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How can I remove the wires from this lamp holder? The wire on my lamp is too short, so I'm trying to replace it. The fitting/fixture (what's the correct term?) however doesn't play nice: I can't see the correct way to remove the old wire (and still be able to insert the new one). I'm not seeing any screws at all, so it must be some sort of clip thing. I'm not too comfortable applying too much pressure to the plastic, as it might bend/break, before I know I have the correct point to insert my screwdriver. Some shots (I can provide more obviously): <Q> I think I found the mechanism: There's a small hole to insert a screwdriver or something, which kinda keeps the wire in place. <S> One of the wires required a bit more force then the other <S> , that's why I was confused, but this seems to do the trick: <A> Instead of messing with the lamp socket, I suggest you just cut the plug off and splice in a longer cord. <S> The lamp socket is probably the most engineered part of that lamp, taking in to consideration things like heat, part movement due to expansion, etc. <S> Who knows what specifications that wiring has. <S> I recommend getting some butt splice connectors and some heat shrink and lengthening the cord instead. <S> Make sure you use a wire gauge at least as large as the existing wire, or preferably bigger. <A> I have a similar fixing that I need to replace. <S> There is a sprung contact adjacent to the hole for the conductor. <S> Pressing down on the spring releases the wire. <S> In this case bootlace ferrules have been fitted to the conductors. <S> These can catch when removing the wire <S> so you need to keep the pressure on the spring. <S> Perhaps a two person job if you don't have a vice or similar to hold the fixing. <S> I suspect you could insert a solid conductor without opening the spring. <S> May be the same if you fit a ferrule to stranded wire. <S> Hope this helps.
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I think the key is to press just enough to insert the wire.
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What cut of wood should I use for door stile & rails? I'm starting a project to build a pair of bi-fold doors for a closet (its an odd size, and so there are no prebuilt doors of the required size). I've done research on building the doors, and think I have a handle on the actual building part, but I'm having a hard time sourcing supplies, in particular the wood for the stiles & rails, which I think should be 1 3/8" thick, 3-4 inches wide, and ~80" long for the stiles. Does this size/cut of wood have a particular name that I should look for? I've checked the local big box DIY stores, and they have 3/4" thick boards, but nothing thicker. What should I be looking for, and what type of store would stock something like this? <Q> In my area, we have a place called Northern Hardwood Supply that stocks many types of woods used for furniture, custom trim, etc. <S> I'm sure there are similar suppliers in your area. <S> If your local lumber yard does not stock thicker woods, ask them if there is a specialty house in your area. <S> The second item worth mentioning, is that I recommend using a hardwood for you doors. <S> A good choice would be poplar wood. <S> It is the least expensive hardwood, easy to work with and finishes nicely, especially if you plan to prime and paint. <S> As far as the tools and techniques for sizing custom stock, a table saw and planner are the best. <S> The term "resawing" refers to cutting the thickness of narrower stock, say less than 4" with a table saw. <S> One would set up using a feather board and a 80 tooth or hollow ground planner blade. <S> This often gives a decent sandable cut, but not a real furniture grade finish. <S> A planner is your best bet for a decent initial smooth finish that can be sanded to a good finish. <S> The combination of using both is often required for custom sizing. <S> Usually one side of your stock will have a good factory finish ready to sand, so do your DIY cutting all on one side of the stock that will not be as visible in the finished product. <A> The greater than 3/4 inch thick wood can be obtained at lumber yards. <S> If they do not have what you need they you can certainly order it. <S> You have some other options too. <S> a) Use the 3/4 inch thick material and glue two pieces together to get to 1.5 inches thick. <S> Then you can saw it down to the desired thickness. <S> b) <S> The lumber yard may very well have 1.5 inch thick wood available that you can take home and saw down to the desired thickness. <A> Building doors is what is known as "finish carpentry", and it requires a fair amount of skill and the right tools to get a good result. <S> You need to worry about how to make a joint that will support the weight of the door over the years, and how to deal with the expansion and contraction of wood from season. <S> It's complicated enough that most people leave doors to the door and cabinet shops.
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Soft woods like pine tend to warp or wain and check easily and aren't the best for framing long narrow stiles etc.
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How can I wire this three-way circuit between two buildings with only 3 conductors? I am rewiring my entire house after a major malfunction of two antique knob and tube circuits. I'm up against a challenge with some outdoor lights. Here's the situation:I have a detached garage. It has a porch light over the service door, and it works on a pair of three way switches located in the garage and in my kitchen. The porch light over the kitchen door also works with this garage light - they are both controlled by the same 3 way switches. I'm a really big fan of this setup, and I hope to save it. The garage is powered by an underground 10-3 romex cable connected to a 2 pole 30 amp breaker in my brand new 200 amp main service panel in my basement. It goes to an old QO service panel in the garage that has no main breaker and no ground bar. There is also a 12-3 romex cable going to the garage to make the three way switches between the two buildings function. Neither cable has a ground wire. Both cables are buried under my blacktop driveway and not in conduit, so they are so hard to replace that let's just assume it's impossible. I know I need to replace the load center in my garage with a new, grounded unit. Remember, I'm rewiring a whole, enormous old house built in 1878, so getting the lights back on is first priority - I'll get to the garage when the house is done. My question concerns the 3 way circuit controlling those two porch lights. It seems like it shouldn't work with only 3 conductors travelling between the switches and lights on both ends, but somebody did all kinds of janky stuff with the old knob and tube wiring to make it work (It wasn't me!). I'm thinking about doing something that maybe isn't quite as janky as that, but I need to know whether it's safe. There is no building inspector where I live, so just go by National Codes and personal experience I guess. Here is a diagram of what I'm thinking about doing. Basically I would run a fairly normal 3 way circuit, except that when it gets to the switch in the garage I would wire nut the black wire from a piece of romex to the wire coming off the common and run it to my porch light. Then I would take another piece of romex and use the white wire in it to get a neutral connection in the garage's load center for the garage light. Ground wires in the garage would just run to the neutral bar until I get a new load center out there. Grounds in the basement would be wired properly to my new load center in there. Between the switches there would be no ground since I can't add one to the underground cable. Will this work? Is it safe?If the "power source" is the "load" side of a GFCI outlet, will it constantly trip since the current on the neutral from that garage light isn't returning through it? All help is appreciated. <Q> Have you considered a remote for the house end of the garage hookup? <S> I'm thinking a z-wave controllable light switch or something in the garage, and a remote control in the house. <S> That way you can ignore the 12/3 romex and weird wiring (of that part of the circuit) and get on with your day. <S> I'm unclear whether it's allowed by code (especially with the colors you have), but with 3 wires, you've got enough for a single 30 amp circuit - ground, neutral and hot. <S> Is that enough for the garage? <S> That would at least be safe. <A> Take a closer look If you look at the whole picture, it may make it easier to see the potential dangers in this setup. <S> Click for larger image Notice that we now have two return paths to the neutral bus in the main panel. <S> Don't cut the white wire! <S> What happens if we lose the subpanel's neutral feeder for some reason (disconnected, severed, etc.)? <S> Click for larger image <S> Now there's potentially 30 Amperes returning through the 3-way circuit, which is using 12 AWG wire. <S> Magnetic fields and more <S> Even if the feeder neutral is not damaged, you'll still have paralleled neutrals and other potential problems as described in this article . <S> tl;dr <S> Will it work? <S> Most likely Is it safe? <S> Absolutely not. <S> If the "power source" is the "load" side of a GFCI outlet, will itconstantly trip since the current on the neutral from that garagelight isn't returning through it? <S> Almost certainly. <A> The only way you can have a three way switch in the garage and house with only three conductors, and no kludgy tapping into the garage circuit, is if the lamps are in series. <S> But since lamps want 110V, this would require you to make the circuit 220V. <S> And then that would only work with incandescent lamps of identical wattage. <S> Forget it! <S> Here is a superior idea. <S> Locally power the porch light from the house and the garage light from the garage. <S> Use the existing three-conductor cable to only carry a low voltage and current control signal which turn on the lights using either mechanical relays, or else optically isolated TRIACs. <S> The diagram below shows the solid-state solution. <S> The boxes labeled "opto-switch" can be replaced by relays. <S> This is something to think about, because relays have an advantage: no issues with with compact fluorescent bulbs. <S> The electronic switches are wired in series on the 5V line which is carried by the existing wiring. <S> The LEDs control TRIACs, which control 110V power that is supplied locally: from the garage for the garage light and from the house for the house light. <S> This solid state relay is similar to the "opto switch" circuit, minus the 50 ohm resistor to limit the current to the LED. <S> A switching 5V wall bug is a good way to get a 5V source that is regulated. <S> (Transformer-based 5V wall bugs will put out more voltage, expecting it to be regulated within the target device.) <S> You can work out a way to conceal that somewhere. <S> It could be located in the garage. <S> (Just interchange the words HOUSE and GARAGE in the drawing <S> and there you go). <A> Can you find the route of the existing 12/3 underground branch circuit cable? <S> If so, you can expose the 12/3 cable in its trench and lay a 12/2 cable alongside it to carry the neutral and grounding conductors as per NEC 300.5(I): <S> (I) <S> Conductors of the Same Circuit. <S> All conductors of the same circuit and, where used, the grounded conductor and all equipment grounding conductors shall be installed in the same raceway or cable or shall be installed in close proximity in the same trench. <S> The original setup was bodged in using the garage's neutral, by the way, and is likely a California-style or Carter-style three-way; you'll have to check which one, though, and rewire it to the California style if it is currently a Carter-style setup. <S> For those who don't see the alternative three-way styles: <S> Carter-style three-way switches the hot and neutral of the lamp(s) and is considered unsafe for that reason, while a California-style three way switch connects all three terminals of the three-way switches together to produce a setup where both the switched and unswitched hots are available at each switch. <S> EDIT: <S> didn't see that the driveway was in the way -- <S> replacing the 12/3 isn't an option anyway, as you'd need 12/4 + ground cable, and as far as I know, such a thing is not made in UF, as 3-phase applications are typically wired in conduit. <S> Since it is blacktop, you could break up the section running over the cable-trench then lay down a cold mix patch once the trench is backfilled... <S> Also, is this really Romex/NM? <S> That stuff is <S> NOT rated for direct burial! <S> Or is this a UF-type cable that is direct bury rated?
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The three-way switch in the house and garage, instead of controlling the power to lights directly, controls the lighting of two tiny LEDs hidden inside each opto-isolator. From here, you can use the 12/2 cable's neutral and ground conductors to provide neutral and ground to the garage light without causing the current loop/fault path problems that reusing the garage's neutral conductor does. The best way to avoid a bad situation, is to do it right. A 100 ohm resistor in series with two relays should be enough to limit the current to about the right range, if the voltage source is a 5V. Now instead of building this circuit, which could be daunting for someone without electronics experience, and involves constructing a device that interfaces directly to line voltage, you can get approximately the same circuit as a single component: a solid-state relay .
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How do I easily separate unglued PVC pipe from joints? I've been retrofitting an existing PVC irrigation system around my house. Part of that work requires that I work in shallow holes adding T joints and elbows in places where there were none before. In an effort to measure twice and cut once, I've been assembling the system without glue to make sure I have the layout correct. More often than not however I'm running into issues separating the slip joints and pipes despite the fact they aren't yet glued. What's the best way to separate these joints? Should I be applying some sort of lubricant beforehand (that won't affect gluing later on) or is there a trick beyond forcing things? With too much force I'm afraid I'm going to break pre-existing joints or mangle the existing fittings. <Q> The best lubrication I've found is some good ol' Elbow Grease™ . <S> Actually, you should measure the proper lengths and just cut. <S> Then glue it up and install. <S> You can mark on the PVC how far it should go into the fitting if you want to be really precise. <S> However PVC itself expands and contracts a lot with temperature change and is fairly flexible anyway. <S> So, in my opinion, being extremely precise doesn't mean all that much anyway. <S> Also, The solvent melts the PVC surface to weld them together, so the fittings will likely fit differently while gluing, thus making the dry-fit method even worse than just measuring. <S> That seems pretty time-intensive, though. <S> I still think it would be better to just measure accurately and double check your measurements. <A> If you still can't get those unglued pvc pieces apart, we found that a flathead screwdriver and a rubber mallet help loosen the pieces enough to be able to pull them apart. <A> I put ice on the inside of the piece that was stuck and within 30 seconds it had contracted enough for me to get the pieces apart. <A> I had the same problem after doing a dry fit ( in the rain ) and grit/sand got into some of the connections. <S> I tried various methods including heat/ice but none worked on one particular connection.
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Another solution could be to mark how far in the fitting the piece should go and lay them next to each-other in that position, even tape them together, to check your layout. I fortunately had 2 rubber strap wrenches i had brought for some plumbing work and with these i was able to get enough torque to get the pipes apart.
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Should I mount brackets to the wall or the shelves first? I've planning to mount some shelves using these IKEA Lerberg brackets Should I mount them to the wall or the shelf first? <Q> You may not have a choice if the shelf locks in by sliding forward. <S> If that's the case, you mount to the shelf first and then hang it on the wall. <S> Otherwise, the wall blocks you from installing the shelf. <S> And even if it's not necessary, you may want to do it that way to get the shelf tight to the wall. <S> Mount the brackets 1/8" or less from the back of the shelf, so the shelf touches the wall just before they do. <S> Then, after hanging, when you tighten the screws on the wall, the shelf will get pulled tight without any gaps. <A> In my opinion, it would be easier to do by yourself if you mount the brackets first. <S> Just make sure they are level with each-other. <A> Once it is level screw in the other screws. <S> You can use a level if you have one BUT do not only use a level, step back and eyeball it, then affix it permanent to the wall. <S> Using only a level will not ensure that the shelf is actually "level" in the room as it is highly unlikely that your room is perfectly level (i.e. the floor may not be 100% level ;) )
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I would mount the shelf onto the two brackets then take the entire shelf and mount it to the wall, first screwing or nailing one side ONLY the top screw and then leveling the shelf then screwing in the second bracket ONLY top screw.
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Why won't my deadbolt unlock and how can I fix it? We've got a deadbolt that decided to stop working today. When we turn with either the key (outside) or the lever (inside), the knob/key moves the full motion, but the deadbolt only moves about 1/2 an inch. It does not retract all the way inside the door, and therefore we can't get the door open. As I said, the movement seems fluid, but the deadbolt just doesn't move far enough. What would cause this, and how might I go about fixing it? <Q> You'll have to remove the dead bolt and thumb turn mechanism in order to inspect it. <S> It could just be gummed up in which case it needs to be cleaned and lubricated, but also common is someone forcing the lock and bending a component. <S> If bent, you can try and straighten whatever is bent with a pair of pliers, but if it bent that easily it is probably a low-end deadbolt in which case it's probably better to replace it. <S> A locksmith can key a new deadbolt to your current key if that is a concern. <S> There might also be debris lodged in the mechanism which can be removed. <A> Ever notice how it was a little difficult to lock and unlock that deadbolt over the years? <S> The stress placed on the bolt from the poor alignment with the frame has caused the bolt to break. <S> Unscrew the lock from behind, manually scratch the bolt back to open the door. <S> Replace the bolt, file the strike. <A> Since you said it's a rental, I'd start by calling the landlord. <S> It's their lock, it's their property, it's their responsibility to fix it (or to authorize you to get it fixed and deduct the cost from your next rent check, or something of that sort). <S> If you want to try doing something yourself: Dismount the thumbturn and lock cylinder. <S> Looking into the resulting bore through the door, you'll be able to see the deadbolt's mechanism. <S> Try turning its hub with a screwdriver and watch it move. <S> I'm betting you'll see part of the linkage banging into the surrounding wood, and that if you remove a bit of wood there for the linkage to operate it'll solve your problem. <S> (Uncommon but not unheard-of problem; wood shrinks as air humidity decreases, and sometimes things shift enough that a hole bored in midsummer won't quite align well enough in midwinter.) <S> The other (less likely) possibility is that the bolt mechanism is broken. <S> In which case you'll have to figure out how to retract it, since you can't replace it until you can open the door. <S> HOWEVER <S> : If the bolt mechanism appears to operate normally with the thumbturn and cylinder removed, the issue is probably one of "timing". <S> There is a limited range of free motion designed into the linkage between lock, bolt mechanism, and thumbturn; this is what allows the lock or thumbturn to retract the bolt without the other turning. <S> The parts need to be installed in such a way that this freedom is at the right point in the locking/unlocking cycle; if you get that wrong, that can produce exactly the symptoms you're seeing where the key or thumbturn stops before it can retract the bolt. <S> The solution in that case is to reassemble these parts correctly aligned, which is a bit of a pain to describe in text and which varies a bit from lock to lock. <S> If you can tell us what brand of lock it is, we may be able to talk you through that. <A> Since your door won't open, try lifting your door up by the handle and see if that frees up the deadbolt enough to retract it. <S> Then try pushing down (more unlikely) and see if that frees it. <S> If one of those two work, then the angle is the problem and can be repaired by tightening or adjusting the receptacle plates. <S> If not, you'll have to take the assembly apart and troubleshoot the parts on the inside. <S> Good luck. <A> First if your lock is not working with you key, 1st step: take off the deadbolt. <S> 2nd step <S> : Remove the bolt in the middle. <S> 3rd step <S> 4th step <S> : Replace the cylinder for a Assa Abloy one or Multi-Lock. <S> 5th step <S> : Get new screws for security. <S> 6th step: Put the lock on the door and it should word again. <A> I had a similar problem and it was just because I'm guessing overtime <S> it somehow turned... <S> it wasn't straight. <S> So I took out the screws and just lined up the screws so that they were at level and bingo! <S> No sticking!
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You've probably fixed it by now, but generally it's because the deadbolt has slipped out of alignment - entering the deadbolt hole at a slight angle instead of horizontal. : Get a few new parts for it.
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Is it possible to reduce a 1" thick board to 1"/N boards? I have some project plans. Most of the project calls for using 1/2" parts. I bought 1" thick wood, which actually only ends up being 7/8" when I measure it (I have heard this is normal). Anyway, there are some parts of the plan that call for 1/4" wood. Is it reasonable to further cut my 7/8" inch thick board to at least get two 1/4" thick boards out of them (with planing). Is this done? Is this safe? If it is done, how do you do it? I figure maybe with the band saw and a really big jig that keeps the board perpendicular to the band saw base I could split the 7/8" down to 2 3/8", and then plane each of them down to 1/4". This seems theoretically doable, but I want to know if the theoretical translates into the the reasonable. <Q> Theoretically, yes. <S> Reasonably? <S> That depends. <S> You're describing what's termed "resawing", for obvious reasons. <S> And you're absolutely correct on the basics: a properly tuned bandsaw with enough room for the width of the board <S> you're resawing, the right blade, and typically the saw's fence (or a homemade jig) to keep the board properly on it's edge, at 90 degrees to the table. <S> So in practice, especially when you first start learning this skill, what happens a lot is that the blade will start cutting off to one side or the other. <S> So you're constantly trying to steer the blade and the workpiece to bring the cut back to center. <S> You end up turning one 1" board into 2 boards that range from 1/4" in some spots to 3/4" in other spots. <S> Then you run these wavy-surfaced boards through the thickness planer a few times, and you end up with two 1/4" boards and a whole lot of sawdust. <S> If you're trying to build your skills, then I don't mean to discourage you. <S> It's an important skill to have if you're gonna do some advanced projects <S> (Google "bookmatching" for example). <S> But if this is a one-off project for you, I'd recommend repurposing the already purchased wood and buying the actual thicknesses you need from a local hardwood dealer (i.e. not HD or Lowe's). <S> Or as another response above mentioned, you could at least thickness plane this wood down and use it for your 1/2" needs. <S> Good luck! <A> I think the appropriate tool here would a thickness planer. <S> You would not get two boards but only 1 with the appropriate thickness. <S> From a safety point of view, there is so little material to work with that you would be in close proximity to the blade. <S> I would suggest either planing them down or buying the correct dimension of wood. <S> Planing this much is pretty wasteful however. <A> I depends on the project but sometimes when they call for 1/4" wood they really mean plywood. <S> Any hardware store will have 1/4" plywood like luan or regular birch plywood that can be cut to size with a jigsaw. <S> This kind of thin wood is often used to cover things, like the back of a set of shelves, or the top of a table. <S> I would be surprised to see solid wood specified at 1/4" sizes. <S> However, if you are talking a very small project like a keyholder or flowerpot then I guess you could have a need for thin solid wood. <S> In that case there is a section in Lowes [and sometimes HomeDepot] that has thin boards like this that are usually 1/4" or 1/2" in shorter lengths and widths, like 1/2" <S> x <S> 6" x 48". <S> The material is usually a softer wood but they are machined pretty flat and cut easily. <S> I believe they are classified as "craft" wood sometimes because they are so thin <S> but they might be what you need.
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Trying to cut a board less than 1" thick will be really difficult and the kerf of the blade alone will probably make this unrealistic.
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How can I use a separate transformer to provide a C wire to my thermostat? Update 02/02/2019I appreciate all the responses and help but unfortunately i must have not seen the emails stating there were responses!I am now looking into a NEST thermostat and was curious if they too, use the same connections.Lastly, looking for a quick recommendation on which WiFi Compatible therms are preferred by the memebers that respond!Thanks again your knowledge is highly appreciated!Bob I Purchased the Honeywell WiFi Prog Thermostat to replace my Round Digital Honeywell Thermostat.I have separate Heating and Cooling (Heating is a Weil McLain Boiler for Hot water baseboard and Hot water(no tank) and Cooling is a separate unit that was added later.) Wires: RC CoolR HeatW HeatY CoolG Cool 3 wires from AC unit and 2 from Heater. If I were to go the separate transformer route to power the thermostat, where would I land the 2 wires? C and ??? <Q> You guys down voted the only answer that is correct and up voted one that is completely wrong!!! <S> The simple answer to your question is that if you add a transformer you want to tie the lines from it to Rh and C. Most <S> modern thermostats <S> I know of expect to pull power between Rh and C. <S> You do NOT want to tie Rh and Rc together since your heating and cooling are on separate transformers and you don't know if they are truly floating. <S> The complex answer is that you should check to see if the control board of your heating system doesn't, in fact, have a common terminal and nobody bothered to run the wires for it. <S> If it does, it might be simpler to just pull 18/3 wire from the heater to the thermostat. <S> Depending on the run, you can use the old two conductor wire to pull the three conductor wire through. <A> I have no 'C' wire <S> and I just installed a Honeywell RTH9500. <S> My furnace is a six zone hot water with radiant floors. <S> Each thermostat on has a red and white wire. <S> I purchased a 24VAC transformer and was able to put it into a closet that is behind the location of my new thermostat. <S> I connected the R and W wires as you would expect and ran another set of wires to the transformer and connected each wire to each 'AC' terminal. <S> I did not use the Ground terminal. <S> Lastly I connected on of these wires to the 'C' and one to the 'Rc'. <S> I then pulled the jumper for 'R' and 'Rc', turned the power back on and everything works as expected. <S> Hope <S> this helps... <S> it was easier than I expected. <S> Love the Wi-Fi connection!! <S> (5 more to go) <A> You will wire the cooling transformer to RC and the heat transformer to RH <A> I had 2 wires only, with a gas fired radiator furnace, (NO AC SYSTEM).Honeywell <S> Wi-Fi RTH6500WF Thermostat. <S> I Found confusing advice & fixes which with each post got more confusing. <S> I finally have it working like a charm, so I wish to share what I did for easier installation. <S> I had Red & White Wire from furnace, but I needed power to the thermostat. <S> I bought a 24 volt transformer <S> I ran transformer wires up to the location of the thermostat. <S> Attached the Red Wire to the R Lug & the White Wire to the W Lug on the New plate thanAttached one of the transformer wires to the C Lug & the other to the RC Lug. <S> I did not remove any jumper wires. <S> Plug in the transformer & BINGO follow the directions to Wi <S> -Fi Connect <S> Enjoy <S> it is awesome. <A> I am replacing my old thermostat with a Lyric T5 Wi-Fi thermostat. <S> I added an additional Transformer after speaking to Honeywell support, as my control board has no C terminal. <S> I first only ran one side of the transformer to the T5 and connected it to the C terminal(as suggested in an answer above). <S> Nothing happened the thermostat would not power up. <S> I had to run the other side of the transformer up as well connecting it to the Rc terminal. <S> I also moved the switch in the terminal block to the down position. <S> Unit powered up and works perfectly. <A> I had the same issue as above. <S> I worked out the same solution, but was concerned that I might damage either the furnace control board or the separate AC system. <S> I sent email to Honeywell support, and they replied a schematic showing the C wire from the furnace. <S> I had R and w from the furnace. <S> I had Rc, Y, and G. From the AC. <S> Used the jumper and everything worked. <S> When conversing with the technician he kept pointing to the fact that the C wire needed to originate at the AC system. <S> That the jumper should not be used. <S> I still question why if you can use an external 24 volt transformer you can’t use either the heating system or separate ac as a source for the C wire. <S> The result is I have a $150 thermostat in the basement where we only require heat. <S> Note in this configuration you must run R to Rc. <S> If you use R with no jumper it won't work.
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You CANNOT use just one wire from a transformer and expect to get it to do a thing for you.
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Can I steal a neutral wire from another circuit? I have some Z-wave light switches that I want to install; below is a link to the diagram for the light switches. Basically I can have all the wiring completed minus the neutral wire for the switch at the bottom of my steps. It will be harder for me to get the neutral from the light than run it in the basement. I have a junction box that is close (4ft compared to 100ft) but it's the living room circuit. Is there anything wrong with tying the light switch that needs the neutral to the living room neutral, based on the wiring is 12/2 and the breaker is the same amperage? Proposed solution: Click for larger view <Q> Actually, it may appear to work, until you try to install a GFCI just about anywhere on either of the two circuits involved. <S> A GFCI works by comparing the current through the hot wire and the corresponding neutral wire. <S> If those two currents don't match, the GFCI will trip. <S> When you "steal" the neutral from another circuit, the current will go out through one hot wire, but come back through a different neutral. <S> I actually had an older home where the dishwasher and some kitchen outlet were wired on two different circuits with a shared neutral (that was probably grandfathered in from an earlier era). <A> No. <S> See also: this question , and this question . <S> If you're in the US, see National Electrical Code (NEC) 300.3(B). <S> National Electrical Code 2011 <S> ARTICLE 300 Wiring Methods 300.3(B) <S> Conductors of the Same Circuit. <S> All conductors of the same circuit and, where used, the grounded conductor and all equipment grounding conductors and bonding conductors shall be contained within the same raceway, auxiliary gutter, cable tray, cablebus assembly, trench, cable, or cord, unless otherwise permitted in accordance with 300.3(B)(1) through (B)(4). <S> This other answer explains one reason why this code rule exists. <A> No, you can't steal a neutral wire from another circuit. <S> Each neutral wire is the return for the corresponding hot. <S> If you "steal" a neutral from another circuit you run the risk of overloading that neutral wire (overheat, fire risk). <S> Another issue might arise if the circuit later becomes a GFCI. <S> GFCI measures the current difference between a circuit's hot and neutral.
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Using another circuit's neutral will make the GFCI detect a current difference and it might trip. The other answer and the comments are of course correct, but there is a second aspect to it: it won't work. Trying to bring the kitchen up to code, I was going crazy trying to figure out why the GFCI would trip every time I turned on the dishwasher!
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How do I fix bubbles under linoleum flooring? We put down a sheet 12X9 of linoleum in our kitchen and it went under the new cabinets and baseboard. The flooring depot said no glue was needed. Well now we have bubbles, a great big one and several others. What is the easiest way to fix this problem? <Q> Most likely you have the new style of fiberglass, vinyl flooring. <S> It has a softer feel than regular inlaid vinyl (slight padding on back) and in some cases can be laid without adhesives. <S> I have been using this type of sheet goods a lot lately. <S> My customers love it. <S> More directly to your problem. <S> Since you installed cabinets and baseboards on top of the flooring, it has no space to expand into, thus the bubbles. <S> Also, it may have not been rolled well before the cabinets and base were installed. <S> I would never have installed without an adhesive. <S> You cannot use regular flooring adhesive on these types of fiberglass flooring. <S> If an adhesive is used, it must be the new non-setting type. <S> This adhesive is kind of like the glue on a post-it note. <S> It never dries up hard and allows the flooring to be peeled up years from now. <S> It must be applied very thinly across the entire field, never just around the perimeter. <S> The flooring must then be rolled with at lest a 75 to 100 pound roller. <S> In your case, I'd remove the baseboards, roll the flooring up against the cabinets, apply the proper adhesive and let the flooring back down. <S> Roll it from the cabinets out to the edges, so the adhesive does not pool up. <S> I should note, depending on what you have under your new flooring, you may have to apply an ultra thin coat of embossing leveler to assure proper bonding of the glue to the existing floor. <A> I'm not an expert on installing linoleum, but I've never heard it being installed without some form of adhesive. <S> I imagine the issue you are having is that because you installed without an adhesive, it's technically now a floating floor. <S> A floating floor will expand/contract with changes of temperature and humidity. <S> Because of that, you never have a floating floor span the entire width of the room as you want to leave a small gap to allow this expansion/contraction some place to go. <S> Because you've 'pinched' the edges under your cabinets, the only place the linoleum can go when expanded is 'up' and it buckles in the center. <S> I think you have two options: Pull it up and reinstall with adhesive <S> Pull it up and trim it so that it doesn't reach the cabinets/wall (leave a small gap). <S> You may then need to install shoe moulding to cover the gap. <A> I recently pulled up my vinyl flooring and replaced it with some tile in my kitchen. <S> While I was pulling up the vinyl I noticed that for the most part the flooring didnt have any adhesive on it. <S> The installer/ previous homeowner did however use an adhesive on the edging of all the vinyl in the kitchen. <S> It appears they made it tight and then glued the ends to prevent the bubbling. <S> I've owned my home for 2 years before I ripped up the vinyl, and the vinyl has been down since '94 <S> and there has never been any bubbling.
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If you are brave, you could cut the flooring along the edge of the cabinets, take it out of the room then apply adhesive and reinstall the floor. We usually go back an hour after the initial rolling and give it a second roll.
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If I turn off the breaker to the Gas furnace will the pilot light go out? I need to turn off the breaker for the furnace but am afraid this will turn off the pilot light to my gas furnace & I don't know how to relight it. Are any special steps necessary to prevent turning off the pilot? .This is a Lennox G2 Series Gas Furnace Model # G20Q2E-75-C1 Updated Question with the info on furnace . It is a Lennox Gas furnace ModelG20Q2E-75-C1. <Q> Gas appliances tend to use a thermocouple (which is a self-powering device) to keep the gas valve to the pilot light open. <S> This means that the light will not go out when you turn off the breaker. <S> Thermocouples are pretty interesting - learn more on Wikipedia here . <A> If your pilot light does go out, these are the steps to re-ignite. <S> Turn the pilot valve control knob all the way to OFF <S> Wait 10 minutes to allow any lingering gas to dissipate. <S> There shouldn't be any <S> but this is just a play it safe step. <S> Turn the pilot valve to the PILOT position. <S> In this position the knob can be depressed. <S> When depressed, gas will flow to the pilot light. <S> Press the knob in, and quickly light the light <S> and then KEEP <S> the knob pushed down Hold the light down for at least a minute. <S> Release the knob <S> If the light goes out again that means that the light wasn't on long enough for the thermocouple to get hot enough to register that the light was lit. <S> In that case, immediately return to step 4 <S> If the flame stays lit, turn the knob from PILOT to ON. <S> Congratulations, your pilot light has been re-lit. <A> Transformer <S> Powered Gas Valve <S> In some installations, the gas valve is powered by the 24V transformer. <S> In a situation like this, a thermocouple is used to detect the flame. <S> The voltage generated by the thermocouple is sensed by control circuitry, which in turn controls the operation of the gas valve. <S> If the furnace loses power, the transformer is powered down, the gas valve closes, and the pilot goes out. <S> This seems to be found less in newer furnaces, though may still be encountered from time to time in older installations. <S> Self Powered Gas Valve <S> In other installations, a low voltage gas valve is used in conjunction with a thermopile . <S> This allows the pilot to stay lit, even when power to the furnace is lost. <S> With a setup like this, the heat from the pilot actually provides all the power the pilot assembly needs to control the valve. <S> Which means as long as the pilot is burning, the valve will stay open (given the thermopile does not fail).
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Depending on how the furnace is wired, the pilot may or may not go out.
