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How can I build an automated water valve for a coffee maker? Our home has a remodeled kitchen and we have yet to install a backsplash. Before we do I was wondering if I couldn't add some functionality.We currently have a simple coffee maker sitting on our counter. Not that it's a huge pain, but it would be nice to run a water line up to it from the basement and add a valve so that we could easily fill the coffee maker with water without pulling it out and using the pitcher.I'm thinking the same kind of water line that we use for our ice maker. As a simple project I would like a simple push button valve (one that could not be left on and forgotten). Lowe's/Home Depot have turn valves that could be left on to overflow the kitchen. As a more advanced option I would like a valve where I could set the number of cups I want and it would automatically shut off when I reached the correct amount. Does anyone know where I might be able to come across either kind of a valve? <Q> If you're not married to your specific existing coffee pot you can purchase coffee machines which are designed to take in a water supply line. <A> Look for a dishwasher floodstop type product, which would satisfy your push button solution <S> Higher levels of automation would start with an open loop control based on a timer. <S> Open loop systems are very sensitive to pressure and flow changes, which would affect accuracy. <A> a pneumatic " Push to Exit " button will work perfectly.
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A recent flood prevention project for an upstairs laundry included a 12v solenoid operated ball valve. We use them in the city where mechanical time delay is required by code with certain hardware configs. A closed loop system would need to measure flow or sense level, to gather feedback on the status of the fill.
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Should galvanized steel pipe be used as a tub spout? I have a 90 degree fitting coming down from my shower valve. Also have a screw on tub spout trim. Right now there is a 6" galvanized pipe that connects the 90 to the tub spout trim. Is the galvanized steel the best practice for this (or even code)? If galvanized steel is bad let me know how to fix it before I grout and caulk that area. <Q> I remove galvanized pipe whenever possible. <S> A brass nipple will be a much longer term connection, due to much lower reactivity to water caused corrosion. <S> However, if the plumbing elsewhere is galvanized, it may only be a symbolic gesture. <A> Galvanized pipe is often used when a threaded pipe is required, since it's a bit more durable than copper. <S> Copper is a softer metal, and may not hold up as well against the potential abuse the spout could see. <S> While it's true that galvanized pipe has corrosion problems, such a short length where it's not common for water to rest should not cause problems. <S> If you're using a spout that doesn't connect using threads, you may want to use copper instead. <S> For a threaded spout, however, galvanized may be the better choice. <A> I've noticed in tub <S> /shower installs water eventually tends to come out discolored due to rusting of the galvanized piping. <S> Also, I've found that galvanized, when installed in direct contact to copper or brass tends to rust quicker <S> and I've been told by at least 2 different plumbers that it is because of the chemical make up of the galvanized piping. <A> Galvanized pipes were used pre-60's. <S> So it was to code for its time but its the worst piping to use for water. <S> Hot water lines clog up a lot with galvanized if you have hard water. <S> Some people use PEX tubing to replace it because its remodel friendly due to its flexibility <S> but I've have no experience with that. <S> Unless its clogged up I wouldn't mess with it. <S> +10 for good old copper tubing and its antimicrobial properties. <A> Typically the faucet will fail and be in need of replacement before the pipe fails. <S> Seen these in hard water and long time soft water users. <S> Never seen one clog or rot before the faucet became irreparable. <A> I have galvanized in my commercial building only for feeding fixtures such as toilets and sinks. <S> I am replacing what was installed in 1947, much of it was ready to fail <S> but it still lasted almost 70 years and yes the fixtures and shutoff valves also needed replaced. <S> Brass is way too expensive to justify but for a drinking fountain, use copper. <A> I am working on commercial properties and I just had to replace plumbing with a galvanized nipple in copper. <S> Water DOES sit in that pipe. <S> The pipe doesn't have to be full or under pressure for corrosion to happen. <S> I found that the problem with corrosion in that pipe isn't closing the pipe off, it's corroding the pipe and fittings so that when you try to unscrew the tub spout, the copper fitting breaks before the corroded threads break free. <S> Break out the saws all and replace copper in the wall... <S> Or just start with brass. <S> I am now going with copper or brass rob spouts.
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Though I can't attest to its long term health issues or your local code practices, as far as durability goes for this particular application you won't have trouble using galvanized pipe feeding your shower head or the tub spout. I try to replace galvanized when ever possible.
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What could cause my oven not to light? I have a Kenmore Oven (gas, slide in) which has decided not to light - somewhat erratically. Model # 362 73424200 When I turn the oven on, I can see the glow plug is getting hot, and I occasionally smell a little gas, but the gas never actually ignites and so the oven stays cold. The gas does not keep running - it shuts itself off pretty quickly when it fails to light, or so it seems. But this isn't happening all the time - one day it didn't work, the next it did, and then the next it didn't. The gas flow seems ok - the burners all light - and as stated, the glow plug is getting hot - it's bright orange when I check it. I'm thinking possibly a solenoid or a thermal coupler - any other possible causes? And how do I get at the possible bad parts in order to replace them? <Q> This just happened to me in January with my awesome bottom of the line stove that came with my home. <S> Glow burner (WB13K0021) - <S> They degrade over time. <S> Safety valve (WB19K10006) <S> - Turns off too quickly before there is enough gas concentration to successfully ignite. <S> Gas cut off valve is partially closed causing insufficient flow. <S> Mine is inside a cabinet were <S> I keep pots/pans and its possible, depending on the type of ball valve your builder used and its orientation, that shoving things in an area like this can move the valve. <S> The glow burner appeared to be what was bad on my oven. <S> Depending on the age of the unit you may want to consider an entire replacement like I did. <S> First there is the cost of the parts. <S> They are always overpriced and could cost you 1/3 of a new unit or more. <S> Second if you replace the parts yourself to save money you run the risk of the parts not fixing the issue or making it worse compounded by a service fee to get a pro to really fix it which could easily cost the entire price of a new unit. <A> Safety valves do not go bad very often. <S> The ignitor has to pull specific amps to open the valve. <A> Based on all the forums I read where everybody was essentially saying "Just get a new igniter (glow plug) <S> I ordered one and replaced mine. <S> No luck. <S> Left it for 2-3 minutes and turned it off. <S> Tried again. <S> No luck. <S> Then I tapped with the handle end of my screwdrive several times and it lit. <S> Tried it several more times with good results. <S> Put it back together <S> and now I have a good glow plug igniter in a box with no need for it. <A> We had the same problem - igniter (glow plug) would glow, but no ignition. <S> I read the comment about tapping the safety/gas valve lightly with a screwdriver handle. <S> That worked! <S> We turned on the oven <S> and I waited for the plug to be yellow hot. <S> Once it was, I tapped the safety/gas valve box a few times and it lit. <S> We tried a higher temp once the original temp was reached and it lit again. <S> Time will tell if this is fix will keep working, but for the time being, it got the oven lit. <S> Rob 7/30/16
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Be advised that your gas valve may be stuck. The ignitor can glow and still be bad, so your ignitor is bad, not the safety valve.
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Can I send audio through coax cables? I'd like to be able to pipe some audio from a computer in my basement to some speakers upstairs. When thinking about the best way to do this, I realized that my house is already wired with coax cable, which I'm not currently using since I don't get cable. Would it be possible to use the coax cable system to send audio around my house? A few details: For the audio I'm sending, I wouldn't care if the audio signal were mono only The audio would come out of the computer using a 3.5 mm plug, and the speakers I'd be using to listen to the audio would also have a 3.5 mm plug. I'd be able to buy plugs and wire to create the needed cables myself; I'm just not sure if this system would even work, though. <Q> COAX to RCA adapter <S> You could get a "Y" adapter <S> but it doesn't matter because you are getting mono. <S> The Y would just split the mono in two. <S> Either way I wouldn't spend a lot of money on adapters. <S> You are getting mediocre end product <S> no matter what you spend. <S> Go to the local radio shack and enjoy your music today. <A> COAX to 3.5mm Adapter . <S> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <A> It will work. <S> You will be dealing with an unbalanced mono signal and are almost certain to have some nearfield EMI as a result. <S> A low buzz will be audible. <S> Also, there will probably be an issue with impedance so unless you have the ability to adjust gain on your receiver you might experience sub-par results. <S> I recommend using ethernet if you can. <S> If you have any cat6 or cat5 runs in your home, those work great for analog audio. <S> There are 4 twisted pairs per cable, so you can run 4 lines of balanced audio (highly recommended) or 8 lines of unbalanced audio (you will almost certainly get some EMI). <S> If you do want to send a stereo feed somewhere, I highly recommend these audio extenders <S> https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=101&cp_id=10105&cs_id=1010502&p_id=3597&seq=1&format=2 <S> I had this exact problem on a client site <S> and they were the solution. <S> It allowed us to run unbalanced, stereo audio over an existing cat6 run to a receiver where it converted back into a pan-able stereo mix by placing one of the converters at each end. <S> The converters balance the unbalanced audio so you can take advantage of the near field EMI rejection of cat6/5. <S> Good luck!
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For stereo it is doable but the only thing I know is S/PDIF - so search for a COAX to S/PDIF adapter.
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What type of primer should be used on moisture resistant drywall? What type of primer should I use my basement bathroom walls? New moisture resistant drywall has been installed, taped and sanded, and is now ready to be primed. <Q> Very simple, don't waste $$$ on fancy primers. <S> Use PVA sealer/primer. <S> Amen! <S> See my other answers on primers and sealers. <A> Any quality primer with mold/mildew resistance. <A> BIN primer <S> I am guessing this is for a bathroom. <S> Sherman-Williams makes a Bath Paint(?). <S> It has a 5 year warranty for mold/mildew. <S> I am sure there are many other similar kinds <S> but this is what I have used. <S> Also if you want moisture out of your walls, high-gloss is the best and flat is the worst...
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For new drywall, do not use high hiding or shellac based primers. Always good to get a good primer but the top coat of paint is way more important.
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Shall I undercut the drywall to let the baseboard cover the hardwood floor expansion gap? I am going to replace my carpet with Engineered hardwood floor(the choice would be Kahrs floating installed floor). The problem I am facing is my baseboard is thin. It's not able to cover the expansion gap required by the floor manufacture. I think this is a very common problem , most floor manufacture requires 1/2" expansion gap but most baseboards nowadays are 1/2" or less . My current baseboard is short and thin. It will be very silly if I use quarter round to cover the gap. So the only way seems to me is to undercut the drywall so there will be enough expansion gap. Now my question is if I undercut the drywall, will the moisture come from the wall through the cut and affects my floor much? <Q> 1/2 expansion gap total gives you 1/4 on each side, which should be easily covered by the moulding. <S> That said, yes <S> you absolutely can trim the drywall to allow the wood floor to expand. <S> An engineered floor, though, likely doesn't need more than 1/4" on each side. <S> It should be dimensionally stable. <A> You can but the if its an exterior facing wall <S> you'll likely cut the vapor barrier if you don't use the proper tool. <S> I recommend the Fein Multimaster for this. <S> It has a depth stop gauge attachment so you cut just enough of the drywall without penetrating all the way through. <S> The segment saw blade is best for this. <S> A ton of companies are making knock offs of this tool that you can find in big box stores now so they may work too. <S> Fein is going to be more expensive <S> but it lasts decades. <S> Another option to consider is to just pull out and replace all the baseboards with something thicker and looks better than what you have now. <S> If you choose this option heed my advice and pre-prime, if not already, and pre-paint all the boards with no less than two coats before installation. <S> You'll still have to apply a final coat after installation to cover nail holes, but you can go extremely fast because you've already pre-painted. <A> First a 1/2" seems like a huge expansion gap. <S> Most are 1/4" or the measurement of the thickness of the floating floor. <S> I guess it really depends on the size of the room and what kind of wood. <S> I have done this in the past. <S> However something to think about when doing this is how are you going to keep the wood from sliding all the way to your framing? <S> You will very likely have cut well above new floor level (maybe a half inch) and come up with a way to keep a spacer stable while you are laying your floor down. <S> I used flat brackets and pushed floor against. <S> Also there shouldn't be moisture in your drywall. <S> Certainly not enough to make its way down to the floor. <S> Also given your large gap the drywall shouldn't be on top of the floor.
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It is perfectly OK to undercut your drywall - you might have to add a few strategic screws if you cut screws out.
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How can I repair these rusty electrical connections? When I turn on my air conditioner at the thermostat the vents kick on but nothing outside. Also the last time that it worked it took a few minutes to get going and was pretty loud. I checked the electric all the way from the breaker box to the outside fuse box for the air conditioner and everything was good. The unit is about 3-4 years old. When I took off the side panel I noticed a lot of rust and found that some of the electric tabs were ready to fall off. Here are some pictures: There was a yellow wired that just crumbled when I touched it. I am guessing that was the culprit but could be any or all. So questions are... Is this a normal amount of rust for the inside of an air conditioner after a few years? The outside looks brand new, it sits under and overhang, and the area where the compressor is looks brand new. All of the connections to both of these pieces is heavily rusted. What is the suggestion to fix? Where can I buy the items and all that good stuff? I am good with electric, just have never used caps or worked on air conditioner. And lastly - how can I keep this thing from rusting out so fast in the future? <Q> I would strongly encourage you to replace this unit (the Siemens component, not the entire AC) and replace the ends to those electrical wires. <S> Simply put if the rust situation is that terrible <S> I wouldn't be at all surprised if the integrity of the unit is already compromised, i.e. ready to fail you at any time. <S> Your yellow wire is almost certainly why it's not working now, but it's a pain to fix it, and then have to fix it again only a few days/weeks later. <S> I'm a Florida resident who had a 12 year old AC unit at one point that had been through a number of hurricanes and tropical storms, and it was only slightly oxidized, no rust. <S> (Though I had to regularly open it for service because for whatever reason ants loved to commit suicide by throwing their bodies in between the electrical contacts) <S> To fix the rust you'll need to find where it's getting exposed to so much humidity from. <S> Likely a seal or gasket is bad. <S> You can either replace the broken seal/gasket or there are after-market products used as essentially spray on sealants. <A> IMO that amount of rust is not normal. <S> I live in Texas <S> and it gets really humid sometimes. <S> I've repaired both my last unit that was 8+ years old and my new unit that is 4+ years old and neither had any rust whatsoever inside the enclosure. <S> Just ants and spiders for me. <S> I'd imagine that your relay is having trouble closing. <S> After turning off the power you could use WD40 on it and manually push the relay in and out a bunch of times to work it in. <S> Or you could go buy a new one. <S> I think the part# is 45DG10AJA for your unit. <S> That part is a single pole but you probably want to find out the double pole equivalent so that if one poles foobars down the road the other has a chance of continuing to work. <S> Most enclosures have a gasket around the edges that fit snugly against the cover. <S> It wouldn't hurt to use that foam in a can product at the top of the inside of the enclosure to prevent any water from leaking in up there too. <A> For the spade terminals on the various devices you could use a wire brush to remove as much corrosion as possible. <S> Prevention <S> To prevent future corrosion, I would try to identify the source of moisture and see if it can be excluded. <S> Otherwise I'd use a corrosion inhibitor, perhaps WD40 would help (but I guess you'd have to regularly re-apply it) or maybe use something like petroleum jelly (vaseline).
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I don't have HVAC experience but here's a few ideas you could investigate Repair For the wires, it might be best to cut off the corroded connectors strip a short part of insulation and crimp on new connectors. I recommend fixing it properly and replacing whatever seal or gasket is broken, but in a pinch squirting some sealant into the location that's leaking (with the AC OFF and given enough time to dry) will resolve minor leaks (depending on the severity). This is not a normal amount of rust; a great deal of humidity is getting to it, more than usual. You can just use good 'ol weather stripping if yours is damaged or not there.
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How do I fill a recurring sinkhole in the rainforest of Hawai'i? Aloha! My 12x20' outdoor bedroom has a sinkhole below it. The land is lava rock and here, the lava rock was bulldozed, so it was all broken up and indeed, there are lava tubes around these parts. The one below the bedroom has opened up several times and has been filled as much as possible with rocks of varying sizes and cinder. I am thinking about using that expandable foam now. Any thoughts out there on that? <Q> Foam sounds like a bad idea to me for a sinkhole. <S> I've seen them cover old wells with large quantities of foam followed by earth, but your situation is a never ending geological process caused by water flow. <S> Have you read <S> this about the Guatemala sink hole? <S> The article suggests the right way would be to layer rocks. <S> Very large at the bottom and smaller as you go up so that the water can flow through that area but doesn't take the soil with it causing another sink hole. <S> I'd go that route if it was me. <A> Dow does make GREAT STUFF™ Big Gap Filler . <S> Though I'm not sure if a sinkhole would be considered a big gap, a huge gap, or even a gap at all. <S> However, according to the GREAT STUFF™ Consumer Safety Information , GREAT STUFF™ will combust at 240°F (116°C). <S> Since lava tends to be 1,292 to 2,192 °F (700 to 1,200 °C), GREAT STUFF™ probably won't hold up if the tube fills with lava. <S> I'm not sure how well polyurethane foam would hold up in/underground, but I'm guessing it's probably not a recommended use. <S> Your best bet would probably be to fill the hole with large rocks instead. <A> My answer is based on opinion and since I live on the big island I know some things about the land here. <S> There are lava tubes everywhere on this island, the longest one I know about is 77 miles from volcano to Kaloli pt. <S> Filling in could be a futile project since your tube could be really big and rain is plentiful. <S> You did not specify your location, my land is in mt view hilo side. <S> If you really can't or want to move your house, I would fill as much as possible with large substantial rock and find the biggest piece of 3/4 or thicker steel metal to go overlapped on solid rock over your opening. <S> However without knowing the geology of what's under there exactly it could be questionable to be sleeping over it. <S> Thanks for posting this, I found it because I was seeking knowledge as how to prep after bulldozing seems a little unstable
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Since you mention the sinkhole might be a lava tube , you may want to try GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock .
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What tool should I use for carving deep shapes in a desk top? I am starting a DIY project to create a standing desk. Part of this project involves installing some electronics in the wooden desktop itself. I need to make the following cuts / carvings and am wondering the best tool to use: A 10" x 10" square on the surface of the desk that is 1" deep A 2" x 10" rectangle on the side of the desktop that is 2" deep I am hoping there is a handheld power tool that can help me accomplish this. I don't need perfect cuts; a hand-made imperfect aesthetic would be just fine. <Q> However, I think it important to point out a few things to consider if you use a router for the project you described, especially if you have never used a router before. <S> First off, you shouldn't try to cut the full depth of the pockets you describe in a single pass. <S> You will need to make several passes, taking out a little bit at a time. <S> The amount you should take per pass depends on the material <S> but I would start with 1/4" or less. <S> The less you take the easier it will be to control the router. <S> Second, let's consider for a moment that the base of the router pictured above is about 5" diameter. <S> You need to keep about half the base (at least) pressed against the surface to maintain control of the router. <S> How will you route the center section after the first pass if your hole is 10" square? <S> The answer is you need to make a larger base, one that will span both edges of your hole. <S> Most routers are made so the base can be removed so you can make and attach a custom one for instances such as this. <S> Third, generally you should move a router against the rotation of the cutter in order to prevent the cutter from grabbing. <S> If you are using the router handheld and working on the inside this means you should be working in a clockwise spiral around the inside of the pocket you are cutting. <S> Finally, it is always easier to control the router if you are working against a guide surface. <S> A template router bit has a bearing above the cutter which you can ride against either a template or at least a straight edge. <S> I think it is the right cutter for this job. <S> Even if you don't make a complete template you can clamp a straight edge to the each edge of the pocket in succession to establish the outside edges. <A> The tool you are looking for is a Router: <S> (source: homedepot.com ) <S> If going the manual route, chisels would do the job too: Chisel http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/15/151cd367-33fa-437e-8be0-19db9d29b7d1_300.jpg <A> I would use a router. <S> I am currently doing a similar cut out. <S> You really need to keep the router resting flat on a template or temp base as you cut out the middle to maintain the flat cut. <S> I have done 3 passes so far and it is working well just going deeper by 1/4" or so each time. <S> If you are new to routing the router could catch and skip out or cut into the side if you are not slow and steady with it. <S> Take your time and rest your back also. <S> It's a tedious cut but <S> so nice when complete. <S> Good luck!
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I agree with Steven that a router is the way to go.
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What is the appropriate type of caulking around a kitchen sink? The caulking around my sink has worn/rotted away and I've removed it properly, but I've been looking into what I kind of caulking to use, and there seem to be many different types, so I'm a bit unsure of what to do. Which type of caulking is used for a kitchen sink (the gap between the kitchen sink and the counter-top? Does anything else need to be applied in addition to the caulking? <Q> Silicone for the sink to counter binding and its flexibility with temperature change. <S> Clear because you don't want to have staining issues down the road. <S> Also if you need to add caulk down the road - clear matches clear. <S> GE Silicone II <S> I have used this on almost anything. <A> For the joint between the counter top and the tiles, you can use any flexible, preferably mold resistant, caulking from your local hardware store. <S> You should also be able to find it in a color that matches your grout. <S> For the joint between the sink and the bench, I use a clear, waterproof, flexible one. <A> As a plumber have always used a bead of plumbers putty that u have rolled in your hands to soften and warm. <S> Not messy and last for life of sink.
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You need a 100% silicone clear caulk and since it is near a sink I would get something that is mold resistant.
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Can I accelerate caulk drying by using a fan or heater on it? From what I've found online, caulking takes 24-48 hours to dry. For my purposes, I need to apply caulking to my kitchen sink. However, I am in a time crunch, so I would like to know how caulking dries. Specifically, can the dry time be sped up to less than 24 hours if I direct some fans at the caulking? Can apply a heat fan help too? <Q> The tube of caulk should include drying and curing times. <S> It will vary based on the product <S> so you definitely want to go by the manufacturer's recommendation and not some general guideline on the web somewhere. <S> You are not the only person who does not want to have to wait a day or two before using their sink and bathtub and the caulk manufacturers know this. <S> It should be easy to find caulks that dry much faster than this. <S> Bathroom caulks are frequently advertising their "shower ready" time which is how long before it can get wet. <S> It may take a day or two to fully cure but many caulks will be able to get wet after a few hours. <S> Like many "fast drying" products the downside is that you have less time to work with the product before it starts setting up. <S> The last time I caulked my bathtub I used a very fast drying product that claimed it was "shower ready in 1 hour". <S> I am not a perfect caulker <S> so I kept adding more and smoothing it out; unfortunately it started "clumping up" after maybe 20 minutes <S> so I ended up with lumps. <S> If I had used a product that took longer to dry I would have had more time to smooth it without it starting to dry and get a skin over the top. <A> Ordinary latex caulk w/o silicone will quickly fail in a sink install. = <S> = <S> > <S> Lower humidity, fresh air exchange, nice warm day <S> and you can cut that 24 hour cure time down to only one day.... <S> NO SHORTCUTS, especially if inexperienced. <S> Practice in your garage first. <A> The general answer to this is "read the instructions". <S> I did a Google search for "Quick drying caulking" and the first product that came up <S> was a DAP product claiming "ready to paint in 30 minutes". <S> I would not recommend trying to speed up the process with heat. <A> Applying heat directly to silicone caulking will soften it up and could cause it to lose its adherence to the surface. <S> Heating silicone aids in removal. <A> If it is 100% silicone mix dish soap and water about 20% dish soap . <S> This will make it cure faster . <S> Found this out using silicone to make a mold disk soap acts as a catalyst to silicone <A> Better solution! <S> Heat up your your sink water if you're doing your tub, use the same routine if you were to work on your sink. <S> You will feel the humidity in the bathroom! <A> I found, after making and molding a toy out of acrylic white "speed-demon" - all caulking and about two inches thick. <S> I put the project into one of my inoperable vehicles to bask in the heated climate; in two days it was solid dry. <S> The heat averaged 119-degrees. <S> It worked great,but needless to say, I'll use a hairdryer next time for speedier results. <S> She was glad to see it finally done! <A> One of those Vick vapor rub steam humidifiers in the room will help greatly so long as it's 100% silicone cahlk. <S> If it's a mix or water based then just streight up heat. <S> A portable heater set at full blast should heat the whole room enough as long as you keep the door and windows shut. <A> I've been experimenting with silicone. <S> I found that silicone 2 <S> * / 2*+ <S> [ammonia cure]is very flexible in terms of the stuff you can do with it. <S> You can add dye to it. <S> It will adhere to itself if you need to go back and apply extra <S> you also can make it cure faster by vigorously mixing it before applying. <S> You can thin silicone 2 <S> * by mixing in silicone oil. <S> You can give silicone 2 <S> * a gloss like finish by adding silicone oil to the surface and then brushing over it with a popsicle stick. <S> I also experimented with silicone 1 <S> * [vinegar cure].I found that silicone 1* won't mix with oils and it won't adhere to itself. <S> It sets too fast if you pour hot water over it. <S> it also yellows for some reason and takes a long time to get rid of it's odor. <S> Silicone 1 <S> * is probably not the best for a bathroom, however it might work well as an adhesive to hold something to a flat surface. <S> Although silicone 2* takes longer to cure, it doesn't yellow which would help if you're using white silicone. <S> Note:I'm referring to GE brand silicone.
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For your sink-to-countertop re-caulking both gentle heat (no more than ~100 Degrees F) and ventilation (not just a fan) to remove vapors released during curing will shave off a few hours extra at best. Each product has different drying times. Humidity is bad for curing silicone and latex/silicone mixtures.
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Is it possible to install a 1/2" collet on my palm router? I initially bought a router ( this router ) for some door hinge mortising. Now I need to route a few 1"x1" channels in some MDF. The 1" x 1 1/4" bit I need has a 1/2" shaft, but the collet on my router is only 1/4". Here are my questions: Can I get a new collet that supports a larger bit? If I can, should I? I guess I am thinking about torque and my router's engine here. <Q> If I can, should I? <S> I'm guessing that your idea is to make a single pass with the router set to a depth of 1". <S> For your project, I would not recommend the single-pass approach in MDF, or any analogous material for that matter, even with a 1/2" shank router bit with spiral flutes designed to clear the shavings out of the dado. <S> Instead I heartily suggest making several passes at increasing depths, removing perhaps 1/4" of depth or less on each pass. <S> For this, a 1/4" shank 1" diameter carbide bit would be adequate if you dropped the bit into the collet as deeply as functional, perhaps pulling it out a ways, if necessary, for the final pass. <S> Better yet, hog out the bulk of each of the channels in several passes with a 3/8" or 1/2" diameter router bit, then make a final pass at full depth with your (still super-sharp) 1" diameter router bit to obtain your precise width and depth. <S> Hope this helps. <S> FWIW: <S> I'd skip the rectangular tubing and router approach. <S> I'd use flat stock and cut wide kerfs that are 1" deep using a long strait-edge clamped in place and a skill saw with a heavy (thick) blade that will cut wide kerfs (e.g. 1/8" wide kerfs). <S> FWIW #2: <S> Whether you use lengths of tubing or flat stock, your door will still be prone to warping, even if you embed lengths of metal stock in multiple orientations. <S> To counteract the tendency to warp, you'd need to embed a rectangular metal frame. <S> ... or don't embed anything: use lockset hardware similar to that which is used with French doors. <S> That hardware will secure your door at the top and bottom, keeping it flat. <S> FWIW <S> #2a: If you don't believe FWIW#2, prove it to yourself by gluing some bamboo skewers in the pattern of your choice to a sheet of heavy paper. <S> Once dry, you'll find that the paper is quite flexible (warp-able) even without bending the bamboo skewers. <A> According to Fiasco Labs that router apparently doesn't have a 1/2" collet available for it, so this is kind of a non-starter. <S> But as a general answer, "palm routers" and "laminate trimmers" are small and good for hand-held work like edging and thin cuts, but aren't good at removing a large amount of material. <S> It looks like your model doesn't have an adjustable speed, which is a good feature for using large bits. <S> Larger bits means larger diameter, which means higher cutting edge linear speed for a given RPM. <S> You want to run larger bits at a lower speed, to account for that. <S> As mike says, you don't want to do a 1" x 1" cut all at once. <S> Take it slow. <S> The suggestion to do several rough passes and then a single finish pass is a good one. <S> If you have access to a circular saw, making several slightly shallow passes with that would also be an easy way to remove some of the material. <A> It depends on the size of the motor shaft, if it's large enough, Bosch will have provided a 1/2" collet as an available accessory. <S> At the speeds that these bits turn, having a large, well supported drive shaft is quite important.
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In looking through the Bosch specs and accessories for the Bosch PR10E, they only show a 1/4" collet as being available which means the motor shaft size is too small to support 1/2"
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Is it OK to install a TV mount when it can't be attached to a stud at all mount points? I have a TV wall panel that can only reach two studs. I was wondering if it's fine to screw the left side and the center on studs, and have the right side anchored in the drywall. My TV is 30lbs with the mount. Also, the TV would be mounted a bit on the right of the TV mount. Does it matter if the weight is not 100% centered? <Q> If you are concerned about the weight an easy solution is to put a sheet of plywood (or nicer wood, if it will still be visible once the TV is in place) across 3 studs. <S> Secure it with 2 screws into each stud. <S> Then screw the wall mount into the wood. <S> Doing it this way will definitely support the weight of any TV you might try to mount. <S> And allows you to mount the TV exactly where you want it without worrying about where the studs are. <S> You can paint over the wood to make it blend in with the wall but in most cases it ends up nicely hidden by the TV anyways. <A> As long as you are using lag bolts to secure the mount to the wall it will be fine. <S> I have a massive 130 lb. <S> plasma and a 65 lb. <S> swing arm mount <S> and I had a similar situation. <S> Just use as many of the holes available on the studs using lags bolts and you're good. <S> Pre-drill your lag holes <S> or you will split the 2x4 in the wall <S> and it won't hold. <A> That is perfectly fine to anchor like that. <S> I will say you will want to make sure that the left and center are not overly tightened. <S> This will make the overall panel pull out of the right side eventually. <S> I doubt your TV would fall in this situation because it is only 30lbs <S> but it might get wobbly.
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When attaching something to studs vs. anchor/drywall it is very easy to overtighten the stud side.
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How can I prevent a tankless propane on-demand water heater from freezing up in very cold climates? We are considering installing a tankless propane on-demand water heater in a residential setting, where multiple tenants use a shared bathing facility (presently served satisfactorily by a 40 gal electric tank heater). A big concern about installing a propane tankless heater, is the possibility of a cold air down draft in the chimney into the unit and having the core freeze (and break). We experience wintertime lows outside temps of -40°F to -50°F and colder. In this setting there might be early AM use and then, possibly, a long period through the day with no demand until dinner time. (i.e. natural use will not necessarily have the unit cycling on and off). Does anyone know of units where there are dampers in the flue that positively (as opposed to passively) close that would protect against such a freeze up. Anyone with direct experience? <Q> Where is the tankless water heater to be located? <S> If it is in a space that is heated, then freezing will not likely be a concern as there will be plenty of heat gain through the equipment enclosure. <S> This will use a lot of energy if the unit is located in a cold garage, so best practice would be to locate the unit inside a heated space. <A> What you are asking for is called a " non-return vale <S> " you should verify what type is acceptable for your unit. <S> However there are several ways of avoiding freezing from your tankless heater. <S> Consider buying a 'combi' unit <S> instead of just a domestic hot water heater. <S> As the temperature decreases, your residential heat demands will increase and which will keep water flowing though the unit and the burner on. <S> Buy a model that has built in freeze protection. <S> In my recent search I noticed Westinghouse / HTP have modes with ceramic heaters built in. <S> Use a recirculating pump (some models have one built in) to create a hot water loop flowing though the unit. <S> Conceivably, one could link the pumps to outside temperature data, having it kick at a low flow rate (below the rate that would trigger your heater) at a set outside temperature, and couple that with an inline temperature sensor that increases your flow rate to trigger heating anytime the water in your lines drops below 36°F. <S> If you have plumbing running up against outside walls, you likely might want to do this anyway, as there are setups that can include the cold water line in the loop. <A> I had a propane tankless freeze, then the copper line broke and flooded the utility room. <S> I ordered the same unit so install would go quick. <S> Then put a 40 watt bulb inside the unit with a makeshift wire from an old lamp. <S> It worked good. <S> 40 watt heavy duty bulb can run steady for about 3 months. <S> On really cold windy days that went below zero, I ran a trickle of water to be sure it wouldn't freeze.
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If freezing is still a concern, look for a tankless unit that has a electric element for freeze protection.
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What to look for when picking a router? I am in the market to purchase a router for the first time, and I am not really sure what I should be looking for. As a reference, this is for hobby wood working, and the best I know to categorize it as is general usage (a little bit of everything). Not sure if it makes a difference, but I do not currently plan on getting a router table, but plan on getting one (or making one) down the line. The things I have found while comparing them: Motor Size Collet sizes accepted Dust Collection (not really important to me at the moment, since I do everything outside and just let it go everywhere) plunge or fix based (not sure how important this one is, as they seem to be interchangeable bases) Is there anything else I should be comparing? <Q> More routers is always better! <S> But here are things that I would look for when buying a single general-purpose router: <S> Adjustable speed. <S> Large bits have a larger diameter and thus higher linear speed at the cutting edge, so you want to use a slower RPM to compensate. <S> Multiple base options. <S> I have a fixed base mounted upside down in a homemade router table, and a plunge base for freehand routing. <S> They came together in a kit, if I recall. <S> Having at least two bases lets you leave one mounted. <S> 1/4" and 1/2" collets. <S> Soft-starting motor. <S> This isn't super important <S> and I think a lot of current models have it. <S> Instant-on routers always startle me and jump a little when you turn them on. <S> I wouldn't worry too much about the horsepower. <S> Stay away from the small "palm routers" if you're looking for something general purpose, but otherwise there's no need (in my mind) to get a monster. <S> 1.5 hp or so should be suitable for general purpose work. <S> Bigger models will let you remove more stock quickly, but unless you're in a commercial setting with a sturdy table I doubt you'll want to push the limits of a large model. <A> Some additional factors: <S> Dimensions of the router base - small handheld vs large mountable <S> I sometimes need to work on surfaces where space is a premium and need the thinner base. <S> fixing screws on the base - sometimes its nice to mount slide guides where you can easily follow the contours of a rail... <S> so i build a template stock to fix to the underside of the router. <S> midpoint of the router bit to base... imagine if you use one of the edges of the router against a rail... <S> you dont want to use another edge and have the routing depth change. <S> permanent lock on power button <S> - you dont want to keep depressing the trigger when doing lots of routing... <S> adjustable router bit depth - obvious... <S> and I think a default feature. <S> For me.. <S> my best router is one where the adjustable travel of the router head to the base is quite far out. <S> I have made my own router table and mount the router from the bottom of the table... <S> obviously its nice that the router bit can travel far out past the depth of the routertable's width. <A> I've found it handy to have several routers. <S> If I was in the market again, then I'd keep an eye on craigslist and garage sales and buy a few of what is ever available ... or perhaps ebay. <S> It's also nice to have several bases for a 1/4" shank model (not just the base plate, but the entire base), so <S> I'd find which (Sears) models have an inexpensive base that is sold as a replacement part, and then buy that router new along with 2 or 3 extra bases. <S> Just my 2 cents.
