-vise and micro bits from many hobby shops (real or on-line). <S> They are REALLY good bits (they have to stand up to drilling carbon deposits out of the welding tips) and when sharp will go though PVC very easily. <S> So easily that using a moto-tool (like a Dremel) may actually make the job more complicated and take longer in the end. <A> Edited to add: the way I'd envision this working would be to ensure that you have a slight "mushroom cap" of solidified glue on each side to keep it in place, trying to make a thinner membrane of glue in the middle so that you can poke it through without too much effort <S> -- you might have some luck poking the glue with the rounded end of a normal pencil or something similarly shaped while it's cooling, to spread it out and thin the middle, ending up with something like: __ ________|_ \_/ _|_____________| _ |_______ <-- pipe wall <S> |__/ \__| <S> ^ <S> |_ glue <A> What about a small slit cut horizontally with a Dremel tool cut-off wheel? <S> This would create a fan shaped spray instead of a stream. <A> Resurrecting an old thread, but another idea... 1/2" pvc pipe with 1/8" holes drilled. <S> Then slide 1" sections of heat-shrink tubing over each hole and shrink to tight fit. <S> Then poke a TINY hole (very fine needle) into the tubing. <S> My concerns would be the shrink wrap tubing tearing out under too-high pressure (like, U.S. public line pressure), or the holes plugging from mineral deposits. <A> I'm in the process of installing a drip system. <S> What I've done is purchase blue line, 1/2" irrigation tubing. <S> I then poke holes where I want them using a hat pin and different sized safety pins. <S> It works wonderfully and I've saved hundreds on materials. <S> I decided to do this after learning that the high priced drip line with the emitters already installed has a life expectancy of 10 years, and the individual emitters 3-4. <S> In my opinion, it's a great example of how marketing gets us to believe there's only one way. <S> Really glad to know you're thinking outside the box. <S> Good Luck! <A> Instead of tape with an adhesive, use self-healing tape if your holes are too big. <S> Then you can make a pinhole in the tape. <S> Tape is available at Radio Shack but maybe others places also. <A> The Dremel cut wheel sounds like it would make a good fanned spray. <S> Would make a cut that looks like some of the spray novels on the bissel carpet cleaners. <S> But to drill and try to make a mist I would start with the smallest bit. <S> Don't drill the whole way through. <S> Just thin the wall till you can push a tack or needle through. <S> My theory is that the shape of the drilled section will help pull the water into a fanned out must rather than a stream. <S> (And the needle would give a smaller hole. ) <A> PVC can be melted. <S> Get a needle, lock the eye hole down in vice grips, use a lighter to heat the needle (or if the needle is long attach it to a 9V battery) and the start pressing into your PVC. <S> It may take a few times in the same place but you will get a micro hole. <S> Once through the pipe use your 1/16 drill bit to tap a cone at the tip of the needle hole to give yourself a spray pattern. <A> Since you are going for irrigation (not evaporative cooling), you do NOT want a mister. <S> You want a soaker hose! <S> The advantage is that the soaker hose delivers bigger drops and puts them directly onto the soil. <S> Very easy to place the moisture where you want it, and losing less to evaporation means you are more efficient at watering your plants.
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A slightly more robust version of your duct-tape solution might be to drill larger holes, then use a hot glue gun and a needle to form permanent tiny nozzles in place. Alternatively, another (often cheaper) version of this is a drill-style welding tip cleaner :
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What alternatives do I have to cap/plug the kitchen spray nozzle I have a seasonal camp that is winterized each year. The kitchen faucet spray nozzle must have suffered from some ice damage and leaks constantly. The feed line to it comes from the mixed section of the faucet and there is no way to disconnect it. I would like to avoid buying a whole new faucet set and I do not use the spray nozzle. Can I just cut it and cap it or is there another way to correct this problem? (the water leaks all the time and if I don't keep the sprayer in the basin it leaks into the cabinet) I don't want to replace the hose/sprayer - since I also want to use the hole in the sink back for something else. I don't use the sprayer. I suppose the answers depend on the model of faucet - in this case it is a MOEN - and it does not look like the host it detatchable. <Q> Since you did not provide the model of the faucet, here is a YouTube Video that shows how to cap a typical sprayer. <S> In this situation, you'll likely need a 1/4" brass cap, some PTFE tape , and an adjustable wrench. <A> Most Moen products have a lifetime limited warranty. <S> That's why I agree with their slogan (at least the second part): buy it for looks, buy it for life. <A> It sounds like there is no easy metal connector to unscrew the sprayer hose. <S> If it's just the rubber/plastic hose that disappears to somewhere <S> that's inaccessible <S> Even just folding the hose & clamping/tying it that way might be enough to stop the water flow, like when a garden hose gets kinked
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, you could cut the hose & stick a barbed hose plug in it: & hold it on with a hose clamp:
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How do I fix a hole in a hollow door? My son sometimes has a temper, and has been known to hit his door when sent to his room. He has actually done so enough to punch a bit of a hole in it. I'm trying to figure out what might be doable to fix the door. Here is a photo of it: As can be seen, there is a crack on the left that is visible and slightly dented in, and the center/right hole is actually pressed in pretty good. The punched hole is approximately 6 inches in diameter. I'm going to make my son pay for the repairs from his allowance, and as that is limited, I am hoping for a fairly quick/inexpensive solution. Any ideas as to what can be done? <Q> Most hollow core doors have solid wood frame that forms the top,bottom and sides of the door. <S> Remove the molding on the field of the door <S> so you have flat surface. <S> Remove the doorknob. <S> Cut A piece of luan or other smooth grained thin plywood the same size as the door. <S> Cover the door in carpenters glue and apply the plywood. <S> With a hole saw drill out the doorknob hole using the old hole as a guide. <S> Prime and paint to match the other side. <S> reinstall the doorknob. <A> Another option is to laboriously fill in the dent with spackle, layer by layer, and then carve in a matching 'grain' with a paperclip or other such tool in the topmost layer. <S> Then repaint, and it'll look fine. <S> This would take time and patience (each 1/2" layer needs to dry for a while), and be an excellent learning experience for SOMEONE. <A> Carve out the edges of the hole with a utility knife so they bevel into the door and don't show when the patch is applied. <S> Place some paper into the bottom of the hole to keep the expanding foam from falling to the bottom. <S> Fill the opening with expanding foam. <S> Use the minimal expanding type to avoid pushing out the door. <S> Cut away any excess foam once it's dried. <S> Cover the foam with an auto body filler to get you a rigid base. <S> Cut back the auto body filler when it's soft and sand when it's dried. <S> Cover the auto body filler with spackle, smooth with a wide flat blade that spans each side of the hole to give you a smooth result. <S> Give it a final sanding and paint. <S> Here's a video of the process <A> If the door is a simple flat door cut two equal size squares out of thin panel and glue in place over hole and one in the same location on the upper or lower half ,depending on which half it was, and it should pass by a non discerning eye. <S> You could even paint the squares to enhance the cover up, and hopefully any further attention.
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Drive a few nails around the perimeter to keep it in place until the glue can dry. If the hole completely exposes the inside of the door, you can first fill the opening will the following steps:
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Where am I losing heat from my house? My house is about 5 years old and our local building codes required a 5-star energy rating (Melbourne, Australia). This means there's solar hot water and both the walls and ceiling are insulated. But it takes a lot of energy to heat the room, and as soon as you turn off the central heating (ceiling ducted) the house cools very quickly. Somewhere, somehow, I'm losing way too much heat. How do I work out where the heat is going? There's probably a lot of things I can do to save some of the heat, like installing double-glazing or even putting pelmets above the windows. But I would rather work out if the heat is going somewhere in particular that I can quickly and easily rectify. Is there some gadget I can get to test something? Or some other method that's free/cheap? <Q> Find an isulation installer that is a certified thermographer. <S> An infrared scan of your home should reveal where the heat loss is occuring. <S> The best time to do this is when the outside temp is lowest and your house is warmest. <S> The problem could be missing or improperly installed insulation. <S> Ask about a repeat scan after any repairs to verify the problem has been resolved. <A> and, when there is a strong temperature difference between inside and outside, walk around the inside of the house very slowly. <S> Look for drafts that either pull or push the smoke. <S> Common locations for leaks are around outlets, around plumbing where it comes through a wall, around windows & doors, the windows & doors themselves, along the eaves of the roof, at the openings for attics, and the house sills. <S> Also, if you have cobwebs, you have a draft. <S> The webs tend to form in the area where the draft is strongest. <S> As for the sills - it was once assumed that the pressure on the sill from the weight of the house would be sufficient to seal any gaps between the sill and the top of the slab/foundation wall. <S> This turns out to be incorrect. <S> The sills are a common entryway for cold air, which is then pulled upward into the rest of the house by the "stack effect," caused by heated air rising. <S> There are several tapes commonly used for duct sealing that are entirely inadequate, so their glue breaks down in a relatively short time. <S> Since your ducts come in via the ceiling, if they're leaky, then the hot air in the room could easily go right back out the way it came in, dissipating into the space above the ceiling via the duct joints. <S> Note: If you have ANY combustion appliances in your home (gas stove and/or oven, gas heater, oil furnace, woodstove, etc.) you should not start sealing leaks without getting an energy audit done. <S> It is imperative that you ensure adequate, and appropriate ventilation in your home, lest you wind up giving your family carbon monoxide poisoning. <S> Good luck! <S> Once the problem is solved, your family will be much more comfortable. <A> I live in Queensland <S> and I understand Melbourne winters. <S> Check the silicon around window seals. <S> My home used to whistle in winter with the wind.
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Another possibility is leaky ducts in your heating system. Without a scan you are only quessing what the problem is. One quick & easy DIY trick is to light something that will smoke (like incense) Also check around the seals of your bathroom extraction fans.
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Is it safe to re-use drill holes in a wall? I've just mounted a 42" TV with a new wall mount that uses 3/16" bolts into some studs on the wall. I now want to use an articulating one, which means I'll need to replace the old mount. The new mount also uses the same size bolts. Is it safe to re-use the holes from the old mount with the new mount, or should I drill new ones? <Q> This is just to reinforce the wood in the hole and help ensure it stays locked in place. <S> But honestly, I think you'd be wise to drill new pilot holes 1" above or below the old ones, and fill the old ones in with wood <S> putty capped w/ <S> a little dab of plaster (or toothpaste). <S> The old holes will end up hidden by the mounting plate anyway, and better safe than sorry. <A> Put a dab of wood glue in the hole and push it all the way in with an appropriately sized nail, and then jam wood-glue-coated toothpicks into the hole. <S> You might need to give them a tap with a hammer to get them all the way in. <S> Give it 30 minutes to harden, and then you're good to go. <A> One trick I've seen someone do when reusing a hole is to put a small piece of copper wire in there so the screw has something to tighten up against. <A> If the screws go back in and hold tight, it should be OK, however, <S> the worst case scenario of a TV falling off the wall is pretty bad, so sometimes it is better to be safe. <S> The best solution is to drill new holes a couple inches away from the existing holes. <S> If space and positioning allows, you can even re-use one row of the existing holes and drill new holes for the other row of screws (most brackets have 2 rows of holes). <S> If you are set on re-using the same holes, I would suggest that you either use a lag that is 1/2" longer than the previous lag (so it grabs new wood at the back of the stud; make sure its not too long <S> or you might be in for a surprise on the other side of the wall), or use a lag that is one size larger in diameter. <S> I don't love the glue/dowel/toothpick solution. <S> It might work on door hinges, but you are now putting all of your money on the strength of the glue and toothpicks - neither of these were designed to hold large loads. <S> I always hang on a TV mount with as much weight as I can to ensure it is secure. <S> If it will hold me, it will hold a TV! <S> If it comes off the wall then better that it happens without an expensive TV attached and a child under it.
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If you didn't strip the holes when removing the old bolts, then you PROBABLY should be able to re-use the same holes, but to be safe, I would inject a little Elmer's wood glue (just a few drops) into each hole before you insert the bolts.
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Should I install a vapour barrier if I'm using rigid foam insulation? I'm re-insulating a room in my house from the inside. I've read that polyisocyanurate (polyiso) rigid foam insulation is the best R-value, so I plan on using that. Details: The house was built in 1955 in Camrose, Alberta, Canada. And the previous wall was insulated with fibreglass batting with a type of tar paper as a barrier. On top of that (on the interior) was 2 sheets of plaster - pretty impermeable to air flow I'm guessing. Question: Do I still install vapour barrier? I'm almost certain I should, but I've heard it could cause moisture trapping problems when using a faced insulation like polyiso. Edit: I should mention that I'm planning on putting this insulation between the studs, not completely over the studs from the outside. I'm not taking down the outside siding, I'm doing this all from the inside. Edit Please note the posting time of this thread. I asked this question in summer of 2012. While I appreciate the enthusiasm, the question has been answered, so please refrain from answering again. <Q> However, an installation between the studs can pose a challenge. <S> To complete the vapor barrier you would want to foam-seal or tape all the sides where the rigid meets timber, because these gaps will facilitate vapor flow. <A> There is more to it than vapour barrier. <S> The rigid board most likely meets all the required vapour barrier but does it create enough thermal break? <S> Warm air can still hit the foam board and if the board is cool enough warm air can condense on it. <S> Most rigid board is R-5 per inch <S> so you probably need 2 inches to create the thermal break necessary. <S> On dow's website <S> http://building.dow.com/na/en/tools/installations/batt.htm <S> they mention using a vapour barrier on top of the rigid board, but they don't specify what the board thickness was. <S> Even if you create a vapour trap between the board and poly vapour barrier <S> I think you would be OK as it is the continual influx of vapour that causes problems and you would have stopped that. <S> If you are using Roxul you have nothing to worry about. <S> If you also have BluWood studs even less to worry about. <S> The small amount of vapour you could trap can migrate out through the wood-studded wall as wood naturally dries (probably at the top and bottom plate). <S> There are so many topics online about vapour barrier and rigid foam but thermal break <S> isn't talked about that much and that is pretty much all that matters when you put rigid board up against an exterior basement wall and stud in front of it. <S> If you create enough thermal break than no barrier is needed. <S> If you do not, then you need additional poly vapour barrier. <S> Keep in mind that even if you used 1 inch rigid board, you have still done wonders for your basement by blocking the wet air from coming into your basement via the walls. <A> You need 2" of continuous closed cell foam to eliminated the need of a vapour barrier otherwise don't bother with foam. <S> Anything else like too little or gapped open cell foam and other semi solutions will be unpredictable, making a plastic vapour barrier unpredictable. <A> In my experience, you should vapor barrier these even if the material claims to be a good vapor barrier. <S> Especially if you are going to be inspected later. <S> Any airflow will degrade the effectiveness of insulation.
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Rigid foam insulation is usually a qualified vapor barrier.
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Are there any dangers associated with rigid foam insulation? Is there any danger of bad fumes/gasses being released from polyisocyanurate or polystyrene rigid foam insulation? I'm planning on insulating my bedroom from the inside (ie: putting the insulation between the studs), and I'm wondering if I need to worry about fumes over the years. My guess is there's no issue, as people use this stuff all the time, and my vapour barrier will prevent any air movement anyway. Still, it was brought up by a hardware store I called, so I'd like some sanity-checking opinions. Edit : Since I've been able to find precious little information on insulating the inside of exterior walls with rigid insulation, I've decided to go with Roxul (fibreglass-ish) insulation instead. To answer my question though, I've asked people IRL, and they pretty much scoffed at the idea that rigid foam insulation gives off fumes. <Q> According to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for TRYMER(TM) 3000 Rigid Polyisocyanurate Insulation , there should be no problems (for this specific product anyway). <S> I also found the MSDS of an example Expanded Polystyrene Board , which does mentions off-gas issues. <S> Though it only applies to large amounts of "fresh" polystyrene, being stored in a "confined, unventilated area". <S> fresh polystyrene contains residual pentane and if large amounts of EPS materials are stored in a confined <S> , unventilated area such as a semi-trailer truck, pentane may off-gas and create measurable airborne concentrations. <S> If you know the specific product you'd like to use, it shouldn't be that difficult to find the MSDS for it on the internet. <A> Yes, foam board offgasses. <S> All plasics, some woods (pine), wood products, paints and adhesives do. <S> Some offgas products are more of a concern than others. <S> For example, the formaldehyde emanating from OSB, MDF, particle board and plywood is perhaps the single greatest hazard in North American homes today. <S> It has long been associated with increased risk of asthma and cancer. <S> Our new super-insulated home has none of these wood products and our last home, also processed-wood product free, sold above market value because it was so free of contamination. <S> I personally would not use foam board indoors. <S> Having said this, flame retardants are in damn near everything: all upholstery materials, draperies, mattresses, carpets..... <S> I'm finding this to be even more difficult to eliminate than formaldehyde. <S> The fact is, most of us are exposed to more danger breathing in our own homes than outside in our polluted cities. <A> I am a Remedial Timber and Damp Surveyor. <S> We also insulate houses as part of our services. <S> To answer the question if PIR Insulation can also be a Vapor Barrier <S> the answer is <S> yes provided <S> it has aluminum foil bonded to both surfaces. <S> When you fit this flush between your timber studs, tape the joints between the insulation and the timber stud with aluminum tape ensuring all the timber is covered. <S> You would also need to ensure that the joints between the insulation and the walls, ceiling and floor are sealed. <A> Strandboard for example has a lower rating of 0.7. <S> So even taped foamboard needs a plastic film vapor barrier. <S> (yes the free styrene-a kind term for vinyl benzene will offgas but not as bad as sprayed foam)-from a construction guy with a severe MCS wife. <A> Styrene is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on limited evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in humans, sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in experimental animals, and supporting data on mechanisms of carcinogenesis. <S> [...] Polystyrene is used extensively in the manufacture of plastic packaging, thermal insulation in building construction and refrigeration equipment, and disposable cups and containers. <S> Styrene polymers and copolymers are also increasingly used to produce various housewares, food containers, toys, electrical devices, automobile body parts, corrosion-resistant tanks and pipes, various construction items, carpet backings, house paints, computer printer cartridges, insulation products, wood-floor waxes and polishes, adhesives, putties, personal-care products, and other items, and they are used in paper processing (IARC 2002, Luderer et al. <S> 2005, NLM 2008). <S> –National Toxicology Program; Report on Carcinogens, <S> Thirteenth Edition <S> ( styrene.pdf )
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Put the barrier on the inside of the house side and staple/tape it so that the foamboard will only offgas to the outside. Foam board releases small amounts of brominated flame retardants, and this is a serious concern. Owens corning states that extruded foamboard is not a vapor barrier in itself as it has a permiability rating of 1.1.
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How do I disable a locking door latch? I have the following door handle / lock combination that leads out to my garage. The key for the door has long been lost and sometimes someone will turn the internal lock and the door cannot be opened from the garage side. I wish to disable this lock, how do I do that? <Q> Glue could fail and/or look ugly. <S> Other options cost money. <S> When you remove the inside knob, you will see a connecting rod protruding from the latch mechanism that engages the lock button. <S> Cut this off so it no longer engages the lock button. <S> Do not cut the semi circular shaft that engages the main lever! <S> Ensure the remaining stub is turned to the unlock position and reassemble the knob. <S> The lock button will now turn freely, but it's impossible to lock the knob without a key or disassembling the knob. <A> Another option is to take the lock to a locksmith and have it re-keyed to a new key (and get a bunch of copies of that key). <S> I have heard that this can cost less than the cost of a new doorknob. <S> However, as this would involve removing the knob and taking it the locksmith, I would probably just get a new knob and replace it (unless you really like the style/color/etc of the current one). <A> First, unlock the door. <S> Now place a piece of tape across the small knob you use to lock/ <S> unlock the door so that it doesn't move. <S> Next, take off the handle and glue the knob in place so that it cannot be operated. <S> Re-install the handle. <A> I have a residential Family Care Home and the state requires that a business such as this have doors throughout the home that will not lock regardless of whether it has a locking mechanism. <S> I could have gone out and purchased the ones that won't lock,but they cost almost $40 a piece (I needed 6), so I placed a magnetic metal strip over the door jamb to prevent the door from locking, and the door still closes perfectly. <S> Ace, Home Depot, and Lowe's stock these strips, and most hardware stores will cut them to your specifications for less than $2 a piece. <S> This way if you decide to sell the home, you simply remove the strips. <S> Doing this saved me a lot of money, and it works! <A> I had the same problem, different keys for the bolt lock and the knob. <S> In the picture I show what I cut on my knob to keep it from ever locking. <S> You may find that your center post looks more like a flat bar but it does the same thing and will need to be cut. <A> you can remove the handle take the lock apart and remove the pins. <A> A very simple, subtle and reversible solution is to put something in the frame-side slot. <S> I had a similar problem and found it was trivial to cut the leftover cork from a wine bottle to fit in the slot where the bolt would otherwise automatically spring-load in. <S> So, now, even if someone pushes in the door handle lock button, the bolt remains retracted and the door opens easily. <A> I solved the problem by removing the knob side of the handle and then driving the knob out hitting it very gently. <S> A hammer and a small diameter socket will do
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You could also bring the handle into a hardware store that cuts keys and get a set of keys made or you can get the lock re keyed to work with your front door key or another.
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How can I get rid of fleas in my crawlspace forever? I have lived in my house since 2007. I have a large crawlspace (dirt floor, ranging in height) where I have a nice woodworking shop. In 2011 the shop became infested with fleas, but not the upstairs. Two rounds of flea bombs got rid of them but they came back this year. There is no food or water source for them in the crawlspace. I imagine that another round or two of flea bombs would get rid of them this time too. Is there any way of getting rid of them permanently? As there is no food or water source for them this seems doable, but I can't think of how. <Q> Couple/few options: <S> Pave it. <S> Soak the floor 2' down with a chemical like bleach. <S> Diatomaceous Earth . <S> Number 1 is most permanent, #2 is dangerous as all get-out (and probably illegal), whereas #3 is cheap and safe. <S> Diatomaceous earth is (basically) fossilized algae powder. <S> You spread it on a surface and it will absorb fats out of the waxy outer protection on bugs like fleas, mites, etc. <S> when they land on it or walk across it, dig through it, etc. <S> Once those fats are gone, the pest dehydrates and dies. <S> It'll take some time and effort applying and re-applying, but it's cheap at about $40-50 for a 50lbs bag of "Food Grade". <S> Doing an Internet search for "Diatomaceous earth" and "Fleas" <S> and you'll finds lots of direction on using it for your application. <A> My suspicion is that you have cats around. <S> Fleas had to catch a ride to get under the floors. <S> Fleas do not dine on "food" that can be removed, just blood in living creature-- <S> most familar fleas prefer cats--thus are called cat fleas. <S> The conditions you describe, and the location in a crawl space suggests cats living, hiding, even birthing there, especially when conditions (like seasonal) are (in)conducive. <S> Try treating again, then use louver/hardware cloth to cut of paths, like through vents, for cat admission. <S> Inside the house with indoor cats it is very effective because fleas "find" and jump on the cat for a meal (and to be killed...and to lay eggs, which later drop of and hatch...which is likely or at least possibly the cause of your secondary infestation. <S> The fumes wiped out one generation but not egg-housed next generation). <S> Dead adult fleas cannot reproduce. <S> Infestation goes away. <S> But it could be somewhat less effective for a free ranging cat. <S> But can't hurt to try, and the cat will get a benefit no matter. <S> If dog--much less likely--basically the same--keep it out of crawl space, treat it with adult flea kill product. <A> The cycle of fleas is 10 days. <S> In one house, I battled the fleas for months but the only thing that got rid of them was to put Sevin Dust on the carpet, then rub in with a broom, then wait and vacuum. <S> I had to do this twice. <S> Flea larvae and defecation is also toxic. <S> I am allergic to flea larvae. <S> It is not pleasant. <S> I can only imagine what an outbreak would be like if you can actually see the fleas. <S> Good luck with that.
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The fleas are most likely lying dormant (deep) in the dirt floor, below where the bombs/sprays will get to. If the cat(s) is a pet, use of adult flea kill treatment (like Advantage) can provide some help; possibly enough to do the trick. Sevin dust is very toxic so wear a mask. when I have a heavy infestation, I treat, wait 10 days and treat again and then do it again.
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What information do I need to size a sawn or hewn beam? I have a load bearing wall in my house that a previous occupant decided to cut a hole in to make things feel more open. They did not add a header, much to my chagrin. I'm planning to put an exposed beam in to bear the load. What information will I need to size the beam? I've found many beam sizing calculators, but none of them seem to be able to work with hewn or sawn timbers; they all require the use of dimensional or engineered lumber. <Q> Different woods have different strength characteristics. <S> You may want to swing by the local library and grab a copy of a "Timberframing: Design, Construction, Finishing" by Ted Benson, which has tables of wood characteristics. <S> Note: If you live in a town where a permit is required to do the work you're planning, you're going to have to get sign-off by a structural engineer - in which case, you might as well ask the engineer what dimensions you need for the wood you're planning to use. <A> In order for calculations to mean anything, you need to know what the actual dimensions of a beam are. <S> A beam that has a single spot where it is undersized will be considerably weaker than a uniform beam. <S> So at best, you should assume the beam is no stronger than the minimum dimensions of the beam. <S> The problem is, a hewed beam is non-uniform. <S> So how rough is it? <S> Exactly how non-uniform is it? <S> Worse, mechanics studies will tell you that a corners and sharp edges are stress concentrators. <S> A strong beam will have continuous parallel fibers along its length. <S> In fact, this is a one of the reasons why a glue-lam beam is strong. <S> So what happens in a beam that is hewn? <S> Broken fibers along the edge in tension will be points of possible future failure. <S> How much oversized is something that only a structural engineer will know. <S> Therefore, take the advice from liantics, and have someone size the beam for you. <A> The rule of thumb framing carpenters use for headers is "one inch of (doubled or tripled 2 inch) <S> header height for every foot of span". <S> So an 8 foot opening would call for an 8 inch tall header. <S> Also, the ends of the header must rest on posts (typically doubled 2x4's) which transfer the ceiling load to the foundation. <S> The easiest way to build install the header is to:1) build a temporary support wall a couple feet back from the header location. <S> A 2x4 on the floor and ceiling with doubled vertical 2x4's every two feet should do. <S> This structure should be toe-nailed together. <S> 2) Buy an engineered beam (gluelam or equivalent) or construct a built up beam from dimensional lumber ( 8 foot long 2x8 in the example). <S> Fit the first 2x into the opening (resting on temporary support blocks, and then sandwich a second 2x8 and glue and screw it to the first. <S> Make sure the inevitable bow of the wood faces up. <S> Add a third plank or scale up <S> to 2 or three 2x10's if you want to overbuild the header. <S> A 10 inch plank on edge is stiffer than an 8 inch plank on edge. <S> More strength is always good.3) <S> Jack your new beam up into place. <S> This step will also allow you to correct any sag which might have occurred.4) <S> Now remove the temporary wall and trim out your new header. <S> Be careful! <S> Remember that gravity sucks and these chunks of wood are heavy and can cause injury when they fall. <S> Good luck. <S> alesponge
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All of this means you want to use a hewn beam that is a bit oversized for the application. It depends on what kind of wood you're using. A hydraulic jack with doubled 2x4 post works well, and fit doubled studs under the ends. It is always best to get approval from you local structural engineer/permitting agency.