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What should I check if my chainsaw fails to start? My chainsaw stopped working and I've got a tree that fell and needs cut up. Does anybody have any idea what I can do to get my chainsaw started? I've done a bit of stuff on cars so I'm willing to try to take it all apart, though part of me is tempted to just drop $200 for a new one. Still, an afternoon tinkering isn't going to cost me much. Here is what I tried: So Far: check gas in tank Add Star Tron or Stabil Fuel Additive check for spark with screwdriver. Check Air Filter / intake for clogs Check Fuel Filter / to cylinder. Check linkages for Start/Stop and choke levers are operating Clean Magneto of Rust, ensure it holds a screwdriver up. Clean carburetor and fuel lines, especially if it may contain old fuel. It's a husqavarna about 5 years old. I ran it hard 3 years ago when I had another tree topple but it made it through, though I may have vapor locked it once. It's also not been running since I failed to start it last year and it's been sitting there. With the spring I need to get on it before the weeds come. <Q> Most two cycle engines are sensitive to the newer gasoline blends that can contain up to 10% ethanol. <S> It should run a lot better after that. <S> I had a similar problem with my leaf blower last year and this did the trick. <S> Star Tron is a much better brand than Stabil by the way. <S> If you are still having trouble and you have already checked the spark plugs, sometimes the magneto can have a buildup of rust on the surface that prevents it from generating enough current to sustain repeated firing of the spark plug as the engine turns. <S> Take apart the pull start mechanism on the chainsaw until the magneto is exposed, and take a fine grit sandpaper to it to rub off all the rust that has formed on it by sitting all these years. <S> To clarify the magneto is the part that is magnetic, it should grab your screwdriver. <A> Are you choking it properly? <S> I had a problem once where my chainsaw wouldn't start because the choke switch wouldn't stay in the choke position. <S> I opened up the chainsaw and saw that a hook had fallen off so the switch wasn't actually engaging anything. <S> If you are looking over your chainsaw, you should look at the air filter and the fuel filter. <A> Here are some YouTube videos on chainsaw maintenance: Part 1 <S> Part 2 <A> Well, you missed a step in your list of things to look at. <S> Your muffler may be plugged up so your saw can't exhaust. <S> Take it off and try starting it - it should start as you cut stuff up. <S> In the future remember to clean your muffler out. <S> You can soak it in gas, if that doesn't work you have to buy one. <A> did you check and clear carburetor? <S> It may be a reason. <S> Also make sure your the exhaust are fine and the engine can breathe properly.
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To me it sounds like your carburetor is clogged; you should try opening it and cleaning it out. Get a small bottle of fuel additive for small engines and add a small amount of that into your gas tank.
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How can I convert my under cabinet lighting from halogen to LED? Our kitchen has under-cabinet lighting that uses halogen 20 watt G8 socket bulbs. With 15 bulbs in the kitchen that is 300 watts. I'd prefer to replace them with 3 watt LED bulbs. I've been searching but I haven't found any 120 volt AC G8 LED bulbs that will work. The only ones that I can find are over-sized like this one . I wrapped one of my dead halogen bulbs in newspaper strips until it was 1.25" in diameter like the over-sized bulb and tested it. It wouldn't fit in the light fixture. Do I need to replace all the fixtures? There seem to be a lot of G4 LED bulbs on the market, but very few G8 bulbs. <Q> Your G8s are probably 120VAC, right ? <S> As such, you are not going to replace with LED without switching to LOW DC voltage. <S> Most are 24V. <S> If you want dimmable LED (a good feature), you'll need a dimmable constant current driver and a magnetic transformer and a magnetic rated dimmer. <S> You can use a standard dimmer, but the current surge will burn it out. <S> (ask me why I know...) <A> I just found flat LED G8 3000K bulbs <S> (I wish they were 2600K - 2700K) at Menard's (Like HD) for $9.99 as a new item today... 8/28/2013. <S> They do fit in my Puck lights made for Halogen bulbs. <S> I will be returning mine because it's too warm of a color, but seems to work OK... <S> Flickers at low dimmer. <S> Made by a company called Meridian. <A> If you are into projects, something like this could be a great starting point. <S> The power supply can be located back where the cabinet meets the wall. <S> In some setups, there may even be space between the cabinet and wall. <S> Products like this are powered from one end and can be cut to desired length between the LED sections. <S> It's dimmable in colors. <A> This G8 LED Bulb might work for you: <S> Tower type G8 base JCD type LED Lamp with 36 High Power SMD LEDs. <S> 100-130VAC operation, 360 degree viewing angle, produces light output up to 211 lumen. <S> Replaces traditional JC or JCD bi <S> pin 25W <S> ~ 50W halogen and xenon bulbs found in puck lights for undercabinet lighting, desk lamps, pendant lights, bathroom vanity lights, and other accent and task lighting applications. <S> Found these bulbs are not dimmable. <S> I have an LG microwave with two G-8 halogens that I want to swap with LED bulbs. <S> These were under consideration until I saw that they were not dimmable. <S> I have hi/lo switches on my microwave. <S> So, I'll keep looking. <A> Not sure if this will work. <S> Found it on Amazon. <S> Feit Electric LED Light Bulb
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Bottom line.. rip out the sockets.
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Will plaster on basement walls and ceiling provide insulation? My basement's insides are completely unfinished. It has bare brick walls and bare concrete beams-vaults as the ceiling. I though of coating the walls and the ceiling with 2 inch thick plaster with the objective being that the house's ground floor won't be so cold in the winter. I thought of doing it myself with plaster since I do not have the budget for fibers, panels, gels, foams or any other insulation. Can I buy a few sacks of plaster, mix it with water, apply a 2 inch coating and get a reasonable, yet inexpensive, insulation ? Would plaster make the ground floor less cold or would it be a complete waste of my time ? <Q> According to Bon , plaster has an R-value of about 0.12/inch, so your plan will give you about 0.24. <S> That little insulation is not going to be of any practical value (R-0.24 means you're stopping about 4% of the heat transfer). <S> Comparatively, EPS or XPS has a value of 3.5-5/inch (stopping 72-80% of the heat transfer) and will help with keeping things warm. <A> You also have to think about how you'll deal with moisture which will destroy the plaster. <S> Normally there would be some sort of vapor barrier (either XPS foam against the brick or a poly barrier behind the drywall/plaster). <A> I can second XPS or EPS foam but poly (as an absolute barrier) is a bad idea, because the water vapor must be able to move. <S> You should not try to stop vapor infiltration. <S> The impermable layer must be outside the wall, with a drainage plane between it and the barrier. <S> See Joesph Lstiburek Building Sciences corporation report from 2006 entitled "Understanding Basements" <S> Understanding Basements Part of your heat loss is also through the floor, so anything that provides a thermal break will help. <S> That's the problem with using plaster, it is very similar to concrete, AFA thermal transfer goes. <S> Plus, that much plaster won't hang on the wall by itself, it would need a lath sub structure. <S> Your goal of energy saving would be best accomplished with a XPS foam panels, doing a wall at a time as your budget permits. <S> Dow Wallmate is a XPS foam panel that is 2'x8' with a cutout for a 2 x 4 stud 1x3 furring strip on the flat. <S> It provides thermal insulation and a logical spot to screw down a drywall covering
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I don't think plaster is going to provide you any reasonable level of insulation.
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How do I get a plastic bag logo stain off my finished wood table? The bag in the photo below stained my wood table (see the photos). The bag had held some heavy books an was laid face-down on the table. I don't know if this happened through basic time and pressure, or if my cleaning lady applied cleaned the table with some Lemon Pledge, then placed the bag face-down on the newly cleaned tabletop. The table is from Rooms to Go (R2G). Officially per R2G's manufacturer catalog, it is a "cherry" wood with a "clear cherry" finish. How can I remove this stain without having to refinish the table? Update 1 Applying Minwax paste finishing wax removed a much smaller spot, but using it on this large an area requires a lot of elbow grease. Applying pressure from a plastic stick pushing waxed paper towel is working, albeit slowly. I wonder if Murphy's Oil Soap will help, but I don't want to add something new to the mix in case it sets the stain. An online forum elsewhere recommended a paste of mayonnaise and cigarette ashes for a similar problem, but I don't smoke and therefore have no ashes available. Update 2 I contacted a local furniture restoration company and showed them this post. The lovely lady on the phone explained that R2G usually uses a spray-on finish with a name that starts with 'f'. Her recommendation was to proceed cautiously tape over one grain direction get some 4 0 steel wool unfold it to a cloth shape get some appropriately-colored Minwax gently rub the Minwax using the wool in the direction of the grain if it fails to fade, apply slightly more pressure The actual solution she suggested was slightly more complicated than what I've typed out. As 4 0 steel wool would definitely scratch the finish, this seems like a last resort; I'll stick with paper towels for now. I wonder if a Magic Eraser is the same consistency as 4-zero / 4 0 steel wool, but having witnessed how a Magic Eraser can eradicate polish off a car, I am not going to start using one. Update 3 Continuing to use the paper towel, Minwax, and elbow grease; based on the prior advice, I am also wiping with the grain. Wiping with the grain seems to fade the stain faster than when wiping randomly. This task is more complex due to the two grain directions, but I will persist and update on noticeable changes. At this rate, I plan to purchase 4-0 steel wool on my next outing. The stain (originally): The (upside-down shot of the) stain (post-minwax + elbow grease): Progress after applying more Minwax and pressure. Doesn't look like much progress, but maybe that's just the lighting. <Q> Per the question, I used Minwax until it faded, but it was still quite obvious and visible (close to the last pic in the question post). <S> Then, taking a page from the "mayo and ashes" tip, I mixed 1-part mayonnaise (Hellman's) to 1-part baking soda (not baking powder; I used Arm & Hammer brand) as a cigarette ashes replacement. <S> I rubbed the mixture along the grain directions using a paper towel and some pressure. <S> The stain faded, then vanished. <S> The resulting wood is smooth, and considering the baking soda is abrasive, appears unscratched. <S> After wiping off the mayo mix, my table may smell like a turkey sandwich, but it's beautiful again. <S> Now all I have to do is polish off all the Minwax buildup from my earlier cleaning attempts. <S> I would never have thought of going with the grain had I not spoken to the lady from Restore and Adore, and had the baking soda idea fell through, I would have gone with the "last resort" 4 0 steel wool with a lot of Minwax applied. <S> Pic of the repair: <A> I was eating a Wendy's burger on our wooden dining table. <S> When I picked up the wrapper, Wendy's face was staring up at me from the tabletop! <S> I immediately Googled and found this article. <S> I tried a gentle surface cleaner with no luck. <S> I read the approaches listed in this article, but was bummed as I have no mayo, no ashes, etc. <S> My wife is an Essential Oils member <S> and she brought in a small bottle of Lemon Essential Oil and placed several drops on the stain. <S> It wiped completely away, dissolving the red ink from the wrapper effortlessly. <S> The stain from the moisture remained for a few minutes but disappeared as the moisture evaporated (like from a typical water ring). <S> I'm sitting here 10 minutes later, and there is no detectable ink or water stain remaining. <S> Hooray! <S> We used Lemon Essential Oil from Young Living primarily because it is what we had on hand. <S> Not sure if any other type of lemon oil will have the same result. <A> <A> I got a huge stain on my hardwood floors from a plastic shopping bag. <S> I sprayed Green Works all purpose cleaner on the stain then read this post. <S> I was about to make the mayo and baking soda mixture <S> so I decided to wipe up the all purpose cleaner and the stain came right off. <S> The cleaner sat on the stain for 3-4 minutes. <S> My wood looks perfectly fine and there was no elbow grease involved! <S> I hope this helps. <A> Just used GooGone to remove stains caused by a plastic shopping bag. <S> If you use a little elbow grease and a cloth like a facecloth should take it right off and no damage to the table top in my case. <A> I had a similar stain on a counter top with a gloss acrylic type finish that appeared to absorb the printing from a plastic shopping bag. <S> I knew from past experience that any kind of strong base solvent (acetone) will quickly dissolve and strip it, and harsh abrasives scratch. <S> Several ordinary household cleaners did nothing. <S> I tried a simple mix of olive oil and baking soda rubbing lightly. <S> It was slow going <S> but eventually the stain faded completely without any apparent damage to the finish.
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I had exactly the same problem on a varnished wood table and yesterday came up with my own solution, washing up liquid mixed to a paste with washing powder applied with a sponge in a circular motion, it removed an 8 inch stain in15 minutes without any damage at all to the finish on the gloss varnish
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How do I fix an exterior door knob that will unlock but not turn? My back door (which is only two years old) has a door knob that recently suddenly stopped turning. I can lock and unlock it, but it just won't turn. Here's a picture of the inside of the door knob: The very center bit is the lock mechanism, and I can turn it (locking and unlocking it) easily with a hex key. The half-circle immediately next to it appears to me to be the mechanism for opening the door — I could be wrong about that, though. It will not budge. The only two options I can see now are: taking the door off its hinges so that I can completely remove the lock set and possibly replace it with a new one; or calling a lock smith. I'm more inclined to go with the latter than the former. Any other suggestions? <Q> In its currently disassembled state, there is nothing locking the mechanism. <S> You are correct that the C shaped <S> half-circle shaft is what pulls the latch back when turned. <S> If you cannot push the latch back with your finger, the anti-jimmy device has had a piece break in it. <S> I had this happen on a bathroom door latch about two weeks ago, probably made by the same manufacturer as the shape of the lock actuator rod and latch actuator are exactly the same. <S> If you look at it, the lock actuator rod (the center piece you were turning) has a taper section just where it passes through the latch pull which means that during assembly, you manually push the latch back and it passes straight through. <S> In order to get clearance so the lock actuator rod will pass through, I pried the folded piece that they pass through till I got clearance so the shafts would pull out. <S> I then squeezed the folded piece back together and pushed the latch out. <S> It didn't even require taking the door off the hinges. <S> and you're back in action. <A> I had a similar problem recently and after reading this question and its answers, I realized I could buy just the latch assembly. <S> So the key is to get the door open so that I could replace it. <S> Rather than attacking the actuator rod, I decided to cut the latch with a hacksaw blade. <S> To make the job quicker, I pulled back the latch as far as I could with wrench and then started cutting the latch with the hacksaw blade: <S> Initially, I used a piece of cardboard to make a handle, but I went to the store to buy a small hacksaw handle with a good portion of the blade exposed for just this sort of job: <S> Once I cut through the latch, the door could be opened and the latch replaced. <S> However, I did notice that the door hinges needed tightening so that it swings closed all the way. <S> I also adjusted the strike plate, which wasn't properly holding back the deadlatch . <S> I believe if I'd failed to do those things, the new latch would have had the same problem as the old one. <S> Be sure to test the new lock carefully to make sure it's secure. <A> I would remove both the inside and outside doorknobs. <S> Use a screwdriver to turn the bolt mechanism (the part that actually locks the door. <S> Try to insert a small screwdriver between the door and the jamb and push the bolt back while turning the mechanism in the door. <S> It may help to push or pull on the door on the door at the same time. <S> If none of this helps try to tap the pins out of the hinges. <S> Use a screwdriver and a hammer. <S> Beaware that some hinges use setscrews to hold the pins in place and the door has to be open to gain access to the setscrews.
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Replace the whole door knob/latch assembly with new
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Should I be concerned with my back flow valve pit filling with water? I have never had foundation or ground water problems in my basement but I did have a sewar problem and as part of a recent replacment of that, I had a back flow valve installed that looks like this: (source: a-to-zplumbing.com ) I have been periodically checking it, and recently I found that there were a couple inches of water in the pit. It was perfectly clear with no odor. We recently had a thaw so I figured it was a little bit of ground water flowing under the foundation. I checked it for a week or so after and observed the water level drop. Today I opened it to find the valve almost completely submerged in water, though the water level was still about 12" below the floor. We had quite a bit of rain the last week, however in order to rule out the valve itself leaking, I tried to shop-vac the water out. I filled my shop-vac completely in a few seconds and water flowed back into the pit, which leads me to beleive that there is quite a bit of water underneeth my basement floor. The water supply enters my house about a foot from this pit. I do not see any other evidence of moisture anywhere on the basement floor. My biggest concern is that water will fill the pit completely and flood my basement. Is it normal to find this much water under a basement floor after wet periods and is there a possibility of the pit overflowing, or am I only noticing this now because I have a big hole in my floor? <Q> I think you are just seeing this because the valve is only 2' from the wall. <S> Normally, it was dissipating. <S> You had a good wall/slab system that wasn't leaking until a hole got poked in the slab for the repair <S> Some grading of the soil alongside this wall for better runoff might be in order. <S> Any drainspouts nearby? <S> Some ad-hoc pump automation in the pit would give you some peace of mind until you can get outside for some landscaping. <S> Self contained sump pump To verify gutters-to-storm drain are intact and not leaking down at the slab level, Put a bottle of easter egg dye into the storm drain connection. <S> If you see the color in the pit, I would disconnect the downspouts and direct them into the yard. <S> A pain for mowing, but the flip up ones work well. <S> In our area, downspouts were connected into the floor drains and thence to the sewer. <S> In the 1990s, we had to cap the connection with concrete or face a fine. <A> i have the same situation after my valve installation. <S> I spoke to another company who said they should have cemented below the valve to stop ground water from pooling in the box as it is a (open) low point. <S> I'm going to give this a shot. <S> If i were to dig a deep hole in the ground i would expect water to pool in there. <S> So i wonder if this is the same thing happening. <S> I only get water on heavy rain and it has never gone above the valve. <A> I have the same issue in my basement and it is definitely ground water <S> and it only occurs seasonally. <S> I have on occasion open the valve to drain the water ( <S> likely a <S> no no <S> but it gets rid of the damp musty feel/smell.) <S> My other issue is that my sump hole is literally 5 feet away and is dry and has never filled or run in the 4 years since the house was built. <S> My suggestion is just keep an eye on it.
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The fact that the water is seen in the pit only after a rain is a good thing, meaning your water table is not the problem, because that would mean a sump pump for sure.
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Why do light bulbs all over the house burn out disconcertingly fast? I've found a couple answers to this question. This generally revolve around the scenario where it's bulbs in a general area such as a fan. My issue is that light bulbs all over the house burn out pretty fast. They don't last more than a year and this includes long life kinds, ones warrantied for 7+ years and such. I've tried a variety, but they all seem to burn out within a year or sooner. Places include living room ceiling fan, living room lamps, light fixtures in master & guest bathrooms, office, guest room, and kitchen. Pretty much any where you can put a bulb. I've noticed that the LED bulbs have been recommended on this Q&A site but I have no idea which ones to get, how much light they put out, or how reliable they are. Why would my light bulbs burn out so fast, and what can I do to fix the situation? <Q> One reason bulbs can burn out quickly is if the voltage applied to them is higher than the expected voltage (120V in The USA). <S> Wiring problems and bad transformers can cause the voltage to be out of spec. <S> Another reason is if there is a loose connection somewhere, and the light flickers (causing unnecessary heating/cooling cycles). <S> A third reason is if the light is in a confined space, and overheats. <S> In order to check the line voltage, you will need to use a voltmeter. <S> The Kill-A <S> -Watt is a very safe product to use to check the line voltage. <S> Note that you should try a few different outlets, since there are generally two different phases of power (not really phases, but opposite polarities, 180 degrees apart) going into a typical house, and you need to check both of them. <S> Identifying a bad connection is trickier. <S> Generally, you would see flickering lights, but to be sure you would want to use an oscilloscope or spectrum analyzer (expensive equipment). <S> Sometimes a bad switch will cause a short flicker when the light is turned on. <S> Finally, have you noticed that the bulbs go out more quickly in certain places? <S> Are those places more confined, causing the bulbs to heat up more? <S> If so, you need to use lower wattage lights (such as CFL, halogen, or less bright incandescents) so that the bulb is less hot. <S> LED lights, halogens, and CFLs are all more efficient than incandescent lights. <S> For the same amount of light output, they use less electricity, and generate less waste heat (keeping them cooler). <S> In order to check if they meet your needs, compare the light output (in lumens) to that of the bulbs you are currently using. <S> Don't go by the "equivalent" rating (such as 60W equivalent).... <S> The amount of heat generated is nearly proportional to the wattage of the bulb (generally between 10 and 25 W). <S> Another thing to look at is the color temperature, as measured in Kelvins. <S> More orange lights will be around 2700 K, while more blue (daylight) bulbs will be around 5000 K. PS: <S> Advertised bulb lifetimes are usually assuming use of perhaps four hours per day. <S> So, a seven year bulb may only last a bit over a year if it is left turned on continuously. <A> CFL placed in unvented cans with the base up will have a very short lifespan. <S> Heat rises <S> , the electronics in the built-in ballast cannot take the heat, so the 7-year promised lifespan can be as short as 6-months. <S> Despite their lower power consumption, heat builds up and the ballast cannot take the temperature rise. <S> Recessed can fluorescent lighting needs to be the type with replaceable tubes and separate ballast. <S> The manufacturer knows the heat environment and these are built to function. <S> Retrofitting incandescent screw-in lighting with CFL screw-in doesn't work that well. <A> I'v had 2 cases with such problems and for both the answer was the bulb wattage. <S> I found them both putting in bulbs with more watts then the limit saying on the fixture. <S> See if you have these problems in the plain plastic sockets like those installed in new homes when installing the plugs. <S> If this is the problem and you still need more light then look for a sticker in the fixture saying the highest bulb wattage permitted and then look for LED bulbs at or below that number (look for actual number of watts consumed not the equivalent).
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Replacing the light switches with new high quality switches could help.
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What is a 'grounded neutral' and how bad is it? I bought an electrical device a few months ago. A few weeks ago, it failed, complete with the release of magic smoke. I contacted the company, and they've had me mail it to them and have been investigating the failure. Today they contacted me asking to have an electrician come to my house and take some measurements; they said that they've talked to experts and they "...have indicated that a grounded neutral in a house with wiring like yours may create a scenario that could cause something like this." My house was built in 1959, and while some circuits are grounded, the room where the device was plugged in has two-prong outlets, and the cable going to the receptacles is ungrounded. The device used a two-prong plug. I'm inclined to let them do the measurements, but before I do, I'd like to know: What is a 'grounded neutral'? My main breaker panel only has two breakers, one 30-amp for the A/C and one 100-amp breaker for the subpanel that powers the rest of the house; I'm pretty sure that Neutral and Ground don't touch inside the subpanel, but I haven't looked inside it for a couple of years. Is there anything else I should know? <Q> That explanation doesn't really make any sense to me personally. <S> The neutral bus bar in your main panel should be bonded to the ground bus bar so in effect, all neutral wires in your house are grounded. <S> The third prong in a typical three prong outlet is known as the equipment ground. <S> This is a safety feature that should cause your breaker to trip if an electrical fault inside of an appliance causes the metal body of the appliance to become energized. <S> It doesn't and shouldn't make any difference at all do the proper functioning of an appliance. <S> If an appliance you (recently purchased, older appliances may not have the same quality standards!) <S> purchased has only a two prong plug, then it is essentially assured to not be an electrocution hazard in the case of an electrical fault, or it is not capable of having such a fault. <S> So basically what I am saying, the appliance you are talking about would never have been grounded anyway if it has a two prong plug. <S> Grounding has nothing to do with the failure of your appliance. <S> You must have misheard because perhaps the tech support person meant to say "Ungrounded Neutral" which potentially could be a problem for sensitive electronics. <S> The neutral (connected to the center tap in the main panel) <S> can and does carry an electrical charge, so the neutral bus bar should be grounded to the outside through the use of a grounding rod to bring Neutral to Earth Ground. <S> If your home was built in 1959 then it is possible that the grounding rod was never placed deep enough into the earth to provide proper grounding, or perhaps it rusted away over time. <S> How far the grounding rod needs to go depends highly on the region you live in too. <S> I used to live in a home built in 1958 and had a similar problem. <S> A qualified electrician would be able to fix this for you, or an adventurous DIY'er. <A> Was your main panel added afterwards, when A/C was added, making the original main panel a sub panel? <S> If so, it must currently have separate and independant neutrals and ground buss bars. <S> A quickie (and safe) solution for 2 wire circuits without grounds is to add a GFCI at that outlet. <S> Its slightly more difficult when there are continuation circuits. <S> I would suggest adding them to the LOAD side and protect them as well. <S> If you are not absolutely clear about proper installation, get a licensed electrician to install it. <A> Is it possible that the polarity is reversed at your outlet? <S> Are the hot and neutral switched in the service panel (neutral connected to the breaker, hot connected to the neutral bus). <S> If so, maybe their reference to "grounded neutral" was an unclear reference to the grounded conductor being connected to the wrong end of the circuit inside your device? <S> If the device had a two-prong outlet, as @maple_shart said, then grounding is not your issue, presuming that's the correct plug for the circuitry in the device <S> (is it UL listed?). <S> If the plug is polarized (one prong is wider than the other), then the device is sensitive to the polarity of the electrical supply in some way, possibly because it only has a single-pole switch making it unsafe for humans if the neutral is switched instead of the "hot" conductor. <S> If the plug is not polarized (both prongs are the same width), then the device should not be sensitive to polarity. <S> Every correctly-wired neutral is a grounded neutral. <S> The neutral is the grounded conductor. <S> Even if you're talking about a subpanel with the grounded (neutral) and grounding buses unbonded, the neutral and grounding buses are (supposed to be) bonded in the main panel, and the grounding bus in that panel is supposed to be bonded to grounding rods and/or water pipes (as appropriate, for anything new it should be a couple of grounding rods, and also your water pipes if they are metal, so that they don't end up accidentally energized with no safe current path). <S> But even if the neutral isn't grounded at your main panel, it's grounded at the power company's transformer (that bare copper wire running down the pole from the transformer to a ground rod at the base of the pole).
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The equipment ground protection however is a safety feature for YOU so that you won't be electrocuted in the case of an appliance fault.
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Are there any advantages to using higher priced sealers? I want to use a water based sealer on my pavers to bring out the color and also for some resistance against dirt and fading. I went to the store and saw sealers varying in price from about $11 per gallon for Thompson's water seal to about $24 for a Behr brand low luster to sealer to over $30 for a natural stone and brick name-brand sealer. Is there really much difference in quality and longevity to justify the higher prices of the mid and name-brand sealers? <Q> The only caution you should take is the applicator that you use. <S> Make sure you submerse the applicator in water after completion. <S> Linseed Oil is highly flammable. https://www.doityourself.com/stry/using-boiled-linseed-oil-as-concrete-floor-sealant <A> Of course there is - as is the quality in everything name brand and generic. <S> If you expect it to break / not last long. <S> Spend less money on it. <S> With that being said, sometimes the price increases are related to the warranty associated with it. <S> Sealers are basically priced based on how long is it going to last. <S> Behr does not last the 4 years they promise. <S> Thompsons doesn't last a year in most cases. <S> CABOT is the the most recommended, if that is the $30 sealant you are speaking of. <A> There are tons of concretes sealers. <S> Most have certain qualities that would make them work better/ <S> worse depending on the amount of sun, temperature, moisture and other variables. <S> Your favorite sealer in Minnesota may be a terrible choice in Texas. <S> Do some research on what people are using in your area and for your type of application. <S> Paying extra for the "best" product is not as important is finding the right product for you.
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Linseed Oil makes a great concrete sealer/sealant. One thing I have learned so far in life - if it is something important that you want to last, spend more money on it.
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Why won't my portable generator start? With a storm bearing down on the mid-Atlantic US and robocalls from the local power utility warning of the possibility of extended power outages, I figured tonight would be a good time to check the status of my 5700W portable generator. After turning the fuel valve to 'on' and engaging the choke, I pulled the pulled the starting cord, and pulled, and pulled. No luck. The generator is fairly new -- I bought it at the end of June '12. I last started it a few months ago -- around November I think -- and since then it's been sitting in a dry shed with half a tank of treated gas and the gas cap closed tightly. The gas appears to be okay -- it's not cloudy, doesn't look separated. I get a whiff of gasoline after a few pulls, so I think there's some fuel flowing. The spark plug wire seemed firmly seated, but I pulled it and reseated it just to make sure. What else should I be looking at to get this small engine started? <Q> I would replace the spark plug and remove the air filter to make sure it isn't plugged up. <S> Then, while the air filter is still removed, spray a little starting fluid into the carb through the hole under the air filter and start it up. <S> If it runs for just a couple seconds and dies, that means the gas in your carb was probably bad. <S> Starting it with the starting fluid a couple of times will work that out, and it should start running fine. <S> Keep your face and other body parts away from the hole <S> you spray the starting fluid into so you don't get burned by a backfire. <S> Put the air filter back on after you get it running. <S> Other common fixes are pinched or clogged fuel lines or a clogged fuel filter, but if you're smelling gas, that probably isn't the problem. <S> Undo small bolt adjacent to exhaust pipe and remove insert. <S> All small holes should be clear. <A> Pulling the plug is quick, easy check if you have the right socket. <S> Should be fairly clean, with a gap. <S> BTW, my Gen has a separate on/off switch, yours? <S> Next up would be some carb cleaner (after pulling air cleaner) <S> Remove and clean carb bowl, float and orifice. <S> Would also drain gas, put in car day after fillup, refill with new gas and treatment <S> Next time, shutoff petcock below tank while running and run gas out of carb. <S> Takes a bit longer to restart, but guarantees no gum inside carb. <A> No one mentioned running out of oil. <S> When new oil was put in the generator started right up again.
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You should also check that the spark arrester in the exhaust pipe isn't clogged up with carbon. Our generator ran out of oil and totally stopped.
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How do I wire a GFCI combination light switch when power enters at the light? I have a Leviton 7299-NW GFCI/switch combo The diagrams in a response to the question " How do I wire a GFCI/switch combo? " is helpful. But I want to see a diagram for a situation where the power enters at the light and the device is wired so that the light is ground fault protected. Provided the cable between the light and the device is a 14/3 (with red wire), I would also need to be able to do the following: The white wire in the cable from the breaker box which runs to the light box would have to be pigtailed together in the light box with the light's white wire and the returning white wire that runs in the cable between the light and the device. At the device end, the white line wire would have to be pigtailed in with the LINE white-silver neutral screw and the LOAD white-silver neutral screw. So that one white neutral wire is shared by the line and load of the GFCI/switch. Is this permissible? Simply put: How can I wire the device, GFCI/switch, to ground fault protect light if the power enters at the light? <Q> Unfortunately, you can't. <S> For a GFCI outlet to protect other devices they have to come after the GFCI outlet in the circuit. <S> The power (hot and neutral wires) have to enter the outlet on the terminals labeled "line," and leave the outlet on the terminals labeled "load. <S> " This way the GFCI outlet can measure the power running to your light on the black wire and returning from your light on the white wire, which is the whole purpose of the GFCI. <S> If those two measurements aren't the same, it turns off. <S> Putting a jumper (what you're calling a "pigtail") between the Line and Load terminals on the device end would effectively bypass the GFCI functions inside the outlet altogether. <S> Connecting the neutral wire coming from your breaker box in the same wire nut with the neutral feeding your light AND feeding the GFCI device will give the electrons leaving your light a direct path back to your breaker box, meaning that they never flow back through the GFCI. <S> It will trip and refuse to reset as long as the light is on, assuming it works at all. <S> If you want that light to be GFCI protected, you will have to re-run the wire from your breaker box so that it enters the box for the GFCI first. <S> Alternatively, you could splice a second cable to the line in your light box and run it over to the device and then use the black and white from the existing 3 conductor wire to take the power back from the device to the light (with the black wire connected to one pole of the switch and a black jumper from the gold "load" terminal on the outlet to the other terminal on the switch). <S> Either way, you have to run additional wiring. <S> It just depends whether it's easier to add a new cable between the device and the light or to run a new cable from the breaker box to the device. <S> Put another way, if you want to protect things "downstream" using a GFCI outlet, you have to have at least 4 conductors present in the box, and you only have 3. <A> You can't. <S> You also can't put the LINE and LOAD neutrals together . <S> The GFCI has to get the power FIRST ( <S> both supply hot and neutral tied to LINE only), so that if any power goes missing on the return(neutral) leg, it shuts off power. <S> You send the Load hot out the through the switch to the light and return the light neutral to the GFCI's LOAD neutral. <S> You could protect the light by adding a GFCI upstream to where the power originates or add a GFCI breaker to your panel for that circuit. <A> Why do you need to have ground-fault protection on a light though - there shouldn't be a shock hazard to humans with most lights. <S> Keep in mind that if this circuit protects the living areas (bedrooms) of your house, code might require an arc-fault (AFCI) breaker be installed. <A> You're going to have to run two 14/2 cables, instead of a single 14/3. <S> Since you want to GFCI protect the light, you'll have to run an extra grounded (neutral) conductor between the GFCI device and the light fixture. <S> Without this additional grounded (neutral) conductor, the GFCI will trip every time you turn the light on. <S> If you connect the circuit like this... <S> The GFCI receptacle will sense an unbalanced load on the load side whenever the light is switched on. <S> As previously noted, protecting the entire circuit by way of a GFCI breaker may be the best option.
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The easiest way to accomplish this would be to install a GFCI breaker, that way the entire circuit is protected.