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An adjustable-speed router will be useful in a wider range of applications.
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Why is my bathroom floor raised up very high? I know that it needs to be raised a little bit so that the floor can slope towards the drain. But on my floor the slant towards the drain is shallow, but the floor of the bathroom is much higher (3cm/1.2in above tiles) than compared to the hallway adjoining it. It is a concrete subfloor. I would like to re-tile the bathroom, and I would like to lower the floor... but is there a special reason why it is how it is? Am I making a mistake changing it? It's in an apartment - all the walls and floors are concrete. There is no wood at all anywhere. <Q> In some older homes built between 1900-1930's it was common to set the ceramic tile in a bed of cement. <S> The cement was poured over the subfloor. <S> While this was a great stable base for the tile it did raise the floor. <A> Because a lot of times when people remodel they are lazy and just cover up what was there. <S> There could be layers of plywood, there could be concrete (fun), roofing shingles, backer board... <S> I have seen people mortar/concrete over tile and lay tile. <S> Yes you can remove it all. <S> Worst case scenario is that you have replace a rotting subfloor with plywood. <S> At least plan on it. <S> (See why people are lazy) <A> To provide space and slope for drain plumbing. <A> I have removed transitions at the doorway and looked in from the side. <S> You can see the layers of what is there. <S> If you see particle board in the hallway or some other material not related to the build date, there may be an additional 1/2 to 1 inch in the bathroom area that will not be visible. <A> Floor joists in some old houses are spaced at 24 O.C.. <S> Tiling over a single layer of plywood/OSB underlayment over such joists is not to code any more, and it requires a second layer of plywood. <S> Because of that some contractors used to add second layer of plywood which resulted in higher floor levels in bathrooms. <A> Because the bathroom tile sits on top of layers of other materials. <S> Beneath the tile is a layer of thinset mortar, and beneath that is a concrete backer-board which is either 1/4" or 1/2" thick. <S> All of these layers sit on top of the original subfloor, which makes the bathroom floor higher than the rest of the house, unfortunately.
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You may also have a case where the floor was damaged and during the repair or remodel they added additional layers of plywood or tilebacker to form a base for the new tile. Make sure that you have a little access below this room if you are going to be demoing it all - you will probably have to cut into the ceiling below for access.
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How can I soundproof a hatch door in the floor? Wooden hatch door, it's about 1.5" thick plywood but quite loud below when people walk over it, despite having carpet on top. It closes against a metal jam so I was thinking of putting some dense foam on the jam so the door would give a little. It could however be a bit weird for those walking over it however (usually paying guests staying for a few days max). I was thinking the egg-crate foam is more designed to stop sound hitting the crate side, so whereas that would be good so they don't get noise from us, the main problem is the drumming of this door. Any easy solution other than replacing the door with something more rigid? <Q> 1.5" X 2 feet X 3 feet or <S> so?That's not very thick to support 150+Lb without flexing <S> , which'll give you a drumhead effect regardless of how much foam is used. <S> Consider putting an angle iron stiffening frame on the underside of the door. <S> Attached firmly , it should eliminate flex, and most of the drumming. <A> What about weather stripping around where the door closes against the jamb? <S> That is if the noise is coming from the door striking the jamb? <S> The slap some sound proofing on the underside of it. <A> Also, don't forget that your hinges may need to be oiled / greased well.
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If there's any movement of metal on metal while you're stepping on the door, you'll have a pretty strong squeak / thud that can be aggravating to fix.
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How can I thoroughly blackout a bedroom window on a budget? I am renting a house that has beautiful wooden venetian blinds - that I can not remove or replace - but they are not very effective at blocking the ambient night light that is abundant on my street. This affects my sleep hygiene - it is strongly recommended to sleep in as dark environment as possible. Now the challenge is: I can not remove the existing blinds I want to keep the room light during day so no sticker or dark foil my budget is limited and I would like to avoid buying and installing heavy curtains How do I darken the room on a budget? Any DIY tips are welcome. <Q> sheet of cardboard (or similar) cut to fit inside <A> Buy paper window shades. <S> Specifically the ones that are folded like an accordion and have an adhesive edge at the top. <S> Lay them out flat and paint one or both sides black with spray paint. <S> Stick them up behind the Venetian blinds. <S> If you only painted one side then you can face the white side out if you are concerned about the external appearance. <S> During the day you can lift them up and clip them in place with those plastic clips that are used to keep chip bags closed. <S> Or if the windows are double-hung you can accordion them up and sit them on the top of the bottom sash. <A> I am a graveyard shift worker. <S> I found the best solution is a cheap sleep mask you can get at Walgreens. <S> Total blackout for you leaves light when you want it. <S> Not being sarcastic, just this is what I found over years trying to sleep during the day. <A> Get a set of second hand curtains from the local second hand shop. <S> We just did this to our master bedroom. <S> Now we own the house but didn't want to pay a lot of money for curtains and my wife found some really nice second hand roman blinds for $7.50 each. <S> You could the same type of thing. <A> I'm pretty sure you've already considered this, but just in case you haven't... <S> It may be an obvious option, but the direction your blinds face is pretty important... <S> To block street- and auto lights, you'll want to make sure inside edges turn down, if you're any higher than the first floor. <A> I have migrane headaches and have to have a completely dark room to sleep. <S> I bought solid pink insulation and cut it to fit my windows. <S> painted the side one side white and then still hung blackout curtains. <S> you can not see your hand in front of your face in the middle of the day, but you can sleep. <A> Make your own ShiftShade. <S> Watch this on how it works: go to youtube DOT com and search for ShiftShade. <S> Then buy the fabric yourself. <S> It's called: Roc-Lon Blackout Fabric and you can probably find it at your local fabric store (mine has a 40%off sale, AND a 25% off coupon you can find on their website: JoAnn DOT com ) <S> Then decide how you want to put it in your window. <S> If you want to do it like ShiftShade, buy the fiberglass rods on Amazon (remember to buy the end caps, too). <S> Alternatively, you can use neodymium magnets and metal thumb tacks, screws, or mount an additional magnet to your window frame. <S> This whole project will probably cost around $10 per window. <A> Window Tint. <S> YOu could go lo-tech and use black sheets. <S> Just pin them up on the wall at night. <S> Then again it's just for sleeping. <A> If you pin just the top and bottom, when the blinds are pulled up 100% then ~1/2 of the fabric would be seen underneath the blinds. <S> So I'd suggest ~ 4 sets of pin to have the minimum extra fabric seen. <S> I'd also suggest using khaki, it is relatively cheap and thick. <S> * <S> I'd also suggest pin it to back(window side) of the blinds <S> so it is not seen as much <A> I bought black rubber shelf liner , cut it to size, and used spray adhesive to attach it to the windows. <S> You cannot tell if it is day or night when you are in there. <S> Very inexpensive and easy to do. <A> You can actually make fabric to look like Roman shades . <S> Remember to use matching Velcro dots to achieve the look of Roman shades. <S> I had this for years on wood windows where I didn't want hardware.
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Put up Velcro dots on the window frame, placed strategically to match Velcro on the fabric. We put them underneath our regular curtains and the room stays warmer at night and significantly darker. That will let light in during the day and give you better coverage at night. If you want a cheap easy solution, you can buy fabric and safety pin it to the blinds. Trim them to the width of your windows. A proven way to do blackout without a curtain rod is to use black fabric cut to the window size. That is probably your cheapest, albeit, most horrible looking solution. My husband is a shift worker and often has to sleep during the day. and you can retain the beauty of the wooden blinds. Looks great, no screws or hardware and easy to wash.
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How can I prevent my hoop house from being uprooted by strong winds? I am installing a 20' x 100' hoop house with 5' spacing between each of the hoops. The arch is about 10' tall. The hoops are galvanized chain link fence top rail. 3 rails inserted into one another makes one arch. The hoops are inserted into 2.5' vertical posts which have been pounded into the ground about 2'. From there it is a caterpillar style hoop house. There will be a three ridge poles. One down the center and one on each side. The end hoops will have double hoops with 1" x 8" fastened to them with wiggle wire channel fastened to that. There will be diagonal supports at both ends spanning two arches. There will be a single layer of plastic pulled over the building. From there I will use 550 cord (parachute cord) to lace over the plastic in crisscross fashion. Is pounding the vertical posts into the ground good enough in a strong wind? Or should I also put some cement around the base? Any other ideas to keep this style of structure from being up-rooted in a storm? <Q> I'm not sure if you have already built this or not, but ideally you should build footings just like you would for a deck or a fence . <S> How should I build the concrete footings for my deck? <S> is a particularly good example. <S> Essentially, dig post holes down past the frost line or whatever is suggested in your area. <S> The holes should be bigger (mushroom out) on the bottom. <S> Set your posts and fill the hole with concrete. <S> Now as long as you have a solid way to attach everything to the posts, it's probably about as strong as you can get it. <A> There is a distinct possibility of this structure being uprooted in a wind storm. <S> You have a structure of significant area and very little mass, not a good combination for wind stability. <S> Unfortunately, adding more wind resistance to an existing structure is difficult to do economically. <S> As mentioned, the ideal anchorage is allowing a deep concrete pier to be mushroomed out at the bottom. <S> On the other hand, on a larger scale, I know uplift resistance of driven piles by soil friction alone can be substantial, depending on soil types. <S> So posts driven into clay can be quite beneficial. <S> Just be sure the hoop pipe is through bolted into the driven pipe or otherwise connected. <S> Adding concrete after the fact at the surface will be of marginal benefit because it is simply extra dead weight, there is little benefit from resistance of the surrounding soil, that only comes with depth. <S> In addition, for concrete to be effective, you need to weld studs to the driven pipe, concrete bond is not enough. <S> The problem is welding galvanized steel produces poisonous gas and must not be attempted without proper protective equipment. <S> One problem with this scheme is the distance the anchors can be driven into the clay may be limited, and anchorage from sandy-loam is limited. <S> Another is to be most effective, they should be driven at an angle parallel to the direction of pull. <S> I'm unsure how well this can be accomplished with typical driving equipment adjacent to existing structures. <S> The arc shape certainly offers more opportunity than a boxy mobile home. <S> When properly installed, these anchor can offer substantial resistance. <A> Standard practice uses pounded in posts. <S> Commercial greenhouse catalogs often offer options for either base plates that are set in concrete, or pound in posts. <S> The decision usually comes down to whether they have a concrete floor interior. <S> Container based operations like concrete floors as it makes equipment easier to move, and everthing stays level. <S> If you are growing in the ground, the pound in posts are cheap cheap and easy to set up. <S> That said, most greenhouses are set up where there is at least some shelter from wind, if nothing else than to reduce the heating costs. <S> I have just finished taking apart a greenhouse and moved to to my site, which has some additional wind exposure. <S> Pulling the posts took a front end loader. <S> Remember too that a wind is going to put a sideways as well as an upward force on the frame. <S> The sideways component will increase the frictional force needed to uproot the post. <S> (Don't believe me? <S> Pull a fence post with a front end loader with the chain <S> 30 degrees off vertical.) <S> Two easy ways to hedge your bet: <S> Drill a couple of half inch holes in each post. <S> Put bolts through them extending a couple inches out each side. <S> (Or sucker rod.) <S> Repaint with rust resistant paint. <S> Now you are dragging more junk through the soil. <S> Concrete for this application can be very low cement in content. <S> Use a foot of washed gravel around the base of your post, mix up a slurry of 2 parts cement 1 part water, and as much gravel as it will wet (It will be about 8 parts gravel) Dump into hole. <S> the surplus cement water, will coat some of the rock below. <S> More information on this in Kern's "The Owner Built Home" on 'no fines' concrete. <S> Finally, in your description, you omitted a base board on either side for anchoring your plastic cover. <S> Most accounts of greenhouse collapse in my area (Alberta) have been due to snow loads, rather than wind loading. <S> Note: <S> I'm not an engineer. <S> Your millage may vary. <S> With my recycled green house I am going to pound the posts in with a sledge hammer.
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Another possibility for enhancing uplift resistance may be employing ground augers intended for anchoring mobile homes. A significant factor is how strong the wind can be expected to be in your area.
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Should I drywall and/or insulate my garage wall? I'm in the process of a few projects in the garage, including raising the ceiling and insulating with spray foam. This has left me with a fair amount of leftover fiberglass batts. There is a room above 70% of the garage (minus the front), and 2 walls are attached to the house (2x6 framing with vapour barrier, fiberglass batts and drywall). The remaining exterior wall is 2x4 framing with vinyl siding. The garage door is also insulated. I am considering drywalling this wall since I like the look and I'm already re-drywalling the entire ceiling anyway. I'm located in southeastern Ontario, temperature typically anywhere from -30C to +30C (-22 to 86F). The garage is not a conditioned space. Is there any downside to putting in insulation and drywall? Anything wrong with just drywall? Has anyone that's done this actually seen a benefit (eg more stable temperature)? Keep in mind there's zero material cost here, so even a marginal benefit is ok (if anything this saves me time having to take it somewhere or throw it out). I've read I should not use vapour barrier since it would prohibit drying and actually likely cause moisture/mold problems -- anyone disagree? <Q> I would insulate it and drywall it. <S> You are already losing some heat from the house walls and the second floor into the garage. <S> If you insulate it, your garage will be warmer - at least, after the door has been closed for a while - and you will lose less heat. <S> It won't be super-warm, but it will help. <S> You do not need 5/8" drywall for the garage walls. <S> In the US, you need it between the garage and living space, but not on the exterior walls. <S> I also recommend thinking about adding some outlets before you close the walls up - so much easier than doing it later. <A> I would not waste the insulation on an outside wall unless your garage door was getting insulation. <S> Drywalling has benefits though... <S> First you need to use fire resistant (5/8) in most places in the US for garages, a fully drywalled and painted garage will be deemed nicer by those wanting to give you money for your house, white flat walls reflect light the best, noise reduction... all I could think of. <S> Small tip <S> if you do this... Run some crosses at like 5 and 7 feet along the wall. <S> That way you have places to nail things without measuring for a stud. <A> One good reason for insulating and drywalling, we have a south facing wall on the garage. <S> Under full sun, heat gain in summer was pretty atrocious. <S> The outside wall basically baked the air next to it and set it in convection till the whole volume was hot. <A> I had no drywall or insulation in my garage for 4 years or so. <S> I insulated and dry walked it all. <S> The garage is certainly warmer and very dry now during the winter. <S> We now store stuff in the garage without it getting moist , warp etc. <S> also it is soo much brighter when the door is closed. <S> BTW we live in seAttle.
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We finished that wall off with insulation and wallboard and it vastly reduced the amount of heat in the garage.
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What is involved in ripping out carpets and put in fake wood floors for an apartment floor overhaul? I'm caught between living very frugally and hating cheapo, dirty carpets that spread wall-to-wall in every apartment I've ever leased. I'm probably handy enough to put in vinyl flooring myself, but was wondering how much work is involved in: Ripping out the old carpets. Prepping the floor. Setting the vinyl "fake" hardwood flooring panels. Removing the vinyl flooring after I move out. Reinstalling the wall-to-wall carpets. <Q> There's no way we can offer you prices as they vary wildly based on particular products, stores, and region you live in. <S> We also can't say what your landlord would or would not be willing to do. <S> You'd have to ask them. <S> As for ripping out carpet, that requires some gloves and a bit of muscle--not that hard. <A> You can by cheapo vinyl planks for $1 a sq/ft - install can be yourself or prices vary greatly. <S> You can get cheapo carpet for about the same plus $100 for install. <S> Will you be happy with cheapo tiles (I am talking super cheap)? <S> Will your landlord be happy with the cheapo carpet (probably not)? <S> Also if the carpet and padding are in good shape you could roll them up and store them if that is an option for you. <S> Would need landlord's OK and you would have to pay to have it reinstalled. <S> If I was in the same dilemma and planned on staying there a while I would go talk it out with the landlord. <S> There are some landlords that would even pitch in to pay for all or partial the amount for the flooring. <S> This depends on the landlord, current carpet condition, how long you will stay there... <S> There are also some landlords that don't trust anyone and won't let you touch anything. <S> You need to got talk to your landlord and then ask a flooring question after you have more or know your options. <A> Ripping out the old carpets. <S> Very easy, just cut and pull. <S> 45 min tops by yourself. <S> 20 mins with a helper. <S> Prepping the floor. <S> Likely to be a real pain. <S> Every home I've ever seen built has the wall texture and then the paint applied with nothing covering the floor. <S> As soon as you pull the carpet up the floor will have multiple layers of this stuff on it. <S> If not cleaned your glue or tape is just going to adhere to the paint and eventually pull the paint off the floor. <S> At that point your vinyl is floating and not stuck to the floor. <S> In addition you'll need to pull up the tack strips which is a 20 min job. <S> Setting the vinyl "fake" hardwood flooring panels. <S> Making the cuts in sheets is not that easy. <S> Individual square panels marketed for commercial applications are much easier. <S> Removing the vinyl flooring after I move out. <S> Depends on if you glued it down and how well it adhered. <S> A good bond will require a lot more work to pull up. <S> Reinstalling the wall-to-wall carpets. <S> New tack strips must be installed. <S> You should not use the old ones. <S> Probably 1 hour. <S> Carpet pad must be cut and glued down. <S> Probably about 2-3 hours. <S> Cutting and fitting the carpet itself isn't easy. <S> You need a carpet stretcher as well and using it correctly is definitely a special skill. <S> I've done a lot of DIY <S> but I'll never attempt to install carpet myself. <S> I suggest using either commercial carpet tiles or a floating wood floor instead of vinyl. <S> A floating wood floor does not require you to prep the floor once the carpet is up, just lay down a vapor barrier(plastic) and start locking the sections of flooring together. <S> Very easy with a helper <S> but you will need something to cut the boards with.
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Installing flooring (be it vinyl tiles or engineered hardwood) is also fairly easy in the grand scheme of DIY projects. If you put something decent in there a majority of landlords would let you do it - given the job was finished right and you didn't mess up other things. A pro takes 3-4 hours by himself for 300 sqft.
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How do I clear a drain pipe clogged with dried soap? I think we have a clog of dried soap in our pipes, past the U-bend and down the pipes from upstairs to the drain at ground level. How do I clear them? <Q> Moving water, preferably hot. <S> If you can get a small flow thatdoesn't <S> back up then it will dissolve away easily. <S> Environmentally safe degreaser/cleaner, I prefer Simple Green Baking soda and vinegar, it will clean almost any small clog. <S> With something that dissolves easily like soap, the extra air bubbles produced will help getting it clean with less passes as well. <A> After you break through then you could probably rely on hot water to clean anything remaining out. <S> (source: homedepot.ca ) <A> Any of the below options are good for a start without a more specific problem Mo-flow drain acid (made by Momar) <S> Caustic Soda Boiling water Drain Eel Draino <A> Option 1: <S> Mix 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup salt, and 1 cup white vinegar. <S> Pour it down the drain and wait 15 minutes before flushing the drain with hot water. <S> Option 2: <S> Drain gun from your local Home Depot. <S> Option 3: Drano (sodium hydroxide, sodium nitrate, sodium chloride, and aluminum). <A> I know I am replying to an old post <S> but I have relative info. <S> My mother has a soap shop and her lines backed up with soap after the P trap as described in this post. <S> Imagine soap in your hands in the shower, soap is hard and even when submerged in water over long periods of time doesn't become soft enough to lose its structural integrity. <S> Hot water won't suffer it any different or even acids. <S> If you put all that down your drain you then have an impact of soap with dangerous liquids on top not doing anything. <S> The ultimate outcome was to cut the lines and manually blow out the soap with an air hose. <S> We tried all the methods above and when I cut the line the soap and then all the dangerous liquids rushed out into my working space. <S> What I learned from this, don't put harmful ingredients or spare soap or hot pour soaps down the drain. <S> Simple as that. <S> If you do you ruin your drain lines. <S> ps. <S> Augers will not work. <S> They will bust up the soap <S> yes <S> but then the pieces will travel further down line and clog again.
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I would skip all the chemicals and just use a drain auger on it to clear the build up.
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Is it safe to install this hot water tank from ebay? Is it safe for me to replace my electric hot water tank with this continuous electric unit that I bought on ebay ? (I'm in Australia) Technical Specificationsrated power 6.0KWrated voltage 220V-50Hzworking pressure 0.02-0.8(MPa)International electric wire 4m㎡Electric meter requirements ≥10(40)AWaterproof grade △IPX4Ammeter 30ALeakage switch 30AItem Size 330mm*220mm*65mm <Q> As RedGrittyBrick mentioned it may not be safe. <S> It is not legal in Australia as it is only certified by Chinese standards and the installation of said unit is against the law ( not really a problem for you unless someone else uses it and gets electrocuted, you sell it, or sell the dwelling you are connecting it to. <S> For reference perhaps look up "solar and bamboo faulty tanks") <S> One of the reasons I would be concerned about the safety is my experience with imported products "waterproofing" certification. <S> You will note the plastic union on the outlet of the unit which is there for a voltage break (Scary). <S> Also the unit specifies 4mm2 cable <S> , I do not put on that I'm a sparky <S> but this webpage explains How to calculate the draw on cable and considering the example is for 5Kw at ambient temperature and this unit is drawing 6Kw at high temperature in an enclosed compartment I would question the sizing ( unfortunately I do not have the cable sizing code on hand at the moment for AU). <S> The quality of the controller would also concern me having installed direct import controllers before and see them fail and allow constant heating of the element <S> but you should be able to hop out of the way pretty quick if that were to happen. <S> In summery I would say not particularly safe but if its only you using it you probably will get away with it. <S> Un- <S> Watermarked hot water unit installation <A> I am an Australian and a Home Automation System Integrator <S> and I can tell you legally you can't engage in any electrical or plumbing works without a licensce. <S> Also you may also void your Insurance Policy if you make a claim and the water system was the direct cause of the problem (i.e. Fire or Leakage). <A> My hot water tank has a 3 kW electric immersion heater. <S> So the electric wiring to this would not be suitable for a 6 kW electric shower. <S> However my immersion heater is only a secondary system used if my gas-fired boiler is not working for any reason. <S> So your water heater may be rated higher if it is the primary water heater. <S> You can check the circuit breaker rating and the wire cross-sectional area. <S> I have 16 <S> A breakers for the immersion heater and 32 A breakers for my electric showers <S> but I think they are 8 kW units. <S> I'm not sure what the regulations are like in Australia <S> but you may need to get new electrical work in a bathroom shower safety checked.
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It may not be safe.
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Do you have to have (or does it help) to have a garbage disposal with a dish washer? I have a in sink garbage disposal but rarely use it. I just had to replace it because it burned out from a children's plastic spoon getting 'eaten' ... more than just seized there was smoke coming out of the unit. So I have thought about just getting rid of it. But every house that I have lived in that has a dish washer also has had a in sink garbage disposal I was wondering if they are needed \ recommended if you have dish washer? <Q> I also suggest just replacing the existing disposer instead of removing it altogether. <S> Cheapest ones cost around $60 and since they usually feature a quick change mechanism, the whole process takes 15 minutes. <S> But if you remove one, then you will have to reroute a drain pipe to accommodate for the missing disposer. <S> Really not fun to do in the cramped space under the sink. <A> One advantage of using a dishwasher in conjunction with a garbage disposer is that the drain hose of the washer goes directly into the upper section of the disposer. <S> This provides the needed isolation between the washer drain hose and the sink drain trap. <S> This isolation prevents back flow from the drain back into the dish washer. <S> Without a disposer present you would have to make a provision to mount an air gap assembly in the counter or the kitchen sink skirt. <S> Getting rid of the disposer means possibly having to drill a fairly good sized hole in your sink/counter for an air gap that you would have to purchase and then work out the proper drain hose attachment from the air gap unit over into the drain line. <S> That is on top of the drain line rerouting that Vitaliy mentioned in his answer. <S> At the end of the day I would think that a new disposer would be the simplest thing to do. <A> Today's construction standards require a separate drain trap for dishwashers and are not drained into the garbage disposer as used to be common. <S> Most likely your setup has a shared trap between the sink and disposer (if a double bowl sink) and the washer drains into the upper side input of the disposer. <S> This is really not a bad set-up and was used successfully for many years. <S> If this is true in your case, it would be easier and cheaper to simply replace the disposer rather than add new traps and reconfigure the drain system under the sink. <A> Seperate drain for the dishwasher is a good idea.. <S> it reduces the amount of water going through the disposal and should increase the life of it. <S> Just be sure to route the dishwasher drain hose up and then down to prevent backflow into it from the sink. <S> Not that difficult. <S> Or you may need to put a seperate trap if your codes require it.
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Dishwashers usually have a built in food disposer, so having one is not required.
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How can I install modern locksets on these interior doors? I've recently bought my first house which I'm very excited about, got into the decorating phase and decided to replace the door handles - some of which were damaged - with nice new ones. Being a definite rookie when it comes to DIY, I was pretty much unaware of the problem I'm having was even a thing, so I apologise if I've made mistake 101 in this situation. The problem I have is that the old hole that has been cut into the door through which the old door handle fitted is too near the edge of the door for the new mechanisms, which basically means the old mechanism was 4.5cm deep, and the new handles are (approx) 6cm deep. I've since been told that the barrel for a door knob rather than a door handle needs to be longer so that you don't hit your fingers when opening them. I am primarily looking for advice on the best way to solve this, and if there is anything I definitely shouldn't do. The suggestions I have received from friends and family so far have been options between Use the old latch mechanism - however some of them are damaged, andthe bathroom doors had a secondary locking mechanism, so these doors have 2holes. Drill further into the existing hole as deep as this one needsto go (parallel to the door), fill the existing hole (perpendicular to the door), and then drill into it where the new hole needs to go as normal or alternatively do not fill in the perpendicular hole, and use the door knob itself to cover where the old hole was Completely fill this hole in, and start from a new position - Ihadn't even realised since just now that the hole is not central tothe middle section of the door Personally my option was to fill in the perpendicular holes with some 1" wood, and effectively start from there. <Q> You're going to have to drill a larger hole for the new handles, which should completely encompass the old hole. <S> Head on down to your local hardware store (or cruse the internet), and look for a door handle installation jig like this Irwin <S> ® Door Lock Installation Kit <S> Example only, these jigs are available from many different manufacturers <S> It comes with the proper size hole saws to set up a door for modern locksets, and makes alignment of the holes quick and easy. <S> Simply attach the jig where you want it, and drill the holes with the supplied hole saws. <A> This isn't a very "DIY" answer <S> but I think it certainly applies in this case... <S> This will be slightly more expensive than buying the jig and doing it yourself but what happens if you screw up one of your doors? <S> Once it's drilled by a pro, you can get your DIY-fix by remounting, shimming and installing the lockset. <S> On the other hand, if they are just typical 6-panel doors that are easily replaced then you can give it a shot... <S> worst case scenario then is that you replace the door, which should be under $100. <A> Looks like these doors used to have mortise latches, where the mechanism is inserted into a cavity in the edge of the door and only the knob shaft (and keyhole, if there is one) extend through the door's face. <S> If you can get the exact dimensions, new mortise mechanisms are still available to replace many of the older ones, and/or the old ones can be cleaned (and springs replaced if necessary) to make them work pretty much like new. <S> And if you just want new doorknobs, new square-shaft knobs are still available to replace the old ones. <S> That would be my preference, from a stylistic point of view. <S> It's a nice traditional old door; you can let it continue looking like a traditional door, just one that's bright and shiny. <S> I'm considering that as one of the options for my library door.
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Call a door shop in your town and have them drill the door for your lockset.
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How can I install a ceiling fan that needs a 4" box where I only have a 3" box? As part of a home renovation project I discarded my old ceiling fan and have bought a new one. When installing the new one the electrician tells me that I have a 3" junction box and that I'll need a 4" junction box to install the fan. Now, this is a Manhattan high rise and getting to make any changes to the concrete ceiling would be impossible (to replace the 3" junction with a 4" junction). Can someone advise me of a workaround or perhaps a fan that will work with a 3" junction box? <Q> If the ceiling is concrete, you can mount the fan to that. <S> Fan boxes are meant to support the fan, but a concrete ceiling will support it just fine. <S> As long as there's enough room in the box for the wiring, use the 4" fan bracket to mark two holes outside the box on the concrete that won't interfere with the wiring coming out of the box, and use appropriate tools and fasteners to attach the fan bracket to the concrete around the old box. <S> If none of these solutions seem workable you can buy a 4" box, and mount it to the 3" box, then mount the fan to it. <S> It's not ideal, as the fan mount would no longer be flush to the ceiling, but it should work just fine, and provide all the room you need for wiring. <A> In the case that you need the 4" box because of the fan mounting points then I can think of two solutions: <S> Drill out the fan mounting bracket to include holes with 3 <S> " spacing Fabricate a metal 3" to 4" adapter plate. <S> You may be able to purchase one adapter patent <A> Simply mount the fan to the concrete ceiling using concrete mounting fasteners (i also add concrete adhesive to provide a moresolid connection particularly in a ny building.) <S> I live in south fl and concrete ceilings <S> are the norm in condo buildings. <S> 1/4 concrete fasteners and adhesive put in holes to solidify the connection. <S> My fn has been up for 5 years- old one died after hurricaine but fan stayed up.
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If you can't modify the box, chances are good, being embedded in concrete, that it'll still hold the heavier load of the fan designed for the bigger box, and you can modify the fan bracket, or use an adaptor.
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Should I insulate air conditioner coolant pipes? I recently replaced some rotted insulation on the coolant pipe that runs out of my AC unit and into the evaporator in my house. When cleaning inside the actual AC unit itself I noticed that the coolant pipe running out of what I believe is the condenser (has a insulation blanket over it) is not insulated. Is there any reason not to insulate this coolant pipe? I traced the line and made sure that it is the same pipe that is insulated once it gets outside the AC unit. <Q> The large, cold, low pressure line, carrying the evaporated refrigerant from the house, should be insulated to prevent condensation. <S> The small, warm, high pressure line, carrying condensed refrigerant into the house, should not be insulated. <S> I am not an air conditioning professional. <S> However, en.allexperts.com, www.bobvila.com, and www.familyhandyman.com, all agree with me. <S> See references below. <S> Explanation: <S> The unit outside the house compresses the refrigerant from the large line. <S> This makes the refrigerant very hot. <S> Then the refrigerant is run through the condenser coils and the fan blows outside air over them to remove the heat and condense the refrigerant back to liquid. <S> The small line now carries the warm liquid refrigerant back into the house. <S> No insulation is needed on this line because it is still warmer than the outside air. <S> If the air cools it some more, that only helps. <S> In the house, the pressurized liquid refrigerant is allowed to rapidly decompress in the evaporator coil. <S> The instant drop in pressure causes an instant drop in temperature, making the evaporator coil very cold. <S> Interior air is blown over this coil, cooling the air and warming the coil and refrigerant. <S> The evaporated refrigerant, which is still rather cold, now flows out of the house in the large pipe. <S> It does not help us for this refrigerant to get warmer after it leaves the evaporator coils. <S> It just makes it harder to compress and cool in the condenser coils. <S> So we want to prevent condensation on this pipe. <S> That is the reason for the insulation. <S> Image <S> http://hostedmedia.reimanpub.com/TFH/Step-By-Step/FH10OCT_ROTACI_02.jpg <S> From this site : "the skinny tube doesn't need insulation" From another source : <S> "As you have seen, the large refrigerant line carries cold vapor while air conditioning, and on a humid day it sweats. <S> The main reason we insulate the pipe is to prevent humid air from coming into contact with it." <S> "For the small copper tube you do not need insulation. <S> Just make sure that it does not contact masonry or other metal." <S> The following site provides good step by step maintenance instructions. <A> This is the answer to your actual question: "insulating the coolant pipe inside the actual AC unit itself." <S> As you correctly observed, if the outside pipe "should" be insulated (it should), then the inside pipe "should" also be insulated for all the same reasons everyone pointed out. <S> However, the key is "should" vs "must." <S> For argument's sake, say the outside pipe is 99 ft long and the inside pipe is 1 ft. <S> Then the 99 ft pipe will absorb 99 times more heat from the outside air. <S> It's not so important to insulate the inside pipe because it's so short <S> it doesn't absorb much heat. <S> Your AC would be slightly more efficient if you insulated the inside pipe -- but you get 99% of the benefit from insulating the outside, and only 1% of the benefit from insulating the inside pipe. <S> Practically speaking, it's not enough benefit to make a difference. <A> Suction Line Insulation <S> Insulating the suction line (larger pipe) is done for two reasons. <S> First, it prevents condensation forming on the pipe. <S> Condensation could drip from the pipe and cause damage to building materials, or create a slip hazard on the floor. <S> The other reason to insulate the suction line, is to prevent the refrigerant in the line from picking up additional heat. <S> The warmer the refrigerant is, the harder the compressor and condenser have to work. <S> Minimizing the temperature of the refrigerant in the suction line, helps the condensing unit work more effectively. <S> Liquid Line Insulation <S> To avoid going off topic to explain metering, I'll just say that depending on where the metering takes place, you may or may not have to insulate the "liquid" line. <S> Metering in the outdoor unit <S> If the metering device is in the outdoor unit, you're going to want to insulate the line. <S> The refrigerant in the line is ready to flash (boil), so adding too much heat could cause it to flash before it reaches the coil. <S> Metering in the indoor unit <S> If the liquid line is a true liquid line, and the metering device is inside near the coil, then there's no need to insulate it. <S> A slight change in the temperature of the refrigerant, isn't going to make much of a difference. <S> Consider that it takes 1 Btu to change one pound of 211° water to 212° water, but requires 970.4 Btu to change one pound of 212° water to 212° steam. <S> As you can see, it's the change of state where the real cooling takes place. <S> Because of this, changing the temperature of the refrigerant a few degrees in the liquid line doesn't make much difference. <A> If you are a diy'er like myself and not an air conditioning expert, realize that insulating external piping does allow for the most efficient operation and does not have to be complicated. <S> On my outside unit I could not get regular split-form insulation to stay in place and not deteriorate rapidly where the unit is exposed to the sun. <S> I took a serrated blade and cut a slot down the length of a few of those swimming pool float tubes so that I could slip them over the exposed metal parts of the condenser pipes. <S> I then put a few turns of duct tape around the tube every 6 inches or so to close the slit in the tube and to prevent the whole thing from sliding around in the weather. <S> The regular AC maintenance service checked things on its next visit and found no problem with it <S> and I have had no problems with the piping since. <S> Good luck.