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How do I dig a 3 foot deep narrow trench in soft clay I need to dig a 3 foot trench in soft clay to put in a new water pipe. If I use I drain spade to dig it about 16cm ( 6 inches) wide will I have enough space to do the digger? Is there a better type of spade to use? About what length of trench can fit people did in a day? (I hope I will only need to dig about 12 feet of length, but may need to dig about 30 feet if I am forced to connect to the other road.) <Q> It's physically very difficult to dig a very narrow but deep trench. <S> You may have better luck just renting a ditch digger/trencher, which is kind of like a big chainsaw for dirt. <S> You can dig trenches that are very narrow, and the only thing that really slows you down with it is large rocks. <S> You should have utilities marked before you dig (whether using a trencher or not). <S> In some areas, this is enforced by law (eg: in Ontario, Canada, it is law under the Ontario Occupational Health And Safety Act ). <A> Speaking as one who has done this (or close - my clay was rather hard once you got into it, and it was a deeper and longer trench) <S> I'd strongly suggest one of these; a mattock. <S> Peel off your turf if any, put it aside, use the mattock to break out the clay, use your shovel to lift it over the side. <S> Clear your feet a nice space in the bottom of the trench, and work in it (not DO NOT do this in deeper trenches where you could suffocate if the trench collapsed - in a 3 foot deep trench, you would at worst be inconvenienced for a while until you dug your legs back out.) <S> Keep your standing area cleaned out and clear. <S> You'll need to be somewhat wider than 6 inches to have a hope in heck of digging to 3 feet of depth, IME. <S> You may be able to reach down that far with a long narrow shovel (which I'm assuming your drain spade is) but it's hard to actually DIG when you are that far away from the edge - the leverage is not good. <S> A small excavator would be much faster, but costly <S> (I've done them that way too) <S> - it's a perfectly reasonable job to do by hand if you'd like to do it that way, and tool rental does not have what you'd like at a price to make it favorable. <A> What do you want to bury? <S> In my area, 4' deep is necessary to prevent freezing. <S> 3' deep is required by code for power; but low-voltage lines (e.g. ethernet, fiber optic, telco, television) only have to be deep enough to avoid accidental destruction as the owner sees fit. <S> Clay can be a bitch. <S> We live in glacial till; so we have layers of sand/clay. <S> When you hit one of our clay layers, you need a pick to bust out little pieces. <S> "Digging" is not an option. <S> The conventional wisdom is to use a "ditch-witch" as described above. <S> They can come equipped with a spool of conduit and a blade to dispense the pipe right behind the digger. <S> After the conduit is in place, you just "blow" a string thru it with a vacuum cleaner; and use that to pull whatever. <S> There is a service here (actually required by law) called: " dig safe . <S> " <S> One calls them and within a very few days, power, phone, cable, etc. <S> show up and mark your designated area with chalk lines illustrating the path of their lines. <S> It makes it fairly easy to avoid with a ditch-witch. <A> I just finished digging a thirty foot three foot deep trench. <S> It took me four and a half hours <S> and I was working in rocky clay. <S> A pick and good shovel are nessesary. <S> You are going to have to dig it 12 to 16 inches wide to have enough room to stand in it as you dig. <S> Watch out for buried pipes and wires. <S> I broke a water line this morning digging mine which was not fun. <S> It's hard work <S> but it is manageable.
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To keep to the 6" width you'd pretty much have to find a trencher, IME - or you could use a post-hole digger, but that would be more inefficient than digging a wider trench you can work in, IME.
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Are there any differences in the quality of products sold at contractor's supply store vs. big box hardware stores? We are in the early stages of building a new house & went shopping for lighting fixtures yesterday. We get an allowance from the builder which we know will be used up very quickly after visiting their standard supplier. We also had a lot of trouble finding fixtures that we really liked (especially ceiling fans). Later, we went to Home Depot and found quite a few fixtures that we liked, in most cases we liked them better than what we'd seen at the lighting supply store. And the prices were much lower. We can take the lighting allowance the builder gives us and get it applied as a credit on the final price of the house (or put the money into other upgrades) if we purchase everything on our own and deliver it when they tell us to. If we can do this and save money on the fixtures, that's great. But I worry that the Home Depot (or Lowe's) brands may be of significantly lesser quality, and in 2 years we'll find ourselves having to replace a number of them. Generally speaking, is there a significant enough difference in the quality of the products offered at each of these stores to warrant the significant (2X, in some cases) price difference? <Q> The first thing you need to understand about "allowances" on any building job is that those are usually way too low to equip the real wants of the buyer. <S> When talking lighting, most lighting supply houses have a "spec" line of fixtures that contractors use to figure the allowance. <S> They are typically the least expensive fixture for the application. <S> You could easily pick out nicer designer models and spend 3 or 4 times the amount in your allowance. <S> This is common. <S> The smart consumer would take the discount and shop your fixtures for what you want at the price you want to pay. <S> The box stores obviously don't carry the real upscale designer lines, but most of the products are very serviceable, good quality, contemporary popular styles and should last you years. <S> If you are a good internet shopper, you can find high end lighting, solid brass, brushed nichol, stainless, crystal glass, etc at very reasonable prices. <S> Always remember, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder!!! <A> Most major brands produce separate product lines for the big-box stores than what they provide to contractors and supply houses. <S> It's typically a similar (or exact) visual copy, but often with lower grade materials. <S> For instance, if you were to buy a stainless sink from the plumbing supply store, and one from the big box, odds are that the big box sink will be using a much thinner gauge of stainless steel than the one from the supply house. <S> It's tricky to notice the differences sometimes. <S> Often they even use the same product ID numbers and change one letter at the end. <S> Now, does it matter? <S> For some things, such as a shower faucet, probably. <S> But for lighting, maybe not. <S> Lights aren't complex devices and, once installed, remain fairly untouched for their lifespan. <A> I have gone both routes, and after buying at lighting store always feel ripped off. <S> The only time I have felt justified is when we just can't find the design or style we want at the big box, and the lighting suppy store has the only ones that look right. <S> For ceiling fans specifically, again you are fine at a big box. <S> Although I typically go for the "upper end" of the manufacturers. <S> It will still be cheaper than the lighting store, but the build quality of the big box higher end will be much better than the really cheap fans. <S> Specifically, the difference between a Hunter fan vs cheaper ones is pretty big when it comes to fan noise and stability.
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When you go in to select lights, you are usually seeing consumer list prices, not the actual price us contractors pay. For lights specifically, if you find one that you like at a big box, then go for it.
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What can I use as a thread "tightener" compound for a free-running bolt? (I'm familiar with thread "locking" compounds, purple, blue, and red, but that's not what I'm looking for here. They lock once and then upon breaking the joint, do nothing further.) I'm looking for a way to tighten up a free spinning clean, easily threading bolt in a threaded hole. Basically I want it to behave as if there is a locking fastener like a "nyloc nut" or an "interfering thread nut" etc. Any thoughts? The best idea I have right now is sugary syrup or something. EDIT: to clarify with some examples Example 1: I have a metal pen, with a threaded metal cap that screws on. The cap screws on like butter, very nice and clean threads. The problem is sometimes I find it has unscrewed in my pocket. I would like the threaded connection to always feel like it has a slight interference fit. Example 2: I have a folding pocketknife with a single small torx screw that adjusts the tension required to fold out the blade. This screw loosens occasionally and then knife doesn't work properly. Common wisdom is to use blue threadlocker and tighten the screw to the perfect torque. However, I'd like to adjust it frequently without disassembling the whole thing and adding more threadlocker. <Q> Here is a link to one I found that may work. <S> I have not used it. <S> http://www.vibra-tite.com <S> (I am in no way affiliated with the Vibra-Tite Company) <A> You may have a damaged/stripped bolt or threaded hole. <S> Check to see if the threads on the bolt are damaged then you will need to purchase a new bolt. <S> If the threads in the hole are damaged you will need to install a threaded insert or use a tap and die set. <A> Alternatively maybe you could redrill/thread the hole to a slightly larger size? <A> how about plumber's thread tape? <S> (AKA 'teflon' tape)? <A> Try lightly damaging the threads by laying the bolt flat with the head unsupported and tap threads with a hammer or flat punch to slightly roll the peaks over. <S> Go slow and test for the right amount of friction. <A> Try mixing something gritty with something gooey that won't dry out. <S> Heavy-weight grease plus sand might do the trick. <S> Basically you're trying to make threadlocker compound but without the property that it dries out. <S> Try it out on another bolt/nut combo FIRST, to see if it works, before gumming up your target bolt. <S> You may be overthinking this one, though. <S> I'm guessing the bolt hole is really hard to replace or something? <A> Is there room to add a second nut? <S> If so, use a second nut as a "jam nut" to act as a locknut: slightly overtighten the inner one, put on the outer one so that it will allow the inner to move out only to where you want it to end up, then "loosen" the inner one 'til it touches the outer one, then use two wrenches to tighten the outer while loosening the inner. <S> The tension between the two nuts prevents them from moving, but it's easy to reverse the process if you need to make adjustments later. <S> This page has some images: http://www.boltscience.com/pages/twonuts.htm <A> If the bolt is just slightly slipping, and not really "free spinning" you could look to deform slightly the threads of either the bolt or the hole (or both), so that they don't slip anymore. <S> I used this successfully to fix a landscape lighting fixture that had a 2-part post where the threading between the sections was stripped. <S> Slightly tapping each part of the threaded connection was enough to transform it from a full circle to an ellipse where the threads didn't slip at all and the exterior junction still appeared normal. <S> I'd been looking for some epoxy or something to hold the parts together, but this ended up being a much easier fix--especially since both pieces were hollow and easy to deform just enough. <S> Not sure if it'll help in your case, but it's a suggestion in case it might. <A> I had the same problem with a fountain pen cap, and found this post while searching for a solution. <S> I ended up using Loctite® <S> Threadlocker Blue 242® , by spreading a very thin layer on the threads. <S> It's a "removable" thread locker, and has been working great for me so far. <S> Just don't use the Loctite® Threadlocker Red 271™ , because that creates a permanent bond. <A> Sounds mors like you want a lockwasher. <S> Or possibly a jam-nut setup (two nuts tightened against each other to exert pressure on the threads and lock them both in position). <A> You could also put an o-ring at the bottom of the male end of the pen cap. <S> That creates friction and there's no way it can damage the threads. <A> Beeswax. <S> Acts as a nylon lock nut, but you can apply it to surfaces. <A> If it is something that you are unlikely to need to remove at a later date, or if you are OK having to destroy the bolt/nut to remove it, you can use epoxy to bond the bolt and nut. <A> For a cheaper fix than some of the above answers mentioned, two thoughtscame to my mind: <S> dental floss - wind around the bolt or screw. <S> Scotch tape - This is what I used for my loose LED flashlight,and now it works like a charm. <A> What I did is <S> I used small piece of electrical tape put on bolt and stretched it on <S> so I can see threads through tape and boom worked for my scooter axle <A> Silicone sealant, hot melt glue heated on, marmite or yeast extract some of the hardest jars to open if you dont clean the threads & it probably has staying power, tomato ketchup, vegetable or sunflower oil gums things up nicely <S> i know from childhood when i striped & re asembled my starwars AT-ST 2 leg walker <S> i used it on the back leg actuating button & leg joints <S> big mistake worked fine for 5 mins or so before it congealed lol. <S> Honey, treacle, those Desert topping sauce's, again as a child every time i lent my BMX out & the icecream man came my handle bar grips came back as sticky as f**k, sweet & sour sauce <S> so sugary sauce's in general, even prit stick is worth a try, Thick axle grease (Remember the sticky bomb in saving private ryan) <S> Dont think i missed anything all you need to decide is flavour, <S> smell hold longevity & mess factor hunting for an aplicable tar like substance, tree sap plant blood any coagulant lol. <S> On the other end of the spectrum candle wax, soap, vaseline (Petrolium gelly can be harsh but conducts electricity well while it lasts), washing up liquid or GT85 spray <S> (Doubles as an electrical contact cleaner with inert non reactive <S> PTFE <S> non stick plastic formular, <S> not as course a penetrant as WD40) will help get it moving again. <S> Disc brake degreaser leaves it sqeaky clean.
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Based on the clarifications, I would recommend using a reusable thread-locking liquid. Vibra-Tite VC3 Threadmate You could try some really really fine sand - something that will create more friction between the threads without seizing up.
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What is the max distance between top of gutter and the roof tiles? I am about to replace my gutters, one guide I have read say the gutter should never be more then 30mm below the bottom of the roof tiles, another says 50mm. What is the reason for this? What is a safe distance? (I want to get a good fall on the gutters and I expect that the bottom of my tiles are not level… I am planning to fit felt support tray at a later date) <Q> 3-5 centimeters is in the 2-3 inch range. <S> Any more <S> and you run the risk of water running off the tile and overshooting the gutter. <S> The gap can vary some because the gutters must slope towards the downspout. <S> Edit post comments: When you install your new gutters, put the point furthest from the downspout at the highest possible point against the bottom of the roof, and then slope gradually down to your downspout. <S> You're never going to hit the "maximum" that way. <A> Start at the highest point with the back of the gutter as high as it will go (up against the bottom of the slateor tile or galvanised iron roof).Slope the gutter down form there towards the spout. <S> If the run is long, you may need flashing to cover the exposedpart of the facia. <S> Water will blow in there, and rot the timberfacia. <S> Flashing will start from underneath the roof and bend down andoverlap the back of the gutter. <S> Don't assume that the gutter is already sloping to the spout. <S> Check it, get the slope right before installing brackets etc. <S> Use a transparent plastic hose filled with water to checklevels. <S> P.S.Some modern guttering has the back lower at the back than thefront. <S> Don't use it. <S> When the gutter overflows, where do you think that the waterwill flow? <S> Back to the house, and depending on the design ofthe house, water will find its way inside the exterior wall. <S> If it doesn't do that, it time it will rot the facia. <S> In some modern houses in Sydney, overflow water found its wayinside the exterior wall, rotting the timbers supportingthe interior wall, floor timbers, and carpets. <A> I read that the start of a gutter needs to be low enough that if you took a level and laid it on the roof it should clear the front edge of the gutter. <S> This way any snow sliding off would clear the gutter and not damage it. <S> My understanding is then a 1/16" per inch pitch is standard.. <S> Gutters that are too high can enable runoff water to drip down their back side, which in turn can cause deteriorating fascia boards and stains on siding. <S> Hanging gutters too high is a common mistake..
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My understanding is that if the gutters are placed too high that a sheet of snow could slide off and if it catches the front of the gutter it can tear it off.
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How do you protect solar panels for storage during house rebuild? I am in the process of preparing to demolish my house so I can rebuild. We are taking the solar panels off the roof and plan to put them back on to the new house. Does anyone know the best way to store them in the meantime? Would heavy duty bubble wrap and being stacked in a corner of a garage be appropriate? <Q> Stacking the panels on top of each other should be fine, but I would not suggest stacking all off them on top of each other as the bottom one will have to bear tremendous weight and might warp it. <S> Try and place wooden battens (for air flow to stop moisture from being trapped and help displace weight evenly to the next panel using a soft surface) between panels on the same frame that they were mounted to the roof. <S> The frame is load bearing and will handle weight on top of it and disperse weight downwards to the next panel. <S> You do not have to cover each one in bubble wrap. <S> .. you never know. <S> Some panels you can stack ontop of each other with no problem as they have a robust frame that supports all the weight. <S> Exercise some common sense in how to stack them. <S> Make sure they are level and aligned. <S> check on them every now and again during storage phase in case <S> the weight makes something give in. <A> PV modules with frames can be stacked quite high when the frames are all aligned. <S> This keeps the weight off the glass and is how framed modules are stacked on pallets for shipment. <S> You really don't need battens or bubble wrap to protect the glass because the frames keep the glass from touching neighboring modules or the floor. <S> But you can put cardboard in between the modules to keep grit from scratching up the frames. <S> It is unusual to see frameless modules in residential installations, but if that's what you have, you can stand them up vertically with cardboard in between. <A> I'm not an expert, but based on what I've see and common knowledge, your idea is good. <S> Wrap them in either heavy duty bubble wrap or use styrofoam in between them and stack them vertically. <S> Stacked one on top of each other would present a higher chance of breaking under weight as well as a larger horizontal surface exposed to the working environment.
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Just stack em using batons(bareing in mind weight) and then cover the entire stack in foil and possibly some polystyrene and or bubble wrap on the corners and top to prevent shock damage in case something hits or falls on it
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How can I fill this gap between two areas of flooring I have two half-inch gaps in the flooring in my kitchen. One between the kitchen and the living room (first image) and another between the kitchen and the outside door (second image)! at their widest the gaps are an inch wide and about a half inch deep at the deepest. The tile on the kitchen to living room gap starts about a quarter of an inch higher than the threshold, and finishes about a quarter of an inch lower. What is the best way to fill these gaps? I'm willing to live with some visual imperfections. <Q> Upper Picture - there is a saddle, but it is not doing what it is supposed to do - transition fully from one room/floor to another. <S> You could remove that saddle and get a wider one that covers the full gap. <S> An issue may be the relative height between the two areas. <S> This should be a molding made of the same wood as the saddle and stick out slightly beyond the saddle on the lower side (maybe 1/2" to 1"). <S> it needs to be tapered to avoid a sharp transition. <S> Lower Picture <S> - There does not appear to be any saddle creating a close seal between the bottomn of the door and the floor. <S> There shoudl be a saddle that reaches the outside floor level. <S> Again, uneven levels require some build up generally under the main saddle. <S> The gap is less of an issue than bridging the gap. <A> You could use a T-Moulding/Transition Strp Are the surfaces the same level? <S> If not, you could use a reducer strip <S> Both come in various widths, heights, lengths, materials, colors. <A> For the outside door area look in the wood laminate trim area at the home store for a piece of edge trim similar to what you have at the other problem area.
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If they are uneven, you might need to put a filler under the saddle that levels them. You can maybe find something with a stepped profile that will match the tile height. This is an area that needs attention to avoid insulation problems, moisture seepage and even insect incursion. For the gap at the living room try a stained piece of 1/4 round next to the threshhold and some grout to fill in the space that is left.
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Should I install an exhaust fan in a new garage? I'm having a new garage built in my home and I'm wondering if it's a good idea to have some sort of ventilation/exhaust/fan system installed while they're at it? I'm thinking of doing some spray painting in there so I figured having a vent in there would be a good idea. I mean if I had to install one in an existing garage, I probably wouldn't bother but since it's being built from the ground up, I figure it shouldn't take much effort to install it? The builder said it won't do much of anything/pointless and that I shouldn't bother. Any opinions on what I should do? <Q> I would completely disagree with your builder. <S> Since it is a new garage, I do see merit in the "build it in" approach. <S> There are two important considerations: how many CFM do you need and what kind of noise level is tolerable? <S> Are you using anything flammable? <S> Water based paints should not be a problem but solvent based paints require special attention. <S> This will drive your fan selection. <S> Of course you want to make sure that the way the fan is turned on is convenient to you. <S> Would you want to have more than one switch? <S> Perhaps a motion detector controller would be even better? <S> Now is the time to choose. <S> you must have a supply of "make up air". <S> How will new fresh air come in to replace the air you vent? <S> Venting will be most effective if you can arrange a cross flow through your work area instead of a short circuit or whatever might happen without a proper design. <S> It may be worth it to run a duct just to force the air to flow across. <S> If you wish to get fancy, you could incorporate some degreee of filtering as well. <S> This is outside the scope of your question <S> but I always like to make sure <S> a work area is well lighted with plenty of lumens and as little glare as possible. <S> Since you are painting, a good (high) CRI is probably important also. <A> Well, you could put a whole house fan in the wall if you will be painting so often. <S> At the same time, be VERY careful about fans and potentially combustible vapors. <S> If these fumes have ANY explosion potential, then running them through a fan motor is a bit insane. <S> Personally, I agree with ratchet freak - I'd open the garage door, and not paint on days when this is a problem. <A> Typically if the garage has ventilated soffet then the garage attic will get appropriate ventilation without the need for a fan, where proper attic ventilation is typically the primary concern. <S> When it comes to spray painting however that is a seperate concern entirely, and wholly dependent on what type of spray painting you intend to do. <S> The paint fumes from some automotive paints have been linked to certain types of cancer so proper precautions are necessary in this case, however any other type of paint then a ventilation system would be overkill.
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If it is typical consumer based spray enamel then opening the garage door should provide sufficient ventilation, however if you plan on doing any automotive painting (especially with the older non-water based enamels) then it is critically important that you have a custom ventilation system installed as well as wearing a ventilator.
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How can I shorten barstools temporarily so I can reattach the bottom of the legs? I have a couple solid-wood-legged barstools that I want to temporarily (for a year or so) shorten by 6 inches. Is there any good way to cut the legs so they'll be more stable upon reattachment? Or any good way to reattach them solidly? <Q> This sounds like a problem that's best avoided rather than solved. <S> I'm picturing a "classic" wooden bar stool where the legs are not vertical, but tapered out to be wider at the bottom than the top, e.g.: <S> This means that the legs experience a bending load when someone sits on the stool (imagine someone trying to pull the legs wider apart at the bottom). <S> The parts of the legs that help resist this bending load are the wood fibers around the outside (circumference) of the leg, the center of the leg doesn't do much (and doesn't need to). <S> If you cut the leg and re-attach with a hanger bolt or double-ended lag bolt, you've prevented the critical parts of the leg from doing their job--you've severed the outside fibers, and attached the leg only in the center. <S> You can imagine that a leg put back together in this way wouldn't be hard to break over your knee. <S> Therefore, it wouldn't be great in resisting the bending load that it needs to. <S> It'd be fine as a plant stand, but I'd be sweating if Norm stopped by for a drink. <S> Norm http://barsbyal.com/user/cimage/c-norm-03.jpg <S> The only solution I can think of to retain the bending strength is some kind of a slip-fitting like you'd find on a patio umbrella or kayak paddle . <S> By the time you're done buying and installing all the slip fittings, you'd probably be better off buying a second set of stools. <A> This type of reconnection should be a one time thing. <S> For repeated removal you could use a fastener called a "hanger bolt" that has a lag screw on one end and a machine screw on the other: <S> The screw end would be placed in the cut off section of the leg and the machine screw end could be threaded into a T-nut type fastener set into the chair side of the leg: <S> However , stools take a lot of weight and are subject to lateral pressure (especially if the legs are splayed). <S> I would be wary of trying any reattachment unless the stools are hardwood, and the bolts and t-nuts would need to be long enough to give a very solid connection. <S> Also the cuts should be very clean and flat so that the cut faces mesh well, and the heads of the t-nuts should be recessed to avoid a gap. <S> If the reattachment is to be permanent, gluing the faces of the cut ends, in addition to the lag screw or hanger bolt, would substantially improve the strength. <A> I bought pairs of bar stools at Menards for less than $40. <S> Also from barstools.com for less than $20 each. <S> I'd buy some shorter ones for the time you need them and store the taller ones. <S> When you're done with the shorter ones, put them on a garage sale or give them away and bring the taller ones back out. <S> That way your taller ones won't be messed up.
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In theory you could cut off the lower end of each leg and later reattach using a double ended lag bolt (really a screw):
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Why is ENT rarely used for electrical wiring? As best I can tell, the National Electrical Code 2011 allows electrical non-metallic tubing ("smurf tube" or ENT) to be used for running 120 V electrical wire. But everywhere I look, I see remarks to the effect that its use is mostly confined to low-voltage wiring (communications, alarms, audio/video), and some localities forbid its use for 120 V electrical purposes. Why? I am planning to install a couple exterior weatherproof boxes. The wires will be run from the basement, through the sole plate, into the wall space, and out through a hole drilled through a brick veneer into the back of the box. To make the bridge from wall to box watertight, I plan to run the wire in conduit. Options here seem to be liquidtight flexible metallic/non-metallic conduit, PVC, or some of the heavier metal conduits like intermediate metallic conduit. All of these seem like a pain to run through finished walls aside from the liquidtight flexible stuff, and that seems like a pain because of its weight and fittings. ENT seems very attractive next to these: lightweight, easy to flex, easy to attach, works great with non-metallic boxes. It's allowed in damp locations (362.10(4)); the conduit run will be entirely within the wall and terminating in the rear of the box, so none of it will be exposed to the exterior or direct water. What am I missing here? <Q> I am not an electrician, but as I'm currently in the middle of some renovations myself, I was curious and did some searching. <S> I came across <S> "Mike Holt’s Illustrated Guide to 101 Essential NEC Rules" (that's chapter 3 in PDF form), which, in article 362, it explains that it can NOT be used for wiring systems over 600V. To me, that appears to be saying that it is fine for 120/240V. <S> The main concerns appear to be leaving the conduit exposed, particularly to sunlight, as UV can cause it to become brittle. <S> I also came across a forum post discussing using ENT for 120V, and they were discussing how many wires you could run in a specific size of conduit, so it appears that it's done. <A> I don't know why it might be disallowed by local codes. <S> It is used quite heavily for 240V wiring and phone/data wiring in Israel where almost all construction is concrete. <S> We also used it for both 120V/240V and data in WaterShed here in the USA. <S> As another answer mentioned though, it's not good for outside use. <A> I'm not an electrician, but I believe it comes down to two general principles that are almost religious dogma to inspectors: Preference for wiring systems where it's BLATANTLY and VISIBLY obvious when someone has used it incorrectly. <S> Wiring systems that a future homeowner is unlikely to be tempted to use incorrectly. <S> In the case of conduit, I believe their primary concern is that a future homeowner might see low-voltage wires running through one blue conduit, high-voltage wires running through another blue conduit, and conclude that it's OK to run BOTH low AND high-voltage wires through the SAME conduit. <S> Or, someone might blindly cut into a blue conduit thinking it has only low-voltage wires inside, and get a very "shocking" surprise. <S> Put another way... <S> an inspector might allow you to use common blue conduit for high-voltage wiring OR low-voltage wiring site-wide, but balk at allowing you to use it for BOTH purposes. <S> Carlon's ribbed plastic conduit actually comes in different colors that are commonly associated with different uses, but AFAIK, <S> those specific colors and uses aren't currently enshrined in any current code (which is a good thing and a bad thing... good, in the sense that you might be able to negotiate an agreement with an inspector... bad, in the sense that he might either say 'no' or impose some unreasonably-expensive color combination on you absent an official standard to the contrary). <S> Those colors include: Blue - data communication systems (eg, ethernet, phone, etc). <S> Orange - fiber optic systems Red - fire alarm systems Purple - security systems <S> Green - healthcare-related systems <S> Yellow - high-voltage systems Black, White, and Gray -- "Architectural use" <S> For what it's worth, the only colors that appear to be reasonably available AT <S> ALL in the US are blue, orange, yellow, and red (and I'm not entirely confident that the color called "yellow" is NOT the one I'd personally call "orange"). <S> Also the colors besides "smurf blue" are ENORMOUSLY more expensive. <S> OK, technically, they're the same cost if you're buying them in wholesale quantities... <S> but the price YOU, as a DIY'er, will pay for 100 feet of some alternate color from a vendor online <S> is way, WAY more than you'd have to pay for a 100-foot roll of smurf-blue conduit at Home Depot. <A> ENT is not UV-resistant, so it won't work for your application. <S> On top of that, it's ugly. <S> PVC is quite easy to run, and if you need an awkward angle, you can achieve that using a heat gun. <S> I don't see how using PVC would be difficult in your scenario. <S> If you can get to the sole plate with a drill bit, you should be able to get into the drilled hole with PVC. <A> Its upper temperature limit is only 122 degrees Fahrenheit. <S> In a lot of areas in the United States attics get hotter than this. <A> ENT building not exceeding three floors above grade. <S> The primary concern is life safety. <S> SEC.362.10. <S> Judge your case based on this comment.