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How can I safely cut this pipe with an angle grinder? I have a two inch cast iron pipe w/cup coming up from a concrete floor. There used to be a connection at the cup for a sink drain. That piece was broken by my handy man and subsequently removed by me. Now I need to cut off the cup to facilitate repair using ABS part with rubber connections to drain and vent. A chain break does not fit between the pipe and the wall; there is no room for a reciprocating saw; so I am considering a 9" angle grinder operated with the cutting wheel facing up. How do I keep the cup from pinching the cutting wheel or flying out when it is cut through? I don't even like having the wheel facing up, so I might cut lower on the pipe to avoid the cup interfering with the grinder body. Any help will be appreciated. <Q> Remember, cast iron is brittle. <S> A chain-breaker does not actually cut it, it cracks and separates it. <S> You can use the same principle: use the angle grinder make a groove to weaken material around the perimeter of the material <S> right where you want it to break. <S> Then allow the grinding wheel to penetrate all the way through at only a single spot (a 1/4" or so). <S> Then use a regular cold chisel to finish the job: <S> Drive the chisel in at a tangent, following the groove you just cut. <S> I've done it many times, and it only takes a few minutes. <A> Three small holes in the bell (@120 degrees apart) would let you support the bell end with baling wire or similar to an eyehook above. <A> a diamond blade specially purposed for cast iron. <S> Chances are low you'll find those blades at a big box store, I got mine at a specialty pluming store . <A> I would need to see a picture to come up with some specific ideas, but you could try an oscillating tool (I have one <S> and they are great for cutting in tight spaces - even metal), or <S> maybe even some kind of metal cutting wire saw, like this one . <S> You could also try a small hack saw, like this one .
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The wedge shape of the chisel will lift the cup up and away from the pipe, and like cutting glass, it'll snap right where you weakened it. At least that is what I used successfully to cut my cast iron pipe. I think the best way to do it is using a reciprocating saw (which most folk call "Sawzall") and
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Connection for C wire on Mastertrol Mark V zone control panel I have spent hours searching the web for information on this 20+ year old zone control panel, which supports 3 zones of Heat and A/C. The thermostat I'm replacing (on Zone 3) connects to T4/T5/T6 as W, R, Y respectively (the wire colors do not match because it's sharing a cable with Zone 2, which go the matching colors). I need a C (Common) wire to supply power to the thermostat, and found 24VAC across M2 and T5 (M1/M2 are the power leads to the zone damper, and seem to be connected internally to "1" and "2", the 24VAC supply. However, when I connect the C terminal on the thermostat to the M2 connection, there is a click from some of the zone relays and the transformer hums as if it's overloaded. I removed power after a few seconds and disconnected the wire (now hanging off to the right of the picture). I've disconnected the wire from the C terminal at the thermostat, and measure 24VAC across it and the Rh terminal on the 'stat, so I don't believe the issue is in the wiring. The thermostat is a Filtrete 3M50; I've read that it draws less than .1 Amp, so I don't think this should be enough to put the system over some maximum current draw. I'm looking for ideas on how to troubleshoot this. <Q> It appears according to the manual for the Mastertrol Automatic Balancing System (MABS) <S> EZ Zone (EZ-2 and EZ-4) <S> Control Panels (PDF) , that M1 is used for C . <S> Click for larger view <S> This does not appear to be the manual for your device, so this information may not be correct. <S> The manual for the MABS 2 Zone Panel (PDF) , also shows M1 being used for C . <S> UPDATE: <S> After further review, you should be able to connect the C wire directly to the transformer terminals. <S> Measure for Voltage between the T5 terminal of the zone you're working in, and the 1 and 2 terminals in <S> the 24V 40VA <S> Transformer section. <S> One should measure 24 Volts, while the other measures 0 Volts. <S> The one that gives you 24 Volts, should be able to be used as C . <A> I have just successfully installed a Honeywell RTH6500WF <S> Wi-Fi Series thermostat on Zone 1 of my Mastertrol Mark V zone control system. <S> I used a separate 120VAC to 24VAC transformer (AUX) with one lead of the AUX 24VAC hooked to Zone 1 terminal T5 of the Mark V panel (R terminal on the thermostat) and <S> the second lead of the AUX 24VAC hooked to the wire (4th thermostat wire) that goes to C on the thermostat. <A> I used the spare Green and Orange wire from my 3 wire system. <S> On the Master Control unit I connected Green to 2 and Orange to 1. <S> I then connected Green to C and Orange to RC. <S> I removed the jumper. <S> So far so good! <A> Go to the transformer and see what wire is common, it will be opposite of RED going to the thermostat on R or Red. <S> Common is the side of 24 v power that every 24 v circuit terminates upon to complete its path. <S> You will read 24 volts across every wire with Red , only with a call for heat will white not read 24 volts to red from white as the switch between red and white will be closed in the stat. <S> open switch will read 2 sides of power closed switches read only 1 leg of power.
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A separate 24VAC transformer is required for each zone thermostat that needs a C connection.
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How can I prevent these LEDs from blinking when turned off? In a block of units we installed 240v EARTHED downlights. I believe the neutral maybe 2-3volts above earth causing the lights to flash when turned off. The fittings are provided with earth connection as they are metal and operating at 240. If I disconnect the earth the blink stops. In NSW may the unit board be MENed, would this stop the above earth condition. There is a Core balance breaker on the light circuit <Q> My guess is that you have a dimmer which has a light or LED on it. <S> If this is the case, your particular dimmer does not have a dedicated neutral on it, so in order to power the light/LED, it needs to feed a small amount of current through the lighting circuit. <S> If you had a standard incandescent bulb, this would not be anywhere near enough to cause it to light up, but with CFL's or LED's, this might be enough to cause it to flash. <S> Purchase a dimmer that has a neutral connection on it <S> (usually these are a bit more expensive). <S> Because it can be powered without powering the rest of the circuit, it will eliminate the flashing light. <A> Neutral 2-3V above earth is normal. <S> One incandescent light on the same circuit will normally stop LEDs and CFLS from flashing by bleeding off any leakage current. <A> I added incorporated an RC circuit using a .47uf capacitor. <S> Works beautifully. <S> ($2.00 capacitor vs $50.00 switch.)
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Bad flashing is normally caused by dimmer switches or illuminated switches. MEN does not normally stop LED/CFL flashing, and you'd still expect 2-3V at the light fitting.
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Are non-GFCI outlets that are downstream of a GFCI outlet ground fault protected if they are fed from the GFCI outlet's load side? Are non-GFCI outlets that are downstream of a GFCI outlet ground fault protected if they are fed from the GFCI outlet's load side? If those non-GFCI downstream outlets were not fed from the GFCI outlet's load side but rather just had their hot, neutral and ground wires spliced to those feeding the GFCI outlet, would the effect be the same as if there was no GFCI outlet on the circuit at all? <Q> Yes, that is the entire purpose of the load terminals of the GFCI. <S> You can imagine that the protection element of the GFCI extends both to its receptacles, and then just imagine the load pair as another "receptacle". <S> As to the second part, yes, if you just connect the terminals together "before" the GFCI protection is in place, the GFCI will have no effect - remember, it can only sense problems on its own receptacles and its load terminals. <A> Are non-GFCI outlets that are downstream of a GFCI outlet ground fault protected if they are fed from the GFCI outlet's load side? <S> Yes. <S> If those non-GFCI downstream outlets were not fed from the GFCI outlet's load side but rather just had their hot, neutral and ground wires spliced to those feeding the GFCI outlet, would the effect be the same as if there was no GFCI outlet on the circuit at all? <S> Yes. <S> Anything spliced before the GFCI will behave as if there is no GFCI. <S> The most important thing is to make sure you connect the GFCI to power from the panel via the 'Line' connections. <S> If you connect to the Load connections, the GFCI functions just like a cheap $1 non-protected outlet, and provides no extra protection. <A> Yes to the first question. <S> No to the second. <S> The GFCI protects everything downstream of its load side only.
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The GFCI outlet will only protect its own outlets and any outlets that are connected via it's 'Load' connections.
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Should I paint door hinges? Is it better to paint door hinges when painting a door and frame or should I remove them so they keep a metal look? I've hung a new door with new hinges and am about to paint. Most of the doors I see have painted hinges but is this just because someone hasn't gone to the effort of removing the door to paint it or because it's considered better? <Q> Painting hinges is not a question of being better or worse. <S> Depending on the motif, hinge finishes are often selected to complement the door or trim color. <S> For example: brass metal finish often used with tan trim/doors or natural wood finishes. <S> Chrome or brushed nickel hardware is popular with white trim/doors. <S> Hinges and passage sets come in a lot of different metal and colored finishes. <S> If you do decide to paint the hinges, resist the temptation to simply paint them in place. <S> It is difficult to evenly paint all the surfaces of a hinge and not fill the slots of the screws. <S> When painted in place, the paint will often chip if it dries and bridges the joints of the hinge. <S> It tends to chip when you first open/close the door. <S> I really try to avoid painting hinges, but when I paint new, previously unpainted hinges, I remove them, clean them well, spray paint them, screws included. <A> Typically you see painted hinges because the people painting were in a hurry and it wasn't worth the trouble to mask or remove the hinges before painting, rather than as an aesthetic decision. <S> Aesthetically, hinges can enhance the look of the room as shirlock homes explained well in his answer. <S> Keep in mind <S> the type of paint usually used for walls and doors is not ideally suited to painting metal hinges. <A> For a new door, I would take off the hinges, paint and then put them back on. <S> I even put masking tape where the hingles mount to the door and frame, so they don't get shimmed out with layers of paint. <S> I like the look of brass hingles. <S> I do not like when someone has slopped paint on - especially in place. <A> Painting a door hinge is a bad idea, as it ruins the integrity of the hinge and shortens it's life. <S> You can have the hinge refinished or buy new hinges in the finish you want. <S> If you must paint hinges, you can buy hinges in primer coat and paint them using a paint designed for use on metal. <A> I have done this a few times: take the singles off, spray with a Rustoleum-type metallic colored paint, then top coated with Polyurethane spray. <S> I was in one of those houses the other day, and they still look pretty good after 20+ years of use.
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If you are going to paint the hinges, it is better to use a paint that adheres well to metal, so you avoid chipping and peeling fresh paint.
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How can I rewire this circuit? In my basement, I am removing an existing fixture and planning on installing pot-lights. Previously when I have switched out a fixture, I generally find white + black + ground, which is pretty easy to deal with. In this case, when I was removing my existing fixture, I found the following: Click for larger views One stand has White + Black, but the other has White + Black + Red. The two blacks are tied together and go nowhere. The two wites are tied together and go to the light, and the red goes to the light (where I generally would use a black). My original plan, was to pull the wire back to the switch (along with the new wire that I would use for the potlights). But with two wires going to the fixture, I'm not sure where/what the other wire would be for. I can still pull one back to the fixture, but I would rather try to figure out what the other one may be for before I do anything like that. Any ideas what the second line would be for? If I continue with my plan, of pulling the one wire back to the switch I should be able to replace it with new romex for the potlight, wire it up the same and have no problems? <Q> In the fixture junction box: White = Grounded (neutral) conductor. <S> Black = <S> Ungrounded (hot) conductor. <S> Red = Switched ungrounded (hot) conductor. <S> You'll learn a bit more about the circuit, when you open up the switch box and take a look inside. <S> If you're still not sure what's going on, you'll have to probe the wires to gain a better understanding. <S> If at any point you don't feel comfortable, or you're in over your head. <S> Don't hesitate to contact a local license Electrician. <A> Here's my best guess. <S> Power probably comes in on the 14/2 pair and leaves to the switch on the 14/3 wires. <S> The switch if my guess is right will have the black and red wires attached to it and is probably done <S> this was to feed another circuit. <S> Alternately the 14/3 wire could be providing switched power on the white/red pair and feeding another circuit (the 14/2 pair). <A> In switched situations, the traditional neutral (white) can be repurposed to a hot leg, though it must be marked. <S> You should be able to see the story at the switch. <S> In any case, cut power, disassemble connections, reenergize and carefully measure all the voltages with a helper at the switch. <S> If it's not clear, please post the results of all wires with switch on then off and we'll diagnose. <S> This will tell you if this is a power at light or a power at switch.
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This is how I suspect the circuit is wired, but you'll have to investigate to be sure. The circuit may be wired this way because it continues on to feed other rooms, or simply because the switch is a "smart" switch that requires a grounded (neutral) conductor.
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How to reduce noise from my refrigerator? I live in a studio appartment and there is a fridge in my room which makes sleeping difficult. Is there a way to reduce the noise it makes? Is it maybe possible to cover it with noise insulant without keeping the waste heat inside? Update: Thanks for your tips and hints. I just moved the refrigerator from the kitchen behind a little wall: I’m wondering if I could cover this alcove with a heavy curtain (maybe using polyester fiber as HerrBag suggested). Do you think the air volume (~ 0.7 m x 1.7 m x 2.3 m) and the walls would suffice to absorb the heat (and noise) of the refrigerator? <Q> Most refrigerator alcoves are mini reverberation chambers, having hard sides. <S> You may be able to place acoustic foam behind the refrigerator to absorb the sounds. <S> If you're handy sewing, you could copy this design for a sound reduction blanket using polyester fiber fill used for coats. <S> As a trial, just loop a couple of layers of the batting off a couple eye hooks and leave space for air circulation. <S> You may have to use some twine to belt it down flat. <A> Keeping the fridge full of stuff may stabilize the temperature and reduce the number of times the compressor turns on and off. <A> I don't think anyone has mentioned that low frequency sounds are very efficiently transmitted (and even amplified) via floorboards. <S> This is especially bad if you get resonance. <S> Of course all of this is dependent on what the floor is made of and what type of walls you have. <A> If it cannot, the fridge will not work very well and it will eventually self destruct. <S> So by providing a path to get rid of heat also will create a path to get rid of noise, so to speak. <S> I suppose some elaborate baffled muffler system may attenuate the noise and still allow adequate ventilation, but such a device would take a lot of room and make the fridge inaccessible. <S> All you can really do is keep the coils clean so it works most efficiently. <S> You might inspect the fan and compressor mountings, if they are perished, it would lead to excess noise. <S> Other than that, all you can realistically do is buy a quieter fridge. <A> If you own the appliance or otherwise have the right to replace it, trade it for an updated appliance. <S> There are many publications which evaluate refrigerator noise, a few of which are: viewpoints <S> consumer reports
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This may seem crazy but mounting the fridge on wall brackets so it doesn't touch the floor can make a big difference. As you have deduced, the condenser coil needs to get rid of heat in order to work properly. To be clear, I'm only suggesting a flat wall hanging, nothing to trap heat. If it works, enclose in a cotton sack stitched down like a quilt.
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How do I fix drywall around wall box so switch plate covers damage? In my house, there are maybe three or four outlet boxes and switch boxes where there was damage done to the drywall surrounding the box at some point. There are no structural or electrical issues (well, none that I haven't already fixed at least—some wires were spliced with electrical tape and broken wire nuts!), but cosmetically, I'd like to do better. Example (see top of switchplate): For standard one-gang switch plates and outlet covers, I typically buy a wider cover, and that takes care of the issue. However, for a plate like the one in the picture above, it's hard enough finding a plate with a decora cutout and a switch cutout in standard size—much less one in a wider size. Is there any way of fixing the drywall around a plate like this short of cutting back the drywall to a stud and trying to mount/support new sheetrock so it's flush with the outlet box? For small nicks, I can just fill them in with spackling compound, but for larger breaks like this, I can't make it look nice and not crumble after a year or two. <Q> I wouldn't start cutting out chunks of drywall to fix a small area like that. <S> Take off the wall plate and remove any loose or crumbling drywall. <S> Apply a piece of fiberglass tape over the area, mud, sand and repeat as necessary to get a blended finish. <S> Then prime and paint to match. <S> I've fixed a bunch of similar defects like this and <S> several years later there are no cracks and they look great. <A> Alternate answer: <S> You could swap the switch for a decora switch and then just look for a large double-decora wallplate, which are definitely easier to find. <A> Here's a small nightmare my electrician left me (am looking for a new one). <S> Sometimes, making the hole BIGGER is easier and makes a more secure repair, because drywall is stronger when fully supported. <S> I've done tape repairs as @Steven has suggested, but they are inherently weak, because the repair is necessarily cantilevered around the e-box. <S> Myron Ferguson is a frequent contributor to Fine HomeBuilding and JLC. <S> His book has a great section on repairs. <A> I know this is an old question, but I love gyp-board (installing and repairing). <S> There's something therapeutic about it as long as you have someone following you cleaning up... <S> Fiberglass tape is a good one, but you can get creative with paper tape, although it can get messy / frustrating. <S> More relevant to your situation, here he is fixing a larger issue but using the technique I had in mind - the California patch. <S> YouTube video
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The fiberglass tape is nice for repairs like this because you can stick it to the wall and then mud on top of, unlike paper tape which you need to apply on top of mud. Just size down to fit your application. This guy's pretty good and has a solid 7-part series on new installation.
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Can I paint over XPS insulation? I've a top floor apartment in India which gets almost like an oven during the summers which is like for 9 months out of 12. I've decided to apply under the deck XPS 50mm (nailed to the ceiling). I dont want to do a gypsum false ceiling after that, since I like to keep the height and cost low. The supplier (Supreme Petrochem) suggests to apply putty + acrylic paint over the XPS board, but I'm skeptical and dont know if that will crack. I'm thinking of just sticking wall paper over it. Any experience of such application & suggestions will be appreciated. <Q> Dow, a manufacturer of XPS products, on their India web site, does not recommend using XPS under a roof deck . <S> This is due to the possibility of condensation occurring between the insulation and the structure. <S> As far as painting goes, US codes require a 15 minute thermal barrier over an interior foam, in the event of fire. <S> This could be satisfied by gypsum wallboard, obviating the need to paint. <S> Instead, they recommend using an "inverted roof" where the panels are placed OVER the waterproofing and covered with a ballast material that will weigh the panel down and protect it from sunlight. <A> You can definitely apply Paint on XPS Boards,they will not crack. <S> They have a life span of 50-60 years. <S> And it helps to decrease the temperature by 4-5 degrees, even more. <A> Yes of course XPS board can be used under a deck for insulating the room. <S> When on the ceiling 50mm XPS is used, its joints are set due to shiplap design. <S> After fastening them to the ceiling, their joints are covered with the tape and then fibre mesh is put over it, then the putty is applied over it, and finally the paint is applied over it. <S> The joints never crack due to this process applied on XPS. <S> The walls can be insulated with 25mm XPS board. <S> The joints should be grooved in a v-shape to fill in putty <S> and then the same above procedure is applied.
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For better insulation, the south or west wall of a room should also be insulated as they gain the maximum time of heat during the day. For noninsulation interior uses, Dow permits latex paint .
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What can I do to avoid incandescent bulbs for my 3-bulb ceiling fan, yet maintain brightness? My ceiling fan takes 3 candelabra (E12) base bulbs for lighting. The bulb slots are labeled 75W - 125V. The fan light is dimmable and I currently use 3 60w incandescent flame tips. I plan to switch to LEDs or flourescent bulbs, but so far I have only found candelabra-based LED bulbs at 25w equivalent. Even with 3 of them, the room is not as bright as I want it, especially considering the previous lighting set-up. What can I do to make the lighting situation brighter, understanding the 75W / 125V constraints, and that I would like the potential to use the dimmer ability? NOTE: User "Monso" responded in the comments about using an adapter like this one to allow for larger bulbs to be used, and while that seems like a good solution (bigger bulbs = brighter bulbs), I want to make sure I don't overload the circuitry. Am I still constrained to 75w / 125v with the larger adapter? What are my limits if I wanted to use an LED or florescent bulb? <Q> I posted a response in JoshDM's thread over on Sustainability.stackexchange.com. <S> Replying here as well in case this might help someone. <S> I'd been looking for a 60W equivalent candelabra base bulb for a while too. <S> For the past few years the highest equivalent available to consumers was 40W. <S> Now it looks like the 60's are finally making their way to market. <S> This one claims 700 lumens which, if true, would be very close to the brightness of a 60W incandescent. <S> https://web.archive.org/web/20160308065010/http://www.wholesaleled.com/products/60w-equivalent-7-watt-joshua-series-round-top-clear-silver-base-led-candelabra <S> Update: Lowes now carries a 7.5W LED candelabra for a bit less. <S> It's sold as a 60W-equivalent, though only puts out 500 lumens. <A> Do you have the space for an adapter like this one ? <S> Lighting EVER Candelabra Screw (E12) to Medium Screw (E26) <S> Enlarger Light Bulb Socket Adapter <S> Q: <S> I'm going to overload it by using a larger bulb ? <S> A: <S> Electrically <S> you are limited to the maximum amperage that the wiring will support, if it is rated for a 75W 125V <S> then that's 0.6Amps <S> each (Wattage = Voltage * Amperage). <S> You're not changing thevoltage or number of lamp <S> so it doesn't quite matter (doing thenumbers that is). <S> You can do up to the same amount of actual Wattageused, which for LEDs would be significantly less. <S> Heatwise , the LEDs should produce significantly less heat thanincandescent, just make sure you have at least 1/8" between the LED'sbulb and the shade/globe/etc <S> and you should be alright; incandescentshould be more like >1/2". <S> CFL Side Note <S> The same electricity rules apply for CFLs (or anything, note CFLs do have a peak turning on <S> but I doubt you'll find a 75 actual Wattage CFL to fit), but I'd increase the minimum gap for heat to about the same as in incandescent ~1/2 <S> ". <S> I've had a few cheaper lamps with CFLs <S> burn/melt <S> so I'm a little over cautious with CFL and proximity even though they should produce less heat than their incandescent <S> Lumen- <S> relative counterpart. <S> Q: <S> The bulbs will be put in sideways; I hear many LED bulbs are unidirectional; what degree/angle should I be looking for? <S> A: <S> For unidirectional light, you probably need to find one with a diffuser or multiple LEDs pointing in different directions. <S> If you can see the individual LED(s), it will shine light in the opposite direction(s) <S> it/they are mounted only so if they all point in the same direction it's unidirectional. <S> If you can't see the individual LED(s) <S> then it is probably diffused (though it may not be diffused well) <A> I've got a very similar problem. <S> Basically because they are the only thing that'll dim that fits a regular fitting that's above the 75W equivalent mark. <S> They look like standard bulbs but with a halogen style bulb within. <S> These ones aren't quite the right fit for you (E14) <S> but I think you should be able to find some E12 versions around. <S> http://www.philips.co.nz/c/Halogen-light-bulbs/ecoclassic-28w-40w-b15-warm-white-871829121975000/prd/ <A> Here's a 4.5W E-12 base <S> 40W equivalent that may help. <S> I'm not sure you'll find much larger versions. <S> A limiting factor with LED is heat dissipation -- LEDs don't like to get hot, and the small size of a candelabra bulb probably makes it hard to remove enough heat to allow more or more powerful devices. <A> I'd just get a new ceiling fan that accepts standard base bulbs. <S> You can pick one up for like $50 at your local orange or blue home improvement store. <S> Then you can use standard-sized LED bulbs at whatever brightness you like. <S> I did this a few months ago and now have a ceiling fan with three 800 lumen LEDs <S> that's super bright. <S> Heck, given the price of these bulbs, a new fan from a big box store is likely to be almost as much as the bulbs themselves… might as well.
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The only thing I've found that is workable right now are halogen bulbs.
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How can I close a rectangular PVC pipe without using glue? I will use a rectangular pipe (65mmx100mm) for growing herbs on the wall outside my house.I want to close both ends of a rectangular PVC pipe without using glue so I can pull at anytime both ends for cleaning purpose. Does anyone has a good mechanical idea?I'm trying to maintain the cost low so the less parts the better. <Q> Cork/Foam/Anything that can be molded to fit the hole snuggly. <S> Also a they make caps that extend slightly into the pvc pipe. <S> , find a rubber seal (old bike inner tube, large rubber band etc..)attach <S> it to the cap, and then shove it in the hole. <A> You can peel almost all of it off by hand to clean it. <A> How closed do you need it to be? <S> You could drill 2-4 bolts through the side to make something of a fence. <S> It would contain dirt, but let water drain out.
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Depending on your frequency of cleaning, you can put a bead of silicone around the outside after joining them. Alternately, if there is a proper cap for this pipe, you could drill a single bolt through both the cap and pipe, and hold the cap in place with the bolt.
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Why do builders say that wet concrete/mortar is not as strong? I have been watching a few videos demonstrating the mixing of mortar and cement and a constant theme is that you must not have the mix too runny. I cannot fathom the reason... Does anyone care to elaborate? My only guess is that a watery mix will have the layers settle in their different sedimentary layers with the fine cement settling to the bottom... <Q> My only guess is that a watery mix will have the layers settle in their different sedimentary layers with the fine cement settling to the bottom... <S> One reason is that the aggregate can settle to the bottom much too easily, yes. <S> This is called segregation and results in non-cohesiveness of concrete. <S> Another reason too much water is bad is that it can result in porous concrete, especially at the surface. <S> "Concrete that is poured too wet will be weak regardless of how it is cured. <S> Not all of the water that is added to the concrete mix is necessary for the hydration process. <S> In fact, the amount of water required to completely hydrate the cement is only about one half to two thirds of what is usually added at the batch plant or on the job site. <S> The rest is added strictly to make the mix more workable. <S> Adding too much water, however, might save work during placement, but it will also result in very weak, porous concrete, even with proper curing." <S> - source Excerpt from a good article (read the whole article) describing this problem in good detail: "When there is too much water in the concrete, there is greater shrinkage with the possibility for more cracks and reduced compressive strength. <S> As a general rule, every additional inch of slump decreases strength by approximately 500 psi. <S> So for example, if you ordered 5-inch slump concrete and received 7½ inches, a mix designed to be 4000 psi would end up being 2500 psi. <S> This represents a serious loss in strength, especially if you were placing exterior concrete in a freeze/thaw climate where the standard requirement is 4000 psi for proper durability." <S> - source <S> This is often the reason for the slump tests that are done on most large projects. <S> It tests the workability, but also indirectly tests if there is too much water. <A> The reason is because of the hydration chemistry that takes place in the cement while it cures. <S> When cement cures, it doesn't really "dry", the way a towel dries, but instead it reacts, the water ceases to be water and merges with the substances in the cement to form new molecules. <S> Having too much will disturb the chemical interactions taking place and will weaken the resulting crystal structures. <S> It's really not at all unlike baking. <S> Too much or too little of certain ingredients will ruin the chemistry and ruin your bread. <A> Figure 5 shows the effect of porosity caused by excess water. <S> http://matse1.matse.illinois.edu/concrete/prin.html <S> I recommend reading the entire article. <S> "The strength of concrete is very much dependent upon the hydration reaction just discussed. <S> Water plays a critical role, particularly the amount used. <S> The strength of concrete increases when less water is used to make concrete. <S> The hydration reaction itself consumes a specific amount of water. <S> Concrete is actually mixed with more water than is needed for the hydration reactions. <S> This extra water is added to give concrete sufficient workability. <S> Flowing concrete is desired to achieve proper filling and composition of the forms. <S> The water not consumed in the hydration reaction will remain in the microstructure pore space. <S> These pores make the concrete weaker due to the lack of strength-forming calcium silicate hydrate bonds." <A> One of the measures used when specifying concrete is the water to cement ratio. <S> Concrete companies measure the moisture content of their aggregates (the sand and stone) to ensure that they add just the right amount of water for each specified mix. <S> To adjust the workability (the slummp, measured in terms of the amount it "slumps" - or drops - when a cone shaped mound is removed) of concrete, water can be added (and this is often done "unofficially" on site to make life easier by site operatives), but to achieve the specified strength, the workability should be specified when ordereing concrete, as this allows the concrete company to compensate for the extra water by also adding more cement to the mix. <S> For example concrete destined for pumping (which needs high worability to get through the pump) will have a lot higher slump than that used for a straight pour; to achieve the same compressive strength in the finished concrete, the pump mix will have a higher cement content than the mix used for a straight pour. <A> For concrete to be strong all gaps between the sand and stone must be filled with interlocking crystals of hydrated cement so as to lock the stones together. <S> Water takes up space , so pushes the sand and stone apart thus needing more hydrated cement to fill the gaps. <S> Therefore in most mixes there will not be enough cement for the crystals to interlock strongly if extra water is added. <S> A superplasticizer can be used to make the concrete more workable without having to add a lot of water. <S> see http://www.waterproofconcrete.co.uk/what%20too%20much%20water%20does%20to%20concrete.pdf for lots more detail
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If there is too much water, the chemical reaction (hydration) that "cures" the cement in the concrete is adversely affected if there is too much (or too little water) in the mix, leading to weaker concrete than if the optimum amount of water is used.
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How to repair this shower/bathroom wall for bathroom remodel. I have a nasty bathroom downstairs. It looks like the previous owners built it over a floor drain, not entirely sure if this is a good thing or not (not even sure if that's what they did but see attached photos for the washer height knobs). Obvious water damage behind the shower area. Needs to be gutted and rebuilt. I just don't exactly know where to start or what are the obvious noob mistake that will cost me later. I'm comfortable with soldering, drywall, tiling,etc. I've never built a wall or frame before so I probably need the most guidance there. Any help is appreciated. Good books or other references would be awesome. Specific question: Are there any specific issues that might cause bigger problems later on (from first answer full stud replacement vs patch) when I repair/replace this wall? Photos: Click for larger view <Q> A floor drain is no problem in a bathroom, in fact that's a bonus! <S> Just don't let it dry up. <S> As for where to start, here is a general guideline: <S> Tear out all the drywall and to expose any rotten areas. <S> Put in temporary studs for any iffy areas. <S> Fix the plumbing. <S> Choose your shower-surround (tile, fibreglass, etc...) and finish accordingly. <S> Also, whichever product you choose for waterproofing your shower will usually have their own specifications on how to waterproof on their websites. <S> For example: Kerdi and Nobleseal . <S> These two companies also have very helpful technical support departments and local sales reps. <S> An example of an "iffy area": <S> If there are multiple studs all really rotten next to eachother <S> and you are taking out one to replace it, the remaining load of the floor/roof over your head is now on all those rotten studs... <S> That is an iffy situation, in my opinion. <A> You should replumb/reframe for proper support of the wall covering (right now, it looks like the piece you tore off spanned over 30".. <S> way too far). <S> The valve should be setback into the stud cavity, unless you are going to use a shower enclosure. <S> If the pipes are where you want them, put studs on either side of the water supply. <A> If you haven't done so yet make a list of what you liked and disliked and are willing to change in the original space. <S> Expose as much of the space as you can. <S> Plan your repairs, studs, wiring, plumbing etc with your final goal in mind. <S> You don't want to replace a stud and find out later that it is where you want the shower valve. <S> Also the shower system, fiberglass,tile, etc will all have varied framing requirements so you must have a general plan in place at the start.
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You must remove all water damaged drywall. Replace rotten studs, one at a time (full-length, don't patch). You don't won't to remove a whole wall at once, it may be load-bearing.
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How can I fix a small slightly damp area in my basement wall? I am in the process of converting a bedroom in our walkout basement, into an office. Back in 1999, the previous owner had finished the basement. The basement foundation walls are hollow cinder block, and there have been no water problems anywhere in the basement with the exception of this one corner of the room we are renovating. There have been some issues with mold/damp drywall in that corner for quite a while. I just opened the walls (drywalled studded walls, about 1" in from the cinder block), and found a 4-foot section with damp cinder block going approximately 6-inches up off the slab (above 6-inches up, all is dry). In the previous basement finishing, poly was placed against the cinder block wall, a 1" space was left, then a studded interior wall was put up, filled with fiberglass insulation, then drywalled. It looks like there is quite a bit of condensation on the insulation side of the poly, which is creating dampness, and is getting through to the drywall. Any thoughts on how I might fix this problem. <Q> Water IS getting to it. <S> There IS water there. <S> You cannot fix it by covering the wet. <S> You must fix it by stopping the water from getting to that point. <S> Check your gutters. <S> Do they tend to get clogged? <S> Are the downspouts set so the water is directed away from that area? <S> Check the grading in that area. <S> If all of this checks out, then the water is getting through the wall. <S> There may be a crack. <A> Well, it turns out that it wasn't water coming through the foundation wall. <S> Right above the area in question is the main service panel for the house. <S> Water was slowly seeping in through the conduit, and actually into the breaker box itself (eek!). <S> It was then dripping down through the insulation, and along the poly. <S> An electrician friend has seen this happen quite often, and is coming over tomorrow to fix it. <A> Poly is almost NEVER a good solution for the interior structure of a habitable, heated building. <S> As you've seen, the insulation was insufficient for preventing moisture laden air from reaching the dewpoint at the poly. <S> Whether the dampness is coming through the block or from the interior to the poly. <S> See this answer , regarding use of XPS insulation and not using poly on the interior side.
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You may need to dig down and apply water proofing in that area, or repair the crack. (I have since taken a blow dryer and dried out the breaker box, and as there is significant corrosion inside, will be replacing it) Put poly outside, as in under the slab or outside a drainage plane along the basement wall (on the outside).