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So it's very important to insulate the outside pipe because it will absorb a lot of heat.
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Would a normal ethernet cable survive the conditions in an air conditioning vent? I am currently renting a flat, which prevents me from making modification to the walls. However, I still would like to run ethernet cables between rooms. Between all the rooms, there are AC vents connecting them together. Assuming that the ducts are simple air ducts without any moving parts inside (need to check), would a normal ethernet cable "survive" the conditions? I think the maximum air temperature would not exceed 60 degrees celsius. Lastly, the the building is located in Spain. <Q> Outdoor rated cat5/6 <S> has temperature ranges from -5 to -15 F to 160-170 F. <S> I know that I have seen cable ran through commercial ducts. <S> Do I know if it passed local inspection? <S> No. <S> That being said a home duct would come no where close to 150 degrees F - not talking about duct work from ovens. <S> I guess you would worry about the casing becoming soft and sticking to the duct. <S> I don't see the fire hazard though. <S> Basically the issue is - is this code or law abiding where you live? <S> In the US <S> I don't know about other countries though. <S> I was just answering the question asked. <S> Not trying to start a controversy - would I run it in my home through ducts? <S> No. <S> If I did I would use a variant of fireproof cat5 . <A> No you cannot. <S> This is a code violation. <S> Furthermore, your insurance company can take this as a willful violation and deny a claim. <A> This is a bad idea as everyone has mentioned already. <S> Search for "cable raceway" and your problem of aesthetics and cable management are solved without violating your agreement with the landlord.
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You can use the cold air return ducts, but you must use plenum rated cable. that is a no.
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How to rescue exterior door paint job? I have a newly installed exterior metal paneled door that was still dirty when painted. Also embedded in the paint job are bits of foam rubber from the brush, lint from a paint roller and hair from an exuberant dog. Oil paint was used because this is a southwest facing door that gets a lot of heat and we were told that latex based paint would not perform well in those conditions. Two questions: Was oil based paint the proper choice? What is the best way to go about fixing the foam, lint, dirt, and dog hair in the current paint job? <Q> For getting paint off a door, I highly recommend using Citrus Strip .We tried it on our old wooden door <S> and it worked great, taking off multiple layers of paint. <S> It doesn't work as well under a lot of sun and heat, so I would recommend either taking the door off the hinges or erecting some sort of tarp to block the sun from hitting it directly. <S> Then get a paint scraper,and it will come off pretty well. <S> For painting the door, they make small rollers (cabinet rollers) that we also used on our door, and it worked out very well. <S> They are only about 4" wide. <S> I believe we used a latex paint, but I will check the can when I get home. <A> If you don't want to strip the new paint off, you can sand it to smooth out the rough areas. <S> Go over it with a 150 grit first, then go over it a second time with 220 or 340. <S> You can use a sanding sponge to get into the tight details. <S> Be sure to clean it well after sanding, completely dust free this time. <S> If possible, pull the hinge pins and remove the door. <S> Set the door on a couple of saw horses and paint it with a soft bristle brush. <S> A good oil rated or combo ultra-glide 2 1/2 or 3 inch angle cut Purdy would be great. <S> Start with the lights then move to the stiles, finishing with the outer most frame. <S> Painting it on the horizontal will give you much better results. <S> The paint will level better and not run. <S> Pay extra attention to the corners of the raised panels as they have a tenancy to run. <S> Remember, two thin coats are much better than one heavy coat. <A> The ideal way to paint the door would be to have it sprayed by a pro; however this could be more expensive than you wish to spend. <S> Definitely paint the door off the hinges and horizontal if possible, and out of the sun and wind, indoors (garage) if possible. <S> I have not used the Citrus Strip <S> but it sounds worth a try. <S> Follow the instructions carefully and make sure the surface is CLEAN before painting. <S> Acrylic does not fade like oil does. <S> Whether to use a roller or brush? <S> Good question. <S> I have used a foam roller but you will get the little bubbles which if not overworked should dry out <S> but it won't be a smooth as a spray job. <S> Same for the brush: pay for a good one and you are more likely to get a much nice finish. <S> Good luck. <S> PS. <S> Keep children and pets out of the work area to increase your chances of a nice finish. <A> You aren't going to find it feasible to strip the door. <S> Sand it down with 120 grit sandpaper in a palm sander. <S> You'll get it smooth enough. <S> Spraying give you a booth finish. <S> If it's a smooth door, you may want to do that. <S> If it's a textured door, brushing it will produce the same result as spraying. <S> A quality primer and latex paint are perfectly fine. <S> You'll have to fully prime the door to cover the oil-based coat on there now.
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Purchase a top quality acrylic paint.
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Is it possible to make my own solar water heater? After blowing (what I consider) a lot of money on 2 residential solar water heaters, over the last 6 years, dealing with 3 set of rather expensive inner-tank replacements, evacuation pipe changes I am considering a DIY approach, using good quality materials to make one on my own. The water we use is underground water, and it is hard water. Having never attempted something of this sort, I was wondering if anyone has tried to make a Solar water-heater, successfully that would work (almost) as well as the factory produced ones ? My requirements are about 100 liters per day, of hot water. What I am thinking of doing is buying a good quality parts (casing, PUF insulation material, inner steel/copper tank etc.) of regular electric water heater, of about 100L capacity (which costs about a third or fourth of what a solar-heater costs), remove the electricals, and make my own heat-collector using copper pipes, painted black, within a suitable enclosure (perhaps wooden), with glass top and 3 inner sides painted black, to trap heat. The hard part, for me, would be the copper pipes, i.e. cutting and fitting the collector arrangement. Could this be something that might work ? I expect this DIY to cost about half of a factory made Solar water heater. EDIT: Here's some material I found on the subject here . Looks like it is doable and other have done it before, though not necessarily using the regular electric water-heater parts. <Q> Yes, of course. <S> I would heavily recommend browsing that site and learning from the experience of others who have already done what you're interested in doing so you don't burn even more money. <A> Check with others who have installed solar water heaters in your climate zone. <S> In mine (Massachusetts) friends who have them have not been happy with them; they don't produce much heat during the times of year when it is most needed. <S> Experience with solar electric and net metering has been much more positive. <S> (Anecdotal, small number of data points, don't take my word for it but do investigate before you make too large an investment.) <A> There are lots of youtube <S> How-To's on the subject, which you are already aware of. <S> I would also suggest that, while driving or walking around residential neighborhoods to look for passive solar installations and approach the owner with any questions you might have. <S> They'll probably have some good information for you (sizing, costs), as well as tips for things they would have done differently <S> had they known then what they know now. <A> It's doable and there are a few approaches including those as listed above. <S> One possible and not completely mad idea recycles drinks cans. <S> http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-a-Soda-Can-Heater/ <A> Yes, as blackappy and Johnny pointed out, its completely do-able. <S> But, I would recommend you check and see what the electricity service provider in your area has to say. <S> In Bangalore, India for example, you get a discount on your electricity bill when you install a certified solar water heater. <S> You may not get the same offer when you use a DIY kit.
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Yes, it's doable. There are a huge number of well-tested DIY projects you can find here: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm
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What advantages does bending copper pipes have over joining many parts without brazing? These questions are in context of a DIY solar water heater I am planning (another separate question). The copper pipes in question, are supposed to carry around hot water using thermo-siphon mechanism. Are there some specific reasons why people recommend bending long copper pipes, instead of cutting them into sections and joining them using U-joints, elbow-joints etc. ? Also, can such joints be made reliable (as in leak-proof, while withstanding water pressure) without brazing them ? <Q> Fewer points of failure Bending results in fewer high risk failure points. <S> A continuously bent pipe has 2 high risk failure points. <S> Whereas a similar length of pipe made with a bunch of fittings, has 2 high risk failure points per fitting. <S> Quieter <S> In a pressurized system, this means water flow is quieter. <S> Thanks <S> @kavisiegel <A> Rigid copper is too brittle <S> can be done with either drawn or annealed copper. <S> This table from copper.org does suggest slightly larger minimum radii for drawn pipe. <S> thanks to @UNECS for prompting further research. <S> You can make rigid copper easier to bend successfully by heating the area of the bend with a torch and letting the pipe air cool slowly, thus annealing that area. <S> The mandrel bender will make very uniform bends. <S> The spring bender will make more freeform bends. <S> Once bent, compression connection joints can be made with ferrules or flared ends. <S> Note, you cannot mix ferrules with flares without a intervening adapter. <S> Note the tubing extending out past the joint. <S> Make sure the copper tube bottoms in the fitting THEN tighten the overcap firmly. <S> Flare connections mate with flare nuts (be sure to put flare nut on BEFORE making flare. <A> Are there some specific reasons why people recommend bending long copper pipes, instead of cutting them into sections and joining them using U-joints, elbow-joints etc. ? <S> Pipe fittings add resistance to the flow of the fluid in the pipe. <S> This is usually expressed in terms of an equivalent pipe length for the different fittings (eg, elbows, tees, etc). <S> For example an elbow bend is approximately equivalent to an additional 300mm of straight pipe. <S> The total equivalent legnth of pipe in a system can then be used to determine the size of pump required, as pipe of a given diameter will have a known pressure loss (due to friction) per unit length. <S> A 90 degree swept bend in a pipe will have lower resistance than an elbow fitting (albeit with a much larger radius). <S> It will be a little higher resistance than the same length of straight pipe, but <S> not significantly so when compared to the approximately 300mm of additional equivalent length the elbow would introduce.
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Bending a radius will provide less resistance within the pipe, so water will flow smoother. Bending copper has to be done with annealed copper.
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How can I hang a shelf with no visible fasteners? I just built a shelf for a bedroom based on instructions found at Happy at Home . Problem is: the blog doesn't explain how to hang it! Can someone help me figure out a clean way to hang this shelf that doesn't involve screws on the exterior of the shelf? <Q> Another option would be to use a french cleat . <S> Either buy a metal one that could attach to the back of the shelf or integrate one into the wood back. <S> Here is a discussion of french cleat techniques . <A> I installed big, heavy floating shelves in my house. <S> The shelves are simple 2x10's purchased from a hardware store. <S> They are pretty heavy <S> and I knew there would be a lot of torque on any fastener I used. <S> To hang them, I used 5/16ths threaded rods purchased from Home Depot. <S> I cut them to about 7-8 inches long. <S> Using a 1/4in drill bit, I drilled 4 holes into studs about 2 inches deep. <S> I wanted the holes a bit smaller so that I could screw the threaded rods into the studs tightly. <S> I then put two nuts on and tightened them against each other to allow me to have something to grab onto so that I could put the rods into the wall. <S> Once they were in, I just drilled into the back of the shelves with a 5/16ths bit, making them as deep as the length left hanging out of the wall (about 5 inches or so). <S> Using a rubber mallet, I placed the shelves onto the rods and hammered it into place. <S> I basically just made this method up after having a brain storming session with a guy from HD. <S> I've been very happy so far. <A> If the shelf is thick and deep enough, you could use a "concealed floating support bracket." <S> I purchased a few at eBay . <S> My picture of it below. <S> This particular concealed floating support bracket requires a 12mm diameter hole drilled into the shelf, about 100mm deep, to accept the long supporting pin. <S> You'd also need to cut out some of the back of the shelf to embed the mounting plate within it. <S> The inclination angle of the pin can be adjusted a little by turning the pin (using a spanner on the small flat part). <A> As a variation of this answer <S> you can use any of these cabinet shelf hangers, called keyhole fittings, (which can be found in your local hardware store): <S> They are attached to the back of the shelf somewhere where the material is thick and strong enough. <S> You have to make a cavity under the lamp-shaped hole <S> so there's room for the screw head - the cavity can be drilled, routed or cut with a chisel, whatever is most convenient for you. <S> This is very reliable, and all screws will be hidden behind the shelf. <A> I recently had to do something very similar (using a door as a headboard, mounted to the wall). <S> I ended up using these nifty little flush hooks . <S> They will leave your shelf 2-3 mm away from the wall, but if you have a router, you can rout a recess to mount the hooks in the back of yourself, which will make it completely flush. <S> They take pretty small screws, but appear to be able to take a lot of weight. <S> There's not a lot of movement in how they slot together, so I would only use two, to avoid alignment problems. <S> When I used them, I mounted the hooks onto my headboard, then put double-sided tape onto the other hook plate. <S> I then used a tiny bit of blu-tac to hold the other hook plate (the one with the double-sided tape on it) in place. <S> I could then just line it all up, push it onto the wall (so the tape grabbed) then slide the headboard up. <S> You're then left with the other plates stuck to the wall in exactly the right place. <S> You can then mark the drill holes you'll need to make easily and exactly. <S> This is harder to explain than it is to actually do! <A> I know you didn't ask for screws, but they do tend to be the most practical solution. <S> A few screw options: Screw into the top of the back just under the shelf, then tack up a bit of molding there to cover the screws. <S> Make the screws a decorative element. <S> I've used 'countersink washers' for this before: For future use, attach the back to the wall first with screws where the shelf brackets will go. <S> Then use a brad nailer to cover the screws with the shelf brackets (obviously not for shelves holding very heavy loads). <A> Look at French cleats. <S> There are wood and steel options. <S> Make sure you anchor them adequately in the wall as well as in the shelf <S> back.if <S> your shelf is hardwood, you can make the top wedge part of the shelf itself. <S> http://www.newwoodworker.com/frenchcleat.html <A> Issues / concerns regarding some of these solutions: (1) <S> Weight - Amount of weight each option can support varies greatly. <S> If mounting a shelf that could have up 75 lbs in total weight, need to know how many brackets to support that weight safely. <S> (2) Size of brackets - some of the large solutions like French cleats, etc, seem to be 3 inches in width (top to bottom), thus if the part you are connecting it to is only 2 inches wide, not really an option because part of the bracket would be visible. <S> (3) <S> Mounting screws - "flush hooks" are nice, but the brackets (both sides) seem designed to be mounted to wood and come only with short wood screws that flush with the beveled holes. <S> However, wood screws would not work well for mounting to dry wall. <S> Thus you need to determine what kind of drywall anchor mount you need to support the weight and hope the screws that come with it, work with the flush hook brackets. <S> The heavier duty the anchor mount, the bulkier the screw head that often will not work with the flush mounts.
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You could use a keyhole router bit to cut keyhole slots in the back to hang it.
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How do I remove black rings on a wood kitchen top formed by a tin can? At our house we have a wood kitchen-top. We had placed on it a tin can (a typical cookies can), and probably because of some water sitting there, a black ring has been formed where the tin touched the wood. However, the tin does not show any signs of rust. The kitchen-top appears to be made of hardwood pieces glued together, and only on the top and sides there is some kind of finishing, which has worn off at some places. The main question is how to remove the ring. Some questions to which the answers would help are also: what is the stain exactly? how can we tell what finishing it has? can I sand it and patch it locally? The whitening near the ring has been created by using household cleaning material because initially we thought it was rust sitting on top of the wood. We also thought it was a water stain and tried the iron-and-cloth solution, but that didn't work either. I would like to avoid sanding the whole bench for the hassle that involves as well as the fact that I don't think I'm qualified for that. Some images: full ring: partial close up: <Q> If you use the crystals, use all normal precautions for acids (eye, hand, clothing). <S> You can sparingly apply with a small nylon artists brush. <S> Try 5 min increments (5 on, wipe off, 10 on, wipe off) until the stain starts to disappear. <S> Once stain disappears, neutralize wood with borax diluted in water or bicarbonate of soda in water. <S> Replace color with dyes or pigment stains. <S> I like Transtint for its ability to be blended and mixed with either water or alcohol. <S> If you don't like the color direction, you can use bleach and start over. <S> Once happy with the color, seal it in with a dewaxed shellac. <S> Then top coat with your favorite polyurethane. <S> You may be able to blend the areas by shooting spray poly through a circular mask (5" hole in a 12x12 piece of cardboard, held 5-10 inches away from the floor) which will give you a graduated spray. <S> Practice first. <A> I had far worse stains than this... <S> but I didn't have to sand it. <S> This actually worked for me: hot water, washing up liquid, metal scourer pad... and a lot of elbow grease... <S> one by one these stains, even the worst ones, disappeared! <S> Danish oil... <S> plenty of coats of it... and followed by treating your worktop with "respect", because oak (or whatever) is not granite and never will be. <S> But if you keep scalding pans off it, and re-oil the parts of it which are subject to "heavy duty" punishment every 4 months or so (really not such a big deal) <S> I find it will continue to look lovely. <A> Give the area a wipe over <S> so it's slightly damp, then with a very fine paint brush trace the circle with a very fine line of household bleach. <S> Once the stain has faded quickly remove all of the bleach. <S> You may then need to re oil the area. <A> Those butcher block tops are often poly because it is nice and shiny, but could be oil and wax because it is much more practical. <S> Either way, sanding those stains is not trivial - it takes a while. <S> But you need to at least get the finish, whatever it is, off the stain before bleaching or sanding or staining the blemish itself. <S> Be sure you have the correct replacement finish before you start! <S> If the wood was stained before a finish applied, you need to lightly apply a similar stain to get a color match before applying the final finish, it goes without saying. <S> Good luck! <A> Saw these comments about oxalic acid, brown rings on solid wood worktops, so I researched Barkeepers Friend. <S> I bought some of the powder in a local hardware store, made a creamy thick mix and applied to the first stain. <S> WOW! <S> this stuff really works and is fast and completely removes the brown stains (caused by condensation from the base of beer cans of a well-known brand..) <S> 10 minutes later and over a dozen stains have disappeared as if by magic! <S> Brilliant stuff, great support from this website!
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Oxalic acid, either in crystal form or as part of a pressure treated deck cleaner/brightner will chemically dissolve the stain.
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How can I remove tile grout from floorboards? We've removed old ceramic tiles that cover a tongue and groove bathroom floor. What is a good way to remove the hard tile grout that now covers the floor? EDIT: updated title as we've found Rimu is a podocarp softwood EDIT: To answer the comment below, yes we would like to finish the boards with polyurethane varnish in keeping with other parts of the house EDIT: after trying a bunch of approaches what worked was using a belt sander with P80 belts, stubborn areas required a little more pressure <Q> Scraper. <S> This is going to be a tough job if you want to keep damage to the wood to a minimum. <S> It does look like the floor has some type of finish on it before the grout material was applied. <S> This should help a lot to make the scraping removal a bit more practical. <S> Note that what ever type of scraper that you use will likely need replacement or resharpening a number of times in your removal process. <A> Buy or rent a pneumatic Air Hammer and get a wide flat chisel attachment for it. <S> The wider the the chisel <S> the faster <S> you can get the job done. <S> I've used scrapers before and they do work <S> but I would consider them as the last resort. <A> Wet a small area and see what that does. <S> Methinks that the thinset is so old that a little moisture will help break the bond to the wood. <S> This won't hurt the wood as long as you do all of the steps and dry it up in a timely manner. <S> I would then half-ass scrape it off. <S> Meaning don't gouge your wood and if a little stays then so be it. <S> Then dry things <S> if it is too wet. <S> Last step would be to follow Herr's advise on sanding...
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It takes a tremendous amount of time and energy to use a scrapper and it has to be sharpened constantly to be effective. If you don't own an air compressor you'll need to purchase or rent that too and don't forget you'll need hearing protection if you go this route.
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Is it possible to vent two exhaust fans through a single wall penetration? I have two bathroom exhaust fans that need to be vented out of the house, but I'd like to do it using a single wall penetration. Is there a code compliant, safe way to do this? Both bathrooms are on the same level of the house. There is no guarantee that both fans will be the same type, size, power, etc. Each fan runs independently of the other. Pipe runs will be different lengths from fan to exit point. Fans are on separate electrical circuits. <Q> I don't know about code compliance. <S> But, this might work for you: <S> 1 Y-Connector at the outside vent. <S> 2 Backdraft Dampers (one on each leg) at the Y to stop the backflow of noxious gases from one fan(on) to the other (off). Note that the backdraft dampers will add to the resistance of the duct work. <S> You may wish to move up to the next size of duct. <A> I did this setup and would NOT recommend it. <S> I used the same dampers shown above, the cloth ones. <S> Plus each fan has its own damper built into the housing. <S> The run is only perhaps 6ft total <S> and I ran two 4" into a 6". <S> When both fans are running at the same time (both taking a shower) the smaller fan gets totally overwhelmed and cannot move enough air. <S> I'm thinking about changing the setup so both run out the side with their own wall vent. <A> You could run both vent ducts to the same area and then install two vent caps side-by side. <S> Your wall opening would have to be twice as big, but at least you would only have to do one cut, flashing, etc. <A> None of the above solutions going to work. <S> The ducting for each leg of the Y adapter to each washroom must be nearly identical. <S> You can replace the fan opening with a grill for each washroom. <S> The above scenario will work provided the following:1. <S> When inline fan is in operation, air from both washrooms will vent out.2. <S> Both washrooms must have nearly identical square-footage.3. <S> Both washrooms doors are expected to be in closed position when inline fan is in operation.4. <S> Duct diameter must be identical for each leg of the Y adapter. <S> Folks, this is THE ONLY WAY.
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That being said, the only plausible workaround is to install no fans in the washrooms. No other solutions exist nor work. Then add an 'inline fan' to the remaining leg of the Y adapter and run ducting to vent outside. But run only the ductwork with a Y adapter. I have an 80cfm panasonic in a small bathroom and a 110cfm older fan in my main bathroom.
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Why does wand shower head drain at unusual times? We recently moved from using a stationary shower head to a new version that has a wand. While I love the new one we have noticed that the wand shower head will release water at random times. For example, in the middle of the night up to 15 hours after being used maybe 1-2 cups of water will drain from the shower head. It's not the most fun to hear when sleeping. It will also sometimes drain after a toilet flush. Once the water is released it will not happen until after the shower is used again. I would expect the draining immediately after a shower but the odd hours/times are the frustrating part. Additional details: this is a standup shower there is no lower tub faucet The house is on city water We never had this issue until we switched to the shower head with the wand. Are there any steps that I can take to resolve this? <Q> If I had to guess, it's draining some of the water that was still caught up in the shower head after you turned it off (and held there by atmospheric pressure). <S> After enough of the remaining water has evaporated/etc to break the seal, the rest of the water comes out. <S> We have a similar problem with our shower head (a flat "rain" shower head on an articulated arm). <S> In our case the problem is depends on the position of the head and arm... <S> oddly enough it happens when the head is not horizontal. <S> All the other details are the same as yours (it never happened with the old head, no lower faucet, etc). <S> In our case it's not draining 1-2 cups since it sure sounds like it at 3AM in the morning and scared my wife on many occasions :-). <S> You could verify the amount of drainage by putting a pan or something in the shower...if yours is indeed draining 1-2 cups it may not be the same issue unless it's somehow siphoning water out of the hose. <A> There are a few ways you can improve the situation but there isn't a true fix. <S> The rises and drops in your water pressure due to flushing the toilet or night time (city water pressure rises due to low demand) is allowing minuscule amounts of pressure to seep past the valve, with large amounts of time in between this could be air. <S> Redo all you connections with new Teflon tape, since this came about with the new faucet you may have a connection that is allowing air to seep in and either allowing the heavier water out or just assisting in the former scenario. <S> Install a backflow prevention valve or check valve to prevent any backflow, it sounds odd since water to coming out <S> but somewhere it's exchanging water with air and <S> this can help prevent that. <S> I can find the product name, if someone knows it please edit or comment, but there is something similar to a vacuum relief valve that you can get. <S> This would be the most outwardly visible solution however it should fix it. <S> The item looks like a vacuum relief valve but works a bit differently; it's a valve that is 3-way valve that has a pass through, your main water flow, and a vent. <S> The vent is open when there isn't any pressure, or very low, to allow any small pressure build ups after the shower to simply vent and it would close with pressure so it wouldn't spray water during your shower. <S> This should be installed at the highest point of the water, right before your faucet should be fine, and pointed up as it should only vent air. <S> After you shut your shower off this would open and allow you to drain the line, just lower the head/wand; now if you have any water leak past the valve it would have to fill the line before over flowing, a ball valve one wouldn't even overflow. <S> The item is either sprung or is a weak ball check valve. <A> Just loosen the head and shake the hose after a shower. <S> You will sleep fine. <S> If you want a fix that will last, change the massage settings to one with bigger holes in it <S> so it will drain. <S> It is like a straw -- if you hold the top it will hold the water, but when you remove your finger the water drains. <S> Another tip is to install a valve to release it after each use. <S> It's fairly easy to install.
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Replace/fix your shower valve.
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How to find areas where heat/coolness are lost? I live in a 2-story rental townhome (basically an apartment with 2 stories). Our central air/heat system isn't really the best at keeping the upstairs and downstairs the same temperature whether in winter or summer. I think this is partially because the thermostat is downstairs but also due to a not well insulated upstairs. Winter is not as big of problem because space heaters are cheap to buy and operate. Summer is harder because portable AC units are more complicated in rental units. We have tried closing vents downstairs but generally speaking this has not worked well. Now that it is becoming warmer again I am hoping to find ways to determine where our unit loses its coolness upstairs to target them more directly, but am not sure how to best do this. <Q> Whether for heating or cooling, your goal is to limit the amount of heat going through the building envelope, it's just the direction the heat is moving is reversed. <S> Cooling loads are complicated by radiant heat gain which is not much of an issue for heating loads. <S> Thermal imaging can identify areas of high heat conductance, indicating where more insulation is required. <S> Other than that, simple inspection can indicate where the heat is getting in (or out). <S> Are there any gaps in windows and doors allowing air to leak in or out? <S> If the windows are singled glazed, that will be the largest single cause of heat gain. <S> How much insulation is in walls and ceilings? <S> What's good for heating is good for cooling. <S> In addition for cooling, how is the sun allowed to radiate heat into the building. <S> Lack of shading devices, window tints, draperies or shades, etc. <S> all contribute to heat gain. <A> there are people you can hire for this type of service <A> The surfaces near the heat-leaks will be at a different temperature than surfaces in other areas of the room, all of which can be measured with a digital IR thermometer. <S> https://www.google.com/#bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&q=IR+thermometer&safe=off&tbm=shop http://www.degreedays.net/infrared-thermometer
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get a thermal imaging camera and point it at the outside of your house when the temp difference inside and out is significant (though it works best is the outside is cold and inside is warm)
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What is this old 1/16" thick floor-covering, and how do I remove it? We recently pulled up the carpet in our bedroom, and found this gray covering over the wood subfloor, which seems to be adhered to the wood with a black adhesive (some previous owner scraped away a small portion of the gray/black stuff off the wood, but it covers most of the floor). We are going to install new hardwood in this room, and we were told that we should remove the gray covering due to moisture getting trapped there. First, any idea of what this might be, and what kind of adhesive? The house is older (built in 1928), but we don't have any idea when it was installed or what it is. It doesn't seem to feel quite like linoleum, and it's not that thick, maybe 1/16 of an inch. It appears to have stained with water spots in places. Second, how should we go about removing it? Given the age of the house, I assume that it is likely that this substance contains asbestos; is there a safe way to remove it? Or, if it is too risky or too difficult to remove, is it possible to install hardwood flooring over this? Like I said, some previous owner did try removing some of it, but only removed maybe 10 square feet, and may have given up after that. The lines around the removed spot are rough and jagged, looking like pulling up that portion wasn't easy. <Q> Unless you have your heart set on using the wood floor under the old sheet goods I would cover it. <S> As you suggest it may contain asbestos. <S> I would use floor leveling compound, available at home centers to fill in the low spots where the old surface was removed. <S> Then you can cover the entire floor with what ever material is suitable underlayment for your woodfloor be it floating,prefinished or solid wood. <A> It does look like linoleum. <S> You could use a power scraper . <S> They can usually be rented. <A> We had a similar problem with out floor. <S> It was the 9pm at night. <S> The floor sanding company was coming the next morning and had asked us to remove the old linoleum. <S> I was scraping it and chipping at it <S> and it wasn't coming off. <S> In the end we decided to try the wallpaper steamer. <S> What happens is that it softens the glue and allows you to lift it out in big sheets without much effort. <S> We had it fully removed in under an hour. <S> It was a great relief!
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I agree, it does looks like Linoleum. From memory we took off as much as we could of the top layer and them steamed it and scraped it.
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Why would my TV image turn black when electrical appliances turn on? I have my computer connected to my TV via HDMI. Every time something electrical happens (fridge turns on, stove sparks, etc), the image on the TV goes black for a second and then comes back on. And before anyone asks, trust me, I checked other options, it is perfectly in sync with the fridge/stove/etc and not some random coincidence Anyone have any ideas as to what is causing this or how I fix it? Or should I just get a new HDMI cable? The lights do not flicker or dim when this happens. Also, if it is on the same circuit, how do I figure that out? And will connecting the TV to a regular surge protector work, or do I need to put it on a voltage stabilizer? <Q> I agree with DMoore that the flickering is almost certainly caused by a voltage dip when a large appliance turns on. <S> A fridge can easily pull 1000+ watts momentarily as the compressor starts. <S> If you want to verify the voltage dip you can do so with a multimeter with a "MIN" function. <S> Insert the multimeter probes into the outlet that's giving you trouble, set the multimeter to "voltage (AC)", and enable the "MIN" mode, which will remember the lowest voltage it sees. <S> Then wait for the fridge to turn on. <S> Typical US household voltage should be in the 110 - 120 V range. <S> A voltage dip much below 110V could definitely cause flickering. <S> If the devices are on the same circuit, the easiest thing to try would be putting them on different circuits. <S> You could also call the electric company to see if they have any thoughts. <S> It's basically a fancy surge protector that will even out momentary irregularities in the household voltage current. <S> Many battery-backup power supplies ("UPS") also include voltage regulation. <S> Edit based on question updates: The same circuit means that the outlets run back to the same circuit breaker in your breaker panel. <S> The easiest way to figure out if they're on the same circuit is to flip off the switch to the refrigerator and see if the TV also goes dead. <S> If your circuits are not labeled, this may take some trial and error. <S> As for a surge protector: they won't help with under-voltage at all. <S> Surge protectors cut the power when the voltage gets far too high (typically 300 V or more), but don't do anything when the voltage is too low. <A> When the fridge turns on (some) and when (some) ovens start their capacitors pull a ton of current to start the motor/function needed. <S> If these are on the same circuit as your TV this is a pretty big issue and the fluctuations could cause damage to your TV circuit board over time. <S> Even if these aren't on the same circuit your TV is getting a voltage fluctuation from the main circuit. <S> Your TV having intelligence built in probably has its own way of handling these fluctuations - with one turning off some extraneous functions... like HDMI working. <S> HDMI cables work or don't. <S> If yours is showing a picture then getting a "better" one won't help. <S> What I would do? <S> First make sure that your TV is not on the same circuit as the fridge and stove. <S> In some places this wouldn't meet code and it certainly isn't good for the electronics. <S> If they are not on the same circuit then you may need to call the electric company and figure out if they have anything that is causing fluctuations on your line when something high voltage is plugged in. <S> They may fix the issue or offer suggestions - and a lot of times this is free. <S> If the electric company believes it is an issue on your side you will need to troubleshoot why you have this interference - usually a loose connection in the main box. <S> And lastly you may need to change appliances or tv... <S> Not saying you have to do this <S> but you gave a specific example. <S> Your TV may not handle any kind of voltage fluctuation well. <S> Whenever a major appliance turns on there will often be a little voltage fluctuation. <S> Most electronics are built to handle this. <S> Maybe your TV does not handle this well and your electricity issue is not really a big deal. <S> Or maybe your TV handles this normally and <S> this would happen with all/most TVs. <S> Question too - do your light flicker or dim during this initially engagement? <A> Also see What should I look for when diagnosing electrical circuit gremlins where load is much less than capacity? . <S> I had pretty much the same sort of problem, and while the answer isn't pretty, it may be a train-of-thought option. <A> Use some kind of line filter on your circuit connection to remove the electromagnetic interference (EMI). <S> Sometimes they are called EMI filters or sine filters (for bigger appliances). <S> They are produced as IEC inlet filters too (search for them). <S> They are based (mostly) on interference suppression capacitors, but can be quite complicated to filter out the unwanted EMI. <S> Even an AC line surge might help, maybe some of your friends might lend you some to give it a try. <S> Consult an electric installation shop to buy the best fit for you <S> - it depends on voltage and amperage. <A> Problem Solved. <S> Plugged my TV into a Surge Protector and the cutting out stopped.