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As mentioned in the comments to the question, this stuff is often put into poured walls and floors. It can be toxic or result in excessive smoke generation when it is subject to products of combustion. Given that it meets NEC code, I can't come up with a good reason why specific localities might forbid it, other than possibly politics.
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Can I add four 20Amp circuits in a subpanel with a 10-3 feeder? My garage has two 20 Amp circuits and an unused 10-3 w/ground connected to two 30 amp breakers. I want to use those unused wires for a subpanel but i'm not sure how big of a panel could I install? I would like to add four 20 amp circuits.Will I also need a grounding rod? <Q> You have the ideal situation for adding a subpanel. <S> Woo-hoo! <S> Get one that's bigger than the minimum, so you have plenty of room to work inside. <S> You can choose either a " main lug " panel, which does not include its own main breaker, or a " main breaker " panel. <S> In the latter case, the breaker can be any size, as the feeder is already protected by the 30A breaker in the main panel. <S> If the panel is mounted outdoors, it must be an outdoor rated panel. <S> In my jurisdiction, a pair of grounding rods are required if the garage is detached from the house. <S> If it's very close, you can probably share the same grounding rods as the house uses. <S> They should only be bonded in the main panel. <S> Consider adding a 30A 240V recep <S> right off your new subpanel where you can plug in heavy equipment on short notice. <A> You can add as big a (sub) panel as you wish so the 4 circuits are not a problem but the circuits are limited as follows: <S> no more than 60 amps of 120V at the same time <S> no more than 30 amps on a single leg <S> (there are two legs). <S> Be sure to keep the ground and neutral separate in the (sub) panel. <S> For a detached garage, I don't know the details but a lot probably depends on how far away the garage is. <A> It's true in a sense that you can add any number of loads to a 10/3 feeder as long as all the loads are not on at the same time such that the feeder is overloaded. <S> However, the NEC code (NFPA 70) used by most US jurisdictions requires that in no case should the capacity of the feeder be less than the sum of the factored loads of all branch circuits supplied. <S> Summing the loads is not done by adding the breaker capacities together, nor just by simply adding the connected appliance loads. <S> There are specific demand factors to apply based on the occupancy, load type, and other conditions. <S> You can only exclude a non-coincident load from the calculation where it's clear that the load would never be applied coincident with another load, such as an A/C load and a heating load. <S> The number of receps is only a factor for how many are on one branch circuit. <S> So it is true you can add any number of general recep circuits, but to add anything else, you'll need to consult the NEC to determine if it could overload the feeder.
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That said, you can generally add as many non-dedicated general recep circuits as you want, because they are considered to be part of the lighting load, which is calculated by area, not by number of receps. Be sure to keep the ground bus and neutral bus separate in the subpanel . If the garage is attached to the house, the ground on the 10-3 should be sufficient and no grounding rod should be needed. Furthermore, loads must be so arranged to avoid significant unbalanced loading of the supply legs. As @Philip points out, you can use any size subpanel you like.
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Do I need an air space between insulation and flooring in the attic? As part of a local council grant, I am getting my attic floor insulation (2 inch thick fibreglass) replaced with 4 inch thick insulation. It will lie between the joists, on top of the plasterboard which forms the ceiling of the rooms below. I then plan on flooring the attic - not as a living space, but for storage. As the joists are 2x4's, this means there will be no air space between the insulation and the flooring. From various articles I am unsure as to whether this is a problem, so my question is a 2 part one: Do I need an air space between insulation and flooring in the attic? And if so, would adding joists on top of, and at 90 degrees to the existing ones and placing flooring on them be a practical solution? I have read this question and I don't think it covers off my lack of knowledge in this area. <Q> 4 inch thick insulation is thicker than a 2x4 (only 3.5" thick), which means you'll be compressing the insulation and decreasing the R value. <S> Instead, I'd suggest laying the new insulation on top of the old (no need to throw out the old unless it's turned moldy), without a vapor barrier on the new (you only want one vapor barrier, against the ceiling), and going perpendicular (to the old to reduce the air gaps). <S> With 2x4 joists, I'd suggest that they are not load bearing <S> and I'd recommend against putting any further load on top of them. <A> You do not need any air space between the insulation and your flooring because your floor will let air and water vapor through it (unless it is plastic, which you should not do because it would be a vapor barrier). <S> The insulation value of fiberglass is approximately constant per inch at any reasonable density; compressing a batt of insulation will reduce its overall R-value. <S> There is no reason to remove your old insulation, unless it does not contain a vapor barrier (in which case, you can put it over the new insulation). <S> If you are in a non-tropical environment, you want a vapor barrier (such as kraft paper (the facing of fiberglass batts)) applied against your plasterboard. <S> You do not want multiple vapor barriers to exist in your ceiling. <S> In order to get the suggested amount of attic insulation, you will need insulation more than 3.5" thick. <S> You'll have to build up your joists so that you can have thicker insulation beneath the attic's floor. <A> You can the fix 18mm ply to the stilt and have insulation up to 300mm. <S> An air gap of 25mm is often a good idea to allow the insulation to breathe.
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It's very important not to compress the insulation to allow 'lofting' Install raised storage stilts.
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I might have accidentally vacuumed asbestos. Is the vacuum ruined now? If an ordinary shop vacuum has sucked up asbestos, should it be considered unsafe after that and thrown away? I don't know if this is the right kind of question for this site but I thought I would try. The story:I was vacuuming some debris from a gap between the ceiling and the wall (brick) to do some insulating. I noticed a spot on the 2x4 at the top of this gap, where a pipe is passing through it vertically, that was splintered and soft. So, I stopped vacuuming and started breaking away the splinters and eventually went all the way through until some loose stuff and a few pieces of what I think are asbestos fell out. Then I realized there could have been asbestos dust there before I vacuumed, from previous work. The building does have asbestos. <Q> I don't think the vacuum is ruined, it just needs to be cleaned properly. <S> Since it is a shop vac just empty the dust out into a safe container, clean the inside of the vacuum out with some household cleaner, and then change the filter. <S> You should be good to go after that. <A> I dug up a statistic that 2-10% of individuals with heavy occupational exposure contract an asbestos related disease- <S> and it doesn't show up for 30-50 years. <S> This is things like shipyard workers from world war two. <S> Permissible amounts are 1 fiber per cc, so you are breathing thousands per day anyway- <S> it's all around us. <S> Rules for asbestos workers are another story. <S> Which is why removal by owners is permitted just about everywhere, but the minute you hire someone the rules get really tight. <S> Which is why I personally took care of everything on my boiler piping before it started deteriorating, before I refinished the basement. <S> Garden hose and lots of water on the floor. <S> De-greaser in a bucket of water turns it into paste right away, then wash everything down to the floor, vacuum that (along with deteriorated limestone mortar and other mystery sludge). <S> I'm old enough I'm not sweating this one. <S> It's a wet/dry shop <S> vac- <S> take it outside <S> run some water though it and forget it. <A> Some asbestos fibers are small enough to pass through the conventional paper filter, so the entire vacuum pump mechanism from the filter support to the outlet <S> grille must be considered contaminated. <S> Not sure how that gets cleaned. <S> If it can be disassembled, it could be remediated as any other contaminated surface. <S> More worrisome is these tiny bits passed thru the filter, and got blown all over the room. <S> Now there can be asbestos mixed in with the dust in the whole room, which by now have been tracked elsewhere in the building. <S> Before we get too excited, get the remaining material tested for asbestos, it very well could be nothing. <S> If it's confirmed to have asbestos, the vac and room should be remediated. <S> You can't just toss a contaminated vac in the trash, it has to be disposed in a proper, documented manner in accordance with your jurisdiction's requirements. <S> The room should be closed to entry until the matter is resolved. <S> Chances of serious harm are very small. <S> BUT, if just one microscopic fiber lodges in your lung, you may find you have a cancerous lesion in your lung 10-15 years later. <S> (Thanx to JWS) <A> You also need a good respirator too. <S> Not an N9. <S> I go to Crown Cleaning in Orlando. <S> Wear some old clothes you don't care about. <S> Take them off in the shower and bag them tight when you are finished working. <S> Take your respirator off after showering and wiping the bathroom down. <S> Can also wipe down hard or non porous surfaces as well. <S> I would wipe down all walls and doors. <S> Don't use the same clothe over and over again. <S> You need to change out to clean ones. <S> You can buy extensions for your wet vac at Home Depo. <S> You cannot get all the asbestos out of clothes by washing them so throw them out. <S> Also consider all appliances and ceiling fans have to go because asbestos will be in the motor. <S> That would mean that your wet vac should go if asbestos is in the motor. <S> That's how I would it. <S> BTW <S> yes get the material tested they will tell you what percentage of asbestos is in it. <S> Anything less then 1% is considered OK. <A> Got some old asbestos insulation in my basement, loose on the floor, plan on wetting it and using craftsman wet <S> /dry vac to pick it up, without the hepa type filter <S> so i don't contaminate the dry filter and keep dust down during cleanup and during cleanup of vac. <S> i think this is a good way imo
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You can also clean out ac vents by vacuuming them. Put the hose thru the window and seal it off good. Keep you clean clothes in a bag. Yes, we are talking about very small quantities, if any. This material is not to be taken lightly. If I were vacuuming asbestos I would get a 20 foot hose which you can buy from Home Depo on line and put the vacuum outside.
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Options for replacing an at-grade hose bibb The problem My house is built on a crawlspace and the floor of the house is just a few inches above grade. The hose bibbs come straight out of the crawlspace and are thus very close to the ground. The guys who installed them 60 years ago knew this would be awkward, so they pointed the outlets 45º away from vertical. I'm ready to solve this awkwardness in a way that does not increase the risk of freezing pipes. Here's what I've considered so far: Frost-free sillcock A modern, frost-free sillcock placed 18" above grade and plumbed down to the crawlspace inside an exterior wall. This is problematic because the shortest frost-free sillcock available (called a six-inch one) is actually more than eight inches long and might not fit within the thickness of the wall. Sillcock with shutoff A regular spigot placed 18" above grade and plumbed down to the crawlspace inside an exterior wall, but with a draining shuttoff valve inside the crawlspace. This is problematic because I might forget to shut off the water in the crawlspace and because the winter here (Colorado) is mild enough that needing occasional use of the hose during winter is inevitable. Elaborate electromechanical solution A regular spigot, but with a three-way solenoid valve inside the crawlspace that can shut off and drain the final leg of the spigot run, controlled by an above-ground switch. I'm not averse to setting this up, but it seems like there must be a simpler answer. I'm not completely satisfied with any of these choices. What is the best way to raise my spigots above ground without introducing an untoward freezing risk? <Q> I would definitely be worried about remembering to drain the valve, and it's also a pain that you'd have to drain it inside. <S> Your second option is pretty good though, otherwise. <S> Mount this to the outside of your house at a convenient height. <S> Use a washing machine hose (or preferably something slightly bigger, eg: find or make a small female-female garden hose) and connect your existing sillcock to this new contraption. <S> Leave the existing one on all the time. <S> You could use CPVC if you paint it (to protect from ultraviolet) or any other material that is not going to break down when exposed to sunlight. <S> The key is that you can disconnect and drain it. <A> Add a pipe to the desired height <S> Add an elbow and bibb <S> In the winter, close the lower valve and open the bibb and the drain. <A> The link describes a yard hydrant or a barn hydrant. <S> It is similar to a frost proof sillcock. <S> The installation requires that you bury your supply line to 4 feet.
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If you do end up installing a frost-free sillcock, you can winterize it by simply shutting off the sillcock and disconnecting the hose. Take a regular spigot, attach to a 90 degree elbow, and put a hose adapter on the bottom. Another option, which is probably easier, would be to make up an adapter of sorts for the outside. The plus is you can put it any where in your yard. What about the following: Replace the existing bibb with an elbow pointing upward Attach a valve with a drain as shown below
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How should I insulate a bedroom in the attic? After doing lots of research and reading lots of different opinions I would like to know what is the best way to insulate and vent a 1 1/2 story house that has a bedroom upstairs in the roof/attic area. I live in Minnesota and want to know the proper way to do this so the upstairs bedroom stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer without having to worry about ice dams or lost heating/cooling air. Here is an image i found that diagrams two different methods (source: dspinspections.com ) <Q> The picture isn't really two different methods, but two different plans. <S> It's one method (soffit at the bottom and ridge at the top). <S> The only difference is what you actually insulate - and it's the same thing. <S> Insulate anything that you want kept at "livable" temperature, since it will be part of the conditioned envelope of the house, keeping in mind that the larger you make that area, the more heating and cooling you're doing. <S> We did a blog post on this subject as well, check out http://diy.blogoverflow.com/2011/12/resuscitating-the-roof-providing-adequate-roof-ventilation/ <A> It seems you answered your own question by the diagram. <S> What's not answered is how much insulation is needed. <S> Your local jurisdiction may have specific requirements. <S> It's quite likely that there is not enough framing space to achieve this with fiberglass batts alone. <S> The air gap under the roof sheathing is very important, and can be easily compromised by hasty insulation installation unless some sort of baffles are installed to preserve the space and protect it from intrusion by heavy handed installers. <A> We all create water vapor, by washing, cooking, breathing, sweating. <S> Water vapor is programed to move from warm to cold. <S> If it is trapped, it will condense and form mold, condensation, frost or ice possibly leading to wood rot. <S> Therefore. <S> the first thing to do is to decide how you will deal with water vapor rising from downstairs, the second the water vapor created in the bedroom. <S> You can leave the walls covered with drywall and fibreglass... <S> the water vapor will merely pass through these on its way to the cold outside... <S> no problem. <S> If you create a water vapor proof room, no holes or cracks, in effect a plastic box, it will also be airtight and you will need fresh air. <S> How much heat will you save, by sealing the room, then providing ventilation?
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You'll need to consider either or both more efficient insulation and some soffiting to get enough room for proper insulation. At a bare minimum you're probably going to need R-19 wall and R-40 roof, if not more.
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Why do touch ups on flat paint show? I just had my whole house gutted and renovated due to a fire. I am having a problem with the paint they used. The contractor insisted on using flat paint as it could be touched up and would not show. Well, every place they have touched up shows a different color even though they are using paint from the original batch. Could this be because the new sheetrock was not sealed properly before painting, thus the sheetrock keeps absorbing more paint? <Q> At minimum, you have to let the paint cure before you can really compare it. <S> It will blend in over time for the reasons bib mentioned. <S> It might also help to wipe down your walls - smoking, cooking, dirt and grime <S> will discolor them, sometimes noticeably. <S> Find out how the new paint was applied. <S> If the patch was not primed before it was painted then this might cause a color difference too. <S> Really the only way to get a perfectly blended wall is the repaint it. <A> Paint changes color over time due to both chemical shifts and light exposure. <S> The paint in the can has neither aged in a dry state nor been exposed to light. <S> The most common trick in matching paint is to cut a small patch of the drywall surface paper and paint from the area you are trying to match, and lift it with a small putty knife. <S> Take it to the paint store for a custom match (computerized and amazingly accurate). <S> The cut section can be spackled and repainted with the new matching paint. <S> Even then it is desireable to repaint a whole section of wall up to a natural break such as a window or doorframe to minimize the line where the old meets the new. <A> I have seen differences due to the method of application. <S> If the rest of the wall was rolled and you are using a brush the difference in finish texture may appear as a color difference.
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If the original paint was applied with a roller, and the patch with a brush, there will always be a noticeable texture difference.
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What is a GFI outlet used for, and where should I install them? What purpose does a GFI serve? Where should they be used? <Q> It works by comparing the input current on the hot side to the output current on the neutral side. <S> If there's the slightest difference in current, on the order of a few milliamps, then there is current leaking out somewhere, possibly through somebody's body. <S> To protect us in this situation, the device very quickly cuts off the power supply to the leaking device, within 20-30 milliseconds, greatly reducing any possible human tissue damage from errant current. <S> GFCI proctection should be provided anywhere there is a receptacle installed in an area subject to moisture, as the presence of moisture greatly increases the danger of accidental shock. <S> The National Electric Code specifies many such areas in residential dwelling units, such as, but not limited to: Bathrooms; Garages and accessory buildings; All exterior receptacles; Crawl spaces; Unfinished basements; Kitchens; Laundry, Utility, Wet Bar Sink Areas; and Boathouses. <S> Local building authorities may have additional requirements. <S> The list of areas requiring GFCI protection has increased with every code revision. <S> They were initially only required around pool areas in the '70s. <S> Now they seem to be required nearly everywhere. <S> You should question your local building authority for the latest, complete requirements. <S> GFCI protection can be provided either at the outlet by the now familiar outlet with the test and reset buttons, or at the distribution panel by way of a GFCI circuit breaker, which protects all outlets on the circuit it controls. <S> Additional outlets can be protected downstream of the local outlet type with push buttons by wiring the added outlets to the LOAD side of the local GFCI device. <S> Thus, it is not possible to tell if a receptacle is GFCI protected or not by just looking at it. <S> If any particular outlet doesn't seem to be providing power, not only should you check the circuit breakers, but also check any GFCI outlets with push buttons in the area. <A> I would also add that adding a GFCI in a three wire grounded circuit may present problems using three wire portable devices. <S> Many portable three wire devices connect the neutral and ground wire together in which some electrical current may return to the source through the ground wire. <S> I purchased a UL listed florescent light fixture and when plugged into a GFCI receptacle would often trip the GFCI when it was turn on. <S> I ironically had to place a 2 prong to 3 prong adapter on it to isolate the ground wire on the fixture so that all of the current would return through the neutral wire. <S> I could have cut off the ground prong from the fixture, however, that would have been dangerous because the fixture did not have the hot and neutral prongs polarized, i.e. neutral prong larger than the hot one. <S> If I had just cut if off and plugged it into a non-GFCI circuit the metal case of the fixture may have become hot creating a shock hazard. <S> Most electrical fixtures and appliances these days are double insulated and usually don’t have a problem. <S> Just be aware that not all 3-wire appliances will work properly when directly plugged into a GFCI circuit. <A> In Australia, the installation of any residential outlet and lighting circuit requires a GFCI (rcd) to be fitted. <S> This requirement is not retro-spective, so there is a lot of old stuff out there protected only by rewirable fuses. <A> A GFCI is an automatic device that offers personal protection against lethal electrical shock or electrocution. <S> Three types of GFCIs are commonly used in homes – the GFCI outlet, the GFI circuit breaker and the portable GFCI. <S> All of these GFCIs perform the same function but each has different applications and limitations. <S> More Detail of installation can be checked here: GFCI Construction, Working & Operation
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A GFI, or GFCI - Ground Fault Circuit Interupter device protects us from receiving electric shocks from faults in the electrical devices we use in our home.
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How can I stop high water pressure from causing leaks at the connection to my washer? First of all, I've tried searching the questions for this but I haven't found anything that matches, but if this is a duplicate, my apologies in advance. I've just moved into an apartment, and in contrast to the abysmal water pressure in my previous house (seriously, the upstairs shower takes about 4-5 hours to fill a bucket), this place has pressure that is too HIGH. This is normally not a cause for complaint, but my washing machine is having an issue. Specifically, the connection between the machine's inlet valve and the main pipe in the wall. I'm trying to turn the tap to the optimum level, but it's either too low (the machine takes forever to fill) or too high (the pipe bursts open). I've replaced the pipe clip on both connections, and even reinforced it with a second pipe clip. The pipe holds together, but there are leaks springing around the clip. I'm not a DIY expert, so what I really want to ask is if there is a solution to this, like a clip or pipe specifically to withstand high pressures. I'll be hitting the DIY stores again tomorrow and also asking my plumber about it, but I thought I'd post the question here as well, to pick your collective brains :) <Q> The usual remedy is to install a water-pressure regulator (aka. water-pressure–reducing valve) where the water line enters the building: They cost about $70, and the plumber should be able to install it in less than an hour. <S> But since you live in an apartment, this is probably something the landlord or condo management company would have to arrange. <S> There are also screw-in pressure regulators, commonly used with recreational vehicles: <S> Although I don't have any experience with them, it would probably work to use one with your washing machine. <S> They are only ~$10, and installing it is something you can do yourself, even in an apartment. <A> If you can replace and add clips to your hose, you have inferior hoses. <S> Get proper clothes washer hoses where the fittings are permanently, hydraulically crimped to the hose. <S> The only place they can possibly leak under any practical pressure is at the rotating sleeve, and a proper washer will prevent that. <S> Also ensure the mating surface at the end of the tap is smooth and uniform. <A> Something simple you might be able to try if it's just the washing machine that is affected is installing a washer with a smaller diameter opening in the hose. <S> If the one the came with the hose looks like this: (source: water-hoses.com ) <S> Then you can try one with a smaller diameter which will look like this: <S> (source: sapphireproducts.co.uk ) <S> so I imagine it would do the opposite in your scenario. <A> So the plumber came and took a look at it, and this was what he did. <S> He changed the outlet tap (there was no controller on the outlet where the green level is now, it was controlled by the tap beside it). <S> Truth be told, I didn't post the answer to this immediately because the plumber himself wasn't completely convinced this would solve the problem. <S> His approach was "let's see if this holds, and if it doesn't, we'll move on to plan C". <S> A week later, it's still holding strong (I believe we didn't have to lower the water pressure, either) <S> so I'm going to assume that it's good to go. <S> Thank you so much everyone for your suggestions!
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A lot of shower heads these days come with a small washer and people complain about the low pressure - replacing the washer can improve the pressure
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How do I widen a hole in wood for flex tube? I bought some 1" smurf tube so that I could run coax, ethernet, and speaker cable to various low voltage outlets in my house. I used a 1-1/4" speedbor bit to make a hole in the floor from my crawl space but discovered that the smurf tube was 1" inner diameter and 1-1/4" outer diameter. Oops. It turns out it is very difficult if not impossible to force the flex tube through the approximately 6" deep hole. I tried using a file to widen the hole but it had little effect. Should I try widening the hole with a 1-3/8" auger bit, a 1-3/8" spade bit, a sanding drum bit, or something else? There's not a lot of room in the crawl space so I'm hoping to hit upon the solution the next time I go under. <Q> Now you've learned the hard way, the same way the rest of us learned, why they say "measure twice." <S> A spade bit may work for this trick, but an auger bit may be easier to control. <S> First, use the bit to cut a hole in center of some scrap wood. <S> A piece of plywood that's 4"x6" would work well, and a 2x4 that's 6-8" long would also work. <S> You need a few inches on each side of the hole, and enough so that it doesn't shatter apart when the drill bit is vibrating inside, but thickness isn't that important. <S> Since you're working in a crawl space, start a few screws on each side of the hole that you drilled. <S> In the crawl space, line up the hole in the scrap wood with your existing hole and screw it into place so it doesn't move. <S> This wood is now your guide to keep the drill bit from running all over the place. <S> Put your drill bit inside this guide, make sure you're aligned, and drill your larger hole. <A> It's hard to widen a wide hole by re-drilling because the bit will not stay centered, it will bounce around and not really cut. <S> A sanding drum could work, but may be very time consuming. <S> A fostner bit might work because the perimeter cutting edge would help keep it centered. <S> It would still be hard to get it started, and buying one long enough could be fairly expensive. <S> You could use a sawzall to cut a bunch of kerfs around the hole perimeter, then cut a sort of steep starter funnel at the bottom. <S> Then use the proper sized drill bit to chip out the remaining wood. <S> Feed the bit very carefully, or it could wedge in the kerfs and violently wrench the drill in your hands, possibly causing injury. <S> Perhaps the best approach is to glue an appropriate sized dowel in the hole, then re-bore the hole once the glue is dry. <S> You'll need a very sharp drill bit to cut through the end grain of the dowel. <A> I would try a 1 1/2 inch (or 1 3/4 inch) hole saw . <S> While the standard approach is to use the center bit to start and guide the saw, if you carefully center the bit and go very slowly around the perimeter of the existing hole, you should be able to get a grip on the face of the boards. <S> The larger saw will probably be easier to use if you can spare the cutout. <A> Using a spade bit would be very difficult as others have stated unless you fill the hole. <S> Auger bits are self feeding and need something to bite into. <S> well I just can't imagine that being easy. <S> A hole saw would work <S> but you could only drill for an inch or two and then chisel out the material that you cut and then continue with the hole saw. <S> I liked the idea of drilling a new hole if you have room. <S> If not then my second choice is to fill the hole and re-drill it. <S> I would take a scrap piece of wood and drill a sample hole the same size as the first hole, Then cut a square piece of wood that would fit tight into the sample block (this is so you don't have to make more than one trip under the house). <S> Now you can take the new square wood under the house and drive it into the existing hole. <S> A little glue might help but is not needed. <S> Now re-drill the hole.