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How can I rehang heavy fire doors? I need to re-hang a sagging door (actually several). I've seen this question and answer , but wonder if my situation doesn't call for something a bit different. My issues: 1) its a heavy fire-door with a door-closer. 2) It is currently hanging completely on the door jamb. 3) Each hinge has 4 screw holes. 2 screws probably won't be able to bite the stud no matter what I do. For the other two screws I could probably get a minimum of 1/4-3/8 in clearance away from the edge of the stud if I angle the screws slightly. I'm wondering if I'm just better off using machine screws with washers and nuts. I'm grateful for any advice. <Q> I see in your picture that there is a wooden shim between the door frame and the jack stud. <S> Typically the frame should be screwed into the jack stud separately from the door hinge. <S> The small door hinge screws should only have to hold onto the frame of the door and usually don't need to be driven into the wall stud. <S> A fire door can be quite heavy though and might need a bit more. <S> You can see here that they make door hinge hardware that comes with at least one extra long wood screw that will anchor your door hinge to both the door frame and the jack stud. <S> This will also further strengthen the door frame itself. <S> Go to the door accessory section of your local hardware store and find where they keep plastic packs of door hinge hardware. <S> Each hinge typically comes with short screws and one long screw. <S> Each pack is cheap, usually under $4, you will need three. <S> Make sure you match the shape and hole pattern of the existing door hinge. <A> In your specific case, the weight of the door has probably stressed the screws in the jambs and enlarged the jamb holes a bit, making it difficult to tork the hinges snug, thus causing the door to sag. <S> Since you already have a good shim between the jamb and stud, replace the short screws with some 2 to 2 1/2 inch wood screws. <S> Typically size 10 to 12. <S> Now, all the weight will be supported by the stud instead of the worn jamb. <S> Also inspect the screws in the door side of the hinge to be sure they are secure. <S> Longer screws there may help it bit if there is enough solid wood to bite to. <S> I should have mentioned, be sure to check the plumb of the jambs and adjust as required before reattaching the hinges and door. <A> Here in the UK the law says that any work carried out on a firedoor should be certified. <S> Please check your local laws and specifications. <S> According to our standards your frame is too thin and there should be no gap between the frame and timber. <S> We used to pack under the hinge with intumescent material made by Envirograf(UK), until you have an even gap of 3 mm between door and frame. <S> Make sure the frame is up to the specifications, if not you may need new frames as well. <A> You will need a plane and screwdriver,first try to see how much needs to come of the door. <S> Then remove the door mark with a pencil all the way along the top of the door the amount that has to come of. <S> Then step over the door with it lying on its edge and plane down to your mark sand the sharp edge of then replace the door. <S> Visit for more information on http://www.washingtonlocks.us/washington-dc-emergency-locksmith/
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If they are a bit loose also, put some wood shims coated with wood glue in the screw holes, let it cure and reinstall the hinges.
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How can I prevent grout from sticking in the small dimples in tiles? I have installed a glass/natural stone tiled backsplash. I used a darker grout but when I cleaned the excess grout off,all of the holes and dimples in the stone tiles were filled with the grout and I can't clean them out.It looks awful.Would a sealant have stopped this from happening or would a lighter colored grout have worked better. Luckily I only did a small area so I can re-tile that area but I need to get it right next time. <Q> If you really want to prevent any grout getting stuck in the dimples of the tile you need to mask it off. <S> Yes- <S> I know.. <S> every single tile? <S> Unfortunately, yes. <S> Style and beauty is hard work. <S> Do not smear the grout allover the tile. <S> Keep to the area you want to grout. <S> Possibly apply grout with a grouting tool then smooth it with a sponge; washing it regularly. <S> Once its all dr peel the masking tape away. <S> Viola. <A> Don't Float it!!!! <S> The worst DIY advice anyone ever gave me was to use a float to spread grout across my rough stone (porcelain replica) <S> tile. <S> It took me over 70 hrs with a putty knife (I rounded the edges on 3 actually), a wire brush (actually 5 of them), and acidic grout haze remover <S> just to get it looking presentable again. <S> Fill a masonry bag, or empty caulking tube with grout and just dispense what you need to fill the voids as you would silicone sealant. <S> If there's a budge, wait until the grout sets up then use a putty knife to scrape the excess away (preferably while it's still a little soft, but not sticky) <S> Also, you may find the caulking gun technique is actually more effective than floating as it's easier to avoid air bubbles. Or combine this with a bit of masking and a silicone bead finisher for the best results! <A> Two coats of sealer on the face of the tile is not too much for grout release. <S> Try not to overseal the empty lines where the final grout will go. <S> If it's very porous, like travertine, you could prefill the faces with a near match grout and let it set. <S> Then seal the face before doing the dark grout lines. <S> This will add 3-4 days for most sealers. <A> Well it is too late now <S> but maybe this will help people in the future. <S> I use a heavy mixture of palmolive dish soap and warm water. <S> I wipe the tiles twice right before grouting. <S> The second pass I leave the soap suds on. <S> Give it 5-10 mins to dry up a bit. <S> Then grout. <S> There is a huge difference in what will come off after it is soaped. <S> You will always get a little to stick especially with travertine... <S> If you do, you really need to try to remove most right after grouting. <S> This can be tedious <S> but you can use a dull knife and rag if you are within an hour or two.
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But you can use the wide masking tapes and then just try to grout as cleanly as possible.
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Is the lack of a vapor barrier in the attic causing my mold issue? For the last couple of days we have noticed more and more mold growth on the ceiling throughout the house. Wondering what was going on, I climbed into the attic this past weekend and notice that no vapor barrier was ever put in place along with an inadequate level of insulation. I plan on blowing in the additional insulation to bring the home up to the recommended levels, but what can be done in regards to the missing vapor barrier? Update: I live in central Wisconsin. I am seeing the mold in the living area of the house mostly around the can lights. <Q> Moist air is condensing (barring any oughtright leaks) <S> It is most likely due to air leakage from house to attic: <S> Ceiling to attic is leaking moist air, condensing. <S> Solution: <S> airsealing of all penetrations (light fixtures, ducting, electrical,gaps in construction) <S> Insufficient insulation, combined with air leakage allowscondensation to occur. <S> Vapor barrier (VB) insulation (batt withpaper facing) should NOT be placed OVER any existing insulation,creating a trap. <S> If used, the VB is placed against the heated sidein winter. <S> Do not use poly for a vapor barrier. <S> The assembly mustbe able to dry in either direction, should condensation occur. <S> Update RE can lights Recessed cans are notorious for leakage. <S> If they are IC rated (designed for direct insulation contact) they can be air sealed with a ASTME 136 rated firecaulk directly. <S> If they are non-IC, a XPS box can be built that meets the clearance requirements of the fixture (insulation must be a minimum of 3" around a non-IC fixture (NEC 410.66)) <S> Many commercial products exist for covering cans. <S> Video: <S> Airsealing recessed lighting by Green Homes America <S> I've seen this condition develop when a bath vent fan was dumping air directly into the attic and it saturated the insulation and it grew mold down through the drywall. <A> This can happen around can lights. <S> You get moisture in your attic and it will eventually drain out. <S> The cans are your drain holes. <S> You need to vent your attic better. <S> Let the moisture escape. <S> I mention this because it is cheap and a DIY job if you are up to it. <S> Make 5 sided boxes out of xps or other rigid insulation sheets. <S> The boxes should more than cover the can area - one box per can light. <S> I would span the boxes across the joist <S> the can is in between and maybe 2 feet the other direction. <S> Caulk with silicone under the boxes to the sheetrock or joists is optional. <S> Note on this - figure out if your cans are rated for insulation. <S> If they are make your boxes whatever size. <S> If they aren't your boxes will have to be a certain distance from the light housing. <S> Add more insulation. <S> I would stay clear of fiberglass. <S> Spray foaming would almost be an instant cure and rock wool would work OK (not as well) too. <S> You could even skip the boxes if spray foaming. <S> But spray foaming attics sucks because you lose access to the hundreds of things running around up there (electrical). <S> Just no fiberglass <S> (and I wouldn't do recycled either). <A> Do not rule out any roof leaks that may be letting moisture into the attic. <S> Check around where you see the mold to make sure there are no areas where rain can get under the shingles or around flashings. <S> Good attic insulation will help keep your home comfortable but a balanced ventilation system is just as important.
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It is mostly due to poor attic ventilation where the is a temperature difference between the attic and outdoors.
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How to remove construction adhesive from concrete? We removed a wooden dance floor that was glued to concrete with liquid nails. How do I remove the liquid nails that is all over the concrete floor? Has anyone had success with heat, mineral spirits or any other remover product? <Q> Removing glue from any surface is a thankless task. <S> You will not be able to return the floor to an as-built state. <S> You're going to have to cover it with something. <S> You're going to have to dissolve it and scrape it. <S> And it's going to be a heck of job. <S> Some expert google-fu has yielded Baby Oil as a potential solvent. <S> Other suggestions were mineral oil. <S> However, I think a better solution would be to get a floor sander with a grinding pad and sand it off. <S> Remember to wear a dust mask. <A> From the Liquid Nails faq : <S> How To Remove LIQUID NAILS Adhesive Products from Building Materials <S> In general, LIQUID NAILS construction adhesive and caulk products can be scraped off when they are softened either by: Heating above 140°F with an electric heat gun or blow dryer Coating the adhesive with petroleum jelly or mineral spirits for several hours to several days <S> (NOTE: <S> Mineral spirits are not recommended for tub surrounds, whether vinyl, plastic, painted or varnished.) <A> I had liquid nails all over my walls for my steps leading downstairs after I tore out the fake brick. <S> I am more than sure that the above answers will work <S> but I like free <S> and I like hitting things. <S> Tools needed: sharp chisel and hammer. <S> Time it took me to do entire stairs: about 1 hour. <S> Procedure: <S> Just keep the chisel flat <S> so it doesn't take out any chunks of concrete, wear gloves, goggles if you want <S> , I found swinging down worked best. <S> I also found that giving the chisel kind of a constant tap was more productive than killing it. <S> Also they sell scrapers that you can hook up to your compressor if you have one. <S> Things not needed: chemicals, gas mask, heating elements. <S> Benefits of doing it this way: Wife won't yell at me for buying new tool <S> Wife won't yell at me about the dust <S> Wife won't yell at me about using chemicals in the house <S> House will not smell of dust and chemicals for a day. <S> Negatives of doing it this way <S> : Wife will yell at me because I left the scraps of liquid nails laying on the steps. <A> I'm sorry for the delay but wanted to provide an update. <S> When the dance floor was removed, there was a heavy amount of liquid nails covering about 500 sq ft. <S> We had to remove it in order to lay new tile. <S> We tried chipping it, which worked but took a lot of time. <S> The best approach was purchasing a bottle of adhesive remover from Home Depot-- <S> it's stated purpose is to remove the tacky adhesive from sub floors when re-tiling (think of pulling up peel and stick tiles, you must clean the floor prior to installing new tile or it just won't stick). <S> This stuff worked wonders on it, softened it up and it could easily be scraped away. <S> It took two bottles and cost $20. <S> Thanks all for your expertise, advice and comments! <A> I've used Goof off professional for small areas, but its too toxic for a large area. <S> Diamond brush buffers will wear down the adhesive and even out the floor. <S> They can be used wet to keep the dust cloud to a minimum. <S> This is available as a rental at a familiar big box store and is paired with a floor buffer. <S> A shop vac and dust mask HIGHLY recommended. <A> I'm told WD40 will dissolve liquid nails. <A> I'm removing carpet in the basement and replacing it with laminate flooring. <S> The carpet is held down with tack strips glued to the concrete. <S> The adhesive appears to be Liquid Nails or PL400 or something of that nature. <S> Yes, mineral spirits will soften it, but it's a mess and very time-consuming. <S> Even slower than that is the use of a heat gun. <S> Best method so far <S> The angle grinder alone does work, but sets off the smoke alarm and goes through a lot of discs. <S> Good luck. <A> Another option: use a cement grinder (ex: cement grinding wheel on an angle grinder). <S> If you don't put too much pressure on it you won't grind down "too much extra" of the cement underneath. <S> Need to be gentle...
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: Pry off the tack strips with a Wonder Bar, and use a brick chisel (3 inches wide) to remove the majority of the adhesive, followed up with an angle grinder to remove the remaining residue and smooth the area.
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Should a concrete slab slope toward my house? I am adding a room to my home, the contractor poured a concrete slab for the addition and it slopes toward the existing house and it is now raining and water is coming under my floors. Is the slope of the poured slab correct? <Q> The slab upon which the addition is to be built should normally be level and without a slope to it - (a garage floor may be different) . <S> In addition the final grading of any surrounding dirt coming up to the slab/foundation should be BELOW the slab level and should slope away and down as it gets farther from the edge of the new house line. <S> The contractor that placed the slab is probably the wrong person to be getting assurances from regarding whether the non-level slab is OK. <S> If they messed up the slab they are probably going to try to convince you that it is OK and try to proceed to build on top of it!! <S> Get a formal opinion from 3rd party or your building inspector. <S> During the construction phase a new addition slab that is built up even with an existing floor line is likely to be susceptible to rain water coming in under the existing wall base plates even when the slab would be level. <S> A good contractor would probably make allowances to place plastic up on the existing outside walls that drapes down over the new slab and out some 6 to 10 feet to help keep rain water from collecting up near the place where the new slab joins up against the existing wall area. <S> If your slab with it's slope toward the existing house is a legitimate design then it seems to me that such temporary measure may be even more important. <S> However I suspect that the slope is completely improper in this case for a bedroom addition and the fact that the contractor did not take steps to keep rain water from running into your house speaks volumes about the poor quality of the workmanship being done on your project. <A> NO!......... <S> NO! <S> .......... <S> did I say NO? <A> Generally speaking, the slope of anything involving a house should be away from the house. <S> However, every situation is different, so it's a little difficult to say for sure that this is wrong. <A> If it's the floor for a garage area, there can be a gentle slope towards the car entry door (strike two for the contractor). <S> Otherwise, if it's intended that this is an outdoor floor area, it should be sloped for drainage away from the house (strike three for the contractor). <S> End of inning, cement subcontractor couldn't be bothered to float the surface and level it for a floor in a room, hire a new team.
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If this is a slab floor for living space, it should be level with no slope at all (strike one for the contractor).
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Is there a way to drill a 1"-diameter hole through 1/8"-thick steel using a standard cordless power drill? I am trying to reinforce a custom door I am building. Because it's made only of two layers of MDF, it is not as rigid as I want it to be and shows signs of bowing. Since it's going to be a soundproof door, any curvature in the door will be detrimental to a tight seal around the stop. The only low-profile solution to reinforcing the door that I have found is a 1/8"x1 1/2"x6' length of steel that I found at Menard's. It is very ridgid and would be perfect for attaching along the inside edge of my door which is also 1 1/2" thick. The problem is that I need to drill a 1"-diameter hole through it for the latch assembly, but I have no idea how I am going to do that with the cordless power drills that I have. <Q> Using a holesaw in steel that's more than about 1/16 <S> " thick can be frustrating. <S> The bits wear out fast, and it really likes to bind. <S> I've had better luck using a step drill bit, like this one from Harbor Freight. <A> Step One Drill a small pilot hole using a small diameter (1/8") Twist drill bit . <S> Step Two <S> Drill <S> the 1" hole using a Hole Saw bit . <A> From your description it sounds like you intend to install this piece of strap iron along the latch edge of the door. <S> Drilling a 1" hole through the strap iron for the door latch pin assembly is going to be the least of your problems. <S> Any decent latch assembly has an additional rectangular face plate that gets recessed into the edge of the door edge as well. <S> This would seem to demand a rectangular hole in your strap iron as opposed to round hole. <S> (I can see a round hole as a possibility if you are using one of the cheap piece of junk door latches that has no screw-in face plate <S> but I would normally tend to steer away from those) . <S> A round hole can be cut in soft steel using a hole saw specifically designed for cutting steel. <S> Optionally you could take the strap iron piece to a machine shop where they have a mill or proper drill press to prepare the hole for you.
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A rectangular hole can be cut by drilling some smaller round holes and then using a saber saw with a metal cutting blade to open up the area to near full size and then following up with a mill file to shape to final size and fit.
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What's the difference between Husky brand and HDX brand? At Home Depot I have noticed the advertising of HDX products lately that are really low price items including tools and other household things. As far as I knew Home Depot already had their own products marketed under the "Husky" name. From what I can tell the Husky tools seems to be made much better than the HDX tools, but is there really any difference between them? And what's Home Depot's reasoning for starting another line of products rather than promoting the line they already have? <Q> Marketing-wise, I'd say it's similar between Sears and KMart; same company with some same products but different markets. <S> HDX covers a larger market-share, they have trash bags to storage to tools where Husky is almost exclusively tools. <S> Product-wise, Husky is trying to compete with Craftsman(Sears) and Kobalt(Lowes) offering lifetime warranties where HDX products do not. <S> --The <S> Home Depot Customer Care -- Source <A> I have no experience with Lowes... <S> But Husky, HDX, Stanley, and craftsman are all low quality as of 2015. <S> I buy thousands of dollars worth of tools a year and man, stay away from anything that has moving parts from any of them. <S> Craftsman USED to be a quality brand. <S> But now, go read some reviews. <S> I have two chainsaws, a bandsaw, and a hammer drill, and a toolchest from Craftsman that have all failed after light use. <S> The list is so long for Husky <S> it is embarrassing. <S> Now and then you can find some hand tools from Husky that work, and yes Craftsman hand tools are still solid-ish, but at a CRAZY price. <S> To answer your question HDX makes single-use-tools only; but it should be expected at the price. <A> HDX tools are made of less expensive metals and plastics, and have a much lower price than Husky, which has a lower price than Irwin Tools, which is less than Bacco Tools. <S> You pay what you get for.
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Husky & HDX are two separate brands, Husky hand tools have a lifetimewarranty and HDX does not, but is a more affordable house brand oftools we sell now.
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How can I hide the gap at the base of the stairs and the door, when installing laminate flooring? I am starting to plan a project to lay laminate flooring in my hallway. Already I can see two areas which are not as straightforward as the rest of the area. The first area which I can see me having problems is when I reach the bottom of the stairs. The stairs are carpeted, so once I have left the expansion gap I am not sure how to finish this off? Would this be the best solution? The second area is the gap between the laminate and the PVC door, which has a PVC skirting board type thing. Would the fitting above be the best option also? What would be the best solutions to hide these two gaps? <Q> Typically the solution at the bottom of the stairs is to use a quarter-round (Usually 3/4" thick) to cover the flooring and the bottom of the carpet. <S> You'll need some long nails to get through the carpet, so it's best to pre-drill the nail holes <S> so you don't split the trim. <S> It lacks carpet, but will demonstrate the basic idea. <A> I'm not really sure what that picture is of, as it's too dark for me to make out what you're trying to show. <S> They have ones for joining two floors at similar levels (eg, at doorways to mate with other flooring), to step down to a different flooring, or to mate up against walls. <S> The model that I had used a track that you screwed down to the floor, flush against the wall, then you clipped in the cover from the top over the floor. <S> You do need to plan ahead, as you need a larger than typical gap, so that there's space for expansion, and the track to hold the cover. <A> I really like that system in your picture. <S> If that is your option I would use it. <S> If this was available for flooring I have done in the past I could have used it more than a few times. <S> Install should look just like picture. <S> Tape your carpet and edge of laminate, lots of construction adhesive, and evenly distribute weights on the transition for 12 hours. <S> Some people clear silicone the gap under the transition to laminate <S> but I don't.
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You have your expansion gap built in, you have multiple prongs hitting the floor to secure it, and you have nice curves on both sides. This is the best image I could find. When I laid my laminate floor, the store sold a variety of edging to use where you couldn't simply cover over the gap with baseboards. One of the things I really like about that system is it has multiple set points and you could easily take the transition out and replace if something happened.
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What's a simple solution to have 2 NEMA 14-30 receptacles and switch power between them? Currently I have a NEMA 14-30 receptacle for the dryer. I'm wondering is it possible to split one receptacle into 2 NEMA 14-30 receptacles and install a switch to select which receptacle to use when needed? I need to have an extra jack for my car charger, otherwise I have to unplug the dryer every time I need to charge my car. <Q> You could use a double throw switch. <S> Other materials required are just commonly available residential wiring supplies. <S> Enclosures or boxes, wire, conduit, etc. <S> Exactly what you use is unique to your situation and difficult to speculate about. <S> Update: Do note this is not the cheapest of devices. <S> As noted by longneck, running a new circuit may be cheaper. <S> This would be quite true unless the panel is a fair distance from the outlets. <S> Now that we have more detail about the intended use, running a new circuit as suggested by Michael Karas is the only reasonable solution. <S> You do not want to be in a position where you cannot charge your car because you need to dry your clothes, or vice versa. <S> This is so important that in the off chance your service cannot handle the additional load, you should seriously consider what's involved in upgrading the service. <S> There will be additional benefits to this beyond being able to charge your car when you need to. <A> You can't do this, because you're dealing with a car charger here <S> Electric car chargers require a dedicated branch circuit, as per NEC 625.40: <S> 625.40 Electric Vehicle Branch Circuit. <S> Each outlet installed for the purpose of charging electric vehicles shall be supplied by an individual branch circuit. <S> But, a subpanel can still save the day <S> So, if running another home run to the main panel is not an option, I would simply fit a small spa panel box with two two-pole, 30A breakers and an accessory ground bar in place of the dryer receptacle, with one of them feeding a new dryer receptacle and the other feeding the EVSE (electric car charger). <S> You'll need to make sure the neutrals and grounds are kept separate, with the neutral-bonding screw or strap removed from the panel, by the way, as is necessary for subpanels in this day and age. <A> The cost of putting in a double-throw switch is probably equivalent to or more than the cost of putting in a dedicated circuit and outlet. <A> Making your existing dryer circuit switchable is not the best way to address the need for a car charger plug. <S> The better way to do this is to get an experienced person to add another circuit breaker for your power entry panel and run some new wiring circuit to a new plug for the car charger. <S> The only reasons I can think of for trying the proposed jack switching approach is if there is no way to add an additional breaker to your existing panel or that your existing panel is so under rated that it could not support the an additional circuit. <S> Replacment of four single circuit single width breakers of the type shown below will open up two adjacent spots needed for your new car charger circuit breaker. <A> switching 30 <S> A circuits isn't trivial. <S> It would help to know why.. <S> A couple of 30A disconnect switches would be one way..
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Do note that if your panel is currently full of single wide circuit breakers for lights and outlets it is easy to remidy that situation by replacing those breakers with newer ones that provide support for two circuits per single width location. You spent good money on a nice electric vehicle, you deserve to have a proper charging setup for it. On top of that by the time you get done purchasing all the materials and and investing in labor to implement the proposed scheme you will likely have spent more money that if you did it the preferrable way. Each circuit shall have no other outlets.
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How can I attach a 1/8" strip of steel to MDF so that it stays secure forever for eternity? I have attached two 3/4" panels of MDF together, so the end result is a 1 1/2"-thick panel. I need to reinforce it so that it does not bow, so I thought of attaching a 1/8"x1 1/2"x6' strip of steel along the edge. Simple research has introduced me to Liquid Nails and epoxy glue, but I would like to also hear from the pros at SE. I am not going to have any holes in the steel, so that eliminates screws. I am going to have to go the adhesive route with this one. Edit : I left out one of the most important details, which is exactly what I am doing with this MDF. The double-layer MDF is not going to bear any load. Instead, it's going to be used as a custom door I am building. Since the MDF bows, I need to find a low-profile material that is even more rigid than the MDF. At 1/8" thick, this steel strip is very rigid. I just need to find a way to attach it so it holds as long as possible. <Q> 1) Use an 81" length of metal with a 'T' cross section . <S> Cut a slot down the middle of the 81" edge of the panel to accommodate it. <S> Dry fit, then assemble with construction adhesive. <S> If desired, 'pin' the T-bar in place with nails or screws through the surface of the door. <S> ... <S> or ... 2) Use an 81" length of metal with a 'U' cross section and 1.5" outside dimension. <S> Use a router to rabbit each of side of the 81" edge so that the U-channel fits onto the edge. <S> If desired, 'pin' the U-channel in place with nails or screws through the surface of the door. <S> ... <S> or ... 3) Use an 81" length of metal with a 'U' cross section and 1.5" inside dimension. <S> No routing necessary. <S> If desired, 'pin' the U-channel in place with nails or screws through the surface of the door. <A> Unfortunately forever is simply impossible ;) Without knowing what/how these planks are going to be used, it is difficult to provide a great answer. <S> I have no real experience with liquid nail, but have used similar types of glue with success, but again, without the what/how you indeed to use these planks... <S> I can't say too much for your case. <S> One issue with gluing to MDF is that you can create a great adhesive bond to the MDF but by MDF's nature, this bond is only made to the outermost 'layer'. <S> Depending on how these panels are used, in particularly if they are under changing stress loads, it is posable for the 'layer' further deeper within the MDF to serrate from it self. <S> That is, the steel would remain attached to the MDF, but only a thin layer of MDF that has serrated from the rest of the panel. <S> This would provide a smooth finished end (the nuts on the back side could be counter sunk) but it really depends on the use/budget. <A> My suggestion would be to embed square tube stock steel into the MDF and epoxy it in. <S> I recently did this exact thing with MDF subtop for my granite counters and uses a polyurethane glue to embed the steel. <S> Check out the pictures here: <S> Can I support a granite countertop overhang with embedded steel bars? <S> Square stock is rigid and cheap. <S> Route a channel into the MDF and lay in the glue. <S> Sandwiching the second sheet on MDF on top with glue in between should further secure it. <S> I assume this is a continuing of your sound-proof room product. <S> So assuming your joists are secured above rubber absorbing standoffs, glue and screw the 3/4 MDF sheets into the joists. <S> After that, route out channels for the steel square stock. <S> Thoroughly vacuum and wet-rag dust it for good adhesion. <S> I highly recommend you have <S> a helper hold a shop-vac right with you as you route the channels in the MDF. <S> MDF dust gets everywhere . <S> With the channels routed, lay in a large bead of glue, then lay in the steel. <S> Then another bead of glue on top of the steel and use a throw-away putty knife the spread and flatten it into the side-pockets of the channels, etc. <S> After this, stagger , glue and screw the second MDF sheet on top. <S> I would use a decking screw for this and turn the torque down on your drill do just what you need. <S> This will take you some time, I like to use the torx decking screws because they're easiest to drive reliably. <S> All said and done you'll have a 1.5" rigid, steel-reinforced panel. <A> Of this type adhesive, polyurethane based of any brand will give the best bond, as Jon Raynor suggested. <S> I don't have hard data, and again it varies by formulation, but epoxy should give an equal or better bond than polyurethane, and is less susceptible to creep deformation. <S> Epoxies that require heat curing will be stronger, but are difficult for DIY sorts to use correctly. <S> Longer cure epoxies are probably slightly stronger than the common 5 minute type. <S> Unless you can find bulk quantities, the cost will be rather high. <S> As pdd suggests, a strong bond is not much use when the internal MDF bonds fail, and you end up with a strip of steel and glue with a thin layer of MDF attached to it. <S> I strongly suggest you consider some mechanical connection in addition to adhesive. <S> Screws in to the edge of MDF panels are marginal at best, but still better than nothing. <S> Or some sort of welded stud scheme may work if screw heads are simply wrong. <S> Or perhaps use Tee sections with the stem inserted into a cut groove in the panel edges. <S> If you then through bolted or screwed that stem, you would have an incredible mechanical connection, along with added stiffness (and weight). <S> The fasteners could be used for decorative effect, or countersunk and plugged to hide them.
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Depending on depth of the panels, you could have threaded rod welded to the inside surface of the steel and drill matching holes through the MDF panels and attach with a nut on the other side. Liquid Nails comes in various formulations, some better than others.
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What is the liquid in a Radon U-tube Manometer? What is the liquid in a radon U-tube Manometer? I'm assuming that it's not water because of evaporation. Mine is clear in color, but I've been reading that it's normally blue or red. Is it a particular type of oil? Can it be refilled/replaced? Some bubbles have appeared recently in my gauge that were not there last summer. Can they be purged out? It doesn't seem to be happening naturally with the vacuum produced by the fan and it makes reading the gauge very difficult. <Q> I believe red is one density and blue another, at least for Dwyer manometers. <S> I'm fairly sure replacement oil is available. <S> If you don't care about the accurate reading and only that the fan is working, you could just use plain mineral oil, but you should post a notice next to the gauge that the oil is non-standard and what the last known good reading of the new oil was. <A> From what I remember, the oil is typically vegetable oil with a food coloring added to it. <S> I'm not too sure it can be replaced <S> but I would call your local Radon specialist and ask over the phone. <S> No need for someone to come out and make you pay to ask. <S> If they won't answer the question over the phone, call someone else. <S> They can't want your business too badly if they won't answer a simple question. <A> The company said it's not a problem since you can still read the meter by looking a bit closer, and definitely not worth a service call as long as you can verify the fan is working.
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It is oil of a specific density to correspond to the scale. When my radon mitigation system was installed I was told the blue liquid would fade to clear in a few years. I wouldn't use vegetable oil as it may get rancid.
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Why does our "granite" worktop mark so easily? We had a new kitchen installed, supposedly by experts, but the "granite" worktop that was installed is really really fragile. I had expected a granite worktop to be hard and durable, but this is almost not fit for purpose as a kitchen worktop. You only need to put a mug or plate down slightly too hard and it leaves a clear white scratch. I have an off cut and I can easily cut into the surface with a Stanley knife. As for being marked by liquids, again it is a nightmare. If you don't clean up any spillage straight away, then it is highly likely to leave a mark. I did a test again on the off cut and blackcurrent cordial left on for just 5 minutes was enough to mark it. I've had dark granite worktops in rented accommodation before and never given it a second thought, and they never marked at all. This one is apparently called "Bianco perfecto" (it is a light grey, with lots of darker grey veins) and when I spoke to the installers they said it was actually a "quartzite" not a granite. Is this the reason it is so rubbish? We'd have never have gone for a stone worktop if we had known it was so fragile. Would proper granite have been better? Since this is the first time I've been told it was only quartzite and not granite can I get them to replace it? <Q> What some manufactures call quartz is actually ground granite and epoxy or Silestone. <S> In most cases they are great and don't require sealing like solid granite does. <S> Also, do not confuse Stilestone or similar to real solid quartz which is a granite rich in pure clear or milky quartz. <S> If you feel you were mislead in your purchase, you could go raise a stink at the retailer. <S> Insist they inspect your counters and make it clear you are not satisfied. <A> Quartzite IS a real type of stone. <S> And while quartz itself is hard, the stone does differ from granite and is less durable. <S> Porosity range is quite similar to granite, being .1-.5% weight of water absorbed. <S> Porosity in granite, and perhaps quartzite, follows a pretty clear line from dark to light being closely associated with low to high porosity. <S> That is, the darker, the less porous and the tougher it is. <S> Additionally, darker colors show stains less than lighter colors. <S> So when you're working with lighter stones, there are multiple factors at play against your stain resistance. <S> You're welcomed. <A> fyi, bianco perfecto is not a granite - its a marble. <S> thats why you are having so many problems. <S> i have had customers before who want marble in their kitchen for looks, and they either listen to or ignore my warnings about how inappropriate it is in a kitchen environment. <S> if you weren't aware of this, they should be flogged for not warning you about it. <S> however, if you are one of the many martha stewart wannabees who like looks over logic and new about it going in, then caveat emptor.
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I suspect you may have purchased a bargain brand that is inferior to Silestone or solid granite or good grade Quartzite type.
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Can I cover junction boxes in the attic with insulation? This may be a duplicate of What are the codes for electrical wiring in attics? I have an attic which is accessible via a ladder through an access panel in the garage and in a bedroom. The trusses and joists are all open and there is blown in insulation up to the height of the joists. In the future I need to have more insulation installed. Is it safe (up to code) to cover the junction boxes with more insulation or is this considered concealing them? Would I have to raise all of the junction boxes above the insulation for each light fixture, fan, etc.? <Q> Your best bet in this case is to contact the local inspector, since this situation may be open to interpretation. <S> The most fitting code states: <S> National Electrical Code 2008 ARTICLE 314 Outlet, Device, Pull, and Junction Boxes; Conduit Bodies; Fittings; and Handhole Enclosures 314.29 Boxes, Conduit Bodies, and Handhole Enclosures to Be Accessible. <S> Boxes, conduit bodies, and handhole enclosures shall be installed so that the wiring contained in them can be rendered accessible without removing any part of the building or, in underground circuits, without excavating sidewalks, paving, earth, or other substance that is to be used to establish the finished grade. <S> Exception: <S> Article 100 Definitions Accessible (as applied to wiring methods). <S> Capable of being removed or exposed without damaging the building structure or finish or not permanently closed in by the structure or finish of the building. <S> It may or may not be acceptable, depending on if the inspector considers insulation " part of the building ". <S> If you do end up covering the boxes, it might be a nice idea to mark/flag them in some way. <S> This way you; or any other future owner, will be able to locate them later if need be. <A> The junction boxes that contain splices and are not accessible from the ceiling below should be exposed - not covered by insulation. <S> If enough slack is present in the cables between the boxes, you may be able to raise them up a bit and mount them on trusses or other exposed framing members without having to run new wire. <A> Not covering them with insulation could lead to moisture problems because the cold attic air will hit warmer air around the un-insulated box which is warmer because the other side of it (ceiling) is a conditioned space. <S> Also, in the event you need to access the box, it is easier to access it from the conditioned space and not have to crawl around your attic. <A> If it wasn't done during original construction and with any additional penetrations of the attic envelope, fire caulk sealing of any gaps around the j-boxes or bare wire/plumbing stacks will greatly assist your insulation staying dry. <S> Be sure no additional vapor barrier is added over your existing insulation. <A> I am in the same situation adding some recess lighting. <S> I chose to hold off the installation of the junction box and get some wood to raise it. <S> Reasoning, I was not sure about the code, it's easy to do and will be better for me or anyone who may want to add on later to the box. <S> Some wood, a nail gun or some plates, and some screws and you're ready to go. <A> Caned / recessed lights have built in jboxes and are rated to be buried in insulation. <S> So no raising them above insulation or opening ceiling to ad exposed box covers. <S> Come on people. <S> Really. <S> Yes cover them
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I would suggest that you install access panels in the ceiling for these concealed boxes, and then cover them with insulation. Listed boxes and handhole enclosures shall be permitted where covered by gravel, light aggregate, or noncohesive granulated soil if their location is effectively identified and accessible for excavation.