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If you don't want to do any electrical changes, you could also get a voltage stabilizer to plug your TV / home entertainment system into.
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How to solve the problem of sticky Danish oil? I ignored the warnings about not getting spray disinfectant on our oak kitchen surface which is finished with Danish oil, and now the surface has become really sticky, attracting dust and crumbs and is now really hard to keep clean. It's been like this for a couple of months so I don't think it's because it's still drying out. So what can I do to fix this? Can anything be done with what is there or will I need to remove and reapply. If I need to remove it, what is the best way? Sanding isn't an option as the stickiness just clogs up the sander, so it will need to be chemical, but what can I use that will do the job but not be too harsh? <Q> Actually I've found the perfect chemical for stripping Danish Oil: The exact same spray disinfectant that caused the problem in the first place! <S> Spray it on and leave it for a few hours and the oil scrapes off without damaging the wood. <A> Danish oil, like linseed and tung oil, can take up to a month for fully cure (from inside, out). <S> Too old an oil may also turn tacky (surface dried but oil-in-wood hasn't). <S> The cure for either is a mineral spirit or turpentine wipe down, several times, spanning several days. <S> Don't recoat until you don't smell the finish at the surface. <S> Then, recoat with a slightly thinned or new can of the danish oil, wiping down as directed. <S> By-the-by, be sure to wash (with soap) any rags/paper towels after using Danish oil/linseed.. <S> They can spontaneously combust !!! <A> I had the same problem. <S> I wiped the tacky areas with a very small amount of olive oil. <S> Problem solved. <A> My Danish oil also wasn't drying. <S> But then I put olive oil on it, and worked that in. <S> The result was that both oils worked into the wood without any stickiness! <S> The reason I have been informed is that ANY oil would really do the job, it's just that the Danish oil obviously needed a helping hand to absorb. <S> So just apply and work in, some basic oil (I used olive). <S> Should solve the problem!! <A> It just wiped off nicely. <S> Some of the color did come up but not much; it looks fine and feels clean. <S> Try it in an inconspicuous place first, it worked great for me. <A> We had horrendous problems with our wooden kitchen worktops feeling sticky, they had been previously treated with Danish oil. <S> The problem is now solved! <S> Scrape all the previous coatings off til you're down to the bear wood, wipe with turps or white spirit and allow to dry overnight. <S> Don't try sanding as the old oil just clogs up the sander. <S> Buy Ronseal worktop oil. <S> It's antibacterial and guards against MRSA and e-coli. <S> It has no fumes, is easily applied with brush or cloth, dries brilliantly with no trace of stickiness and is waterproof! <S> Sorted!
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I just used a regular Pledge furniture oil spray, nothing special.
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What's causing the popping noise from my speakers? Several weeks ago, I moved into a new home. In office, I have my computer set up with a set of media speakers (older model of Logitech Z-550's). Every now and then the speakers will make a popping sound that is quite painful to my ears. I can recreate the sound when I flip on light switches that are not connected to any actual light or electrical devices, i.e. the outlets they're associated with aren't used (they're blocked by furniture). Other times it happens randomly -- I'm actually not sure if it's truly random or if it's caused by activity of other people in the house (in the event that it actually is a electrical wiring issue). So I was wondering if this was a electrical wiring issue, which wouldn't be a DIY project by any means, or could it be possible that the popping noise is caused by the speaker wires coming into contact with other cables from my computer, printer, and other electronic devices. Or is it something I haven't thought of? Any help would be appreciated! Update: The speakers all connect to the subwoofer, and the subwoofer is plugged into a Tripp Lite surge suppressor that was designed for audio/video equipment (I forget the model). The surge suppressor "grounded" and "protected" lights both check out (both show a green light). The sub does not have a ground pin (assuming that means a 3-prong plug). It only has 2-prongs. <Q> This could be a bunch of problems, from a missing ground to a voltage spike, to dying speakers, etc... <S> First of all, it would be helpful to rule in/out the computer as the source of the popping. <S> It's possible your computer's sound card is not great and is sending those noises to the speaker, which is faithfully playing them. <S> Try plugging the speakers into a different device (e.g. an iPod), AT THE SAME OUTLET. <S> Then see if you get the popping noises. <S> If you still do, try moving the speakers to a different outlet somewhere else in the house. <S> Event though the light switch doesn't control <S> the computer's outlet, they could still be on the same circuit and causing some other kind of interference. <S> If moving the speakers to a different outlet solves the problem, there may be issue with the wiring. <S> (Could be the switch is bad and is causing a ground fault or something. <S> Or maybe the unused switched outlets are bad. <S> Or something else.) <S> As @Tester101 says in his comment, problems with the ground can cause audio issues. <S> Do the speakers have a ground pin (3rd prong), and if so, is the outlet properly grounded? <S> are the computer and speakers plugged into different outlets? <S> An outlet tester is an easy and safe way to do quick sanity checks on outlet wiring. <S> You just plug it into an outlet and the lights will tell you if there are some common wiring problems. <S> If I were you I would pick one up and test <S> all of the outlets, including the unused switched ones. <A> Static noise can be generated from many different sources... <S> poor grounding, bad connections, internal PC components, etc. <S> It could be difficult to determine exactly where it's coming from. <S> Check all PC connections. <S> Re-route speaker wires with as much separation from/perpendicular to other cables/wires. <S> Keep speakers as far away from other components as possible (tough to do, but might be necessary). <S> That's the easy stuff. <S> If those don't work, then you'll have to start eliminating things like internal noise, bad sound card, and grounding problems to name a few. <A> Well, I just came upon this similar kind of problem yesterday, and had a whole afternoon-evening struggle on finding the problem's cure. <S> So I write my own solution here as I, or others might encounter the same problem again later. <S> (Ungrounded electrical outlets in the room, Creative t6100 5.1 system, connected to PC via integrated Realtek soundcard, Win10)As beforementioned, try keeping your speakers or the primary speaker connection component (as for me, the subwoofer) away from power strips with consumers. <S> For me it meant only about 3-4 centimeters away from the box's usual place... :/
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You can also get so-called "ground loops" when different components have different grounds, which can cause a voltage difference—
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Will I lose water pressure going from a 2" pipe to a 1/2" pipe then back to 2"? I have jimmied up a pool heater from an idea on YouTube, but just expanded it. I have a water line of 2" PVC, piped down to 1/2" copper, so it can run through a coil, then increased back to 2" PVC, and re-connected with the original pool hose of 2". Will this keep the constant pressure that it starts with, or will I lose water pressure. It seems to have lost pressure, trying to get back into the 2" inch hose. Any suggestions? <Q> I believe the pressure loss depends on the flow rate. <S> To avoid it you need 2" copper pipe or multiple parallel 1/2" pipes (probably more than 16). <A> I have a feeling your design looks like this: You should do this instead: <S> If you make 16 parallel copper circuits, that would have an equivalent cross-section or a 2 inch pipe. <S> However, I would probably do more like 20 circuits because all of those bends are going to introduce additional pumping/pressure losses and the extra circuits will make up for those losses. <A> If you can't add parallel paths through the heater as @redgrittybrick suggests, add a bypass with 2" pipe and a throttling valve. <S> The valve will let you balance overall flow vs heat gain. <S> The bypass arrangement will lessen the strain on your pump seals and motor.
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There will be some loss of pressure.
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Is a high electric bill for a pump house caused by a well pump running constantly? I recently had to turn on the electric for a shared well in my name. I got a bill and it's as high as what my house bill is. The well is the only thing connected to the electric in the well house. We rewired it and replaced the pressure switch hoping to fix it. Any suggestions what to do next? Please keep in mind I know nothing about these, just want to relay info to my husband. <Q> If this is a submersible pump in a fairly shallow well and it is running continuously and only putting out 20psi, you have several possible problems: <S> The impeller assembly is coming apart and there is excessive internal leakage in the pump. <S> There is a leak in the pipe leading from the pump to the well-head, either the pipe has split, or the barb fitting nipple in the top of the pump has a hole corroded in it. <S> The pump basically is recirculating the water back into the well. <S> Submersible pumps with iron pipe to the wellhead that use a below frostline casing fitting <S> have an o-ring in the slider coupling assembly that can rot and cause a leak back into the well. <S> Not sure where the main water shutoff valves are. <S> Are they in the pump house or at the residences? <S> Any unexplained water bubbling out of the ground with quicksand like mud? <S> Note: <S> A leaking foot valve will have one of two effects. <S> On an above ground pump, you will lose prime, on a submersible, if there's air leakage, you get a slug of air into the system every time the pump starts (chugging faucets, etc). <A> I saw this at a house in NH -- crazy high electric bills caused by a corroded pipe nipple between the tank and the the pressure switch. <S> The pump was running all the time, but since there was no pilot light or other indicator in the house, the only clue was that the water pressure and electric bills were unusually high. <S> The pump was too small to trip the relief valve or (fortunately) burst anything. <S> I'd check the pressure switch first, with either a voltmeter or clip-on ammmeter, and watch the tank pressure to see what's going on. <S> If the pump is running all the time and the water pressure is high, you have a stuck pressure switch. <S> If the pump eventually shuts off but then starts up again even though nobody is using water: it's a bad check valve. <A> I am surprised no one mentioned at leak in the pipe from the well to the house(s). <S> That can cause quite a bit of water usage. <S> Look for water standing between the house and the well. <S> It helps if you know roughly where the pipe runs. <S> A couple years ago I hit almost 90 dollars in usage in one month. <S> Normal is around 25 dollars. <S> From there either start digging down following the water or hire someone. <S> Fixing the pipe is usually easy. <S> A couple brass fittings and a short piece of replacement pipe is all that is needed. <A> I was paying $50-$75 a month for electricity, then I got married. <S> All of a sudden, paying a $200+ electric bill, <S> After about three years, of this, I found out that, My brother next door who is using central air(I don't use ac.) <S> pays less than $150 a month. <S> I recently installed a new pressure switch, because of erratic pressure. <S> while setting the pressure adjustment on the new pressure switch, I noticed that it would cycle, about every 5 to 10 minutes, with no faucet in the house on and no toilet running. <S> I then searched for leaks, extensively and found no leaks. <S> This made me suspect the check valve, between the pump and pressure tank. <S> BINGO!! <S> It was so bad that I could blow through it both ways, WITH LUNG PRESSURE ONLY! <S> After installing a new $16 check valve, for once I am actually looking forward to my next electric bill.
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If the pump is running all the time but the water pressure is low (and never recovers to the point where the pump can shut off): it's a problem with the pump, check valve, or line between the pump and the tank.
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Can a TV be mounted directly into a heavy wooden entertainment center? My dad has a built in entertainment center that is buit to accommodate an old CRT television. As such, the entertainment center itself is fairly deep (call it 24" or so), but the cavity for the television itself exposes a 24" high by 27" wide area. There is, however, a 2" overhang wherein the shelf on which the TV would sit stands proud of the cavity, extending further than the wall. Looking at new 40" flat screen TVs, I see that the most common width appears to be something on the order of 32", meaning that any 40" TV I get to fill the cubby heightwise would extend beyond the cubby intended, and spill over into the cubby next to it. Because of the 2" shelf, I see no problem if and only if I could somehow mount the TV securely. Unfortunately, the sentimental value of the entertainment center is such that replacing it or even cutting it is out of the question. I am considering 2 options: Mount the TV to a stud behind the entertainment center. Mount the TV directly to the wood (and it is real wood) of the entertainment center itself. I don't like Option #1, because it would involve some really tricky mounting, in a small space, and the bracket would have to extend more than 2 feet to get the TV to stand proud of the cubby's side. The question is, can one mount the bracket directly to the inside wood? It is real wood, although its only an inch thick or so. Is that enough? Alternatively, if I drilled through that shelf, but backed it into a sistered joint, would that hold? <Q> Another way: Vesa MIS-C mount on the TV?Presumably <S> the entertainment center shelf is designed to take considerable weight. <S> Since 1" screws are unlikely to hold the full leveraged weight of the display, you could pile 50 or more pounds of weight onto the top of the slot structure. <S> That should eliminate the possibility of your screws yanking out of the cabinet, and also eliminate your having to put screw holes in the, no doubt pretty, front of the cabinet. <A> I understand not wanting to mess with a piece of family history, but CRTs are not coming back anytime soon <S> and I don't see why you need to preserve the CRT-sized space. <S> I think you should consider tastefully modifying the cabinet (maybe cutting or moving the cubby walls) to accommodate todays flat TVs so that the unit will be useful for another generation or so. <S> Maybe you can enlist your dad to help. <S> I think having the flat TV hanging off the front of the unit is going to look weird, no matter how you figure out how to mount it. <S> Plus, as you say, you're going to block the side cubbies. <S> It may also make the unit unstable, if the entire weight of the TV is suspended at the front edge. <A> When our house was built, space above the fireplace was framed out with wood studs as usual, and then the builder added a sheet of plywood (don't remember the exact thickness, but I would hazard a guess of 0.5".) <S> Our 46" television is mounted directly onto the plywood sheet, and weighs around 46lbs. <S> Have never had a problem with any sort of sagging or weakening of the mount. <S> I've tried pulling on the mount with as much weight as I could muster (I'm guessing around 100+ lbs) and it has stayed solid. <S> I don't think you'll have a problem mounting your television onto an inch-thick slab of wood.
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You could run a big L bracket down to the floor of the shelf, where you've installed a slot for the bracket to slide into and secure the display.
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What can I use to stop drawers in an organizer from sliding out all the way? I have purchased several of these small drawer units : However, when I open the drawers, they come straight out - there is no mechanism to ensure that the drawers stay in the slot. In the past, I have seen inexpensive drawer units use a small wooden peg glued into the top of the drawer cavity in order to keep the drawer from coming out - but these did not come with any such device. Is there anything that I can install in order to keep these drawers from coming out? <Q> You could consider drilling a small hole in the center of the back board of each drawer. <S> Then drill a corresponding hole through the back side of the drawer cabinet unit itself. <S> Remove the drawer and install a piece of heavy string through the hole in the back of the drawer. <S> On the inside if the drawer knot the string so it cannot pull through the hole in the back of the drawer. <S> (You could even tie the string to a small object like a large bead, or small washer). <S> Make this string long enough that it can extend to inside the drawer cabinet when the drawer is fully removed. <S> Next reach into the back of the drawer cabinet and feed the other end of the string out through the hole in the back of the cabinet. <S> Once pulled through the back hole then install the drawer into its slot and pull the excess string out through the rear of the cabinet. <S> Now calibrate how much slack to leave in the string by pulling the drawer out as far as you think it should be allowed to go and still not pull free from its slot in the cabinet. <S> Mark the string as to where it pulls back through the rear hole when the drawer is extended. <S> The next step is to secure the string at the marked position so that it cannot pull farther than the mark. <S> This can be achieved in a number of ways as follows. <S> 1) Knot the string at the mark with a large enough knot so it cannot pull back through the rear hole. <S> 2) Tie a small object to the string at the mark position such as a large bead other object. <S> 3) Pinch the end of the string under a washer and screw that is installed into the back if the drawer cabinet. <S> 4) Fill the rear hole with some glue which would go in around the string and permanently affix it into the hole. <A> Looks like the drawers fit into the case w near zero clearance, so the standard peg through the side of the drawer thing won't work. <S> Put the screws in <S> so they project down from the case 5-10 mm. <S> You'll have to angle the drawers to get them in, and that could be tough if the screws are set too far back. <S> Once the drawers are in, you can back out the screws a bit so the drawer-back is more securely captured. <S> Tolerances are tight, so be careful not to put your screws all the way through the wood of the case. <A> Go to craft store and buy some velcro. <S> Open up drawer halfway. <S> Put velcro backing about an inch deep into drawer - I would use one piece on each side. <S> After it is in place (they come with a glue side) then insert other side of velcro <S> so it has some depth. <S> Your drawer will get stuck when it hits it. <S> Also you will be able to fully take the drawer out in the future - by removing the bottom velcro and some wiggling. <S> Repeat for second drawer. <A> Remove the two drawers and turn the cabinet upside down so that the undersides of the 'roof panels' of the drawer pockets will be facing up. <S> In the middle, about 1/4" from the front edge, carve a tapered notch in each of these undersides. <S> The notch should start about 1/8" deep near the front edge, and then taper to zero-depth towards the back. <S> Take a large paper clip and bend it open so the two U's are at about 100 degrees to each other. <S> On the inside-back of each drawer, attach one of these with the short 'U' up, the corner aligned flush with the top of the drawer back (or a little below it), such that the short 'U's will be pressing against the bottom side of the roofs and will relax upward into the carved notch as the draw is pulled out.
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A woodscrew into the case above the top of each drawer, and recessed a bit over 1 drawer-front thickness into the case should work.
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How can I remotely monitor a GFCI receptacle? How can a sump pump in a crawl space only accessible by crawling down a hole in a closet have its GFCI protected outlet monitored from the living room? I am imagining the best way to run the pump is to run a dedicated 20 amp circuit to the pump outlet and put in a GFCI breaker. The breaker could be reset up in the utility room. If the pump is plugged into a GFCI receptacle in the crawl space the homeowners would have no idea it tripped and would have to crawl under the house to check on it and rest it. The problem of checking on the GFCI is a little easier if they only have to look in their breaker box. But I would like to be able to have some sort of indication in the living space so that they could see more easily that the GFCI had tripped. The crawl space is on an island and it is a busy pump. I imagined putting a light in the living room in a box like a switch would be installed. The light would get its power fed through the outlet the pump was running on. If the GFCI tripped off and the outlet lost power, and the pump went off so would the light. What is the best light device of this nature that could serve this purpose? Is there a better way to deal with this sump pump? <Q> There are GFCI outlets that have indicator LEDs on them, like this one: <S> If you put this in the living space, then connect the sump receptacle (a normal, non-GFCI receptacle) to the "load" side of this outlet , it will also be protected. <S> If it trips, the light will be out and you'll know it. <S> To make it more obvious, you could plug a nightlight into this outlet. <S> This would more readily draw attention: if the light is on, there is a problem. <A> If the ground-fault protection was provided by a GFCI breaker, you could plug a power outage alarm into the sump receptacle. <S> If the GFCI breaker trips, the alarm will sound, and the homeowners will know they have to reset the breaker. <S> You also might want to consider installing a backup water-powered sump pump. <S> There is a great video from This Old House on How to Install a Water-Powered Sump Pump , which also explains how they work. <A> A lot of good GFCI answers, but nothing (except Tester101 backup sump) addresses sump pump failure. <S> A battery backed water alarm should be in the bag of tricks.
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Even better, plug in an "emergency rechargeable flashlight": the kind that plug into the wall, but turn on automatically when you unplug them or the power goes out.
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What features should I look for in a full-house surge protector? How does one select a surge protector for a typical home? We get surges and slight drops in line voltage. We are the last pole on a small town electric provider, three miles from town. Surge protectors cost from $180 to thousands. How do I determine what is good but not cheap and not more than I need? <Q> First off: If your lights dim and brighten, that's due to changes in voltage. <S> To solve this requires a " power conditioner ", or solving a serious problem known as a "floating neutral". <S> To protect against lightning or high voltage spikes, you want a " surge protector ". <S> These protect equipment from damage (the spikes can be tens of thousands of volts). <S> To keep computers or TV's running through brief power outages you want an " uninterruptible power supply " or UPS. <S> And finally you might want a " backup generator ". <S> It's possible you want all four types of device in different places. <S> Some devices combine more than one function. <S> For example a good offline UPS will offer power conditioning and and surge protection, but will be limited in capacity and not suitable for the entire building. <S> Power does not "flow through" a whole house surge protector. <S> One unit, costing perhaps $100, protects the entire house. <S> There's typically only one whole house unit made for your particular brand of main electrical service panel. <S> Thus, choosing a whole house surge protector is easy (see a list of them over at my website http://guides.obviously.com/Whole-House-Surge-Protectors/1482 ). <A> I looked for a specific recommended model that was known to play nice with X-10 powerline signaling protocol. <S> I also note that it has status lights visible, so I'll know if it gets "used up". <A> Okay. <S> If you are serious about surge protection then don't think cost: think quality. <S> Do not protect circuits that draw high amounts of power (i.e. pool pumps, electric hot-water systems or air conditioners). <S> These devices often spike when more demand is placed on them and may fry your surge protector. <S> Also look into the brand Schneider Electric (worldwide) range of surge arrestors or any Eaton (worldwide) <S> DIN mounted surge protectors. <S> Note <S> : I am not affiliated with any of the brands above. <S> I am just listing them due to their reputation and quality.
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Calculate the total amperes of all your circuit breakers and chose a surge protector that is between 10-15% more than what you have calculated. Avoid surge protectors that offer $250,000 (if you are choosing them for that particular reason) as they will never pay out and those guarantees bump the prices up.
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What are the drawbacks of not attaching deck to house? I am planning on building a small deck on the side of my house where there is no door or window. The level of the deck is below the top of the basement, so I need to drill through the concrete for the ledger board. However, because there is no door, I am thinking about just building the deck as freestanding without attaching it to the house. One downside that I can think of is that the deck edge might drift relative to the house, making it look crooked. Is this is a problem? What are the downsides of making the deck freestanding? <Q> Doing this has the advantage of not having to attach a ledger board to the house, which must be flashed carefully to keep water from getting in. <S> If it's a low deck, this probably doesn't matter. <S> So, no real reason not to do it detached. <S> There are a number of builders who do it this way. <A> In order to PROPERLY secure a ledger invilves removing EVERYTHING back to the sheathing. <S> Find PROPER floor joists, and hoping the floor runs the right direction. <S> If a house is not built with a deck intended to be there structurally <S> it is very difficult to "simply install" a ledger. <S> Building freestanding gives the ability of avoiding permits, and sometimes large amounts of structural reinforcement. <S> If you are worried about settling attaching to the house is WORSE. <S> Now you have weight pulling on your walls were it wasn't intended. <S> No better way to implode your house. <S> Furthermore, many simply lag to the house. <S> In the wall. <S> Where your water lines, electrical, heating and we'll all other arteries are in a house. <S> A ledger is NOT always ideal, just handy if circumstances allow. <A> The big drawback is that your footings aren't done right or don't hold up well <S> and you have a deck that slants a little compared to the house. <S> You could end up with a little dip or a lip when you walk out the door. <S> This may take one year or 30 years or 100 years. <S> If you don't have a ledger it will happen. <S> If you are building on very solid ground maybe your concerns aren't as bad but eventually these two things will look like they don't belong together. <S> Builders like doing it this way because as long as the footings are good the deck should generally stay where it is compared to the house for a few years. <S> Also what do you do if your deck is slanted 5 degrees or is pulled out from your house an inch or two. <S> I really doubt there is a monetary remedy for slight frustration. <S> And the flip side for builders is attaching. <S> Messing up your structure or allowing water into your structure is not only very quantifiable but could also come back to hunt them soon after a build. <S> So $$$ will dictate that a builder wouldn't attach to your house if it were their choice - especially if they are subcontracting it out. <S> Flashing a house for the ledger isn't rocket science. <S> There should actually be flashing under and over the ledger. <S> I have helped put up 5-6 decks, always used a ledger and never heard anyone have water issues. <S> And these were just all put together neighborhood style - no pros. <S> I can't imagine not using a ledge unless the deck was only a foot or two off the ground. <S> For your situation I could see going either way. <S> The fact that you are going through concrete is actually good for waterproofing - concrete doesn't rot if you have an issue. <S> But I do understand that you want it to be easy and without a window or door <S> it would have to really go off course to look wrong.
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The big disadvantage is that you don't get stability of hooking to a big immovable house, so if the deck is a second-floor one, you will probably want more diagonal bracing on the posts to keep things stable.
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How can I remove a stuck overhead light fixture? I recently decided that it's time to install some less hideous lighting in my apartment. Since it's an apartment, my options are limited because I must be able to restore whatever is there now if I move. I got a track lighting set and figured out everything I need to do, but now I'm stuck-- literally. This is the fixture. It has 3 bulbs, and several screws to hold it on the ceiling. However, I have unscrewed every screw you can see including the central piece, and several screws that are hidden by the fiberglass, and yet the fixture remains completely stuck to the ceiling. I've tried tapping it with a hammer and sticking a butter knife between the ceiling and the fixture; no dice. All the screws are loose; there is no weight held up by them, suggesting something else is gripping the fixture. I've seen posts on the internet that suggest some fixtures get glued in place by aggressive paint. I suspect that may have happened here, but I am hesitant to aggressively pry the fixture because it is so incredibly stuck. It feels like it's attached to a steel I-beam or something! I am afraid it might be attached to something other than the paint. Random facts about the apartment: Built in the 60's I am not sure if it's plaster or drywall (unfortunately) My current plan is to get a putty knife and a variety of paint solvents, and try getting the paint off. I heard that mineral oil might work, but I am not sure if that is a good idea. I'm afraid to damage things by using the wrong solvents. Update: All the hardware stores are closed today/tomorrow so I won't get to try the great tips until Tuesday. <Q> Looking at the geometry, it can only be paint holding it up. <S> I would stay away from any solvents. <S> I would add a second putty knife, with a stiff blade. <S> Use a slightly larger (wider to distribute the force of the lifting blade) putty knife against the ceiling (and under the lip of the fixture). <S> Put the stiffer, skinny blade between the wide blade and the fixture. <S> Pry up slightly, all around the circumference of the fixture. <S> You will break it loose. <S> The prybar is overkill (in the photo), but illustrates how to protect the underlying drywall. <S> (Guess what happens if you use the prybar alone. <S> Ask me why I know :-O) <S> Good plan by Christos regarding leaving the new fixture, though I believe you will succeed removing the original. <A> One thing I do in removing lights switch covers etc is take a razor knife & cut around the edges then as I pull coveers away <S> I don't ruin 6 inches of paint wallpaper <A> Okay. <S> Two ways around this. <S> If that does not work buy acetone (Nail Polish Remove with Acetone) and a syringe or turkey baster and squirt acetone in between the light fixture and roof. <S> Ask your landlord if he permits you to change the lighting as an improvement and show him your proposed fittings. <S> If he is happy he may allow them to stay behind when you move out so you do not need to worry that much about damaging the fitting whilst removing it.
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Use a knife and pry around the outside of the light fixture in an attempt to loosen the fixture.
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How can I stop a barbed coupler from leaking? This seems to be a common issue (drip line barbed couplers leaking) and I can't find any answers about this online. I'm wondering how others have fixed leaks in the fittings that are supposed to just work by popping them into the polyurethane tubing. It's a pretty basic setup, but I'll describe how it's laid out in my particular case: I'm installing a simple drip irrigation system for our garden using Rain Bird products. The 1/2" poly line runs from our outdoor spigot about 30' then is terminated at the end by folding it over clamping it at the end with a zip tie. Near the end of that main line (maybe 8' from the end) a barbed coupler is inserted, with the other end going into about 10' of 1/8" soaker hose that is terminated by a goof plug. The hole where the barbed coupler fits into the poly tube is leaking (and by leaking I mean spraying water about 12-16" into the air). It isn't positioned at a weird angle, the hole isn't too big, and I did push in the coupler all the way until it "snapped" into place. The coupler sits perpendicularly to the tubing. I've done this before, with some tiny leaks (just some drips), but never such a big leak. I've tried adjusting the position by pulling on the tube or tilting it at various angles, but the water just leaks out of different places. Could it be because it's the only line coming off the main poly tube? I'm planning on adding several more soaker lines to hit the rest of our garden areas, which will no doubt distribute some of the pressure. Does anybody have any tricks to sealing barbed coupler fittings so they don't leak? The barbed coupler I'm talking about looks like this (am I using the wrong part?): <Q> That looks like a very flimsy coupling, as it barely has anything to hang on to. <S> Better to use a regular PVC barbed coupling, which looks like this: Usually you use a stainless steel clamp around the connections: With bigger/thicker pipe, you sometimes need to heat the pipe using a torch slightly -- just get it a bit pliable so you can get the fitting in, but not "melty". <S> Here's a finished connection (using "white stripe" 75psi poly - in this case as a non-pressurized drain line): <S> Here's another example showing connections to soaker hoses: <A> When drip irrigation connectors leak, it is usually because the hole that was punched into the 1/2" hose is too large. <S> This can happen when you try to re-punch <S> the hole because the 1st punch did not go all the through and you can't get your connector into the line. <S> When you try to re-punch <S> a hole it's extremely hard to get the punch in exactly the same spot. <S> Since you are off a tiny bit you actually end up with 2 holes, the one you put the connector into and right next to it a tiny hole that sprays out extra water. <S> When it does, then I just punch a new hole and try again. <S> When it doesn't, then I use a silicone based glue to put around my connector. <S> I get the type of glue that is good for fish tanks; I figure if it won't kill my fish then it won't contaminate my food. <A> Since you don't mention it, you have probably left out the pressure regulator. <S> The pressure tolerance of drip systems is pretty low. <S> Ideally they like to run around 25-30 PSI. <S> Most homes have 50 PSI or more. <S> In my case, it's 120 PSI. <S> You should also consider getting a filter at the same time you get the pressure regulator. <A> I just stumbled upon this question because I had the same issue. <S> This was one of the first google hits. <S> Super old thread, but no satisfactory answer for me. <S> The roundness of those plastic barbs is assumed, but definitely not justifiably so. <S> The result is a round, or elliptical hole, and a round or elliptical barb. <S> I found by simply twisting the barb in the hole (clockwise or counter. <S> Your milage may vary.) <S> I was able to reduce my leak to almost nothing. <S> I tried counterclockwise 45 <S> * <S> and it leaked twice as bad, so I went back 90 <S> *, and <S> bam! <S> sealed it right up. <S> Give it a try before you try punching a new hole, or buying some glue. <S> K.I.S.S. <A> I've begun pre-drilling with a 1/16 bit as the 1/2" hose collapses when I try to punch the barb through it. <S> Be gentle as you don't want the drilling to go through both sides of the 1/2" hose. <A> I have to take down my deck drip system each Fall and reinstall it each Spring. <S> In the Fall I just coil it all up and store it away. <S> In the Spring when I reinstall it, it always leaks at the junctures between the 1/2" and 1/4" tubing. <S> It's never a jet of water - simply a continuous leak. <S> I find that if I twist the 1/4" barb several times in its hole in the 1/2" line the leak goes away. <S> It also seems to depend sometimes on whether the tab on the barb is inline with or perpendicular to the 1/2" tube; inline seems to work best. <A> I use an Awl to make holes but be careful of not going through the other side of the tube. <S> I use the same connector as mentioned initially and I have never had a leak. <S> You definitely want to use a 30psi regulator.
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I've tried plugging the hole with the large end of the drip irrigation plug and sometimes that will stop the leak.
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Can I use a vent that was over an electric oven for a dryer instead? I just bought an apartment built in 1980 and it does not have a washer and dryer. There is a vent above an electric oven. I am remodeling the kitchen and moving the oven to the other side of the kitchen and would like to put a stackable washer dryer in the same place where the oven is. This way I can use the vent for my dryer only. Please let me know if I can do this and if it is safe to do so (and following the safety/state code in California-OC). It is more important for me (and it increases the market value of my home) to have a washer/dryer than to be worried about the smell of fried onion or garlic once in a while in my home. I would just open the windows instead of having a vent on top of my stove. Please advise! This is very important improvement for me and makes my life much much easier to have my own washer/dryer in my home. <Q> In general, it is a good solution. <S> There are a couple of potential issues: <S> The other aspect that may need to be addressed is the louvers on the outside. <A> There is no issue that I can see with repurposing a vent. <S> Dryer vents are usually 4" diameter, stove vents are 5". <S> Make sure the line is clean and the screen and damper outside is still in good functioning condition. <S> A "recirculating" range hood will be needed, if you install one. <S> The real issue is whether you are allowed to remove the stove vent, they are sometimes required by local building code. <S> You cannot combine the stove and dryer into one vent (they must have separate outlets) <S> You should be able to ask your local building official this question. <S> It is very likely you'll need a building permit for this work, possibly several. <S> Not having a permit for remodeling work can affect future sale of the property. <A> While it is probably ok to use screws for HVAC/exhaust fans, it is a very bad idea for dryer vents since lints get caught on the screws creating a fire hazard.
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Most dryer vent hose is 4" diameter, some oven vent is 6", so you might need an adapter Be sure you dryer exhaust is strong enough to open the louvers or you may have to replace it for one with lighter duty springs. Again, your local building official/permit office can tell you if a permit is required. One thing I would check for is how the vent was constructed, specifically whether any screws were used to join different sections of the vent.
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How do I secure the shower valve without removing tile? The plumber didn't secure the new valve to the frame, so the shower valve and head were left loose and it is wiggling. The new tile is completed and we do not want to redo it. What is the best way to secure the valve and shower head? <Q> You'll have to be creative, but the best solution is to open the wall on the opposite side behind the valve. <S> Hopefully you have drywall or a closet and not an outside wall. <S> Drywall repair is cheaper and easier than tile repair. <S> In many areas it is code to have an access hatch to reach the bathtub trap, so you may be able to reach it from there. <S> Other option is to bust out as few tiles as possible. <S> You should have a few spares from the tile work, or if it is recent you may be able to buy a few to patch the damage. <A> Adding to mfaver answer. <S> You could also take the flanges off the taps and shower rose and try and pump silicon or another non-porous substance into the annular space, once it sets it will hold the shower valve in place against the wall and tile backing. <S> Not the most professional solution <S> but it avoids opening the wall up. <A> If the valve is sitting on framing then you could peek into the cavity to see where the mounting points contact the framing. <S> Drill holes through the tile slightly larger than screw heads and screw the valve down through the wall. <S> The escutcheons should cover the newly drilled holes, and if not you may be able to get larger remodel type trim that will. <S> Or, tell the plumber to fix his mistake! <A> I have pulled out several valves without retyling... <S> Most were through the back of the wall. <S> A couple I did from the front doing the following... <S> An adjustable fan brace, wire wrap, and silicone. <S> Once it is fully secure wrap the valve (ALOT) in many directions. <S> There is also creative uses of mounts and brackets attached to the brace. <S> And finish off with silicone to the brace.