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The easiest thing would be to plug the hole and drill a proper sized hole nearby. And sanding a six inch deep hole .... I think carpenter's glue would less likely gum things up than other glue types.
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Is it safe to use a former furnace flue to vent my dryer through the roof? Our dryer is located in the center of our house. The current vent situation has tubing that makes several bends between the dryer and the crawl space before hitting metal duct that takes it about 25' across the crawl space to exhaust under our deck. There are several elbows in this run.We have converted from gas heat to an electric air-to-air heat pump in recent years and have closed up exhaust flue from the old furnace that starts almost directly above where the dryer vent leaves the dryer and comes into the furnace area before going through the floor to the crawl space. If I redirect the vent up to the flue and out the roof, we'll cut a lot off the distance the air has to travel and remove most of the elbows.Is this a good idea? <Q> I have a funny feeling that local codes might preclude it. <S> This can cause a fire. <A> The dryer's installation instructions should specify maximum vertical rise of the exhaust vent. <S> It's usually not that high, so it's unlikely your otherwise clever idea will work. <S> If for some reason it's within spec, you'll need a different rain cap meant for dryers. <A> A masonry flue will capture lots of lint and plug up quickly, thus stopping any venting and creating a fire hazard. <S> The previous answers give good info, a good water tight cap and vertical venting specs are important.
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The problem is that lint will quickly clog the vent since once any lint collects on the walls, it will slow down airflow enough that lint will accumulate at the bottom of the vent. The only way you could use an existing flue for a dryer vent is if you can run a smooth 4 inch metal duct down the flue to the dryer.
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Can I vent my dryer into the crawl space without creating mold and moisture problems? We have a crawl space with a combination of sandy and clay soil in it. The crawl space is about 3' deep. To eliminate a long dryer vent run, I'd like to vent the dryer directly into the crawl space. We have vents built into the foundation that I open each spring and close in the fall. Will this help dissipate the moisture enough to prevent mold? <Q> Vented air from the dryer is full of moisture since it contains water from the clothing being dried. <A> I doubt it. <S> They might help in the spring when they are open, but definitely not in the fall/winter when they are closed. <A> The answer is no. <S> I live in a 4 unit apartment. <S> My neighbor vents their dryer into the crawl space. <S> I have the following problems: <S> My house is extra hot in the summer due to the moisture in the air creating a humid environment. <S> There is dust, dirt, and lint stuck to everything in my house. <S> My family portraits of my 4, 3, and 2 time grandmothers are ruined. <S> My shower grows mold like crazy. <S> The ceilings are opening up and sagging, the outside walls are buckling. <S> So no don't do this to yourself. <A> WHAT?? <S> ? <S> It’s <S> okay <S> because I’ve done it, a friend has done it, or it’s warm moist air <S> so you can’t do it <S> is CRAZY. <S> How about it’s ILLEGAL. <S> The code says, “Dryer exhaust systems shall be independent of all other systems and shall convey the moisture to the outdoors and shall terminate on the outside of the building.” <S> (See ICC M1501.1) <A> I'm guessing nobody in here uses a humidifier in the winter? <S> (Screw weighing your clothes before and after drying... <S> measure the amount of water multiple tanks you may use daily goes into the house and <S> the fact your being inefficient while doing so) <S> I have to laugh at all the people going crazy about NVR VENT INDOORS. <S> I run an indoor line (with additional fine screen trap) in the winter time when the house is cold and dry. <S> This keeps my energy "waste" to a minimum in the part of the year my solar panels lose a lot of effectiveness and helps my "on grid" time stay at a minimum. <S> No mold/lint dust issues <S> and I've been doing it for years now.
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After you vent it outside, run the dryer and put your hand over the vent and you will see what I mean. Do not vent it into your crawlspace or basement since you will definitely have moisture problems. I am breathing that lint all the time. Vent it outside to avoid any issues. (I have lived here 25 years and never had a mold problem in the shower until they moved in 3 years ago.)
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How can I replace multiple 3 way switches with motion sensors? My tenants never turn the lights off in the stairwells of my 3 family house, so I'd like to replace all of the light switches with motion sensors. Here is a crude diagram of how this is set up now. Each number indicates a 3 way switch. 2 questions: Can I replace each switch with these sensors ? The #1 switch on the left with the asterisk is in the first floor apartment and I'd like to disable it, so that the first light only comes on from motion in the hallway when a door is opened. How do I take this switch out of the loop? <Q> You also might run into trouble if they ran the 3-way switches as a switch loop (no neutral in box), because "smart switches" like these require a neutral so they can use power for themselves to decide when to switch on and off. <S> Here's what the difference between these wiring schemes looks like if you draw it out: <S> Also note that those occupancy sensors still have a hard-on switch, so your tenants can still just leave the lights on. <S> You might want to look instead at vacancy sensors. <S> These, you tap to turn them on, and they turn themselves off automatically when everyone's gone. <S> That sounds more like what you want. <S> The how for switch #1 depends again on how they wired your #1 switches and the light they control together. <S> If you diagram out the connections, it becomes straightforward. <S> Until you have enough info to diagram it out, you don't have enough info to rewire it, either. <S> As an aside, all the exterior stairwell lights I've seen in apartment complexes were on timers. <S> They'd come on around dark and flip off in the morning. <S> I knew they were timers rather than photosensors because a couple times a year they'd end up slightly out of sync with actual daylight hours, but if these are in fact exterior lights, putting them on a photosensor and disabling the switches entirely might be an option. <A> At the risk of being a complete ass, you are likely putting way too much effort into a plan that is not likely to work. <S> You start with, "My tenants never turn the lights off ... . <S> " <S> This is not an issue of electrical wiring, this is about the tenants behavior. <S> In trying to help, my question to you is, why do you think your tenants are not going to just turn the sensors into the 'On' position, and leave it there ? <S> Feel free to just smack me on the nose with a rolled up newspaper. <S> And I will be happy to help electrical, but technology will not win out over thoughtless people. <A> I have idea. <S> How about we use two motion sensor to replace these two switches? <S> And we will use ESP8266 or Arduino to have the programming like: when motion sensor 1 or motion sensor two are '1', turn on the light.
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You can probably replace the switches with those sensors, but you're going to have to do some creative wiring to work around the fact that they're not 3-way switches, but the switches you're replacing with them are. You'll likely end up with the light being on whenever either of the switches is on. (An example vacancy sensor is Cooper Wiring Devices K01-400RW-L , but note that it does not handle CFLs, just incandescents.)
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Do USB sockets draw power when not in use? I would like to replace a couple of electrical outlets in my house with ones that have USB sockets. My concern is that they will continually draw power, even when I don't have a phone plugged in to them <Q> It is very unlikely that they won't. <S> Nearly all AC to DC converters, by design, draw a very small idle current when you aren't charging any devices. <S> Cheaper designs consume more while some good designs consume less, but unless there's a physical switch on the USB socket it will always consume some power while waiting for a device to be plugged in. <S> These are new sockets to the market, and unless you have a compelling reason to avoid a plug in USB charger I would recommend holding off anyway. <S> Not only do you have the continuous current draw (which, honestly, is going to be less then $5.00 per year even if the device is terribly inefficient) <S> but there's the likelihood of the socket failing, and it's not nearly as easily or cheaply replaced as a plug in charger. <S> Further it may not charge all devices at their full current. <S> While the USB association has suggested designs for high power charging (above 500mA), many manufacturers (notably, Apple) still use their own scheme for detecting 1A and 2A charging currents. <S> Most phones and PDAs will only charge at 1A or greater when connected to their own charger, and at the slower 500mA rate when they can't detect their own charger. <S> There are probably some applications and situations where it might be useful, for those prone to losing their chargers, for instance, but there are many reasons to reconsider using them. <A> This product has little spring-loaded doors on the USB ports that completely shut off the power supply when they're closed. <A> You will most likely have to find the results of a test of the specific model you are considering purchasing. <S> It depends entirely on the design of the power supply built into the outlet, and there is a lot of room for variation. <S> Make sure the meter has enough resolution to report this very small load. <A> Vampire power on modern devices is negligible. <S> This site did a test, they couldn't get a reading with their equipment with any single charger. <S> They had to plug a bunch in. <S> 6 devices plus the led light on the power strip was 30 cents/yr. <S> The combined total vampire power draw of this power bar, an iPhone 6 charger, an iPad Air charger, a MacBook Air (2013) charger, a Surface Pro 2 charger, a Samsung Chromebook charger, and a Nexus 7 charger read 0.3 watts. <S> https://www.howtogeek.com/231886/tested-should-you-unplug-chargers-when-youre-not-using-them/
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You could conduct the test yourself by buying one such outlet, wiring it temporarily to a plug, and using a plug-in power meter or clamp meter to measure the current/power draw.
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Is an ungrounded GFCI outlet safer than a plumbing-grounded non-GFCI outlet? I'm in the United States. I have a handful of three-prong outlets that have been grounded to the underground water main just as it enters the crawlspace. All of the ground wires are home runs to the same clamp on the water main. This rules out ground-to-ground potential differences but maybe not ground-to-neutral differences, since I believe the panel is coupled to the water main only through dirt. It's my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) that the ground terminal on GFCI outlets can safely be left unconnected as long as the cover plate is marked "NO EQUIPMENT GROUND." Is this safer than the existing plumbing-ground situation I described? I realize that neither choice is ideal, but replacing all of the 14-2 NM with modern 14-2/WG isn't an option at the moment. <Q> This is not even a contest. <S> A non-GFCI outlet will happily send 1A through hot, into a faulty or misused appliance (think: submerged toaster), from there through you into some other ground ( any ground will do, it doesn't have to be that same appliance's ground ), without noticing anything's amiss. <S> You, meanwhile, are dead several times over. <S> The ungrounded GFCI-protected outlet, OTOH, trips as soon as the current imbalance reaches 30mA or so. <S> If all the current leaving the GFCI eventually returns, there's none left to be going through your heart. <S> This is why my local electrical code doesn't like the idea of a single failure causing harm, so all socket outlets must be both GFCI-protected and grounded. <S> For some reason I don't quite understand, lighting fixtures are exempt from this, as are stoves/ovens. <A> Ground and neutral should be tied together at the main panel. <S> A GFCI will trip when it detects a current imbalance between hot and neutral. <S> This means that current imbalance may go through your body for a short time. <S> It's not likely to hurt you <S> but there it is. <S> A grounded outlet should trip the associated breaker if hot ever touches ground. <S> No current would go through your body if you were not touching the equipment. <S> That's if everything works as intended. <S> There are failure modes that could increase the chances of you being hurt. <S> For example, if the ground wire is broken somewhere, you might not know until it is too late. <S> Likewise if the GFCI protection failed, you might not know either. <A> Is the pipe under ground galv steel or plastic? <S> Assuming it is metallic pipe to a metallic box where the outlets are to be installed, you can run a green ground jumper from the box to the ground terminal on the GFIC. <S> I would then be absolutely sure to run a #4 Copper bonding conductor from the panel ground to the water pipe in the house with an appropriate connector. <S> Regardless, always use GFIC outlets outdoors. <S> They will work without the ground connected, but the extra work of bonding/grounding the boxes and outlets is worth the effort.
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Yes, the GFCI could fail to open when it should (so test it regularly), but the counter-objection is that having a ground on the outlet doesn't guarantee that the circuit breaker will operate when a loose wire in an appliance touches the chassis.
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Why would a CFL bulb dim by itself after 60 seconds? I have some GE Energy Smart CFL bulbs which are advertised as "Bright from the Start". This is true, except within 60 seconds after I turn the bulbs on, they will dramatically and immeidately become much dimmer. I assume that this is not the intended outcome, so... ... are the bulbs defective?... is there something wrong with my wiring? ... is something else going on? If this were a no-name brand I'd assume a defective bulb, but coming from GE I'd expect better. FWIW, it's a regular switch on a regular circuit. No 3-way, no dimmer, etc. <Q> The Feb. 2012 issue of Consumer Reports had a sidebar about new hybrid halogen/CFL light bulbs as part of a review of light bulbs. <S> The sidebar includes a picture of a two-pack of GE Energy Smart 75W equivalent bulbs. <S> These bulbs have a halogen bulb inside the CFL swirl. <S> The waste heat from the halogen bulb helps to warm the CFL, allowing it to reach full brightness quicker. <S> The halogen is turned off after the CFL has warmed up, so you're getting the energy savings from the CFL from that point on. <S> The drop in brightness you're seeing is when the halogen turns off. <S> The CR review said that these bulbs didn't last well in a 2 minute on / 2 minute off rapid cycle test, but were otherwise very good to excellent. <S> It also pointed out that once the CFL fails, you'll have a bulb that lights for a minute, then turns out on its own. <A> That's strange! <S> You should test the bulbs in a different fixture on a different circuit, and maybe at a different property. <S> You could just use a cheap lamp socket on a cord as a test fixture. <S> How the bulbs react in the different scenarios will tell you if the problem is the bulbs, the fixture/light circuit, or some other problem in your house wiring. <A> My experience with CFL's is opposite to your's. <S> I usually see them start dim and slowly come up to full strength. <S> The newer "instant on" CFLs (Sylvania) are much faster, but never noticed them dimming after a few seconds or minutes. <S> Bcworkz gave you a good test using another fixture to test the bulbs. <S> You also could check the voltage at the fixture with an AC volt meter. <S> You should see 117VAC + or - 3 VAC. <S> If other bulbs worked ok in the fixture, I doubt you have a problem there. <S> Have you compared the steady light output after the bulb dims to a non GE CFL to see if the output is roughly the same for the same wattage rating? <S> The GE bulbs may be brighter at startup as a method for instant on and settle down for continuous run. <S> This may be by design, even though I have never heard of such a method.
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The theory is that the halogen is used when the light is first turned on, providing instant light.
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Do I really need a small fan inside my fridge? I have a three years old fridge without "no-frost" or anything similar to avoid ice build up. Yet there's a fan in the main compartment - about 90 millimeters in diameter and running simultaneously with the fridge compressor. The salesperson couldn't explain why it is needed. Now that fan started to produce knocking noise which made my almost silent fridge rather noisy. I detached the fan cover, found a neat connector and unplugged the fan and the noise went away. Now I have two options - either I fix/replace the fan or just leave it disconnected (or maybe remove it). Do I really need that fan for the fridge operation or is it just useless and can be left out? <Q> It is a pretty strange design to have that fan inside the fridge. <S> it helps avoid mould growth, humidity build up and other horrible things. <S> -- Fans go out sooner or later.. but they usually start to make horrible noises after 12 months.. <S> I would suggest finding a replacement.. and order 2 or 3 because it will do it after 2-3 years again. <S> That is just how it is <S> --You could try and source the same dimension fan and voltage from another supplier that is more expensive.. because they put real bearings in that should last 10 years... but it will be a mission. <S> I am sorry that there is no other real alternative unless you start to go into real DIY and start rearrange everything in the fridge. <A> You almost certainly need it, manufacturer cut costs everywhere they can, they wouldn't put an electrical device in if they didn't need to. <S> The cheaper fridges I've had over the years share the cold between the freezer and fridge and had fans or blowers setup to move cold from the freezer into the fridge area. <S> If you post the brand and model numbers you can find, someone here can probably point you to a direct replacement. <A> Well, ten months have passed and I see no problems with the fan disconnected. <S> Which is no wonder - I've seen many fridges with the same design that had no fan <S> and they worked fine and this fridge also works fine without a fan. <S> The new fan costs like one tenth the price of a new fridge, so <S> just having the fan disconnected is a no-brainer. <S> To anyone who reads this I have to remind that the fridge in question doesn't have "no-frost" or similar things which might require the fan. <S> If you fridge contains "no-frost <S> " this answer may be completely inapplicable to your fridge. <A> I think the model you have is bit old and what it dose it. <S> Just cool the deep-freezer and pull the cooled air to second compartment. <S> So if you remove it your normal cooling area will be less cooler.
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But it is needed to circulate the cold air properly within the compartments it self..
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Can teflon tape be used on a threaded joint behind a wall? I'm remodeling my bathroom. Last night I took the cement board off the wall where the pipes run for the shower. One of the pipes that carries water to the shower was corroded. Upon further inspection, I noticed a small leak at a threaded joint (more or less where the hot water knob is). Can I simply take the joint apart, wrap teflon tape around it, and put it back together? Remember, when I get the bathroom rebuilt, this will be behind the tile shower, so I do not want to have to get back there again. How long should the teflon tape last? Would you advise doing the cold water side too? I figure it is only a matter of time before that is leaking too. Might as well get it now, right? <Q> I would examine why the pipe was corroded. <S> Was it a galvanic failure caused by joining copper/brass to galvanized steel? <S> Remove the fitting entirely and inspect/clean the threading. <S> If the threading is damaged then replace the valve... <S> In fact, you could replace the valves anyway if they're old and you've got the wall off. <S> But onto your actual question: Teflon tape will be fine if used properly (wrapped in the right direction, not torn, etc). <S> You may consider using high-density tape. <S> For in-wall pipes I like to use pipe dope instead. <S> Depending on the nature of the joint (and especially if it's between plastic and metal or two dissimilar but non-reactive! <S> metals) you can use both: <S> Tape first, then put dope on top of the tape. <S> For fittings, both plastic and brass can change shape easily.... <S> the threading/tightening can change the shape so the tape fills voids in the threads and the dope seals it. <A> I'm guessing that your shower valve requires a male adapter. <S> If there is not currently any tape or pipe dope on them, then this is likely why it is leaking. <S> I do wonder though if is it leaking because it is corroded, or if it corroded because it leaked. <S> Pinhole leaks that develop overtime can indicate a grounding issue in your house, though if its localized to this one area, that is likely not the case. <S> In any event, yes, do disassemble <S> both the hot and cold to add teflon tape and/or pipe dope. <S> There are plenty of opinions out there as to whether to use tape, dope or both. <S> I personally use both. <S> The pipe dope adds an extra layer of protection because it expands to fill in small cracks that tape alone might not seal against. <A> If this is copper pipe, give the area a sand and inspect the pipe. <S> A photo would help assist further. <S> As for the use of teflon tape on joints in concealed in walls: this is totally acceptable and is the standard practice. <S> Most plumbers tend to us both teflon tape and pipe dope for threaded connections. <S> The thing to remember is that it's the threads that make the seal (they are tapered and <S> the more they are tightened the more they seal) and not the teflon tape or dope. <S> The purpose of the teflon tape and/or pipe dope is to lubricate the threads so that they can be sufficiently tightened.
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If so, these threads definitely require tape and/or pipe dope. I wonder if the corrosion that you mention might be mineral buildup on the outside of the pipe due to the small leak. Many modern valves have replaceable cartridges that can be swapped when they wear out rather than having to replace the entire valve. Obviously the use of teflon tape and dope will assist in sealing as you're adding something in-between the threads and filling in any imperfections in the threads, but it should not be relied on as the seal.
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What actions can I take to reduce moisture on basement floor? In one corner of my basement, after a few heavy rains, I see a darkening of the concrete floor. To touch, the concrete feels damp-ish. I say damp-ish, because when I pull my hand away, I don't see any moisture on it. There is also no beaded moisture on the surface. The house is 57 years old, so I don't know if there is any drainage tile on the outside of the foundation. Since the house is so old, it has settled and the surrounding landscape slopes towards the house - about 20' away has a 2-3 inch slope towards the house. I believe the moisture is wicking up from the ground water, as there are no cracks in the foundation floor or basement walls. Multi-part question here: Will backfilling and building a slope away from the house stop this or at least greatly reduce the problem? Or is this simply a matter of the water table being higher than the basement floor? I'll re-iterate that this problem is only in one corner of the house. I've only owned the house for 3 years, but it looks like this has been an issue for a number of years, with little real problems. Is this something I really need to worry about, or is it mostly cosmetic? The idea of "moisture in the basement" is typically a red flag, but since there's no beaded moisture, it's only in 1 corner, and there's no cracking on either the floor or walls, I'm wondering if this isn't a big deal. Should I bother to get a dehumidifier or sealant for the concrete? Is that typically what is done in this situation or will that just be a bandaid to a deeper problem with the concrete/fill under the basement floor? Edit : Not sure if this is relevant, but this section of floor also has a drain pipe connected to, I'm guessing, the sewer. My washing machine drains to it, but I don't notice any correlation between washing & discolouration. <Q> Multi-part answer here: <S> It could be the water table, in which case, there's not a lot you can do. <S> BUT consider that when they built the house, they dug a bowl in the ground, and then backfilled with loose soil, rocks and whatever other garbage they had lying around. <S> You could have a permeable (gravel and sand) fill inside a relatively impermeable bowl (clay). <S> In this case, sloping the ground away can help. <S> It will at least get rid of standing water up against the foundation and help mitigate anything flowing through the walls. <S> The major worry is mold. <S> You can spray with a biocide if you see any growing, and certainly don't enclose it by adding drywall over the area. <S> If you have rising damp, then an internal sealant won't do anything. <S> the hydrostatic pressure will force water through. <S> A dehumidifier will remove the symptoms. <A> I think Chris hit all the main points. <S> Two other things I think are worth mentioning: <S> Because you said there is a drainage pipe at the location of the dampness, it might be worth having your sewer inspected with a camera. <S> It is possible that the sewer is collapsed, has a belly or is otherwise restricted at this location. <S> If your house has a French drain that ties in here, it could cause the moisture. <S> If your downspout is connected to your sewer and there is a restriction, this too could be a cause. <S> Even if the slope was good, if the water is being expelled right at the foundation, it will find a way in. <A> I've got the same problem and while my house is 150 years old, an addition with a brand new basement is new this year. <S> I watched the contractor put at least 12 vertical feet of stone into the exterior perimeter of the entire new foundation wall. <S> At the bottom of the exterior walls were multiple drain tiles intended to take the water away (how they work is a mystery to me as they are full of holes, but that's for another day). <S> The problem is with the new peaks on the roof which come to an angle and collect the roof water and dump it straight down to the stone bed. <S> I got a dehumidifier which registered 70% relative humidity when I started it running and am planning on getting gutters or some kind of control system to take the roof water elsewhere. <S> We'll see.
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If it's the water table, then you'll have water seeping up through the floor. Make sure that your eaves expel the water far away from your foundation. Make sure the area is clean, so that there's nothing for mold to feed on.
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How can I trim veneer edging? I've been applying some adhesive-backed veneer to some shop cabinets just to get some practice since I've never done it before. Didn't have much trouble getting it on, but trimming it has been another story. I've tried going nice and slow with a utility knife with a new blade, and then I tried one of the double-edge trimmers that you squeeze and slide along the edge. Both have had terrible results. Even when I'm not getting tear-out or splintering the resulting edge has a distinct waviness to it (ok, just the tear-out and splintering when using the trimming tool). How can I get results I can stand to look at? <Q> You really need a router. <S> Either a laminate router (the are small and easy to handle) or any router really. <S> Next you need a trim bit. <S> They have MANY different types. <S> Flush cut, 45, 25.5, finish bit. <S> The finish bit will leave a 1/16 laminate left to sand/file, or you could set the 45 bit to get almost flush. <S> Another way is with a sharp blade in your knife and a piece of wood. <S> Take a scrap piece of ply 4" wide and how ever long you need. <S> Place flat on the "face" of the cabinet and let about an inch hang over the edge. <S> We are using the wood as "backer" when we score the laminate. <S> Now take the knife and score the underside of the laminate a few times pressing the knife to the laminate and the lam to the wood, using the edge of the cabinet as your guide. <S> Do this on a practice piece to get "a feel for it". <S> Either cut all the way through, or score enough and just snap the lam. <S> * Edit <S> * If you do use a router, apply 3/4 masking tape (or blue tape) to whatever surface the bearing will ride on. <S> This will prevent any marks the bearing will leave, mostly a "shiny" line. <A> If you don't already have a router or the right bit or you want to to the hand-tool route, you might try an edge trimmer like <S> this one on Rockler's website. <S> It adjusts to the width of your panel and is made specifically for this purpose. <S> They're also pretty inexpensive. <S> You could make your own pretty easily using a razor blade or two and some scrap wood if you're so inclined. <S> So as to not show a preference for Rockler, please note that you can find similar items on Woodcraft, Amazon, and a variety of other places. <S> You might even find one your local blue or orange big-box store. <S> To reduce tear-out, be sure that you are trimming with the grain and that your blades are super sharp. <S> And only squeeze as much as you need to to get the width you're looking for, which may be easiest if you squeeze to the desired width with one hand and push the trimmer along with your other hand. <S> If you're squeezing hard enough that it's difficult to slide the trimmer along, chances are you're grabbing fibers and tearing them out along the way. <S> You can also try taking multiple shallow passes and creeping up on flush. <S> Lighter shavings are easier to control. <S> If you want to be extra careful, trim close to flush using any method (double edge trimmer, razor, chisel, handplane, etc.) <S> and then sand or file <S> the last little bit flush (as suggested by Shirlock and Bib). <S> You can incorporate this into the normal sanding regimen for the rest of the part. <A> Place a steel rule along the face of the board face so it sits on the supported veneer edge <S> ie edgeband down on a scrap board run the blade along the edge of the rule until the scrap comes away <S> then you have a straight edge about 0.75mm over the board to sand carefully with a very flat block and paper <A> A single edge razor blade works well. <S> Even then it is a good idea to leave the edge a bit high and finish the trimming with a sanding block. <S> An even better approach to edging is to laminate a thin strip of solid wood to the edge, an eighth or a quarter inch is good. <S> This eliminates the unsightly area as a glued thin veneer edge inevitably wears over time. <A> The edge trimmers work the best when the stock (not the edging) material is delicate. <S> Routers tend to scuff or beat up the stock where the bearing rides. <S> To avoid tear-out, be sure to follow the grain. <S> To do this when the grain isn't parallel with the edge, you will need to trim one edge at a time. <S> Sometimes the grain shifts direction, as well, <S> meaning that you'll need to trim some in one direction, then come back in the other direction to finish. <S> This trimmer works well. <S> You can take it apart easily to just trim one side.
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A trimmer with a skewed cutting angle can also help.