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Why does my bathroom shower have too much water pressure? I have the same shower head, nothing has changed except the pressure. It sprays so hard that it hurts, and in 10 minutes the hot water is almost gone. What can I do to fix this? <Q> Turn both the hot and cold shut offs back to apx half or simply turn on your shower as you would normally use it, then adjust the valves until you have a flow and pressure you like. <S> Playing around with the hot and cold will effect the temp of the water related to your shower control settings. <S> You may have to experiment a bit, but you can control both the max pressure and temp this way. <S> The other way to adjust pressure and temp on a one handle shower control is sometimes done inside the valve body. <S> For this adjustment, you should have the installers manual. <S> It will show you how to adjust the position of limit disks inside the valve body. <S> These are common on newer scald resistant shower units. <A> If your shower pressure suddenly increased, the cause is likely to be a problem with the low flow shower head flow restrictor. <S> Unscrew the shower head and look inside for a misaligned washeror something else that looks out of place. <S> Also soak the entire shower head in vinegar for an hour or two. <S> This will loosen any deposits that could caused the washer to seat incorrectly. <S> Put the washer or other device back in the shower headand place back on the shower. <S> This worked very well for me andI did not have to buy a new low flow shower head. <S> Paul <A> This happened to me. <S> ONLY the master shower was affected. <S> The pressure got so great, the water hurt and the wind it generated blew my shower curtain around wildly. <S> I took off the Moen shower head and cleaned it with vinegar. <S> Inside the shower head was a tiny little o-ring not seated all the way. <S> I nudged it back till it was fully seated. <S> Re-installed the shower head and all fixed! <A> Well most new shower heads have a flow regulator to meet conservation standards. <S> These highly impair water flow. <S> If you just experience a (dramatic) increase in pressure <S> it is very likely <S> that you flow regulator stopped working correctly. <S> Maybe it broke, became unscrewed, or whatever. <S> To stop the flow you would need to find a replacement regulator (probably from manufacturer) or just get a new shower head.
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The simplest way to reduce pressure would be to use the water turn off valves usually located in the wall or under the floor near the shower controls.
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How can I transition between these floors? I have recently fitted some new laminate flooring to my living room floor. This floor meets directly with the tiled floor of the kitchen. I'm looking to fit some sort of transition bar between the laminate floor and the kitchen tiles, however, the complication is that along with run of the length of where the two floors meet, the height difference between the two floors changes. The first picture shows the two floors as they meet (this length is approx 2 metres). I couldn't quite get the complete length in this picture, but it shows most of it. The second picture shows one end of where the two floors meet. This is the end at the top of the first picture in the first photo. The third picture shows the other end of where the two floors meet (this is not shown in the first photo). There is a small "channel" between the two floor types, and this channel is slightly wider at one end than the other (as can be seen in the 2nd & 3rd photos) - the width of that channel is approx. 30mm at the end shown in picture 3 and approx. 20mm at the end shown in picture 2. The bigger issue, I believe, is that on the end shown in picture 2, the height between the top of the tile floor and the top of the laminate floor is approx. 5mm, whereas the height difference between the top of the tile and the top of the laminate in picture 3 is approx. 15mm. I am aware that, under normal circumstances where the floor differential was consistent along it's length, I'd simply fit a "reducer" (i.e. something like this ) however, I've no idea what to do in my case where the height differential fluctuates along the length of the floors meeting. I've considered a PVC based reducer that will have some inherent flexibility, which may need to be "shaved down" in order to stay flush with both floors at both ends, however, I've no idea if this would work (or how difficult it would be). Has anyone come across anything like this before? Anyone got any ideas what the best approach would be to finish this job and fit an appropriate "covering" that would transition the two floors correctly? <Q> You should consider doing something mosaic-y there because the size difference will always prevent you from putting in a milled transition piece. <S> But if you go with something that is intentionally imperfect, it will look intentional. <A> I had a similar problem between my new hardwood and tile floor, and asked here in this question. <S> I ended up making a custom piece from the hardwood. <S> You could do something similar. <S> The piece would run perpendicular to your existing floor like mine. <S> There are also lots of other great answers in my question that may help you. <A> I've come across this situation a few times. <S> I've always ended up fabricating a custom wood strip much like a door threshold, but I've not come across one as long as your's before. <S> Trying to twist a reducer strip will not work well for large height differences as the leading edge on the higher side gets canted up away from the finish floor, creating a dirt trap, not to mention looking very amateurish. <S> As you say, you could shave down a thicker reducer. <S> If the two elevation lines are close to straight, just sloped, you can get most of the cutting done on a table saw, with a little time spent shaving for any waviness. <S> Shaving the whole thing without a table saw will work as well, it'll just take a while. <A> I think custom milling a wood transition piece would be ideal, but likely a bit of work. <S> If you're looking for an easier way out, I'd consider a metal transition piece (sometimes called 'carpet trim'). <S> That should have enough flex to accomodate the change in height: <S> It looks like you can even get the metal transitions in a 'wood' finish: <S> (Both images above taken from the Home Depot web site) <A>
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A tile mosaic laid at an angle so as to "ramp" up to the height of the floor wood look nice. If you try to install something that looks perfect, it will always look imperfect.
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How do I reverse erosion which is lowering earth around fence posts? Erosion has exposed several fence posts behind the back yard. I've considered building a retaining wall, buying dirt and filling the area in then growing some ground cover, or eventually rebuilding the fence and digging the posts deeper. All of these are large, expensive projects that I can't afford for some time, so I thought I'd ask for some ideas. What would you do with this fence if it were in your back yard? <Q> Looks like that hill is mostly bare dirt. <S> So, that's going to be a problem. <S> You've already mentioned two options: retaining wall and ground cover. <S> If you can't do the retaining wall, I'd start with the ground cover. <S> Find out if there are some hardy local native plants that will spread to cover and hold the earth together on that hillside for you. <S> If the erosion is primarily weather (rain) you could consider the ground cover along with some sort of physical barriers as well...perhaps pretreated timbers running horizontally down the side of the hill staked in. <S> This would be a form of DIY geogrid . <A> Just buying dirt is not going to work in your back yard toward the down hill side of the fence unless you do one of the following two things. <S> 1) <S> As you said install a retaining wall a short way down the hill from the wood fence. <S> Make this high enough that its top is about even with the original ground level when the wood fence was installed. <S> Fill the area between the retaining wall and the wood fence up with dirt. <S> Make sure to put in ground cover below the retaining wall or else continued erosion will expose the base of the retaining wall the same way that has happened to the wood fence. <S> 2) Attempt to re-build the hill to its pre-erosion profile by adding back dirt. <S> This will have to be done in a terraced manner in steps coming up from at least half way down the hill. <S> The terracing will be similar to a retaining wall except that you divide the height up into a number of small steps. <S> When terracing the step edges can be made using large stones, concrete, timbers like RR ties, or even the stackable landscape blocks. <S> Using this technique the various steps can lead to some easier to landscape areas for plants, shrubs and even grass or other ground cover. <S> Due to the amount of erosion that has already happened it may be necessary to build the terraces up in stages so that the lower ones are done first and settle in before starting the next step up. <S> Fill dirt will be required to accomplish this as well. <A> A slope that steep will continue to erode just as quickly below whatever you build unless you either terrace the whole slope or stabilize it with vegetation. <S> If you don't have children or a dog that require a fenced-in yard, you might consider just removing the fence and planting ground cover to slow the erosion. <S> No matter what you do, you'll want the ground cover.
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I would build the retaining wall and fill in up to where the posts are supposed to be covered, then plant plenty of ground cover both above and below the wall.
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Can I use brake fluid or steering fluid to stop a fan from squeaking? Can I use braking fluid or steering fluid on my squeaking table fan? Are they safe? I'm just wondering if I can use anything that's already lying around the house. <Q> Power Steering fluid and Transmission fluid are petroleum based hydraulic fluids, more useful for their ability to transmit pressure, resist heat and work with fluid filled clutches (friction systems) and are not general purpose lubricants, except in the special case of the systems for which they are designed. <S> You'd almost be better off using engine oil, but its detergent properties are not useful for this type of operation. <S> Any box store will have 3in1 or turbine oil which are more appropriate for lubricating the shafts on an electric motor. <A> No on the brake fluid and no on the steering fluid. <S> If the fan has a fitting to apply oil use a light oil like 3 in 1 home lubricant. <S> If the fan isn't equipped with an oiling port you will have to disassemble the fan to gain access to the bushings or bearings. <A> A drying oil, like corn or flax oil, will oxidize and form a varnish that glues motor shaft to bushings. <S> That's bad. <S> As mikes implies, a light oil formulated for the purpose is your best choice, and the cost of a small can every decade or two is negligable.
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Brake Fluid is not a lubricant, but a glycol based hydraulic fluid designed to have a high boiling point and to absorb water to prevent corrosion (why the brake system should be completely bled out every so often). A non-drying oil like Olive oil, or Bacon Grease'll work.
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What is the most durable wood to use for an outdoor swing set I'm looking to build an outdoor swing set for my kids in the garden. I'd like to know what is the most durable wood to use that doesn't warp or bend. I've been down to the big department stores to get wood, but it is mostly warped already and it has been difficult to find a quality wood. <Q> I would highly recommend Cedar. <S> Similar to Redwood, it is resistant to insects and rot. <S> as many woods will. <S> I went a bit overboard on the play set I built last summer. <S> I went with rough cut western red cedar 4x4s, and jointed/planed them down to about 3 3/4" x 3 3/4". <S> This allowed me to end up with very square members. <S> This was necessary as I did everything using mortise and tenon joinery (yes, I went overboard). <S> The primary problem with cedar warping/twisting is when it is unsupported. <S> Once supported properly (i.e.- assembled as a structure), the warping/twisting is minimal. <A> If your budget allows it redwood specifically heartwood. <S> It's resistant to insects and rot and gives a good finish! <S> If you need something a bit cheaper go for cypress again resistant to insects and rot. <S> The costs go down but you do loose out a bit! <S> After that its really a case of pressure treated woods which I don't have a lot of faith in! <A> I built this swing about 8 years ago and if I remember correctly I just used Pine, because it fit my budget at the time. <S> If I were to do it again I might have spent more and used redwood or cedar as some others have suggested. <S> When I used to build decks we would always try and use redwood or trex, but both of those are more expensive. <S> One thing I did do that you should do no matter <S> what kind of wood you use is to seal it. <S> I used a really good protective paint that also contained sealant and some UV protective solution and the swing is still in pretty good shape after 8 years. <S> However, this swing is pretty beefy (I used 6x6 posts and 6x10 beams) <S> so warping wasn't really that much of an issue for me, just a little splintering here <S> and there. <S> Another thing you can do is put some Boracare on it. <S> It's perfect for keeping all wood-eating pests away from wooden outdoor structures, like swings.
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If you can source it, Eastern White Cedar is a wonderful wood to make a play set out of, as it wont give splinters as easily
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How should I use fiberglass batts to insulate between floor joists over a stone basement? I have an old home built on a stone foundation. The stone foundation is solid, as well as the floor joists. I run a dehumidifier in the basement full time, to keep the air moisture low. There is never any water in the basement. The floor is dirt with a covering of gravel. There is currently some fiberglass insulation between the floor joists (installed incorrectly, paper backing facing down), and a foam insulating board nailed to the bottom of the floor joists. I was advised to flip the fiberglass over, so that the paper backing is facing the living space, instead of facing the basement. If I am going to do that, should I do anything else with the fiberglass at the same time? Should I put plastic sheeting in? Should I wrap each length of fiberglass in plastic, tape it shut, making a bag of insulation in each floor joist void? <Q> Buildingscience.com has a decent article that covers a very similar situation with floors over crawlspaces <S> The two key points with this: <S> One vapour barrier, so as not to trap moisture. <S> Essentially, drying happens on both sides going in the direction away from the vapour barrier, and if you use two barriers you're trapping moisture which leads to mold and rot. <S> Condensation happens when warm meets cold. <S> When you're using batt insulation, you want the vapour barrier on the warm side <S> so you're not getting condensation (and thus water) on the insulation. <S> The situation that most closely matches what you're talking about recommends this: The rigid foam on the bottom of the joists is your vapor barrier: it must be impermeable and this means that the connections between sheets and around the edges must be sealed too. <S> Even though the vapour barrier is essentially on the outside of the batt insulation, because the foam has an insulating value (unlike 6mil plastic) <S> you don't have warm meeting cold here and won't get the condensation problem. <A> You do want the insulation backing facing up, or removed if you have a good vapor barrier with the foam board and/or flooring. <S> What you can do is use a house wrap material (e.g. Tyvek) to reduce drafts and any dust/dirt from getting into the insulation. <S> A house wrap, unlike a vapor barrier, allows moisture vapor to pass through. <S> The risk with the vapor barrier on the non-heated side is that during the winter, warm moist air from your home could travel through the insulation to the cold side where it condenses. <A> The latest advice from Building Sciences is for poly against floor, XPS foam against that and then build up from there. <S> If you are not having moisture problems, your sandwich meets the best thinking of "allow drying in both directions". <S> I would not do any encasing with poly.
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Do not seal the bottom side of the insulation with a vapor barrier since that will trap moisture which can lead to mold and mildew.
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How can I install an electrical panel when the stud cavity is too narrow? I am installing a sub panel in my garage and ran into a problem. I have the usual 14" of space in the stud cavity but the problem is that the subpanel I bought is 14 1/4" wide. I'm wondering what the best option is to get it to fit. My first thought was to notch one of the studs 1/4" (or both of them 1/8") since its so close to fitting. This is an interior wall of the garage so I dont believe it is load bearing. Is notching one or more studs a bad idea? The panel is about 30" tall, so it would be a long notch... What other options do I have? Should I just return the panel and try to find a narrower one? <Q> This also provides a good place for attaching cables, so you can get a nice organized installation. <S> Additionally, this technique provides the benefit of being able to insulate behind the panel. <A> Another option if this is not a load bearing wall and is unfinished, would be to remove one of the studs, and toenail in a new stud 1/2" further away from the intact stud. <S> If you have a sawzall and a nail gun, this is all of a 10 minute job, and you don't have to worry about notching things. <A> They can make the plunge cut and leave the siding untouched. <A> 25 years electrical service. <S> I know I'm late in my response. <S> Notch One. <S> Stick it in <S> call it good. <S> Notchy notchy. <S> Dimensional lumber is awesome strong and usually over engineered. <S> If you are removing more than 1/3 of the stud <S> I'd think about it always.
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An 1/8 notch is not a problem, especially if you have access to a Oscillating Multi Tool (OMT ), of the class pioneered by Fein. The common solution is to attach a piece of plywood larger than the panel to the studs, and then attach the panel to the plywood.
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How can I add ventilation to my basement office? I have a finished basement with an office, guest bedroom and bathroom. All about 700 sq ft.I work 12+ hours in the office and really need to get some fresh air circulating by extracting stale air. I'm looking for a good method of doing this. I had considered running an air vent with a slow/continuations fan or a high volume fan that I can turn on a time for 15 minutes. The office is adjacent to a utility room and I'm concerned that too much of an exhaust could extinguish the water heater pilot light and cause other problem.I do have an air-in vents (heat/cool), but nothing going back out (circulating).The office is next to a window which opens to a window well. Any advice would be appreciated. <Q> Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) <S> You may want to consider either spot ERV or whole house ERV. <S> These devices both exhaust and intake fresh air, doing some energy exchange to reduce the impact on your air when the temperature differences between inside and outside are great. <S> Some ERV discussions here <S> The Panasonic unit <S> I've read about has automatic controls, but I would supplement them with a countdown timer to limit use even further as necessary. <S> Leviton 12 Hour countdown timer <S> The divided wall cap means only 1 penetration is needed and it incorporates a pre filter for the incoming air. <S> Declaration: <S> No financial interest in Panasonic or Leviton. <S> I have used (personally) and installed (for customers) <S> Panasonic fans and Leviton switches. <A> Honeywell's VisonPro TH8000 is one model that has that feature. <S> Look for "Circ" in the fan settings in the manual, which is available online at Honeywell's site here: <S> http://yourhome.honeywell.com/home/products/thermostats/7-day-programmable/visionpro+8000.htm <S> You may find better options, but it seems to me that feature is the easiest remedy to your requirements. <S> I would consider making sure that the door into this area allows enough airflow. <S> Either with a sufficient gap at the bottom, or with a grate. <A> Making a few assumptions here inferred from the details in your questions so please comment to correct any mistakes in my assumptions. <S> The basement is already vented from your A/C unit so you don't really want to open the window unless you have to. <S> I'm guessing that the room does not have any ceiling fan or anything, that would help circulate the air in the room a bit <S> but it could still be an extreme hot or cold area and feel stale. <S> If the basement opens into the house and you don't mind leaving the door open, a simple solution would be a Door Frame Fan or Doorway Booster Fan (same thing different names) <S> this mounts in the corner of the door frame and just helps circulate the air from room to room. <S> A more full solution would be to install an exchange/return back to your A/C handler in the basement <S> but that's probably not practical. <S> As for the pilot light concern, it would be near impossible to have an ambient flow in an adjacent room or hall to blow out a pilot light. <S> A small amount of flow would actually provide more oxygen to the fire anyways. <S> A large enough pull to create vacuum (in effect) in a large space would be nearly impossible as well as give you a headache and probably make you pass out before extinguishing a flame, a.k.a it's not a practical concern without an industrial fan in a small enclosed space.
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If you have forced air for heating and cooling, a thermostat that would also run just the fan once in a while to provide circulation might be sufficient. As a spot unit, you could just run the unit in your office.
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How can I hang a heavy frame without making holes in the walls? I live in an apartment, so I don't want to put holes in the wall, but I have a large (2'x3') wire-suspended frame, weighing 14 pounds, that I'd like to hang. The heaviest-duty 3M Command product (the Sticky Nail Wire-Back Hanger ) only holds 8 pounds and 18"-24" frames. The Command FAQ says they “don't recommend” using multiple hooks to hang heavier things. Any ideas? <Q> This may be thinking outside the box, but there are other ways to display a picture rather than "hanging" them. <S> Hopefully these inspire some solutions... Have you considered using some sort of display easel like the one above instead? <S> Google Search: <S> Photo Display Easel Compression poles are also an interesting way to hang things without causing damage: <S> Or if you are more industrious, you can construct some sort of free standing (or leaning) panel to hang the picture from. <S> It can be made free standing or designed to lean up against the wall without causing any permanent damage. <A> The reason they don't recommend using multiple fixings if that if one fixing fails then the others are likely to fail due to the extra load on them. <S> For a heavy item you will need to fix it to something, whether it is in the wall or ceiling, unfortunately. <A> Buildex EZ solver is a great problem solver.. <S> supports 50lbs <S> will install into a stud (if you happen to hit one) <S> Installs with a #2 phillips screwdriver or drillgun , which you then use to install the screw Does not go very deep into wall, lessening danger of hitting wire or pipe <S> (Still is a possibility) <S> Repairing the hole is easy (reverses out to deinstall) using patching plaster or spackle (spaekle) <S> Disclaimer: Not affiliated with Buildex
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A nicely framed section of painted drywall or other type of surface can make a nice accessory for the room.
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How big should a gap be between a built-in oven and a shelf for mounting a microwave? I want to put a microwave on a shelf above a built-in oven. What gap should I leave between the top of the oven and the shelf? <Q> All appliances should list minimum clearances in the technical specifications, make sure you follow these. <S> Some don't require any clearance and others requires a lot more <S> then you'd expect. <A> I assume your oven includes the cooktop (burners). <S> Checking several appliance makers websites the general rule is 30 inches from the cooktop to the bottom of the cabinet. <S> There are differences between various makes and models so check with the maker for exact dimensions. <S> Since your shelf will act like a cabinet bottom I would use that as a guideline. <S> The built-in microwave has a metal and heat resistant bottom panel. <S> Your shelf assuming it is made out of wood is combustable and would require the 30 inch clearance. <A> Most counter top microwaves have an air gap below them and an internal fan to remove heat. <S> Unless the oven is very poorly insulated, the temperature above the oven shouldn't get too hot to put your hand comfortably. <S> If it does, its too hot, period. <S> To answer your question directly, no gap other that what the microwave has, is necessary.
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You will notice that built-in microwaves generally require only 14 inches of clearance from the bottom of the microwave to the cooktop. There is no general rule of thumb as each appliance is different.
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Can my drywall act as an air barrier? I am preparing to improve a building in a cold climate zone. Since it does not seem to be properly insulated, I am reading a book about insulating and weatherizing. That teaches me that I should create an airtight thermal boundary. I have many questions about that, but this one is about the airtight aspect in particular. Although the exterior of the building has largely been neglected, the interior has new drywall installed almost everywhere. Can that drywall act as an air barrier? I have found an article about the airtight drywall approach , but it is not clear to me whether this will be a feasible approach for a situation like mine, where the drywall has already been installed. Somewhere else, I read that "air does not move through most solid objects (concrete blocks and masonry in general are notable exceptions)", so since drywall is not mentioned as exception, that seems to confirm that it should work fine. In order for a drywall to act as the air barrier, does it need to be a special kind of drywall? Or does it need to be treated with special paint at all? Does anybody have experience with the airtight drywall approach? <Q> Drywall is mostly composed of compressed gypsum and a paper for structural integrity. <S> For all intents and purposes air will not flow through it if installed correctly, however <S> the importance of being air tight is to control moisture and condensation from forming inside of your walls. <S> This is where the vapor barrier comes into play. <S> A vapor barrier to be most effective should be airtight from the outside. <S> This can be done using appropriate tape and materials that you can get from your local hardware store. <S> User decker has a great explanation on this here. <S> https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/25277/6086 <S> Being in a cold climate your inside of the house will be a lot warmer than the outside for most of the year, so condensation will form on the insulation facing the outside. <S> This moisture can result in mold. <S> If you are certain that there is not correctly installed vapor barrier behind your insulation, then one option is to tear down the drywall to where you can do this. <S> A better option might be to look at possibly rewrapping the outside of the house in a new wrap and seaming it to help create the air tight situation that you want. <S> You mentioned that the outside looks in rough shape so perhaps tearing off the siding was in the plans anyway? <S> ADDITIONAL NOTE <S> You may see that there exists a special moisture resistant drywall product typically called "green board". <S> This will not help you with moisture inside the wall because the moisture resistant properties of the drywall have to do with the green paper on the front face of the drywall. <S> The board itself is still composed of gypsum and doesn't have any special moisture resistance by itself without the front paper. <S> It is intended for installation in bathrooms where it will withstand high moisture environments inside the home. <A> Short answer: Drywall is an air barrier, but on its own it is not sufficient to stop air leakage. <S> Drywall is a decent air barrier but not a moisture barrier. <S> In cold climates, vapor barriers (such as polyethylene) should be installed between the drywall and the insulation because the interior tends to be more humid than the outdoors. <S> Plywood/OSB sheathing under the siding forms a decent air barrier, too. <S> Is the home balloon or platform framed? <S> This will not affect your drywall question, but it will affect the home's air sealing needs. <S> This DOE graphic shows trouble spots on a platform framed home. <S> In a balloon framed home, the wall, floor, and ceiling cavities are interconnected and allow air to flow between the attic, basement/crawl space, and the interior walls. <S> You might also find the following links helpful: http://www.buildingscience.com/search?SearchableText=air+barrier <S> http://www.buildingscience.com/resources/vapor_barrier_code_changes <S> These are just a couple results from a quick Google search--there's a lot of information out there. <A> You can turn drywall into an air barrier. <S> But it takes work. <S> You need to caulk the floor and ceiling. <S> You need to use enclosed electrical boxes. <S> You need to seal all electrical boxes around all the holes. <S> And then you have to remember to never put a hole in a wall to hang a picture ;)
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Housewrap over the sheathing should prevent moisture from entering the wall from the outside while allowing moisture to escape from the wall cavity.
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What are good options for protecting expensive lawn equipment? Question is self explanatory. We had a zero-turn stolen last year. We plan on buying another one this year, and I want to protect it. I've never looked into options available, but I'd like to tag my gear so that it can be tracked if stolen. Besides obvious solutions involving keeping the gear out of sight and using chains + padlocks, what other ways are there to protect and recover equipment? Edit 2: Options so far: I've been looking at Internet Connected GPS Trackers on Amazon and have found some internet-connected-gsm units like this and this . Can get pre-paid cards and pay ~$25 every 3 months Can add another line to our family plan for ~$10 a month. Might be able to add an AT&T SIM card and leave plan inactivated until needed, leaving no monthly bill until "needed". Will have to get it "installed" on the item in a nondescript way that gets a signal and juice from battery. Internet Camera's with motion recording. Another techy solution, with the aim of catching the perp and license plates. Disable vehicles at the engine - make it harder to move the items and more expensive if they do get stolen. Fast Disconnect tires. Same general idea as #2, make it harder to remove lawn mower. missing parts. locks and chains - main issue with this is that where our stuff is stored is semi-secluded and all that's needed is a good pair of bolt-cutters, time, someone remotely aware of our schedules and where stuff is located. dangle them from high above - no high-rises nearby, not many tree's, not sure we want a $3k lawn mower hanging through the winter although it would be entertaining to say the least. Edit 1: Looking around, I've found plenty of GPS devices for tracking teenagers, children, cars, fleet and similar - but for home use ~$30 a month for protection of a single device seems much. One example found is this EON GPS Asset Tracker , which doesn't seem bad but its a bit expensive due to the monthly bill. There has to be a good option that you can install into a lawnmower, let it leech off of available wifi-hotspots with the possibly of remotely activating more tracking if need-be without a month subscription fee. Item disappears and it's not phoning home via wifi? Enable cell phone tracking for a one time fee. Right site or not? As I said in comments, I think this is the best site possible for this question... if it's not, which exchange should I ask this on? <Q> Contractors at construction sites often place their valuable gear out of reach of potential theives. <S> Now expecting that this approach may not be practical in your particular case the next best advice is "out of sight is less tempting". <A> Keep it in a garage/shed, and keep an alarm on the building itself. <S> If someone breaks in, it's at least a first line of defense. <S> Be sure the alarm is not easy to disable (eg, having another siren/flashing light on another building would be much more intimidating and harder to disable than just an alarm in the building). <S> Flashing lights and a siren loud enough to get the attention of neighbours also help, just make sure you don't have false alarms that teach them to ignore it. <A> You want to make it difficult for a potential thief to steal something or at least deter them from doing it. <S> Some ideas: <S> Motion sensor lights/w camera around building housing machine <S> A dog, preferrable big and loud Secure the machine to something big and heavy <S> Hire a landscaping service <S> Your never going to stop thievery, but if you make it difficult to steal it, the thieves should move on to something easier.
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Wheel your gear into a shed or garage and lock it up.
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What is a good PWM driver for LED lighting? I am looking at lighting options for my new flat. I'm looking for any recommendations and suggestions for the components to power and control the LEDs. If we consider the main room (i.e. the open plan living/dining room/kitchen), my idea is to have a number of sets of lights, e.g. the dining area, the area around the TV, the kitchen, and another set of "ambient" lights. I would like to have just one set of switches/dimmers in a single location along with a transformer and a multichannel driver (or a set of drivers), with the 12/24v line from the driver going to each set of lights (instead of the 240v mains going to all the lights). I've googled about quite a bit, but ended up with more questions than answers. I've seen DALI and DMX512 based controllers, as well as some "raw circuitboards" if you like, but considering they don't have reviews like most consumer products, I don't really know what is good and what is not. So do you guys have any experience with or suggestions on which drivers might be a good idea? Also, I would like to know if it is a good idea to run 12/24v wiring instead of 240v. I would prefer to keep to drivers that use non-proprietary standards so I have the option of controlling the driver over zigbee or green phy. <Q> Wow! <S> You can use the screw in type LED bulbs, which contain their own controllers. <S> These are typically dimmable down to about 20% using standard wiring. <S> Here, we have Cree bulbs that look VERY similar to old Edison (tungsten) <S> A19 bulbs, rather than the funny looking futuristic LED's. <S> They're also much cheaper than the older screw-in LED's, about $8 each for the newest type. <S> I don't know if they're available in your area. <S> I LOVE THESE BULBS. <S> ref: <S> homedepot.com/p/Cree-40W-Equivalent-Soft-White-2700K-A19-Dimmable-LED-Light-Bulb-with-4Flow-Filament-Design-BA19-04527OMF-12DE26-3U100/205597080 <S> If you're going with low voltage, (12V) you can use the LED strips and get rather creative, rather than using standard lighting fixtures. <S> I replace fluorescent tube lighting with LED quite often now, for instance, or you can use them in an area with a diffuser panel below, as is typical in kitchens here. <S> Friend of mine did the same with his bathrooms. <S> I've also seen them used inside a paper light globe, wound in creative spirals and such, to make a unique decorative touch. <S> Also consider using the strips as they were originally created to be used, as under-cabinet lighting. <S> Be aware, however, you can't have a dimmer on the AC voltage side (before the transformer) and will have to use dimmers supplied for the 12V LED strips. <S> I've seen these with remotes, and that's probably your only option for those. <S> On a side note, the LED strips come in various color outputs (Bright white, Red/Green/Blue (for accent lighting or novelty lighting,) <S> Warm white, etc.) <S> The multicolor ones do require the specialty 12V controller to get all the effects. <A> <A> DMX512 is the protocol for the lighting entertainment industry, used everywhere. <S> It is also just another serial protocol, and you will still require dimmers. <S> 12 or 24 volts, instead of 240 is a great idea, there is no electric code to get in the way of how you run the wires. <S> This 'low voltage' concept is why telephone wires can go anywhere you want. <S> The lighting strips that rjt speaks of are wonderful, price is amazingly low. <S> As far as a dimmer for them ASIN <S> B00IYXGEEQ <S> (just google that number, and loads of dealers will show. <S> The light strips, here is an example ASIN B00JRT4BYQ
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I would love it if PowerOverEthernet would provide the answer and it still may, but after reading examples of the voltage drop and drop in brightness along a series of LED strip lighting, AC sounds better.
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How difficult is it to cut a big (flange) hole in brittle marble tile? How difficult is it to cut a big (flange) hole in brittle marble tile?I am just asking this question here because, even though I will not be laying my tiles myself, my tile setter is currently overseas and inaccessible yet I am designing the floor tile pattern. I am using 12" marble tile for the floor. My dilemma is whether to design the pattern so that I have two tiles with cut out semicircles meet around the flange or to have one whole tile with a full circle inside of it go all the way encircling the flange. I would prefer to be able to do the latter (single tile with a large hole), however, given the material and size, I am not sure if that is possible. I think that the former is certainly possible but from the aesthetic perspective, I would like my pattern to involve one large tile around the flange. I have heard that marble is really brittle and making fancy cuts is hard. <Q> You will do better with a single hole, AFA breakage goes, compared to making 2 edge semi circles. <S> Update <S> If we are talking about a toilet flange, there are 2 methods, each with variations, depending on your equipment. <S> With a tile wet saw, raise and lower the blade such that you cut diameter lines edge to edge. <S> Rotate the tile 10 degrees and repeat. <S> Flip the tile over and repeat from below. <S> Remove teeth with an angle grinder fitted with a diamond blade. <S> If you are connected to a GFCI outlet, a helper can slowly spritz the cutting with a water bottle. <S> It will keep the dust to a minimum. <S> I would recommend a continuous edge (not segmented or stepped) diamond blade for this. <S> The cheap table type tile wet saws actually excel for this cut, allowing fast and accurate cuts, all from below. <S> The whole cut can be made with an angle grinder setup described above, you just have to tip the blade at 45 to the surface of the tile and sneak up on the line from the inside of the desired cut out. <S> With marble you have to go slow and minimize pressure. <S> This method also works nicely for electrical boxes. <A> Yes, I used a diamond disc for my angle grinder and just slowly worked around the edges of my marked circle from both sides until I had broken through. <S> Its tedious and dusty <S> but it came out fantastic. <A> It is much more important to set your tile by centering your spacing. <S> Better to have six inches on each side than eleven inches on one wall and one inch on the other. <S> I have had good luck with a round carbide coated blade that fits a standard hacksaw frame. <S> They will cut tile or stone pretty easily. <S> It will cut at any angle that you can hold the hacksaw. <S> You can also drill a hole in the tile pass the blade thru the hole and reattach it to the saw frame. <S> I would guess you are doing the toilet flange and it doesn't need to be perfect if the toilet is covering it any way.