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Get an adjustable fan brace and install it right over or behind the valve.
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Are there any reasons not to upgrade to 200A service? A sub-panel is already installed on a second floor. It draws power from a 100 amp main panel downstairs. The sub-panel is feed by a 60 amp double pole breaker. The panel was installed for or by AC techs who were installing mini-split AC units. The sub-panel contains four breakers for the AC units and then one 15 amp and two 20 amp circuits were added to service general receptacles and lights on the second floor. The house was recently bought and the new homeowners found very bad wiring such as no electrical boxes behind ceiling lights and fans, wiring duct taped together, a mixing of 12 and 14 AWG wire on the same circuit, and incidences like no neutral wire where outlets were installed. In light of the many problems which we are knowledgeable enough to catch and understand, we would like to ask a question about the sub-panel to make sure the above description sounds on the surface like an okay set up. If so I take it that more circuits can be run from the sub-panel to add extra light and outlet receptacles in the living areas as needed. I take it that this is a proper use of the sub-panel to add circuits in addition to the AC it was put in to accommodate as long as there are slots on the panel. The homeowners are intending on upgrading the main panel to a 200 amp service soon. I take 200 amp to be the standard upgrade for homes. Are there any reasons that such an upgrade would be prohibited for local code reasons and concerns? They definitely need an upgrade since they are trying to properly wire the house to all new code requirements after the hurricane forced a gut of the whole first floor. <Q> Cost Service upgrades tend to be expensive, since it usually involves installing a new service panel. <S> Depending on your situation, you may find that the cost far outweighs the reward. <S> If you already have 100 Amp service, and you haven't added on to the home, you may find the upgrade unnecessary. <S> Availability <S> The upgrade has to be supported by the existing infrastructure, otherwise the provider may charge you to upgrade their system. <S> Just like the wires in your home have to be sized properly to carry the load, the distribution wires also have to be capable of providing the extra power. <S> In this case the provider will either tell you it can't offer you the service, or they'll offer the service but only if you pay extra to help offset their costs. <S> This is not a common scenario in most large US cities, though can still be encountered in less populated rural areas. <A> AC units PLUS additional circuits on the 60A sub-panel sounds like it's already overloaded. <S> Frankly it sounds like a complete rewire is called for in addition to the 200A upgrade. <S> To answer your question, though - no, I'm not aware of any reasons NOT to go to 200A. <S> Just be aware that utility companies will generally not do that upgrade w/o a properly completed inspection of the new panel work and anything tied to that replacement. <S> But I trust you already intend to have the electrical work properly inspected, right? :) <A> Just a late observation: Given the move to CFLs (and now LEDs), plus more energy-efficient devices and appliances, I'm not convinced that 200A service is still as much of a benefit as it once was... at least not unless you're charging an electric vehicle.
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If the distribution system is at, or near its limit, the provider will have to make upgrades to the system before it can offer an upgrade to you.
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How do you level 1/2" x 6" flooring planks? We have a 1920's house with some 1/2" X 6" planks. Unfortunately the floor is in quite rough shape with finger wide gaps in some spots, I started to attempt to sand and flatten it but I think it will be too much work. That said, would the proper course of action be to put down some 1/2" subflooring (particle board or plywood tongue and groove) first. Screw it down then lay the laminate over top? If not what would be the correct thing to <Q> If your subfloor is only a 1/2 inch thick and partially rotten you need to replace it. <S> Even if it were in perfect condition that's not thick enough for laminate flooring, it will droop and bounce like walking on sponge cake. <S> they do)especially if the joists are under the span load limit, here's a tutorial on span limits: <S> http://www.awc.org/technical/spantables/tutorial.php <S> Once you've got that figured out, sheet with 3/4 t&g cdx. <S> Run a bead of PL on the joists to fill and small voids and bind it all together. <S> Here's a pretty thorough link from a sheeting manufacturer. <S> http://buildgp.com/wood-products-installation-tips Hope this helps! <A> As long as your floor is "flat" then you really need to follow the install advice for the type of laminate you are installing. <S> Some laminates require nothing, some a pad. <S> If your floor has a lot of damage and bumps then you probably want to patch it with a compound like floor leveler. <A> Using plywood or MDF to flatten the floor and then using laminate might rise the entire floor a bit too much. <S> You might be better off renting a drum sander and sand the entire floor to level it. <S> Then use damp proof pvs, underlay and then your laminate on top. <A> Given what you have, I'm going to beseech you - STOP sanding, you're only making too-thin flooring even thinner. <S> If you keep going, you may fall through. <S> Were it my house or project, I'd lay <S> 3/4" tongue-and-groove OSB (Oriented-Strand Board) down over the existing planks, NAILING it down with ring-shank nails (no screws). <S> It may take some doing to select the correct-weight hammer. <S> After the OSB is down, then lay your finish flooring on it. <S> For most things, I like to avoid OSB. <S> For this, though, it's almost the perfect material.
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You don't want to have large potmarks (anything greater than an inch) in your floor and leave it thinking the pad and laminate will cover it. It looks daunting but its not as bad as it looks. Cut out your floor boards, true up/replace/sister your floor joists using a site laser or string line and power plane if they need it (and I'd bet you a shiny nickel If you're still fuzzy just go to your local building center and they can usually calculate loads and spans for you.
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How do I connect the common wire in a Carrier air handler? I am trying to install a new wifi thermostat in my home and need to locate the common terminal for my air handler. I have a Carrier model FB4CNF030. It's a new construction home and I have the blue common run but it is not connected at the air handler side I've referred to the post at How can I add a "C" wire to my thermostat? and understand the purpose of the common but still don't know where to hook it up. I can't find the wiring schematic for this unit. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. <Q> There is a set of connections in the air handler that usually includes the "C" terminal, and it should be labelled (though it may be hard to read depending on the location of the control board and/or wiring/etc in the way). <S> One way to tell for sure is that while the furnace is not running, using a multi-meter you can measure between the "C" and "R" (or Rh or Rc terminals) and you should see 24VAC. <S> R (or Rh and Rc) will already be going to the thermostat. <S> As an example, on your furnace, from the manual : <S> The colors may match, but don't count on it. <S> The sure-fire way is to check using a multi-meter as I said above. <A> I'm an electrical site supervisor in Dubai. <S> This is the same problem that happened in my site also. <S> It's actually quite simple to connect common C wire: <S> Wires from outdoor unit: <S> Common wire - brown or blue color Cut-off switch wire (in my unit it's blue color) Wires from indoor fan relay: Red (24VA power) <S> Brown (common "c") <S> in your case it's blue Gray (fan relay control) <S> Procedure Connect outdoor unit cutoff switch wire (blue wire) to thermostat "y" Connect outdoor unit common wire and indoor unit common wire and connect to thermostat "c"or "x" Connect 24VA red wire to thermostat "RC" or "RH" Connect <S> gray <S> (fan relay control) wire to thermostat "G" <S> I hope this will work for you. <A> After connecting the thermostat common (blue) to the brown common in the air handler it still wouldn't work. <S> I had to trace the wire until I found the splice and was able to tie the common together at that point. <S> After that I had no problem.
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After exhausting every possibility for a failing common I found a splice of old wire and new wire where the air handler was swapped out but not the thermostat.
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How can I build a screen door? I have a guesthouse with an unusual door, 32" x 76", and it needs a screen door. Home Depot has tons of cheap-o screen doors that could be cut down to maybe 32" x 78" safely, but an additional two inches will probably cost my screen door structural integrity. I've thought about building a screen door, but -- well, I lack some of the tools I think I'd need, namely: a planer, a joiner, and mortise and tenon jigs. I have a table saw, but it's disassembled and I have no where to actually run it. I do have a circular saw, a router, a jigsaw, a miter saw (chop saw), and a hand drill (all electric). I could order a custom screen door for $250-300, but I can't believe there isn't a less expensive solution out there. I spent $300 for the door itself -- and can't believe I should have to spend another $300 just for a screen door. Most of the plans I've found on the net require tools I don't have, and are overly complicated for my guesthouse's needs. Here are a couple of possibilities, and I'd really love your feedback: Could I accomplish what I want with just some pegs and maybe a couple of L-brackets? Or will that be too weak with the constant slamming of the door? Is there a simple way to construct a mortise and tenon jig that would enable me to use only my router and maybe a drill for this project? Am I missing some other obvious option? Where are you when I need you, MacGyver? ("macgyver" should really be a tag here on diy.) <Q> Personally, I'd get the table saw a portable folding stand, you can do basically everything you need with the tablesaw and can build any of the jigs you need. <S> You could also do most of the work with your circ saw and router but getting the wood to the correct dimensions is going to be easier with a table saw since you don't have a planer or jointer. <S> Instead of mortise and tenon, look at doing half laps for the corner joints and for a support brace or two across the middle. <S> You can probably get some nice looking metal braces to strengthen up the corners as well. <S> You should be able to do half laps using your circ saw or router. <S> You can also profile all the edges with the router to making look nice. <A> <A> Am <S> I missing some other obvious option? <S> Mortise and tenon joints will be stronger but no need to spend that much money for all those tools to make a simple screen door. <S> You can get away with a drill and a miter box. <S> Make the door using either glue and pocket hole joints or dowel joints. <S> If it falls apart in half the time a mortise and tenon door would you can make a new one. <S> You can cut mortise and tenons by hand. <S> The tenons on the rails are easy to cut with a hand saw. <S> You can drill out the tenons in the stiles with a drill and clean them up with a chisel. <S> It's not like you have that many to do. <S> You mentioned you have a router you can use that as well. <S> Here's a video on making mortises with a router . <A> Plans for a screen door were published in the August 2010 issue of Woodworker's Journal, if that helps at all. <S> Try libraries and/or see if you can find someone who'd lend you their copy.
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I would use a prebuilt screen door and cut out section of rail with screen and reattach with dowels and glue The materials to actually make the door are pretty cheap.
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Can I warm up a swimming pool by submerging black-painted milk jugs in it? I know they make solar covers for pools, but I that is a bit of a pain to put on and take off all the time and my cover (from a well known manufacturer) from last year was easy to rip and became brittle and fell apart in a few thousand pieces at the end of the summer. I was thinking about taking milk jugs, pouring a bit of black paint in them to coat the inside, letting them dry, and then submerging them in the pool. This sounds like it would be more effort than the solar cover, but I don't think I would need to remove them every time. Also, they could double as weights to keep the normal cover on when it storms. Are there any DIY solutions that work well to really warm up a pool? I live in Ohio, USA if that matters/helps. <Q> I'm not clear on how some milk jugs are going to heat the pool. <S> Most of the light will have scattered before it reaches the submerged jugs. <S> Plus the surface area is going to be minuscule compared to the pool area, unless you have thousands of jugs. <S> Finally, I thought one of the main benefits to a pool cover was to reduce evaporative heat loss. <S> Underwater jugs won't help you at all. <A> As others have said milk jugs are too small and much of your heat loss is due to evaporation. <S> An alternative would be to build these " lily-pad-pool-warmers ". <S> They are basically hoola hoops with black plastic sheeting stretched across them. <S> You make a bunch of them and then float them on the pool. <S> How much good they do will depend on how much of the surface they cover. <A> Submerging black milk jugs is not going to create any worthwhile difference. <S> The overwhelming source of heat loss in an outdoor pool is due to evaporation. <S> Evaporation literally draws heat out of the pool. <S> You need a solar cover to stop the evaporation. <S> Compare your pool against a lake, with water stratification. <S> From the surface, looking below it is pretty much black, indicating that all of the incoming sunlight is being absorbed. <S> Despite that, if you dive down several feet, you'll find the water temperature gets very cold very fast, even if the upper layer of the water is warm. <A> Nobody has discussed the displacement issue. <S> By filling up a pool with milk cartons (full enough to sink to the bottom) <S> a lot of water would be pushed out when the jugs are placed in the pool, and will then require additional cold water from the water supply to be introduced to bring the water to the proper level, lowering the temperature even further. <S> Looks like the solar cover is the best solution <S> , of course it depends on the depth of your pool as to the interval for placing and removing the cover.
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If absorbing all sunlight isn't enough to warm the whole of a lake, it certainly won't be enough to heat your pool with several black milk jugs.
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Can I install lights on a 20 amp circuit that has receptacles already wired? I have never been able to ask the following question and get a simple straight answer and would like to know why there is a controversy, and what the answer really is. The question: Can a 20 amp 12 AWG circuit for receptacles that are general use receptacles in living areas be used to supply power to a light or two and the switches that control the light or lights? If power is just as easily supplied by a lighting circuit with room on it, then of course one would use that. But if the most convenient supply for the lights is this 20 amp 12 AWG circuit then can it be used? I have been told yes more times than no. But the no answers have some more detailed take on the issue as it pertains to code. <Q> According to 2011 National Electrical Code, there is no problem mixing lighting and receptacles on a 15 or 20 ampere circuit. <S> 2011 <S> National Electrical Code Article 210 Branch Circuits <S> 210.23 Permissible Loads. <S> (A) <S> 15- and 20-Ampere Branch Circuits. <S> A 15- or 20-ampere branch circuit shall be permitted to supply lighting units or otherutilization equipment, or a combination of both, and shall comply with210.23(A)(1) and (A)(2). <S> For some reasons why folks tend to avoid this in practice, take a look at my answer to this other question . <A> Yes it can. <S> As long as you don't have load issues you are fine doing this. <S> Lots of people don't mix receptacles and overhead lighting to keep the room lit if there is a power failure on one <S> however this is not a hard rule and is just good practice. <A> Can't have 14 gauge wire or 15 amp switch anywhere on a circuit that is protected by a 20 Amp breaker.
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The wiring for the light has to be 12 gauge, and the light switch has to be rated for 20 Amps. Different areas have rules for load on a circuit.
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What is the cheapest way to make well water with 800ppm TDS suitable for bathing and washing dishes? I have a 200 foot bore for water in my home. The Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) value of that water is around 790-800ppm. I want to make this water safe for bathing, dish-washing and clothes washing. I don't need to make this water ideal for drinking. What are the cheapest possible solutions for that? <Q> There are three basic non-snake oil devices that one might use: sediment filter, RO filter, and water softener. <S> A sediment filter doesn't remove dissolved solids. <S> An RO filter is not suitable for high volume uses like bathing, dish-washing and clothes washing. <S> But you might add an RO filter in the kitchen to supply water for drinking and cooking also. <A> Ask Coke Are there any restaurants (or convenience stores/gas stations with a soda fountain that use your same water? <S> Because Coke and Pepsi have stringent requirements for the water that goes into a soda fountain. <S> by "soda fountain" <S> I mean that thing, where there are 6+ flavors of soda on tap, usually ice too, and you can pump basically unlimited amounts. <S> It mixes mix concentrated syrup from cardboard cartons stored some distance away, carbonation from CO2 canisters supplied locally, and water from the tap that is filtered so minerals and water treatment chemicals don't make the soda flat or taste funny . <S> This is why Coke tastes like Coke everywhere. <S> Most of those machines are actually owned by the Coca-Cola Company, and when they install one, they do water testing and dictate to the owner what kinds of water filtration they must install to get the water quality to Coke company spec. <S> And that must feed the ice machine too. <S> The restaurant is also welcome to hang anything else off that filter, e.g. Coffee and tea machines. <S> That is why, even in a town with dank tap water, the stuff from the "water" side-tap on the soda fountain tastes so good. <S> Anyway, the upshot is you don't need to reinvent the wheel... <S> Just find out what's behind your nearest Coke fountain. <A> I'd say you have two options you could try, one cheap and one expensive. <S> You could add a whole house sediment filter to your main line into the house. <S> There are a couple different kinds (replaceable paper, cleanable metal screen, and more fancy options). <S> You could add a reverse osmosis system and significant size storage tank to store enough RO water since the system won't keep up. <S> Option 1 could run from $50 (assuming DIY) to $1000, depending on how fancy you get. <S> Option 2 would probably run from ~$800 to $1500, due to the need to store the RO water and more replumbing. <S> I'd probably try option 1 and see if that is adequate for you. <S> This article describes installing a pretty simple type of whole house filter. <S> http://www.familyhandyman.com/smart-homeowner/remove-water-sediment-with-a-whole-home-water-filter/view-all <S> You may need to look for something more expensive like a metal screen back flushing sediment filter if you find that you clog the paper media filter. <S> The price differential is considerable. <S> One example selected at random. <S> http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/sediment-filters-backwashing.html#item=SF002660&tab=tab1 <A> Use water conditioner and you'll be happy. <S> It doesn't make water soft nor does it reduce total dissolved solids (TDS), its because reduction of TDS is not necessary since the minerals are sliced and diced and aligned and neutralized due to which it loses its bonding ability thereby doesn't form scales.
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A good water softener is the right product for your needs.
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How do I extend outlets after installing a backsplash? I have installed a back splash in my kitchen, if I use the plastic spacers how many should I use or is there a limit? I understand that this can cause to much air space around the receptacle or light switch. <Q> If your problem is that the thickness of the back splash material has caused the electrical boxes to become recessed you may need to use electrical box extenders. <S> These come in a number of styles depending on the type of electrical boxes you have. <S> There are options for metal or plastic boxes for starters. <S> Other factors would be amount of extension needed and whether you are dealing with a single width type box or a wider type. <S> Here is an example of a metal box extender that works in a telescopic manner to accommodate just the amount of extension that you require. <S> If you're in an area that follows National Electrical Code (NEC), the boxes cannot be set back more than 1/4" (6 mm). <S> If the backsplash has caused the boxes to be set back more than this, you'll have to use extenders to bring the box out to the proper depth. <S> National Electrical Code 2011 <S> ARTICLE 314 Outlet, Device, Pull, and Junction Boxes; Conduit Bodies; Fittings; and Handhole Enclosures II. <S> Installation 314.20 <S> In Wall or Ceiling. <S> In walls or ceilings with a surface of concrete, tile, gypsum, plaster, or other noncombustible material, boxes employing a flush-type cover or faceplate shall be installed so that the front edge of the box, plaster ring, extension ring, or listed extender will not be set back of the finished surface more than 6 mm (1⁄4 in.). <S> In walls and ceilings constructed of wood or other combustible surface material, boxes, plaster rings, extension rings, or listed extenders shall be flush with the finished surface or project therefrom. <A> You use as many spacers as needed to get the outlet/switch mounting tabs flush with the tile. <S> You may not need them if the mounting tabs of the box extender suggested by Mr Karas are tall enough to hold extender and device (just need longer screws: 6-32, in either case ) <S> Die cut wallplate insulation gaskets: they go over switch/outlet and under wallplate. <S> They block airflow by sealing around box perimeter and fit tight around device. <S> The adhesive is good for 1 shot and then will need replacement. <A> I used these for the purpose of bringing my outlets and switches flush with the new tile surface after installing a new back splash in my kitchen. <S> They worked great and were easy to size properly. <A> Use longer screws (#6 x 32 x 2"). <S> If you get the right pack, it comes with the nuts. <S> Run the screw through the receptacle and put the nut on the backside of the receptacle. <S> Works like a charm!
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If the box is less than 1/4" from the finished surface, you can use as many spacers as needed to mount the receptacle in such a way that the yoke is held rigidly at the finished surface. You can google a product called the "Electrical Outlet Spacer" or find it on Amazon.
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How can I improve ventilation in my room with a window fan while filtering pollen from a nearby tree? This is a campus building in Aalto University where you have a tree about 10 cm away from the window. The Espoo city does not allow the student organisation AYY to cut down the tree. There is a poor air-conditioning in the room so the fan is essential to speed up the airflow. Without the fan, the window becomes smoky and the room very hot. I need to find filter to the window so I can keep the fan on also during times of heavy pollen times (15x100cm for the above window). The filter must be sturdy because birds get into the room. I tested a novel idea of using computer fans with polycarbonate plastic thing for a smaller window but the computer fans provide very small airflow in comparison to the large fan. Which kind of filters should I use in windows like above? Is it enough to have a cloth pinned to the sides of the window? Or do I need carbon filter? Can I use filters meant for computer fans like the above? <Q> You'd be better off with a box fan as it has a large, square area that will support your filter media properly. <S> It will need to be powerful enough to develop airflow despite the next addition. <S> Not sure if you can find it, but we have here available electrostatic filter media by the roll. <S> Cut several pieces large enough to cover the inlet side of the box fan. <S> Mount one to the grill, keep an eye on it for pollen buildup, swap in a spare and wash the clogged one. <S> It's not as efficient as a HEPA filter system, but then the cost of the filter material isn't going to put you in the poor house like the cost of expensive HEPA microfilters that will quickly clog even though you keep the outer prefilter cleaned will. <A> I have not seen conclusive data about carbon stopping pollen. <S> Carbon is very good at catching odour within in air and excellent at absorbing chemicals in water (ie chlorine) <S> I would strongly suggest you use a 5 micron sponge pre filter. <S> This will stop bigger bits of pollen and other larger particles. <S> You can find cheap ones on eBay - The more expensive ones are used to for micro biology or strict particle sanitization - Like in hospitals, data recovery centres and bio chem labs. <S> HEPA filters are used in cars for intake cleaning, cabin air, vacuum cleaners and ventilation systems. <S> The prices depend on the brand but essentially are the same as any other HEPA filter. <S> You can build a box with inlet pipe that goes outside. <S> In the box you can put pre filter material like 5 micron, sponges or cotton. <S> Then slot in the hepa filters somehow. <S> They must be air tight to work properly. <S> I my self have very bad hay fever and pollen allergies. <S> I use ionisers in my house and my vacuum has HEPA filters on the exhaust. <S> It works really good for me. <S> This brand might be clear enough proof that carbon on its own wont remove all the particles. <S> This site can help you start with DIY solutions for HEPA filters <S> And this one too <A> Get an air-conditioning system. <S> I got it because my room has no output air channel so adding an extra output air-channel through the air-conditioning system fixed the problem of smoky windows. <S> It filters the air and it is pretty easy to install: it takes air 1 block inside and 1 block moving outside so the pipe just to the window for the output channel. <S> Smallest/cheapest unit I could find was 250EUR "ilmastointilaite" unit from Bauhaus with 2k W/h energy consumption (only one offering 5 years' warranty hence chose this model) so it costs about 15 cents in Finland to run one hour with the full mode but 15 minutes running does very good job in cleaning the air and making the room comfortable to sleep and work. <S> So it is relatively cheap to filter the air unless much higher electricity prices and/or far larger/higher apartment. <S> I don't like to sleep with it on because of the noise. <S> So I created an output air channel to the top of the window in PMMA plastic ("kelmumuovi") and the hot output channel to the bottom for the machine when it is operating: this means that the room air will go from the top when the machine is not on and when it is on the air will go away from the below hole. <S> This saves energy and keeps the cold air inside the room and hot air outside because the special PMMA has air between the plastic strengthening and air is an excellent insulator.
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Then after the pre filter use a HEPA filter. an extractor fan running the other way (taking air form outside pumping into the box) will do a decent job. The downside of air-conditioning system is the energy consumption.
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How do I troubleshoot a ceiling fan that suddenly stopped working? I've got a ceiling fan in my kitchen that all of a sudden stopped working one day. No lights, no fan. Power is still up in the rest of the kitchen, and no breakers tripped. Is it common for a ceiling fan to stop working? It's less than a few years old. It does run a fair bit, but I'd expect the lights to still work if for instance the motor went out. I'm not sure if that means something is wrong with the electrical inside the fan, or if it's at the connection, or perhaps even the switch. What can I do to test that it's not kaput? <Q> Well for starters you can check the power at the switch to see of the switch has failed. <S> This can be done with a power line wire test probe..... <S> but do use care when dealing with AC power. <S> It is dangerous stuff and can injure or kill if not handled properly. <S> If this leaves you with a queasy feeling then now would be a good time to call in a professional electrician. <S> There are many things that could happen and some of them may be dependent on just what type of ceiling fan unit this is. <S> For example if the fan was one of the type suspended down from the ceiling on a pipe type thing and if the fan was somewhat unbalanced a continual swinging motion of the hanger pipe could cause the electrical wires to fracture and become open circuit. <S> Without further detail as to the type of fan it would be difficult to suggest specific failures that you might expect to see. <S> Do note that it is common that a fan / light assembly may have separate switched power leads for the fan and for the light. <S> However there may be a common return neutral line. <S> Since it seems like both the lights and fan failed at the same time it is likely that the wiring failure could be in this common return line. <A> I had the same problem and found out it was the remote control controller you can replace it at Lowes hardware store pretty cheaply <S> but that was the Problem <A> If it is a Casablanca brand, their website has good troubleshooting. <S> I fixed one of them once by purchasing and installing a new control circuit board.worth the effort on an expensive fan. <S> Power surge can fry the board.
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If power is passing through the switch to the fan and light unit then it is a pretty good guess that something has gone wrong with the unit itself.
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What type of washcloth bar should I put inside a fiberglass shower? I have a fiberglass bath and shower. I would really like to mount a bar inside it on the back wall for hanging washcloths up to dry. I've tried the suction cup mounted ones with moderate success. They stick for a few weeks at a time but after that they fall down and I have to go in and stick them back up. If I bought a bar with screws, I'm not sure how I would screw it into the fiberglass. Is that even possible? Are there other mounting options that I have overlooked? <Q> I know of 2 methods to create a safe mount that will support the fiberglass Wood blocking directly behind fiberglass. <S> This method relies on access to the other side of the wall, to place the blocking (1x4 is close to the spacing) <S> such that it is against the fiberglass and secured by 2 studs. <S> Special self supporting brackets (Solid Mount™) These can be placed from inside the shower, but require you to anchor the rear of the mounting plate to the stud (in 2 places). <S> If the spacing is not optimum for your towel bar, <S> a waterproof sub mount (spanning the 2 mounts, made of solid surface material, Swanstone or Corian) could give you a few inches. <S> Cantilevering any more than that would be unsafe. <A> When the shower was installed blocking could have been added to allow for a bar. <S> Since you don't know what is behind the fiberglass to anchor the bar I would look for another method. <S> As @HerrBag has stated even a slip that results in grabbing the bar without a fall could damage the fiberglass. <S> In some locations an improperly mounted bar is more of a liability than no bar at all. <S> Although not as visually appealing you may consider a rack and bar assembly that hangs on the shower head. <A> Glue on towel bars are getting pretty common. <S> The link I have is just an example. <S> Never used it. <S> Basically you just need a bar with a flat backing. <S> You can use glue or a more powerful adhesive to keep it down (Loctite makes a construction adhesive for fiberglass). <S> I would google "glue on towel bar" to see choices. <S> There is tons of stuff. <S> As for installation, this ranges all over the place. <S> Some come with their own install pads - where you glue down the pad and slide the backing over the pad. <S> Just know that the stronger you glue it down <S> then less chance your shower enclosure will be able to be "cleaned". <S> So if you go with a construction adhesive (99%) secure then please make sure it is where you want it for the long haul.
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Most fiberglass enclosures don't go to the ceiling, so a "single rung" towel bar could be stud mounted just above the fiberglass.
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How do I connect 1/4" plastic tube to 3/8" plastic tube? I am installing a R/O filter under my sink. The drain for the waste water attached to my dish-washer drain hose provides a 3/8" connection (Watts Premier 164020 DLA-D Drain Line Plumbing Adapter). But, the drain with my unit is a 1/4" hard plastic tube. I am not sure what to do, but maybe I can connect the 1/4" tube to the 3/8" tube somehow. Any ideas? <Q> Watts connector described has a push-in connector for poly tubing. <S> What size is the push-in connector for? <S> You cut off the poly with a sharp knife and push it into the fitting if it's the proper size. <S> Other options, Universal Dishwasher drain coupler. <S> Usually, they come with a new disposer. <S> They look something like this. <S> If you search online, all sorts of sizes are available. <S> I'm assuming that it is hard poly and barb <S> fittings won't work as it isn't flexible enough. <S> The compression fitting ring will have bite into its surface enough to seal and hold. <S> For Vinyl and Poly type tubing, they make a brass insert so the compressing fitting has better bite. <S> Shown is a sample of a union coupler with inserts, what you need will have to be selected for your situation <A> Check the plumbing section of your local hardware or big box store for a double barbed adapter. <S> It may be a direct 1/4 by 3/8 or a multi size barb that increases size from 1/4 to 3/8. <A> Just to help others find it, those couplers can be found here: http://www.homedepot.com/p/3-8-in-x-1-4-in-Plastic-O-D-x-O-D-Coupling-PL-3021/100144498 http://www.homedepot.com/p/John-Guest-3-8-in-x-1-4-in-Polypropylene-Push-to-Connect-Reducing-Union-10-Pack-PP201208W/206495978 <S> There are also John Guest reducer options, part number PP061208W.
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Also, given that 1/4" tubing is a standard size, you can adapt it up in size to 3/8" by using an appropriate brass compression fitting.
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Why does my circuit breaker keep tripping? Every time I switch on one specific circuit breaker, the residual-current device (RCD) switches off. I've disconnected every device that's on the group, and even took out all light bulbs, but the problem doesn't go away. I think there are two options now, either there's something wrong with the circuit breaker, or with the wiring (there are three other groups that share the RCD, but I have no problem with those, so I think the RCD is OK). Are there other options, and how do I find out where my problem is? (I know next to nothing about electrical wiring, so I hope I got the terms right.) <Q> First choice: Call a licensed electrician. <S> Second choice <S> : Find all the outlets and lights which are affected by the breaker. <S> Start with the one closest to the panel. <S> Open them all up and visually inspect. <S> If nothing is seen, turn on the breaker with everything opened up - does it still trip. <S> Sometimes movement in the boxes will re-position wires and remove a short. <S> If you still have a problem, start removing sections from the circuit - i.e., disconnect them from the line. <S> Start in the middle - check breaker if no more tripping your problem is down line from that point. <S> Get the idea? <A> I had this problem when there was something wrong with the wiring. <S> Pay extra attention to anything you may have moved or modified. <A> In the US, switching a breaker on will sometimes trip a GFCI for no apparent reason. <S> Reset the GFCI with the breaker on, and if it trips with current to it, it may be bad, OR you might have a ground fault. <S> These devices aren't designed to last more than 5 to 10 years. <S> If considering replacement, have an electrician check the wiring first. <S> I've seen many GFCI devices wired incorrectly. <S> They may work, but do not protect additional circuits on the line as intended. <S> With this being a combined over-current protector as well, you would quite possibly trip the device by simply turning on the breaker with ANY current surging further down the line, as the breaker goes on. <S> This might be some item you haven't thought of, such as a doorbell transformer, automatic light switch, burglar alarm, etc. <S> If it won't reset, or keeps tripping with current ON, then have it, along with the circuit, inspected or replaced.
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Try tracing the wiring from the circuit and look at each junction box, socket, and fixture for a short.
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How can I deal with waste water from a washing machine in a non-plumbed room? My wife wants to build a small add-on to the house in the current carport for the washer/dryer. It's not a huge project. The washing machine will be about 30ft from it's current location. I don't want to run plumbing outside the house to the drain; I'd rather do it through the attic, which extends over the carport. My question is: how do I handle the water discharge? Someone told me that the discharge head on a washing machine water pump is enough to handle the rise into the attic and the run to the drain, but I haven't really been able to find out if that is true. My original thought was to install a small holding tank with a float switch operating a small 110V Jabsco pump. If I go the holding tank route, does it matter how the holding tank is installed in relation to the washing machine and what would be a "safe" minimum size for the holding tank? Surely 10 gallons would suffice? <Q> The specifications list this unit as having a vertical discharge of 14 ft., which should be more than enough. <S> I've seen similar setups in many basements, where the only drain available is overhead. <S> Grey water from the sink and washer are collected in the cistern, then pumped up and out of the area when the cistern is filled to a certain level. <S> If the washer discharges faster than the grey water pump can handle, you're going to have problems. <S> That's why when installing a system like this, the cistern should always be large enough to hold more than the volume of water that will be discharged by the washer. <S> In the above image, the sink acts as a secondary reservoir (as well as an air gap) allowing the pump extra time to discharge the water. <S> If you're not using a sink <S> it's a good idea to have a larger cistern, <S> and/or a grey water pump that can handle the volume. <S> You'll also want to install a check valve , on the discharge line from the grey water pipe. <S> This will prevent the water in the vertical pipe from draining back into the cistern, and causing a potential infinite loop situation. <S> As for whether or not you should rely on your washing machine discharge pump to lift the water, you might find this related question useful. <S> WARNING <S> : This is only appropriate for grey water discharge. <S> This method is NOT appropriate for sewage discharge. <S> Obviously there are other manufacturers of other systems, and you could always build you own system. <S> I do not recommend or endorse this product, it is only used as an example. <S> Searching for grey water pump will find many alternative products. <A> I would not even think about pushing the washer water to the attic. <S> That is a disaster waiting to happen. <S> Water goes down. <S> You have two choices. <S> Get the water over to the main stack <S> - I am not sure of your setup but if you have a basement this is usually doable. <S> The second option is to pump it out to the yard. <S> Since this is not waste you can pump to the outside - you can ask local building inspector about local codes on this. <A> City folk can't drain grey to the street. <S> The laundry tub would work great, treat it like a sump , which in the Midwest usually run consistantly and overhead. <S> If good materials and workmanship are obtained you'll be good for years with the pump and indefinitely with the system. <S> Use a lint sock on the washer discharge and read the pump directions, don't forget the airlock hole in discharge from the pump, between the pump and the bottom of the check vales, and no pumps that have free floating-floats (cable floats).
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In homes where there are no drain lines in the basement floor, it's common practice to use some form of cistern containing a pump. A quick search at Home Depot turned up the SANISWIFT® , made by a company called Saniflo .