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Is the ability to save pictures worth it in an inspection camera? I am about to run a whole ton of communication cable in an existing two-story house, and so I am considering buying an inspection camera to help with this. As I started looking around, they range in price from about $75 on sale to $800. I'm not a pro contractor, but this will be a tool I use a few times a year (mostly to help fishing wires), so I don't think I need anything really high-end: One model I was considering was the Royobi Tek4 Inspection Camera (which is ~$140). What all the sub-$250 units seem to be missing is the ability to store images ("take pictures") on an SD card or whatever. So my question is this: if you own an inspection camera, how often do you actually store images, and how useful is the ability? If you don't have a model that can do this, do you often wish you did (or end up using another camera to take a picture of the screen)? For casual, non-pro use, is it worthwhile to spend $100+ additional on this ability? EDIT: Follow-up, a year and a bit later I ended up purchasing a fairly simple model that doesn't have the ability to store pictures. I've taken a picture of the screen using another camera once or maybe twice. The problem is it's exceptionally hard to get a picture that has enough context for other people to understand. In most cases, you really have to be the one holding and manoeuvring it to understand what it is you're looking at. I've used this primarily for fishing cables and drilling holes (using a very long installer's bit) inside finished walls, and it's allowed me to avoid hitting plumbing (in spots where I never would have even attempted to drill blind) and just generally work within tight spaces. It's very useful for getting a fish line through a hole in a sill plate while working through a hole in drywall the size of a single-gang retrofit box. I've also used it to see behind pipes and vents to trace wiring/plumbing. It's one of those tools that you can get by without for the most part, but it saves a lot of time, and once you have it you start finding a lot of uses. That said, it's saved me enough time and from opening enough drywall that it's easily paid for itself. <Q> Well, I don't think you will buy such thing again in the next years, so I suggest that you consider it a major purchase and plane for all reasonable usecases, not only for laying cables. <S> You can use it later for all sorts of inspections - finding sources of noise, finding sources of leaks, finding clogs in ducts and sewers, etc. <S> I believe ability to take pictures can be worth it - you can post a picture here and ask if that's mold or you can send it to the utility company to convince them that it's a leak on the common property and not on yours <S> or you can use it to post something really curious to your twitter/facebook/ <S> whatever account. <S> You decide whether these usecases are worth considering and how often you might encounter them. <S> One very important thing is you have to actually test how the thing works. <S> It may be that it saves pictures of infernal quality that can only be used as garbage. <A> Unless you get a very wide field of view and a very good quality image a static picture will not tell you much anyway, so a video function would be more useful that static pictures. <A> I think the target demographic for saving pictures is pros who want to show the homeowner what they're talking about so they're not accused of making things up. <S> When would a homeowner want to save pictures? <S> You want to take the picture in to the store / to your friend <S> / post it here to solicit help with something <S> You find something like mold and want to document it for insurance purposes <S> That's the only things I can think of, and to me it's not worth the money. <S> I've got other tools <S> I'd rather spend the money on that would get used a lot more often. <A> I bought a $10 one that is simply a remote USB camera for a phone. <S> Plugs into the micro USB charge port on my phone, or into a regular PC via a micro-> full size adapter. <S> Advantages <S> Its very cheap - if I lost it or damaged it in a wall then I'm out $10. <S> Save function - it takes a photo on the phone like the built-in cameras. <S> Small and lightweight - sits in the toolbox in an old hard drive case for protection Built in LED for illumination around the lens. <S> Disadvantages <S> Colour rendition is poor - can't really tell if a wire is red or brown, or white when its up by the internal LEDs. <S> So you have to tape it to a wire rod, or rotate the lead in your fingers to get it looking in the right direction. <S> Illumination is poor - there's dark shadows in the "distance" and things up-close are overexposed. <S> I've had luck shining a regular torch / flashlight through the entry hole, or through another access should one be available. <S> I'd 100% recommend a super cheap one for occasional use, but an expensive one would need more justification. <S> Here's a saved photo showing a small pebble caught in the handbrake caliper on my other half's car rear wheel. <S> This was done by pointing camera behind wheel and using a pocket torch to light the area. <S> Grey rock is just right of center, below the ball fitting and wedged between the main housing.
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However I believe you can get USB inspection cameras that are cheap and allows you to record/view on your laptop - they may be a better option for DIY. Control - as soon as the camera is out of your fingers, there is no good way to control where it looks.
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How can I determine what is in my water? My question is, how can I determine exactly what these "floaties" are that I see in my drinking water? I know that I sound crazy and more than a little obsessive-compulsive....my wife tells me this all the time. For a while, we had a Brita water pitcher that had a replaceable filter in it, and it works great except that bits of the charcoal would always fall into the reservoir (even after following instructions on how to clean it out after replacing it with a brand new filter, etc). We never had "floaties", other than the little grains of charcoal, which still drove me crazy (to the point that I would dump the water or use it for something else, clean out the reservoir, and fill it up again...). Whenever I get water from the tap in a glass, I raise it up to the light to see what's in it. Normally there are a bunch of air bubbles, which is fine. But after letting the cup sit on the counter (covered with saran wrap to stop dust from falling in, etc), I've checked it again and have seen little "floaties". We rent our home, and the refrigerator has a filtered water system (where you can replace a cylindrical water filter located inside the refrigerator). The water tap for this is on the inner part of the refrigerator door (as opposed to on the outside...first time I've ever seen this). Checking the water in the same manner as I do with the tap, holding it up to the light and inspecting it, results in little "floaties" in there also. I live in Southern Arizona, USA, so we have a lot of sediment buildup in our water. Using vinegar or "Lime Away" type products to remove buildup around faucets is a normal thing done every couple of months. However, the filter that is in the refrigerator, even when replaced, still has "floaties" in the water, which leads me to believe that it may either be sediment, or something living in between the dispenser head and the filter itself. I like to think of myself as a "manly man" - I like to get dirty, romp around, and have a good time. But for some reason (a mental one, I'm sure), I cannot drink water that has "floaties" in it. And if I can't/don't check for "floaties", I feel like there's something in the back of my throat that makes me want to sick up. So anyway...any DIY way to find out what these floaties are? I'm sure that it'll be cheaper than a shrink or a separate filtration solution... <Q> I would venture a guess that @Tester101's suspicion about your floaties coming from your glass (unrinsed soap, dust, etc.) may be heading down the right path. <S> I would try rinsing a glass, scrubbing it with a new sponge or clean washcloth, wiping it dry with a clean towel (not paper towel, as this may leave pieces of paper behind), and then refilling it. <S> @NiallC's comment about asking for a water report from your municipal water supply is a pretty good alternative, but doesn't factor in anything that may come from the pipes between them and you. <S> Most health departments will do water testing, so you could always fill a bottle and take it in. <S> Beyond that, if you really have to know what's in the water, your only real solution to absolutely know with 100% certainty ( <S> technically, unless you watch the health department do the tests, and can verify their results <S> , you can't KNOW that they're right... <S> but I'd probably just accept it) <S> is to get testing kits for this, that, and the other thing (that was just the first page offering a wide range of kits that I found), that operate similar to what you might use for pool water. <S> Depending on the sensitivity levels, you may pick up on things like trace amounts of chlorine... <S> but of course this is going to get back into the more expensive end of things, as those kits aren't cheap <S> (Grainger's seem to run around $40-$50 and up... <S> it's about $20 for their cheapest, which is testing for copper, on that first page of results). <S> You could pick up a pool test kit, which will cover a couple of parameters (chlorine, calcium, hardness, etc.), but it's not going to cover everything and may not operate in the range you need to identify your floaties... <S> it's designed primarily to help you maintain clear-looking pool water that you're not drinking, not crystal clear tap water. <S> So really: <S> Ask for report from municipal water supply <S> Take in sample to health department <S> If you're still paranoid and want to know what it is, buy test kits <S> If you just want to get rid of the floaties, filter, filter, filter, and make sure your dishes aren't the source <A> If you are concerned about the microbiology of your water you need to contact your local health department to check it out. <S> -Simple test strips can only identify PH, acidity and metals that are dissolved within the water. <S> Testing the floaties requires professional inspection like health laboratories and specific area related data. <S> To remove excessive debris / silt / and dissolved chemicals <S> If you are happy that the water is not a hazard to your health and the only problem is some debris from pipes and or "charcoal??"(i think you mean carbon!) <S> then installing a 2 stage filter on the main inlet of the house.. or at the tap that you intend to fill up on your drinking/cooking water. <S> The 2 stage filter consists of 1- 5Micron filter or spun polyster to remove particles such as silt / "flaoties"2- <S> Carbon block - removes smells and chlorine from water <S> Commercial Solutions <S> If you star searching for designs like this- <S> you will come accros manyu RO (Reverse Osmosis) filter that describe PURE drinking water. <S> In my opinion and many others it is considered that drinking RO (reverse osmosis / distilled water) is not healthy! <S> The other half will disagree- <S> but they usually have some money to make out of it and these untis cost more than they should! <S> Interesting blog article. <S> read about the water <S> A setup like this is used because RO filter takes absolute ages to filter water. <S> removing the RO membrane allows normal flow. <S> A simple 2 stage filter should not cost you much and the filter media needs changin 6 months if used daily and about 12 months on occasion. <S> It is important to note that none of the media releases toxins into the water once it is saturated. <S> The tank of water outside - you could install a prefilter mesh that is carbon activated; but just make sure its not toxic. <S> Goodluck <A> Note, I have no personal experience with this since I trust the tests done by my municipality.
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You can use a simple drinking water test kit to prove to yourself that it's safe.
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How can I mount a TV when I can't find studs inside my wall? WARNING: I'm not the greatest handyman. I bought a TV mount the other day, expecting to hang my heavy 40" TV above the fireplace. However, the instructions specifically say to first screw the mount into the studs in the wall. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have any (according to my brand-new seemingly-functional stud finder). Installing studs into the wall is not an option, and the TV is relatively heavy. My question is: What other options do I have? Could plugs possibly do the trick? <Q> If you have a wall, you have structure. <S> If your wall is drywall then you must have structure behind it... <S> perhaps your studfinder is malfunctioning or you're using it improperly? <S> Check your stud-finder against both sides of a nearby electrical socket for functionality. <S> If you cannot locate a stud, try tapping a small nail into the wall board near an existing fixture. <S> If it meets resistance behind the wall-board then you have a stud. <S> Wall studs should be spaced in regular intervals (usually 16" on center in the US) so you can simply measure over to your mount area to locate them. <S> Once you believe you have found studs simple repeat the above test: tap in a small nail to verify structure behind the wall board. <S> Studs should be 1.5 inches wide, so check that you can mark both sides of the side (to mount into the middle). <S> You may need to tap many small holes to accomplish this without an adequate stud finder. <A> If your house is old enough to have horsehair plaster <S> it is possible that there are no studs between the chimney and the plaster. <S> I know mine did not. <S> I was hesitant to use masonary anchors because of the age and condition of the brick. <S> I fiqure I had two options. <S> I could widen the mantle and sit the TV on it. <S> The other option was to build a plywood panel wide enough to reach the studs on either side of the chimney and thick enough to support the TV. <S> I stained it to match the wood on the mantle trimmed it up nice, mounted a couple of wall sconces to fill in the extra width. <A> I had a similar scenario a while back, where the only place I could practically mount the TV was in between two studs. <S> My TV mounting bracket had 12 holes (5 horizontal top and bottom and two on the vertical). <S> I used all twelve of them with hollow-wall anchors: <S> I halved the capacity of the anchor <S> so I assumed 5kg per anchor, giving a support of around 60kg's. <S> This is much more weight than any TV made in the last 10 years or so. <S> It's been on my wall for nearly 2 years now and hasn't budged. <A> I have used large heavy plastic anchors that come with wire shelving kits. <S> They need to be pre-drilled with a bit slightly smaller then the actual anchor, then these anchors screw into the plaster. <S> In my case, horse hair plaster with laths. <S> My house is the oldest in the borough, over 100 years old. <S> I have a lot of heavy things hanging on these shelves which have been up for 10 years now and have had no problems. <A> I just ran into this problem with my 55" Sony. <S> What I did was cut 3/4" piece of plywood a few inches less then the backside of the my TV. <S> I then used six toggle bolts, one in each corner and two straddling where the top screw of the mount would go. <S> Make sure you bore a hole in the plywood and the sheet rock large enough for the toggle to fit through while folded. <S> I used a 3/16th's toggle bolt and a 7/16's speed bore bit to accomplish this. <S> When you buy you toggle bolts, also grab the same number of fender washers, as standard washers will go right through the hole you just bored. <S> Insert the toggle bolts till you here <S> them click open on the side of the wall and tighten with a screwdriver, not a drill or driver as to not crack the sheetrock. <S> For added attachment, I used all 7 pre-drilled holes in my mount. <S> I also replaced the lag screws that came with the mount with screws that didn't have shoulders so the threading would be engaging in the plywood as well. <S> Hung the TV, painted the plywood the same color as the wall and it works like a charm.
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If your wall is masonry then the TV mount can likely be mounted directly to the masonry (or mounts are available which can). Studs can usually be found beside original electrical boxes (as the boxes are mounted to the side of the stud).
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How do I clean ballpoint pen marks from an LED TV screen? My kid was playing with a pen and she drew a few lines on the TV screen. I tried to remove it with water just after it happened, but it didn't work. Now the lines have been on the TV for a few days, so how can I clean it? <Q> A simple pencil eraser works well <S> , you just have to be patient and not press too hard. <S> I've had my kids mark up TVs and laptop screens a few times. <A> My go to for cleaning a screen is 99% isopropanol alcohol and a lint-free microfiber cloth. <S> It works well on many household inks (including most permanent markers). <S> This should remove the ink from the screen. <S> Depending how hard the pen was pressed and the material of the screen, the pen might have also scratched the screen. <S> Easiest way to see if its ink or a scratch is to run your finger over it and feel for the scratch. <S> Scratches can be removed depending on how much work you are willing to put into it. <A> so I'm guessing it would work on a regular pen. <S> But I don't know if that is something you would want to try after reading other comments about ruining anti glare coatings.
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Nail polish remover (100% acetone is best) will get rid of permanent marker
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What is the best way to remove pet odor from concrete? The concrete floor in my garage had been home to a large dog for several years. There is a visible stain and strong smell in one area of the garage floor. The concrete does not appear to be sealed or painted. What is the best way to remove the odor? <Q> Let me save you some time. <S> Forget the pet store products, just go to Home Depot or Lowe's and get yourself a can of primer/sealer <S> , I think Kilz brand is the best. <S> I had a really bad cat urine odor problem in my townhome many years ago (from previous owners). <S> Like you, I went to the Internet <S> and I tried a lot of suggestions I found there. <S> They just temporarily covered up the smell and during hot weather it came back. <S> Big waste of money and time. <S> Finally someone suggested the Kilz brand primer/sealer and it worked. <S> The smell never ever came back, and there was a clean "new home" smell. <S> I used it on drywall <S> but I'm sure they have stuff for concrete as well. <A> Enzymes. <S> Go to your local pet store, they should have quite a few products to remove "pet odor". <S> Stay away from products that are just a perfume, all they will do is mask the oder. <A> I use Anti Icky Poo: http://antiickypoo.com/ <S> It works great. <S> It's important to remove the odor to prevent repeat offenses. <S> I recommend blocking the area off for a few months in addition. <A> You could also try Drylok, http://www.ugl.com/drylokMasonry/masonryWaterproofer/latex.php . <S> You probably won't be able to remove anything that is causing the odor in the concrete <S> so I'd try to seal it in instead. <S> I haven't had any luck with enzyme products once the stain is dried and set-in over a long period of time.
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NONE of those specialty pet odor removal products worked. I believe they also sell something that will etch the surface of the concrete so the Drylok will adhere better.
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Should gloves be worn when working with concrete to prevent it from coming in contact with skin? I was told recently that concrete is slightly corrosive. Should gloves be worn when using concrete or is it fine to handle concrete as long as its not done on a regular basis? <Q> Cement (the active component of concrete) is a base (an alkali ) that can be irritating to skin. <S> It is not very strong and should not be a problem on all but sensitive skin, if the exposure is short or intermittent. <S> It could be very irritating to eyes and nasal passages if there is a lot of exposure. <S> Gloves are not a bad idea (e.g., disposable nitrile) but concrete pourers and DIYers handle all the time with little ill effect (again, for short exposure). <A> Corrosive? <S> You bet. <S> Wet concrete can cause chemical burns, 3rd degree burns, cause blindness if gotten in the eyes. <S> Wear gloves <S> no matter how often you use concrete. <S> Now, unless you like what your skin turns to when working with concrete without gloves, go ahead. <A> Please, please wear gloves! <S> Especially if you are a DIYer, and will be working on a project that involves any more than two pounds of cement. <S> I did not listen to the warning, and worked with the wet cement without gloves. <S> We were filling the bottom of a pond that had cracked, and spent about 5 hours across two days working. <S> I didn't notice anything at all while I was working, but as soon as I rinsed off my hands, I found plenty of small puncture wounds and sores that the gravel had eaten into my skin! <S> Even my father, who has carpenter's hands, had the same sores. <S> My advice to anyone working with cement for more than an hour is to wear gloves. <S> Even the cheap disposable kinds really helped my grandfather and brother to avoid the pain and irritation we experienced. <S> Cement also really dries out your skin, so now on top of the sores, I've got cracks and tight skin. <S> Just wear the gloves! <A> As you can see from the other answers, there is a range of opinions. <S> I have observed that some people handle concrete bare-handed without trouble, while others' skin reacts very badly. <S> For example, my neighbor got sores very fast with exposure to concrete while setting fence posts. <S> And I've heard reports that these types of sores heal very slowly. <S> If you don't want to wear gloves, then try without them, and see how it goes. <S> Certain activities require more contact with concrete than others. <S> For example, when building a cordwood masonry wall, you typically place concrete by the handful. <S> The literature recommends wearing heavy rubber gloves, and coating your hands with a protective oil beforehand. <S> Don't forget about your lungs. <S> Breathing concrete dust can be harmful, in ways that you can't immediately detect. <S> Consider a dust mask when mixing, especially indoors. <A> Wear gloves . <S> I made a similar mistake. <S> My injuries aren't as severe as this guy but still similar in nature. <S> I'm not sure if it's the abrasive action of the sand or the caustic affects of cement/lime, but likely a mixture of the two resulting in this mess. <S> I started getting these injuries within 2-3 hours of working with cement/concrete. <S> It's also extremely basic which sucks the oils right out of your skin which on its own has the potential to damage your skin. <S> Originally from reddit : <A> I’ve been working with cement and concrete the past 2 days. <S> I was using my bare hands to mix it and while it was irritating after a while <S> my hands were fine. <S> They did get somewhat dried out. <S> My boyfriend was using it to fill in parts of our cellar floor and he received chemical burns on his finger tips and they are oozing.
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My suggestion if your going to be using concrete or cement even for a few minutes is to wear gloves.
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Does one wall socket share power between both ac plugs? In a standard wall outlet (two three-prong sockets) do both sockets share power? Say I plugged a surge protector into one and a surge protector into the other and have 5 devices connected to each surge protector. Would that be the same as if I plugged both surge protectors in to one socket using a splitter? I'm asking because I'm thinking of getting something like this but it only plugs into one socket, where I currently have a surge protector plugged into each socket. Would this be ok or will it overload the outlet? <Q> It depends. <S> Outlets are manufactured so that both sockets are powered from a single source - one hot wire and one neutral wire and a ground wire for safety. <S> If you attach the hot and neutral wires to the screws for one socket, these brass tabs carry that connection to the other socket. <S> It works the same way if you use the press in connections which are holes on the back of some outlets (but many pros and DIYers do not favor using press in connections). <S> The brass tabs on the side carry the power from one socket to the other. <S> You can change this. <S> If you break off the brass tab on the hot side, the hot wire you attach to one socket does NOT carry over to the other socket within the outlet. <S> This technique is often used to have an outlet with an always live socket (for clocks, etc,) and a switched outlet (for bedside lamps). <S> The outlet is wired with two separate hot leads, one that is always hot and one that goes through a switch. <S> They could be on the same or different breakers depending on several factors. <S> You can also separate the sockets if you wanted a dedicated socket for a high draw device, such as a heater, and run a separate line from the panel. <S> (This generally would require a separate neutral). <S> In your example, if the sockets are set up conventionally, that is powered from a single line, there is no difference, except plugging into a socket is a marginally safer approach than multiple splitters. <S> Be sure that the overall load that is likely to be used at one time does not exceed the capacity of the surge protectors or the circuit breaker on the line. <A> In a standard wall outlet (two three-prong sockets) do both sockets share power? <S> The short answer is "probably". <S> We can't be absolutely certain without opening things up a little bit. <S> You don't have to worry about it too much, though. <S> If it doesn't flip the breaker* then the in-wall wiring is safe. <S> The only consequence of "overloading the circuit" is tripping the breaker. <S> It that happens, just flip the breaker back on, and find a different solution. <S> Remember also that many outlets, perhaps in different rooms, can be on the same circuit. <S> You may already have load on this circuit and not know it. <S> So again, just try it & see. <S> You may be thinking about adding up the load ratings printed on each device and using that to decide if it will overload the circuit. <S> This doesn't work, as devices rarely draw their full rated load. <S> Computer equipment is a great example - my laptop is rated at 90W, but usually draws more like 10W. <S> *Assuming everything is wired correctly & functioning properly. <A> Get one that includes surge protection, like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T3QBRI6?psc=1 or this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018T28QNS?psc=1 . <S> The purpose of a surge protector is to smooth out irregularities in the supply that could damage sensitive (i.e. computer) equipment. <S> Any DC adapters you plug in are already doing a good deal of smoothing in their own right. <S> I could be wrong but you seem to be mixing up the function of a surge protector and the MCB's and/or RCD in your distribution board.
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On almost all outlets, those sockets are connected by small tabs of brass that feeds the connections from one socket to the other. The neutral side may or may not be connected depending on several factors that are not critical here. In general, try not to overload your domestic circuits. Plug everything in and try it. Also, regardless of whether the sockets are sharing power, a surge protector in one would never protect the other as it is "downstream" (for want of a better word) from both of them.
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What can I do about mild water/moisture damage to laminate wooden flooring? Yesterday, I accidentally left the window open while it was raining heavily. Some rain poured in for a while (maybe a half-hour or so) before I noticed. After I had wiped off the floor, some dark areas remained in the vicinity of the seams between the planks. Since then, most of these dark areas have dried up and returned to their original color, but some still remain, close to the wall (see pictures below) These dark areas seem to dry up extremely slowly (I guess they are a sign of trapped water, and not permanent discolouration). I guess they will dry up in due time, even if it might take a very long time, but I've read that mold growth can initiate in as little as 72 hours, which makes me a bit worried. What should I do, just leave it and wait for it to dry up? Call a professional? (I'd rather not, of course). Take measures on my own? <Q> The most common approach to dealing with flooded surfaces is to blow air across them. <S> The constantly changing air absorbs moisture. <S> Commercial companies use very high volume fans, but any fan should help. <S> If you can exhaust the air from the room, the moisture level in the air should drop and more water will be absorbed from the floor. <S> Use of a dehumidifier would also speed up the drying. <S> While it is temping to use heat, there is a risk that the heat or the steamy water it generates may compromise the finish on the floor. <A> If after drying, you are left with a stain (which you probably will), it is going to require a bit more work if you want to remove the stain. <S> You are going to have to remove the finish above the stain, remove the stain, then refinish the area or re-stain and refinish the area. <S> Mask around the stainRemove <S> the finish covering the stain, sandpaper is fine. <S> Use oxalic acid to remove the stain (following all directions on the package)after <S> the stain is gone, re stain and or refinish the spot. <A> This answer comes a few years late for Andrea, but given the question (and answers) have received many views I thought I would chime in. <S> Laminate flooring is a synthetic floor that uses a paper like product on the top surface. <S> When that gets wet, it's ruined. <S> So if others are reading this thread and are certain you have sustained water damage to your laminate floors, you're probably looking at having to replace that section of flooring. <S> But just as important is understanding that if the water sat for any time at all, it probably traveled through the floor itself into the sub-floor (and even into and up the drywall). <S> Most people assume the only affected area is that which they can see, and that's usually a poor assumption that leads them to take corrective measures that don't address the underlying moisture problems. <S> That's when you get black mold. <S> It's always a good idea to have a certified water mitigation technician come out and do a moisture assessment to see where the water has traveled. <S> If they are reputable they aren't going to charge you for the assessment and at a minimum you will have a better idea of what you're up against.
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Although I'm not certain Andrea's floors were laminate, if they were they would not be able to be properly dried out if they sustained water damage.
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Why is sewage backing up from this outdoor pipe? I just recently moved into my first house this morning and when I went outside I noticed this: What happened? What should I do? I have no idea what that pipe even is. I don't believe there is a septic tank on my property because we use city utilities? <Q> My guess, and it's only a guess, is that that pipe is where the downspout used to attach to the sewer system. <S> Until very recently, downspouts used to connect directly to the sewage system. <S> Many municipalities have passed laws mandating the removal of these connections because the treatment plant would often overflow during a storm, leading to the dumping of untreated sewage into natural waterways. <S> So what's happened, is there is a block downstream of the connection between this storm sewer and the household sewer. <S> Typically, if the blockage occurs on the road side of the water supply cut off -- -- then the city is responsible. <S> If it's inside, then the homeowner is responsible. <S> In my city, they'll run a camera down the pipe, and charge you $300 for the scoping if the blockage is on your side. <S> I'm betting in the short term, you'd be better of to get a city licensed plumbing and drainage contractor to snake it out and absorb the cost. <S> Not a DIY job, because the city will make you pay for anything that goes wrong. <S> The next issue is how to stop it from happening again. <S> You'll probably have to dig down to the connection, remove the downspout and cap it off. <S> Again, since you're playing with municipal systems, this is not a DIY job. <S> You might get lucky with calling the city, but then again, they might inspect certain systems and order you to fix them right away, at a cost you likely can't afford if you just bought the house. <A> Whatever it is, it did it's job. <S> Looks like the cap blew off (the white thing to the right) and the backed up sewage came out of the pipe instead of in your house! <S> I am guessing they didn't use a screw on cap or glued on, for this reason. <S> Maybe the sewer backing up happened often and the homeowner had this put in? <S> Call a plumber to look into it more and fix the backup. <A> The cleanout is used for easy access tho the main sewer line to clear blockages with a drain cleaning cable (snake).
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It could also be a cleanout for the sewer line from the house to the city main.