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A diamond hole saw will do the job, use plenty of water and light pressure. You want to avoid very small pieces along the borders.
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I need a multiple-switch light switch which can't all be turned off at once I have a 4 switch (I think it's called "4-gang"?) light switch on the wall. It's not connecting to lights though, but to AC vent doors. Now, these AC vents must never all be closed at once. Meaning, minimum one switch must be on at all times. But, it's just an ordinary 4-switch wall panel, so you can actually turn them all off, potentially causing damage to the vents or AC unit. But I imagine there might be switches that actually enforce this requirement (a switch won't turn off if it's the only one on). Perhaps physical switches, perhaps electronic buttons. Does anyone know if these exist? Or what they would be called? <Q> This is possible with a simple guard. <S> The guard should have a notch for each switch that is approximately 4x the width of the switch, except the plastic should not be notched in one of those four positions for each switch. <S> For example, switch 1 should not be notched in position 1, but should be notched in positions 2, 3 and 4. <S> The guard also needs 4 horizontal slots that correspond to the switchplate screws. <S> The screws hold the guard against the switchplate and the horizontal slots allow the guard to move left and right. <S> Here's a crude drawing. <S> The red box represents that footprint of the entire switch, the tall black rectangle is the switch lever, and the large black thing with the 4 horizontal slots is the guard. <S> The guard is shown in each of the 4 possible positions. <S> In the first drawing, switch 1 is blocked from being turned off. <S> In the second drawing, switch 2 is blocked from being turned off. <S> And so on. <S> Let's set up an example: the guard is in the first position switch <S> 1 is on switches <S> 2-4 are off <S> you want only switch 2 to be on <S> Then you slide the guard one position to the left. <S> Finally, you turn off switch 1. <S> This could easily be made using snips and a scrap piece of sheet metal or plastic. <A> You could use some relays. <S> Take 3 relays <S> Connect the coil of each relay parallel to one of the first 3 vents. <S> Connect the “normally closed” (the output that is switch on, when no power is going to the coil) of all the relays in series, so the 4th vent is turned on when all other vents are turned off. <S> The 4th vent is also connected to its own switch so it can be turned on when other vents are on. <A> The simplest/cheapest way I can think of is to use a 4-position rotary (selector) switch in parallel with 4 single-pole switches. <S> I'd install the 4 single-pole switches in a 4-gang box, then use a single-gang with blank faceplate, drilled out to fit a panel-mounted selector switch like the one below. <S> Make sure you label everything appropriately. <S> You may also be able to get away with a 5-gang box and modify the faceplate to fit (drill out one of the switch positions to fit the selector switch). <A> Rephrasing the question a little "the vents doors cant all be closed...if the AC is powered". <S> So you add a fifth switch (which is just a relay) that either opens one door if the AC is powered, or turns off the AC if all doors are closed.
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The rotary switch forces one to be on all times, the other 4 switches allow selectively turning on any of the additional vents on in any combination. To move the guard to allow switch 1 to turn off, you must first turn on switch 2 to allow the guard to move. As you can see, each switch has exactly one position where it can not be turned off. Ideally install a short metal conduit between the gang boxes to run the 5 individual wires (you can buy "primary wire" for this purpose, or just strip stuff out of regular NMD wire), but having a 5-conductor wire between the two (or eg, a 14/3 and a 14/2) would work also.
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Can I use engineered I joists as studs in a wall? Project: 3m by 6m weekend house, roof 3m high, walls 20cm insulation. Question: I want build it from lighter/thinner materials, and i want to calculate from how thick materials i can build this I Joist (Picture One) So it would be same strength as 200mm by 50mm timber stud.I Joist will be 3m high. Is there way to calculate thickness of materials for OSB and four Timber studs and how much load it can handle. <Q> This is a bad idea to try and build your own I joists. <S> Often the building codes will defer to the manufacturers specifications for engineered materials like I joists, engineered beams and also engineered OSB board. <S> This is done because every manufacturer is different and because these manufacturers generally have actual accredited engineers that are certified and vetted who test these things in a methodical and proper way. <S> A small shed, on a residential property, is still considered a seperate structure, and as such is subject to your municipalities building codes, zoning requirements, by-laws and building permits. <S> A review of your plan or an inspection likely will not pass and code enforcement may require you to tear down the structure if they feel it is unsafe. <S> Inability to comply with code enforcement can result in loss of your occupancy permit for the residence. <S> Code aside <S> , I think even using engineered I joists for studs wouldn't be the best idea. <S> Running a nail or screw into the middle of an I joist greatly damages the integrity of the joist, and there would always be the possibility that somebody would attempt this and damage the stud. <S> For a shed I am thinking about possibly trying to hang pegboard on the wall as an example. <S> Furthermore I can't even imagine how one can safely frame for a window or door with I joists. <S> What is the proper way to nail the jack and king stud together? <S> What if the wall is load bearing? <S> Engineered I joists are tested when they are laid out on a span, not supporting load vertically. <S> Just use dimensional lumber, or purchase pre fabricated engineered I joists for supporting the load on a floor per the manufacturers specifications. <A> I am not familiar with metric tables or codes in the UK, however there are lots of free online span/size reference tables for timber/type of wood, LAMS, and fabricated I-beams. <S> I do urge caution if you are considering making your own I-beams. <S> Fabricated beams have to meet specific standards for the type of woods, glues and fasteners. <S> There are often made with a process of epoxies, pressure and metal inserts. <S> We never try to fabricate our own beams for joists or trusses. <S> I guess the application would be an important factor as to whether self made beams would be safe and strong enough. <A> If I understand correctly, you are trying to fill i-joist bays with insulation. <S> If that's so, then you should do a simple 2x4 stick frame 24" OC (this will be your structure), sheathe with 1/2" (or 5/8) plywood, air barrier <S> , then on the outside attach your i-joists vertically to be filled with insulation. <S> Your joist will then be similar to a larsen truss (google it). <S> If you are dead set on using your trusses as such, then you should replace the two 2x4 on the bottom with a single piece (2x6) perpendicular to the OSB/plywood and with a cutout similar to the commercial i-joists. <S> Take a look here at this Building Science article for an example similar to what you're suggesting. <S> In this case, the 2x4 interior wall is the load bearing structure. <S> The 2x3 and plywood/OSB joiners are only in place to hold the insulation. <A> Trus-Joist Corporation has an informative .pdf <S> that addresses some of these problems. <S> It's here: <S> www.woodbywy.com/document/tb-821/(I found this link by Googling the phrase 'I-joists as wall studs'.)One of the main problems I noticed in the document is securely attaching the studs to the floor. <S> What they describe is to add stiffeners to the OSB web at the bottom end, then use metal connectors to attach that combination to the floor. <S> If I were doing your project, I'd have no problem doing that, but for a commercial builder, it's some extra materials expense, and quite a lot of extra labor. <S> So I guess builders who are concerned -- as you and I are -- with decreasing the amount of timber used in building, while obtaining the most effective wall insulation, will want to do a cost trade-off between the extra cost of the structure, and the energy cost savings over its lifetime. <S> When my wife and I built our straw-bale house in southern Oregon, we used conventional 8-inch stud construction for the gables, insulating them with 8" R-30 fiberglass batts. <S> We love the house, which took us 2 years to build. <S> Hope <S> this has been some help -- Jerry Brown <A> I am not seeing these caveats at all. <S> There is a Canadian company that makes a product called a T-Stud which consist of two 2x3's and dowels. <S> If this can be done to replace a 2x6 and is four times stronger <S> I don't see why a I-Joist system couldn't be used to build a stud the same way without the complication of drilling and doweling all these holes for the dowel rods.
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While I joists are okay for hanging drywall on a ceiling, a wall tends to have a lot more nails, screws and anchors run into it for everything from pictures, TV's hanging on lags, etc... With drywall, the screws will be run into the sides of the I joist where they will not damage the OSB in the middle.
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Which comes first - Flooring or Kitchen Remodel? My wife and I are going to upgrade multiple parts of our house but we really want two key areas completed first, but we're not sure where to start or if we should do then at the same time, which is why I'm here. We want to install hardwood flooring throughout our house, but we also want to upgrade our kitchen (where hardwood will also be). The kitchen is a galley kitchen that will be remodeled with a new IKEA organization cabinet system/etc and we will also want that new hardwood floor in the kitchen. Being that I'm a construction noob, which should come first? Hardwood flooring or kitchen? Or does it not matter? Or, is it best done at the same time? Any tips or help would be appreciated. I just want to make sure I don't open Pandora's box unknowingly by attempting one without doing the other first. <Q> It is much harder to fit hardwood to cabinets than to put the cabinets on top of the floor. <S> If you were using vinyl sheet goods, I would advise putting down the subflooring then install the cabinets and fit the sheet goods to the cabinets. <A> I would do the floors at the same time. <S> Rip out old cabinets, etc. <S> from kitchen. <S> Install new flooring. <S> Carefully install new cabinets (don't forget to protect the new flooring). <S> This allows you to install the new flooring all the way under the cabinets, which is really nice if you ever decide to change the cabinets later. <S> If you install the flooring first, all the new cabinets will have to have the same footprint as the old cabinets (or you'll have to install more/less flooring). <S> If you install the cabinets first, the flooring will not extend under the cabinets (unless you extend the flooring once you remove the old cabinets). <A> Since you are remodeling the kitchen cabinetry then yes you should remove all cabinets and install the flooring first. <S> Remember to protect the flooring with some type of sheet goods or 4x8 hardboard like Masonite during the remaining remodel. <S> If you weren't remodeling the cabinetry then you could do the flooring later without any unforeseen problems down the road. <A> I don't really see a choice. <S> Most (all I have seen) IKEA cabinets are euro style. <S> Meaning they don't have front plates, like most american cabinets. <S> They are on legs. <S> That means that your flooring will be seen under the cabinets. <S> So you have to put down the flooring first. <S> Not even a question really. <S> Good thing is that the euro style cabinets are on legs and you can actually put down felt pads under the legs <S> so installation won't scratch the wood. <S> Also I spend time in France and there are a lot of IKEA kitchens there. <S> First a lot of the time the kitchen does not come with the house. <S> And they install the cabinets in a way that they can be moved easy. <S> Your bottoms only need two back screws to stay in place a few side screws. <S> If you predrill and get quality screws you can move these when ever you want. <S> This might sound "dumb" to some but is actually cool... <S> You want a wine chiller... <S> No big deal. <S> Remove a couple screws and slide it in. <S> No idea why our kitchens have become so permanent. <A> Like life, each has pluses and minuses Installing hardwood first, with no cabinets, means almost no face nailing will be needed (and fewer nicks and bumps). <S> The downside is the <S> you need a protective covering <S> (1/4 luaun plywood taped together <S> works well)
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The simple answer is if you are going to put down hardwood in the kitchen, it is usually better to install the entire floor before you put down the new base cabinets.
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What could be wrong with my air conditioner? My outside fan (compressor?) will not turn on. I have a week or two before the weather gets warm so thought I would try fixing it before I hire someone. Symptoms - I turn on the air. The blower turns on. Nothing outside makes a sound or moves. Now the last time I used the air conditioner in the fall it cranked up VERY loud outside. Where I went over to see what the hell was going on. Well it lasted for a couple minutes and then worked fine. Tried to turn it on a few days ago for the first time this year and nothing outside came on. What I have done so far. All I have done so far is check that electricity is going to the outside unit. I tested it with a voltage meter and things are flowing correctly. I am an air conditioner noob so please help. I can do whatever or take pictures if needed. The outside unit is only 3 years old. <Q> Besides checking the fuses/breakers, the fan, and any connections on the controller, there's not a lot of user serviceable parts on an HVAC system. <S> This is because the refrigerant lines require specialized equipment to test for refrigerant levels, a license to buy more refrigerant, and even more equipment to remove the refrigerant so you can work on the compressor. <S> When the outside unit doesn't turn on, checking the refrigerant is typically the first step because there's a safety switch in the system that prevents the compressor from turning on without enough pressure in the lines. <S> Without that, the compressor would turn on and burn itself out since the refrigerant also includes the lubricant for the compressor. <S> Do what you can to get the warranty coverage from the manufacturer, but realize that this is a situation that will almost certainly require a professional to come out and repair for you. <A> I had a similar issue a few times with my AC unit. <S> The issue both times was a bad capacitor in the outdoor unit. <S> The repair guy was in and out in about 15 minutes (including diagnosis). <A> This has happened to mine regularly before I replaced the entire HVAC system. <S> It is extremely common for ants and other bugs to crawl into these relays and get fried leaving the relay melted or cracked like a miniature bomb went off. <S> Sometimes you can take the relay out and repair it with some crazy clue if the body is just cracked. <S> There is a spring and will need to be checked and possibly bent back into shape or replaced. <S> Your best bet is to get a new double pole relay so that there is are two paths to turn the outside fan on. <S> That way if another bug crawls in there <S> and Kamikaze's one of the poles the other one will still be in working condition. <S> I remember having to order mine from a local HVAC supply but you might be able to find them on amazon or some website too. <S> Also, lay down an extreme amount of bug killer around the unit to keep the bugs out. <S> Its usually ants that cause this. <A> There was rusted/corroded wiring in the actual unit. <S> This is at both capacitor and the relay(?). <S> I was getting voltage - 240 - to the relay but not out correctly out of it. <S> Asking more specific question for the rust issue.
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There is a relay switch that turns the outside fan on and its located in the outside unit beneath the panel.
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How can I stop this GFCI receptacle from tripping? In my garage I have two wall receptacles on opposite sides of the garage. On one side the receptacle is a GFCI receptacle and the other side is a normal one. In the normal receptacle I have a small deep freeze, and a refrigerator plugged in. A couple of times a day I go out and neither the refrigerator nor the freezer are working, and the GFCI receptacle on the other wall is tripped. Any suggestions on what I can do to fix this? <Q> (your body, perhaps). <S> If the normal outlet is connected to the LOAD side of the GFCI (which it sounds like it is due to your problem statement), then your problem domain is the GFCI outlet, the cabling from the GFCI to the normal outlet, the normal outlet, and the freezer and refrigerator. <S> However, more than likely, the compressor motors on one or the other are at fault, and in general terms, these devices should not be on GFCIs. <A> The below steps describe how to disable a safety feature by removing GFCI protection from your circuit. <S> Check with local codes and verifythat <S> the problem isn't simply a bad GFCI or malfunctioning appliancebefore considering following these steps. <S> It sounds like your normal outlet is wired to the GFCI, making it a protected outlet. <S> Turn the power off, and remove the GFCI. <S> Devices with motors can trip GFCI outlets due to inductive loads at start up or shutdown. <S> Get yourself some spare wire. <S> If you don't have any, buy a foot of 14/2 household wire from the local Orange or Blue Big Box Store. <S> Also pick up some wire nuts rated for 3 14 ga wires. <S> You'll need to cut 4-6 inch white and black "jumper" wires and strip the ends. <S> I like to tape them off with electrical tape. <S> Attach <S> one end to the LINE Terminals, matching white to white and black to black. <S> (Brass screw is black, Metal screw is white. <S> Green screw is ground (green or bare). <S> Now wire the three white wires together with a wire nut. <S> Similarly, wire the blacks. <S> These are called Pigtails. <S> Wire the two remaining ground wires to the ground (green) screw on the GFCI. <S> Stuff <S> the wires in and re-mount the outlet. <S> You've just unprotected the fridge and freezer. <S> However, I'd put a label on the unprotected box "NOT GFCI" so that a future owner doesn't make any assumptions. <S> EDIT: <S> There may be a code requirement to have all garage circuits GFCI protected. <S> Check with your local authority before doing this. <S> NEC 2008 210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. <S> (A) Dwelling Units. <S> All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in the locations specified in (1) through (8)shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel. <S> (2) Garages, and also accessory buildings that have a floor located ator below grade level not intended as habitable rooms and limited tostorage areas, work areas, and areas of similar use. <A> There are different types of GFCI , you may have one that is too sensitive for the job. <S> A G type will trip immediately however a S or T will delay tripping and allow the current to stabilize during a surge like starting an induction motor. <A> I think the best thing to do would be to install a separate circuit which serves only the freezer. <S> Having its own circuit will reduce that odds of it being tripped. <S> You could also try replacing the GFCI outlet with a regular outlet and then using a GFCI breaker, and see if that arrangement is better behaved. <S> Note : <S> Tester101 says this exemption no longer exists, and I'd take his word over mine. <S> Plus, it's good to know that it no longer applies: <S> This site is the only thing I'm finding right now that had the exemption language I was thinking of: Refrigerators and freezers that are permanently located in thegarage and are not movable are not required to be protected by GFI. <S> NEC 2005 contained this exception to 210.8(A)(2) <S> Exception No.2 to (2): <S> A single receptacle or a duplex receptacle for two appliances located within dedicated space for each appliance that, in normal use, is not easily moved from one place to another and that is cord-and-plug connected in accordance with 400.7(A)(6), (A)(7), or (A)(8). <S> This exception was removed in the 2008 version of the National Electrical Code.
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A GFCI outlet works by measuring the magic electrons in and out on the hot and neutral legs and if they are different by a certain amount, trips the circuit to stop electricity from flowing, on the principle that those electrons are going somewhere bad You should see Black and White wires connected to the "LINE" Terminals, and another pair Connected to the "LOAD" Terminals. Disconnect all wires from the GFCI, and screw in the LOAD screws all the way. As a first step, try unplugging the freezer and the refrigerator to see what happens without them plugged in. I'll leave this here in case anyone wants to verify for themselves (by contacting your local electrical inspector). The outlet may be a single outlet or the outlet may not be readily accessible.
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Will a Dremel multipurpose bit cut through 1/2 inch polycarbonate? Would I be able to use the Dremel multipurpose cutting bit (561) to cut patterns out of 1/2 inch polycarbonate (Lexan)? Dremel "experts" said no but I want to hear other people's opinions. According to them, the bit will snap. <Q> Polycarbonate likes to melt when you hit it with a high speed blade. <S> The teeth on your 1/8" spiral cutting bit will quickly goo up, and you'll find yourself melting rather than sawing. <S> With some skill/practice, you'll probably be able to make your plastic into about the shape you want. <S> Biggest trouble will probably come from you making the cut too quickly, which'll cause the bit to flex, and melt an irregular path top-to bottom through your Lexan. <S> -I'd use a jig saw. <S> It's a lot of work, but far less prone to disaster than 30,000 rpm cutting bits. <A> 1/2 inch is pretty thick material to work with. <S> You can use a table saw, circular hand saw, jig saw, or band saw to cut Lexan. <S> This Processing Guide (PDF) has details on the sorts of blades you should use. <S> It does say that you can mill Lexan with at bit more like the Dremel Router bits <S> they recommend 25,000 - 30,000 RPM. <S> But, I would be concerned that a Dremel doesn't have the torque needed to handle cutting plastic this thick. <S> Here is what I would do if I did not have a suitable power saw: <S> Rough cut the lexan with a hand coping saw. <S> Then with a router bit (the largest that will work) go back and trim it down to the pattern. <S> I like a router bit better than the spiral bit because it is not in constant contact with the material <S> so I'm guessing it would be less likely to melt. <S> Of course I would start by testing with a bit of scrap first. <A> If the dremel is all you have, it will cut, but be careful about trying to hurry it along. <S> The Rotozip Saber is the same blade, sometimes cheaper per bit. <S> Chuck it as low as you can (less exposed) and <S> use the router attachment (has less tendency to tip and cause side torque (which is what causes breakage)). <S> If you have access to a jig saw (saber saw), that would be my tool of choice. <S> A band saw would be the ultimate.
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A saw is the right tool for this job.
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How to narrow a closet door opening? I have a closet opening that has never had a door on it (has had a curtan on a rod for 30+ years). I'd like to install a bi-fold or similar closet door. The problem is that the door opening is 44 inches and all of the doors I have seen are 24" or 36". My plan is to narrow the opening by 8" on one side, or 4" on each side. Is this a good idea? If so, what is the best way to do this? Also, the wall is textured so what would be the easiest way to make this look nice with the existing wall? This is for a house I'm trying to sell, so the cheapest/easiest solution (that isn't terrible) would be ideal. <Q> Instead of changing the size of the opening, use a pair of 24" doors in the "bypass door" configuration. <S> They'll overlap 4" when closed and you'll have a 20" opening when they're open. <S> If you want to increase the 20" opening, you can cut the doors to make them narrower and this will still be less work than changing the size of the doorway. <S> Even garbage MDF doors can be narrowed almost an inch on each side, especially if you're not attaching hinges or real doorknobs. <A> Even if they cost a little more than the low cost standard sized units from big box strores you are likely to come out better off than trying to get into a lot of work modifying an existing opening. <S> (Saving that pain is worth something too). <S> For your sized opening I really recommend that you use bifold doors. <S> When you use sliding by-pass type doors on a narrow opening you end up with a situation that is horrible to use. <S> Imagine trying to get a big suitcase in and out of a closet with a 20 inch opening. <S> Before you order custom sized doors make sure to completely plan if you need to be adding any type of door jamb that may end up changing the overall size of your opening. <S> Kestrel Bifold Doors <S> Disclaimer <S> : I have no affiliation what so ever to the door supplier linked and pictured here. <S> I found this in a Google search to support custom door size recommendation. <A> I have done this twice in my house. <S> It isn't a huge deal but the door is the easiest part. <S> Remove trim on both sides. <S> This depends on your floor. <S> With all floors you can cut out the area that you want to frame on. <S> You can use a Dremel Multimax or something similar. <S> For nailed down hardwood you could frame on top of it. <S> Do not nail framing on floating floors or carpet. <S> Add additional framing to the side(s). <S> Should be really easy if they had created the header right on the old door. <S> Now you should have bought a door already and should be framing to what the door specifications tell you to. <S> The following section is the tedious part that may want you to get bi-fold doors... <S> Add drywall to your new section. <S> Tape, mud, sand drywall to existing drywall. <S> Paint as needed. <S> Buy new trim to match existing floor <S> trim - remember you will be extending the wall... <S> Now you could possibly get a decorative piece to put here (fancy rectangles I call them). <S> This could work well if you are moving each side in. <S> This is all about the look of your house. <S> Install new door. <S> Cut top door trim piece to match new opening - or just use trim that came with door. <S> Cut bottoms of front side trim pieces if you are using a rectangle dealy. <S> Install trim - install floor trim if needed. <S> Repaint, re-caulk as needed. <S> This job can be done for under $100. <S> Say $60 for new door, $10 for 2 rectangle trim pieces, $25 for 2x4s and a sheet of drywall. <S> Moulding - <S> http://www.lowes.com/pd_219282-81562-EV1403PBOAK_4294715698__?productId=3086763&Ns=p_product_price|0 <S> Door - http://www.lowes.com/pd_13430-77999-13430_4294858069__?productId=3406664&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=
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You can get custom made doors of almost any size that you need.
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How can I paint over an existing paint design without making it permanent? We have a baby on the way. We are currently designing the nursery. The room currently has a diamond-shaped pattern that we'd like to keep, since it is unique and cool looking, plus it came that way when we purchased the house. The problem is, we are doing a 'Winnie the Pooh' theme nursery. We wanted to do a green grass with blue sky landscape on that wall. However, as stated, we don't want to paint over it. We are afraid of using plain white wallpaper and painting on it, because a lot of times when removing wall paper, it will tear or damage the wall/paint it was glued to. I've found 'temporary' or 'removable' wallpaper, but its way too pricey for our budget. We considered white wall panels or even dry wall, but didn't seem like a good idea. Is there anything TEMPORARY we can install over the existing wall/paint, that can be removed down the road without damaging or ruining the existing wall paint/design? Some type of material we can paint and that would be sturdy (as it will be the main focal wall behind the crib). Any ideas of materials we can use to cover the existing wall so we can paint over it, or some other temporary solution that wont ruin the original wall would be appreciated. I've scoured over the internet with no answers as of yet, besides the VERY expensive removable wallpaper. <Q> Some ideas hang up fabric? <S> go to a large format printer (sign shop) and print banners and hang those? <S> get $10 shower panelling from Home Depot and tack those up on the wall (and paint on those) don't bother with a 'theme' for the baby's room. <S> I know a lot of people like to do it, but it's a lot of work, the kid doesn't really care, and they grow out of it really fast. <S> That and for a lot of people, the baby ends up sleeping in the parents room anyways. <A> Fatheads. <S> I think fatheads or a copy cat competitor make baby themed stickers. <S> We have hot air balloons and a paris scene stickers in our baby room. <S> Or self stick baby wallpaper. <S> You have to worry about residue and the stick material ruining paint. <S> This depends on the wallpaper and how the room was painted. <S> If you will only be using the baby room for a short time I wouldn't cover the whole wall with anything. <A> Paintable peelable mask. <S> Used for movie set use and reuse. <S> Don't know if it's any cheaper than the removable wallpaper. <S> I have used their removable bathtub liner when doing bath remodel where the tub stayed, and I recommend that.. Just peeled off no residue. <S> General Chemical paintable mask <S> Their specific product, Studio Protect film is water based
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If you are looking for total wall cover like wallpaper I would buy the cheapest self stick stuff and paint over it - doing a very small test area to begin with.
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What can I do about this gap between a wooden board and the sink? The board already started to rot from below, so I need to replace it. How can I seal this small gap without having a permanent seal? The problem is that the boad is attached to the wall and I still want to be able to move the sink table away from the wall to get access to the tubes and things that fell behind the sink. <Q> I have to say, this is a very uncommon situation. <S> I have never seen a radiator behind a sink or heard of a movable sink table. <S> I guess you have your reasons, but would it be easier to put doors on the front of the "sink table" so you can access the plumbing etc without moving it? <S> With that said, the first thing I'd recommend would be replacing the wood board with a rot proof composite or PVC board. <S> I'd add a 2 or 3 inch vertical splash board around the opening by the heater so water and objects won't fall down behind the sink. <S> With the sink in place, maybe you could use a thin bead of acrylic door/window caulk to seal it to the wall and board. <S> If you find that you must move the sink on occasion, the acrylic caulk is easy to remove and simple to reapply. <A> If cosmetics isn't an issue you could use foam copper pipe isulation. <S> It comes preslit and somewhat heat resistant. <S> Open it up along the slit and slide it over the board. <S> It appears to be a radiator behind the sink so any thing you use must be flexible as the radiator will expand and contract as it heatsup. <A>
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Another alternative you might try is a strip of self adhesive rubber pillow style weather stripping to seal the gap between the sink and wall. Remove the wooden board and replace it with cement board, then tile the area.
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What protection is needed to access the crawlspace under the house? We have a crawlspace about 2 feet tall under the house. (Scary!) Looks like it has a black plastic barrier on the ground (which I believe is just dirt). How should one dress to crawl under there, and what precautions are necessary. I'm talking about coastal North Carolina in the spring. Is a pair of jeans and a shirt good enough or is an environmental suit of some sort necessary? I don't see bugs or anything else, but there certainly could be spiders or other things that sting, and I know the area has fire ants, although they may not be under there. But, I'd hate to disturb them. What is standard practice? <Q> Unfortunately I have to work in crawl spaces a lot. <S> I don a cheap Tyvek jump suit/ <S> coveralls with a hood over my regular clothes. <S> You can find them in the paint dept of Lowe's or HD for about $20. <S> There are always some bugs, spiders, and I've met a woodchuck or two. <S> Take a good flashlight and check ahead of you carefully to avoid any unpleasant encounters. <S> At least we don't have poisonous snakes in Maine!!!!!! <S> OMG!!!!! <S> Good Luck. <A> Knee pads. <S> Without them you'll be in great pain. <A> Mandatory: Eye protection. <S> Plastic safety glasses or something like that to prevent dirt getting into your eyes. <S> Dust mask or respirator. <S> You don't want to breathe in the dust/bad air in that area. <S> Recommended: <S> Headlamp. <S> This allows you to see much better in there and both hands to work with. <S> When I go into crawl spaces I use old clothes and sneakers that I consider disposable. <A> This might sound like a sissy but if you have as motorcycle helmet with the overalls and thick gloves you can rest easy that way. <S> Some tape from the helmet to the overalls to stop the spiders from biting your face. <S> You'll feel invincible down there. <S> a couple layers of clothes under the overalls. <S> You won't even care about rats then either. <S> The only think that might scare you is if someone else is down there already. <A> Do NOT go down there without leather or heavy duty rubber gloves with cuffs like sanitation workers use. <S> It's like a super power when you can just swat the black widows & brown recluses dead as soon as you see them. <S> Also, wear high-top boots, and put rubber bands around the cuffs of your pants if the Tyvek doesn't have their own stretch cuffs. <S> This should keep the crawlies out. <S> I also like to take something like a short-handled broom to clear the way of cobwebs and anything else that might be ahead. <A> Also, make a lot of noise before entering, to let any critters leave of their own choice. <S> (Bang on wood or stone with hammer or the like.)
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I also wear boots, mechanics gloves and some safety glasses. Eye protection is great for keeping the falling dust out of your eyes. Get the kind with a hood and you won't have to worry about spiders down your neck. I second getting the Tyvek suit to protect your work clothes. Then I just throw them in the trash once the work is complete.
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Why does water and gunk back up through the overflow hole in the bathroom sink? When I run the water in my bathroom faucet it sometimes (but not all the time) slowly starts to creep up the overflow hole and pour back into the sink. Included with the water is black and grey gunk. The thing that puzzles me is that even when this happens, the main drain functions fine and the sink itself doesn't back up or start to fill with water (or at least it doesn't do so noticeably). From my limited understanding of how the sink is laid out under the surface (including the overflow) I can't for the life of me figure out where the clog is and exactly what is going on. Should I pour bleach or draino down the main drain and overflow drain? Should I buy a snake and try to snake out the main drain and overflow drain? <Q> I would start by removing the trap, putting a bucket underneath the tailpiece (below the sink) and just running some water and seeing what happens. <S> Clean out the trap while you're at it and <S> make sure there isn't a mess of hair stuck in there. <S> If it all comes through without a problem and doesn't back up, then I would suggest buying a snake and going through the wall pipe and seeing what you can pull out. <S> I've always been able to get a slow drain going with a snake. <S> It might take a few tries, but it can usually work out. <S> Make sure that you push the snake right up against the pipe opening, and then just keep cranking until something changes. <S> You want to be careful with chemicals because they can discolor the chrome around the sink if you're not very careful, and they can also react with the pipes in a unsafe manner. <S> They make some gels that are more organic in nature that can eat away at organic clogs (hair, etc) that are much safer to use. <A> I'm at a loss to explain how water is getting into the overflow area such that it runs out the inlet. <S> Perhaps your basin has an unusual configuration that allows leakage from the faucet to collect in the overflow area. <S> Not only is this an unusual configuration, but faucets should not be leaking anywhere as well. <S> Even lacking a reasonable explanation, one thing is clear. <S> The overflow outlet into the main drain is obstructed. <S> This is usually through small slots in the top of the tailpiece that aligns with the overflow area in an interstitial space between the inner and outer basin surfaces. <S> Grease, hair, and soap scum often build up around the stopper assembly that occurs in the same area. <S> Some of this will end up getting through these slots. <S> Attempts to clear the stopper area of debris can push more material into the slots, compacting the material into an impenetrable blockage. <S> The main drain will work fine, but the overflow will only collect so much before it fills and stops working. <S> The best way to clear overflow blockage is to disassemble the drain assembly. <S> Short of that, the slots can often be mechanically cleared somewhat with a stiff hooked wire or similar tool. <S> Once loosened, the debris can often be flushed out by running water into the overflow. <S> Drain cleaner may also clear the blockage, but I would be concerned the heat generated could damage the basin. <S> Bleach will kill off the black mold that grows on this stuff, but will not help actually clear the blockage. <S> It will still be flowing in there, but now it will pass into the main drain unnoticed. <A> Check your pop-up and clean it. <S> You might need to replace the pop-up. <S> Snake the drain and clean the sink before installing a new pop-up.
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Once the overflow outlets are functioning properly, nasty stuff will no longer come out of the overflow inlet, but this does not solve the issue of how water was getting in there in the first place.