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What causes a breaker to trip? In a normal, properly-wired home, what are the possible causes of a tripped breaker? At 110-120V is there a maximum wattage throughput on a single breaker? I'd like to understand the system to be able to know how best to lay out the electrical system in a brand new house. I'm not an electrician, but I do understand certain basic concepts. (I'm also not planning necessarily on doing the work myself, but I'd like to understand the whole line of thinking behind electrical system layout.) <Q> Short-circuit Protection A breaker that offers short-circuit protection, will trip if there is a short somewhere in the circuit. <S> A short-circuit is characterized by a very high current increase in a very short period of time. <S> This type of protection is usually provided by an electromagnetic device; commonly an electromechanical solenoid , which physically opens the circuit when a short-circuit is detected. <S> Most residential short-circuit protection devices trip at 10 kA (10,000 A). <S> An overcurrent situation is usually detected using heat, and so is slower acting than short-circuit protection. <S> Overcurrent protection is usually provided by a bimetallic strip , which trips the breaker if it is heated too much for too long. <S> Most typical residential circuit breakers are combination devices, and offer both short-circuit and overcurrent protection. <S> Wikipedia has a great image of the inside of a circuit breaker, which shows both short-circuit and overcurrent protection mechanisms. <S> 5 - Bimetallic strip providing overcurrent protection. <S> 7 - Electromechanical solenoid offering short-circuit protection. <S> Ground-fault Protection Ground-fault protection is a recent addition to circuit breakers, which offers protection to people and equipment. <S> Breakers that offer ground-fault protection, trip when the current flowing out to the circuit is higher than the current returning from the circuit. <S> A current transformer (CT) inside the breaker, is a common way used to measure current imbalances. <S> The CT will be wrapped around both conductors, and if a large enough current is induced on the CT the breaker will open the circuit. <S> Residential ground-fault circuit breakers are almost exclusively combination devices offering short-circuit, overcurrent, and ground-fault protection. <S> Arc-fault Protection Arc-fault protection is the most recent addition to circuit breakers, and offers protection against dangerous electrical arcs . <S> They use complex electronics to analyze the circuit looking for tell tale signs of dangerous electric arcs, all the while ignoring non-hazardous arcs. <S> As with ground-fault circuit breakers, arc-fault breakers are almost always combination devices as well. <A> Breakers trip when an overcurrent condition occurs. <S> That's it. <S> With some caveats we can ignore, overcurrent = load greater than the breaker's rating. <S> For example, if you draw 50A on a 15A breaker, it will trip. <S> However, overcurrents can be considered in two groups. <S> Some are effectively infinite - an infinite draw on a breaker of any size is always an overcurrent. <S> This happens when there's a short circuit, for example if a rodent chews through the hot wire in the wall, and it touches ground. <S> If you're getting a short circuit in your home wiring, a repair will be required. <S> The other kind is typically within the same order of magnitude of the breaker's rating, for example if you put three tea kettles on the same circuit in your kitchen. <S> You want the breaker to trip here, too, but it's annoying. <S> This is the user's error, and can be remedied by putting devices on separate circuits, or only running 1 at a time, etc. <S> In all cases, the purpose of the breaker is to protect the in-wall wiring for that circuit . <S> If the breaker did not trip, then the wire would act as a fuse, heating up, and eventually melting to break the circuit. <S> A fire might have started in the meantime. <S> Usually a breaker is at the beginning of a circuit, but the main breaker for a panel (or subpanel) is often at the end of the circuit. <S> That means that flipping the breaker off will not de-energize the wire it is protecting. <A> Circuit Breakers are rated in Amps and fail open when the rating is exceeded. <S> Excessive current causes heat, leading to fire danger. <S> If you're going to base your calculations on wattage, you have to know the formula. <S> Power (Watts) = <S> EMF (Volts) & I (Current) <S> P/E = I or 3000W/120V = <S> 25A <S> Plugging two 1500 watt hair dryers into a single circuit and using both on high will do it. <S> 3000 Watts @ <S> 120V = <S> 25A <S> and your circuit breaker will usually be 20A. <S> You're 5A over limit, so pop. <S> Same goes for using a 2250W (3 hp) motor on the circuit, but the problem here is the inrush current during motor start will pop the breaker as will bogging the motor down (current increases as back-emf decreases) <S> So, too many devices on the circuit, or not having the appropriate dedicated circuit for a high power device will lead to current drawn exceeding the breaker's rating. <S> Maximum Wattage for common house wiring circuits, split phase: 240V @ <S> 50A <S> = 12000W240V @ <S> 30A = <S> 7200W240V @ <S> 20A = 4800V120V @ <S> 30A = <S> 3600W120V @ <S> 20A = <S> 2400W120V @ <S> 15A = 1800W
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Overcurrent Protection Breakers that offer overcurrent protection, trip when a current higher than the rated current is drawn through the device over a specific amount of time.
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How can I repair an air conditioner drain line that is broken flush with the wall? As you can see below, I broke the drain line off flush with the wall. There appears to be either a union or an elbow embedded in the wall with a broken off piece of pipe in the fitting. The joint appears to be glued because I can't remove the little fragment of pipe that is left behind. What are my options for fixing this? Right now the water is dribbling out of the broken pipe and running down the side of the house instead of being discharged from the end of the pipe two feet from the wall. <Q> However you end up fixing this do plan to use a more repairable solution that used by the original installer. <S> It is an insane approach to cement or stucco in a glued plastic fitting like this. <S> As a minimum the part that gets cemented in place should be made out of metal with brass or bronze being preferred over an iron type fitting. <S> The outside pipe should be fitted to the cemented in part via a threaded connection. <S> If you must repair this with minimal disturbance to the cement or stucco, (its hard to tell which from the picture) then I would see a number of possibilities... <S> a) Work at drilling and carving out the glued in inner pipe piece bit by bit till you get it <S> the point where you can fit a new piece of pipe in its place. <S> You have to use much care for this because the process could put excess torque on the remaining pipe in the wall and lead to possible further breakage. <S> b) Try to find a suitably sized pipe thread tap and cut threads into the inner diameter of the pipe stub. <S> Once this is done you can fit it up with the proper type of barbed brass pipe nipple fitting. <S> To this you can attach a flexible piece of hose to go out the 2 to 3 feet from the foundation. <S> If you have access to the area inside the wall you may be able to simply pull the existing fitting out of the cement and install a newer more suitable type of exterior transition that the method used. <S> If the wall is stucco you could take a chisel to the area around the broken off fitting and enlarge the hole enough to get access to the pipe. <S> Then you can fit up the proper type of pipe fittings and re-patch the stucco around a metal transition fitting. <S> Stucco patching is a fairly straight forward task and should be able to completed successfully by a diligent DIY home owner. <A> use a hacksaw blade to cut through the pipe (stoping before the socket) then put a small flat blade or chisel in the groove you have cut in the pipe, twist the tool to break the glue and the inside pipe will peel out of the socket. <S> The other option is to put plumbers glue in the pipe and set fire to it to melt the glue around the pipe but as I cant see what is behind the wall I wouldnt do that in this case <A> There are three methods for removing glued PVC pipe fittings, that I'm aware of. <S> Heat <S> If the bit of pipe that's stuck inside the fitting is heated, the bond can be broken and the pipe removed. <S> Reaming <S> In this method, the pipe is bored out of the fitting. <S> Expensive specialized reamers are used. <S> Cutting With this method, there can be quite a bit of collateral damage. <S> The idea here is to simply remove the fitting by cutting it off, which means you'll first have to have access to the pipe beyond the fitting (This is where the collateral damage comes in). <S> This may not be an option depending on how the pipe was installed, but that would be the first avenue I'd explore.
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In your case you may be able to cut the pipe off on the other side of the wall, remove the old pipe from the hole, then simply slide a new bit of pipe through the existing foundation hole. They make expensive specialized heating tools for this, or you can burn it out!
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Should I use a roller or a brush for painting exterior walls? I'm about to embark on painting my house. I have researched all the info here and on painting sites I can find about preparation and safety etc., but I'm still not sure the best choice regarding applying the actual paint itself. I have HardiPlanks on the outside similar to this image but an older model of the planks so the chamfer isn't quite as pronounced. I'm wondering should I just get a Big Brushes (125mm?) or should I cut in under each plank and around windows, then roller what I can, or just do the lot with brushes? <Q> You absolutely want to use a brush for most exterior surfaces, and definitely the siding and trim. <S> The only time to ever use a roller is on a large flat surface (think drywall, or plywood paneling) -- in the image you provided I might use a roller for the white soffit, but that's it and only if it's a large house. <S> Aside from avoiding unsightly "orange peel" effect that a roller will undoubtedly case, applying the paint back and forth with a paintbrush will work the paint into the surface of the product in a way that a pass over the top with a roller will not. <S> This is especially true with wood surfaces, but generally true with most surfaces. <S> Just imagine being paint on a relatively smooth surface. <S> Wouldn't it be easier to peel if you were rolled on in one large sheet, than if you were brushed on and worked into the surface with each brushstroke? <S> Exceptions to the rule, for exterior surfaces are: Concrete - <S> I roll foundations and cement block with 1" nap roller "Cedar Shake" siding (think Cape Cod) where I apply the paint with a 1-1.25" nap roller, then backbrush to work it into the siding and catch drips (this is much faster than brushing, and higher quality than spraying) Large soffits or areas where I'm working over my head for long periods T111 siding, vertical barn siding, etc, but in all cases I backbrush Definitely buy a 4" brush for this project. <A> I would apply paint to the outside walls and trim surfaces with an air sprayer. <S> Make sure that the walls are fully and properly prepped before applying paint. <S> There can be no better way to get a excellent looking and uniform paint job than spraying. <S> Paint brushing the outside of a house is the old fashioned way of doing it before paint sprayers were invented !! <S> Using a spray application will cut down quite a bit on the amount of time spent on applying the paint. <S> The saved time will be spent doing the necessary masking and brown paper application needed to keep the spray off windows, doors or parts to be painted a different color. <A> I'd always use a brush on weatherboard. <S> Using a roller will require you to roll in sideways strokes rather than up and down which would be harder than just using a brush. <S> If you have flat walls of plaster or stucco then a roller is actually quicker and easier. <A> This surface requires a brush or sprayer. <S> The sprayer delivers a smoother finish, which may or may not be what you want. <S> Personally, I like the looks a a brushed finish better for most sidings. <S> Apply the paint, smooth it out evenly, and then finish each spot with long brush strokes as you move across the board. <S> Start with the brush on the dry surface, then move the brush in a long stroke across the wet surface, gently lifting it off the surface as you finish the stroke. <S> We call this "feathering". <S> It provides for a nice-looking brushed finish, not a choppy, stop-and-go finish. <A> Painting is challenging, especially painting old wood windows that are larger than doors. <S> Ha ha ha. <S> But the task you are talking about, you should use a brush. <S> A roller will make your task harder. <S> Buy two brushes, one regular size brush and one small brush (inch wide) for the areas that need edging. <S> Rollers do work well for painting straight flat surfaces, wood that is already painted that you are just painting over, brick walls, concrete walls, and interior room walls. <A> The "orange peel" finish will smoothen out soon after you have applied the paint. <S> For reasonably smooth surfaces definitely use a roller.
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So, definitely use paint brushes for your task. Using a roller will make the job much easier and faster, and the covering much better.
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Can blue (lightweight) drywall compound be used for all coats? I had a guy come in to do some drywall taping today and I had a bag of 20 min hot mud and a bucket of each green (regular) and blue (lightweight) joint compound. I always though that the green should be used for the first two coats cause it is stronger and blue for the final coat cause it is easier to sand. Once the dude finished the bag of hot mud, he went straight for the blue to do a little bit of first coating that was left at the end of the day. I asked him why not use the green and he said they were the same. I was not really sure in my assumption stated above and was tired at the end of the day to argue and also I wanted to trust his experience so I just let him do a couple of panels and a joint with the blue. Who is correct, me or him? If I am right and he is wrong, why could have led him to fail at differentiating? If I am wrong and if they are indeed the same, why would they even have two different products (by the same brand)? <Q> You can use either all the way through. <S> There are generally some differences. <S> the lightweight end mix is thicker, meaning that the regular can actually be better for a final coat since it goes on thinner <S> the lightweight is easier to sand <S> but I hardly sand... <S> so this hardly ever helps me <S> I personally think the lightweight dries out faster <S> lightweight does scratch and dent easier due to less density <S> Pros will use the regular since they can use a "less fluffy" mix that feathers easier (with little to no sanding). <S> But I could definitely see why a person with less experience would do the first two coats with regular and last two with lightweight. <S> Answers to your questions <S> - You are both a little right/wrong. <S> If I had to choose I would pick him. <S> If he knows what he is doing he doesn't sand much and doesn't need lightweight. <S> I answered these above. <S> The marketing for the lightweight is for the novice DIYer <S> that hates to spend hours sanding... <A> According to USG , makers of SHEETROCK® Brand All-Purpose Joint Compound , and SHEETROCK® <S> Brand Plus 3™ Lightweight All-Purpose Joint Compound . <S> SHEETROCK Brand PLUS <S> 3 Lightweight <S> All-Purpose Joint Compound, Ready-Mixed, offers all of the benefits of a conventional-weight, all-purpose joint compound with three key advantages: up to 30-percent less weight; less shrinkage; and exceptional ease of sanding. <S> It offers good crack-resistance, excellent adhesion, and superior ease of handling. <S> Finally <S> Lightweight Joint Compounds including All Purpose with Dust Control are not recommended for skim coat applications. <A> Both versions of green top mud are for embedding tape, blue top is mainly for finishing. <S> Quick-set mud or hot mud as for filling or repairing. <S> Both green and blue top can also be used for filling but take a lot of time to dry <A> The heavy-weight joint compound is used for tape coat, skim coat and 2nd coat on inside angles because of its strength and superior adhesion. <S> The light-weight compound is used for 2nd coat and final coat on joints and corner beads. <S> Why he used fast set filler on tape coat and not for 2nd coat <S> so he could put a finish on the same day <S> makes no sense to me <S> but he sounds like he is unprofessional to me. <S> Probably a handyman. <A> I use easy sand 20 for Tape 2nd and final coat. <S> No problems. <S> Just a plasterer with 20 years experience <S> that's all.
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I have personally used both all the way through more than a few times and have mixed.
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Why is my Nest thermostat not working with A/C? I installed Nest thermostat a few weeks ago, replacing an old Lux programmable thermostat (there was nothing wrong with it). I connected 4 wires (R,W,Y and G) to the Nest. But as soon as I'd connect the Y wire, the Nest would give me an E4 error saying there was no power on R. I could only use the thermostat with the Y disconnected (so only heat, no AC). When I tested the voltages between R and W, I get a healthy 26 volts at the thermostat and at the control board. But on R and Y, I get 0 volts. The AC works fine with my old Lux thermostat (I verified by re-installing it), however, I also connected the B (blue) and O (beige) wires in the Lux thermostat. From what Nest tech support tells me, I don't need to use B since the Nest can grab power off of the R. When I connect the Beige wire (connected to O on the control board) to the Y on the Nest, the fan goes on, but no AC. My workaround for now is to turn on the AC from the Hunter thermostat upstairs (Zone 2) at the same time, so that both dampers are open and the cool air is distributed in both zones. Kind of a hack, at least it keeps the house cool! So my question is: why is the R to Y voltage zero? And if that indicates some kind of problem in the relay or control board or transformer or condenser, why does the old thermostat work fine? I put together the following diagram to describe the configuration: And here is a picture of the circuit diagram from the control board: A picture of the control board: The Nest with the beige wire in Y1: Which it happily accepts, and thinks that the AC is connected: Update : I disconnected all the wires on the thermostat side of the control board and tested with my multimeter again. Same result: R1 to W gives me 28 volts, and R1 to Y is 0 volts. I just found a technical bulletin for the EWC-ST-2E Control Panel (seems similar to the EWC-ST-2D that I have). Will try to do some more troubleshooting after reading this. <Q> It looks like your control system was designed and wired for a heatpump <S> but you no longer have one <S> (there are only 4 wires on the lower left block which I think is the output to the furnace/AC compressor). <S> If so the O and B wires are unneeded and can be removed from the control panel. <S> So what I would try: Zone 1 R to Nest <S> Rh <S> (24VAC Hot) Zone 1 C to Nest C <S> (24VAC Common) Zone 1 W to Nest W1 <S> (Heat) <S> Zone 1 Y to Nest Y1 <S> (Cool) <S> Zone 1 G to Nest G <S> (Fan) <S> Only thing I don't understand is how the fan gets turned on by the second thermostat in Cool mode. <S> (In cool usually the thermostat has to tie both G and Y to R (24VAC Hot), <S> in heat only W has to be tied to R (+24VAC Hot)... <S> Since it works it must be something the controller does automatically. <S> By connecting the Nest to the C terminal it gets access to 24VAC without trying to power it self from "leakage current". <S> It <S> you want to test, jumper Zone 1 R to Y for a minute and see what happens. <S> Does the compressor come on outside? <S> Does the interior blower fan? <S> Double check this against the manuals.. <A> The Nest says Common need not be wired up usually, however it often is required to work correctly and charge the stat up. <A> Old post but decided to post, had the exact same problem with the same RWYG setup and customer support wasn't able to help. <S> Quick answer, your ac converter thats attached to the AC unit is faulty, this is connected to the Y. Replace that. <S> Long answer. <S> I live in toronto and it gets cold. <S> The AC compressor is outside like normal and the Y cable is connected to a converter that's also attached to the AC unit. <S> And maybe because it's old but on cold days the converter doesn't work and <S> my nest stops working. <S> Nest is not smart enough to switch to the W cable on its own. <S> This is also connected to a converter that's part of the heating unit thats separate and indoors. <S> On cold days the Y connection is lost and the unit will run on its battery reserves until it dies. <S> I disconnect the Y cable from my nest every winter. <S> Takes a few seconds. <S> I posted this on the nest site long time ago asking why it defaults to the Y cable instead of staying on the W cable but no progress. <S> Here in toronto, the cold can kill and brust pipes <S> but it's never hot enough to be a serious concern, which is probably the case almost everywhere. <S> Passerby. <A> I have had a similar issue. <S> I installed my first Nest Thermostat in January of 2017 and all was working fine. <S> By June the AC would no longer work. <S> I had <S> a licensed HVAC technician come to my house and inspect my Electric HeatPump and furnace. <S> Long story short the issue was the Nest Thermostat as the original Honeywell thermostat worked fine. <S> I contacted Nest support first to verify that my HVAC system was compatible with the Nest Thermostat. <S> Nest support verified that it was compatible. <S> I then requested a warranty replacement nest thermostat. <S> The warranty replacement device arrived and I contacted nest support a second time to verify that this thermostat was compatible with my system and to verify once again that I am connecting the wiring correctly. <S> Nest support verified that my HVAC system was compatible and provided me with a picture of the wiring I should use. <S> I connected the nest thermostat and tested. <S> All was working fine. <S> Yesterday 4/30/2018 <S> I decide to turn on the AC because it is starting to warm up and found that once again the Nest thermostat will not operate the AC. <S> This is very strange considering <S> the nest operated the AC all summer of 2017 and ran the heat all winter of 2017 and into 2018. <S> I replaced the nest with the original Honeywell thermostat and tested. <S> Both AC and heat are now working. <S> So after two nest thermostats I guess the Nest Thermostat cannot handle electric heat pumps, despite what Nest support has to say.
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This has been idle a while, but my guess is you need to connect the Nest to the R terminal of thermostat 1 on the controller instead of R1.
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Can I curve an L-shaped shower curtain rod myself? My hall bath has a partially enclosed tub. I have researched an L-shaped shower curtain rod and know that they exist, however, I would like the longer part of the "L" to be curved to allow for more room in the tub when taking a shower. Can I curve the longer portion myself successfully and easily without harming the curtain rod? <Q> Perhaps. <S> It depends on how brittle/ductile the rod is. <S> Its likely steel, which has a wide range of properties. <S> There may be finish cracking issues. <S> The wider the radius, the more likely the success. <S> I would experiment on a similar but simpler rod. <S> The methods I suggested here would be the least expensive tooling. <A> Essentially, if you had some basic workshop tools you could, you could very easily curve the shower curtain yourself, but the problem is making the curve look professional. <S> Upon bending the tubing (note i say tubing, since I am relativelycertain it will be tube) <S> you will most probably create kinks allover at the pressure point of the bend. <S> Your rod is also most likely chrome covered, which is likely to crack and flake off when bent <S> If you are keen to experiment, I would fill the tube with fine sand, then close the ends with a stopper. <S> Then you will need to look for somewhere to bend the rod, typically one would use a set of rollers with the desired bend profile, however in the DIY sense the best thing you will find is to look for a strong tree (specifically a split or v in the branches) whereby you can gain leverage for the bend. <S> Then very gentle pressure all down the bend seam will begin to bend the bar. <S> The better thing to do here would be to take the curtain rod to a metal shop and have them try, in which case I would go for stainless steel or aluminium which will not flake. <A> Depending the diameter of the rod.
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It's possible you could use a pipe bending tool, like the one intended to bend conduit for running electric wires.
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What can I do about a toilet flange that is 1/4" below the finished floor? I used two wax seals to set my toilet since the flange is 1/4" below the new tile. At first it seemed to be water tight but after a few flushes I noticed water seeping and pulled it out. As can be seen in the photo, the wax ring slid off center. I couldn't use just one ring since it protrudes about 1/4" below the toilet so that would just barely touch the flange. I found the flange extender in another post and will try that. One of these So to my question. Is this the correct approach? Should the flange be level with the floor prior to installation? Edit : The correct height of the flange is sitting on top of the finished floor. Of course with a remodel this is almost never going to be the case after tiling. There seem to be various methods to raise the flange. Many say the double wax ring is problematic since it can collapse into the drain over time. This link discusses a number of products to solve the problem. In summary, the set-rite (~18 + shipping) is the most expensive and apparently the only code approved product. The cheapest option is flange extenders ~$3-5. The funny thing is neither the tiler or the plumber that worked on my bathroom mentioned anything about the height problem, which leads me to believe the common solution is the double wax ring. <Q> The flange should sit on top of the finished floor, if it doesn't you'll have to modify the plumbing or find another way to achieve this. <S> Notice in this image how the toilet waste pipe sits just inside the flange opening <S> , this is the proper way for a toilet to sit on a flange. <S> Even without a wax ring, this union is not likely to leak under normal circumstances ( I'm not recommending a wax ring not be used ). <S> Wax as a waste pipe? <S> Some folks recommend using a thicker wax ring, or even doubling up wax rings. <S> The problem with this, is that you end up with a waste pipe made from wax. <S> Now this might hold up, but more than likely it's eventually going to fail, and leak. <S> Modify the plumbing <S> If you have access to the flange from below, you might be able to modify the plumbing to make the flange sit atop the floor. <S> In most cases, however, this is not an option. <S> Adapters <S> There are adapters available, that solve this exact problem. <A> I was 1/2" below where it should have been so I used two flange extenders to get the flange 1/4" above the finished floor. <S> They are siliconed together and wax is the seal between the original flange and extender. <S> Although many seem to recommend silicone, it would have been too much work to get off all the old wax <S> so I used a few gobs of new wax. <S> I did the same for another bathroom but only needed one flange extender. <S> That flange was not level <S> so I ended up with nylon washers and copious amounts of silicone to seal and level <A> ` I talked to an employee at Lowe's <S> and he recommended Culwell Flange . <A> +1 for using Ditra under tile. <S> You can use either plastic or the metal ring (I prefer the metal for a bit more holding power with the 'T' bolts). <S> It doesn't look like the toilet fully seated in the wax. <S> Is the floor flat front to back? <S> Be sure to PUSH the toilet down, with a slight (very slight) twist. <A> If you use two rings it will eventually leak. <S> You need one thick wax ring . <S> This one or Oatey's version can cover a 1/4 inch. <A> Check out this product from Korky . <S> I find that it's a lot easier to use than wax. <S> Also it won't absorb the dirty toilet water like the Saniseal will. <A> This may be similar to other products mentioned but in case - this brand is easy to find in the US, inexpensive, and worked for me: <S> http://www.fernco.com/plumbing/wax-free-toilet-seal <S> You do have to buy the right size to get a good seal with the pipe below. <S> Also, you have to make sure to thoroughly clean the surface where the adhesive attaches to the bottom of the toilet <S> so all the wax residue is gone - I used brake cleaner to make sure, because I didn't really want to do this job once <S> , I definitely didn't want to do it twice. <A> Ideally, you want the flange on top of your finished flooring. <S> However, I encountered the same issue last year and was able to solve it without modifying the flooring, after consulting a plumber. <S> As long as the flange is in good condition, a well sculpted layer of hard plumber's putty can be used to fill in the gap between the flange and the finished flooring. <S> A flexible, waxless gasket like a saniseal is best used with this setup instead of the classic wax ring. <S> Working perfectly for me a year on.
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The Set-Rite Toilet Flange Extender Kit ; described in the answers to this question , Comes with different size spacers, which allows it to compensate for various sized offsets.
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How long should I wait before painting or staining pressure-treated wood? My husband is installing a new deck with pressure-treated lumber at our home in Tennessee. How long does he need to wait to paint, or should he stain the deck now? <Q> I am a painter <S> and I build also <S> and I personally will not warranty the work unless it's after 6 months. <S> Pressure treated <S> (PT) lumber takes months to shrink and re-contract on and off <S> so the paint will crack and not adhere correctly. <S> Also, the PT you buy at Lowe's or Home Depot gets moved around a lot <S> so you may have a load of wood with boards that are weeks apart from drying. <S> Personally, and unfortunately, I would wait longer than a month. <S> I live in Vermont and we're known for tearing our decks to hell due to the non-stop rain and snow, but that's what I've heard a lot: 6 months. <A> I think I answered a question similar to this before <S> but I actually contacted Universal Forest Products last fall about using pressure treated lumber in a basement. <S> Tons of great stuff they sent me. <S> Some good points: <S> This is a little tricky because you want to install PT lumber right away since it will warp quick. <S> You can't let it dry out before installing unless you can apply a serious amount of pressure on all sides of the wood. <S> they were very big on mention a million times (and rightly so) that they no longer use any harmful chemicals that could be emitted into a house like arsenic. <S> It can be used for anything but food prep surfaces <S> For your question it depends on the climate/weather. <S> If you have two weeks of dry 100F weather you will be fine. <S> If it rains on the lumber a few times it gets tricky. <S> Water isn't just soaking in the wood but it dramatically hinders the drying out process. <A> If you have a moisture meter test it in a few spots. <S> You would like the reading to be below 13%. <S> I would use an oil based stain instead of paint <A> When you're shopping for PT lumber, look for the lighter, dryer pieces when sifting thru stock, but be sure to pick the pieces that are uniform and straight. <S> This will help you get a jump start on the drying process. <S> I do a lot of stain work <S> and I would wait three to four weeks if possible to stain after purchase. <S> Keep in a dry, weather proof area if possible - a garage, shed or workshop. <S> If you have to keep the lumber outside, elevate it on some 4 x 4 runners and expose it on clear days. <S> Keep tarped during wet days. <A> I waited two years. <S> The wood naturally aged, but still took stain just fine. <S> I stained it two more times before I had to strip it and start over. <A> Here in Norway the local 'wisdom' is to install the pressure treated timber one season and stain it the next. <S> As a builder I agree with some of the above comments that the timber can take a considerable time to dry out. <S> However, a few weeks of good weather should get it dry enough to take a finish, but I'd use a moisture metre and check the (finish) products specs to be sure. <S> I've just waited 6 weeks for some balustrade tops and I'll chance a coat tomorrow weather permitting. <A> A one month minimum dry time is recommended. <S> That said, I'd wait as long as the painting season permits. <S> If you have three months before it will get cold down there, then wait until then. <S> It's important to have three good, consecutive dry days before applying the stain when ultimately decide to do it. <S> And two-coat everything with a quality stain. <S> Ask the paint store person about doing it and which product to use. <S> Some stains are meant for walls and some for walking on. <A> Pt lumber is pressure treated, meaning the use 400 psi to make sure the chemical stays in the wood, most stains and paint won't stick until the pores of the wood come open which can take years . <A> You can always test it by see if the water beads up or soaks in. <S> I'm in Arkansas. <S> My deck and front porch were built in March. <S> They both get good sun. <S> I'm waiting until August to do mine. <S> Plenty of good hot sun to dry them out. <S> The pine lumber came from Lowe's.
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You should wait about 1 month for the wood to dry out. In a dry basement wait 2-3 weeks before installing drywall over (they want you to use PT for everything in the basement and they make good points) outside you should wait 2-3 weeks before painting or staining in moderate temps with no to little rain.
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How to independently switch a GFCI outlet? I would like to add a plug outside where each plug would be independently switched. The use of this is to be able to switch a rope light and a fan separately. This is being added to a new breaker so can be treated independent of everything else. I know how to do this with a standard outlet, but the GFCI aspect is throwing me for a loop. The best option I have been able to come up with is to buy a GFCI with a blank face and put it in-line before the switches. Is this the best way to handle this? If so, my follow up question is where to place the GFCI box? Is there any issue with placing it in the attic, or does it need easily accessible? There are no local codes to follow, but I would like to follow all common codes. <Q> Optionally, you could just use a GFCI breaker for this circuit but these are over $100 more than regular breakers, whereas a GFCI outlet is easily less than $20 in parts <S> From the LOAD terminals on the GFCI outlet, run power to your switches. <S> From here, run everything as you normally would: switch hot for each outlet, and run the switched hot, neutral and ground to each switch. <A> I'd want the GFCI somewhere easily accessible in case it trips. <S> You can install a GFCI near the switch, or even in the same junction box so that a tripped GFCI will be right there next to your switches. <S> One side would be the unswitched GFCI. <S> Connect the line to your power source. <S> To the hot load connect the black wire of a 12/3 (white, black, red + ground). <S> Run that line to your switch junction box where you connect the black to a wire nut and two black wires that go to each switch. <S> To one switch, you attach the white (with black tape to indicate the wire is a switched hot). <S> And to the other switch you attach the red. <S> Back in the outlet junction box, break the tab on the switched outlet so they're independent. <S> To one hot attach the white wire (with black tape on this end too) that's coming from the switch. <S> On the other hot, connect your red. <S> And for the neutral, run a white wire to the GFCI load connection to your outlet. <A> Replace the circuit breaker in your service panel with a GFCI circuit breaker. <S> Then everything else downstream becomes much easier.
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If this is new, I would do this: Run a wire from the panel to a GFCI outlet in your garage (or wherever -- it may even be in the same box as the switches). Or you can install a weather proof 2 gang box outside with the following steps, which leaves you with an extra unswitched GFCI outside.
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How do you release the wires from a push-in wire connector? I would like to reposition some pot lights - before drywalling the ceiling. They have been wired using push-in wire connectors. How do you release the wires from a push-in wire connector ?? <Q> The wire is being held in by this: You can see you'll need to push that "tab" away from the wire, from the back of the outlet you should see a small rectangle hole next to each circular hole that the wires are in: MAKE <S> SURE <S> POWER/BREAKER IS OFF <S> YOU WILL BE TOUCHING <S> A "LIVE" WIRE Insert a small jeweler screwdriver in the rectangular hole/slot, use the box as your pivot point and the screwdriver as your level <S> (bring back end of screwdriver towards wire to force "tab" away) and gently pull the wire out. <S> * <S> If the outlet is old/weak or the wire wasn't inserted in deep <S> you can sometimes get away with just twisting the wire back and forth while pulling. <A> I am guessing you are talking about something like what Halo has seen in the image below. <S> To get these out you are supposed to just twist like hell and pull out. <S> I have had to pull a couple out in my basement and it takes a minute. <S> Also wear gloves because there are a lot of sharp edges around. <S> If you are going to rewire you need to install a new connector. <S> Stab connections are not listed for re-use -- once you pull a wire out, their spring is weakened and they cannot be relied on to hold again. <S> Reusing <S> them violates NEC 110.3b, the requirement to follow labeling and instructions. <S> Note: <S> My preferred method is to use needle nose pliers and grip about an inch from the connector. <S> Then just jiggle and pull until it is lose. <S> I have found jiggling allows me to not have to pull as hard. <A> It doesn't require too much strength to do. <A> I just did this with my husband. <S> They absolutely do not pull out once they are in, but he cut the wire off leaving about 1/4" coming out of the connector. <S> He handed it to me and said, "See what you can do" thinking we'd just have to get a new recessed light fixture. <S> I googled my question in and came to this website. <S> When I read the post where someone suggested twisting , I went back, took my needle nose pliers, pulled off the plastic wire covering <S> so I could get a better grip on the wire. <S> I didn't need gloves... <S> I didn't need to work up a lather <S> and I didn't ruin anything . <S> I realized that it had threads that kept the wire from pulling out and simply and gently twisted it counter-clockwise and <S> it eased it's way out! <S> Our mistake was that my husband forgot to put the wire through the punch out holes in the box of the recessed lighting fixture first! <S> But, he got them through and poked the wire in the appropriate holes of the connector <S> and you couldn't pull them out. <A> An additional technique is to remove the insulation and then pull a few of the wire strands out. <S> Then the rest of the strands come out easily. <A> A better answer is: don't. <S> The push in connections are not as reliable as screw connections. <S> Instead cut the wire keeping as much length as possible, strip, and put it around the screw. <S> Or, twist and pull. <S> But expect to have to cut the wire short anyway as it will be all scratched out. <A> I have a surefire method to release the wire. <S> Just use a drill in the little hole that geniuses can use to free the wire. <S> Drilling with a drill bit a little larger than the hole with break off a bit of Bakelite and you are most of the way home. <S> This method ruins the old fixture but they only cost just over a dollar. <S> You were probably going to replace it anyway. <A> The easiest way I have ever found is to just cut the wires and re strip the wires. <S> If I find an electrician that uses these and is to lazy to wrap the wire around the screw like the old days (needle nose pliers to make the loop) <S> I find a new electrician because it drives the rest of us crazy to have to fix later. <A> Just tried pulling wires out of several Utilitech Push-In Connectors, using needle nosed pliers. <S> It worked. <S> Just twisted and pulled at the same time. <S> Didn't take much force.