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Why do the oven and burners work but the pilot light won't ignite? Texas Gas Service turned off our gas for the weekend. We just got it turned back on, and the stove and oven will both light -- but the pilot lights won't. They worked fine before Friday. Obviously this has something to do with the fact that they turned off our gas temporarily. How do I repair the pilot lights? <Q> Why did they turn off the gas? <S> To do some work? <S> If that is the case then there is probably air in the line. <S> The pilot orifice is small compared to the burners which means it will take longer for the air to "bleed out". <S> Alternatively, there may be a button somewhere that you have to hold down (to get the gas flowing to the pilots) <S> in order to light the pilots to light. <S> Once lit you usually have to hold this "button" down for 10 to 20 seconds. <S> Have you ever lit a non-electronic water heater? <S> Same thing here. <S> Where I live, if the gas gets shut off for any reason (non-payment of bill, work in the street on the main) <S> the gas company must (for safety reasons) come into your house to relight any appliance with a pilot. <A> There are a few things that can happen when a gas line is shut off for maintenance, that might cause a pilot not to relight when the gas is turned back on. <S> Air in the line <S> If the pipe is cut; and/or replaced, there can be air in the line. <S> To remedy this, you'll simply have to bleed off the air by opening a valve until all the air is released. <S> Junk in the line <S> Sometimes during maintenance, small particles can become dislodged. <S> These particles can be carried by the gas down the line. <S> Because the orifices tend to be very small, they can easily become blocked by this debris. <S> To fix this you'll have to remove, and clean the orifices. <S> A drip leg near each outlet will diminish the chances of this occurring, but may not completely eliminate the possibility. <S> Closed valves <S> When working on gas lines, valves at each fixture/outlet may be closed along with the main valve. <S> In this case, you'll have to locate each valve and open it. <A> It may be that your pilot system needs a flame trained on a key area to open the valve to the pilot itself. <S> HOWEVER, this is a safety feature and, if you are not certain about what is causing the problem, you should have the gas company or a knowledgable plumber rectify the problem. <A> I had the same experience--at least with the burner pilots--and I discovered that the problem was due to air in both pilot lines. <S> By loosening the screw which is at the base of the dual lines, I increased the flow of gas which bled out both lines. <S> Then, I lit the pilots, I tightened the screw to bring the flame level down to what it had been previously. <S> Initially, take note of the position of the screw slot. <S> Then you can easily return the flame back to its original level.
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There are some gas systems that require heat on a key point (usually provided by a lit pilot) before a valve will open to allow gas to flow.
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What is the best way to fill a 3 inch gap under my concrete front porch? I'm in need of some help with my concrete foundation. As I was leaving the house this morning I discovered two or three skunks crawling into a gap under my porch. The hole is on the bottom of the porch where the grass and porch meet. The gap is about 42"L x 3 1/4"W. What's the best way to fill this gap? Also, what would be the best way to get all the animals out of there? I wouldn't want them to get stuck under there if I pour concrete; that would not be good news at all. <Q> I'll assume that the hole is there because concrete was put onto unrammed gravel. <S> The current state is left on the picture <S> Now assuming you've got rid of the animals you have to stabilize the existing concrete and the gravel beneath it. <S> That will be the easiest way to force the new concrete under the old concrete. <A> You could buy some humane traps and relocate the animals yourself but a) depending on where you are that might be illegal, and b) they're skunks ! <S> Check with your municipal government to see whether they can help with the removal and if not bring in the professionals. <S> Once you have the animals removed put in a temporary cover to prevent more animals from coming in. <S> This could be a plywood sheet that is anchored to your home's frame or maybe screwed into the foundation itself. <S> As for filling up that gap I can't really say, it depends on what caused the gap in the first place, the condition of the ground and other factors that can't be determined from a picture. <A> You should consider mudjack to fill the gap. <S> There are contractors who specialize in this type of work.
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The easiest way would be to excavate some of the gravel until you reach some stable foundation (I'd guess it's around one foot deep) and put new concrete forming an extra "step". To remove the animals I'd hire an animal control company to get rid of them for you.
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How can I fabricate a custom one-off plastic part? Here's some background: I just moved into a house and am in the process of fixing up the bathroom. I want to keep the two florescent lights that frame the medicine cabinet but the plastic covers are probably 30 years old and one is cracking. Question: Does anyone know of a place where I can send the one good light have a set of covers fabricated out of new plastic? The lights look almost identical to this: (source: robern.com ) <Q> That piece looks to just be a single curve (bent in a single axis), so it's possible to do yourself, but it's not necessarily the easiest thing to do, and you can get some optical distortion depending on how evenly you flex it. <S> If I were to do it, I'd do the following: <S> Trace the inside contour onto a piece of wood. <S> Make multiple wood pieces, slightly under size, one for each 6" or so of the length. <S> Attach them all with some sort of stringer, or just mount down to a piece of plywood. <S> Stretch a piece of thin metal <S> (look for aluminum flashing at the hardware store) over the plug. <S> Make sure the existing piece fits on the plug well, if not, adjust. <S> Secure the aluminum flashing. <S> (I recommend contact cement or other adhesive <S> so you don't leave dimples from nails or screws) <S> Get a piece of plastic the length you need, and maybe a tad wider than you think you need. <S> Get a few strips of wood the length needed, and some clamps. <S> Place one side of the plastic against the plug, and clamp in place (use the wooden strip, so you're not clamping against the plastic). <S> Using a heat gun, evenly heat the plastic at the curve, and slowly apply pressure on the unclamped side. <S> Once you get it bent, clamp the other side and let cool. <S> If you have a more complex shape, you can try to find someone who has a vaccuum table (or make your own ), or find someone with a large enough autoclave. <S> And one other thing to note <S> -- flourescent lights give off more UV than incandescent bulbs, so <S> most shrouds for them are UV blocking. <A> I think all of the comments are pretty spot on - unless a friend of yours has a large 3D printer, getting a single part made is going to be very expensive. <S> Producing the part is actually not the expensive part, but building the molds used to produce the part can be VERY expensive. <S> So expensive that often times a company might only have a single mold of any given part. <S> If you are really set on keeping the fixtures I think your best bet would be to try and find a similar fixture on eBay or at a used goods store and seeing if the covers would fit. <S> Maybe find one a bit larger and trim to size. <A> For example 3D Print UK <S> They offer help designing product <S> and i think the max sizes are something like 2.5metres by 1metre. <S> They charge £2 per square cm of material used. <S> In order for it to diffuse light like you require you will need quite a thin print out (cheaper <S> so that's good) <S> but it is more brittle. <S> You might find some locally by you that can offer similar services. <S> These printing services are popping up all over the place. <S> i.materialise.com US <S> <- They can print in translucent resin , silver, gold, titanium and a bunch of other crazy materials! <S> I am not sure about design help <S> but it seems they accept a variety of deign files. <S> Try and ask a traditional glass blower to do that for a few bux! <S> And completely unrelated but since I am talking about it, 3D food printers! <S> Yumm! <A> It is often the kind of thing that is hardly ever worth making, unless you have the equipment and the skills. <S> Having said that, I'll also say that I've often made parts to replace a variety of things from plastic, from the handle on a well used kitchen pot to rebuilding the wheels and axel of a hand cart. <S> It CAN be an interesting and fun problem to solve. <S> For your problem, I'd not be looking for a 3-d printer as others have suggested, but for a translucent thermo-plastic, that with some carefully applied heat and a form of the proper shape can be deformed into the shape you desire. <S> See if you can find a piece of sheet plastic, then build a form. <S> It won't be trivial to do, as it will be easy to apply too much heat, or too little. <S> Perhaps an infra-red bulb or two will give you nicely distributed heat.
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As others have said, you will often spend more on the part than on new fixtures, especially if you add in your time to find it or make it. In the UK there services popping up that offer profesional 3D printing
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Why does my fluorescent light fixture take minutes to turn on in high heat and humidity? Our kitchen fixture won't come on for 3 to 5 minutes when the temperature goes over 90°F (32.2°C) and 90% humidity. It flickers and only reaches 80% brightness after that. It will occasionally flicker in lower, but still warm temperatures. It is fine below 60°F (~15°C). I have tried replacing the tubes using both standard and ES tubes. We rarely get above 90°F (32.2°C) without going over 90% humidity so I can't tell if it is the heat or the humidity causing the issue. <Q> By the sound of things you must be using the older ballasts with a starter plug. <S> These ballasts cause flickering of the bulb and this constant flickering causes damage to the ballast itself. <S> The ballast has to generate a very high voltage to "spark" the tube. <S> Once the tube is glowing the ballast can relax and give a constant power output. <S> The state between changing from high output to regulated is very stressful for the components and the starter plug is also responsible for handling this change. <S> Tubes need to be replaced every 12-24 months because the gas inside the tube loses it health properties even though it still emits light. <S> So technically it becomes bad for your eyes because it starts to produce unwanted UV light. <S> I would suggest removing the old light fitting and buying a new one and INSIST on an electronic ballast. <S> The electronic ballast does not need any starter plugs and handles the initial output voltage much better. <S> It does not cause flickering (but if there is a problem it just does not turn on). <S> These ballasts MUST match the wattage of the tubes. <S> Higher or lower wattage will result in shortened life of the tube or not turn on at all. <S> The electronic ballast will not be influenced by humidity or temperature that much. <S> It just runs. <S> The differences... <A> Fluorescent bulbs use a hermetic seal, which means no humidity will penetrate the bulb itself. <S> This seal is necessary to keep the toxic mercury vapor from leaking out into the environment. <S> The corrosion is easily avoidable by purchasing a weatherproof fluorescent bulb, as they are resistant to corrosion. <S> Excess buildup of condensation on the outside of the bulb can cause it to take longer to turn on. <S> The temperature difference on the glass negatively affects the delicate process within. <S> Wiping the condensation off the bulb and waiting for five minutes will remedy the problem in most situations. <S> Additionally, purchasing a weatherproof fluorescent bulb will avoid the problem altogether. <A> Humidity alone can interrupt or delay a fluorescent bulb from 'starting'. <S> Humidity dampens or shorts the bulb. <S> A strip of foil breaks the humid envelope on the bulb (prevents thin condensate coating or humidity). <S> Another method is to rub your dry hand or cloth along the length of the bulb. <S> The static electricity (high voltage/low amperage) is often enough to 'start' the bulb.
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Humidity can cause corrosion of the metal fixtures on the ends of a fluorescent bulb, impeding its ability to transmit electricity. This can happen with older canister capacitor starting 'cans' or solid-state ballasts.
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Can I install sub floor over carpeting? Part of my basement has carpet laid 25 years ago The area is dry: never a water, mold or odor problem. We tested a small area and it was a nightmare to remove the glue from the concrete. We are thinking about installing a sub floor on top of the carpet, constructing a grid of 1 1/2" strapping and 3/4 plywood on top. Will this work? Edit: Thanks for the replies. I need to add that the house is a back split. The basement lower area basement is split. One half is the traditional basement housing the furnace etc and is 2 1/23 feet lower than the area that I will be making a sub floor for. There are four steps leading to an upper hallway. Off that hallway is the room I wish to install the sub floor. This area consists of the area which is 2 1/2 feet higher than the basement area. That area has been carpet over a cement base. Never had a water problem, no evidence of mold nor any damage to the existing carpet, never any foul order. The area is completely dry. <Q> Pull out the carpets. <S> never put a subfloor over something like old carpet. <S> This would be a perfect situation to grow mold, mildew, stink and rot the wood subfloor from the bottom up. <S> Don't take the chance, remove it before putting down anything else. <A> Rather unorthodox <S> but I can't really think of a good reason not to. <S> I'm inclined to want a positive attachment to the slab, but that may not be necessary. <S> Actually, I'm inclined to pull the carpet, leave the glue. <S> Then glue the strapping to the floor/glue residue. <S> Consider how the floor level changes the height of the last stair riser. <S> Having a riser significantly different than other risers is a significant safety hazard and violates any model code in existence. <A> ask at your hardware store or flooring specialist about a good scraper for the job. <S> there's no reason why any kind of glue would not come off a flat surface, <S> especially a concrete surface.my house had an extension built and a room was split in two by a dimwit installing a wall over carpet.
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You may not have any moisture problems now, but any occurrence of water (flood, broken plumbing, spill) getting in that hidden carpet in the future will cause you more grief than you could dream of. i've since removed (all) the dust mite infested carpet and replaced the wall.you will void any warranty for material and any guarantee from a builder, by (incorrectly) installing a floor on top of carpet.
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What is this knob for on my fireplace? I have the pictured "knob" beside my gas fireplace. Can anybody tell me what its purpose is? I also have an on/off switch beside the fireplace. I'm guessing this is for the gas. Is there any harm in turning the switch off while the fireplace is on to test my theory? <Q> Having built and been specing equipment for all kinds of fireplaces, I would have to say that this key is used to turn a quarter-turn gas valve. <S> If you like to reference it, you can find the same key, with the valve set up, manufactered by Arrowhead Brass. <A> That would be the flue control. <S> The flue is the metal duct work, ceramic piping or brick chimney stack that runs from a firebox to the top of a chimney to the outdoors. <S> The flue directs exhaust gases and debris from a fireplace upward to vent outdoors into the atmosphere. <S> The flue is effective because it makes use of the stack effect that happens when there's a significant temperature differential between the indoor and outdoor ends of the flue. <S> This has the effect of drawing the exhaust gases and ash, which are lighter weight than the cold outdoor air, up through the flue and venting them outside. <S> Some heat is lost as well in this process, and modifications can sometimes be made in or above the firebox to minimise this ancillary heat loss. <S> The flue has a secondary purpose of allowing fresh air to enter it, which aids in feeding or oxygenating a fire. <S> At the fireplace end that knob allows exhaust gases to escape, and fresh air to enter, when the fireplace is in operation. <S> The lever can be closed to prevent cold air from entering a home when the fireplace is not in use. <A> Before I use the fireplace I would do one of two things. <S> Get the model# and go to hearthmaster website and down load the owners manual or contact a heating pro to explain to you how it works. <S> The somewhat generic info on Hearthmasters website shows the knob to be the gas shutoff. <S> If you turn it off the pilot (if it has one) will be extinguished. <S> That means if you turn it back on and donot or cannot relight the pilot you will have a gas leak. <S> The wall switch could be for a fan unit or an ignitor if the unit is pilotless. <S> What all this means is that you need more information before turning or switching any thing. <S> This is a case where knowledge is heat and no knowledge is a potential explosion. <A> I am not satisfied this was answered correctly. <S> This (removeable) key has a gas shutoff valve at the other end. <S> In my installation, the valve itself was installed below the floor, probably by an untrained do it yourselfer from the looks of it. <S> The knob was located behind a curtain which my grandson found immediately and shut the gas fire place off for me. <S> I would recommend the key be removed and placed on the fire place mantle. <S> I don't think codes allow gas system valves to be installed above basement ceilings, with or without a key through the floor. <A> It is the gas supply adjustment valve. <S> I have one! <A> There is no harm in turning it off while the fireplace is operating, as long as your know how to relight the pilot light (if any). <S> If the gas goes off, you're good to go. <S> If the gas does not go off, you're probably looking at the prior gas heater's shutoff. <S> Turn this off during the summer season to save gas and reduce CO poisoning risk, if you have a standing pilot light. <A> This is a really old thread, but I don't see the correct answers here. <S> I also have a valve exactly like that and a switch. <S> The valve controls the propane flow into the gas fireplace log set. <S> It only controls the flow into your home. <S> Once open it goes to your fireplace. <S> The gas fireplace logs will then automatically open a valve to use the gas when you light it. <S> My switch turns on a blower below my fireplace that heats the room. <S> The walls of the fireplace need to be hot before the blower will blow warm air.
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The knob raises or lowers the flame in the fireplace.
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How do I install this wall mount bathroom sink? I'm replacing a sink that was on a vanity cabinet and hoping to do as little busting through the perfectly good tile as possible. I heard a rumor that I need to make very sure that the sink is adequately supported. I'm more than happy to add legs. I bought this Glacier Bay sink second hand so I've got no manufacturer's nothing. Also, I've never done this before. If I can't find studs am I basically screwed? Can I build my own legs if I'm reasonably skilled? How would I go about that? <Q> looks like it needs bolts with very large rubber washers/gromets. <S> even then i'd be afraid that the weight of the sink would just crack the mounting holes. <S> the mounting holes you've got are 300mm apart, exactly as stud distance. <S> use a stud finder.i have a hanging sink <S> but it came with hardware: <S> two vertical metal straps that you attach to the studs, the metal straps lean out a bit at the top and the sink hooks onto those. <A> If the studs don't line up with the mounting holes you'll have to open the wall and install blocking between the studs. <S> You might not have to open the entire wall just a section big enough to install the blocking. <S> I would use a 2x6 double thick. <S> Using a combo wood/machine screw will make bolting the sink to the wall easier. <S> This hardware has a lagbolt thread on one side that goes into the blocking. <S> The other end has a standard machine thread. <S> Just hang the sink on the exposed threads and install the washers and nuts. <A> You will need to open the wall and add horizontal backing between the studs. <S> Two pieces of 2x6s stacked and mounted flush with the inside edge of the drywall should be adequate. <S> Use two lag bolts complete with rubber washers through the two holes shown on the last picture. <S> In addition, you'll want to also install a wall bracket similar to this: Mount the bracket to the wall, screwing into the backing. <S> The two tabs that stick out will allow carry the weight of the sink (the two leg bolts through the sink prevent the sink from tipping). <S> You can find these brackets at most plumbing suppliers or online. <S> They come in different sizes so make sure that you get one that will fit. <A> On the legs issue, you could fashion your own out of wood or pipe, but they need to be adjusted after the sink is hung to provide just a bit of lift. <S> Difficult to get exact. <S> Consider inexpensive premade legs such as these : SUPPLEMENT IN RESPONSE TO COMMENT: <S> The legs do not go in the holes. <S> If the legs seem to slip a little on the washer, try a bit of rubber/plastic between leg top and washer as well. <S> The idea is to spread the contact area over more of the porcelain around the hole. <A> Wound up waiting for my dad to visit (he asked how long I'd had the sink -- <S> I didn't realize it has been sitting here for over a year). <S> He found studs and used lead anchors and it is quite stable, though he wants us to get legs because we're expecting to have small children staying with us <S> and they have a tendency to climb things. <S> So we'll add legs for extra security.
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You want a thin buffer, maybe plastic or rubber just under and aroung the holes, then a large washer (bigger than the holes) under that, then the head of the legs, which should adjust by being rotated up to abut the washer and rubber.
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How can I puncture an eaves trough full of water and not get wet? I bought my first house this past spring and I am fixing it up. My property has a tear down type garage on it that I'm currently using as storage. (I'll get a new garage eventually at some point but not today) The foundation is cracked and I believe it shifted. It looks like one corner sunk and now the eave that drained out one way now mostly flows the other way and just makes a pool. Well the heat of summer is on and there are mosquitoes everywhere and I figure the eave must be a fantastic breeding ground for the blood suckers so I need a way of making a hole big enough to drain the eave without making myself and my tools a mess in the process. I don't really care where the water goes afterwards as the garage is detached and away from the house and I'm just going to level the garage in 5 years or so anyways. How can I make a hole in my eaves trough? Anything else I should consider? <Q> I think your best bet is to install a downspout at the other end to drain the water and direct it away from the garage foundation. <S> I'd imagine that water just dripping out of a hole would come with some problems of its own. <S> If you want to drain it while you work on it then you could use a shop-vac to vacuum up all the water. <A> I'm assuming you want a temporary fix, and you're not concerned about water near the foundation. <S> Drill a small hole in the bottom of the gutter. <S> It won't squirt very much water, but will still drain the gutter. <S> If there is a lot of debris in the gutter, the hole will clog up pretty fast. <S> Reach in from above and clear the hole as many times as needed. <S> Once it's drained, enlarge the hole, or drill a 2nd, much larger hole. <S> Or remove the whole gutter. <A> Wait until it hasn't rained for a week or so.
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The water should have evaporated and the gutter should be dry.
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Is there a tool I can use to cut out the templates for door hardware? I just bought some new hardware (knobs and latches) for the interior doors of my house. Currently the latches look something like this: (source: homedepot.com ) And the new latches look something like this (at least the square shape, though I realize this particular latch looks like its for an exterior door): (source: cavlon.com ) The problem is the second latch (the one that i bought) does not fit INTO the door frame. In otherwords, I can put the latch on but then its wont be flush with the door because apparently that square metal plate on the end is supposed to go INTO the door, so that the face of it is flush with the side of the door. I want a tool that can cut into the door so that the hardware will be flush with the door. I dont want to use a chisel because Im not a carpenter and Im not experienced with carpentry so I just want to make it as simple as possible. I've heard you can do such a thing with a router if you have the right bit and some templates but I dont have a router so I wonder if there is some other way? So ultimately Id like to know if theres some tool I can use to do what Im trying to do and what that tool is called (or what my options are)? edit --- Just found out about the Ryobi door latch installation kit from home depot. Thoughts on that? <Q> Using a chisel does take care and practice, but it is not beyond the reach of even an amateur if you are willing to do a test piece first and then go very slowly. <S> You need to draw the opening with a sharp pencil (or and awl). <S> Many people use a utility knife to cut the outline to slightly deeper than needed, then use a small, sharp chisel, following the grain of the wood (in this case toward the top and bottom, not across the door) taking very thin layers out until you are deep enough. <S> It does not need to be perfectly flat at the bottom of the channel, just the right depth at the ends with no high spots in between. <S> If you practice on a scrap of wood first, you may be surprised that you can do it. <A> i usually mark that rectangle bit with the corner of the chisel or a utility knife. <S> it's not that hard to chisel 2mm of wood. <S> just remember that you need to have edge marks done first (with the chisel and hammer) before you do the little strokes to take out the wood. <S> otherwise you'll take off a longer piece than desired. <S> the chisel is mostly used with the totally flat side facing away from the work piece, so it doesn't bite in. <S> little by little and before you know it, within half an hour, you'll have that ready. <S> if you create a bit of a low spot on one side just fill with a bit of putty and let dry.maybe you're thinking it's difficult because you think it's done in one or two cuts? <S> nope, it's done progressively. <S> or you think that trades people do it perfectly with ease? <S> some do... <S> some cover up a big gash with whatever comes into their hand (cardboard, matches, etc.) <S> and in the end it's not any big a deal as long as the rectangle sits flush and covers everything up anyways. <A> Another option beyond cutting into the door is to identify which types of latches you're working with. <S> The original latch is a 'drive-in', while the replacement latch has a square corner face plate. <S> So you can look for a 'drive-in' latch from the manufacturer that works with the holes in your door, or you could drive to a different model hardware (e.g. Schlage appears to accommodate all three types of latches). <S> Another option if this were a metal clad door (e.g. entrance) and were starting with a 'drive-in latch: 'Pit Bull MDLT-1'steel door tool, to make indents on the door edge to accommodate latch face plates. <S> Research: http://blog.directdoorhardware.com/2010/08/door-latch-comparison/ <S> http://consumer.schlage.com/aboutschlage/documents/schlage_latch_sell_sheet_mr-1975.pdf
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A router (along with a special guide) can be used to cut part of the inset you need, but is not the easiest tool to use if you are not experienced, and it does not cut square corners, which still require a chisel to finish.
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Should I spray down the shower with a diluted bleach solution after using it? I have a tile shower in the basement that is not very well ventilated. My mother-in-law suggested a spray bottle of 1/2 bleach, 1/2 water, and spraying it around the surfaces of the shower after using it to help prevent mold. Is mother-in-law always right? Is this a good idea? <Q> Vinegar works just as well, without all the worries - use 30 percent vinegar to 70 percent water. <S> Also, make a habit of wiping down the shower with your towel after you dry off. <S> It'll collect all that water, which will then be vented out of the house when you wash & dry it. <A> If ventilation is limited then try using a dehumidifier in the basement area - you'd be amazed about how much water they can collect. <A> I made the mistake of just taking a bottle of bleach to my shower after noticing an especially bad amount of mold (college days). <S> I think dilution is definitely a necessity for breathing purposes. <S> I second the concern of not getting any on your clothes and also washing yourself thoroughly after using the bleach. <S> While I didn't get any on my clothes, I did have some on my hands when I went to scratch my back <S> and it ruined one of my favorite black t-shirts. <A> should be okay. <S> don't ever get any of that bleach onto clothes or towels.you should get the ventilation sorted, as mold spores will multiply in that area outside the shower. <S> also chlorinated hot water releases chloride gas readily, which is not great to breathe in. <S> i suggest short showers. <A> We use this product for years. <S> It works like a dream- <S> not only does it slow down mould growth, it disinfects and removed mould while you are looking at it. <S> It is a combination of bleach and other sorts so it will damage clothing too. <S> Also it has an overpowering odour <S> so you need to spray it and get away. <S> You do not need to use this every time just every other time. <S> You should maybe also consider and old towel to wipe down the tiles and shower area after usage and take the towel to ventilated area to dry. <A> In most cases, the active ingredient (the sodium hypochlorite) quickly evaporates into the air (that you breathe) rather than penetrating your surface. <S> Bleach usually won't fix the mold because it doesn't stick around long enough or penetrate deep enough to kill the mold. <S> The water in the bleach feeds the mold. <S> I recommend: <S> Reduce the residual moisture in your shower/bath area by wiping the walls down with a soft squeegee or towel after each use <S> - this greatly reduces soap film accumulation and reduces the need to clean the area. <S> Make sure your ceiling vent fan is not full of lint, dust or a bird nests at the discharge point. <S> If you don't have a vent fan, install one that vents to the exterior (not the attic). <S> Run your vent fan 20-30 minutes past the end of your shower to extract moisture - Install a Leviton or Lutron electronic wall timer in the position that your fan switch occupies. <S> Use more user-friendly cleaners such as white vinegar (this also helps cut the soap film). <S> Borax and TSP are good anti-microbials to clean with. <S> In basement corners, a periodic spray with a product such as Concrobium Mold Control every few months (or similar) will help.
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Laundry Bleach is a dangerous oxidizer that can burn your skin and lungs and it is actually a very poor solution for mold.
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How do I remove calcification from a screw head? I have two screws holding on the metal disc covering the shower drain. Neither appears to be stripped. I would like to remove these screws to clean out the drain. The problem is that the screwdriver won't go into the slots. I think there's some calcium buildup on the screw heads. I tried lightly scratching it with my screwdriver, but the stuff is really on there. I don't want to strip the screws by forcing too hard. Is there a quick way to dissolve the calcium off the screw heads? Hoping that I don't need to go out and buy a jug of CLR for something so small. <Q> You will dull the blade of the knife, but that's why they are replaceable. <S> I also would use my $2 awl, not the heirloom one with the rosewood handle. <A> an old knife or a utility knife without those snap blades should help you cut into whatever it is. <S> alternatively run along the slot with a drill with tiny drillbit <S> attached.vinegar helps decalcify. <S> it might take many applications though. <S> it should bubble a tiny bit if the gunk is indeed mostly calcium or another base mineral. <A> I've never found anything that gets rid of calcification on screw heads very well, I've had better luck in the past digging it out manually. <S> I'd use something expendable like the point of a metal barbecue skewer, or even the end of a coat hanger squished into a wedge.