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What NEC requirements apply to installing receptacle next to a tree? I will install a receptacle next to a tree. I know it must be protected by a GFCI and weatherproof. But my concern is about how to support it and how high it should be from the ground. Where in the NEC is the information about these requirements? <Q> The most important code sections to be aware of when installing outdoor receptacles, are 314.15, 314.23, and 406.8(B)(1). <S> First off, the box should keep water out. <S> National Electrical Code 2008 <S> ARTICLE <S> 314 Outlet, Device, Pull, and Junction Boxes; Conduit Bodies; Fittings; and Handhole Enclosures 314.15 Damp or Wet Locations. <S> In damp or wet locations, boxes, conduit bodies, and fittings shall be placed or equipped so as toprevent moisture from entering or accumulating within the box, conduitbody, or fitting. <S> Boxes, conduit bodies, and fittings installed in wetlocations shall be listed for use in wet locations. <S> Secondly, the cover should also keep water out even when things are connected. <S> ARTICLE 406 Receptacles, Cord Connectors, and Attachment Plugs (Caps) 406.8 Receptacles in Damp or Wet Locations. <S> (B) <S> Wet Locations. <S> (1) 15- and 20-Ampere Receptacles in a Wet Location. <S> 15- and 20-ampere, 125- and 250-volt receptacles installed in a wet locationshall have an enclosure that is weatherproof whether or not theattachment plug cap is inserted. <S> All 15- and 20-ampere, 125- and250-volt nonlocking receptacles shall be listed weather-resistanttype. <S> Lastly, you'll want to make sure the thing isn't laying in the mud. <S> Depending on the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), you might get away with attaching the box directly to the tree, or supporting it with the conduit used to supply it. <S> The proper way to do it, however, would be according to 314.23 (B). <S> Use a stake. <S> 314.23 Supports. <S> (B) <S> Structural Mounting. <S> An enclosure supported from a structural member of a building or from grade shall be rigidly supported eitherdirectly or by using a metal, polymeric, or wood brace. <S> (2) Braces. <S> Metal braces shall be protected against corrosion and formed from metal that is not <S> less than 0.51 mm (0.020 in.) thickuncoated. <S> Wood braces shall have a cross section <S> not less than nominal25 <S> mm × <S> 50 mm (1 in. <S> × 2 in.). <S> Wood braces in wet locations shall betreated for the conditions. <S> Polymeric braces shall be identified asbeing suitable for the use. <S> Common sense says you should install the box up out of puddles, and if you get snow in your area above the normal snow level. <S> There are no code sections that deal with the height above grade, so use your best judgement. <S> And never forget the most important code section of all... <S> 110.12 <S> Mechanical Execution of Work. <S> Electrical equipment shall be installed in a neat and workmanlike manner. <A> When positioning the outdoor receptacles in the landscape, it is important to position them vertically. <S> Horizontal positioning will allow water to penetrate, increasing the likelihood of a short circuit. <S> When positioning the receptacle be sure that it is at least 6" above any mulch or other ground covering as well. <S> http://www.doityourself.com/stry/lightoutside#b#ixzz2QAionRz9 <S> As for mounting the outlet box, I would probably drive a 2x4 or 4x4 post into the ground below your frost line and secure the outlet box to that. <A> I think it depends on what "code" means in your parts. <S> Worst case scenario is you get electrocuted again. <S> Kidding aside <S> I run outdoor rated cabling inside of PVC. <S> Yes water will get in PVC but moles won't <S> and you won't dig through the pvc.
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The bottom part of the receptacle should be at least 6" off the ground.
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How can I create low-cost, fire resistant, hidden in-wall storage? I've taken all the sheetrock off of an interior wall for some renovations we're doing. What I would like to do is use a section of that wall to create a fire resistant hidden storage compartment. It's not a safe, I don't want to spend that much money and security from thieves is not a primary concern. My goals are: Cost - cheaper than buying a standalone fire safe with similar capacity. Capacity (limited depth, but height could be several feet with shelves.) Camouflage (shouldn't stick out like a sore thumb.) Fire protection (consider this the value to "solve for" while meeting all other requirements.) <Q> Put drywall over brick if you want to hide it. <S> Leave an opening so you can take things in and out. <S> I actually found the best place to do this is in a closet ceiling if you have attic space above. <S> It doesn't have to look good <S> so don't worry about the brick job - just make sure that is <S> is pretty well sealed <S> so heat/smoke can't get in. <S> Could use garden stones too. <A> If you want serious house-fire resistance most homebrew solutions will not suffice. <S> Minimum rating should be 1-hour @ <S> 350-degrees F, on a standard test sequence which involves external temps up to around 1750 degrees. <S> Yes, house fires can go that high. <S> That will be enough protection for papers and CDs in most house fires. <S> For magnetic and photographic media you need something rated as a media chest, which will both keep the temps down to 150F and keep the humidity in the protected area lower. <S> The only solutions I consider trustworthy are either a fire chest with that rating (the cheap Sentry's and similar do work) or an in-ground safe installed thru the basement floor. <S> Remember that even if they have combo lock dials, most fire chests are not safes. <S> If you need security too, that's more expensive, bulkier, and heavier. <A> I think the question is based on the assumption that most people live in cities and most house fires get put out by the local fire department after they heat up one corner of a room in the house and ruin much more with smoke damage. <S> I've used a square paver stone as my lid, with drywall glued over top. <S> No, it won't survive a devastating house fire, but it will do just fine in the other 99.99% of fires.
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So if you are like most people who have decided it's just not worth buying a fire safe; you might still want to build a brick and mortar box, surrounded by two sheets of drywall. Brick and mortar box. Can use an old fire oven door or something for the opening. The latter is not a promise, just my own guess that they might work well enough.
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Why does it take a second for water to come out of the kitchen faucet? Starting about a week ago, our kitchen faucet has exhibited some odd behavior. When you lift the handle for it, nothing comes out for a second. You can hear air or water flowing, but nothing comes out. Then, a second later, the water comes out. If you turn the water off and then on again soon thereafter, it works normally. But if the water is off for awhile, you get the delay again. This happens for hot and cold water. There are no leaks or drips under the sink that I can see. Our kitchen faucet is the single-handle style, where you move the handle to choose water temperature, and it does have a sprayer attachment, in case that is relevant. <Q> Over the weekend I determined what the cause was. <S> Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions; the actual problem was slightly different. <S> Since the hose is pressurized when the faucet is on , this meant that the sprayer leaked a little from the bottom while the water was on, and a little bit after turning the faucet off. <S> This meant that the next time you turned the faucet on, the hose was partially empty of water, so it took a second to pressurize the hose before water would come out of the faucet. <S> Tightening the sprayer hose connection seems to have fixed the problem. <A> I disagree this is an aerator problem. <S> Aerators do nothing to retain or drain water in the spout, it is geometry and gravity. <S> A clogged aerator will extend the time it takes to fill an empty spout, but will also severely restrict water flow to a noticeable degree. <S> By all means clean the aerator, most of them could use some cleaning. <S> The spout should retain water regardless of aerator condition. <S> Even if it were empty, unless the valve is opened very slowly, it will fill extremely quickly and water flow will be seen in much less than 1 full second. <S> The problem could be in the valve assembly, but the linkage would need to be such that the valve opening speed is not directly related to the lever operation speed, which would be an unusual configuration. <S> Another cause could be the water supply is saturated with air or some other gas. <S> When the water sits, the gas separates from the water and causes a sizable bubble to build in the pipe just below the valve. <S> It will take a bit of time to push this gas out of the pipe before water flow is observed. <S> Depending on pipe configurations, this may or may not be observed at other faucets. <S> When gas or air collects this way, the little bit of water in the spout is usually expulsed rather violently, as compressed air flows much faster than water under pressure. <S> This is typically rather startling to the person using the faucet. <S> If this behavior is not observed, this is unlikely the explanation. <A> Check the aerator. <S> Remove it and use it normally for a few days and that will tell you if it is the aerator. <S> Another thing to check: do you have a sprayer hooked up to the sink as well? <S> If so, the diverter could be the problem. <S> Or the pressure could just be low.
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The problem was that the sprayer hose was loose on the sprayer end.
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How can I tell if a ceiling box will support a real light fixture? I removed a fluorescent light fixture from kitchen but I'm not sure the work box will support a real light fixture. The work box is round and plastic. The fluorescent light wasn't even held up by the work box, it was attached directly to the ceiling. I've installed light fixtures before to metal work boxes and its usually replacing another light fixture attached to the work box, so I know they can handle it. For this one I'm just not sure. Here are pictures of the work box in question: <Q> All ceiling boxes are required to support at least 50 pounds (NEC 314.27(A)), so you can assume the box will be able to support a simple light fixture. <S> Boxes that are designed to support ceiling fans must be labeled as such, and must have a label listing the weight it can support if over 35 pounds (NEC 314.27(D)). <S> If you look at the box you have, you'll notice a flat bit within the box. <S> This is designed to sit against a framing member, so the box is likely attached to the member with nails. <S> Your box probably looks something like this... <S> In your box you'll notice these holes are empty, which means the box is not attached to a bracket. <S> tl;dr <S> It should not be used to support a ceiling fan. <A> These type of boxes usually have 1 or 2 screws going through the bottom into a steel bar that spans between ceiling joists. <S> I think you are correct that this box is not properly supported. <S> If you have access from above, you can put a support (2x lumber) across to each joist and then screw through the box into the support. <S> Removing the existing box will involve turning off the power and prying the electrical cable loose from its strain relief. <S> From the looks of the box, it should pull down. <S> Fixture weight will determine which one to use. <S> It uses expandable threaded supports that wedge against the joists side to side. <S> This box would be rated up to 50lbs. <S> An old work round plastic box has three retractable wings that clamp the box against the drywall. <S> This box is suitable for lighter fixtures, perhaps up to 10lbs. <S> It is very dependant on intact and unbroken drywall for best performance. <A> Maybe I am being too simple. <S> I see holes in the back of your metal work box. <S> Use those. <S> Go to attic, measure the distance between joists, cut a 2x4 to fit across, screw box in to 2x4, then screw 2x4 into joists. <S> At least three screws to each joist. <S> You could do pull-ups from the light and it only cost 50 cents!
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Options from below only would involve removing the existing box and using one of several replacement boxes. As others have mentioned, the holes in the back of the box can be used to attach the box to a support. This box should have no trouble supporting a normal light fixture, up to about 50 pounds. The heaviest duty box is one rated for ceiling fans.
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What are these holes in my concrete wall and how can I mount things to them? I have several 2.3" holes in my concrete walls. I think they were likely used as part of the construction or assembly process. They're maybe an inch to an inch and a half deep, and they look like this: I'd like to use them to non-destructively mount things to my wall (such as a VESA monitor, let's say). My idea is to put an anchor in them that can brace against the sides of the hole, then mount a rail to it that I can mount my monitor on. The question is, what kind of anchor can I put in the hole that can non-destructively form a sturdy mount for a rail of some sort to mount a monitor? <Q> Using these holes for a mount is feasible if you can use two or more of the holes for one rail. <S> One method is to make round wooden plugs that just fit into the holes. <S> Make it so it can go in as deep as possible whilest not sticking out beyond the surface of the wall. <S> Next you cut the plug in half as shown below. <S> Be careful to use a wedge that does not have too much angle to it so that you can get expansion of the plug as far down in as possible. <S> After the thing is wedged in place cut off the excess length of the wedge. <S> The plug can now be used as a screw point to mount a flat plank across the wall. <S> It would be to this plank that you mount any additional harware for the monitor mount. <A> Using a 2 1/4 hole saw, cut a plug from some 2x4 lumber. <S> Then use some anchoring epoxy and glue the plug into the hole. <S> Allow 24hr curing. <S> Warm temperatures will speed epoxy curing. <S> Attach any wood screw to mount monitor bracket. <S> Heres a no muss/ <S> no fuss way to inject the epoxy. <S> You may need to tape across the hole until the epoxy jells. <S> They all mix in the nozzle and harden quite quickly. <S> You use a caulking gun to dispense. <A> Based on bcworkz's comments, I searched google for "test plugs" and found this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085PBM7M <S> Shaw Plugs 62005 <S> Hex Nut <S> Expandable Neoprene Rubber Plug with Zinc Plated Steel Hardware, 2" x 1-5/16" <S> Turns out <S> it was exactly what I needed! <S> A few turns of the nut and I have a solid bolt that I can mount a rail to. <A> Here's another option based on the answer by @Michael Karas: Instead of cutting the round plug into halves and using a third, separate thin wedge, cut the plug into 3 pieces: a center block and two side wedges. <S> Pound the side wedges in, and anchor to the center block. <S> As force is drawn on the center block, the wedges will only get tighter. <S> (Kind of a "Chinese finger cuff" idea.) <S> Put some kind of grip enhancement (e.g. soft, thick tape) on the side wedges to help them "stick" to the hole wall. <S> I wouldn't put too much faith in just a plain wood to concrete friction hold.
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Place the two halves of the plug into the hole and then pound in some wedges to make the plug fit into the hole as tight as possible.
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What is the official name for wiring hole stops/plugs and where can I buy them? We have several holes in our house (floor and external wall) that are used for cables (coax and cat5e). The holes are bigger than the cable that goes through them so we'd like to minimize the excess space (to help prevent bugs from getting through). I can't use caulking or other "permanent" sealers because the cable needs some flexibility and slack. I've noticed some stoppers/plugs like this: ... but I'm not sure what they're called or where to buy them. I tried searching in my local big box hardware store and didn't see anything in the electrical section. I also searched amazon but must be using the wrong search terms because I can't find them. Can someone tell me what the name of these stoppers are and where I can find them? <Q> I've run many cat5 and coax cables through walls, and generally keep the hole just slightly larger than the cable, and it seals up fine. <S> Silicone caulk has enough give that it is fine for this application. <S> For a larger cable or a couple cables, I'll go through the exterior wall with a conduit, then seal around the conduit with foam and the outside with silicone (expanding foam breaks down under UV, so it's best to cover the exterior bit with some opaque caulk). <S> At the end of the conduit I'll put a wire grommet in a small box (a 90 degree PVC pull box works great). <A> You can find them at Lowe's <S> and they're called " Feed-Thru Bushings " <A> Those are rubber wire bushings and/or grommets. <S> They are commonly used when running LV wires (e.g.- data lines, coax from a sat dish, etc..) <S> in through the exterior of a house. <S> However, I would be very careful about using them, as they create two surfaces through which water can flow- between the wall and the grommet, and between the grommet and the wire. <S> This is opposed to a single surface when you simply run a wire through a wall. <S> My suggestion would be to use flexible silicon caulk, regardless if you use a grommet/bushing or not. <S> (my overall suggestion would be to skip the grommet, and just use silicon caulk). <A> Caplugs is one company <S> I'm familiar with. <S> These come from the septic tank industry <A> Apparently, you should : use a wall grommet on the inside (like the one you have in the picture) <S> use a Roman nose on the outside with a drip loop to prevent water draining into the house
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They are called "wire grommets" or "electrical bulkhead fittings", and if you search for those (or some combination of those words) you should find what you're after. I typically seal large exterior holes with expanding foam, and smaller holes with silicone caulk. You can leave some slack on both sides (I typically leave a drip loop on the outside and a coil of a few inches on the inside where it's not visible), and that's all the flexibility needed.
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Is it a problem that my toilet flange is 3/8" below the surrounding tile? My tile setter had to elevate the tiles around the toilet hole in order to make up for some unevennesses. As a result, the toilet flange is approx. 3/8" below the surrounding tile. Can that be compensated for using extra wax ring or will it even be a problem at all? <Q> It is just another flange ring that sits on top of the original flange to get it up to the correct height. <S> Then you install the wax ring and toilet as usual. <S> I don't have any experience with this particular kit but something like this Toilet Flange Extender Kit . <A> I have used the Set-Rite Toilet Flange Extender Kits for almost 5 years. <S> They work great. <S> Doubling up wax rings is okay if you want to make your waste line out of wax! <S> These kits have a regular extender toilet flange which will bring your installation to the correct height n top of the finished floor. <S> Here is how your toilet flange is supposed to look and as you can see all you'll ever need is just one standard wax ring: <S> They have a couple of videos on YouTube that will help with your install and also have an email & phone support for the DIYer. <S> Good Luck, but <S> you won't need it with these kits; it's an easy job. <A> I had a similar situation in my second bathroom, I just used two wax rings. <S> No issues and <S> it's going on about a year now. <S> I've held off calking the toilet down to the tile just to make sure there weren't any "hidden" leaks, you may want to do the same at first just to verify that you have a good strong seal.
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A double wax ring will probably work but IMO the better option is a toilet flange extender.
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Suggested materials for monitor stand? I have a 27" iMac and a second 30" display, and since I'm fairly tall I need them raised off the desk by about 20cm / 8". What is a good building material/design to build such a stand? I'm looking for a clean/simple look - probably timber painted black. I'm fairly capable (my dad is a carpenter and I've worked as his off-sider from time to time) but not very experienced and want to keep the budget low. It needs to be around 1200mm by 350mm and strong enough to hold 30kg/65lb securely. <Q> If you really want to get fancy, you could build drawers into the front. <S> You could buy a piece of melamine shelf, a 4x4, and some L-brackets. <S> And build a shelf like this. <A> Trestle styles are strong and scalable to a tall version. <S> Pine for the understructure, perhaps a laminate for the top. <A> I painted the timber black, put some self-adhesive rubber feet on and and attached to the melamine with L brackets. <S> Note the original plan was to have them raised by ~20cm. <S> I didn't end up doing that. <S> I'm quite happy with the result.
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You could build a simple box out of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) . In the end I bought a sheet of Melamine and some big chunky pieces of timber that were available on special.
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Which is the bare wire in a 12-3 gauge cable? What purpose does the bare wire in a 12-3 gauge cable serve? <Q> The ground wire will not have any extra insulation, though it is usally wrapped in paper to seperate it from the other conductors. <S> 12-3 NM (aka "Romex") cable will have a bare grounding wire, white neutral (grounded) wire, black hot (ungrounded) wire, and red hot (ungrounded) wire. <S> If you only see white, black and bare wire <S> then it is actually 12-2 (the second number is the number of conductors, the ground wire is not included in this). <S> 12-3 NM Cable <A> The white wire is typically neutral (the centertap of the split 240). <S> Other configurations are possible, three way lighting circuits or supplying several devices clustered together (E.G. bath fan and light independently switched). <A> The bare, green, or yellow/green wire is exclusively reserved for Equipment Safety Ground, aka the Equipment Grounding Conductor. <S> Grounding is strictly a safety shield to reduce chance of electric shock, and to encourage other problems to trip a breaker instead of start a fire. <S> In cable meant to be installed in walls , the ground wire is not counted. <S> So a black-white-bare cable is a 12-2 cable. <S> A 12-3 cable is special, it also has a red wire. <S> In cordage , or flexible cable meant to go to appliances or extension cords - this is the cable you handle all the time <S> - the ground wire is counted as one of the wires. <S> Black-white-green is called a 12-3 cable.
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The bare wire is the ground wire. The red and black wires are typically used for the 'hot' phases of split 240VAC center tapped supply (the standard residential power in North America).
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How do I repair a warped sliding glass door track? I have a sliding glass door that barely opens and often jumps off the track. The track under the door is bent and chipped. Is this normal wear and tear? Would raising the wheels fix it? Do I need to straighten track? I'd like to know whether this is more complex than tightening a few screws or putting on new wheels. <Q> We had this issue on the kitchen sliding glass door at work. <S> A hand truck had been run fully loaded over the threshold several times in its life and the Channel Lock treatment given to attempt putting the track back in line. <S> Our local glass shop repaired it without removing the frame as the door was a custom piece with no readily available replacement and would have been prohibitively expensive to do so. <S> Basically, you take a rivet buster chisel and die grinder and remove the track. <S> You then use a die grinder burr to smooth the surface. <S> There are replacement tracks (has to match the old one) that will now lay in the slot. <S> Finish out by fixing in place with self tapping screws, replace the rollers on the screen door and adjust the rollers to proper height. <S> It now rolls just like new. <S> Ok, here's one manufacturer (no affiliation with any). <S> Prime-Line Products has a cap strip like Mike was considering and they also have an actual track replacement extrusion which is what I have experience with. <S> You'll find both repair products listed under Exterior Door Hardware for Residential Sliding Patio Doors. <S> They also carry rollers and assemblies. <S> Another manufacturer that makes both cap strips and track extrusions is Swisco <A> It sure looks like someone tried to adjust the track with a pair of pliers and made it worse. <S> These bottom tracks are usually made of aluminum. <S> I have tried many times to straighten them, without much success. <S> A minor dent or bend can be fixed with some wide bill sheet metal bending pliers, but the damage to this track looks beyond repair. <S> If you attempt to bend it too much, the brittle metal will crack and break. <S> Unfortunately, I think you may need to replace it. <S> If it is an inexpensive door unit, the threshold may be riveted, welded or somehow attached to the sides and a replacement may not be easy to find or install. <S> If you couple this with damaged roller wheels on the doors, a complete replacement may be cost effective. <A> Clearly, Fiasco Labs' solution is the best: it works right out-of-the-box, is nearly universal, and is DIYable requiring low skill. <S> There are many old-school task that require straightening metal. <S> Auto body repair using hand held specialty anvils, hammers, and heat comes to mind, as does straightening bends in hand saws, band saw blades, and vintage cross-cut logging saws. <S> It's amazing what can be accomplished with a bit of brain power and persistence. <S> This approach may or may not work with extruded aluminum; the rib may become weaker, though I think not to any functional degree. <S> The U-channel would need to be custom bent from thin gauge stock, and would need to fit snugly in order to be a close enough match for the radius of the door rollers.
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A third approach would be to straighten the rib as best as possible, then grind the sides of the rib to remove the remaining high spots, then install a U-channel (rather thin, custom-bent, stainless steel) over the rib, using an epoxy glue to fill the gaps between the rib and the u-channel.
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What material to use to close a too wide wire tunnel? During the cold days I noticed a little draft coming from the light switch next to my house door. Removing the switch revealed that the tunnel for the cables was widened to fit the cables for the electric strike control right next to it. The hole measures about 1/2" in diameter. Is there a preferred way of closing this? By default I would either use the silicone caulk I have still around or get some expanding foam. As I am no electrician I do not know how accessible one should keep those wires. (Silicone caulk would be easier to remove as foam as far as my experience goes.) Here's a picture <Q> Sealing around wires and cables is usually a job for Duct Seal . <S> I'm not sure of the availability of this outside the United States, but I imagine it or a similar product is available in most places. <S> Duct seal never hardens, so it can be removed, move, reshaped, and reused. <S> It also will not react with the wire/cable in any way, which often a requirement in building and electrical codes. <A> Silicone caulk should work--you might try sealing around the switch assembly itself if you're concerned about trapping the wires themselves. <S> That will involve using caulk and expanding foam elsewhere around the building to prevent airflow into the walls and around the insulation. <S> This will have a much greater benefit, but it is also a much larger and more time-consuming project. <A> In the USA, they sell foam outlet cover gaskets that seal off the outlet box to prevent outside air from leaking through when you screw the cover over the gasket (I'm assuming you're not in the USA since that doesn't look like a standard USA switch): <S> http://www.google.com/search?q=outlet+cover+gasket <S> It's designed to stay pliable over time, so you can still remove it later to get to the wires if you need to. <S> Also, it's non-flammable, so if the outlet overheats you can be sure it won't catch fire. <S> https://www.google.com/search?q=firestop+putty
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Another option would be to use "firestop" putty - it's designed for exactly this type of situation: closing off conduit runs to prevent fire/smoke entry, but it will also stop air from leaking through. Alternatively, you could try to stop the draft elsewhere.
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How long does setting-type joint compound have to dry before priming? I put the final skim coat of 90-minute hot mud on the walls this afternoon, how long should I wait before priming? I've seen everything from overnight to 3 days, and the manufacturer's website doesn't have a number. Using Sheetrock Brand Easy Sand Lightweight Setting-Type Joint Compound: http://www.usg.com/sheetrock-easy-sand-lightweight-setting-type-joint-compound.html Going to use Zinsser 1-2-3 primer if that helps at all. <Q> It depends on thickness, temperature and humidity. <S> Most of the time, overnight is sufficient. <S> Latex primers are more forgiving of any subsurface moisture. <S> I have a moisture content meter I use after water damage repairs. <S> Interior MC should be under 15%, exterior under 25%. <S> You would want a full dry before sealing with a shellac or oil based primer. <S> Blistering would be the likely result otherwise. <A> I usually give it a full day to dry. <S> In general drywall type compounds turn to a lighter color when they dry so you can gauge from that if it is too soon to paint over. <A> For freshly-mudded joints or thicker coats of joint compound, you'll need at least a week of low-humidity dry time and good air flow in the room. <S> If there's still moisture in the wall, the paint will peel off in sheets.
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I always wait for a FULL 24 hours for a light skim coat, provided the humidity is low and the fans have been running in the room non-stop.
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How to prevent batteries leaking out in devices? Is there a common method of preventing batteries from leaking out and destroying the device? Why does this happen in the first place? I have laid another head lamp to waste because it was sitting in my truck unused for several months. Could it be because of the lack of use? In that case, should the batteries be taken out in anticipation of less use? <Q> Acid cell and Alkaline Batteries function by a process of controlled corrosion of two different elements which creates a voltage potential and a current if the circuit is completed. <S> This process is in continuous motion from the day of manufacture, while it sits on the shelf in its packaging, while installed in the equipment during off/idle periods. <S> It accelerates with higher discharge rate during use, and continues after the cell is unable to produce useful power to run the device <S> Alkaline batteries have a sealed container that serves as one of the electrodes. <S> While it undergoes a lot slower corrosion than the case on the old Acid cells, it still corrodes. <S> It is part of the process that allows the battery to function. <S> You don't prevent it. <S> Dead batteries should never be left in equipment, their process is nearly complete and the shell is close to breach. <S> Live batteries have a date on them for a reason. <S> Chemical reaction occurs even if the battery is live and able to run the equipment. <S> Often with today's LED technology, for example, the batteries will corrode through and start leaking long before they become too weak to run the flashlight. <S> Prevention is worth a pound of cure. <S> Remove batteries from the device when not in use for extended periods of time. <S> If it is part of a crash kit where you need batteries with the device at all times for emergency use, store them in a separate ziplock bag and check their dates periodically as well as for leakage. <S> Alkaline cells tend to leak when a potential voltage is applied, i.e. when you try to charge them. <S> This can happen in devices with more than one cell in series if some of the cells have less capacity than others. <S> This is why one should never mix cells by type, brand or age in devices where the cells are connected in series (which is virtually all devices that take cells in the same compartment). <A> Yes on battery removal. <S> I've had better luck with name brand batteries. <S> Before you pitch the lamp, try some vinegar, scraping off the scale ( I used a cotton swab soaked in vinegar) then neutralize with baking soda and finally rinse with water. <S> I just resurrected a kitchen timer this way. <S> I think ( but don't know), that the battery chemistry is more likely to leak after a use that fully depletes them, or heats them thru a hard use. <A> It is generally always recommended that the batteries be removed from devices that are not in use. <S> Even the device manufacturers recommend this. <S> I'm not sure what actually leads to batteries leaking other than a failed seal. <S> It is possible that a device exposed to wide temperature excursions may make the battery seals more prone to failure. <S> There is more information at this link as to what kinds of things can lead to battery seals failing. <S> Like all things on the internet there may be some points made there that are not fully valid ... but the electrical engineer in me tends to agree with these points: <S> Do not mix batteries of different sizes, brands, remaining charge level and age. <S> Use common sense and check condition of the batteries in a device fairly often. <S> If a device is to remain idle for an unknown time then play it safe and simply remove the batteries. <S> You can put them in a zipper lock plastic bag so in case they leak you can keep the caustic chemicals contained in a safe place. <A> The best way to avoid battery leakage is to: Use newer batteries that are not expired, Keep them out of hot places, and Don't mix battery types such as Duracell with Energizer. <S> Using name brand batteries will also help prevent battery leakage. <S> Make sure to change batteries often. <A> One option could be to use rechargeable batteries. <S> From what I understand, they're better designed to prevent leaks. <S> NiMH batteries have improved over the years and the newer ones last longer and have a better standby life (such as the Panasonic Eneloop line). <A> A few more thoughts: <S> While alkies may leak, the crud they exude is alkiline, not especially damaging to the device and isn't too hard to clear away. <S> Old-style/cheap (zinc-carbon?) <S> Batterues use an acidic electrolyte, which is more destructive if it escapes. <S> Batteries <S> can go bad before their nominal date <S> I have a package that should have another year on it <S> but that has started leaking. <S> NiNH is indeed aomewhat less likely to leak, partly because the chemistry is a bit scary (especially when fast-charging)
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Be aware that a sharp drop or case deformation (denting) of the battery could lead to degradation or failure of the battery seals. Don't mix different cells in a device which takes more then one cell.
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What is the best method of filling the gaps in wooden floors? Two years ago we had wooden flooring installed. We had the wood sit out for 4 weeks to acclimatize as much as possible before we installed. About 6 months later (fall) we started to notice gaps between some of the floor planks. Since then they haven't gotten any larger or smaller with some being 1/8 of an inch. We ran humidifiers for a few weeks hoping that the humidity would help, but this didn't do anything - we are in Colorado. I have looked around for a wood fill, but there doesnt seem to be anything like that on the market for larger areas. I recently bought some stain to stain in the gaps and try to reduce the appearance of the gaps - the floors are dark stained. But the gaps are still visible.I also just bought some dark caulk which I read helps, but wanted to get some opinions first before I start caulking the gaps. I am hoping for a product that is easy to apply and fills the gaps - something similar to a wax type product that you can apply with a putty knife. Any ideas would be appreciated..! <Q> If your floors are "set" meaning that the gaps are consistent through out the year I would advise the following. <S> So you would cut out parts of the existing planks with a circular saw (set to the depth of the wood <S> so you dont cut other things) and notch out a few planks - dremel might help here too. <S> Then add wood strips to fill in the blanks. <S> Nail them down and seal them. <S> You are fixing a poor install. <S> The wood didn't acclimate or had way too much moisture when it was shipped. <S> You didn't have it sitting outside <S> right? <S> and if you don't want to go the permanent and correct route... <S> then I would personally buy some bondo wood filler, some colorant to match your existing hardwoods, and poly. <S> Fill your gap with the bondo to about 80-90%. <S> Put on a second coat (next day) with colorant that is level with floor or a little higher. <S> Sand it flat. <S> Several coats of poly. <S> If you use cheap wood putty you will have cracking and dry ugliness. <A> Trowelable wood filler. <S> DuraSeal (among others) makes a "loose" filler that is almost pourable. <S> You normally dump it in a puddle and move it around, sanding it smooth just before sealing the floor. <S> Since your floors are finished, you could use a grout bag and carefully fill each gap. <S> It comes in a variety of colors. <S> If you blended several at the gap (not mixed, pushed in like an artists palette), you can get some variability and less single color. <S> I would not caulk. <S> It will stick out worse than the gaps and you cannot overcoat with poly later (after a refinishing. <A> Hi There is also a rubber tube type floor filler that will expand and contract as your floor moves in the different temperatures of the seasons <S> http://www.draughtex.co.uk/ <S> It is in the UK <S> but they ship world wide. <A> For god's sake don't go near that stuff <S> (draughtex). <S> We got a couple of rolls to try it. <S> It looks awful, takes a ton of time to out in <S> and it gave me nightmares about being a huge fire risk <S> so I ripped it out quickly and then went back and filled the gaps with a mix of sawdust and rubber glue and the stain that coloured the floor. <S> Got into quite an effective technique fairly quickly- <S> not unlike buttercreaming a cake prior to icing- <S> small scoops pushed in with a semi-flexible spatula at a 90 degree angle to the crack, finished with a sweep along the length of the crack to ensure everything is level.
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the best thing you can do is add wood strips to your floor. You can use a floor squeegee or a grout float for more control. After curing, an overcoat of water based poly will help blend the whole floor together.
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How can I seal the edges of a linoleum floor that possibly contains asbestos? The linoleum floor in my kitchen was installed extremely poorly (long before I started renting the apartment). Many of the edges are curling and in some places, it was not cut to the correct size and they just left the excess curled over. I am concerned that the exposed backing has asbestos in it and was wondering if there is a way that I could seal the exposed backing? I am only going to live there for one more year and I suspect that if I go to the landlord, he will have the floor replaced without taking proper safety measures. EDIT:Here are some pictures of the floor edges <Q> You are far more likely to die from worrying about asbestos than from asbestos. <S> I just finished dealing with the same thing you are. <S> They look killer! <S> :)My mother, a retired cyto-technologist, kind of laughed at me about my own asbestos concerns. <S> http://fumento.com/asbestos/asbest.html <A> This doesn't make sense. <S> First if the floor was installed poorly long before you arrived then it wouldn't last that long - maybe 10 years. <S> Asbestos was phased out of tiles in the early 80s. <S> So is your kitchen tile 30+ years old? <S> I cannot see this from a rental property. <S> Now what is under your vinyl, who knows? <S> Also you mentioned that the vinyl is curling on the edges because of bad install. <S> I have personally seen many forms of asbestos tile and they are all very rigid. <S> They would not curl up like today's cheap tile sheets. <S> So that is strike two. <S> Talk to your landlord and ask when it was installed. <S> If it was 30 years ago <S> or he doesn't know <S> or if you don't trust him then get a DIY kit. <S> Cut off a sample and send it in. <S> If it has asbestos landlord has to pay for kit and removal in all states. <S> In some states he would get heavily fined and you could be issued settlement damages. <S> Again from what you are describing <S> I personally do not think you have asbestos flooring. <A> Don't try to fix this yourself. <S> If it isn't asbestos, why bother. <S> Imagine your pain if the landlord charged you for asbestos removal because you "disturbed" it and created an unsafe situation. <S> And since you don't own the property, you probably aren't covered under those EPA exceptions that apply to homeowners and let them do things like take down popcorn ceilings and such. <A> Just from the pattern of the floor, that is not from the mid 80's or earlier (when Asbestos was used). <S> My guess, that floor is only about 10 years old as that pattern has an early 2000's vibe to it. <A> I would glue down the lifting edges, then take a caulking gun to seal the edges.