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Just twist the connectors back and forth while pulling them off of the wires. If you're talking about an outlet - or a similar concept fixture - the best tool I've found is a flat head jeweler/precision screw driver.
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Is it OK that the frame of my house doesn't line up with the slab? My new house is being framed. I saw that the frame extends 1-2" from the foundation: Click photograph for full size The builder told me it happens often and the city inspector will catch it if this is a problem. Is this OK? Should I ask a 3 rd party inspector to check on this right now? <Q> For one thing, by the time the city inspector looks at the fully framed building, it will be a little too late to fix it. <S> Secondly, the builder's attitude seems very questionable. <S> Either his framing crew or the concrete sub messed up. <S> At the very least their job is not done in a workmanlike manner. <S> They shouldn't wait and hope things 'slip' by the city inspector. <S> Or if this was truly not a big deal, he would take time to explain why this is ok. <A> OK this is easy. <S> The answer is NO. <S> The construction has issues: <S> There are no bolts for the sill plates. <S> 2.The sill plates should be spaced on the slab so that wall plus exterior finish meets slab. <S> It looks like this house is getting brick or thick stone given the 3 inches or so from the edge. <S> I am not sure about your situation. <S> You are having a house built. <S> If it were me I would not pay this person another dime. <S> He should know this stuff if he is building a house. <S> He shouldn't be unsure of this. <S> If he is putting concrete nails in this (which I think is only code if you live in a shed) <S> then what else is he doing? <S> To fix this situation everything needs to be ripped out. <S> He is going to have to use a hammer drill to drill down into the slab to install anchors. <S> I am not sure your builder could handle this. <S> Also drilling down anchors is really a half-ass way of doing this (in my opinion). <S> These are not as strong as anchors poured in and tend to wiggle. <S> Get your building inspector out not a 3rd party that could be as bad as your builder. <S> I would also ask the inspector for local code regarding anchoring post-pour. <S> I would personally look into my builders credentials. <S> If I continued using the builder I would make sure the city understands your lack of confidence and that they should be looking at everything closely. <A> The cladding is often then run down past the level of the slab. <S> The idea is that the framing has a waterproof layer (a.k.a "building wrap") then an air gap to the outside cladding. <S> If water gets through any flashings (particularly around joinery) then it runs down the air gap and out through drain holes. <S> By overlapping the slab, the water drips off rather than sitting around your bottom sill plates and rotting them, as it would in the answer given above. <S> Another answer implies that this overlapping has some effect on earthquake stability, I would suggest that wall cross-bracing is more important. <S> Indeed New Zealand is a high-risk earthquake zone, as witnessed by the recent Christchurch earthquakes. <S> My answer therefor is that there may or not be an issue with what has been done, but there is definitely an issue with the builder not knowing! <A> No, this is not correct. <S> When the slab was poured, the architect should have specified on the blue prints that 1/2" all thread rods should be placed every so many inches (I don't recall what the US Building Code states at the moment, but I think mine was every 18 or 24 inches when I built my room addition). <S> You are then supposed to take a washer and a nut and attach the bottom plate to the concrete foundation. <S> Finally, you will probably require Simpson Strongtie's to attach the studs to the top and bottom plate to resist shearing forces. <S> Again, this may differ depending on the wind rating in your area (it's required in Florida). <S> The city inspector will probably inspect at slab preparation, framing (including sheathing and insulation and electrical and windows), then final inspection. <S> That's the gist of it. <S> I would imagine this wall will slip over time. <S> I wouldn't trust that framing. <S> Call Mike Holmes! <A> MASA mud sill anchor straps @ <S> 40" oc when nailed to appropriate vertical framing and shear plywood....is equivalent to 5/8 x 12 anchor bolts A 48 " oc. <S> But it looks like they are missing some straps. <S> The gun fired nails are temporary to hold the mud sill in place. <S> Also a drilled and epoxy anchor bolt, at a depth of 4 inches, installed per manuf specs... <S> is Code legal and equal to the same size traditional anchor bolt. <S> Study the load testing if you need to be convinced. <S> It looks like the slab is not square...but the framing is square...made up for by overhanging the slab edge. <S> This is done quite often, But, I consider anything over 1/2 inch to be excessive... <S> the concrete should be built up with stucco with wire reinforcing shot into the concrete.
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No, it's not ok. A good contractor with personal integrity just wouldn't allow something like this to happen in the first place, IMHO. The holes for the anchors need to be on center of your framing. My answer about the construction is that it depends: In New Zealand for instance, you MUST have the bottom plates beyond the edge of the slab (as some of yours are) for weather-tightness reasons.
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How well do whole house humidifiers work? We are moving to an area where it gets cold and snows in the winter. We come from a desert area where it is never very cold except for the dead of winter, and where we use the heater very seldom. We noticed then that the heater made us feel dry and uncomfortable. We are thinking about installing a full house humidifier. The company I am talking to says the kind they recommend is the steam/mist style. Cost w/install: 3000.00. I don't know much about them. He said he would install it in the garage near the hot water heater where the water source is and run the line up into the attic where the furnace is. Can anybody tell me how well these work and if this price quote is reasonable? <Q> Honeywell humidifiers are really good - with experience with one in last house. <S> Our heating costs went down by 15% and our house didn't have static everywhere in the winter. <S> Mine was a steam too and it cost me about $400 total after a couple of quick trips to Lowes. <S> Took me about 3 hours (counting the 2 trips) to install. <S> So let's say it takes a whole day for the pro to install (8 hours) <S> - I am not an hvac pro. <S> Is it worth $300 an hour to get this done in your area? <S> Also maybe your unit costs more but the unit I got had great reviews and near top of line... <S> Also I think this should be installed on furnace not garage. <S> I don't know your whole setup <S> so I don't want to call out the company. <S> It doesn't make sense to me that a line from humidifier to furnace would be run because that has to diminish the steam going in and may make the humidifier work constantly... <S> But I do understand that you don't want plumbing to freeze - which I am guess it doesn't in your climate being that the water heater is in the garage.... <S> So I would run a water line to furnace and install it there. <A> The quote is fair for what they offer, but to me, steam is not where to start. <S> Cost on a evaporative pad based humidifier, installed, should be under $1000 even if labor is $100 an hour. <S> Also note that steam is generated with an electric heater, which can get expensive, quickly, fast, all heating season. <S> I think I would start with a evaporative pad system, and then add steam, if you still have a humidity problem. <S> Who knows with coming from the desert, you might not need the humidity of someone from the tropics, to feel comfortable. <S> HVAC guys say my whole house humidifier works well, wife and I are too dry, but we also are not 20 anymore either. <S> 39F outside with 41% RH and 76F <S> inside with 33% RH. <S> With an Aprilaire 560 working whenever the condensing natural gas furnace is running, in Baltimore, MD. <S> Two different HVAC guys I have had into the house, said humidifier was working well <S> , one of them told me before I even asked. <S> Neither one wanted to sell me a new whole house humidifier, unless I wanted to buy steam humidifier. <S> House is 1600' split level. <S> We run 2 tabletop humidifiers full time, one hot (sucks electric), and one cool. <S> Other information, mostly house efficiency stuff, if not interested, it is not worth reading. <S> I had an Aprilaire installed at the same time as my condensing furnace, a few years ago. <S> I had an energy inspection done, at a '75% discount' from the power company. <S> It seemed legit, and not a profit deal. <S> I got a blower door test, a couple of IR pictures, 12 CFL lamps, and a 3-4 page report for $100. <S> The end result, was if I use one of about 150 'approved' contractors who service my area (almost everyone)- The gas/electric company will pay me 50% of my cost to install insulation up to $2000 out of their pocket. <S> So my home leaks bad, it seems, and that means that humidity is going out with it. <S> This seems like it is not a scam for money, just a way to hit state mandated avoided costs. <S> I just can not get enough humidity in my air. <S> I guess I will start with the half price insulation. <S> BGE for gas/electric if anyone is interested. <A> First off you need to know how much sq ft you're trying to humidify. <S> The steam one may be overkill. <S> $3,000 sounds like a LOT. <S> I bought an Aprilaire 700 (a step down from Aprilaire's steam model) and that cost me ~$450 to $475 back in 2007 for parts and labor. <S> Obviously labor prices have changed so if I were you I'd shop around and get bids for whatever unit you do get. <S> I will say a whole home humidifier made a big difference after I had one installed in my last home. <S> They beat the heck out of the room humidifiers which you have to frequently clean and fill up. <S> Things I noticed after getting my first whole home humidifier: <S> First thing I noticed in the winter was that I was waking up in the mornings without any congestion in my nasal passages. <S> I was breathing clearly without the need to blow my nose in the mornings. <S> Second thing I noticed was the drop (not elimination) in static electricity. <S> Third thing I noticed was I no longer needed to use dandruff shampoos in the Winter. <S> Fourth thing I noticed was the backs of my hands around my knuckles were no longer on the verge of cracking / splitting open.
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The whole home humidifiers are the way to go and all in the house can enjoy it.
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hydronic floor heating system efficiency - using concrete as thermal energy store or not? I am renovating my house and would like some advice on floor heating for my living room. I have dug this room out to a depth of 97 cm to create a lower level. I have lined this box with 2.5 cm thick polystyrene and then a double layer steel reinforced concrete floor of 15 cm. I am now looking to add a hydronic floor heating system to this lowered area. As I understand it I have two basic options. add the pipes directly on the concrete with a layer of screed or add a layer of insulation in which (or on top of which) the pipes are fastened and then add a layer of screed I would like to know which system would be the most efficient in my case. Reading up on option 2, it seems like this heats up the room faster, but you are not utilizing the concrete floor as thermal storage, so you lose the heat very fast as soon as the boiler is switched off. With option 1 it takes longer to heat up, but then you are also using the concrete floor as thermal storage. EDIT: I fear I may have under-insulated by only adding 1 inch of insulation (extruded polystyrene), thereby negating the effectiveness of the thermal store. Could someone please give me some pointers? <Q> Solar energy is the classic example. <S> The energy is free and the supply is periodic and unpredictable. <S> Energy storage is a must. <S> You mentioned a boiler, so you likely are burning fuel, directly or indirectly, or at least paying for the supply. <S> In this case, energy being of significant cost and in virtually ready supply, energy storage is not warranted. <S> The inherent losses in the store/release cycle make it of little benefit. <S> Especially with only 2.5cm of insulation. <A> The difference is in the use of your system and your personal preference. <S> Since you have insulated the ground beneath your slab, concrete thermal store can work in your favor. <S> Do you live in an area with consistent heating needs?Embedded in the concrete will take a long time to heat the slab, this will be continuous circulation time... and it will stay warmer longer. <S> The setback, though, is that if you want to cool down, or don't need heating for a period then you have spent the energy warming up your heat store... cooling the room "wastes" more heat. <S> Many people, for example, turn their heat down at night... <S> your situation will dictate just how long the system must run to regain heat lost overnight if you practice this... and you'll have to schedule it to come on early enough to heat the slab to be warm and ready for you when you get up. <A> Disclaimer: I'm not a scientist or an engineer, so it's entirely possible that all of this is wrong. <S> For the last part of your question regarding whether the insulation you used was too thin -- extruded polystyrene typically has an R-value of 5 per inch. <S> Here's the part where it would be great if someone who knew "the maths" could help me out. <S> I've calculated out at 60 lb/ft^2, 6" thick, and specific heat of 0.21 BTU/ft^2*F, the heat capacity should be 11.55 BTU/ft^2*F, or <S> ~65.6 W/ <S> m^2*K <S> Anyway, if my understanding and math is correct, which it frequently isn't, it should require about 65 watts per square meter to change the temperature of your concrete by 1C. <S> Your insulation of 1 inch has an R-value usually of 5, which means that: ((Concrete Temperature C - Ground Temperature C) / 5) will be the amount of watts per square meter of heat lost. <S> So -- 10C temperature diff = 2 W per square meter of heat loss, or 32.5 hours to lose 1 degree C per square meter. <S> Without that 1 inch of insulation, you would be generating 10W per meter square of heat loss, and it would only take 6.5 hours to drop 1C -- <S> so yes, that 1" extruded polystyrene can make a significant difference. <S> (I assumed it was extruded and not expanded... <S> I hope!) <S> This obviously doesn't account for other types of heat loss, and is theoretical, but is to really say -- that 1" is a whole lot better than nothing. <S> However -- this also means that to heat your concrete evenly, it will require applying 65 W per square meter of heat per degree (plus 0.5W per degree for each hour it takes to apply that), which means it is going to take a long time to warm that puppy up unless you start it off in the summer.
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A very important factor in deciding to use a thermal mass to store energy is the energy source.
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Do wooden cabinets absorb grease in kitchen? I had my mind on wooden countertops - but I will likely be a heavy duty user and so I have settled on the idea of using wooden cabinets (such as here ) with a corian/marble type countertop. My partner has raised questions about the wood absorbing the grease - and so I would like to know if any of you have come across this problem, and how can we best mitigate it? <Q> If you do a lot of frying and don't have an effective ventilation system grease will accumulate on kitchen surfaces. <S> The key point is adequate ventilation to control the movement from the cooking area. <S> The range hood should vent to the outside, not just filter and recirculate. <S> The grease that does settle shouldn't penetrate the finish on the cabinets. <S> The more ornate the surface the more difficult it will be to clean the nooks and crannies. <A> Urethanes (good) are also very resistent. <S> These same oils WILL be able to penetrate unfinished woods, for the same reason that I'm sure you've heard of oil-based wood stains. <S> Latex paints can be penetrated over time as it shrinks, is more porous, and does not create a penetrated coating on the wood. <S> If you are concerned you should: Avoid lower-grade cabinets that make use of MDF and laminate (not laminate wood, laminated coatings over MDF) <S> Make sure that the bottoms of your upper cabinets nearest your cook-top/stove have been sealed, or use a sealer on them. <S> The bottoms of your upper cabinets can often be skipped by the cabinet finisher and will be a prime spot for absorption -- this is especially true on lower-grade (cheap) cabinets. <S> Avoid coatings that are porous (latex) in favor of non-porous coatings (lacquers/oils) <S> Cooking oil will settle on the surface of the finish and will require cleaning over the years. <A> I don't think the wood will absorb grease. <S> Where would the grease be coming from? <S> As long as the wood is finished with something durable (as kitchen cabinets usually are), you should have no problem wiping the wood clean if they get dusty or dirty.
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Finished cabinets, those that have been treated with lacquer(best) or oil-based paints(good), will not absorb cooking oils.
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Should I remove a broken piece of the pivot rod from the trap in my bathroom pedestal sink? I have a pedestal sink in my bathroom and my horizontal pivot rod for the pop-up stopper broke. I was going to simply swap out the pivot rod, however, the short end that broke off fell down the drain into the trap. From the sink down to the bottom of the trap is about 14 inches. Is it OK for me to leave it there or do I need to disassemble the entire sink to get the small piece of broken metal out? Ideally, I'd fish it out with some long tweezers, but I'm not sure they even exist. <Q> You could check if the remaining piece of pivot rod that you have in hand has magnetic properties (i.e. a magnet will stick to it). <S> If so you can probably be successful in retrieving the broken part from the trap using a tool similar to those pictured below: Magnetic reach tools can be purchased online, hardware stores or big box outlets. <S> In addition to the type shown above that have the flexible shaft there is another type that has the shaft made out of a soft aluminum wire that can bend slightly as the thing is pushed into the drain line. <S> This latter type is typically a lower cost than the types pictured. <A> <A> Another option that you could consider for a one time problem like this is as follows. <S> Work at getting as much of the trap dry as possible. <S> This could be done by using your mechanical grabber to push dry strips of rag down the drain and pulling them out again. <S> Once the trap has most of its water removed you could attempt to further dry the inside of the drain by forcing air flow down the drain. <S> A warmer air will help dry the trap more than cold air. <S> I would caution against using really hot air, such as from a hair dryer, because this could damage the plastic components of the drain system. <S> Also note that you want to avoid sucking air out of the drain into the room due to the smell and stink involved with that. <S> Next make up a loop of wire made from a thin coat hanger that you can easily push down into the trap area. <S> Using the loop arrangement lets you have the option to twist the end around better than just a single wire. <S> It also gives more "size" to the end of the wire assembly. <S> (If you find the steel coat hanger wire too stiff you can also try bare copper electrical wire of 12 or 14 AWG) . <S> Finally, attach some pieces of Gorilla Tape to the loop end of the wire with the sticky side out. <S> The idea is to get the sticky tape down into the trap to capture the broken piece of the pivot rod and then pull it back out with the wire. <S> Do make sure to attach the tape to the wire loop in a way that even if it tries to stick to the inside of the drain pipe you are able to get it back out without leaving it down in the drain pipe. <S> Gorilla tape is an incredibly sticky tape with a tough fabric back that can be purchased at hardware stores or big box outlets such as Lowes or Home Depot. <S> It is fairly expensive but once you have a roll I assure you that you will find other uses for it.
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It's probably best to pull out the broken piece because it will obstruct the flow of waste water, collecting hair and soap scum and so on, so that you'll have to clean out the trap eventually anyway. Since you have the pivot rod out, you should be able to lift out the stopper and use a pair of needle-nose or long-reach pliers to reach in and grab the broken piece:
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How can I cut/route a small, straight slot through a piece of wood? While I'd like to keep this question as generic as possible, I specifically want to cut a slot that's 1/2" long x 3/16" wide all the way through a piece of 3/8"-thick oak. My primary options are probably a router or Dremel. However, I need the slot to be perfectly straight like this: ( If anyone's in the market for a Photoshop expert, please contact me.) Is a router with a guide my best bet? Is there some other way I could go about doing this? <Q> Use a router with a plunge base and either an edge guide or straight edge, depending on the size of your work piece. <S> Attach stop blocks to the workpiece and/or straight edge (clamps would be one easy way to hold the stop blocks in place). <S> The stop blocks will prevent you from cutting your slot too long. <S> First set up the edge guide or straight edge with the appropriate offset for your router base, parallel to where you want the slot. <S> With the router unplugged and the bit almost touching the wood, position the router bit where you want the slot to start. <S> Then use the router base to gauge exactly where to position the stop and clamp it in place. <S> Do the same for the other end of the slot, then proceed with plugging in the router and cutting the slot in several passes, going slightly deeper each time. <S> You can also use a router table to do something similar, but the steps for setup will be different since you won't be able to see the cut as you're making it. <S> However, you will be able to use your router table's fence and possibly other T-track or miter track accessories. <S> Although your material isn't very thick, it's still not a bad idea to cut the groove in multiple passes. <S> If you don't have a router, it's relatively easy to cut this slot by drilling a series of overlapping holes with a drill press and Forstner or brad-point bits, then clean it up with chisels. <S> No matter what solution you use, be sure to put a sacrificial piece of scrap wood on the back side of the workpiece to help prevent blowout when you cut all the way through to the other side. <A> Yes, a router would be best. <S> It will give you the precision that you need. <A> A simple solution would be to drill out most of the slot and chisel out the rest on the sides. <S> Then file and sand smooth. <S> (I see this answer is embedded in another, longer answer, but it deserves to stand alone.)
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In a pinch, you can also use a Dremel/rotary tool (which is essentially just a tiny, low-torque router) along with a router attachment and multipurpose spiral bit, but a router will give you slightly better results.
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How long can a refrigerator be stored without being used? I purchased a refrigerator 8 months ago, but it will not be used right away. It came directly from the showroom. Must I use it now, or I can wait longer before using it? <Q> Clean empty refrigerators should be stored upright and kept dry. <S> You should prevent moisture building up inside the stored refrigerator - perhaps by removing the door or by keeping the door open. <S> The manufacturer's instruction booklet may have a section on storage. <S> Unused refrigerators are a potentially fatal hazard for children, who may get trapped inside. <S> For this reason doors should be removed, locked closed or prevented from being closed (using a child-proof mechanism). <A> If your refrigerator was stored upright, then plug it in and see if it works. <S> Plugging it in isn't going to harm it. <S> And if there is something wrong with it you will need to turn it on to diagnose. <S> This may range between 15 mins to 1 day. <S> If you can't figure out the manufacturer or make and model then leave it upright for a day before using. <S> It would generally be good practice to cleaning it before turning it on too. <A> I have stored a refrigerator for several years and had no problems with it working when I needed it. <S> I believe you should be OK.
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If your refrigerator was stored any other way find the manufacturer's guidelines on how long it needs to be upright.
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Do I need more than just Drylok to insulate concrete basement walls before framing out some walls? I have a large unfinished basement. Concrete blocks walls. French drain. All but the top 18 inches or so are underground. It's got great potential to be finished (9 foot ceilings). The basement has a sump pump, which kicks on any time it rains. The concrete clearly sweats in certain areas. In one corner, there is a hole in the concrete at the very bottom about a dime size which trickles water after it rains. The water trickles down the french drain and finds its way out through the sump pump. In my 3 years at the house I haven't seen the water rise over the french drain, even during the heaviest downpours, but I admit it's a little disconcerting to hear water trickling into the basement whenever it rains. Last summer I put Drylok on every inch of the concrete wall. 2 coats on the bottom half. I'm thinking about getting some metal studs, framing out some walls, and making a kids room, family room, and bar area. My questions are: Do I need to put foam or some other sort of vapor barrier on the (already Drylok'ed) concrete walls before the studs go up? Or is the Drylok enough? Is it OK that water will be trickling in behind the wall in that one area? I realize its wise to put a battery backup on the sump pump, plus I have a backup generator, but is there something that needs to done before finishing the basement, or can I live with the water getting in just as long as the sump pump gets it out? Is it OK to use metal studs to frame it out? Seems like the way to go given the moisture, but also it just seems easier to manage than cutting so much wood. If you were me how would you proceed to get the basement ready for finishing? <Q> The right way to do it is to have the outside entrenched and have any cracks patched with hydraulic concrete, drylock and delta board, as well as having new weeping tile put in below the footings. <S> Unfortunately, this will cost you about $100 - $150 a linear foot. <S> Then I'd go with closed cell spray foam on the inside. <S> (Note: wiring and plumbing <S> go in before the foam.) <S> Like I said, this is a very expensive process, but it will be done right, and it will last for a very long time. <A> In addition to Chris Cudmore's good advice, you could use rigid foam sheets such as Styrofoam or Super Tuff-R. <S> The latter has a higher R value (2 inches is R-13). <S> It could bemounted continuously behind the studs (better for establishing a thermal break and avoiding air leaks) or in between the studs of you are short on space. <S> The boards should be sealed with the proper tape, again to block air leaks. <S> Leaving an air gap between the board and the wall slightly increases the R value. <A> They make both wall systems and flooring systems for wet basements. <S> Sorry <S> I am not posting links but don't feel like shopping today. <S> A friend just put up wet basement panels (google that) and they look good and they are waterproof. <S> First it is a basement. <S> How much are you willing to spend to make a place that naturally has water nice - there are "newer houses" and houses built in dry areas that don't have issues which are perfect to renovate - but that is not your house. <S> I have seen many disappointed people spend thousands of dollars waterproofing basements to have their (newly finished) basement spring a leak the next year. <S> My suggestion is make the basement livable, safe, and enjoyable. <S> Knowing that it could get flooded at some point. <S> Even if it is soaked it can be cleaned and reused. <S> I would suggest some waterproof panels set about 4-6 inches from exterior walls. <S> I would suggest no insulation other than rigid foam paneling. <S> I would suggest neither drop ceiling or drywall for the ceiling - just paint it black or white <S> (white you have to clean more). <S> If this extra space is really important to you - and you want it nice <S> - I would suggest that you look at adding an addition to your house. <S> After you do all of that waterproofing, foundation repairs, and finish your basement your $$$ is getting pretty close to adding on plus you don't have to worry about it being flooded.
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I would suggest putting in water-proof (rubber) planked flooring - HD sells this. Metal studs are fine in this case, as you're going to stud out an inch or two away from the wall so they can spray in behind. Whether this is the right solution for you depends on your house and how long you expect to be there. If your yard is graded poorly, your basement walls are in really bad shape, or there is some other intrinsic issue that will always cause moisture I would personally not do what Chris or bib suggested. And if you do the foam paneling I would allow space for it to breathe.
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Why won't my hose bib handle turn either way? The handle on my outdoor hose bib won't turn at all. The faucet is currently partially on and the handle will not turn either way. How can I fix it so it will work properly? <Q> The acme thread that allows the valve to open and shut has either galled or seized due to mineral deposits. <S> At this point, you need to remove and replace the whole valve. <S> Since we don't have a picture, it's difficult to give further advice, but if it's a standard frost free, the valve is actually 8-12 inches back inside a tube on a long, easily broken valve stem <S> and it's not easily repaired once it seizes. <A> Remove the handle by taking out the screw in the middle. <S> Give the metal valve stem a few moderate raps with a hammer. <S> Don't hit it hard or you'll break something just moderate raps. <S> This will loosen up any deposits on the inside. <S> Then try replacing the handle and the screw and seeing if you can turn it again. <A> Usually there is a screw on the handle which secures it to the valve stem - you can tighten this in order to secure the handle to the stem. <S> Hopefully you have a shut-off valve inside for the faucet that you can turn off in order to stop the flow of water. <S> If not you'd need to turn off the water supply in order to fix/replace the handle. <S> If you are lucky, the bib will be threaded and you can simply unscrew it and replace it. <S> Otherwise you will need to solder a new valve in place.
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If the screw threads or handle is stripped you will likely need to replace the valve.
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How do I remove paint from a wood floor? I have a coat of non-transparent paint (not sure what type, it was painted about 20 years ago) on my floor. I'd like to see the wood grain. So I am trying to figure out a simple DIY way to remove the paint without damaging the wood. I've looked into this, but I have never done anything like this, so I am confused. Maybe somebody can suggest something? <Q> Removing painted to expose wood grain requires significant effort. <S> How much effort depends on the type of wood, the type of paint, and how much paint has been applied. <S> The simplest approach is sanding. <S> Mask, vacuuming and heavy duty filters are required. <S> Chemical stripping avoids most of the airborn dust (and lead) and can remove the bulk of the finish. <S> A follow-up sanding is needed. <S> There are several new citrus based strippers that are fairly effective and avoid the more toxic chemicals of the solvent based strippers. <S> If the wood is open grained (like oak) it is likely that paint will remain in the grain, necessitating a deeper final sanding. <S> Sanding of floors is almost always done with larger commercial type units, using ever finer grades of sandpaper. <S> If the area is small and you are patient, a hand-held belt sander, or even an orbital sander may work. <A> I have used Peel <S> Away 1 to remove paint from my doorway and window trim millwork. <S> The only problem is that it takes 90% of time to remove 10% of paint as you will have to scrape off the hardened residues after removing the product. <A> Paint thinner, then scrape it off. <S> After that you will have to do at least some minor sanding. <S> If oil based paint then maybe major sanding - but could be done with hand sander if you wanted. <S> I personally wouldn't sand it off from the beginning because first of all you will have a huge mess (and equipment to rent), second you will lose more wood, and third since you are sanding more <S> you have a much greater chance for sanding variance. <A> Peel Away 7 , not Peel Away 1 as @amphibient mentioned, strips wood very well. <S> If done right, the paint comes off with the paper, minimizing residual scraping. <S> I've stripped solid wood doors with 20+ layers of paint in a single application of Peel Away 7. <S> Apply thick coat (1/4") of Peel <S> Away <S> 7 Cover with paper, let sit for 5 days Remove paper, most paint should "peel away" when doing this (see below) Clean up residual paint with plastic scraper, final clean with 3M Green pads and mineral spirits <S> (3M pads are great, they suck up paint like a sponge and will not raise the grain) <S> ** <S> IMPORTANTApply Peel <S> Away 7 in small sections, and cover with paper immediately, do not let it dry. <S> This is very important, otherwise, the paint will not stick to the paper, leaving behind a total mess which you'll have to scrap off later. <S> 3M Green Pads
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If the floor is very small, hand scraping is possible, but again, masks and vacuuming are essential and again, a final sanding is necessary to get it ready for finish coats. If the wood is thick and you have access to a professional sanding machine, this can be done, but this process generates a great deal of dust that needs to be collected, and, if the paint is old, presents a lead hazard.
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What is the best method of hanging drywall on ceiling? I am hanging more drywall and will be doing a basement ceiling. I generally start in a corner and work my way out. I use glue on the joists and then drywall screws. Is the glue needed? I learned to use glue on ceiling from an old drywall pro. He said his callbacks went to almost zero for sagging ceilings once he started gluing. Second question is that I try to line my pieces to meet midjoist so I can get a screw for each piece on the joist. Problem is that common drywall screwed often break the drywall when done that close to the edge and then if I angle the screw, that is another issue. So how do you screw in your middle ceiling joins? <Q> It's worth the extra cost. <S> The 1x3 will give you 1.25 inches of screwing space, so you don't have to be quite as accurate with your cuts. <S> Glue is not needed, but will reduce screw pops by making the assembly more 'solid'. <S> I always use adhesive when I can (when there is no vapor barrier or insulation covering the wood). <A> Some helpful pointers: If you can, get sheets that cover the width or length of the room. <S> Less seams. <S> Run sheets perpendicular to framing. <S> For the edges, you can always add a 2x4 if your cut is not accurate along the joist to give extra space to screw, All edges need to be securely fastened. <S> One needs to be far enough away from the edge so the drywall does not break up near the edge or it will lose holding strength and/or sag. <S> Use drywall screws - 1 screw per 12 inches on the joist, <S> if you have an edge, every 6 inches. <S> That should be 48 screws per 4x8. <S> Nails are ok, but I prefer screws. <S> Drywall screw guns make attachment a snap. <S> Glue is extra, but I don't see any harm in using it as it will add more grip, so go for it! <S> Get a drywall hoist or some friends to hold the board over their head. <S> Your back will thank you later. <A> If you're not into old-school, another method is to use drywall clips. <S> With this method, you intentionally make the drywall but together between joists, and use the clips to join the butts together. <S> I've also used this method with success. <S> The advantage here is that it finishes slightly better than butting the drywall over wood. <S> Remarkably, it doesn't seem to affect strength. <S> Make sure you use fine threaded screws with the clips. <S> Drywall clips <A> No need for glue. <S> NEVER use nails!! <S> Always screws. <S> I use 1 1/4" drywall screws. <S> I start from one corner and run my boards across the ceiling framing. <S> (As if you were applying plywood to the floor). <S> The smooth edge of the board is called the flat. <S> The shorter rough edge is called the butt. <S> If your ceiling is say 20' wide your boards would run right to left 8' 8' and 4'. <S> Then start your next row from left to right 8', 8', and then 4'. <S> There is also no need for furring strips. <S> Yes, your butt joints have to break in the middle of the 2x10 or 12. <S> But don't put the screws right at the edge . <S> You should have plenty of room for the screws without damaging the rock. <S> I've been installing drywall and finishing for almost 30 years <S> and I can honestly say I've never had a call back for poor installation or finishing. <A> I have 30 years in the drywall business. <S> I always use screws, never ringshank, buttercup, or black coated drywall nails. <S> The down side of nails is that when you drive the nail to recess it you bust the gypsum between the paper, causing air to form and compromising the structure of the wallboard. <S> That's how you get nail pops. <A> I've used coarse drywall screws into wooden joists for years and never had a failure. <S> The fine screws tend to strip out more often. <S> If screws do strip out (keep spinning) <S> I get them out and try somewhere else that is close, an inch or two away. <S> If my joists or studs are extra wavy <S> I'll screw a length of 2"x4" along the wavy section for more holding area. <S> I've never used glue <S> but I like the idea. <S> Still, I wouldn't want to be the guy scraping the drywall off the ceiling at the next remodel. <S> When I'm working on my own home I skim-coat <S> the entire surface and <S> then kiss-sand it so that the texture is all the same. <S> More work but the painted finish is really nice. <A> Nail pops are caused by many things NOT because of paper blistering. <S> Both nails and screws will pop no matter how many or how few are used due to heat,cold,humidity and shrinkage in the wood. <S> In answer to nailing or screwing butt joints and the drywall breaking on the edges,the solution is fairly simple. <S> If necessary only tack the joint with one fastener and then hang the next piece making sure the joint is tight then <S> fasten the butt joint on both pieces with nails or screws. <A> I've never used glue, but then again -- I'm a DIY'er and not familiar with tons of applications outside of small home projects. <S> Just a comment on furring -- after tons of research. <S> Most guys in these specialty trades and forums online will tell you they are unneeded, especially outside of the east coast. <S> The next group will say its the only way they ever rock a ceiling, either strapping (furring) with 1x3/1x4/2x4 or metal. <S> Huge debate. <S> Doesn't need to be. <S> I say just THINK about what problem you are trying to solve and realize <S> the better answer in most cases is IT DEPENDS! <S> If the joists are extremely uneven or not 16 inches OC themselves, OR <S> -- maybe you're not using 5/8 board on the ceiling and your board is bowing, maybe your ceilings are high enough that losing an inch of height isn't as important as a solid/flat ceiling, etc.. <S> those are all reasons to potentially strap the ceiling. <S> Sure -- there are various ways to achieve these results but leave strapping in your arsenal. <S> Used it for add-on remodel recently and strapping improved the final result immensely.
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Glue is OK; the only advantage of glue is to use less screws, but I would not recommend using less screws on a ceiling; only walls. I find that it's best to attach 1x3 furring strips across the joists. Furing strips can also solve this issue. Make sure your boards are staggered and the butt joints don't line up with each other.