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Most of the time you can chisel it out with a scratch awl and a utility knife .
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Safe way to close gaps around copper pipes? I have baseboard heaters in my main living space. I can't see for sure without taking the covers off (which I haven't done yet) but it appears 2 copper pips come up from the basement (through the hard wood floor) to power them and the holes cut seem to be WAY too big around the pipes (fingers could absolutely fit in the spaces). To prevent rodents from coming up from the basement and to just have a tighter living area altogether, I'd like to close these gaps safely. I know there is foam out there and steel wool is also an option, but are those really safe for use around what I assume would be hot pipes? I also read about something called an escutcheon ring but for some reason, I'm seeing those as being $10+ piece and I'd likely have to 10-15 of them (maybe I was looking at the wrong thing). Any suggestions would be great! Thanks. <Q> A metal escutcheon ring might be sufficient for your purpose. <S> The steel wool might be unnecessary, as I don't think mice will gnaw though silicone. <S> However, if the hole is large, the steel wool would make it easier to fill it with silicone without having it fall into the basement. <S> BTW, the reason the holes are so big is probably because there used to be three-inch pipes there. <S> Such pipes were used for steam systems and for pump-less hot-water systems where the water was circulated by gravity (convection). <A> That is to say, leave a small gap of about 1/8 of an inch between the inside of the escutcheon and the outside of the pipe. <S> You can use silicon to secure the escutcheon to the floor. <S> The reason for leaving a small gap is that the pipes will expand and contract as the heat is turned on and off. <S> The gap will prevent any friction between the two items. <S> If they do rub, you will hear the rubbing every time the pipe changes temperature. <A> Do you have space to install a floor flange trim plate? <S> These should be available in a variety of sizes, so you should be able to find one designed to fit around your pipe's OD. <S> They are made from different materials and different shapes (plastic versions should be way cheaper than $10). <S> It should look something like this: <A> I think expanding foam is fine around hot water heaters--except ones close to an open flame. <S> The label says it is safe for temperatures <S> up to 240°F. <S> Most hot water systems are well below this. <A> Spray insecticide in the fire resistant spray foam as you apply it and the mice will leave it alone. <S> It is important to note that there are differing types of spray foam and one is water and fire resistant.
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Don't use spray foam such as Great Stuff around heat sources: it will melt and produce toxic fumes. I would use a plastic or metal escutcheon as suggested by others, however I would make sure that the escutcheon did not fit up tightly to the sides of the pipe. I would fill the hole with steel wool to stop the mice, then cover with silicone to prevent a draft.
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How can I resheathe behind brick fascia without removing the brick? The original builders of my house used a material called "Aluma Sheath", also known as Dennyboard, to sheathe my house. Dennyboard is a radiant coating on two sides of a 1/8 sheet of a fiberous material similar to what pegboards are made out of. It disintegrates when it gets wet and is very susceptible (and seemingly quite delicious) to insects, which eat out the core and leave nothing except the sheet of metal or mylar that's not thick enough to be used as tinfoil. It obviously was never providing any lateral rigidity, so in theory none should be required now although it is called for in code. In the past thirty-two years, the Dennyboard has rotted as it was exposed to the elements. There was no tarpaper, housewrap, or other material between the Dennyboard and the brick. So I'm left with brick, which while a decent and fireproof rainscreen, is decidedly not waterproof, and there exists (many,many) ways for insects and moisture to directly access the insulation and sheetrock layers of the building envelope. Is there a good and code-compliant way -- and barring that, just a good way -- to rectify this situation WITHOUT REMOVING THE BRICK OR INTERNAL STRUCTURE ? My current concept is not code compliant as far as I'm aware. (It might be, but I don't have the experience to know.) I am planning to remove all of the sheetrock and insulation in the affected rooms, cut the brick ties (most of which are rusted anyway) after supporting the fascia from the exterior, slip housewrap between the studs and the fascia, and then slip a sheet of 4x8 1/2" (or less, I think I saw 1/4") of extruded foam sheathing between the studs and the housewrap. The entire thing will be re-anchored and affixed from the outside using CTP Grip Ties or a similar product. This should provide a watertight, sheathed, and even (insufficiently) thermally broken envelope without having to do any tearout work beyond the sheetrock. Can anyone comment on the legality or feasibility of this idea? Tearing down the brick fascia is not possible; I'm very hesitant to alter the structure of the house in any way without getting a lot of (expensive) engineering advice first. Note: I have not begun tearout of the drywall yet and won't until this winter; the assumption that the brick ties are mostly rotted is because the fascia moves pretty freely and after doing a bunch of work to the roof and trim above this area I got a good look down inside between the fascia and the internal wall and saw the rotted dennyboard. <Q> "Is there a good and code-compliant way -- and barring that, just a good way -- to rectify this situation WITHOUT REMOVING THE BRICK OR INTERNAL STRUCTURE?" <S> No. <S> "I am planning to remove all of the sheetrock and insulation in the affected rooms, cut the brick ties (most of which are rusted anyway) after supporting the fascia from the exterior, slip housewrap between the studs and the fascia, and then slip a sheet of 4x8 1/2" (or less <S> , I think I saw 1/4") of extruded foam sheathing between the studs and the housewrap. <S> The entire thing will be re-anchored and affixed from the outside using CTP Grip Ties or a similar product. <S> This should provide a watertight, sheathed, and even (insufficiently) thermally broken envelope without having to do any tearout work beyond the sheetrock." <S> Your plan sounds like it could work, (except for the challenge of slipping 4x8 sheets of anything between studs and your bricks). <S> As a suggestion, I would use diagonal metal strapping for lateral brace across the studs if you are not using structural sheathing (i.e. foam). <S> See this article (goto page 2) and below image from finehomebuilding . <A> It will seal out moisture perfectly and also grip the bricks, becoming essentially a new wall of brick ties. <S> This will solve the stated problems as well as hugely increase the thermal comfort of the house, but it won't be cheap. <S> Make sure you use closed cell spray foam, as it is stronger. <S> I'm not a big fan of spray foam in general but the product is a good match for this unusual situation. <A> I recently was part of an inspection audience for A Flood Safe presentation. <S> Part of they're procedure was to fill the wall with a cementacias slurry between the brick and sheathinand creating a water resistance solid masonry wall. <S> They were only able to go the 3 ft as any taller would require substantial structural reinforcement. <S> This is also part of they're "flood safe" process. <A> Instead of completely filling the airspace between the brick and the new sheathing with spray foam, why not just spray small spots between the two since the foam is so sticky? <S> It would leave the required airspace in 95% of the area, and still attach the brick to the new sheathing. <S> Perhaps you could drill a hole for the spray foam applicator to go though the new sheathing.
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There is but one sane option in this situation: remove the sheetrock and insulation, then spray foam into the cavities up against the backsides of the bricks, essentially creating a rigid monolithic foam structure that envelops the studs and joins everything together.
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Any ideas on how to keep a refrigerator from moving without wheel locks? I've got a frig on a tile floor without any wheel locks, and it likes to slide forward every time I open a refrigerator door quickly. So far I have tried: toilet shims shoved under the wheels. Since they are plastic onceramic tile, they kept sliding out. I glued rubber toolbox liner to the toilet shims and tried again. They stayed longer this time, but still wind up coming out. Does anyone have any tips on how to keep the refrigerator from moving forward when I open the door? <Q> All you need to do is "unscrew" these feet until the wheels are slightly off the floor. <A> What about rubber furniture cups ? <S> If they are not deep enough, you could cut a channel in the center to set the fridge leg/wheel deeper. <A> I like Gunner's idea, but if your fridge doesn't have those legs, how about a rubber door stop? <S> Slip it under the fridge and, if necessary, cut it off so it can (with friction) fit under the fridge and out of sight. <S> That doesn't give a ton of contact area with the fridge, but it may be enough depending on the Herculean force you exert when opening the door. <A> The newer refrigerators do not have the old style feet that you would unscrew to make contact with the floor. <S> You should first remove the front plastic toe kick cover. <S> Pry it gently with a scree driver wedged between the appliance and cover. <S> There are 3 contact points. <S> Once removed you will notice a hex head bolt in front of each caster. <S> Turning this bolt clockwise will raise the refrigerator and counter wise will lower it. <S> With this process I then placed a piece of floor tile under the front of the frame and then lowered the refrigerator directly onto the the tile. <S> Thus resting the refrigerator onto the tile and not in the casters. <S> To move the refrigerator in the future just raise it slightly off of the tile. <A> Remove the wheels from refrigerator <A> My problem was fridge rolling back over time and hitting wall. <S> Tried wooden rods, wedges, etc. <S> but they just slid on the tile. <S> Cut to size and wedged under front wheels of fridge. <S> So far so good, rubber doesn't slide on tile the way wood did. <S> Cord protector came with some double-sided tape, so if I notice any movement again I'll put some tape on each end of the protector. <A> We just bought an upright freezer and it would move every time we opened the door. <S> First we lifted the front of the freezer with a hand truck. <S> We covered the base of the truck with a towel so it wouldn't damage the freezer. <S> We then cut out two small pieces of shelf liner under each front leg. <S> This worked like a charm. <S> Problem solved. <A> I had the same problem just recently <S> but and have tried numerous solutions but today at a boot fair found the perfect solution. <S> Its called "the wedge" by BLUW. <S> It could have been made to solve the problem. <S> It consists of two soft rubber d shaped wedges designed to sit either side of a stack of wine bottles. <S> But it slides perfectly in a space in front of the back wheels of my fridge and prevents any movement.
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Most refrigerators have adjustable feet that can be "unscrewed" in order to level the fridge. Think I've solved problem by getting a rubber cord protector (what you use when you have an extension cord that needs to go across an aisle). We used a liner that grips on shelves or anything you use it on.
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How should I fill 1/8" nail holes in a hardwood floor? After an anti-squeak effort, we've got a bunch of 1/8" holes in the hardwood floor. These are aligned with the original nail holes, so they will blend in if darker than the wood. What putty should we use? After that do we apply a little dot of polyurethane? Sand? I spent some time at the hardware store, but none of the putty or products mentioned floors as an application. The existing floor appears to be a semi-gloss, but I can't be sure (it was refinished prior to our home purchase, but the contractors did not leave any stain or supplies). I'm more concerned about feathering the poly layer, compared to matching the color. My floors have 8mm of hardwood, 1mm of paper spacer, on top of 18mm of old growth Douglass Fir boards. The house was built in 1938, and everything is obviously stabilized from a moisture point of view. The floors bow slightly as the beams below are overspanned. <Q> Most engineered and laminate floor installations come with a repair kit such as this . <S> They can also be found in home centers. <S> It usually consists of wax crayons color matched to the floor to rub into small nailholes or other imperfections. <S> These are rubbed over the hole to fill it, scaped flush and then buffed slightly with a dry cloth. <S> Because they are wax, they cannot be coated with a finish, but for small holes this generally is not an issue A hadware store can provide the wax crayon fillers such as <S> these : Pick a few colors. <S> They can be blended and will come in handy later on. <S> The kits also usually contain a small bottle of a polyurethane type finish matched in sheen to the floor for scratches. <S> In theory, you could fill, stain and then seal small nail holes with this finish, but usually not done. <S> Finding a small bottle of matching scratch filler will be tougher than wax fillers and the process more compicated. <A> If you can swipe a small sample piece of the floor (maybe from a closet or something), and take it to a hardware or paint store. <S> Knowledgeable folks at some stores might be able to help you find a combination of products that will match perfectly. <S> If this is not an option (which often times it's not), experimenting on a scrap piece of wood might be your best bet. <S> Keep in mind, you might have to mix different stains to get an exact (or close enough) match. <S> Once you've found the right combination of products. <S> Simply fill the holes with the selected wood filler, and lightly sand the filler smooth once it dries. <S> Apply the matching stain, and allow it to dry. <S> Then apply a few coats of polyurethane, sanding lightly between coats using 280 or finer grit sandpaper. <A> You'll want some powdered whiting to dry out the putty enough to handle (make a wad that doesn't stick to your hands)Once you push the putty into the hole strike it off flush with a putty knife and wipe the excess off with a clean rag. <S> Apply the shellac to the putty only. <S> Do not sand anything. <S> Shellac is handy for many projects. <S> The whiting can be used to make putty from paints and stains, dry out putties for glazing windows & filling nail holes and to thicken paints.
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Just use some of that colored wood putty to fill the holes and put a dot of clear shellac on the putty holes after 3 days of drying.
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Does this Dewalt corded drill have multi-speeds? I can't tell if this Dewalt drill has multiple speeds. <Q> More to the point VSR stands for: VariableSpeedReversable <S> which means the drill/tool can run from 0 RPM to the max RPM for the drill/tool in forward and reverse. <A> I have one of the cheaper Dewalt corded drills. <S> It does have variable speed (according to how far in you press the trigger), but seems to not go as slow as my battery drill. <S> It also does not have a clutch. <S> I would never use it for screwing. <A> This drill definitely has speed control (I've got the data from the DeWalt site in Russian, pretty sure that USA site has that data too) <S> - it is claimed to have 0-2500 RPM controlled by how deep you press the switch button. <S> However it will have rather low torque - around 11 Hewton-meters maximum and that's likely on the highest speeds (that's how drill motors work). <S> The other problem is that you don't have fine control over rotation speed - all you have is a button with about 10 millimeters range and that range is mapped onto 0-2500 RPM so you will likely have hard time controlling the speed <S> and you have virtually no direct control on the torque. <S> For your application you'll be much better off with a drill that also has a "maximum RPM" wheel on the switch - the wheel sets the maximum speed and <S> how deep you press the button controls the speed in the 0-SELECTEDMAX range. <S> This has virtually no control over the torque either. <S> The bottom line is this drill can be used for driving screws, but it's definitely not the best selection because of poor control over RPM and torque.
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If you see the letters VSR in a description for a drill, that means it is variable speed.
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How do I install a coat rack on drywall over concrete? Ok, here's the problem. I have a coat rack that was installed poorly by the previous owner, who firstly installed it upside down and then secondly didn't use any drywall mounts. It came right out of the wall. I purchased some toggle bolts and some dry wall anchors only to discover what I believe is concrete behind the drywall (the back side of the wall is the elevator shaft). Given that I cannot damage the concrete (it belongs to the condo's common property), and all of the drywall hangers I've seen are either too long or rely on the backside of the drywall being open, is there any way to mount the coat rack safely? Any attachment should probably be able to take at least 50 lbs of weight, given I live in Canada and it will be holding up to five winter coats, mitts, hats, scarfs and it has a shelf above it where I occassionally put books and the like. Also the coat rack only has two holes for screws. <Q> TapCon concrete screws would be minimal damage to the concrete, so I'd consider them first. <S> However, if you must not damage the concrete, then it's more challenging. <S> My next recommendation would be to use a wooden backing that is vertically longer/higher than the coat rack. <S> If your coat rack is 20cm high where it contacts the wall, then make your wood backing something like 60cm high. <S> Then you attach the wood backing with construction adhesive and small/shallow drywall anchors around the perimeter of the wood. <S> Then you paint the wood to match the wall, and finally attach the coat rack to the wood with two screws. <S> By spreading the load out over a larger area, you greatly reduce the stress at any of the individual fasteners. <A> To be sure of a sound attachment, you need to attach into the concrete. <S> Anything else will almost surely fail. <S> Plaster does not have the structural strength except where you can spread the load over a large area from behind the plaster, and even then it is iffy. <S> Any of these will make very small holes in the concrete and not compromise its strength. <S> These holes could easily be filled when you leave. <S> SUPPLEMENT BASED <S> ON COMMENTS:You need to know what you are drilling into if you go that route. <S> A very different approach would be to create what is basically a free standing rack and then fixing it lightly to the wall. <S> The existing rack could be screwed or bolted to the top of the face of 2 upright hardwood boards, maybe 1x3s, as tall as you need the rack to be. <S> The bottom of those uprights would be attached to a foot extending out from the wall about 12 to 15 inches. <S> A brace would be attached on a 45 degree angle from the far end of the foot to a spot on the upright about 12 inches up. <S> The braced feet will counteract the downward pull of the coats. <S> You could even attach a flat board to the tops of the feet to make a shelf for shoes, etc. <S> This whole unit could then be screwed into the wall through the uprights into plastic anchors in the drywall. <S> This is just meant to keep it from shifting, not supporting the weight of the coats. <A> Where ever you want your mounting screws to be, cut 2"X2" holes into the drywall exposing the concrete; using a box cutter or similar knife. <S> Adhere equal sized pieces of plywood (the same thickness as your drywall) to the concrete with liquid nail or other concrete adhesive. <S> Allow to fully dry (~24hrs), plaster and paint; then you can mount your coat rack to the plywood. <S> Just be sure to mark where the wood is and to use screws no longer than its depth. <A> If you didn't have the drywall to contend with I'd suggest using wall plugs into the concrete, but those may not work for you. <S> I'd probably opt for small expansion bolts put into holes drilled into the concrete, you can then use nuts to offset to the edge of the drywall. <S> That will be able to take as much weight as you want.
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As suggested by others, to attach to the concrete, you can use tapcons, concrete expansion bolts, or expansion anchors that you put screws into.
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Should I be concerned about fridge/freezer airflow? We just recently had the following counter/cabinet system put into our basement family room. After everything was done, I started to get concerned about airflow. The enclosure was built in such a way that I can easily slide the fridge (left) and the freezer (right) in and out to service. I noticed after a few days of running that the sides of the fridge get extremely hot at times but is relatively cool at others. The freezer seems to not have any heat on the sides at all though. Would it be wise to install some type of ventilation system? I wouldn't be able to vent outdoors since the wall this is against is an exterior basement wall but I was thinking of possibly using some type of exhaust fan system (I found a couple that are typically used to ventilate entertainment systems that hold high-heat gaming consoles and equipment) to run through the kick board layer under the cabinets and out the sides into the room. Most people I asked say "don't worry about it, it's fine" but I want to know for sure. I am not as much worried about limiting the lifespan of the appliances as I am about safety. Could this cause a fire or am I just being paranoid? <Q> You should check the specifications for your fridge and freezer, specifically the section that discusses required clearances. <S> If your clearances are too small then there is a good chance the device will not be able to properly dissipate the heat it produces. <S> This could possibily cause a fire, but the most likely scenario is that the devices will fail early due to components overheating. <S> Adding ventilation is not necessarily going to help, certainly not from a warranty perspective, but ensuring the correct clearance will. <S> The other thing to consider is the impact of the heat on your cabinets. <S> Ventilation will help this. <A> In addition to your concerns, I would be worried about efficiency. <S> Fridges and freezers devices require proper airflow to efficiently cool. <S> This is why your electric company may tell you to vacuum under your fridge - limiting the airflow can make it run a lot more, which uses a lot of electricity. <S> The sides of the fridge being so hot may be a symptom of this (you could try running them free-standing and see if they still get hot). <S> If there is nowhere for the heat to go, the whole enclosure may heat up, which of course makes it harder to cool the contents. <S> So the fridge has to work harder and run longer, which generates more heat, and so on. <S> Even if not for the risk of fire, damage, or the compressor wearing out, this may be worth looking into, just to save money on your electric bill. <S> I have heard that refrigeration can contribute as much as 30-40% of your bill in some conditions. <A> It will be an issue, at some point. <S> As Steven said (not that steven, the other one), The problem will be heat build up behind and beside the unit. <S> Compressor running all the time, thermal shut off, when it gets too annoyed. <S> The heat could also lead to condensation issues, or it might be my being jealous and wanting to find a reason to make critical comments :) <S> The muffin fan idea was my first thought too, thermostat control <S> if you want to get fancy.
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If you provided enough clearance, then the heat is likely not an issue as the fridge/freezer is designed to dissipate heat given the specified clearances.
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Can I branch off of 1/4" copper tubing to a standard hose connector? I would like to branch off of the tiny 1/4" copper tubing that supplies my refrigerator with water and connect the branch to a hose timer that will auto-water some plants that I have in the kitchen. This is a picture of the 1/4" copper hose that goes into the fridge: This is a picture of the timer I want to use to water the plants, it has a standard hose connector. The refrigerator hose is closest to the part of the kitchen where I need the water. There is some more standard 1/2" copper pipe in other parts of the kitchen, but it would be much more difficult to pipe the water from those places. Edit::: Wanted to share what I ended up doing: Found a 1/4"od compression "T" at Lowes. This allowed me to branch off from the refrigerator line. One thing that I was confused about was that the copper line used for refrigerators is 1/4" od . The "od" means "outer diameter" which is significantly smaller than a 1/4" inner diameter copper pipe. Found a 1/4" od compression fitting to garden hose adapter at Lowes. I was surprised that they carry these. People use copper refrigerator line to make chillers a lot, so maybe that's why they carry them? These two adapters pretty much did the trick. <Q> You branch off from the copper tubing with a 1/4" compression tee. <S> You must use a tubing cutter to do this, any other method will cause the tube to become oval. <S> Install the short piece removed on the side outlet of the tee. <S> Attach a 1/4" compression x 1/2" pipe thread adapter to the short section. <S> If you can find a tee with a pipe thread side outlet (preferred), skip the previous step. <S> Connect a 1/2" pipe thread to hose adapter. <S> When buying parts, ensure the male and female parts mate correctly. <S> Use several layers of teflon tape on male pipe threads, wrapped in the direction that causes it to get more snug when the pipe is screwed in. <S> Attach hose and controller. <S> If you use pressure adaptive drip fittings, you can better regulate the flow to each plant, otherwise the first plant will get the most water, the last hardly any. <S> Be careful, though unlikely in this case, as high pressure can cause drip fittings to blow apart. <S> You also can't use most pressure reducers, as they can spill water as they function. <S> You'll probably have to go from hose to 1/2" drip main to 1/4" drip distrubution. <S> The 1/2 to 1/4 punched connection can leak slightly, so it should be done over the first plant. <A> There's no reason you can't, you'll just need several couplers along the way, and this will likely end up a very "previous owner"-type solution if you leave it in place. <S> The 1/4" lines do not move much water, so plan accordingly. <A> This is a pretty dramatic transition in sizes and connections. <S> You are going from 1/4 inch copper (compression fittings) to 1/4 inch tee to 1/4 to 1/2 adapter to 3/4 inch bibb faucet (or adapter, if you can find) to 3/4 inch hose to 3/4 inch timer to 3/4 inch hose to 3/4 to 1/2 tubing adapter to the irrigation tubing. <S> As the comments point out, very little pressure through the initial 1/4 inch tubing, and small compression fittings are not meant to be subject to any realy handling or jostling once installed. <S> If you could find a timer that did not require large hose fittings, you might be able to make a simpler, more stable system. <S> Lacking that, I would try to tap into a more substantial line such as the 1/2 inch feed lines as suggested by insta. <A> But not one that can't be made. <S> Personally, I'd firmly attach the timer itself to the back of your fridge, then pipe/adapter/transition your way from the timer to the aforementioned 1/4" compression tee. <S> That way the timer always holds still and any garden hose / timer manipulation movements are not transferred to the 1/4" flex copper, because that flex copper will not hold up well if it's subjected to movement very often. <S> But beyond that caution, go for it. <S> No harm in trying.
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After all this, there probably isn't much pressure left, meaning you could probably transition from hose to 1/4" drip fittings for the run from controller to plants, keeping the installation less obtrusive. Cut out a small section of tubing for which the tee replaces. If you can't find the proper mates, get a short nipple or coupler to change gender. Like everyone has said, you're making a big transition.
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What's the signalling voltage on hardwire smoke detectors? Mix and match? What is the signalling voltage on hardwire smoke detectors? Is it acceptable to mix brands? Is it acceptable to have detectors on different electrical circuits, connected only with an interconnect wire (will that cause the interconnect to be referenced to the wrong ground level?). Why?I have an existing hardwire OneLink alarm, and a battery powered slave. But the corresponding hardwire BRK alarms get terrible reviews (see Passive-Aggressive smoke detectors for the type of problem). I'd like to know if I can purchase higher quality units and still interconnect them. The OneLink alarms transmit extra digital data wirelessly (e.g. the room and alarm type)... do they do that over the interconnect wire also? The vendor instructions of course tell you to use only matching alarms. <Q> All hardwired alarms are interoperable. <S> If one alarm goes off it energizes the third wire and all other ones go screaming too. <S> I have quite a few hardwired alarms and many of them are different brands. <A> According to this , this , and this source the initiating detector applies 9 volts DC to the signal line (relative to the neutral line) to indicate an alarm condition. <A> Hi my name is Josh <S> and I install smoke alarms for a living (licensed electrician), and it is my experience that smoke alarms of different brands <S> can possibly cause false alarms as the interconnect voltage can range between 5v and 9v dc. <S> If interconnected it is best if they are all the same brand. <S> They are now also using RF wireless interconnection, you can even use a combination of both. <S> For example Brooks https://www.brooks.com.au/home-smoke-alarms/battery-powered/wall-mount-test-locate-silence-memory-control-eib450/ even have a wireless remote, very good for high ceilings and the elderly. <S> As to having hardwired alarms on different circuits, not a good idea as it tends to cause RCDs to trip whenever interconnected alarms trigger and sound. <S> Hope that helps. <A> It's an old question <S> but I'll still add this. <S> Code requires that devices be used according to their listing, following the manufacturer's instructions. <S> In the instructions for many smoke detectors, specific brands / models are indicated are compatible to interconnect. <S> (I'd assume the manufacturer tests their product with those listed compatible, and UL verifies.) <S> Even if you connect them, and test them, and they seem to work - <S> that's not a substitute for the kind of testing the manufacturer or test lab would do. <S> You can't be sure what's going on in the electronics, and whether an issue may develop in the future. <S> If an issue does prevent the device from working properly, it could be undiscovered until the worst possible time. <S> With life safety devices, it's best to follow the rules to the letter.
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I believe many use the same voltage on the interconnect, but still it is a code violation to interconnect them if it the combination is not specifically permitted in the instructions.