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If it is asbestos, trying to fix it yourself could make you liable for any damage you cause by futzing with it. Where possible, I installed engineered flooring and underlayment over the linoleum.
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Is there a tool designed for holding multiple electrical wires together to keep them in place for wire nut? I am trying to wire three hot wires together with a pigtail which means I need to twist four 14-gage wires into a nut (I am using a tan nut which I believe is suitable for this). The problem I'm having is holding them all steady so I can twist them together real good before capping them off. Is there a tool designed for this? It's a problem I've always had and it seems like someone would have come up with a solution. <Q> Yes. <S> It's called Lineman's Pliers . <S> To use: Strip the wires a bit longer than required (1" - 1 1/2"). <S> Hold the wires at the insulation between your thumb and forefinger. <S> Pinch the tip of all the wires in the lineman's pliers. <S> Trim the end of the wires to the proper length. <S> Twist on the twist-on wire connector. <S> You could also try using crimp connectors, with insulated caps. <S> But then you'll need a crimp tool Or as auujay points out, you can use push-in wire connectors. <S> Which you can read about on the blog <A> Drill AWG # 10 holes in a solid thimble, and push 2 or 3 wires into the holes, and twist with the addition of wings on the thimble like a wing nut. <S> This would twist the wires together to get first a good mechanical connection prior to putting on a wire nut style connector. <S> The current goes through the wires and not the spring of the wire nut connector, so this mechanical "bonding" is what would be desired using a tool that is better to do the job than an electricians line mans pliers. <S> I saw one for sale at an electrical wholesalers outlet, but didn't remember to pick it up thinking I'd see it again. <A> Three wires can be held nicely at 120 degrees from each other in three-jaw drill chuck. <A> Simplest "tool" to twist the wires, is the wire nut. <S> Put the wires in the wire nut untwisted and as you twist the wire nut, the wires will naturally twist.
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Twist the wires together using the pliers.
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Is creating a concrete driveway a diy? The entry of the driveway is just a rock bed with no concrete. I want to replace it, it doesn't have to be replaced with concrete so I'm open to suggestions there. If it is a diy, what are the high level steps involved? What about tools? I know the old stuff has to go, but beyond that I don't know. I'm in MI, USA also in case there are some local laws anyone is aware of. <Q> DIY option: rent a skid steer scrape off existing driveway <S> buy crushed rock spread with skid steer, rake rent a compacter and compact crushed rock layer bring in sand, spread, screed and level. <S> buy concrete pavers <S> start laying them depending on your age/health, buy lots of Advil Good luck! <A> It depends if you want it to function or function and look good too. <S> DAO1 had a good answer. <S> I think you asked if hanging blinds is a DIY. <S> On a scale of 1 to 100 hanging blinds is maybe a 10. <S> Doing your driveway is maybe in the upper 80s. <S> DAO1 gave you probably the easiest way to do it. <S> Even doing it this way requires lots of man power, renting lots of tools, and being patient. <S> You need to figure out how much it will cost to rent these tools in your area, <S> how much manpower you have (I would guess 50 total hours needed), how much materials will cost, and compare this price to having someone pour you a driveway/garage. <S> Also think about the mistakes you could make - things not being flat or level - and how hard it will be to rectify these mistakes. <S> And then the last thing - how much is your house worth? <S> If a paved driveway will cost 5K and add 4K to the value of your house then you are only out 1K. <S> If you do a sloppy job with pavers - you have spent money and your house might not have any increased value. <S> If your job is done really bad then it could decrease value of the house since there will be more removal. <S> I am not saying don't do the pavers. <S> I am saying as a DIYer you need to weigh the costs and your ability to do finishing touches. <S> Kind of like someone saying they want granite countertops, should they get a slab and make the countertops themselves? <S> If this is a starter home and you have 4-5 friends you can count on for a weekend <S> then I might think about it. <A> Yes. <S> Remove the old material <S> Move the material that is currently occupying the space, to a different location. <S> Make sure the different location is appropriate for the material, and the owner of that location is aware the material will be moved there. <S> Prepare for the new material Make sure the space that previously contained the material that was moved, is ready to receive the material that will replace the material that was removed. <S> This may involve packing down the material below the material that was removed. <S> Put in the new material <S> Finally, you'll put the new material into the space that the removed material used to occupy. <S> This may involve adding different types of materials in layers, and possibly preparing each layer of material for the next layer of material. <S> Enjoy <S> Now that the previous material has been replaced by new material, you can enjoy your driveway.
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Removing and pouring a concrete driveway can definitely be done by a nonprofessional.
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What are the issues with using sour smelling paint? My husband touched up the paint in our bedroom. The smell was rancid, like sour milk. I cannot believe he used the paint that went bad. I have a horrible headache and watery eyes, an obvious allergic reaction to the mold smell. When the paint finally dries will it all be OK? Or are there lasting issues now with him using the sour bad paint? <Q> The foul smell is from the volatile organic compounds in the paint decaying. <S> Could very well have mold spores living in it. <S> Whatever you are smelling its going straight into your lungs because smells are particular . <S> If it was me I would get rid of it like it was a plague. <S> My suggestion is get a heavy duty respirator with the proper filters and a boat load of lacquer thinner. <S> Then apply two coats of Behr Primer & Sealer to the walls. <S> Finally finish by applying a good brand of paint. <S> Lacquer thinner is hard core <S> so: cover everything; it will take just about any finish off. <S> have all your fans running in that room with all the windows open and the door closed. <S> remove all pets from the home prior to and for several days after the lacquer operation has been completed. <A> I put a quarter cup of white vinegar in my stinky paint that smelled like arm pits,and no more smell! <S> Love my vinegar! <A> A week after priming and painting my son's bedroom, the smell was still overwhelming, even after using fans and opening windows everyday. <S> After reading lots of ideas from others with the same problem, I used this solution: I closed off the room for 2 days and ran a small space heater for about 10 hours a day in an effort to "bake" the paint to be sure it was completely dry. <S> The heater caused temperatures to reach as high as 95. <S> I turned the heater off at night and with normal furnace use the room stayed at about 75 degrees. <S> On the third day I removed the heater and opened all the windows and turned on all the fans in the whole house (I got lucky with a 50+ degree day in early November.) <S> I left the house for about 8 hours and let the whole house air out. <S> This process made a HUGE difference in the room and there is very little odor left at all. <S> I have been accused of having a Super Sniffer nose, and this really worked for me. <S> No resealing or repainting, thank goodness! <A> Vinegar or Charcoal is good to rid the bad odder, also place a fan and leave doors and windows open for a few days. <S> it would be best to remove the old paint and replace with new paint. <S> Check with your city council for disposal of the old contaminated paint as most likely it will contain mold spores. <S> You wouldn't want to just throw it anywhere as someone or kids might get hold of it.
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Scrub the walls down with the thinner using towels to get as much of that bad paint off as possible. The smell traveled just a little to other parts of the house, but the room was already smelling so much better. let the walls thoroughly dry out with fans running before attempting to paint. I also put 2 large Moso Bamboo Charcoal bags (from The Container Store) in the room to absorb the odors.
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Is it bad that my porcelain tiles were stored outside in the rain? I just picked up my porcelain floor tiles from the warehouse. They were stored outside in the rain for a week. They're still wet and being aired out now. But they smell of mold. Is this bad news? <Q> If they are true porcelain, they have not absorbed water. <S> Porcelain are rated for exterior applications. <S> Some people generically call ceramic tiles porcelain, which may not be rated for continuous water exposure. <S> The porcelains will completely clean up and not harbor anything other than a surface covering of mold, which might have come from the packaging. <S> Update Tile Council of North America (TCNA) <S> Porcelain Certification Porcelain tile is defined as an impervious tile with a water absorption of 0.5% or less as measured by the ASTM C373 test method. <S> There are, however, many instances in which tile not meeting this standard is advertised and sold as porcelain tile. <S> Marketplace confusion, installation problems and even liability concerns can result when non-porcelain tile is misrepresented in the marketplace. <A> I would return them if they were given that way to you. <S> I know my power washer would go right through the porcelain I just installed or at the very least mark it. <S> Also if there is mold growing and you don't get it all off or if you don't get all of the dirt off you are taking away from the bonding area. <S> The mold too can continue to grow after being installed. <S> If you have to keep it... <S> I would mainly worry about the back of the tile and the sides. <S> A scouring sponge should do. <S> If it is really that bad I might bust out an SOS pad or two. <S> Also make sure the tiles are dry before installing. <A> Power washer + mild soap = smell problem solved.
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I would hit it with a bleach mixture to stop mold growth. First I would not power wash them. Unless you got an incredible deal on the tile I would return it.
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Why does my GFCI circuit breaker trip with any small load, even after replacing the breaker? I have a 20A 240V GFCI breaker in my main breaker box going to a conduit to another breaker box outside.All worked well last summer. Now, when I put any load (weed-eater, light, etc.) on an outlet connected to the outside breaker box, the indoor breaker immediately trips. I've tried replacing the indoor breaker with a 30A model (it's 10AWG wire) but it still trips under any load. I've also replaced the outdoor breakers. I am confused. If this were a short circuit, the breaker would trip regardless of whether there was a load. Does anyone have ideas on why this is happening and how I can fix it? <Q> Since it's a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) breaker, it's very likely that you have a ground fault. <S> GFCIs work by detecting an imbalance in current between the ungrounded (hot), and grounded (neutral) conductors. <S> This is why you only see the trip when the circuit is under load. <S> If there is 0 current flow, the current is balanced. <S> I'd start by inspecting the receptacle. <S> Turn off the breaker, then open up the box where the receptacle is installed. <S> Look for damage to the receptacle itself, or water/moisture in the box. <S> For outdoor installations you should always have a weatherproof box, and a cover that is weatherproof even when the receptacle is in use. <A> I had the same problem, in my case it was a regular 20A breaker that I had to replace with a GFCI breaker per local code, since this new circuit was for the basement. <S> I didn't realize that the GFCI breaker had to be wired different than the normal breaker. <S> After reading tester's answer above, I also came across a wiring diagram showing the different wiring diagrams, and it all made sense. <S> A normal breaker is wired like so: A GFCI breaker is wired slightly different: <S> Notice how the neutral wire from the circuit goes through the GFCI breaker as opposed to going directly to the bus bar. <S> This is so the GFCI can monitor the current on both wires, and open the circuit if the need arises. <S> If the circuit's neutral went to the bus bar, the GFCI would trip when a load is applied because the breaker does not see the current going to ground. <A> This can happen if there is a loose connection, a broken wire, broken insulation, etc. <S> The usual symptom of these types of faults is you can measure full voltage when there is no load, but devices that you plug in just don't work (or are slow or dim). <S> This happens because the small gap in the conductor caused by the loose connection or the broken wire is very resistive at high loads. <S> Broken insulation can cause the same problem because the live conductor may be exposed to an adjacent metal conduit, ground conductor, etc. <S> However, depending on the nature of the break, the added load of one of these faults could trip a breaker. <S> Since you say that this circuit works fine when running your pool pump, I would inspect all of the wiring specific to this outlet. <S> The short/break could also be inside the outlet. <S> You also mentioned "another breaker box outside". <S> Does the outlet you're using have a breaker in this breaker box? <S> If it does, I would investigate that breaker as potentially faulty. <S> My final thought is that your pool equipment might be faulty and drawing more current than normal. <S> The added load of your power tools could be the straw that breaks the camel's back. <A> You have a ground fault. <S> But it's a neutral-ground fault , not a hot-ground fault. <S> On a sleeping/inactive circuit, zero current comes down the hot wire, so zero current returns on the neutral. <S> If some of it returns improperly via the ground instead of the neutral, that doesn't matter - "some of zero" is zero, and the GFCI won't detect an imbalance. <S> But plug in any load, and the scene changes. <S> Now the standard load comes down the hot, but it returns via both the neutral and ground wire, in proportion to their conductance (1/resistance). <S> Now enough current flows down the ground (and not the neutral) to produce a detectable imbalance between hot and neutral. <S> Snap! <S> Look for bootlegged grounds in added work, receptacles shorting against metal boxes or their neutral screws touching a bare ground wire, or a faulty piece of equipment. <A> Your breaker is a GFCI. <S> They operate when there is an imbalance between the current going out on the hot wire and returning on the neutral wire. <S> Nothing to do with current amount. <S> Excess current is controlled by the normal breakers in the main breaker box not GFCI's. <S> Therefore the imbalance needs to be looked for where most likely the hot wire has a further path to leak current to ground and so carry more current than the neutral carries. <S> It is not much <S> - 30 mA is the value used most to cause a GFCI to trip. <S> But going by you saying it trips when things are plugged in, it looks like it has to be something you are plugging in. <S> They all need testing, ideally with a Megger to see if there is any leakage to ground from either the hot to ground or the neutral to ground. <S> You may be able to use a multimeter <S> but it is nowhere near as good as a proper Megger that produces a voltage of 250.500/1000 volts. <S> Try the multimeter set to as high a resistance range as you can <S> , say 2 Mohm. <S> Connect to hot wire terminal of the plug top that is on the appliance <S> There should be no reading. <S> Do the same between neutral and ground- no reading. <S> Take out a an appliance that has a 3 pin socket and has 3 wires feeding it. <S> This is to make sure it has a grounded metal part like its frame. <S> Plug this in- <S> it should not trip the GFCI. <S> If it does not then you have a faulty- <S> a leak to ground in your outside devices. <A> When a load is applied some of the current flows through this ground to neutral fault rather than back through the neutral conductor. <S> This results in an imbalance tripping your GFCI.
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Most likely this indicates that you have a fault between ground and neutral somewhere in the outside wiring. It may be that whatever device you're plugging in along with the pool equipment is drawing more than 30 amps and tripping the upstream breaker because the outside breaker has failed. Look for condensation in the box.
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How can I add insulation to my roof? I have an old 1930's house, the upstairs of which is in the pitched roof space. I've just checked and it has no insulation what-so-ever up there, so it is very much the same temperature as a loft at the moment - The layout is like so: (Apologies for the bad drawing - only have MS Paint here!) So the red areas have some rockwall insulation, which will be easy to top up as there's good access to the eaves. However there's no loft hatch into the top "triangle" of the roof. The green areas have no insulation at all, so we would like to add some. We've had a quote for a company to remove all the roof tiles and battens, put insulation in between the rafters, put new felt on (there's no felt either at the moment), reinstall the battens and replace the tiles. The rafters are only 100mm thick so we can only put 50mm of PIR type insulation between them to maintain a 50mm air gap correct? I've read that by using a breathable felt you can use a full 100mm of insulation but unsure of this? Is there a cheaper way to do this? As re-roofing is an expensive option, but I can't see any way to get insulation effectively between the rafters on the diagonal sections. I don't know if something like this foil double insulation would be as effective as the PIR insulation and able to be run down the diagonals if we were to install a loft hatch to get into the top triangle? BTW, I'm based in the UK so that may alter any options. <Q> If adding insulation to the outside (roof) is prohibitively expensive, then the alternative is to add it to the inside. <S> Tear out the sheetrock, fur out the joists, and add our insulation there and re-sheetrock. <A> I had an old farm house once with a similar situation. <S> This publication from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks proved very helpful, and it applies to cathedral ceilings as well. <S> In an attic, you can mix this, as long as all the areas of the roof is well ventilated underneath or well insulated. <S> This advice also coincided with advice from a roofing person/company in the area that had a very good reputation for decades. <A> What about pumped insulation. <S> They have flaked rockwool which is pumped through small access holes. <S> This will not provide you with the best insulation, but you could improve your situation quite easily. <S> Pumped Insulation <A> If there really is a decent amount of room where your green lines are I would think it could be spray foamed. <S> You just need an extender on the sprayer to get up into the bigger area and get the rest on the way down. <S> I am assuming you could get a hose through that area though. <A> The option I'm looking at doing is to put 50 mm urethane insulation like Celotex. <S> Then a 20 mm air gap, then Multi Layer Foil Insulation SF 40. <S> This should get the U value down to 0.18. <S> I have not done this yet, it's just what I've got planned out. <S> I'm only worried about vapor barrier before the urethane.
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In summary a roof needs to be either well insulated, with no air gaps against the underside of it (fiberglass insulation right up next to the decking), or it needs good airflow.
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How do I know if my windows are energy efficient? Hope this is a known one. New double glazing should be labelled, shouldn't it? But rather than getting new windows, are my uPVC windows fine? What checks? To elaborate - what should I look at on the windows as a means of checking they are adequately energy efficient so I don't need to buy replacements. <Q> Check with your local utilities as they may even offer rebates on the cost of that. <S> They'll use a Thermal Imaging Camera that can answer this question for you. <S> It's not so much whether or not your windows are a problem as much as it is the bigger question "what parts of your house are the problem". <S> Even if your windows aren't efficient, you may have bigger issues elsewhere that will give you a bigger ROI in terms of energy costs than replacing the windows. <A> Read my answer on the following question - <S> How can I measure the r-value of a wall? <S> This method works really really well for windows because of the temperature differences. <S> Also if you do this in the middle of the summer/winter it would be optimal. <S> Other thing you can do too for windows <S> is take a temperature reading in the middle of the window and compare it to the temperature along the window edges (winter works best). <S> You would be measuring how well your windows are sealed, how well the windows fit in the frame, and the caulk job <S> but that is important too. <A> Have you checked your windows for any weak spots? <S> a professional can measure the amount of sunlight passing through the panes, and this can lead to potential treatments or simply being told the windows are fine. <S> To Repair or replace if you do find faults becomes the dilemma? <S> Down to costs and as mentioned above, replacement uPVC can be very expensive. <S> Look for signs of improvement being needed. <S> Rot won't be an issue as you have <S> uPVC though do check for worn out cranks and foggy double pane glass. <S> Essentially, professionally placed glass should be maximising solar heat during winter and minimising in Summer. <S> The most energy efficient glass for double glazing is low emissivity (Low-E) glass. <S> It limits the amount of heat escaping through windows. <S> Have your windows checked so you can have peace of mind. <A> Most window/door installation companies offer an efficiency inspection, that will not only check the design of your windows, but will also check the seals, fitment, and functionality of your doors and windows as well. <S> Be careful, as some less reputable companies will use this as an opportunity to sell you things you don't necessarily need. <S> My source, is that I have owned and operated a window/door installation business for over 25 years.
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If you look after your uPVC windows then they should be fine. Hire someone that can do an energy audit.
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How do I get these toilet shut off valve out? As title says I am trying to figure out how to remove the old shut off valve from the pipe. I've been watching lot of videos, reading up on articles and all seem to deal with compression fit type but what I have at work (1 st photo) and home (2 nd photo) seem different from what I am dealing with. (Top photo is just a reference) It doesn't look like it is soldered on either (at least that's what I think) <Q> Typically, the valve solders to the 1/2 inch water source pipe. <S> the outlet is a pretty standard 3/8" compression fitting. <S> It is a little hard to tell from your pics, but it is rare that the valve would be a threaded fitting to the water source, but not unheard of. <S> The differences between the valves pictured are that the top pic is a 90 degree 1/4 turn valve and the bottom pic is a straight multi-turn valve. <S> If you are going to replace them, do yourself a favor and use nothing less than a 1/4 turn stainless steel ball valve. <S> They are available in both straight and 90 degree styles. <S> Assuming they are solder on, you must heat them to melt the solder and remove them, or cut them free with a tubing cutter as close to the existing valve as possible. <S> If you unsolder them, take great care to remove all the old solder and clean/smooth the pipe end well before attempting to solder a new valve on. <S> A basic knowledge of sweating pipes is needed for this project as well as basic plumbing tools like a tubing cutter, torch, abrasive cloth, flux and solder. <A> It looks like it is soldered. <S> You can either resolder on another valve or use a compression valve. <S> I use compression valves for shut-offs and just installed this one. <S> If it isn't soldered then then the nut closest to the wall turns out and there is a pin under it. <S> With the water off. <S> Example of compression valve - every store has there own brands for these. <S> Also in most stores they are not with plumbing they are with toilet parts. <S> Make sure you get the right size. <S> Looks like yours is 1/2 to 3/8. <S> This is a 10 minute job! <S> To install - - shut off water- cut copper as close to current shut-off as possible.- clean inside and outside of copper- slide compression fitting on- <S> connect toilet- turn on <S> water- turn valve on and off to make sure there are no leaks <S> Tools needed Pipe cleaning brush Tube Cutter <A> It looks like both ends just screw on. <S> Turn off the house water, unscrew both ends, take it with you to get the replacement (or make several trips like me). <A> Thank you so much for your input guys! <S> While waiting for replies I did further digging and eventually figured out that it was soldered on. <S> So I decided to bypass changing the shut off valve since it still works even though it looks like crap and I needed a new toilet lol. <S> Perhaps I will tackle it very soon :) <S> I think I will end up cutting it to put new compression type shut off valve. <S> Sharkbite ball valve looks nice and simple enough. <S> Took me roughly 2 hours to complete the job including a trip to hardware store to get one more wax ring to stack it to make tight contact. <S> First time and bit nervous but all in all wasnt difficult. <S> Wish the bowl was lighter though haha. <S> Gonna do one more toilet <S> tomorrow and next project is bathroom sink! <S> Cheers, Charles
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You have to take the pin out to release the compression valve - if it were a sharkbite or similar you would need to buy a little horseshoe device to release it.
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What is the process for power washing and staining a deck? I am planning to power wash my deck and stain it afterwards. But I am not quite sure the correct procedure for this process. After power washing the deck, can I stain the deck immediately or should I wait some time? Should I stain the deck first or apply the sealant first? Should there be any time gap between these two procedures? Moreover, which kind of protective clothing should I wear when applying the stain and sealant? <Q> The first step is to clean the deck. <S> A very simple and inexpensive method is to wet the deck, spray or scrub on a mixture of 1 cup TSP, 1/2 gal household bleach, and 2 gal water. <S> Scrub it with a course, stiff broom. <S> Then either rinse with a hose or power wash off before it dries completely on the surface. <S> this works as good it not better than expensive deck cleaners. <S> Note: When using a power washer, use a wide spray nozzle. <S> Be careful not to be too aggressive with a power washer as it can damage the wood and leave divots. <S> This may take a day or two depending on weather conditions. <S> Third, apply deck stain. <S> You can use any good oil or modified oil based deck stain. <S> You can choose from transparent, semi transparent or solid. <S> The most popular for older pressure treated decks is semi or solid. <S> For cedar or redwoods, transparent or semi is favored. <S> Usually one coat is enough, but on very porous or softer woods, two coats may be required for a good even finish. <S> Application hint: apply stain with a 3/8" nap roller on a pole. <S> Do three or four boards wide, then over-brush the area with a fairly stiff bristle brush to work the stain into the grain of the wood. <S> You could also use a 1 or 2 gal pump sprayer to get the stain on fast, then over-brush. <S> A lot faster and easier than using a brush only. <S> You're done. <S> There is no need to put a sealer over good grade stains. <S> Wait 24 hours before using your deck after staining. <S> Don't stain if there is rain or temps under 50F <S> predicted within 12 to 24 hours. <A> I agree with Shirlock <S> but I would not power wash within a week of staining. <S> You would be surprised the amount of moisture that stays in your lumber after power washing. <S> When I wash something I want it perfectly clean <S> and I do tend to overdo things <S> so do not take my findings as average <S> but I am sure they aren't way off. <S> I power washed my house before painting - wood siding. <S> Before power washing it was at about 11% moisture content - dry season. <S> The day after power washing it was at 23% in some areas <S> - range was 14-23%. <S> It was almost a week later in 80F degree weather highs and no rain before I got consistent moisture content before washing - used a friend's moisture meter... <S> Do you need to buy a moisture meter? <S> No. <S> Just power wash a week before and hit it with soap/water/sponge the day before. <A> Pressure wash (use bleach/Jomax -- read the directions first) and rinse. <S> Allow to dry for one week. <S> Don't add moisture the day before! <S> Sweep off any debris and stain. <S> (Usually wait 24-48 hrs after staining before light traffic). <S> SIDENOTES: <S> Wear vinyl/latex gloves that can be discarded. <S> Wear old clothes. <S> Work in shade or cooler times of day when possible. <S> Tarp and tape areas <S> you don't want to get stain on before starting (the sidewalk, sliding doors, trim, siding, etc.) <S> Use oil-based semi-solid stain (it will last longer than semi-transparent stain. <S> Cabot's is a good brand) on raw wood or on previously oil-based wood. <S> Oil based only gets one coat. <S> Use water-based solid stain on any other previously coated deck. <S> Remove all loose or peeling stain first. <S> Strip if necessary. <S> Always apply two coats oof water-based stain. <S> A water test can determine when it is time to re-stain. <S> Sprinkle water on the surface to test whether wood is absorbing water, or if it beads up like a car wax. <S> If stain is no longer protecting wood it is time to re-stain. <A> (After power washing the deck, can I stain the deck immediately or should I wait some time?) <S> Do "NOT" use a bleach/bleach cleaner on your wood deckif washing with power washer <S> do "NOT" use the pressure as a stripper (removing old paint or stains or moss) use it to rinse only. <S> If it was me I would use a wood cleaner and just use the pressure of a garden hose.as for dry time I would give your deck if in direct sunlight 5-7 days dry time, if shaded give more toward 10 days. <S> (Should I stain the deck first or apply the sealant first? <S> Should there be any time gap between these two procedures?) <S> The sealant will already be within the stain <S> so "NO" sealant is needed. <S> I like Oil to help maintain wood, helps to stop warping and splitting of the wood. <S> (Moreover, which kind of protective clothing should I wear when applying the stain and sealant?) <S> depends on sensitivity I would wear old clothing if using a oil or a water based solid/transparent stain, rubber gloves, eye protection. <S> most importantly dry time of the wood and no moisture or rain 24 after application of stain. <A> sand your deck after cleaning.. it will open up the fibers and take take the stain much better and will last longer.. <S> i use a 40 grit then hit with 60 or 80 grit after initial sand <S> but you don't have too <S> ... use a deck sander if you like but a 6" orbital is better.. <S> its a little harder but would work best if you use an orbital ... get the dust off and then stain .. <S> if you power wash without sanding after and just hit it with stain you will have problems next season .. <S> likely have to do it all over again ... <S> good luck ...
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Second, let the deck dry completely. Never put a sealer on before you stain, as it will block the stain from penetrating and adhering to the wood.
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Why is my Central Heating taking so long to heat up? I'm in the UK with a small modern, well insulated, double glazed home heated by a traditional gas boiler. My heating had been achieving room stat temperature within 30 minutes but is now taking at least 3hours. After the boiler has run continually for about 2hours I think it probably cuts out on the boiler stat (ie it is not up to temperature on the room stat - also confirmed with seperate thermometer). It switches off for a few minutes and then comes back on again and continually cycles the boiler on and off for at least another hour before the room stat temperature is reached. I have monitored the rise in temperature closely this morning and find that the inside temperature does not even keep up with the rise in the external temperature! If I only run the "hot water" part of the system (ie no central heating) the hot water gets to temp within about 45minutes. The problem appears to only be with the central heating side of the system. New room & boiler stat have been fitted. The pump "sounds" to be running fine and all radiators are uniformly hot across their entire surface. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem might be please? <Q> A very blind shot: Air in the heating system? <S> You have to de-air the central heating radiators, there should be a special vent on it, which might look like this: <S> You better put some bowl on the floor before you open the vent. <S> If water starts to run out of it immediately, eveything is ok. <S> If not and you hear the sound of leaking air, there's air in the radiator which has to be let out. <S> Be careful, the air is usually quite smelly and water which starts to run out of the vent is usually very dirty and dark at first. <A> As an answer I have to ask a serious question. <S> Is it possible that before the "inspection" the boiler was operating to way hotter temperatures than it should have? <S> And then somehow during the inspection that situation got corrected? <S> Such a situation could have resulted from the boiler thermostat getting stuck in the on state and never shutting off. <S> I could see this happening with the older thermostats that got extra dust, dirt or insects inside. <S> During the inspection maybe the thing simply got un-stuck or was opened and cleaned out. <S> As a result your system returned to operating like "normal". <S> If the above idea is correct it would certainly explain why replacing the thermostats with new ones did not change the current situation. <A> You claim "all radiators are uniformly hot across their entire surface. <S> " If this is so, then your heating system is performing its function. <S> Try arranging a small fan to blow on a radiator to see if that helps with heat distribution. <A> This would carry less heat around to the radiators and cause the boiler to get hotter. <S> Do you ever hear anything clink very faintly in the pipes (not expansion/contraction from the changes in temperature)? <S> In my case I had limescale in the system, I think in part due to the previous owners not using inhibitors; small bits would sometimes get through and make noise when pumped around. <S> Or does it ever sound like the flow changes (like a water pipe bend or tap will whoosh at a certain flow rate and change if you turn the tap)? <S> This could happen if there is a part blockage, which dislodges a bit.
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Another possibility I have experienced - the heat exchanger in the boiler may be clogging, reducing the flow through it.
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Can I use flexible LED strips to get better lighting in my kitchen? My wife and I really hate how the lights in our kitchen are central and overhead, making it so that when we cut vegetables or work on the counters, our shadow blocks the light from being able to see what we're doing. Here's a little diagram I made to illustrate the point: Our kitchen kinda looks like this: I'm thinking of adding lights either up above in the cabinets: Or adding a flexible LED light strip along the crook of the counters: My big question is: What is a good strategy for accomplishing this sort of lighting. Are flexible LEDs bright enough and cost-effective enough to use, or should I be looking more into affixing small lights to the bottom of those cabinets? Do they even look good? Google's first result is this , which doesn't seem like an ambient block of light so much as a bunch of little lights. I'm hoping for a bright strip of light. If flexible LEDs aren't quite there yet, what is a good strategy for accomplishing this? One thing to keep in mind is that we're renters - we want to save up for a year or two then buy our own place, so we'd prefer nothing too expensive, and nothing where we have to do major renovations (hence the idea of laying down some flexible LED strips rather than putting in some recessed lighting under the cabinets. <Q> You can definitely get flexible led strips that are bright enough to do what you want. <S> Many of them run on 12V, which you can easily get from a small power supply, and you could just plug it into an outlet on the counter. <S> I would put them under the cabinets; it would be easily to hide them there. <S> Many of the strips can be had with adhesive backing, which would just stick under the counter. <S> To answer your question on the individual lights, the individual LEDs will blend together nicely. <S> If you look at Amazon, you'll find a lot of solutions, and they are fairly cheap. <A> Since this is a temporary solution, and you're not looking to spend a bunch of money. <S> A battery powered, touch activated light might work well. <S> Both these solutions should attach, and detach from the cabinets without causing any permanent damage. <A> Those flexible LED strips always burn out so I'd stay away from them. <S> You'll wind up replacing it every 1.5 years and likely have to live with sections that are burned out after only 5-7 months of installation because lets face it your probably going to forget every once in a while that you left it on overnight. <S> Much better to go with LED puck lights in my opinion. <S> I've had a set of pucks on 24x7 for over 5 years that I installed in a DVD cabinet and in my walk in pantry and only 1 of the pucks has gone out in all that time. <S> Very happy with the final look and operation of the puck lights. <A> I highly recommend a good set of fluorescent lamps under the cabinets instead. <S> I know you asked about LED and <S> you can use an LED equivalent in the same body/frame, so that would work well, and the LED's may last longer. <S> My wife and I have a similar layout as your kitchen, including the overhead light: a big square kitchen with lots of surrounding cabinets, and we're always blocking the light from behind us as we chop vegetables. <S> I solved it by using fluorescent bulbs under the cabinet. <S> I found it easiest to use high quality Velcro to attach them, which makes them semi-portable. <S> We can then reconfigure/move/re-attach them as we need. <A> Yeah - I'd agree that LED strips are the way forward here. <S> But if you're installing under cabinets (basically out of sight) rather than in the crook of your counters, then my personal opinion is you won't even need an extrusion; you'll just see the light from the LEDs and not the LEDs themselves. <S> This video gives a quick overview of fitting flexible LED strips under a kitchen cabinet. <S> Hope it helps.
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If you want to get a smooth 'lightbar' effect, then you should fit your LED tape into a diffusing (frosted) tape extrusion - which blurs the individual LED 'dots' to give a more even glow. A cord-and-plug device, might be a good temporary solution as well.
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