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Should I insulate my roof on the inside or outside? I am renovating my house and am completely redoing my flat roof: ceilings, insulation and roof covering (I am planning to use EPDM rubber). In case it is relevant, I am living in the Netherlands. My plan was to use rockwool on the inside as insulation, but now my builder is suggesting insulation on the outside. He wants to use 50mm (2 inches) PIR insulation. Does anyone have ideas on the following: Is there a good argument to go with insulation on the outside of the roof instead of on the inside? Is PIR insulation better than rockwool? Or ... should I insulate both the inside and the outside? <Q> Commercial flat roofer here with 18 years experience. <S> I cannot stress enough how useless and incorrect inverted roofs are. <S> Having the XPS panels ABOVE the roofing membrane continues to be one of the dumbest things that I see on specs. <S> No matter what the insulation manufacturer tells you, those insulation panels will eventually absorb water. <S> I have removed hundreds of these systems over the years and after 7-8 years of the insulation constantly sitting in water, they begin to absorb it. <S> And sit in water is what they do, they cover the roof and never allow it to dry. <S> I have removed inverted roofs with 3" XPS and <S> those 2'x4' panels can weigh up to 20 lbs once they suck up enough water. <S> Once this happens, all the R-value that they once had is completely negated. <S> Putting the insulation over the roofing membrane is like putting your car seat on the roof of your car to drive and wondering why your cold and wet. <S> In most residential situations it is usually better to install 7" ROXUL on the inside between the joists. <S> The only time I see different is if the owner is looking for an exposed ceiling look. <S> https://www.timbermart.ca/sites/default/files/files/brands/pdfs/us_accordian_brochure.pdf <S> If that is your case, I would suggest a Ballasted 60mil EPDM system over two staggered layers of 2.6" polyisocyanurate (Poly iso), this will give you an R-Value of 30. <S> If you are determined to use and inverted system, I would highly recommend installing a dimple or drainage board over the roofing membrane and ensuring you are using XPS panels that have pre-cut reglets in the bottom of them that will help with drainage and help keep the XPS out of the water. <S> If you are looking for an r-30 you will need about 6" of XPS. <A> Dow (manufacturer of XPS panels) recommends their panels OVER the flat roof waterproofing . <S> You do have to cover with an aggregate or a green roof. <S> The practice is called " inverted roof " PIR panels are similarly rated for inverted roof use . <S> PIR is "better" than rockwool in U-value vs thickness : Mineral wool fibre loft insulation (sold as Rockwool), would also need to be 270mm deep to achieve a U-value of 0.16. <S> Mineral wool fibre is claimed to be less irritating to the installer’s skin than fibreglass, although my own experience is actually the opposite. <S> It is also more expensive than fibreglass, and would cost around £8.20 per sq m. ... <S> The 0.16 U-value could be achieved using a PIR board 175mm (6¾in) thick. <S> excerpted from Jeff Howells article in The Telegraph <A> I am not sure on your exact setup <S> but I would almost always choose my insulation to be inside. <S> If you have roofing issues you don't have to replace, you don't have to worry about the insulation getting damaged, and the biggest point is that I would always try to have the insulation as close to possible to the living space. <S> I guess both would be better <S> but I would put more money into extra rock wool on the interior than rigid sheets outside. <S> Even with 10 inches of PIR on the outside you still have an inside space that will eventually be cold.
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The most thermally efficient insulation material is polyisocyanurate, or PIR, sold as lightweight rigid foam boards – Kingspan, Celotex, and some other brand names.
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What type of flooring can be used on a concrete slab? I have a split ranch house in NY and the downstairs hallway and half bath / laundry room currently has vinyl tile on a concrete slab. I would like to cover the vinyl tile with a new floor. What is the best flooring material to use in this environment? I was originally thinking ceramic tile because the the garage enters into the hallway (dirty, wet shoes). However, I'm concerned that the tile will be too cold during the winter, so I was thinking about some type of wood flooring. However, the potential for a water problem in the bath / laundry room makes me want to avoid wood. <Q> Unless there is significant structural damage to the floor, there is no risk based on dampness. <S> These are routinely used in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms. <A> I recently installed hardwood flooring in my condominium, which has a concrete floor. <S> The two options I was presented with was to glue any hardwood product to the floor, or use an engineered "click" hardwood that sits on top of an underlayment/pad. <S> I chose the latter, known as a floating installation, as it is modular and has the option to be disassembled if needed (for replacing boards). <S> However, the disadvantage to using an engineered hardwood is that the finished material is generally very thin and unlikely possible to be refinished. <A> If you do tile with a tile underlayment product, the slight insulative benefits from the wood and foam/rubber beneath the tile could help make it not so cold. <S> They make tile in all sorts of designs nowadays, so you could even get tile that looks like wood, if that's a design you like. <S> But if you have a cold slab under the floor, that's a problem all its own that you can solve to provide numerous other benefits to your whole house. <S> Are the edges insulated? <S> If not, that's something you can do that will help quite a bit. <S> It's too late to insulate under the slab but the sides are doable. <A> In my opinion only carpet makes any sense. <S> It is softer usually and more insulating than almost any other product, needs minimal underlayment (in fact I prefer the thinnest that I can get). <S> It does not discolor, is easily cleaned and you can use varying grades throughout your house. <S> When it begins to wear and you cannot get it clean, replace it for only a few dollars yourself. <A> Fix the heat transfer issue, then think about floor finishing What I would do in this situation is insulate the slab-on-grade on top using rigid insulation boards (XPS or polyiso, whatever floats your boat, with a 6" tall stub of rockwool in the interior wall cavities), and then use a layer of liquid gypsum floor leveler (Gypcrete) atop that to create the subfloor. <S> After that? <S> Put down whatever floor finish <S> you wish <S> -- you've now put yourself firmly into the interior space with the insulation/WRB, so you don't have to worry about water from the slab breaking things. <S> See the illustration below, from BSI-059 , for details on the stackup -- it depicts an elevated podium slab in a multi-family building, but the strategy is the same for a slab-on-grade.
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Tile floors can be installed with a radiant floor heating system such as this one It is imbedded in the floor below the tiles and is controllable with a wall mounted thermostat. You can purchase carpet that is tough as nails and will withstand water sand etc without wearing for much longer than anything else.
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How should I install a plywood subfloor that will be covered by granite tiles? I am replacing my entryway floor and I have removed the old mud bed. I'm left with planks perpendicular to the joists. However the room is defined at a 45 degrees angle from the joists, so the planks and the joists underneath them appear diagonal (it looks like an X). I plan to install one layer of 3/4 inch plywood over the planks, and a layer of 1/2 inch plywood over the 3/4 inch plywood. Along which direction should I install the plywood? If I install them along the directions of the room then they will be at a 45 degrees angle with the planks and the joist. I know that usually plywood are installed perpendicular to the joists but what about my case? Would this be ok? When I screw the 1/2 inch plywood, should the deck screws only penetrate the planks or should they go through the planks and penetrate the joists as well? <Q> Would like to put in a suggestion for either Schluter Ditra or Laticrete Strata-mat . <S> As uncoupling membranes, they effectively stiffen floors by unitizing the tile layer. <S> For stone installation, Schluter recommends double layer of underlayment. <S> The second layer should only be attached to the first, not through to the framing. <S> The total thickness only has to be 3/4, but can be thicker as necessary for level matching. <S> The first layer should be at right angle to the joists, along the the long direction of the ply. <S> Ditra stone tile install Ditra plywood install <S> excerpted from Ditra installation handbook <A> In your question you reference installing granite tiles. <S> You will want to put these on 1/2" concrete board not plywood. <S> They sell concrete board screws and these work just fine. <A> Laying plywood on diagonal joists is ok if the spans aren't too far from each other AND from the edges. <S> Drawing some guidelines might help this. <S> The longer screws the better fastening and tying all the deck together (not indefinitely :). <S> It's unclear whether your entryway is heated or not. <S> But if the temperatures differ more than in other rooms or if it even freezes sometimes there, strong fastening is a must.
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Fastening on diagonal joists requires more precise work because you have to "aim" at joists of a different direction than the edges. The second layer should be offset from the first layer, not following seams.
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How can I connect a timer to my bathroom exhaust fan? I have a bathroom fan, but it only runs when the light is on (i.e. no delay). The fan itself is really good, but it should really run on after (I think this might be part of the Building Regulations here in UK). I don't want to replace the fan, so was wondering if you can just get the timer unit to attach in-line somewhere. I've checked and the wiring is there for the permanent live as well as switched live, so am kind of hoping it will be simple! <Q> I'm not sure about the UK, but in the US we have in-wall timer units that are often used for this purpose. <S> Like this Maestro timer from Lutron . <A> You said that "I've checked and the wiring is there for the permanent live as well as switched live," <S> so my assumption is that one switch is connected to both of these. <S> In this configuration, you will have the hot from the line connecting to the switch, and then the switch connecting to the two hots for the light and fan. <S> Use a wirenut and attach two pig tails to the incoming hot line. <S> Connect one to a switch and the other to a timer and then connect the hot from the light and fan to the switch and timer. <S> Alternatively you can remove the box and install a larger electrical box to accommodate both the switch and timer. <S> You mentioned in your comment that you're having trouble locating a timer. <S> Here's one I found on Amazon . <A> These come on automatically when they sense humidity above a certain level and then cycle off automatically. <A> Just go to a plumbing store and ask for a timer for your bathroom exhaust fan. <S> The timers come with wiring instructions and the one I installed came with 3 wires. <A> I found a couple of options - the Swiftair Timer and the Manrose 1351 . <S> I'll go for the Swiftair one as it's only £10. <S> Much cheaper than a new fan or a humidity sensor one. <S> Thanks for advice all though.
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If you only have a single-gang box then you will need a combination timer/switch. If you have a permanent live at the fan, you also might look into a fan with a humidity sensor.
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How to open the lid of this toilet water tank? Water is contantly leaking so I want to open the lid of the tank and fix the leak. However, I can't open up the lid! Any ideas? Picture 1: The water tank from above. The two buttons lifted out from their places. Picture 2: The lid pushed up as high as possible. A vertical plastic cylinder seems to be under the buttons. Update after the comment of Wayfaring Stranger. Picture 3: the lid lifted up as much as possible and slid aside as much as possible. The plastic structure under the buttons keeps the lid near its central position. Update after the answer from Michael Karas. Sqeezing in a compact camera on the left then on the right (at the cost of some crepitating noise) I managed to make Picture 4 and 5 of the inside. <Q> The solution was similar to one of the ways Michael Karas suggested in his accepted answer. <S> I used a pliers wrench to grap the outer ring around the flush knobs and turn it counter clockwise. <S> I used considerable force, risking that I would break some of the plastic parts. <S> This was the solution. <S> I managed to open the lid this way and found something similar to Michael's second picture. <S> Turning the ring should have unscrewed it near the top, but it got unlocked near the bottom instead. <S> (I plan to add pictures.) <A> This a "Skipper 45" from SIAMP (a UK brand). <S> You may see videos in their web site. <S> Pour water around the silver button to dissolve the minerals/salts stuck in the screw. <S> Wear rubber gloves and turn the silver button anti-clockwise. <A> There are multiple ways that this type if flush activator is connected to the lid. <S> Some units may actually require this outer ring to turn around to unscrew from the inner part. <S> Use of rubber gloves can help get a better grip on the ring. <S> On some others you take out the two buttons (which is often done by pressing one button down far enough so you can get under the other to pop it up) and then inside the opening under the buttons there will be a screw that you remove. <S> I have read that some others you lift the lid a small way, slide it forward a ways. <S> Then feel along the back edge for a tab that you pull or push to release the lid. <S> After seeing your pictures I think that you should seriously consider that it may be time to think about how you would ever get this back together if you did manage to get it apart without any broken parts. <S> I'd suggest shutting off the water line at the wall and then just yanking hard to take the lid off. <S> Then retrofit your tank with a newer style mechanism that is built a lot more sane way. <S> Here are two more modern style mechanisms that could be considered. <S> This first one simply lets the lid freely lift off. <S> This second style has a short connecting cable that joins the actuator to the flush mechanism so that the lid can be easily lifted up to service the inside of the tank.
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With some you press down hard on the outer ring around the flush knobs and then turn it counter clockwise to remove the button assembly.
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Can a NEMA 6-15 Device be connected to a NEMA 6-20 receptacle? I have a new -80 deep freezer that calls for NEMA 6-15R receptacle, but the old one it is replacing called for a NEMA 6-20. I note that the plug actually seems to fit in the 6-20, but is there a reason that this would cause a problem? The machine should only draw the lower amperage, so the fact that the outlet is overrated wouldn't be a problem? Maybe I'm missing something. <Q> tl;dr 15 Ampere cord-and-plug appliances can indeed, safely be connected to 20 Ampere receptacles. <S> A deeper understanding NEMA 6 is a design standard for three wire grounded cord-and-plug devices and receptacles. <S> The number after the dash (-), is the current rating of the device. <S> For example. <S> A NEMA 6-20 device, would be a three wire grounded cord-and-plug device capable of withstanding 20 amperes of current. <S> The "R" simply tells you that the device in question is a receptacle. <S> A NEMA 6-20 cord-and-plug device, would plug into a NEMA 6-20R device. <S> The NEMA design standard is a safe and convenient way to determine what can connect to what. <S> Basically, if it fits, it works. <S> If a 15 Ampere device is connected to a 20 Ampere rated receptacle, the device will still only draw a maximum of 15 Amperes. <S> Plugging the device into a higher rated receptacle, will not cause it to draw more current. <A> Ideally, a fuse or breaker should not be rated higher than the weakest link in a system. <S> If a piece of equipment is rated below the fuse or breaker rating, it becomes a sacrificial device in the event where it draws more than its current rating but less than the fuse or breaker rating. <S> A device rated for a NEMA 6-15R receptacle that is connected to a NEMA 6-20R receptacle will be allowed to operate within its design parameters, but will also be allowed to draw current above its design parameters. <S> Edit:Many devices have built in protection allowing them to be connected to a variety of sources. <S> The notes above pertain primarily to pieces of equipment that do not have built in protection and rely on the source protection. <A> The fact that your NEMA 6-15 plug physically fits in a NEMA 6-20R receptacle tells me it is a supported configuration. <S> Note how a NEMA 6-20 plug will not physically fit in a NEMA 6-15R receptacle. <A> Going larger on wiring or outlets is only insurance, it cannot hurt a thing. <S> The breaker or fuse is what is limiting the circuit's capacity as is desired. <S> You would never want the wiring to be the weakest link. <S> It is the same with doing a job to code, code is the minimum standard. <A> Just make sure that if you are "close" to the rating of the circuit breaker that you have the appliance on a circuit of its own. <S> In your case, having a 15 amp appliance on a 20 amp breaker (assuming the receptacle is the same as the breaker) will cause you no problem. <S> However, if you should put two 15 amp devices on the same 20 amp breaker, you could conceivably have a current draw of up to 30 amps, causing the breaker to trip. <A> Any corded device such freezer has built-in overload protective devices. <S> The protective device will be protecting you equipment and the cord/plug. <S> The real concern for these application should be overloading the branch circuit and/or the breaker. <S> Since your outlet, feeder and breaker are all rated 20A; then, you will not overload the system. <S> As reminder, the 15A equipment cord & plug are self protected and have internal thermal protection. <S> Also i like to remind Code section that was posted earlier:"Per the NEC if the receptacle is being wired as dedicated a 15amp receptacle it must be on a 15amp breaker (or fused to 15amps). <S> If it is a dedicated 20amp receptacle then you can have that on a 20amp breaker. <S> Same goes for SPST switching devices. <S> All of you "electricians" need to go back and re-read your NEC Article 210 requirements, in particular table 210.21(B)(2) and 210.24, but these are meaningless without the rest of article 210's in depth explanations."
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If you had multiple 15amp receptacles on one circuit you can then use a 20amp breaker. The outlet is not the fuse or the breaker, so as long as everything is rated it'll be fine.
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What kind of saw should I use for cutting thin metal? A rather strange issue has occurred where I moved into a house and there was a lot of junk, the majority of which turns out to be useful, but there is a big set of blinds encased in a 2 meter unit made of metal. To get rid of this, I either have to drive to the local dump or if I can cut it in half, the refuse collectors will take it. So I realised I don't have a tool for cutting this. I only have a wood saw (my tool collection is growing, but limited). The question really is, what do I need to cut this thin, long metal casing in half. I have used saws that do this kind of thing in the past, but don't own one. I really don't want something over-elaborate - does a hacksaw or a jigsaw do this kind of work? <Q> If you're looking for a power-tool version, a Reciprocating saw is the (fun) way to go. <S> Probably not a good thing to use a jig saw on <S> as usually they are intended for making more precise cuts, hence are slower. <A> Depending on how thick the metal is, I've seen guys turn the blade of a circular-saw backward (so the teeth are on the trailing edge, rather than doing the cutting) and cut with that. <S> It's not pretty, and it's not exactly orthodox, but <S> it'll get the job done. <S> If you do decide to try it, you'll obviously want to use a cheap ripping blade rather than your nice finishing blade, cuz it'll tear it up ;-) <A> A hand circular saw every carpenter owns with a 7/32 carbon cut off disk.
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A hacksaw would definitely get the job done.
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How can I hang heavy objects on a wall, without leaving any marks? Command Hooks don't hold very much weight wise and I would like to mount heavy objects - e.g. a whiteboard ... any ideas? (yes this is drywall - I cannot leave any marks in it ). context: college dorms; they're not happy with any holes of course. <Q> You have a dilemma. <S> Even if you double these up, you are at 15 lbs. <S> It might be possible to rig a series of hooks to spread the load, but it would take a careful rigging to avoid having all the weight on the two outside hooks. <S> This is not a practical solution for something weighing over 20 lbs., especially if it is not static. <S> A whiteboard is not static since it is subject to constant jostling as it is written upon. <S> Any surface attachment is problematic. <S> When dealing with wallboard, you have a paint film attached to layer of thin paper/cardboard, attached to a plaster substrate. <S> The adhesive strength of the paint film sticking to the paper over a few square inches is not enought to hold significant weight. <S> If you had an adhesive between the hook and the paint that was strong enough <S> not to let go, the paint (or more likely the top surface of the wallboard paper facing) will likely pull away. <S> The poles are extended between floor and ceiling and held in place with spring tension. <S> This system is intended to hold up a thin, lightweigh film of plastic to create a dust barrier, but several poles could probably hold a board of moderate weight. <S> This would only work if the ceiling were solid, not a dropped tile ceiling or any surface that was not plaster, plasterboard or wood. <S> It also rules out textured ceilings. <S> Even if the ceiling is solid, there is a possibility of marring the ceiling. <S> While I know you ruled out nails, you might consider using Ook style picture hooks . <S> These use superfine hardened steel nails that are easily removable and leave a pinhole size mark. <S> Even that may disappear with a slight rub or covered with a tiny dot of tempera or acrylic craft paint. <S> These hooks are available in weights up to 100 lbs. <S> each and are aslo available with a cushioned back that is even better at avoiding damage to the wall. <S> If you want a truly mar free, safe installation, you should prop the board up on an easel-like structure, as suggested by Michael Karas. <A> You could try out this idea near the wall <A> Superconductor An element, inter-metallic alloy, or compound that will conduct electricity without resistance below a certain temperature. <S> Resistance is undesirable because it produces losses in the energy flowing through the material. <S> Once set in motion, electrical current will flow forever in a closed loop of superconducting material - making it the closest thing to perpetual motion in nature. <S> Scientists refer to superconductivity as a "macroscopic quantum phenomenon". <S> Link to information about superconductors Video of superconductor in motion Option <S> A Step 1: <S> Cool a material to superconducting specifications Step 2: place a magnet on the floor below where you would like to hang the item Step 3: <S> Find the center of the object and affix your superconducting material to the back of it Step 4: <S> Balance the object over the magnet. <S> Option B <S> There is no way to hang an object on a wall, especially one of significant weight, without leaving a mark. <S> Even the sticky wall pads leave some residue. <A> Monkey hooks are rated for 50 pounds and leave a tiny tiny hole that you can fill with paint after. <A> I had the exact same problem at the beginning of this year, except I was hanging mine in the hallway. <S> I plastered the snot out of the board with painters tape and put a few command strips on the edges, it held. <S> That may work for you, plus it leaves no marks and handles high traffic <S> (I have very immature friends and they used it a lot). <S> Hopefully your story won't end like mine though, after being explicitly told that the board was fine to hang there, and spending 2 hours putting it up, the building director said it was "too large". <S> I'm pretty sure it's just because everybody drew crude depictions of male anatomy on it all the time <S> but yeah <S> it can't be helped. <S> Anyway, coat the back of it in painters tape and put a few command strips on the edgesNote <S> : You do not want to see anything other than blue once you are done taping it, if there is a single spot of color other than blue — tape it. <S> Then press very firmly to the wall (I held it for approx 15-20 minutes just to be safe) Also, to be extra safe like I was, tape across the corners multiple times and then tape that tape on its edges — then run tape right against the edges of the board (your board should be framed in blue tape by now) repeat this a few times and that board will not move unless you want it to.
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The strongest removable glue bases hooks, such as Command , appear to be rated to to hold a maximum of only 7.5 lbs. A possibility, one I have not tested, is the use of a tension pole system, such as ZipWall
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Can I fill the void behind the shelves in a tub surround with polyurethane spray foam for added strength? My wife and I plan on putting up a tub surround. I have researched a bunch of these and on a few of the reviews I have read that the shelves are flimsy. The surround she likes (therefore the one we are going with) will probably be this one . I was wondering could I fill the void in the back of the shelves with great stuff for added strength? This would firm up the shelves without adding undo weight. Would the expanding great stuff push to much and possibly crack the shelf void? <Q> I can share some experience and advice here... <S> don't put anything hard in the shelves - like a bar or wood in the shelving void. <S> The house will move, the tub will move and this will move any type of insulation you use in addition. <S> Pretty soon you will have a shelf that is awkwardly hard in some area and soft in other and possible bulges. <S> do put insulation in the shelves <S> do put insulation in all of the other voids in the tub surround <S> Great Stuff is actually the exact choice you want if you are going the spray foam route. <S> You will want to tape the back of the shelf section (duct tape) after. <S> That is to ensure the spray foam doesn't move too much. <S> Also you may want to quickly sand the inside with a rough grit to allow better bonding. <S> If your fiberglass is thin you want to go spray foam. <S> The drawback of the spray foam is that under heavy stress and time the spray foam can break off from the shelf and then potential move a lot. <S> Shelf will still be sturdier but may make a little noise. <S> And that is really the negative with spray foam <S> - you have the chance of hearing a rubbing noise after wear. <S> I lay the fiberglass all around the tub, I pack it in huge voids, and fill (pack) shelves with it... <S> I fill shelves if I believe that particular fiberglass is thick enough to handle the extra weight (I know it isn't much). <S> I will generally try to use fiberglass because it isn't noisy and gives the fiberglass a soft marshmallow feeling. <S> I would also tape the back of the shelves with the fiberglass so it doesn't fall out. <S> IMO this is a huge upgrade done for $40. <A> Actually, the "Big Gap" version is the version you want. <S> The window version is too soft and may collapse in large 'pours'. <S> Lay the unit face down, such that the shelves make 'cups'. <S> Wipe down the inside with a wet cloth (but not dripping) to accelerate the 'cure'. <S> Fill each about 1/2 full and wait about an hour. <S> Top off as needed. <S> The open 'top' of the shelves will allow the foam to escape as needed, so overpressure is not a concern. <S> Once fully hard (4+ hours) <S> , use a hand saw to flatten any extra 'bumps' <A> Yes, this will probably add some stiffness. <S> You can also find some foams that are designed to expand less than others, so you might as well choose one of them. <S> But as long as the foam has someplace to expand freely into, it will generally not cause problems here. <S> Definitely spray in the foam in layers, letting it expand as much as it wants to expand before the next layer is laid down. <S> As pointed out by Michael, you can also lay in some light bar stock, in the form of aluminum, or even balsa wood, which is cheap enough and readily available in stock sizes. <S> Just lay these stiffeners into the void, then fill with foam around it. <S> When all done, any foam that has expanded too far out of the shell can be cut away with a knife or hand saw.
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I really really suggest filling large (non-shelf) voids with fiberglass batts.
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What kind of lightbulb(?) is in this chandelier? I've come across images from a chandelier by Mathieu Lehanneur for Chateau Borely . Even after looking at it quite for a while and going through everything I've ever seen, I couldn't really imagine what light source/bulb (I don't know the English word) this is. After reading the article on Dezeen , I saw that it's Glass tubes containing strips of LEDs and at the end of the article LEDs, tubes of borosilicate glass, luminous control system. It's hard to imagine how a glowing tube could be made out of LEDs as those are single/point light sources. How would this be build/made? Images and copyright notices can be found on Dezeens original article . <Q> There is also something called El-Wire. <S> It is a flexible cable that is fluorescent. <S> It can be powered of batteries and is popular on clothes, like dancers - <S> But the applications are endless for this glow wire. <S> I bought 10 metres of this <S> and it is really funky stuff. <S> I bought really thin el wire for christmas decorations but you get various thickness. <S> Explanation El wire is quite different from standard lighting. <S> What makes it work is high frequency alternating currents and not really the input voltage. <S> I have read that powering it up directly from 110vac or 220vac will light them up but <S> it will be dimm because its on 50/60hz. <S> The general standard indicates that the transformer box you get with it steps up (or down) to somewhere between 90~120vac at 1000 Hertz <S> - You can get transformers that can even power a few hundred feet by a AA battery up to several days. <S> This high frequency is what excites the phosphor coating and causes it emits light. <S> Regulating the frequency makes it brighter or dimmer. <S> The input voltage also makes it brighter or dimmer but too much or too little <S> voltage will deplete the phosphorus layer quicker. <S> Unlike LED's el wire will eventually burn out and become really dimm. <A> He could be using a special type of fibreglass material which its source of light powered by super bright CREED LED (5 watt or 10 Watt) <S> This will give the illumination effect that you see. <S> The actual LED (or LED's is in the ceiling) <S> Here is something on ebay (50m 2mm side light flexible solid core fiber optic cable for lighting decoration) <S> but it is driven by a bright bulb not led. <S> It comes in various colours and has the desired effect. <S> But searching for fibreglass lighting will help you in your DIY journeys :) <A> It looks like the LED strip has been covered by a translucent, white tube. <S> From there, dimming is a standard feature. <S> Light levels are getting pretty good, a recent kitchen project used a strip with 328 lumens per foot.
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The white tubing must act like a diffuser (think lampshade).
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Can a built-in dishwasher be plugged into a receptacle? We just bought a house in California. Can a built in dishwasher be plugged into an outlet or must it be hard wired? <Q> It can definitely be plugged into a receptacle. <S> Some new dish washers come with the cord already attached and some give you directions. <S> Almost all require a GFCI outlet and you need to read what size circuit you need. <S> My experience in the past 3-4 years. <S> Installed 6 dishwashers. <S> 1 had cord already on it - which is kind of a pain because often there is no outlet. <S> The other 5 all had instructions that said it allowed for wiring to be turned into cord. <S> 1 <S> we did that because it made sense - used outlet behind fridge (not the same outlet as fridge). <S> Just look up manufacturer's instructions online if you have any questions but the short answer is YES. <A> A dedicated 15A 110V GFCI-protected circuit is also required for most residential machines. <S> A GFCI duplex receptacle is not acceptable since another device may be able to be plugged in, thus rendering the circuit non-dedicated. <A> I agree with most already said. <S> Dedicated 15 A circuit. <S> However, one can use a gfci outlet provided the non used half is rendered non usable (silicon caulking). <S> If hardwiring a gfci outlet inline with it then both outlets must be rendered non usable.
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Some local codes require the dishwasher to be plugged in with the receptacle accessible, like in the sink cabinet.
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Why does my window air conditioner cool but not dehumidify? I have a brand-new 5000 BTU Frigidaire window air conditioner, and it seems to work fine except that it doesn't reduce the humidity in the room. I turned it on last night, and the temperature was 81 °F with 63% humidity, and when I woke up this morning it was 72 °F with 70% humidity. I thought that dehumidification was necessary in how air-conditioners worked. How could an air conditioner cool the air without removing the moisture? <Q> Don't forget that the percentage humidity is RELATIVE. <S> Cold air cannot contain as much moisture as warm air. <S> For the same amount of water in the air, the relative humidity will increase as the temperature drops. <S> By consulting a psychrometric (humidity) <S> chart, I see your overnight run removed 19 grains of water per pound of dry air. <S> If you rewarmed the morning air back to 81 deg F, the relative humidity would be about 52%. <S> Or, if you cooled the initial air to 72 deg F without removing any moisture, you would get a relative humidity of around 88%. <S> So despite the higher relative humidity reading, moisture was removed. <S> The moisture removed is a function of the temperature of the evaporator coils in the A/C unit and the volume of air flowing through it. <S> As bib pointed out, the unit may not have been actually running that much, reducing the volume of air passing through the coil, and thus minimizing the dehumidification effect. <S> If you continue to cool the same air and avoid introducing additional moisture, the humidity level will eventually be reduced. <S> It will take some patience. <A> Air conditioners need to be sized to the room they are in. <S> The dehumidification process takes some time, so if you have an air conditioner that is more powerful than the room calls for, the compressor shuts off before the dehumidification takes place. <S> A 5000 btu unit is considered appropriate for a room 100 to 150 sq. <S> ft. <S> That is a pretty small room, but if your is smaller, that might explain it. <S> Also, be certain that the external air vent is closed, the baffles on the sides fit the windowframe tightly and that there is a foam filler between the raised sash and the outer window. <S> If these are not done, moist outdoor air could leak in. <A> Try the lowest fan speed setting. <S> As others pointed out, moisture can only be removed when it contacts the cold coil fins in the AC unit. <S> It's an old HVAC trick to slow down the Fan Speed thereby increasing the time that air spends in contact with the coils but also reducing the effect of the high velocity air carrying the moisture right past and off the coils and back into the room air. <S> It may or may not help depending on other variables, but easy so probably worth a shot. <A> Last month I installed a GE 1000-sq ft Window Air Conditioner with Heater (230-Volt; 17600-BTU) in a well insulated and Sheetrocked 750 <S> sq ft workshop/garage. <S> The building is for housing my project cars, power tools, machines, etc., so my goal was to have 40% to 50% relative humidity to prevent atmospheric corrosion. <S> I was disappointed the unit keeps the space in the low 70 degrees F and about 70% humidity even when the outside humidity is 50%. <S> Measuring temperature and humidity as close as possible to the condensing coil, I found about 45 degrees and 100% humidity. <S> At first I was surprised that the humidity was 100% but then realized that all condensing coils that are dripping wet from making condensation are blowing 100% relative humidity air. <S> As the air disperses and cools the room by absorbing heat, the relative humidity declines. <S> But only to 70% in this case and not to 40-50%. <S> I complained to GE, and they sent out a serviceman. <S> In a few minutes he said the unit was operating normally and nothing was wrong with it. <S> He went on to say that he also has a workshop with a similar unit and has a dehumidifier because the air conditioner by itself will not make low humidity. <S> Answering the question " <S> How could an air conditioner cool the air without removing the moisture? <S> ", the air conditioner is cooling the air and actually is removing some of the moisture, as evidenced by the condensate in the unit's pan, just not as much as 40-50%, more like 70%. <S> Apparently most all window units are intentionally sized, designed, and priced to only bring down the temperature of a certain sized space and not bring down the humidity to a low level. <S> To get both "room" temperature plus low humidity, units would need to be more robust and more pricey. <S> There aren't many dehumidifiers to choose from not made in China and subject to tariffs.
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If using a window unit and you want low humidity too, the solution is to add a dehumidifier which can be had in many cases for around $200 in 2019, not counting any new tariffs.
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How long can I store a bag of Quikrete? I had planned to find a nook in the low-humidity house in which to shove it, but it would be interesting to know how long the bag will keep in various humidities. The main question is: How long can I store a (new, sealed) bag of Quikrete in the house with central AC and heat? I don't expect there to be a perfect answer to this question, so I'll upvote any useful insight (ie "I kept a bag for X years and it was fine" or "I kept a bag for X years in the garage and it turned to a brick"). <Q> Depends on how exactly you store it. <S> Too much effort in my opinion. <S> Just take it back to the store, get your money back, and repurchase a new bag in the future when needed. <S> I've had bad experiences with them turning into bricks in a high-humidity basement; took about 6 months for it to happen. <A> I live in the Pacific Northwest. <S> A bag in my garage turned into a brick after just one summer to winter to summer transition. <A> I got a 60 pound bag of concrete donated to me by a neighbor. <S> I have no idea how old it was, like how long he had it. <S> I used it to set a metal sculpture -- a pole, really, like you would set a fencepost, in a big hole with a few big stones to take up a lot of the space. <S> The stuff mixed just fine and had a nice slump to it and poured no problem, vibrated nicely into the interstices of the stones. <S> And then it never set up! <S> It's soft. <S> It acts like concrete <S> that's just been poured and is starting to set up, but it seems like it's never going to set up. <S> It's been days. <S> So my advice is that there's only one kind of bagged concrete to use, and that's a new bag from a busy store. <A> I just used a bag that was 10 years old. <S> Set up beautifully! <S> Stored in a heated garage. <S> Dry climate. <A> Cement is nothing more than a bag of DRY chemicals! <S> So dry, that it wants to suck in moisture any way it can! <S> once the bag is opened, you better find a good way to keep moisture out other then rolling down the open part of the bag, and call it good. <S> There is a reason that the cement bag has a plastic liner! <S> Once that bag is opened,... <S> it's on borrowed time, unless of course your going to use it within a FEW weeks. <S> Water (or moisture), will activate the chemicals as we all know... <S> moisture will work more slowly, but it's like brown sugar... <S> that also will turn into a brick if exposed to moisture for too long. <S> Use it or lose it.... <A> In our attached garage I have a bag that is a few years old that still works fine on small projects. <S> In the detached garage there is a bag that is also a few years old that is as hard as, well, cement! <S> Likely the difference in heat and humidity since the attached garage will get some heat from the house, while the detached garage has none. <A> I’ve got an open bag of postcrete (which I presume is similar?) <S> in the garage; it’s been there a few years and is fine. <S> I folded down the top and clipped it. <S> I’m in the U.K. <S> The garage isn’t attached to the house and isn’t heated. <S> But we don’t have moisture problems in there.
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If you want to keep it around as long as possible without becoming a brick, put it in a seal-able plastic tub with desiccant packs and keep it in your house (as you said you were).
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