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How can I make these concrete columns? I want to make a narrow concrete, decorative column like the ones found in this garden.. What is used as a mold for these types of columns? What gives the concrete those subtle color changes (the red and/or blue hues)? <Q> You make the pillars using any round type of tube or pre made form. <S> They are made from wood,metal or plastic. <S> This page <S> ( and this one ) has an interesting product for making various forms for concrete pillars. <S> Depending on the finish- <S> if you do not mind the crackled and holey look like in the small pillar on the left <S> then you just pour the concrete into a form and leave it. <S> If you want a smooth finish you need to use a " vibrating poker " which will remove air bubbles and separate the concrete from the aggregate making a smooth finish, like on the tall one on the right. <S> You can either dye the end product with some concrete stain or use a dye that you mix into the concrete it self. <S> Either will give you various effects and they both last for many years. <S> Tips Concrete can be pretty expensive and it is really heavy but also the most durable. <S> You can also use plaster or hollow columns to make it lighter and cheaper. <S> When using concrete do not use fast drying concrete as it will be more brittle and be prone to cracking and possibly snapping in half. <S> Use a concrete that is suited for slabs and using aggregate is highly recommended. <S> Even though concrete columns are solid you should consider putting in atleast some wire frame reinforcement. <S> A single steel re-bar down the middle is the minimum but making a triangular re-bar structure would be ideal. <S> The purpose of this is in the event that the concrete does snap or break the reinforcement will keep it in place .So <S> it wont fall over and hurt/damage anything around it. <A> The pics in your question look like columns made of blocks to me, rather than a monolithic pour. <S> They also look very smooth surfaced. <S> These types of blocks can be made by DIY, but not easily since they are most likely hollow and have guide holes for 3/8 or 1/2" rebar rods or alignment dogs. <S> The rods are used to align the blocks as no mortar seems to be used between blocks. <S> In making these type of blocks, the mix is high in cement and low in aggregate. <S> There is a release agent used in the molds as well. <S> I rarely discourage DIY experimentation, but in this case I think you might be much better off finding a supplier of the blocks and perhaps coloring them yourself with an after pour dye. <S> Getting the quality, internal detail and smooth finish will be difficult, frustrating and most likely cost you more to build than buying something at a masonry/stone supply. <A> They're near the Sakrete and wire mesh, etc.
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The major home centers (Home Depot, Lowes, etc) sell round cardboard forms for pouring round concrete columns.
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How can I attach a pipe to a flat surface? What type of fitting is used to attach a pipe to a flat surface such as a barrel or other container? The reason I ask is because I have built a tray out of sheet metal that is intended to contain plants. I now need to tap a drainage pipe into the bottom of it for the excess water. <Q> I haven't seen one for a small diameter pipe, but what you're looking for is some type of drain flange: <S> The top is wider to hold it in the opening, the rubber washer is below to seal the connection, and then you use a metal washer and a nut to tighten it to the surface. <S> With a small diameter pipe, you can improvise this with a threaded pipe and a second nut (pardon the ascii art, this is a cross section view): <S> | | nut <S> == <S> =| <S> |=== <S> rubber washer .... <S> | |.... <S> surface --------------| |-------------- <S> metal washer .... <S> | |.... <S> nut <S> == <S> =| <S> |=== <S> |drain| <S> | <S> | <S> The downside of the improvised version is the nut and threaded pipe will sit up a bit from the bottom, so this doesn't work as well if you need it to drain completely to the bottom. <A> (The flange shown would be turned upside down for this use, with the flat side pointing up) <S> The flange can be attached using bolts with the heads on the inside of the tray and nuts under the flange. <S> Seal the flange with silicon sealant. <S> This does require a threaded pipe, but these are generally available at home centers. <A> I am not entirely sure what you would like to do but you can attach almost anything with steal putty or epoxy resin. <S> Steal putty <S> Epoxy Glue <S> Both of which require to mix two parts into a single part (usually in equal parts) and they are non-toxic (but check the package before use) <S> You can either mould over or around the pipe <S> glueing it to the surface or sealing it water tight. <S> Some examples <S> How can I repair a leaking water tank? <S> Sealing a water leak Joining a pipe to flat surface
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You could attach a flange to the outside of the tray under the hole.
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How can I hide the wires to a self-made ceiling light fixture? I have a simple self-made ceiling light fixture, but it currently lacks two things: some kind of a pipe to hide the wire. a cover to hide the ceiling junction box. I'd like to use something similar to what's used on this fixture to hide the wires in the ceiling, but I'm not sure what it's called or where I should look for it. I also need to figure out how to hide the wires between the ceiling and the fixture itself. What types of ready-made products should I use for this type of project? <Q> You can get a condiment cup or similar and just drill a hole in the middle of the bottom. <S> Here's one , that runs $1.50, but there will likely be about a billion to choose from, so you can surely find the right diameter somewhere. <A> Not sure the look you are going for, but black heavy-duty extension chord strips work well. <S> As Decorator states, a cup is a good idea for the plate cover. <S> I'd consider maybe considering a small stainless steel bowl (again, depending on the look you are going after). <S> Ikea's marketplace is a great place for picking up parts for lamp ideas. <A> You should not use any metal cup. <S> It is conducting. <S> At least you should connect the PE wire with a crimped lug and a screw to the metal cup. <S> You can buy these in all colours and made from insulating material. <S> Keep an eye on the pull relief on the bottom. <S> You will find big difference in quality here. <S> In Germany these things are called "Baldachin"; in English its baldachin or canopy. <S> Try to search for it in combination with "lamp" as a keyword.
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On electric failure the cup may be on the high potential. A good system was used by many IKEA lamps. For hanging pendants, provided the shade isn't really heavy, the wiring is the cable.
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How to remove moss from my roof? My roof seems to be growing moss and I'd like to remove it. I did some research and it looks like the solution is to mix water and bleach, spray the mix on the moss and then scrub the moss off about 30 min later. My concern about this is wont the bleach run off the roof and kill my grass? Or worse get into my septic tank or well water? Is the bleach mix safe or is there another method? <Q> I've used it myself at least a few times to kill off algae that has accumulated. <S> You can also use things like Oxy-Boost and Stain Solver, a bleach substitute which I believe contains some hydrogen peroxide. <S> It will also work against light moss and algae, yet perhaps be less harmful to plant life underneath. <S> More importantly is to fix the source of the moss. <S> Roofs that gather moss tend to be too shaded, under big trees that stop it from drying out. <S> You may need to open things up, just by a bit, but enough to let it dry out. <S> Yes, those trees are a natural source of air conditioning, but trees tend to grow. <S> So trim off branches that overhang the roof. <S> Cut a few others out to let the sun in. <S> For roofs that have only a bit of green, you may find it is sufficient to add zinc strips along the top. <S> The zinc leaches out, keeping the roof clean of moss accumulation. <S> There are also shingles with a moss inhibiting additive that prevents moss from growing. <S> Copper strips should also work, and copper flashing is easily available. <S> I've even read that you can glue (use silicone) <S> copper pennies just under the edge of the top row of shingles. <S> They are mainly zinc anyway. <S> If the moss had accumulated heavily, the problem is your roof likely needs repair, as it will have been too wet for too long. <S> The shingles will need to be stripped off and replaced, but probably the roof decking will be soft and need some repair too. <S> This can best be judged by a professional who will inspect the roof carefully. <A> They make moss remover products for roofs. <S> If you live in a mossy region, your local home and garden center will carry it. <S> They are often in granule form that you shake on the roof, leave for a bit, then brush/sweep off. <S> If you has asphalt shingles, be wary of scrubbing too hard, you don't want to scrub off the shingle's surface. <S> Around here (PNW) zinc strips don't seem to do a whole lot. <S> Maybe if the entire roof was zinc, it'd work, but for the most part, I see plenty of moss on the roofs that have zinc strips around here. <A> Nothing works better than sprinkling dry Tide with bleach on the roof during a dry time. <S> When the rain begins, The Tide and bleach will kill and remove all the moss and black lines. <S> Do this every year, maybe when you clean the gutters. <S> I live in the Northwest where this is a HUGE problem. <S> It will not harm the plants or your house. <A> If you're putting zinc strips on your roof, BE SURE to use roofing nails!! <S> Zinc strips worked extremely well on my prior roof so that when I got a new roof, even tho "shingles with moss repellent" were used, they didn't work as well as just the previous strips had. <S> So I had my son put up zinc strips again <S> but he used regular long nails (which I wasn't aware of)!! <S> Sure enough in the Seattle area where I live, as soon as heavy rain came a few years later when I assumed the roof was great, a visitor noted a wet area on my inside ceiling!! <S> That's when I learned after the roofer, a friend, went up in the attic to see water dripping from the nails, that my son had used improper nails. <S> #@#$!!! <S> So my other son & the roofer/friend pulled up each nail while on top of the roof (in the rain) & filled every nail hole with tar. <S> So much for my couple year old roof! <S> (That I'm now considering putting a 2nd shingle layer on, soon as I can afford it.)
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The bleach mix will be dilute enough that it will not be of harm.
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What's a doorway that doesn't have a door called? A doorway? passageway? archway? lintel? soffit? I have to label one on an architectural drawing, and it occurred to me that there may be a more technically accurate term for it than "passageway" or "archway." Don't know if this question is more appropriate for Home Improvement or the English Language and Usage site. /shrug <Q> If you were just using the dictionary definitions, it would be called a " doorway ". <S> Doorway 1. <S> the passage or opening into a building, room, etc., commonly closed and opened by a door; portal. <S> 2. <S> a means of access: a doorway to success. <S> Door <S> 1. <S> a movable, usually solid, barrier for opening and closing an entranceway, cupboard, cabinet, or the like, commonly turning on hinges or sliding in grooves. <S> 2. <S> a doorway: to go through the door. <S> 3. <S> the building, house, etc., to which a door belongs: My friend lives two doors down the street. <S> 4. <S> any means of approach, admittance, or access: the doors to learning. <S> 5. <S> any gateway marking an entrance or exit from one place or state to another: at heaven's door. <S> Passageway <S> 1. <S> a way for passing into, through, or out of something, as within a building or between buildings; a corridor, hall, alley, catwalk, or the like. <S> 2. <S> a corridor on a ship. <S> Archway <S> 1. <S> an entrance or passage under an arch. <S> 2. <S> a covering or enclosing arch. <S> Lintel <S> 1. <S> a horizontal architectural member supporting the weight above an opening, as a window or a door. <S> soffit <S> 1. <S> the underside of an architectural feature, as a beam, arch, ceiling, vault, or cornice. <S> Source <S> Since you're dealing with architectural drawings, you'll probably want to use " Cased Opening " (or " Arched Opening " if the top of the opening should have an arch). <S> Which would be drawn on a blueprint using this symbol. <S> A cased opening is a doorway that is trimmed out, but does not contain a door. <S> If you just want an opening in the wall without trim, you could just call it an " Opening ", or " archway ". <S> It would look like this on a blueprint. <A> I had an archway that was a plain old rectangle in my last renovation and <S> all the trades knew exactly what I meant when I called it that. <A> It's a cased opening if it's finished, otherwise we call it a drywall opening. <A> My choice would be portal. <S> It signifies you can get from one room to the other.
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Chief Architect software calls door-sized openings without casings "archways" regardless of the shape of the top of the opening.
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Can p-trap be installed higher than drain entry? I have p-trap entry in drain at 16" above the floor. However, vanity that I got has lower drawer which has top at about the same height. There is also about 4" clearance behind drawer.I was told that the only way to install p-trap would be to cut back of the drawer. So I wonder if it's really the case. Can't drain entry be just raised with some additional elbow so p-trap enters it 6" higher?Any other options? Is it possible, for example, to install p-trap sideways so it fits into those 4" behind drawer? <Q> It can also be lower than your exit pipe you need to drain into <S> You attach the p-trap directly to the drainage and manuever the p-traps exits into you existing drain. <S> It is not ideal to have the p-trap below the the exit drain because water gravity has to force the water out instead of it flowing downwards naturally. <S> They both work and have seen it many times. <S> But essentially anything below already creates its own p-trap- <S> so using another is redundant. <S> If the p-trap is to tricky just create your own loop from pvc For ease of manageability <S> you can use a flexible waste connector pipe from the p-trap to your drain pipe. <S> Some twisted to fit p-trap <S> Small pcv p-trap <S> A sideways p-trap is useless, you might as well connect it straight line. <S> Theory of a p-trap <S> You might want to look into s-traps also <A> Here is what I ended up with. <S> It doesn't contradict the code and inspector signed all the papers. <S> I am not sure if he really looked at it, though. <A> I had a similar situation to you and ended up doing what you see in the picture below. <S> The old vanity did not have a bottom drawer, so the bottom of the p-trap was below the wall drain pipe. <S> I got the parts necessary for this in an s-trap kit from home depot, and then got a 1' section of PVC that I cut with the miter <S> saw to join the elbow to the trap. <A> I am having the same problem as the original poster. <S> My rough-in drain is 16" from the floor, however my new "modern style" vanity for my ensuite and main floor washroom need clearances above 18". <S> The good thing is both vanities have a 4" space from the back of vanity to the drawers. <S> ( in other words, the drawers are not the full depth of the vanity ). <S> I was about to give up and call a plumber... <S> but I found a solution from a manufacturer. <S> http://www.canplasplumbing.com/plumbing.aspx?categoryID=383 <S> This solution gives me the ability to make a sharp 90 degree from the wall (copper to ABS) and the install my p trap sideways. <S> The trap is installed below the drain line. <S> My solution looks similar to the original poster's photo solution <S> but I used ABS and did a 45 and 45 from the sink hole to the trap. <S> It looks like he used 90 and 90 degree turns. <A> You simply need to install an auto-vent, after the p trap at the highest point of your down down turn. <S> It would be impossible for the s portion of the trap to auto siphon. <S> If auto vents are allowed in your area. <A> tail piece off set before p trap connection is ok, similar basin drain off set connection for handicap plumbing. <S> S trap is not acceptable.
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As long as the p-trap is lower than the drainage from the basin then you can install it.
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How do I wire this Australian ceiling light? I want to install a ceiling fixture. I have the manual and it looks pretty easy, but in the manual, it looks like I should have 2 cables coming out of my wall. Instead, I have 3. I don't know what to do now. The old fixture on my wall has 3 holes for wiring, labeled N , Loop , and A . I live in Queensland, Australia. <Q> Warning: <S> Contains Dangerous Discussion. <S> Call an Electrician. <S> I did a quick search on Australian wiring, and found out that A is "Active", which would be considered HOT in other countries. <S> N is Neutral, and Loop is for carrying on to other outlets or switches. <S> This link <S> https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/toolbox/electrotech/toolbox1204/resources/04diagrams/04lighting/05loops.htm <S> shows loop being used, in two different instances, on both the neutral and the Active sides of the circuits. <S> So in your situation, the best answer can only be: It Depends. <S> My suspicion is that there is another light connected to this one -- <S> Did two lights turn on at the switch under the old install? <S> If so, you need to pigtail <S> (See below) <S> the Loop wire to either the A or N wire <S> (But we don't know which!!!) <S> to carry on the circuit to the other light. <S> My starting assumption would be that the Loop should be pigtailed to the A, but it's dangerous just to go ahead and try that. <S> You have a 50% chance of being right, and a 50% chance of shorting out the circuit. <S> Hopefully, this would result in a breaker tripping, but it could result in a fire. <S> So call an electrician. <S> Pigtails - Two wires in a circuit twisted together with a small (4-5 inch) length of wire. <S> Typically this is used to both carry on the wiring to another device, with the small length being used as a tap, feeding the local device. <S> All three wires are twisted together with the appropriately sized wire nut. <S> http://electrical.about.com/od/wiringcircuitry/ht/pigtailwireconn.htm <A> For example, you have multiple entrances into a kitchen, placing a light switch at each entrance negates the need to cross a dark room to reach the single light switch; the loop terminal allows for either switch in the loop to turn the lights on or off at each point. <S> This is the loop terminal's ONLY function and normally has a partial covering over it from new to prevent its accidental use. <A> Warning I am not an electrician. <S> The 'loop' terminal is an insulated terminal that is not connected to anything and is longer in depth than the other terminals because it is designed to connect more than 2 wires together. <S> The 'loop' terminal's purpose is to join wires together which avoids having to use 'splices' or 'pigtales'. <S> The terminal you would use for 'two-way' switching is the '2' terminal marked on the light switch. <A> In Australia, you're playing with 240 Volts, which will give you more than just a little jolt --- it's deadly. <S> Because of this, I believe Queensland law requires you to use a qualified electrician rather than DIY on electrical matters.
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The 'loop' terminal on the wall switch is utilised when multiple switches are used to operate the lights in one light circuit. You should call a qualified electrician.
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what caused this new small dark hole on my hardwood floor recently? I'm seeing a new small hole on my hardwood floor since last week. It almost looks like it was a black spot before and then it became a hole. Is this because I didn't maintain the floor? or is it some sort of insect that did it? <Q> It's likely a knot that came loose. <S> The circular grain around it sure makes it look that way. <S> The wood can turn blackish like this if water gets in there and sits which could easily have happened with a small hole like that. <S> How a Pin Knot is formed. <S> Broken branch with encased dead twig, when the branch split under snow load, the twig slid through the surrounding wood, surviving intact. <A> Clean out the loose or soft darkened area with a utility knife. <S> Fill the hole with stainable wood filler that is close to the shade of the floor, such as this <S> After it dries, if you need to color it to blend in, try one of these markers . <S> If necessary, make it just barely darker than the surrounding wood. <S> It will look like a small knot. <S> The colors can be blended by putting small dots of diferent colors next to and over each other. <S> Go slowly. <S> Seal it with a touch of polyurethane with the same sheen as the rest of the floor (it looks like a satin finish in the picture). <A> Black holes are caused by a massive body collapsing in on itself, creating a dense object with a gravitational field so strong that the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light. <S> Or, a knot falls out. <S> I'd drill out the dark matter around the hole, and fill it with a dowel to about 1/8 below the floor surface. <S> Then I'd do my best finishing the top with wood filler. <A> If more holes appear, then check for various woodworms, wood beetles, fungus, and mould. <S> Sometimes, larvae create a symbiotic relationship with fungus. <S> Treat wood by removing polyurethane finish, or drill a bit. <S> Apply boron, creosote (not appropriate here), LOSP, or CCA (not appropriate here). <S> Seal. <S> Vacuum at least every 5 days, and avoid "dead" products, such as down, feathers, wool, silk, etc. <S> since they can create a favourable environment for other pests. <A> Agreed, replacing the panel is best however it is a lot of work. <S> An alternative is to use a reamer cutter (a sort of parallel cutting tool-make sure you can get a plug cutter of the same size or slightly larger)slightly larger than the blemish. <S> Cut in at appx 45 degrees in line with the grain. <S> Cut a plug from scrap, with good waterproof glue (Cascamite is good) tap the plug in <S> well moistened with glue GRAIN ALIGNED with the board. <S> When set use a sharp chisel to 'nip off' the end of the plug and finish with fine sanding and local refinishing of the floor. <S> One will be left with a barely noticeable oval plug grain matched to the surrounding floor.
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Same thing happens on tree trunks when small branches die and don't break off. Get a dehumidifier to reduce relative humidity to at least 50%.
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What's the easiest way for me to cut thin metal? Will someone at Home Depot or Lowe's be able to cut this for me? If not, what tool should I buy and use? Edit Thanks for all the help! I ended up buying a Dremel. I went through 6 cut-off wheels in order to finish all my cuts. I was customizing an IKEA drawer to fit under my smaller IKEA table. Here is one of my noob cuts: And here is the finished product: <Q> Hacksaw Lots of work. <S> BORING! <S> Oscillating multi-tool or Rotary tool <S> You're probably not cutting 1/8" steel with this, but it's useful for cutting very thin metal. <S> Jigsaw <S> A little more fun, but still a bit tedious. <S> Make sure you use the proper blade . <S> Reciprocating saw More fun, but you may have trouble keeping a straight line. <S> Lots of fun, and it will allow you to plunge cut. <S> Torch <S> Punch press Finish the job with the press of a button. <S> Lightsaber Fast, but requires a bit of Force. <S> If you're using any of the saws, make sure you use cutting fluid to prevent the blade from overheating. <A> Is this aluminum channel, or is it steel? <S> Will a magnet stick to it? <S> This is important to know, since that would influence my choice of tools. <S> A magnet will stick to steel. <S> (I'm pretty confident this is not stainless steel from the looks of it, but I might be wrong. <S> If so, then a magnet will not stick to some grades of stainless. <S> And stainless offers some difficulties of its own for a novice to cut.) <S> This looks like a steel doorframe channel. <S> But aluminum would gum up the cutoff wheel. <S> These tools take a toothed blade that oscillates rapidly, and will cut through aluminum easily. <S> Again, you will get a fairly straight cut with the proper choice of cutting blade. <S> Lacking either of these tools, or being unwilling to buy one, I'd go with a hacksaw, which can cut either metal. <S> Of course, a hacksaw will yield a somewhat jagged cut unless you have some practice here. <S> One problem with the cut will be in minimizing any vibrations of the metal as it is being cut. <S> A good vise will help solve this. <S> In fact, my preference would be to clamp a piece of sacrificial wood inside the channel, then put it all in a vise. <S> That will yield the best and most vibration free (therefore cleanest) cut possible. <S> In any event, I'd expect to need to clean up the edges, rounding them <S> so there are no sharp edges. <S> A file will do for a start, then I'd switch to some emory paper. <S> (Ok, sandpaper in a pinch.) <S> If the material is steel, make sure you paint the surface afterwards with a rust inhibitor, as the cut edges will rust otherwise. <A> I personally would use an angle grinder because it's a lot easier to keep a straight line. <S> That, and you can use the same tool to clean the burrs off after. <S> However, they're more dangerous than a jigsaw. <S> You could always start out with a dremel and a few cutoff wheels. <S> I mentioned burrs above. <S> Since it looks like you've never cut metal before, be aware that after you cut the surface will be very rough and sharp. <S> You'll want to file or grind down the surface to make it safe. <A> The cleanest and fastest way would be to use a power jigsaw with an appropriate blade ("for metal", small teeth). <S> You'll still need to drill two holes in the corners to be able to turn the blade in between cuts. <S> You'll then need a file for minor final treatment of the cuts. <S> The cheapo way would be to use a hacksaw for the lengthwise cuts and then a series of drilled holes along the crosscut, then use cutting pliers to cut the leftover metal between the holes and a file to remove the major burrs. <S> You can use the drill-cut-file technique for the lengthwise cuts too. <S> If you follow this way leave some extra space between where you drill and where the cut needs to be - some metal will be wrecked into chaos and you'll need to file it away. <A> Home Depot usually won't cut material that is not purchased new from their store. <S> if vise then hacksaw <S> If you can clamp the area you need to cut in a vise, I would use a hack saw. <S> Use some corrugated cardboard in the jaws to protect the finish. <S> You may want to watch some YouTube videos on how to properly use a hacksaw <S> (yes there are good and bad techniques). <S> if no vise <S> then jigsaw <S> If you can't use a vise, I would use a jig saw. <S> Blade Selection is Important For both tools, selecting a blade with the right tooth profile and pitch for the material is important. <S> The symbols on the blade packages you'll find at home depot or lowes will help guide you to the right blade. <S> You should probably err on the side of more teeth per inch because your material looks fairly thin. <A> Not the cheapest, but by far the easiest: <S> Metal cutting circular saw. <S> They run at a little lower speed than a regular skilsaw, and they use a carbide-tipped blade with a much less aggressive rake angle. <S> Mine came from Harbor Freight, I paid about $90 for it. <S> It'll cut 1/4" plate like butter. <S> For straight cuts it's much faster and cleaner than plasma. <S> Seriously. <S> It produces hardly any sparks, just a whole bunch of blued little metal chips. <S> It seemed too good to be true until I used it for myself, but it really works. <S> There are few videos on Youtube that show just how easily this thing cuts steel. <S> So if I had to cut this channel, that's what I'd reach for.
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For example, on steel, I'd go with an angle grinder as the fastest way to make the cuts, and a way to make a fairly straight cut. A jigsaw, or oscillating multitool, or hacksaw will all cause the material to bounce around. Angle grinder Let the sparks fly! An Oxy-Acetylene, or Plasma torch will make short work of this job. For aluminum, I'd choose an oscillating multitool, like that from Porter Cable, Dremel, Fein, Bosch, etc.
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How can I install a recessed light container in an abnormally thick ceiling? We are in the middle of our home remodeling and we have just noticed that our ceiling seems to be a bit thicker than what the maximum our recessed lights allow for. As shown within the picture link below, our ceiling is comprised of different layers (of different thicknesses): Lower layer: (visible from the room) made out of sheetrock (5/8in thickness) Mid layer: Plaster (3/4in thickness) Top layer: Lath (1/8in thickness) The recessed light container we are using has adjustable clips for different ceiling thicknesses although we have just noticed that our ceiling is too think so the clips would not really sit on top of the ceiling but rather create resistance on the hole. My question here is if there is some sort of drill bit that, after drilling the initial hole diameter where the container is going to fit in, could expand the hole diameter above the lower layer of sheetrock. <Q> There is a category of power tool called a multi-tool that is basically a very small saw usefull in cutting in tight spaces. <S> After you cut the initial hole, this tool could be used to trim away the area in the uper section on an angle to make room for your retaining arms. <S> The are very handy and can do other things, such as spot sanding and grinding. <A> Once you have the hole made, could you not break off the other layers with your hand or a small prying tool? <S> You'd probably only need an extra 1/2" diameter outside of the hole for the cans clips to catch. <S> Or you could even just mark where the clips are and just chip away some layers at that exact location. <A> Cut the five inch hole all the way through. <S> Cut the sheetrock back an additional inch. <S> Create a plywood ring with outer diameter six inches and inner diameter three inches. <S> Install that in the hole using three or four toggle-bolt anchors. <S> Install your recessed fixture. <A> They are made for 5/8 thick ceilings max. <S> Here is how I got mine to fit. <S> Take out all the clips and flatten the end that contacts the ceiling in a vice. <S> Some of them were still real hard to clip in <S> but I was able to go into my attic and pull on them while my wife pushed them from the bottom. <S> You pull up on the clip till the point or top of the clip comes thought the can. <S> We put in 10 cans this way <S> and I think this might be easier than trying to cut out the ceiling. <S> Its 100 in the attic but only 75 in my back yard. <S> If you can get the right can, that would be the best. <A> The cans you have are meant to go into a drywall ceiling and it's going to be very difficult to get them to work in your ceiling. <A> Break the clips provided, by bending them repeatedly. <S> Start with less then the distance your ceiling is thicker than 1/2". <S> Now put a similar to original bend on the shortened clip as the original did, install per original directions dictate.
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Now you will have about a half inch of the clip in the vice so just re-bend the clip and it will be shorter. My ceiling is 1 inch thick. The tools come in corded and cordless version, and at various price points. I just had the same problem when I tried to put in Halo cans. I'd say your best bet is to take those cans back and exchange them for ones that are designed to go into a ceiling such as yours, or install a different type of lighting system. You would have to dig a load of ceiling out to allow the arms to swing down, and you'd weaken your ceiling significantly doing so.
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